Yes, I have changed my blog name! My original blog name was Sandier Pastures, a name I picked when I started blogging when we moved to Dubai from Japan in 2007. I was happily blogging for eleven years and used the handle @sandierpastures in my social media accounts. Everyone who knows me connects that name … Continue reading Surprise! New blog name!
Japan
Take a look at another side of Japan
Today I looked out of our bedroom window and realized, it's been exactly one year since we visited this countryside. Tokamachi. My husband's hometown. The place he grew up. And though we've visited a few times in the past, I could never get tired of the view, be it in summer or in winter or spring and maybe … Continue reading Take a look at another side of Japan
Spring comes to our new home
The promise of spring's arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter. People who visit this area called, "snow country" in Niigata prefecture would think it will take a year for all the snow to melt. And I can't blame them, I mean look at this. This picture was taken last February, in … Continue reading Spring comes to our new home
Starting a new life in Niigata
For the past two months, this is the view that greets me every morning when I wake up and open the curtains. If you saw the photos I recently posted on my Instagram account during our move to Japan, specifically in Niigata prefecture, you would tell me I've gone crazy. And I'm going to tell … Continue reading Starting a new life in Niigata
Sand dunes, in Japan?
Oh, in case you're new here and/or not following me on social media, especially on Instagram, we've moved to Japan. It's been a month since I started sleep talking in Nihongo again. And if you ask me how we're all doing, thank you, we're all doing fine (except that - my daughter claims that I … Continue reading Sand dunes, in Japan?
Why we left Dubai
I don't know how many times I've apologized for the lack of updates on this blog so I'm not going to do it now because I can't promise to be consistent in writing with all the things currently going on in my life. But if you are reading this, thank you for still being here. … Continue reading Why we left Dubai
Visiting Japan’s small town charm
I've been thinking a lot about Japan lately. I blame my husband - we have been watching Japanese news on the TV almost every night at bed time. Everything sounds and feels familiar once again. I blame my mother in law who, right now got addicted to sending Japanese foodstuff lately. Or this is just plain … Continue reading Visiting Japan’s small town charm
Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum – is it worth it?
One of the "must do" things to do on our trip to Japan was to EAT. And oh boy, our list was long! There's simple eats at the convenient stores to that special soba in Niigata (my husband's hometown), summer sweets, curry rice, gyoza and of course, RAMEN! My kids are crazy with ramen which … Continue reading Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum – is it worth it?
Visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka
Have you seen any Ghibli movies? You must have heard or watched some of it but never realized it's a "Ghibli" (pronounced, "jiburi" in Japanese) - Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro. The delightful animated films of Studio Ghibli are full of magic and fairytales. They can be very simple, dark, fantastical, melancholy, ecstatic, … Continue reading Visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka
Our trip to Japan, summer 2017
It's currently summer vacation for all of the kids in the UAE. It's actually over a month already since most of the schools have closed for the school year 2017. Since classes will start on September 10, that's about 12 weeks long of holidays! When I planned where to take the kids in summer and … Continue reading Our trip to Japan, summer 2017
Finding Backroads 