One of my favorite shots of The Golden Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I took this during our summer travels in 2019. I love how Kinkaku-ji dominates your attention, even though it is blurred in the background.
Author Archives
Greg Vessar
I love music, I love to travel, and I love to write. My blog "A Thousand Miles from Kansas" combines all three. I am a Kansas boy and an educator on sabbatical. I have lived in many places around the globe and I currently live in northern Japan. Journey with me as I combine my loves of music, travel, and the written word as I navigate through life.
Haiku #124
Spring is right around the corner and soon Japan will turn pink with cherry blossoms! I, for one, am ready for warmer weather!
A Scottish Loch
I stand mesmerized by a Scottish loch in Cairngorms National Park. Another favorite memory from our trip to Scotland. Hard to believe that it is closing in on two years since that fantastic trip…Melissa and I can’t wait to return!
Nihon Snoopy
The Japanese love Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang almost as much as I do! The Japanese love for all things Snoopy is one of the things I love about Japan. I came across this display in a Tokyo department store in the summer of 2019. Hail Snoopy!
Misawa Sand Dollars
We have endured record snow fall in the northern Japanese city of Misawa this year with over 140 inches of snow blanketing us in a “big chill”. I, for one, am ready for the snow to end! I long to stroll the sands of my favorite beaches (Sand Dollar and Ship Wreck) and explore more of Mutsu Bay. Tomorrow is March 1st and while I know to expect snow to fall well into April, I still hope this last snowfall was it for 2021! And I wish upon my lucky sand dollars!
Haiku #123
A 7.1 earthquake on Feb. 13, 2021. We were in Sendai for the weekend. Scary feeling to have the Earth shake you up like that!
The Road of Trying Times
I penned this poem back in the spring of 2020 while COVID-19 and the Pandemic invaded the world. I was in Salina, Kansas and a simple trip for food was a life-risking mission of necessity.
Torii and Rice
I truly love exploring the Tohoku Region of Northern Japan! This tori gate sits majestically in a rice field near Towada, Japan in Aomori Prefecture.
Scottish Stone Bridge
As I sat looking through photos on a snowy day here in Misawa, I came across photos from our trip to Scotland in 2019. This photo of a stone bridge near Cairngorms National Park is one of my favorites. We were just wandering around and once we were over the bridge Melissa looked back and said, “We have to stop and take picture. It is simply beautiful.” And she was right!
Haiku #122
Cold snowy blizzard~ white blanket causing white out~ All remains silent. © 2021 Gregory Vessar. All Rights Reserved.
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