Hi there! My name is Matthew and I am currently 19 years old. Unfortunately, I do not live in Japan. I live in the southern part of the United States. And trust me, it’s not fun here. (Not like you were thinking it was…)

I started this blog to serve my addiction to the Japanese culture. I’ve been obsessed with it for quite some time now. This blog will include photographs, videos, texts, music, etc all pertaining to the Japanese culture. In these posts Japanese: food, people, language, religion, fashion, music, and other cultural aspects will be delivered.

The name of my blog is Hanamaki. It comes from the small city located in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate in Japan. I use to watch a YouTube vlogger who was American and blogged in Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan. He died on my birthday two years ago before I could truly get to know him through his videos. After he died, I became very inspired by him and his passion for Japan. So, this blog is sort of dedicated to you, Rodger. RIP.

Enjoy this blog everyone!