Susan Valot
@susanvalot.bsky.social
Public radio reporter. Podcast producer/host (Quanta magazine). Professor. Hockey player. Globe trekker. Hiker. Work has been heard on KCRW, NPR's "Only A Game," KPCC. I’m also a freelance audio editor for podcasts. www.susanvalot.com
Back to driving on the right side of the road. I only turned on my windshield wipers (instead of turn signal) twice on my way to work. A lot less than the last transition from left to right!
November 19, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Back to driving on the right side of the road. I only turned on my windshield wipers (instead of turn signal) twice on my way to work. A lot less than the last transition from left to right!
Made it back home to rainy LAX. Time to try to adjust to the time zone.
November 18, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Made it back home to rainy LAX. Time to try to adjust to the time zone.
Last of fall leaves before heading home.
November 17, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Last of fall leaves before heading home.
One last afternoon in Tokyo. Surprisingly warm out.
November 17, 2025 at 6:04 AM
One last afternoon in Tokyo. Surprisingly warm out.
My friend wanted to just pick a place to eat as we walked by, so we had a mediocre last-night-in-Tokyo dinner and then as we were leaving, saw a roach on the wall. Blech!!! So I followed that up with shiatsu by my favorite Tokyo shiatsu guy, who remembered me from last year. Then the onsen! :)
November 16, 2025 at 1:43 PM
My friend wanted to just pick a place to eat as we walked by, so we had a mediocre last-night-in-Tokyo dinner and then as we were leaving, saw a roach on the wall. Blech!!! So I followed that up with shiatsu by my favorite Tokyo shiatsu guy, who remembered me from last year. Then the onsen! :)
So many Christmas things in Japan. Didn’t expect that.
November 16, 2025 at 7:35 AM
So many Christmas things in Japan. Didn’t expect that.
Hello, Tokyo (Ueno).
November 16, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Hello, Tokyo (Ueno).
So long, Sendai. After a ticket snafu that made us miss our intended bullet train, we’re on our way back to Tokyo. No luck with getting stuck in Japan. Trip was too short. :(
November 16, 2025 at 3:52 AM
So long, Sendai. After a ticket snafu that made us miss our intended bullet train, we’re on our way back to Tokyo. No luck with getting stuck in Japan. Trip was too short. :(
I can do ice skates, but I’d break my neck with these.
November 16, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I can do ice skates, but I’d break my neck with these.
In Matsushima, they have the evacuation route markers lit up at night. Super interesting.
November 15, 2025 at 11:43 AM
In Matsushima, they have the evacuation route markers lit up at night. Super interesting.
Long day in Matsushima (near Sendai). So many pretty leaves and scenery, even at night.
November 15, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Long day in Matsushima (near Sendai). So many pretty leaves and scenery, even at night.
Current view on the coast near Sendai. We missed the tea house service, but we walked around the main island. Feet. Are. Tired. I’m also a little peopled out.
November 15, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Current view on the coast near Sendai. We missed the tea house service, but we walked around the main island. Feet. Are. Tired. I’m also a little peopled out.
We’ve seen a lot of EV cars, but never a charging station until more than a week into the trip and in a very random, kind of out-of-the-way location.
November 15, 2025 at 2:09 AM
We’ve seen a lot of EV cars, but never a charging station until more than a week into the trip and in a very random, kind of out-of-the-way location.
So we book-ended sitting with tears in our eyes in the 2011 tsunami school museum with a walk through Sendai and a rare beer for me. (A sour blueberry beer from the city where the museum was. And my first mapo tofu and Sendai miso gyoza.) You can dress up for Christmas or dress up your dog!
November 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM
So we book-ended sitting with tears in our eyes in the 2011 tsunami school museum with a walk through Sendai and a rare beer for me. (A sour blueberry beer from the city where the museum was. And my first mapo tofu and Sendai miso gyoza.) You can dress up for Christmas or dress up your dog!
Probably the most powerful & emotional museum I’ve been to in Japan, in the only building left standing (damaged) from the 2011 tsunami, a school where the kids evacuated uphill and survived. It’s mind boggling to imagine the scope of damage and heartbreak that happened here. (Tree resprouted.)
November 14, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Probably the most powerful & emotional museum I’ve been to in Japan, in the only building left standing (damaged) from the 2011 tsunami, a school where the kids evacuated uphill and survived. It’s mind boggling to imagine the scope of damage and heartbreak that happened here. (Tree resprouted.)
Bookending happy things around a sad thing today. Whisky tasting (still not a whisky fan, but bring on the umeshu!) at a distillery this morning and then on to the 2011 Tsunami Memorial & Museum.
November 14, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Bookending happy things around a sad thing today. Whisky tasting (still not a whisky fan, but bring on the umeshu!) at a distillery this morning and then on to the 2011 Tsunami Memorial & Museum.
The Japan word of the day is “bear.” Bear bells, lots of bear signs, even on the road. But the coolest thing was seeing snow monkeys on the side of the road. (No pic because I was driving.)
November 13, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The Japan word of the day is “bear.” Bear bells, lots of bear signs, even on the road. But the coolest thing was seeing snow monkeys on the side of the road. (No pic because I was driving.)
Long day. Hiked the Goshikinuba Ponds. (My friend was scared of bears, so she stayed back.) saw some snow monkeys in the wild. Conquered 1,000 steps to the temple complex in Yamadera. Google Maps took us on a single-lane road in the mountains. More comfortable driving now!
November 13, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Long day. Hiked the Goshikinuba Ponds. (My friend was scared of bears, so she stayed back.) saw some snow monkeys in the wild. Conquered 1,000 steps to the temple complex in Yamadera. Google Maps took us on a single-lane road in the mountains. More comfortable driving now!
Greetings from Yamagata, Japan, in the mountains west of Sendai.
November 13, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Greetings from Yamagata, Japan, in the mountains west of Sendai.
Top floor room! Beautiful view over Yamagata, which is a much bigger city than I expected. Now to go find dinner. This trip is going by so fast!!
November 13, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Top floor room! Beautiful view over Yamagata, which is a much bigger city than I expected. Now to go find dinner. This trip is going by so fast!!
Reposted by Susan Valot
50 years ago, today, a whale exploded on an Oregon beach. 20 years later, before social media or video sharing sights or smartphones, it would become the first viral Internet video.
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
My first whale video came in the form of a VHS tape mailed to me by a stranger from the internet.
www.vice.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 AM
50 years ago, today, a whale exploded on an Oregon beach. 20 years later, before social media or video sharing sights or smartphones, it would become the first viral Internet video.
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
Garden in Aizu-Wakamatsu.
November 12, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Garden in Aizu-Wakamatsu.
Current view. I could sit here happily all day and take in the leaves and colors and watch the dragonflies flit around.
November 12, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Current view. I could sit here happily all day and take in the leaves and colors and watch the dragonflies flit around.
Aizu-Wakamatsu’s rebuilt castle. The Aizu lost Japan’s civil war in the 1800s and were exiled. Inside is a history museum. The samurai helmet reminds me of Star Wars.
November 12, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Aizu-Wakamatsu’s rebuilt castle. The Aizu lost Japan’s civil war in the 1800s and were exiled. Inside is a history museum. The samurai helmet reminds me of Star Wars.
Good morning from Lake Inawashiro! Awesome view from our room before we head out for the day.
November 11, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Good morning from Lake Inawashiro! Awesome view from our room before we head out for the day.