blog — When Home is Now Here

Welcome to Hell

When my parents came to visit, we took them to Osorezan, otherwise known as Fear Mountain or the Gates of Hell, one of the three most holy places in Japan.

asia, travelSarah HarperNovember 3, 2013japan, fallComment

Beef & Garlic Festival

Hi friends. So can we talk about the BEST festival in all of Japan, possibly even the world? We can? I knew you'd feel that way.

asia, travelSarah HarperOctober 7, 2013food, japan, fall, festivalComment

The Goose

On Thursday, we celebrated another first birthday in our house! Happy birthday to our little mini lab, Lucy!

reflectionsSarah HarperSeptember 8, 2013pets, reflections, japanComment

Obon & Big Buddha

Last week was Obon, one of the biggest holidays in Japan. It is a weeklong celebration in which the Japanese honor relatives who have passed on to the afterlife.

asia, travelSarah HarperAugust 24, 2013summer, japanComment

Akita Kanto Festival

The summer festivals have started, which tend to be much more boisterous and flashy than the others throughout the year.

asia, travelSarah HarperAugust 16, 2013japan, festival, summerComment

It's Been a Year

I've thought about this post a lot, probably more than I should have. So many different things to address...

reflectionsSarah HarperJuly 14, 2013reflections, japan, festivalComment

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

As we prepared for our nation's birthday, we also celebrated another special birthday in our house...Jackson's first.

reflectionsSarah HarperJuly 4, 2013pets, reflectionsComment

More Cherry Blossoms

ll the festivals have begun, as the spring has slowly began to fade into summer. But before getting into the crazy of summer, and it is pretty crazy, I wanted to share the cherry blossoms from Hirosaki Castle.

asia, travelSarah HarperJune 15, 2013festival, spring, japan, foodComment

Spring Has Sprung!

It's finally spring in Misawa! The winter actually wasn't as horrible as everyone made it sound, but leave to the Alaskans to be unimpressed.

asia, travelSarah HarperMay 24, 2013spring, japan, festivalComment

I Don't Bake: Part Three

My name is Sarah, and at the tender age of 27, I have been banned...

reflectionsSarah HarperApril 25, 2013food, reflectionsComment

Nightmares Take Flight

But the most notable happening has been our accidental discovery of Kabushima...or more commonly known as Seagull Island.

asia, travelSarah HarperApril 23, 2013spring, japan, foodComment

Frosty Weasel

This past weekend was Frosty Weasel, a huge three-day ski trip to Appi Kogen. Our neighbor was in charge of planning the trip, so needless to say, we signed up.

asia, travelSarah HarperFebruary 23, 2013winter, japan, food, fitness Comment

Football & Festivals

For Super Bowl Monday...yes, Monday, they sent a couple of NFL cheerleaders and football players to Misawa. It was my office's job to escort them around Japan and show them all the crazy stuff there is to do in Japan.

asiaSarah HarperFebruary 9, 2013japan, winter, festivalComment

27.

This past weekend marked my 27th birthday, and consequently, my golden birthday. Typically, we don't really do much for birthdays, but this year I decided it would be a great idea to try something new...

reflectionsSarah HarperFebruary 1, 2013reflections, fitness, japan, winterComment

Hirosaki Chrysanthemum Festival

Last weekend, we drove to the Hirosaki Castle (about a 3 hour drive from Misawa) for the Chrysanthemum Festival.

asia, travelSarah HarperNovember 17, 2012fall, japan, festival, travel Comment

Zumba & Other Hopeless Pursuits

Dancing has never been a strong suit of mine. I was so bad at dancing my mom pulled me out of my child ballet classes because, well, I just sucked too much.

fitnessSarah HarperOctober 23, 2012reflections, fitnessComment

I Don't Bake: Part Two

I am not a good cook, but I try my damnedest. As I stated before, I seriously started trying to cook last year while the resident chef of the family was gone...

reflectionsSarah HarperOctober 9, 2012food, reflectionsComment