iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Went shopping for pirate costumes, and

A selection of hats. At center is a strawhat with a red band.

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 29/09/2026

Well alright then. For your consideration: Here's Twyla, an ambitious lady aiming to do whatever it takes to run her city. She's associated with crown ornaments and the color blue. And then there's April, a woodsy witch who likes to decorate her hair in flowers (which usually just looks a mess).

030

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 13/09/2026

I swear sometimes these sunsets look fake.

Photo of a sunset with pink clouds in front of purple clouds next to orange and yellow clouds and blue sky.

0212

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/08/2026

Sure thing! I hope they inspire something in you.

Brown-haired girl in a blue dress with skull earrings looking thoughtful.

Scruffy, lanky blonde fellow holding a violin.

Sharp-eyed lady with a big hat smiling in a vaguely evil manner.

Dark-skinned, bespekled gnome with short-cropped hair concentrating on generating a flame in his hand.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/08/2026

For the past few years we've been marking the kids' growth on this wall. This is also where the previous family who lived here tracked their kids' growth, and their marks are still on the wall. What do I tell my kids when they notice and ask about the unfamiliar names?

A wall marking the steadily growing heights of children. Some are marked in black marker and are fairly recent. Some are in faded pencil and are from 2018.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 14/08/2026

This feels fairly accurate. That low Determination score was concerning, but in reading how it's defined in this instance it feels right. I'm a steamroller, but I'm a flexible steamroller. Justice also felt low, but I am pretty slow to judge others harshly. Too often a devil's advocate.

Soul virtues extractor

Patience, light blue soul

Even in the chaos of life, I never let wrath guide my next step.

Patience 87%
Perseverance 77%
Integrity 70%
Bravery 61%
Kindness 60%
Justice 47%
Determination 12%

undertale.jadenthejaded.com
Which isthe link to this undertale / deltarune personality quiz.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

We spent the night in Tendo, a city surrounded by mountains. I think we stopped at another mall for Pepper Lunch, based on this picture I took of a crane game filled with toy sticks of butter. I’m almost certain I took that picture immediately after eating Pepper Lunch. This is how memory works.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

Their armory had weapons and armor on display. Outbuildings housed antiques, like an extensive music collection--the family hoarded western media. The garden just kinda seemed overgrown to me, but I’m no garden expert. The area is known for its cherry blossoms, but so is every other place in Japan.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

A helpful lady at the tourist information center provided a map and pointed out the various houses–particularly which ones are free to explore and which ones charged for entry. We could have easily spent a day or two exploring the houses, but we only had time for one. We chose the Aoyagi residence.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

We followed the Tama River, which steadily widened into a beautiful reservoir. The river looked unreal–a perfect turquoise. We found a place to stop and stare. Somehow, this is the less famous Tama River in Japan. (The other flows through Tokyo and is totally unrelated. It's not even turquoise.)

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

There were several baths to choose from: an opulent indoor bath, and as outdoor bath and semi-open-air bath overlooking the river below. The fully outdoor bath had the better view. The semi-open-air bath was up an exposed staircase in full (if distant) view from the hotel dining room...

A informational poster titled "How to Enjoy Japanese Bath." It demonstrates the proper steps to using a bath house.

I have a collection of pictures like this at this point. Every bath has its own take on the process and what information it decides to focus on, as well as how it depicts the process visually.

Photo of a notice in the bathhouse that explains the benefits of the stone used in the baths. This one is the Towada Stone, presumably sourced from around Lake Towada.

Bath houses like to differentiate themselves by noting the qualities that make their baths unique. Some focus on the stones in their baths, while others focus on the source or mineral composition of the water. Most of the beneficial properties they tout sound like pseudoscience to me, but it's true in my experience that the baths in each region feel pretty different. You can enjoy that without buying into the idea that this particular bath is good for your heart because it's especially porous or whatever.

A photo of a poster depicting stylized people demonstrating additional advice in how to use the baths. This poster highlights some more general recommendations, such as drinking water to hydrate both before and after using the baths, as well as not rinsing the bath water off too much so you can enjoy the ongoing feeling of the minerals the water will leave on your skin.

This poster is a completely different style than the other poster, and it does not include any English translation. I like the people with their big pork bun heads.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 20/07/2026

June 4: Kakunodate Samurai Village In the morning I revived myself in Yuze’s baths. I’ve learned not to be shy about public baths, but it’s always a bit more relaxing when I’ve got the whole bath to myself. These baths were particularly nice: for one thing, they didn’t smell like sulfur!

Screenshot of Google Maps showing the route from our hotel in Yuze, down along the Tama River, through Kakunodate Village, and on to Tendo, where we stopped for the night.

Photo of a plate with several small dishes on it including sausages, eggs, stew, salad, chicken nuggets, and a croissant.

The breakfast buffet at Yuze Hotel was pretty nice, with a wide variety of foods. Again, I appreciate how the plates acknowledge the nature of buffets by giving you a bunch of small portion sizes so you can try a litle of everything. Did I need to try their chicken nuggets? No, but I COULD, so I did. They were fine.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

The hotel featured several lounges, and they had a welcome bar where you could fix yourself a drink and enjoy some ice cream while relaxing. It all made for a good pairing with our burgers. We returned to our room, opened the big window, and fell asleep to the sound of the river.

Screenshot of our route for the day. Almost forgot to include it! You can see where we drove along the river to the lake, took a detour to Shingo Village, and then swung south to the hotel.

010

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

...So we left to find something cheaper at a small burger shop nearby, waltzing in just 15 minutes before they closed. I was worried we might be too late, but the owner graciously took our order and crafted some truly photogenic (and tasty!) burgers for us, which we took back to our hotel to eat.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

Basically nobody takes any of these claims seriously, but it does make for a fun curiosity for tourists like ourselves who otherwise would have little reason to visit the area. Finally, we worked our way down to Yuze Hotel Resort, a lovely hotel straddling a river. The offered an expensive dinner.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

The story goes that Jesus Christ’s brother, Isukiri, took Jesus’s place on the cross while Jesus escaped to Japan and lived out the rest of His days. They claim Jesus studied in Japan for 12 years before beginning his ministry, so it was a comfortable place to return to and live to the age of 106.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

We then hit up a nearby cafe that touted an excellent apple pie. I’m not a pie person, but Laura is. So, she got her slice, and I enjoyed some shaved ice while looking out at the lake. Next, we headed for the small village of Shingo, where some claim that Jesus is buried.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

We stopped for ramen at the south side of the lake, and it may have been the best ramen I’ve ever had? I don’t really seek out ramen, but I’ve had enough to know my preferences. Garlic tonkotsu is a pretty safe bet, and this one had nothing but toppings I like, plus excellent broth and noodles. A+

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

Lake Towada is a massive caldera lake with calm waters, where sightseeing boats ferry sightseers along its verdant, mountainous shores. It was lovely, with relatively few tourists. Swan boats languished on the shores waiting to be rented, and it seemed like many had not been rented in a long time...

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

The road to Lake Towada was a winding road following a river. The stream meandered through a gorge, and cliffs on both sides provided waterfalls that added to the flow. The river alternated calm, clear water and churning white rapids. The sound of the river is one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan!

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 15/07/2026

June 3: Lake Towada and the Tomb of Jesus Christ We awoke to find ourselves still smelling a bit sulfurous. The smell would chase us through the day, whispering into our noses a little less with each passing hour. Luckily, we spent a lot of time in the fresh air.

220

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 09/07/2026

I was there in early June. It was a little too early for most of the flowers, but still a lovely place. I'll have to go back some time.

Rolling hills of Hokkaido, mostly green and brown.

Rows of plants with tiny purple flowers.

Rows of flowers organized by color in front of some greenhouses.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

As I cooled off in the lobby, I watched a line of women make their way toward the baths to enjoy them without men in there. Why did so many people would come to the place famous for its mixed baths if they had no interest in the mixed bath experience?

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

When Laura and I ventured into the baths, it was just us and like three other Japanese gentlemen. The baths were quite hot and smelled of sulphur, but it was as relaxing as baths usually are. I left the baths basically just as the women-only time was about to start.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Dinner was traditional Japanese fare of fish, rice, pickles, miso, and salad. I ate what I could, loading up on rice and their local apples. Most Japanese baths are segregated by gender, but this place proudly offers a place where everyone shares the same baths–except during the women-only hour.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

We arrived in the early afternoon, so we explored the surrounding area. Trails near the resort led up the nearby mountains, but it was hot and sunny, so we stuck to some closer sights: a botanical garden, some fumaroles, a pond, etc. Lots of other people around were wearing their anti-bear bells.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Our destination Sukayu Onsen Resort: a hot spring hotel nestled between mountains. It’s an old ryokan that grew from a small bath house over the years. Many rooms were numbered, but ours simply had a name: “ふな.” The room was very nice. The whole place was charming, in fact.

130

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Unlike the trip from Oma, my motion sickness medicine worked perfectly on this trip. I wasn't tempted to nap and miss the ferry experience. We didn’t really spend any time in Aomori, except to stop at a soup curry restaurant. Which was pretty good, if I remember correctly.

130

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Laura fell asleep in an open room she claimed all to herself while I claimed a window seat at a table to sit and draw. I also explored the ship and went outside to enjoy the view as we entered the bay, surrounded by mountains. I saw several pods of dolphins while enjoying the fresh air up there.

Photo of a glass door with the frosted form of the ship's emblem. The ferry's name is Blue Mermaid, so it has a mermaid design.

Photo of a small statue of a mermaid riding a dolphin. Her right hand is missing for some reason. I don't know if it just broke off or if it was created without the hand. My current assumption is that the dolphin ate it.

Photo of a vending machine containing chips and other snacks. There was also an ice cream vending machine, a drink machine, and one that dispensed cup ramen as well as hot water to cook it with.

Japan has tons of drink machines out there, as well as the occasional ice cream or cigarette vending machine. I almost never see a snack machine there, though. It was novel enough that I had to take a picture.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Unlike the day we arrived in Hokkaido, the sky was clear and the seas calm as we departed for Aomori. It was a longer trip and a bigger ship than the one from Oma, with many seating options–open floor tatami-style rooms, hallways with tables and chairs at each window, and deck benches outside.

Photo of cars driving into the mouth of the ferry. The bow just kinda rises up to allow vehicles inside.

Photograph of my seat for most of the ferry ride. It features two leather swivel chairs, one on either side of a table next to a window. The table has a couple of cup holders as well as a handhold--all just in case of rough seas, presumably.

Photo of my last shot of Hakodate, as the ferry departs the harbor. Between two fields of blue stands little Mount Hakodate.

The ferry had a small pachinko parlor and arcade. This photo is of a crane game where you could either win small, round plush creatures or brightly-colored handcuffs.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 30/06/2026

Japan Trip 2026 - June 2: The Mixed Bath The ferry has limited food offerings–just snack machine and Cup Noodle, basically–so we popped into our best option for a quick breakfast that was open at the time we needed it to be: McDonalds. It’s exactly what you expect it to be.

Screenshot of Google Maps showing our route for the dady. The vast majority of the journey was the ferry from Hakodate to Aomori.

Photograph of the Hakodate skyline, which isn't much of a skyline since the buildings are not very tall. Far in the distance, along the horizon, you can just barely make out the ocean and the northernmost tip of Honshu, where Oma is.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

For some reason GPS-san took us on a wild route back to Hakodate. Blindly following her directions probably cost us some time, but on the plus side it took us on a route a bit closer to Mount Yotei. We rolled into Hakodate late and went to bed quickly in anticipation of our early day.

Photo of a fairly symmetrical conical mountain. This is Mount Yotei, sentinel of southern Hokkaido.

051

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We took a bus to the brewery museum, which detailed the history of Japanese beer. It was pretty informative and pleasantly free to enter. At the end there’s of course a gift shop and a tasting bar. So, while Laura enjoyed her tasting, I worked my way back to our car and returned to pick her up.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We couldn’t leave Sapporo without visiting the Sapporo Brewery Museum. (Well, Laura couldn’t leave without that.) But first we went to the Sapporo Pokemon Center. Each center is different, with its own dedicated mascot Pokemon. Sapporo’s mascot seemed to be Alolan Vulpix, which seemed appropriate.

Photo of Pokemon statues including Alolan Vulpix, Sprigatito, and Pikachu. Maybe the Sapporo Pokemon Center has a whole mascot committee. But Alolan Vulpix seems most appropriate.

Photo of shelves of appliances. We did a bit of souvenir shopping after the Pokemon center, and I noticed these mid-century-looking toaster ovens. I thought they looked pretty cool.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

Japan Trip 2026 - June 1: Goodbye Sapporo We had planned for another full day in Sapporo, but unfortunately the ferry we were hoping to take around noon the next day was full. Laura was really looking forward to the place we’d be staying at that night, so we had to book an 8am ferry instead.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We tried a yakitori restaurant again. It had a lot of good reviews. We started with the "chef's choice" set and, man, it was an adventure. Gizzard. Heart. The host pressured us to leave reviews before we left. Which is probably why they had so many, but I didn’t really appreciate the pushiness.

Photo of a sunset behind some mountains. The clouds are orange and gray behind dark green peaks.

I don't usually take pictures while driving, but sometimes I need some proof to remember how nice it is to drive through mountains at sunset.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We stopped at a rest area for a late lunch before we continued on to Ningle Terrace, a cute arts village where a variety of craftsfolk make and sell things in little forest cottages.

A photo of a sort of totem pole, with several figures all stacked on top of each other. At the rest stop there was a playground and park area, and one field was lined with dozens of these totems, each one unique. I don't know what they were about.

Photo of a rest area with tables and chairs set up outside of a food truck.

There was a restaurant nearby that billed itself as a hobbit style restaurant (literally called HOBBITO), but it was closing by the time we passed it. So instead we got burgers at a restaurant at this rest area.

Photo of some log cabins in the woods connected by a wooden walkway lined with lights. Ningle Terrace was a pretty cozy-looking place. We checked out most of the little crafts cabins. The blacksmith showed us his knives, which were pretty cool but also we didn't plan $300 or more for cool handmade knives into our budget.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We then continued on to Shirahige Waterfall, upriver from the pond. There was a bridge across the gorge that allowed for a great view of the falls and the nearby volcanic peaks from which the water flowed.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

Next we visited Shirogane Blue Pond, a weird man-made pond that turned blue when they added aluminum to help prevent mud slides. I’m not sure how it works, but it did create a pretty photo spot. So they set up a paid parking lot and a souvenir & soft serve shop for it. The blue ice cream was tasty.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

We drove to central Hokkaido to try to see the flower fields of Biei. We arrived to find that the flowers were… not quite in bloom yet. Still, we were able to pet and feed alpacas, and the fields also offered a view of all of the surrounding mountains. It’s a truly lovely area, even when flowerless.

120

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

Usually after a week in Japan I start craving pancakes. Something sweet and bread-like is a big comfort after days of rice and fish and hamburger steak. Denny’s treats pancakes like dessert--technically correct, but I’m nevertheless offended at the suggestion. Jonathan’s is less judgmental about it.

Photo of a tall, thin, plain, gray building that insists it's a place to park your car.

Looks like your car goes on a sort of ferris wheel ride inside. Laura wanted to take a ride inside, though I imagine that's probably not allowed. Right?

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

The major family restaurants are American diner-esque Denny’s, Jonathan’s, and Cafe Gusto, as well as Saizeria for Italian fare. (Denny’s is related to the American chain, but is really its own thing.) I’d tried most of them, but I’d never tried Cafe Gusto before. It’s my new favorite.

Photograph of a building with a clown-like mascot, billing itself as a karaoke room. The building is four stories tall. A sign at the top labels it as the "Kitako Trump Building."

This picture was taken from the window during breakfast. Feel free to add your own commentary. Mine is, "We found it! It's the least tacky Trump building."

Also, for all the talk about Cafe Gusto, I don't really have a picture to go with the discussion other than this one, which I took from their window. Yeah, that's genuine Cafe Gusto window frame there on the right side of the picture.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 28/06/2026

Japan Trip 2026 - May 31: Biei and the Blue Pool We decided to try out Cafe Gusto for breakfast. Japan has a handful of widespread “family restaurants”–often open fairly early and late, usually good group seating, with a fairly big menu and a self-serve drink bar.

Screenshot of Google Maps showing our route for the day. We drove from Sapporo to the Biei area in the middle of Hokkaido, then drove back to Sapporo in the evening.

130

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/06/2026

Mostly, I just explored capsule shops, looking for things I might like. I found a few featuring shows I enjoy, and the capsule gods were good to me. Crane games are a harder sell for me. I'm bad at them, so it has to be a REALLY good prize to tempt me to try. Luckily, nothing called to me.

OOPS ALL GUYS

I have no idea what this is from. I just wanted to end this thread with a picture.

I didn't have space to fit this before, but the tonkatsu place we went to for dinner is called Tamafuji Atsubetsu.

020

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/06/2026

We barely had time to make a circuit of the village and return to the entrance before they closed. There were old family homes, municipal buildings, western-style farmhouses and barns, breweries, a silkworm nursery, and more. You could probably spend an entire day there. Perhaps I will some day.

Photo of a display case containing what may be a contraption used with silkworms? Looks like of like a horizontal silkworm ferris wheel.

Photograph of a wooden barn and silo, straight out of a farm in Iowa. A nearby field contains statues of cows. The breadbasket of Japan was modeled after the breadbaskets of places like the United States.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/06/2026

The museum offered a joint ticket to also see the Historical Village of Hokkaido, so we hopped over even though we’d only have an hour before they closed. Sure enough, there was far more there than we could reasonably see–it was an entire recreated town with dozens of buildings, each with exhibits.

Photo of the entrance building of the Historic Village of Hokkaido. The Building has a train station vibe, which makes me think it may be a restored train station, similar to how the other buildings in the village are restorations.

Photograph of the entrance to a wooden cabin. I do not recall why this entrance called for a photo.

Photo of the interior of one of the rooms in the silkworm nursery. There appears to be a loom in the room, with a mannequin posed as if operating it.

The slikworm nursery is one of the few buildings we entered, if for no other reason than because most buildings required that you remove your shoes at the entrance, and we didn't want to waste time slipping shoes off and on.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/06/2026

Hokkaido's infrastructure was built in a short amount of time thanks to forced labor of political prisoners, Koreans, women and children. Again, the museum didn’t shy away from this information, despite vehement denial in some circles that Japan had ever mistreated Koreans. It was a good museum.

Photo of a large painting of a bird's eye view of Hokkaido, showing exaggerated depictions of major landmarks across the island. The picture may be about 5 feet tall and 20 feet wide.

Laura liked this painting a lot, and was able to find a print of it in the gift shop later.

A photo of what appears to be the interior of a train car populated by animatronic people. The people are dressed in antiquated clothes, likely from the time that trains were first introduced to Hokkaido.

The animatronic people would talk to each other and play out a scene. I do not understand enough Japanese to follow the story.

Photo of the exterior of the Hokkaido Museum.

110

Charlie Verdin @charlieverdin.com · 26/06/2026

Hokkaido wasn’t fully colonized until well after Japan had opened its doors to the West, so the island has far more Western influence in its design. Japan specifically developed Hokkaido to be a breadbasket: covered in farms for crops and livestock.

Photograph of several items on display including a drum, a sailing boat, tools, and the pelt from a large sea lion.

Old Japanese painting of a bearded Ainu man holding a spear and holding the leashes for what appears to be two monkeys, a white one and a black one.

The Ainu were also known as the "hairy people" to some Japanese people.

Photo of a wall scroll painting showing that appears to be dozens of the same person at different stages of life, from an infant or a child at the top to an old man at the bottom.

120