A hiker with a backpack sitting on a mountain overlooking a crater lake with mountains in the background, with text 'Hokkaido Life with John' overlaid.

Hokkaido Life with John is a personal side project of mine, separate from my online English lessons.

Simple, honest reflections on life in Hokkaido, Japan.

Photography, nature, outdoor life, quiet moments, and the experience of starting over later in life.

I’m currently building this project slowly while learning photography, audio, and outdoor filming along the way.

No hype.
No “influencer” lifestyle.
Just real life in Hokkaido, Japan.

A man and a woman taking a selfie outdoors in a snowy area with a clock tower and a building with people in the background.

My wife, Mutsumi, and I at the Asahiyama Zoo
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

Who Am I?

I’m John — an American living in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture, with my wife, Mutsumi.

I don’t offer a “perfect Japan story.” I offer a real one — life in the north, far from the big cities, where Japan feels less polished and more wild.

Hokkaido Life with John is a personal project of mine — a chance to build something meaningful later in life.

It’s built around nature, photography, outdoor life, quiet moments, and honest reflections about living in Japan.

I’m still learning, still building, and improving little by little along the way.

No heavily edited “influencer” lifestyle.
No pretending to have everything figured out.

Just real life in Hokkaido, shared in a simple and honest way.

A city street with trees and people walking, lined with various shops and signs in Japanese, with a clear blue sky.

Downtown
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

Stone steps leading up to a traditional Japanese shrine entrance with a large torii gate, surrounded by tall trees and forest.

Kamui Shrine
Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

Life in Japan isn’t just neon lights and big cities.

Sometimes it’s quiet, green, and unexpected.

Furano, Hokkaido, Japan

Did you know?

Hokkaido is the second largest, northernmost, and least developed of Japan’s four main islands.

Casual Chat: Ask Me Anything About Life in Hokkaido & Japan

Want to know what it's really like to live in Hokkaido?

Join me for a relaxed, one-on-one conversation where you can ask anything about daily life in Japan, Hokkaido culture, seasons, food, moving here, or any other topic you're curious about.

✅ Only $12 for a 40-minute session

Whether you're planning a trip, thinking about relocating, studying Japanese, or love Japan, this is your chance to get honest, practical answers from an American who's been living in Sapporo, Hokkaido, for years.

Chats are friendly, informal, and pressure-free. Bring all your questions!

Curious about life in Japan? Let’s talk.

Book a conversation with John
A man sitting on a rock overlooking a scenic mountain lake with snow-capped peaks in the background. Overlaid on the image, there is a fundraising message supporting Hokkaido life, with icons for planting, photography, and appreciation, and a button to support the project.

To donate, click on the image above. Thank you!

My Future Equipment Wish List I Hope To Buy Someday

Close-up of a GoPro camera mounted on a bicycle handlebar, with greenery in the blurred background.

  • A GoPro for My Bike - Big Blue

A professional camera stabilizer (gimbal) with a mounted camera against a black background.

  • Ronin-SC-DJI-Stabilizer, which provides professional-grade stabilization for video creators

A DJI drone accessories kit inside a storage case, including a drone, remote controller, batteries, and chargers.

  • DJI Mic Set

I think this is the best choice for what I want —excellent for recording outdoors, offering high-fidelity, professional-level audio with strong wind noise reduction. The system is designed to provide clear audio in, for example, noisy environments like streets or crowded events

A gray DJI Mini 5 Pro drone with four propellers, remote control with a screen, three batteries, a carrying case, a charging hub, and a set of four ND filters arranged on a white background.

  • DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2 included) Drone with Camera, 1-inch CMOS, 4K Drone for Beginners, Omnidirectional Obstacle Detection, ActiveTrack, 360° and 225° Gimbal Rotation, 3 Batteries

A black Action 5 Pro action camera featuring a large lens on the right with red accents and a small display screen on the left.

  • The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is an excellent choice for nature videography, particularly for hiking, wildlife encounters, and underwater scenes. Its ability to capture high dynamic range (HDR) footage with a 1/1.3-inch sensor allows it to handle the complex lighting found in forests or during sunrises and sunsets. An excellent starting point for what I want to do.