The Backpack Adventures

Week 22: March 28 - April 1, 2022 Day 147: March 28, 2022 Monday - Rumoi Good morning everyone It's getting warmer by the day. The snow along the road is already melting and the grass is sprouting. I feel that it's "almost" spring.  Rumoi High School 3/28/22 On my way to work, I made a detour to Seicomart to buy sandwiches for breakfast as there wouldn't be any "in-school Lawson" today in Rumoi High School to buy snacks. Goodbye commode We were all busy cleaning and moving things At work, we were busy cleaning our old commodes and then transferring them to our new designated commodes.  I had lunch with coworkers at C-Restaurant Here's what I ordered for lunch at C-Restaurant During lunch, I went out to C-Restaurant with Kutsumi Sensei, Butsugu Sensei, and Onuma Sensei. I ordered chicken katsu and was surprised with how generous the servings were not to mention its delicious taste.  Speaking of generosity, aside from driving us to C-Restaurant , Buts

Weekend 21: March 26 - 27, 2022 Day 145: March 26, 2022 Saturday - MBA Comprehensive Exam Good morning everyone, today is a big day for me as it is my comprehensive exam or  Compre for my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) . I spent the whole morning reviewing and anxiously awaiting my 1:30PM (Philippine Time) Compre schedule. The funny thing was, the Compre was not that brain-wracking. My adviser, Doc Quiocho , gave me encouragement. It was all I needed for my Compre . I will find out the results in a week.  Heading out for a dinner bonding at Kiaya's place A few more kilometers That afternoon, I walked several kilometers going to Kiaya's place as she was hosting our Rumoi dinner today. When I arrived, Guy and Joshua were already there. I wasn't able to take photos as they were already eating and I was super late.  Dinner with the other ALTs. Yum! After dinner, we watched the film The Big Lebowski before heading back home. As usual, bonding with friends was a perfe

10 More Things to Do in Wakkanai City As written before, Wakkanai City ( 稚内市 ) is the northernmost city in Japan . If you missed out on the first list, you may want to read it first by clicking this 👉 LINK 👈. If you have already accomplished the first list then, here are the 10 More Things to Do in Wakkanai City : US Army Hamburger at Dino's 1. Order and eat the US Army Hamburger or the Wakkanai U.S. Army Sloppy Joe at Dino’s . My former Tomamae Commercial High School JTE - Hasegawa-sensei highly recommends this.  Former Set House 2. Visit the  Former Seto House  and see a perfectly and beautifully preserved 1950s home. Wakkanai Karafuto Museum 3. Visit the  Wakkanai Karafuto Museum  and learn about Karafuto – Japan’s lost prefecture. Wakkanai Animal Land 4. Head over to  Wakkanai Animal Land . If you have kids or dogs, or if you love interacting with animals then this place is a must-visit. You can spend half a day or even a whole day here. Wakkanai Fukuko Market 5. Go shoppin

The Gate of Ice and Snow  ( 氷雪の門 ) is a monument that represents the anguish of the Japanese settlers of Karafuto who left everything behind when the Russian Army invaded Sakhalin. It is l ocated at Yamuwakkanai, Wakkanaimura, Wakkanai City in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan . Gate of Ice and Snow Gate of Ice and Snow details ( Winter Edition ) Officially called " Sakhalin Island People's Memorial " and Karafuto Memorial Monument , the Gate of Ice and Snow was built in August of 1963 by Hongo Shin , a sculptor from Sapporo. It stands 8 meters tall. Gate of Ice and Snow - Wakkanai City, Hokkaido Prefecture The most noticeable feature of the memorial is the statue of a woman who is in deep pain and anguish. With her back to Sakhalin, the woman has the appearance of a mother or a wife who received news that her son/husband had perished defending Sakhalin. The inscription on the memorial expresses "grief at the loss of everything she held dear."  The pathway up to Wak