It’s starting to get cooler in the mornings and evenings. This week, we will introduce “Late Summer Vacation Recommendations” from Candlewick members who love to travel. The first one is from Shimmura!

I recently enjoyed weekend gataway at Lake Kawaguchi.
Unfortunately, it was raining on the day of arrival, but by the next day it had recovered to the point where we could see Mt. Fuji from our room 🗻 We were able to get refreshed by cycling around Lake Kawaguchi, soaking in the hot springs, and eating dishes made with plenty of seasonal ingredients!
I highly recommend Lake Kawaguchi as a mini vacation destination, only 1-2 hours from Tokyo, where you can enjoy nature at its best 🍃

This week, we are introducing “Late Summer Vacation Recommendations” from our travel-loving Candlewick team members. Next is from Oishi!

This summer, I visited Porto, a city located in northern Portugal🇵🇹.

Porto is famous for its port wine🥂. It’s rich, sweet and delicious. I learned that port wine is made from grapes grown upstream of the Douro River and that brandy with an alcohol content of about 77% is added during the fermentation process.

Another type of wine I enjoyed was “Vinho Verde,” which means “green wine” in Portuguese. It’s made from grapes harvested just before they are fully ripe and is light and easy to drink. Personally, I’d love to enjoy Vinho Verde in the summer and port wine in the winter😄

Beyond wine, Porto also offers plenty of culinary delights. The seafood, especially octopus and cod, as well as simple meat dishes, suited the Japanese palate well. Another thing that stood out to me was the beautiful tiles that could be seen all around the city—they were so cute and made the city more charming!

The last one is from Bruce!

From the beginning of summer through mid-summer, we tend to head to the ocean or river to cool off, but as we enter September and begin to sense fall in the air and the clouds, we want to head for the mountains. The mountains, however, are not for climbing, but for relaxation. I have been to Karuizawa, which is close to Tokyo, Hakone, and a few years ago to the Hida Takayama area.

In the mountain tourist areas we enjoy the first taste of autumn, walk a lot in the cool air, and refresh our minds and bodies in preparation for the upcoming autumn and winter season.

Although we will miss the end of summer, we highly recommend a trip to a mountain resort to help you shift your mindset towards autumn and winter!