It has been another hiatus on the blogging front for the Hayman household…thesis writing, life planning, house moving, and graduation (with honours!), and Covid-19 jabs, have prevented me from picking up my blogging pen. I thought for this ‘come back blog’, like any good band, it needs to return with a strong opener. So, happy…
Tag: mountains
Nagano January 2021
In January, Dan and I enjoyed a belated winter break to Nagano. The main attraction of the break was the Air BnB, which provided us with a unique and tranquil space to unwind in after the year most want to forget. It didn’t disappoint, allowing us to sleep in absolute silence and darkness, and wake…
Matsumoto Mini-Break
The weekend before Christmas 2020, Dan and I took a mini-break for the weekend to Matsumoto city in Nagano (the Japanese Alps). The city is surrounded by visible and towering mountains, which you can catch views of all over the city. While the weekend started in a less than desirable way – think cockroaches in…
Turning 34 in Saitama
I turned 34 (in age, not mind) this year at an eco-lodge we’ve visited previously in Saitama. It’s up in the mountains and surrounded by bamboo. We’ve visited a few times because it’s peaceful, surrounded by nature, and, importantly, cheap! This year was a difficult birthday, the first to pass without hearing from my Dad….
Takezawa, Saitama
For my birthday, I turned 25 for the 7th year in a row (I know, it’s a miracle…) Dan and I went to Takezawa in Saitama. Now, this was a trip I had very little hand in planning (alarm bells). So imagine my delight when we arrive in Takezawa area at the local train station…
Golden Week 2019: Waterfalls, New Friends, and Animals
After our big hike on the Monday of Golden Week, Dan and I decided to chill for the rest of the week. This was partially encouraged by the very typical bank holiday weather – the world over it seems to rain on bank holidays – but also because we truly had exhausted ourselves with the…
Golden Week 2019: Agano Hikes
Golden Week of 2019 was a pretty special one. This year it was ten days in a row, to celebrate the abdication of the Emperor Akihito, with his son, Naruhito, taking up the position. This is the first abdication in Japan since 1817, so it is a unique chance to be able to experience it. Ten…
Christmas Day 2018
In 2018 Dan and I spent our first Christmas in Japan after over two and a half years of living here. We spent it on Toyama in our unique Airbnb. Our actual day started off slowly with a late wake up, a bit of book reading (I indulged in a festive bit of Bridget Jones’…
And Mountain (Toyama)
Dan and I decided to spend our first Christmas after three years in Japan. Partly a decision fuelled by funding, but also we had been lucky enough to get an Airbnb voucher to use in Japan after a failed holiday in the summer. This meant we had £350 to spend on accommodation anywhere in Japan…the…
Life on Mars
Mount Aso would make the perfect location for filming of a space adventure. It was as close as I could imagine walking on Mars would be, with nothing green, but a sea of reds, whites, blacks, golds, and browns. In our quest to get as up close and personal with the volcano as safely possible,…