The Backpack Adventures

Weekend 54: November 12 – 13, 2022 Day 376: November 12, 2022 Saturday – Rumoi Brrr! It’s getting very cold here in Rumoi City. We didn’t plan any road trip today because the weather forecast said that it would be rainy the whole afternoon so we just had a lazy day today. Guess where we'd be going this coming Winter Vacation Regardless, I spent the morning crafting an itinerary for our winter vacation and also writing articles for my blog. Just after finishing 2 articles, my wife told me that we’d be heading to Teacher Kanda’s place to pick up the futons and electric blankets that she would give us. Grocery shopping at COOP   Will you buy a mango worth 5800 (6260 with tax) per piece? Thank you for these Teacher Kanda Before going there, we first went to COOP to buy fruits for Teacher Kanda . As expected Teacher Kanda has a lot of things to share. We had such a great time chatting with her that we lost track of time. The next thing that we knew, it was almost 3 PM, thankfully thou

Week 54: November 7 – 11, 2022 Day 371: November 7, 2022 Monday – Lab Test #2 at Rumoi Municipal Hospital It’s a beautiful Monday. I’m back at Rumoi High School . On the other hand, my second lab test at Rumoi Municipal Hospital is also scheduled today. Thankfully, Sekiguchi-san is available today to accompany me and help me with the translations, a challenge my wife and I faced last time I went for my 1st Lab Test. Rumoi Municipal Hospital We left Rumoi High School going to Rumoi Municipal Hospital at around 8:30 AM. The whole process took about 5 hours. Most of which were waiting times. It was past 1 PM when we left the hospital. Sekiguchi-san drove me home after the lab test so that I could eat lunch before going back to Rumoi High School . My lunch before going back to work When I got to Rumoi High School , there was no collaboration work waiting for me but Matsuda-sensei talked to me about the plans for tomorrow’s classes. Rumoi High School 11.7.2022 That afternoon, I met with

Weekend 53: November 5 - 6, 2022 Day 369:  November 5, 2022 Saturday – Rumoi Although we usually go on road trips every weekend, this weekend would be different. We have several important commitments lined up.  For today’s schedule, we have a reservation at the Suzuki dealer at Motokawacho in Rumoi City at 2 PM. We need to change the tires of our car Ruru in preparation for winter. Aside from updating my blog, I'm also updating my #Hokkaido179 travel notes and map We brought Ruru to the Suzuki dealership at Motokawa-cho We got nothing to do but take selfies while waiting for the tire change to finish Since it’s still in the afternoon, I spent my morning updating my blog. Ella didn't join us as she preferred to stay home. My wife and I brought Ruru to the Suzuki dealership at 2 PM and waited for the tires to be changed. It took about an hour. We first went to Shimamura to buy some winter essentials Grocery at MaxValu After the tire change,  my wife and I drove to Shimamura

10 Things to Do in Iwamizawa City Iwamizawa ( 岩見沢市 ) is an inland city located in the Sorachi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan . The name " Iwamizawa " is derived from the Japanese word " Yuamisawa " ( 浴澤 ). Yuami ( 浴 ) and Sawa ( 澤 ) mean "bathing" and "a swamp". For those planning to visit the city to check what it has to offer, here are the 10 Things to Do in Iwamizawa City : Iwamizawa City manhole cover 1.  Take a picture of the manhole cover of Iwamizawa City . So far, I have seen 1 unique manhole cover. It is commonly seen around the city.  Iwamizawa Shrine 2. Visit the Iwamizawa Shrine ( 岩見澤神社 ). It’s the main shrine of Iwamizawa City. You can pay your respects and offer prayers here any time of the day. Don’t forget to avail of the shrine’s goshuin if you are collecting them. Mannenji 3. Drive into the eastern outskirts of Iwamizawa City and visit Mannenji ( 万念寺 ). It might not have a grand infrastructure but it is home to the haunte