Author Archives: eli fessler

Mini-trip #4: How do I keep finding myself in Saga?

Posted on February 28, 2026 by eli fessler

Nobody likes Saga Prefecture for some reason. There’s a Japanese company that carries out yearly “prefectural attractiveness” surveys, and every year Saga’s right near the bottom. It fell one spot to last place in 2022, leading to a lot of … Continue reading →

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From Nagoya to Nagoya, riding the Iida Line and KURURUing through Nagano

Posted on January 30, 2026 by eli fessler

Happy 2026! Now almost a year behind, this post recounts a circular trip I took over the course of a long weekend in February 2025 to get the brand new 2-in-1 regional collaboration IC card KURURU. I’m trying to finish … Continue reading →

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SNOOOOOOW IN HOKKAIDOOOOO!

Posted on November 18, 2025 by eli fessler

Japan is so hot. So absolutely, unlivably hot for a solid four, arguably even five months of the year. But I grew up in the snow – it’s my favorite type of weather, and winter is my favorite season bar … Continue reading →

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Mini-trip #3: Seishun 18-ing to Onomichi & the end of Honshu

Posted on September 18, 2025 by eli fessler

*taps* Is this thing on? Yes, yes, I’m spending more time doing things (and procrastinating) than writing about doing things. I guess that’s a good thing, maybe? It’s now September 2025 and I’m writing about a very very long local … Continue reading →

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Mini-trip #2: Oigawa Railway

Posted on May 9, 2025 by eli fessler

I took the prettiest train ride of my entire life. This is the second piece in my series of blogposts about my handful of recent, short, 2–3 day trips. While the month prior I had very spontaneously headed down to … Continue reading →

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