What's New at Hakkoda?    

Updated 8/18/08! What's at steak? Find out at the 23rd annual Takko Town Garlic & Beef Festival 2008!
Just head out to Takko Town Saturday and Sunday, September 27th and 28th

Updated 7/29/08! Apprentice Wanted!
I'm looking for someone who wants to ski all winter and spring. Is that you? Check out my want ad here!

Updated 7/23/08! Best Nango Jazz Fest ever!
We had the best time ever at the 19th annual Nango Summer Jazz Festival. You could not have ordered more perfect weather. Ran into a lot of friends and with my back stage pass met all the performers as well! Here are some of the pics:


The Yasuhara Ichihara Trio kicked things off. The amphitheater is quite cozy!

Ran into good Hakkoda customer Dave and his friend who ended up sharing a Tuborg beer with me. Thanks Dave, see you on the mountain next season! Cold beer and hot jazz, a good combo!

World famous Malta graciously stopped for a photo with Mika backstage after the best performance yet. He was also kind enough to sign Mike's album cover when I asked. (What's an album cover you ask? Sorry, kids, just Google it...)

Hot salsa into the wee hours! Nora and the Orquesta de la Luz rocked us! After I mentioned to her that a lot of Americans came to see her, she made a point of greeting Misawa Base residents in her very fluent English!

Updated 7/10/08! It's time for the Lake Towada Fireworks July19th & 20th!
Double illumination await you at the 2008 Lake Towada Fireworks (湖水) Festival, July 19th and 20th. Events include concerts, games, karaoke, flea market, races, good food and much more! See my TV promo:

Updated 6/27/08! Come to the Nango Jazz Festival on July19th!
Cool Jazz and Hot Latin Salsa await you at the 2008 Nango Summer Jazz Festival July 19th. See my TV promo:

Updated 6/6/08! Summer Hiking and Biking in full swing!
Enough snow has melted opening up the summer hiking season. Hakkoda is an absolute paradise now filled with spring flowers and great views! So what are you waiting for? If you need a preview just check them out here. Beginner, intermediate and advanced hikes available! If mountain biking off road sounds like something you would like to try, join in the fun. We have been doing some local rides starting and ending in Misawa. These 2 to 3 hour loop rides takes us to every nook and off road crannies through fields, rice paddies, over rivers, dams, ponds, streams...you nameit. We seem to always flush out wild birds like pheasant, egrets, herons, kites (local hawks), ducks, woodpeckers, to name a few, much less the great Spring sounds of the both the bush & reed warblers!

You never know what we might come upon during our rides. Here Renee checks out the anatomically correct straw dolls at a shrine we past by on our bikes! Only in Japan, eh?

If you need the feel to push yourself a bit more, we just did a longer ride last week. First we drove the bikes by car to the foothills between Towada and Hakkoda. Then we climbed up and rode down the ridge lines of mountains and checking out some new off road trails. We always seem to find somewhere we have yet been. Outstanding scenery. So whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran, I can tailor the tour to your pleasure! I have a few bikes for rent this year as well! See 'ya soon!

The crew coming down the mountains on one of our longer rides! Great weather, good people and excellent exercise.

     

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