Japan Road Trip Week 1: Hiking Hakusan, Akita Camping, and Osorezan

Family Christmas Abroad! Nordic Winter, Scenic Trains, Fjords, & Ferries

Surprise! We thought it would be fun to document our family holidays in a "field trip episode" style format!  This time - what do Danes call danishes? What time can you buy alcohol in Norway? When does the sun set? Where's the highest train station in Northern Europe? What do salty licorice and Christmas cheese taste like? Plus lots of other mundane life questions. This is different than previous episodes, but we wanted to say hi after a few months away from podcasting, and share how our first Christmas ever as a group of 9 went!  We'll spend Christmas in Norway with Annie's family, ferry around some fjords, take the Bergen-Oslo scenic train past the highest station, go on an overnight boat to Copenhagen, Denmark, and stay in a medieval hotel in Malmo, Sweden. Hopefully it's a fun episode to listen to - thanks for coming along! Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos. Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

6 Weeks Later Update! Changing Plans, Hurricanes, and Reverse Culture Shock

Hello again from North Carolina! Our microphones are still on a boat being shipped back to us from Japan (sorry for the lower audio quality), but we wanted to share an update about what we’ve been up to since moving, our changing plans, and what things stood out to us most when returning to the US.   Thank you so much for joining us for 118 episodes of adventures (and mundane life stories) abroad! As mentioned, here are some ways you can support Western North Carolina after the recent destruction from Hurricane Helene: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos. Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

Japan Road Trip Week 3: Kyushu Scenic Train, Cat Temple, & World's Oldest Family Business

It's the final week of our road trip around Japan! We got to ride the 36+3 scenic train in Kyushu, and started our drive back through Honshu on the Sea of Japan coast. We visited a cat temple in Yamaguchi, saw the Tottori Sand Dunes, one of Japan's 3 great views, and 2 more original castles. At the end of the trip, we spent the night in Houshi Ryokan, the world's oldest continually run family business (it opened in the year 718!) Plus, how did we get all our bikes and things ready for the flight to America? Pretty surreal that this was the end of a chapter here - we'll be back soon Japan! Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos. Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

Japan Road Trip Week 2: Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, Shikoku School Stay, and Hells of Kyushu

This week we've gone from the far north in Aomori Prefecture to the far south in Kyushu! We got to see the annual Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, stayed in an old elementary school on Shikoku, changed plans due to the Nankai Trough earthquake advisories, and took a ferry to the 7 Hells of Beppu on the island of Kyushu.  Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos. Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/

Japan Road Trip Week 1: Hiking Hakusan, Akita Camping, and Osorezan

This week we started our road trip by hiking Mt. Haku (or Hakusan), one of Japan’s 3 holy mountains. After the hike we started driving north to the Tohoku region, camping in Akita Prefecture, and making our way to Aomori Prefecture. We got to see Hirosaki Castle (one of the 12 remaining original castles in the country!) and stayed in Mutsu. During a bike ride there we visited Osorezan (literally Fear Mountain) and Bodaiji Temple, surrounded by sulfuric hot springs and said to be a gateway to the underworld.  More about Hakusan: https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/otherdata/sightseeing/hakusan/index.html More about Osorezan: https://aomori-tourism.com/en/feature/detail_76.html More about Hirosaki Castle: https://www.hirosakipark.com/en/ Listen to the end of every episode to hear our Japanese "words-of-the-week," and head to @ramblingramsbothams on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes photos. Have a question or idea? Send us an email at ramblingramsbothams@gmail.com, or visit our website: https://www.ramblingramsbothams.com/