The Carnac Stones (2011) and a crêperie

One of my absolute favorite trips. I had the opportunity to visit a friend in her hometown. The some of the megaliths may date back as far as 4500 BCE! I also ate the best apple caramel crepe of my life.

Departure of the Sakurajima Ferry with Sakurajima erupting in the background (2013)

I used to live in a city that was located directly across Kinko Bay from a very active volcano, Sakurajima. In just a short fifteen minute ferry ride, you can visit the volcano, which has a population of over 3000 residents. I miss waking up and seeing this majestic fire mountain every morning (provided it wasn't raining), and I did eventually get used to the ash.

La Vallée de la Hoëgne, Belgium (2010)

A magical-looking bridge and the stream leading to it from a hike in Belgium I had nearly completely forgotten about.

Tsushiki Tenjinja, Umeda, Osaka (February 2024) Japan is famous for its cherry blossoms, but my favorite flowering tree with always be the plum blossom. I love how they bloom in winter, reminding us in cold, grey February that spring is coming.

These sculptures were a temporary installation at the Place Royale or Koningsplein in Brussels, Belgium in 2010. Despite searching, I can't find any other information about them. If anyone happens to know more information about them, especially the name of the artist, please do share!

When I first arrived at the Japanese senior high school where I would be working for the next two years, it was summer vacation. I kept hearing the taiko drums while at work, and I asked my co-workers about it. They told me it was the ōendan (cheer squad) practicing for Sports Day. I had no idea what ōendan was at the time, so come Sports Day, I was treated to one of the coolest things I had ever witnessed.

This is a photo of the third-year squad (final year of high school in Japan) absolutely killing it. Unfortunately, they lost to the second-year students, and my heart broke with them. I don't know the criteria for judging, but they won my heart.