In my 7 years in Japan I have never traveled to the country that is actually closest to Japan… Korea.

Now that I have a new camera and a long Independence Day weekend it is the perfect opportunity to head on over to Korea to see the sights, experience the culture, and mainly eat the food.

After only 2.5 years of use I felt that it was time to replace my camera. I was torn between the Cannon S95 and the Nikon P300 but decided to get the P300 for a few reasons. It was a bit cheaper, a little lighter, and just a bit easier to use. Although the S95 had more features all I really need is a good point-and-shoot that feels nice in my hand.

Jeff has been enjoying Japan for the last three months and will already be leaving next week. Before he goes there was one last badminton and sayonara day. I joined up with Jeff and his usual group to play badminton for a good three hours. It seems I still have some practice to do as Jeff beat me in all three games we played. Afterward it was off to dinner and karaoke.

Oze is one of the most beautiful places in Japan. I went backpacking in Oze last year and absolutely loved it, so I could not turn down my hiking friend when he planned another trip. I also invited my friend Jeff, as he too loves hiking and will soon leave Japan again.
This trip, however, was a short one-day hiking trip. We took a night bus there on Friday and came back Saturday evening. Although the weather was great, there was a lot more people walking around Oze this time than I remembered…