It's been 4 years since I obtained my PhD from Hokkaido University, so I am very excited (and at the same time anxious) of going back to Japan, which was my home from 2003-2006. I went back to Japan to attend the 13th International Nannoplankton Association Conference in Yamagata. This is the first time the conference was held in Asia so the Filipino nannopaleontologists came in full force: my masters adviser in UP, Dr. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay and 2 graduate (MS) students, Adrian Fernandez and Deborah Tangunan.
Midway during the conference, we visited Yamadera, which are temples/shrines along the slopes of a mountain, with nice views of the valley below. My PhD adviser and supervisor in Hokkaido University (Prof. Okada), acted as our tour guide.
