For my work trip to Japan we stayed about 75 miles north of Tokyo in Utsunomiya. Utsunomiya is the capital of the Tochigi prefecture and served as my home for two weeks. While Utsunomiya was a perfect home base for day trips to Tokyo and Nikko, here are the main things I found to do…
Category: Utsunomiya
Celebrating 100 Blog Posts!
As we reach the beginning of February the novelty of the new year starts to wear off, but here at It’s a Schmahl World, we are celebrating a blogging milestone! Today we are posting our 100th post! When we started this blog to write about our travels, we didn’t expect to be where we are…
Naked and Afraid in a Japanese Onsen
Some people are comfortable being naked; I am not one of those people. Locker room changes and communal showers became regulars in my collegiate athletic career, but while my teammates lounged au natural, I quietly changed in the bathroom stall and waited until the showers were all clear. With my aversion to nudity, visiting a…
Going to a Japanese Festival in Utsunomiya, Japan
While in town for work we were lucky enough to be around for the Miya Matsuri festival in Utsunomiya, Japan. It occurs on the first Saturday and Sunday of August each year. The festival started in 1976 when Japan was going through some slow economic growth as a way to encourage people to get out…
An Adventurous Dinner in Utsunomiya, Japan
A couple weeks ago, I had a chance to travel to Utsunomiya, Japan on a trip for work and had the chance to try a lot of new foods while I was there! One night we went to a yakitori (translated as grilled bird/chicken) restaurant with our new Japanese friends. We were seated in a back room…
Visiting a Cat Cafe in Utsunomiya, Japan
As an avid cat lover and missing both my cats from home while traveling to Japan for work, I couldn’t be more excited when I learned that there was a cat café near our hotel in Utsunomiya. Just off of Orion Dori (a main shopping street), you can find Cat Café Nekomiya. It is on…
Visiting Hachimanyama Park in Utsunomiya, Japan
On my recent work trip to Japan, I only ended up with one free day (without work) in Utsunomiya. I decided to venture out to try to find Hachimanyama Park since I had read about Utsunomiya Tower online. Leaving from my hotel close to the train station, it was supposed to be about a 30…
Sneak Peek of Kathryn’s Japan Trip: Nikko, Tokyo and Utsunomiya!
After over 24 hours of travelling I’m finally home from my first trip to Japan. While I was there for work there was still plenty of time to explore! Now I’m trying to adjust back to a 13 hour time difference, but in the meantime enjoy this sneak peek until I have time to write…
