16″ of snow overnight led to the Misawa winters we were promised!

About 2 hours away is Mt. Hakkoda, where “snow monsters” guard the mountain. These are naturally formed by strong wind that blows water droplets onto the trees that freeze. The result are these crazy looking trees.

One of my bucket list items was to see a concert in Japan, and that has been realized! We went up to Sapporo, the largest city in the northern island Hokkaido, where the Snow Festival was. During this trip, we also went to see Queen, one of Leanne’s favorite bands.

While in Japan, I’ve picked up a new hobby: fishing! My friend Ryota is an expert amateur fisherman and has taught me the ropes. I’ve done what’s called “area trout fishing” here in Japan, which is where there is a fishery that grows the fish and then releases them into a pond in which we can fish in. You would think it might be easier than catching trout from a river, but these trout are used to fisherman and, as such, become little geniuses. They know to avoid most lures since they have fisherman trying to catch them every day. There are also strict rules: you cannot have bait on the lure, certain lures are not allowed, and the hooks on the lures cannot be barbed.

This was my catch, which I later gutted and made into a great Sole Muniere.

Fishing is my new hobby!