What's on Tap: February 4-17, 2017

First, a look backwards. We wrapped up 5 awesome days of skiing in Niseko, Hokkaido and traveled to Sapporo yesterday. Blog posts in the works:

• 60 Hours in Tokyo
• Why we are buying a Japanese Toilet and our other favorite quirks of Japan
• Where to find the best sushi EVER: we waited in line for 3 hours and would do it again
• Ramen and tasty Japanese snacks not to miss
• The Ritual of the Onsen

Up next: we are in Sapporo for a few days for the 68th Sapporo Snow Festival, followed by a quick night in Hokadate, at the southern tip of Hokkaido.  I will try to eat my fill of Uni before we leave!  On Wednesday, we will head south to Nikko, a mountain town north of Tokyo and the site of a famous Shinto memorial for Tokugawa Ieyasu, founding ruler of the Edo period.  Friday will take us to Shibu Onsen and the home of the onsen-soaking snow monkeys.  You may remember a photo from Life Magazine from your childhood.  From there, a long train journey to Hiroshima, both to visit the town and the memorial, but also to catch the annual Oyster Festival on Miyajima Island.  We will spend our last few days in Japan in Kyoto, visiting the abundance of shrines, the bamboo forest, zen rock garden before jetting from Tokyo to Hanoi, Vietnam on Friday, February 17.  Stay tuned!