From Japan, With Love

From America, With Love...

2010-06-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

Hello, all of you in Blog Land...
I have been back in the States for about three weeks and FINALLY started a new blog about my life back home:

www.briannainamerica.blogspot.com

Check it out, follow me - and leave lots of comments, of course!

Goodbye Japan...

2010-06-01T02:41:00.002-04:00

...hello America.

Last purikura...

2010-05-30T12:52:00.001-04:00

...for now, anyway.

Sad day.

So long, farewell...

2010-05-28T07:52:00.020-04:00

Well, I have about three days left in Japan before I make my return to the States. I really can't believe that I'll see my family and friends in THREE DAYS. Holy cow. That's amazing.
But as excited as I am to go home, I'm just as sad to leave Japan, which has truly become my home across the world.
Last week I had a farewell party with my co-workers, friends and some students. It was incredibly fun. We started at the Ale House, owned by our student and home of the "Brianna Cocktail." Then we moved on to another izakaya for a few hours. And after that, the hardcore party-ers went to karaoke - for six hours. That's right... 11 pm - 5 am, singing our hearts out. This was not your typical all-night karaoke deal, either, where half of the members are asleep by 3 am. This was six hours of belting out anything from Lady Gaga to Neil Diamond, dancing, and jumping on couches. Ah-mazing.

Me and some of the other foreign teachers in the area.

With Kenichi.

With Nikki and Aya.

Manly men.

Co-workers and students.

Lovely ladies.

With Masa, the owner of the Ale House.

Jeff, Adam, Masayoshi.

Aya, Noriko, Yurie, Akiko.

Brianna and Brianna Cocktail.

My people.

Masaki - crazy face.

At the second party.

A little swing dancing.

Lovely teachers.

Karaoke!

As you can tell from these photos, I am so blessed to have met and become friends with all these incredible people. I will definitely miss them when I leave.

And if you want to see more photos and read more about my party, check out the Ale House blog. Written by "Master Masa" himself (pictured her with me, Aya, and his lovely wife, Yoko).

Lots of...

2010-05-20T11:44:00.000-04:00

...packing.
packing.
packing,
and packing.

Whew.

Moving from country to country is hard.

It's 2:20 am...

2010-05-15T13:19:00.002-04:00

...and I just got home from my farewell party with my co-workers and students. I was so amazed at how many people showed up (about 55) and grateful for their support as I move back to the States to pursue my next goal of going to grad school.
I know I've mentioned it here before and to my family and friends back home, but I just have to say again how thankful I am to have had such great students. There were so many times that I felt so homesick or sad or moody before a lesson, but as soon as I started teaching, my students would say something or give me a big smile that always brightened my day. They have been funny, kind, warm and generous; so patient when I was new and my dear friends as I leave.

I'm not going to lie - there were definitely some tears shed tonight.

お母さんへ。。。　(To Mom...)

2010-05-09T10:55:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Miss you.

See you soon!

Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes) Adventure!

2010-04-30T04:43:00.015-04:00

On Wednesday, my student Hiromi and I went in search of Mt. Fuji. We went to Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes). It's kind of funny that I'm from Michigan, which is famous for the Great Lakes, and now I live close to the Fuji Five Lakes, five lakes that are also famous across the world. Kind of ironic.
The morning started off really cloudy and foggy, but we didn't give up and waited to see Mt. Fuji. We went to four out of five lakes throughout the day. The weather cleared up a bit in the afternoon, with big white fluffy clouds throughout the sky (pretty much mostly in front of Mt. Fuji). But I got some nice shots and I wanted to visit Fujigoko before I go back to America, so I was really satisfied at the end of the day. I had a great time with Hiromi, too, and I was really thankful she drove all around on a crazy Mt. Fuji hunt!

Mt. Fuji is directly behind me but hidden behind the clouds.

Videos of our adventure:

Well, it's about that time...

2010-04-24T12:18:00.009-04:00

私はアメリカに来月帰ります。

Watashi wa Amerika ni raigetsu kaerimasu.

I'm going home to America next month.

My contract with my school will finish on May 22 and I will fly back to the States on May 31. I've spent a year and half in Japan and have enjoyed it so much, made wonderful friends and taught incredible students. But the time has come for me to move on.

Coming back to Japan was a dream I had had since I came here as a college student in 2005. By the time I had finished my semester in Chiba, I had fallen in love with Japan and knew that I wanted to come back and teach English someday. It became one of my life goals to accomplish and I worked hard to make it happen.

My experience here the second time around has definitely been much different than my first. I've worked much harder as a full-time English teacher and really challenged myself to perform well at work and contribute to the improvement of my students. I've created wonderful relationships with friends, co-workers and other foreigners. I've seen and done so many new things. I have made a life for myself here. And I am so proud of myself and thankful to my newfound "family" (friends and students) I have here in Japan.

But my next big goal is to go to graduate school and get my master's in photojournalism and I feel like it's time to get the gears in motion. I've come to Japan, it's been incredible, and I survived - now it's time to move on.

I'm going to enjoy my last month here in Japan with lots of parties, hanging out with friends, visiting my favorite restaurants and just soaking up Japan.

Sigh.

Going home is definitely bittersweet.

Wisteria and Friends in the Park

2010-04-19T03:10:00.010-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, which has been a long time coming since it's been so rainy lately. Nikki and some other friends of Kakegawa came to Fujieda to go to Rengeji Park for wisteria viewing. Wisteria are the official flower of Fujieda and I love to see them bloom all over the place in town. Rengeji Park has a wisteria festival to celebrate and we enjoyed it yesterday with food, drinks and a picnic in the park. Afterwards, we headed to Mexican and to purikura (of course), then to the Ale House. It was a great day with great people.

Voting in Japan

2010-04-19T02:53:00.002-04:00

For the last week or so, city voting has been happening in Japan. At all hours of the day, trucks with huge loudspeakers have been driving slowly through the streets, asking for support from citizens for various candidates. So annoying.
But the best part about it is the hilarious campaign photos. In the States, candidates for elections have serious photos with penetrating, noble looks on their faces. But not in Japan. Japanese candidates sometimes have serious photos, but many times, are in various "fight" poses or with colorful backgrounds.

This is my favorite one. "For everyone's smile: Takeshi Sugiyama"

"Brianna Cocktail"

2010-04-19T02:35:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite places in Fujieda to frequent is the Ale House, a pub-type bar owned by one of our students (where I had my birthday party). There are about 200 different kinds of imported beer there, but I don't really care for beer, so I often ask Masa, the owner, to make a special cocktail for me. He has made all kinds of great drinks for me, but there's one that I especially love, so now I order it every time. And so, the "Brianna Cocktail" was born.

It's basically cranberry juice, with just a little bit of cassis liquor. Really sweet and good.

Some random fun pictures of me, Yu and Aya:

Best purikura to date...

2010-04-09T11:50:00.000-04:00

I love it.

Hanami!

2010-04-05T08:23:00.014-04:00

Cherry blossom season is my favorite season in Japan. There's only about a week and a half window when the trees are in full bloom and you can see pink everywhere you go. It's gorgeous.
Japanese people love to celebrate the cherry blossoms blooming by having hanami, cherry blossom viewing parties. Food, drinking and friends under the cherry blossoms. So fun.
Yesterday I went to hanami with some friends and friends of friends. We went to a beautiful spot in Fujieda, Konpira-san, a mountain covered in cherry blossom trees.

Our little group.

Our party was next to people with a portable karaoke machine. Amazing.

Konpira-san lit up at night.

Rainbow Bridge in Fujieda with cherry blossoms in the foreground.

Juggling and drum playing in Shizuoka...

2010-04-05T07:57:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I photographed my co-worker, Yu, and his friend, Hayato, during one of their performances. Yu plays the drums and Hayato does juggling, magic and other various things. It was a lot of fun shooting them!

A good quote for worrywarts like me...

2010-04-02T10:31:00.003-04:00

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the future - wondering what will come next and thinking about all the things I want to accomplish in the next few years. It's overwhelming sometimes, being in your twenties...you feel like every decision you make now will have a huge (positive or negative) impact on your future.
Today I read a quote by Leo Tolstoy that really hit me square between the eyes:

"Remember then: there is only one time that is important - Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time we when we have any power."

I can't change the past, no matter how much I may want to sometimes; worrying about the future won't change it at all. So I'm going to try to remember to keep my mind in the here and now - the only place that I can really make a difference.

"My darling is a foreigner"

2010-03-21T04:10:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to the movies with Jeff and Aya to see Sherlock Holmes. As some of you readers back in the States know, I LOVE Sherlock Holmes. I read my first Holmes mystery when I was about 11 and have loved him ever since. So I was super excited to see this movie, especially since I have been waiting since I first saw the posters in the theater back in December.
The movie was great - a modern day take on a classic hero. Of course, some creative liberties were taken to make Sherlock Holmes popular with a modern audience, but I expected that. I thought it was well-made and funny too. So I recommend it.
But the actual topic of this post is something Jeff spotted in the lobby before we went into the movie theater:

That's right. My darling is a foreigner - a new movie coming out soon. I can't really read the Japanese inside this little booklet, but it seems that she is a manga writer who falls in love with an American and the movie follows them through all the ups and downs of their international relationship. But in a cute Japanese-y way.
You can check out the website here and watch the trailer. Even though it's in Japanese, you can get the general idea.

What's been going on...

2010-03-21T03:49:00.006-04:00

Sorry for such a big gap between my last post and this one. I didn't think it was humanly possible, but as spring is approaching, I am becoming busier and busier at work. Yikes.
But in my free time I've been enjoying spending time with new and old friends - and students and co-workers, too.
I'm really thankful for the friends that I've made here in Japan. Coming here over a year ago completely alone was really intimidating, but I've met and become friends with many great people, other foreigners and Japanese alike. It's been such a blessing. And I absolutely couldn't ask for better students or co-workers.

Last weekend, Aya hosted a girls night/nabe party at her apartment. Two teachers from a nearby town, Nikki and Asami, joined us. We had kimchi and sukiyaki nabe, my two favorites. We ate, drink, watched a chick flick and cried at the end in true girly fashion. It was great.

And purikura! Some shots of girls from the girls night/nabe party, Nikki and I before going to a little party in Shizuoka with other foreign teachers, me and Aya, and some students, too!

I think I need this to organize my tiny Japanese apartment...

2010-03-09T11:52:00.002-05:00

And today's purikura (particularly hilarious):

A day of being a photographer again.

2010-03-08T10:18:00.009-05:00

I miss taking photos. I try to take photos regularly here in Japan, but work is so busy and the hours make it difficult to go out and shoot. Even though teaching English is a lot of fun, I miss holding a camera every day.
I also miss the random photo shoots I used to do with my friends in the States. I was always anxious to practice my photography on willing models, and I just happen to have incredibly beautiful friends, so every few weeks or so, I would drag my friends to the studio or outside for some photos. Some of my best shots have come from those shoots and I'm a better photographer because of them.
So, today I convinced my dear friend, the very lovely Aya, to brave the cold and be my model in Mochimune, a beach town two stops away from Fujieda. I'm so thankful she agreed, not only because she's a great person to shoot, but also because I was able to relieve the photography itch I've been feeling lately!

Model and photographer.

Then purikura of course! So both of us could be models.

Gaijin purikura!

2010-03-07T11:28:00.002-05:00

I love doing purikura with other foreigners because I think the combination of something so Japanese with people who are definitely not Japanese is hilarious. There are a few foreigners around Fujieda that I've become friends with - it's so nice to meet people from other countries who can completely understand all of the craziness that is living in Japan.
Jeff, a Canadian who also teaches English at a high school, heard about Purikura Month and decided to join in on the fun today:

Awesome.

This week's happenings...

2010-03-07T10:53:00.013-05:00

It's been a pretty busy week, with purikura and hanging out with friends. Lots of fun!

On Wednesday, I went to a new izakaya with Aya and Michiko (after purikura, of course).

It was a yakitori izakaya, so there were lots of varieties of meat on a stick.

This menu has more information than you'll ever need to know about what you're eating, like the calorie amount and how long it took to prepare it.

Shiitake mushrooms

Scallops

Sausage - with chicken tail and liver in the background

Pickled eggplant and cucumber

Me with some kind of radioactive-looking drink and chicken heart yakitori

And dessert! Sweet purple potato ice cream with a type of french toast.

Last night, I went to hear a local band of gaijin play with Aya and Yu. The band, Alien, consists of guys from Scotland, Canada, the States and England who all live in the area. They play a lot of 70s classic rock, so I really like going to their gigs.

After a long week of work, it was great to relax with my co-workers and listen to good music!

How I've been practicing my Japanese pronunication lately...

2010-03-05T10:07:00.003-05:00

From the beginning:

とても好き、好き

totemo suki, suki

(I really, really like)

踊るの好き、好き

odoru no suki, suki

(I like to dance)

みんなも。。。好き！

minna mo...suki!

(Everyone also likes it!)

After that, I have no idea.

It's been stuck in my head for the past day.

Hilarious.

Purikura Month: Day 2

2010-03-03T11:26:00.004-05:00

Aya and I went to purikura again after work today in honor of Purikura Month. Gachapin joined us as a special guest. Now we're watching a chick flick and painting our nails. I love being a girl!

Day 1 of Purikura Month!

2010-03-02T10:30:00.002-05:00

I decided that March was Purikura Month - our goal (Aya and I) is to go to purikura every day (except for weekends) for one month. We'll see how long it lasts, but we have a few ideas for creative poses and fun things to do to keep up occupied.
Tonight Yu accompanied us and we decided to kick off the month by taking a photo for my blog header.

Toyoda of Toyota in America...and the culture clash that could ensue.

2010-02-24T08:19:00.002-05:00

This is an interesting article from CNN about today's upcoming appearance by Akio Toyoda (president of Toyota Motor Corporation) in Washington to answer questions about the Toyota recalls and issues.

Toyoda in Washington: A Clash of Cultures?

The article mentions differences in American and Japanese body language and English and Japanese direct/indirect language. These are things I encounter every day living and working in Japan and I'm interested to see how America handles Toyoda's visit.

A fun night with a fellow foreigner, Mexican food and (of course) - purikura!

2010-02-21T09:50:00.005-05:00

Tonight Nikki, a new (well, new-ish - she's been here for two months) teacher in a nearby city came to Fujieda for some Mexican food and hanging out. Of course, I had to introduce her to purikura - we had so much fun that we went twice, once by ourselves and then again with Aya. Then me, Nikki and Aya came back to my place, hung out and chatted about life in Japan and all that good stuff. It was really fun and I hope we can hang out again soon! Next time I'll go to Nikki's town where apparently, they have a garlic restaurant - amazing!

This purikura photo has our zodiac signs, Chinese zodiac signs, and the type of men we like! The little stamps near our faces with hearts say our types - we could choose from lots of different ones. Mine says I like "carnivore men," the opposite of "herbivore men" (in Japan, they are the current trend...guys who are intimidated by women and don't want to make the first move), Nikki's says she likes "monkey face" men (seriously, that's what it says), and Aya likes "skinny macho" men. Other options included stupid men, men with dark skin, and also "half" men - half Japanese, half Brazilian. Yeah. Definitely couldn't say that in the US without offending some people. Oh, Japan.

Latest プリクラ！　(purikura!)

2010-02-20T09:38:00.002-05:00

I have just informed Aya that next month is Purikura Month. We will go to purikura every day (minus the weekend) for one month. I'm super excited...she's not quite sure about it.
But thinking of poses and props is challenging, so if you, dear readers, have any requests/suggestions, please leave a comment. And to my students who read this: if you want to join us, please do! We welcome any company.
がんばります！！　("We'll do our best!")

A day off in the middle of the week!

2010-02-15T07:22:00.010-05:00

Thursday was a national holiday in Japan, so my school was closed and I had a wonderful day off in the middle of the week. My co-workers and I (minus Noriko, who was sick) met in Shizuoka for dinner. We went to a restaurant owned by my student's husband called Cocina. The food and drinks were excellent and the atomosphere was really warm. We had a good time.

And after dinner, purikura (of course)! I've been wanting to go with the other staff members for a while and on Thursday, they were gracious enough to entertain me and my love of those crazy Japanese photo booths.

Trying new restaurants in Japan - always a gamble.

2010-02-10T08:38:00.006-05:00

Now that I've been living in Fujieda for over a year, I have established a few restaurants that I like and have become a patron of. There's a Mexican restaurant that is really cheap and is a favorite with foreigners (especially since Mexican food is really hard to find in Japan), a Bangledesh restaurant that serves curry and has a really nice owner who always gives me and Aya free Cokes, and an izakaya that has good bonjiri (chicken tail). Living thousands of miles from home, it's nice to have familiar places to frequent. It's like Cheers - sometimes you just want to go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came.
But recently Yu, Aya and I decided to branch out and try some new places. The first is a Chinese restaurant just across the street from our school. I went there once when I had first arrived in Japan, and I remember the restaurant being dingy and the menu limited. So I never went back. But a while ago, I noticed that the outside of the restaurant had been renovated, so we finally decided to check it out again a few weeks ago.

The inside had been redone, too - it looks much nicer now.

We ordered lots of food, including shrimp fried rice and cashew chicken.

The food was really good and the drinks were cheap. Also, we could take home our leftovers, which isn't usually allowed in Japan! I think they made a new menu when they renovated the restaurant. I've really been craving Chinese food since moving to Japan, and the nice thing about this place is that it's not nearly as greasy as American Chinese food.

On Monday, Yu and I helped Aya move into her new apartment, and she treated us to lunch as a thank you. We decided to go to Big Boy...I've been passing it on the street for over a year now and wondering how similiar it is to the original American version, and I finally got to try it.

The most surprising thing was that the entire menu was meat! Page...

after page...

after page of meat!

Apparently, when Japan imported Big Boy, they decided to change the menu to only include chicken, steak and hamburgers because it's an "American restaurant." AND, the worst part is that the "hamburgers" are not actually hamburgers at all - more like what we in the States call salisbury steak. No bun, just a hot place with a burger patty, a few steak fries, one or two broccoli stalks, and maybe some other little Japanese-y food. This type of dish is so popular in Japan, but it just makes me crave real hamburgers!

Like the American Big Boy, there was a soup and salad bar, but not nearly as big as in the States. And no ranch dressing (pretty much impossible to find here).

I decided to forgo the "hamburgers" and have chicken instead. With a random spring roll and Japanese style pork with bean sprouts.

Thankfully, there was dessert. A strawberry parfait with the ever ubiquitous corn flake and ice cream combo that plagues Japan.

I don't think I'll be going to Big Boy again. Nice try, Japan, but you just didn't impress me with your hamburgers that aren't actually hamburgers and other strange hybrids of Japanese and American foods. Where were my chicken strips and ranch dressing and American breakfast that is served 24 hours? Bring a restaurant like that here and I will never leave it.

"working 1 to 10, what a way to make a living..."

2010-01-31T08:16:00.003-05:00

Well, January has been flying by with not much to post about. I've been working like crazy as usual and relaxing on the weekends with friends or solo.
A student gave me an old film camera he wasn't using anymore (how awesome of him was that?), so tomorrow I'm hoping to get a battery for it and see if I can remember how to use non-digital equipment.
And, of course, there's purikura to brighten up the day. I'm on a mission to fill up a little photo album with purikura to eventually take back to the States, so I've been dragging along anyone willing (mostly Aya, she's such a trooper) to participate in some purikura goodness:

Seriously. I'm going to buy a purikura machine and somehow take it back to America with me.

A great gift!

2010-01-19T07:57:00.002-05:00

One of the great things about my co-workers is that they all know about my love of Mameshiba, so throughout the day I often get little Mameshibas drawn on notes from co-workers or the occasional Mameshiba gift that they saw at the store.
Today I came to work and found five Mameshibas on my desk from my manager:

She saw them at 7-11 and picked them up for me. Not only are they cute, but snacks, too. Peanuts, chocolate, some kind of dried bean, spicy dried beans, and candy coated peanuts. Whoo hoo!

What I'm watching these days...

2010-01-18T05:26:00.002-05:00

Being an American in Japan, of course I miss my favorite TV shows back home. Fortunately, there is Surf the Channel, which is the best friend of every person living outside of their home country and away from their weekly dose of TV drama.
But recently I remembered one of my favorite series of all time, VH1's "I Love the ______", which I used to watch with Dave back in the day. Famous comedians, actors, singers, etc., look at old fads from the '70s, '80s and '90s and make fun of them. Hilarious.
I found the episodes of "I Love the 90s" and "I Love the 80s" online and have been watching them non-stop.

Capsule hotels in Japan - now more than just a temporary stay.

2010-01-13T10:05:00.005-05:00

An interesting article about the impact of the bad economy in Japan:

Japan's capsule hotels now coffin-sized homes

I've never stayed in a capsule hotel in Tokyo (frankly, I think it would be scary to be sleeping in such a small space), but many Americans have heard about them and are intrigued by them. It's sad that the hotels once built because of Japan's booming economy are now housing people who can't afford to stay anywhere else.

Kyoto Adventure: Day 4

2010-01-03T00:25:00.011-05:00

I checked out of my hotel at 10 am and went to Kyoto station to put my luggage in a locker before heading out to Arashiyama. Arashiyama was last on my list of places to visit in Kyoto - I especially wanted to see the bamboo groves there.
I took the bus to Arashiyama - it's about 40 minutes from Kyoto station. It's hard to believe that Arashiyama is part of Kyoto. Downtown Kyoto and all the tourist traps are so crowded and busy, but Arashiyama is open and scenic. It was so nice to be away from gajillions of people. It was a beautiful day, too.
I read about Arashiyama's bamboo groves in my guidebook and and knew I had to check them out. They're basically a main path through thousands of tall beautiful bamboo trees. It was really gorgeous - the sound of the wind rustling the leaves was really soothing.

After walking through the groves, I had lunch at a cute little restaurant and then went for a walk down along the river.

I had a lot of time to kill and I really enjoyed the bamboo groves, so I headed back there to get a few more photos.

After Arashiyama, I went back to Kyoto station, had dinner and coffee, then took the bus back to Shizuoka.

And that's that. My four day trip to Kyoto is over and I'm back in Fujieda. I had a busy four days and I'm exhausted, but really happy I went. I visited so many places that I've been wanting to see and took a lot of photos. I was a little nervous to go by myself, but everything was fine, and I even used a little Japanese here and there!

Kyoto Adventure: Day 3

2010-01-01T08:44:00.014-05:00

This morning I woke up around 8 am, had breakfast, lounged around my hotel room for a while, then headed out to see what I could see.
I took the bus to Heian Shrine and spent some time taking photos and observing Hatsumode.

People lining up to pray.

Tying bad fortunes and trying to forget them.

After Heian Shrine, I took the bus to Ginkaku-ji and literally had to run up the hill because they were closing in 20 minutes. When I came to Japan in college, we visited Kinkaku-ji, which is kind of like Ginkaku-ji's older brother. Kinkaku-ji is plated in gold and apparently, Ginkaku-ji was supposed to be plated in silver, but the plans were never finished. So now it's just brown. Really brown. It's a quaint, quiet little temple, but personally, I prefer the pizazz of Kinkaku-ji.

Not Ginkaku-ji. Just a garden and building before it.

Ginkaku-ji. Brown and also under construction.

As I was leaving, I found a little shrine with a bunch of lamps.

More bad fortunes.

I came back to the hotel for a while to warm up and eat dinner, then headed off to Gion and Pontocho in hopes of spotting a geiko (Kyoto dialect for "geisha") or maiko (apprentice geiko). I read in my borrowed guidebook that the most likely place to see them is Pontocho, so I went there first.

Pontocho lantern with New Year decoration in the background.

Not geiko or maiko - just girls in kimono for Hatsumode.

I saw a lot of foreigners and a few drunk people in Pontocho, but no geiko or meiko. So I walked back to Hanami-koji and walked around for a bit. After a while, I happened to look down a crossing street and lo and behold - I spotted a geiko (or maiko, I'm not quite sure which). I was a little nervous to use my Japanese and ask for a picture, but I asked anyway, and she graciously posed for one shot.

So, I read that geiko have white collars and maiko have red, so I think she might be a geiko, but I'm not sure. Geiko are rarer to see than maiko. Either way, I was really excited to finally have the opportunity to photograph one of these mysterious women.

Kyoto Adventure: Day 2

2009-12-31T20:30:00.016-05:00

I started my second day in Kyoto with free hotel breakfast and a Skype chat with Laura. Then I decided to venture out to Kiyomizu Temple. I took the bus, thinking it would take me to Kiyomizu, but instead, I ended up way on the outskirts of Kyoto in front of Kamigamo Shrine. I had never heard of it, but I decided to check it out since I was there and I was a little sick of riding on the bus. Turns out it's a World Heritage Site and one of the oldest shrines in Japan.

After Kamigamo, I got on the bus and headed back in the direction of my hotel (which, by the way, is in a great location...just a two minute walk to Gion), stopping at Yasaka Shrine first. Yasaka Shrine is the main shrine in Gion, the historical part of Kyoto known for geisha. Yasaka Shrine is also a popular shrine to visit for the New Year and I decided to scope it out before it got incredibly crowded in the evening. It was a bigger than it looked from the street, with the main shrine and a few buildings in the front and a park leading up the mountain in the back.

After Yasaka Shrine, I decided to attempt to find Kiyomizu Temple again by bus. I triple checked the bus schedule at the bus stop and my borrowed Kyoto guidebook and boarded the bus more confidently the second time around. Thankfully, the bus schedule and my guidebook matched and I quickly found myself walking up the hill to Kiyomizu Temple.

I had read online and in my guidebook and heard from students about Kiyomizu Temple, but, to be honest, the pictures online didn't look that impressive and I wasn't really expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised when I reached the top of the hill. Kiyomizu is truly a beautiful temple with a great view of of Kyoto.

I took the bus back to Gion after Kiyomizu and wandered around the old street, admiring the historical Japanese architecture and hoping to spot maiko or geiko, but with no success.

I found Gion Corner, which is where I went four years ago when I come to Japan with SAU. The other girls and I came here to see a tea ceremony and other traditional Japanese performances. It's hard to believe that was four years ago!

I went back to my hotel to rest for a while and brace myself to deal with the big New Year's Eve crowds. At about 9:30 pm, I went back out to Gion, which was pretty much empty, and then made my way to Yasaka Shrine.

I wandered around for a while, taking pictures and checking everything out. When it got to be about 11:30 pm, I tried to go back into the main area of the shrine, but it was closed off! I think there were too many people inside, so the police had to make us wait until they cleared out to let us in. So, I ended up ringing in the New Year in a line of thousands of people outside of Yasaka Shrine, which was a bit disappointing, but shortly after midnight, they let us in. Thousands of people were there, throwing money at the shrine's base and praying for the new year.

So, all in all, it was a good New Year's Eve, and quite different from the typical ones I've spent in the States. It was cold and crowded and I was exhausted by the end of the night, but I'm really glad I went.

Click here to see my 10 favorite photos of the day.

10 of my favorite shots from today...

2009-12-31T12:25:00.006-05:00

...more photos and today's Kyoto adventures to come later.

Yasaka Shrine

Kiyomizu Temple

Fortunes at Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple

Gion

Kamo-gawa

New Year's Eve, Yasaka Shrine

Happy New Year to all, and to all a good night!

Kyoto Adventure: Day 1

2009-12-30T05:40:00.026-05:00

Today I arrived in Kyoto at 5 am to begin my New Year vacation in one of Japan's most beautiful cities.
I took the bus from Shizuoka at 10 pm and we drove all night to get to Kyoto this morning. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. The bus was pretty nice, though, considering it was fairly cheap (10,000 yen round trip - about $100). There was a lot of leg room and we got complementary slippers and a blanket.

Bus.

Kyoto station.

After wandering around for a good half hour looking for my hotel (my terrible sense of direction never fails on vacation in a new place), I finally located it, dropped my stuff off (but couldn't check in until 3 pm), and made my way to Fushimi Inari Shrine, the place I wanted to visit the most while in Kyoto. I've seen photos of the hundreds of red torii gates and think they are so beautiful and great for photos. I took the train from Kyoto station to Inari and made my way up the mountain under the torii gates.

Actually, I say in this video that there are 1300 torii gates, but I may have made a mistake. I don't think there are quite that many.

There are many fox statues and things throughout Fushimi Inari. They are considered to be messengers.

Quail? Maybe.

Grilled eel.

After Fushimi Inari, I went to Nishiki Market, a famous food market with over one hundred shops sellings all kinds of Japanese food. It was crazy crowded, though, and I literally had to push my way past people to get through. You may think that Japanese people seem meek and mild, but man, can they be pushy!

Shrimp and other shellfish.

Octopus and such.

Japanese sweets in little sculptured shapes.

Vegetables.

Well, hello to you, too!

Very expensive crab.

Creepy looking white fish.

After the food market, I was getting pretty exhausted from the bus ride, not much sleep, and getting pushed around by shoppers, so I went back to my hotel.

And even though it's only 9 pm, I'm in my hotel-provided pajamas and going to bed, baby! I want to get an early start tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more Kyoto adventures!

Christmas.

2009-12-25T21:21:00.003-05:00

I had to work on Christmas (lots of people do in Japan - since it's not a Christian country, Christmas isn't too important. There's still Christmas decorations, but they're into the commerical side of it mostly), so after work, Aya and I went to an izakaya for dinner:

Cabbage with sesame dressing.

Izakayas usually offer a little dish with your drink - it's almost always something I don't like, like squid or something. But this one was chicken, so it was okay.

Aya ordered fish liver.

My new favorite, bonjiri (chicken tail), and pork.

Octopus.

Me with the shabu shabu stuff.

And shabu shabu:

Funny Christmas gifts from Japan:

2009-12-23T10:47:00.002-05:00

I found this article on CNN.com and thought it was pretty funny:

Wacky Christmas Gifts from Japan (where else?)

Christmas cookies!

2009-12-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

Christmas is almost here so that means (of course)...Christmas cookies!
I made some cookies myself the other night and decorated them like my favorite Japanese character, Mameshiba:

And today I went to my friend Ryosuke's house with Aya and we baked a ton of cookies, including peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses and sugar cookies. We got pretty creative with our snowman cookies and I was really impressed with the results:

So, yeah...I think I have enough to share at work tomorrow...

Purikura!

2009-12-14T10:54:00.006-05:00

Purikura is seriously one of Japan's greatest inventions. As an American in Japan, I'm endlessly entertained by it. As a photographer, I'm highly intrigued by it.
Somehow, these intelligent purikura machines make your eyes bigger and skin whiter instantly after taking the photo. It's amazing. I mean, my eyes are big enough and my skin is white enough already, but the technology is amazing. How do they do it?
And of course, besides the technical aspects, it's just good clean fun.

So I searched "purikura" online and found a website that allows you to get somewhat of the purikura experience. Here's a photo of me, Noriko, and Kenichi from Miho's wedding, purikura-ized:

Cute Purikura Online cute

Try it out! Although, I will warn you...it is addicting.

Christmas lights, please!

2009-12-09T10:57:00.003-05:00

If anyone can, I'd love to get some simple white Christmas lights to decorate my apartment with. Aunt Sheila sent me some last year, and they had been faithfully illuminating my apartment until tonight, when half the string burned out. Sad day.
There are Christmas lights here, but they're incredibly expensive and not quite the same style as the ones in the States.
Just a box or two is enough. Thanks!!

Kimono Lesson in Fuji.

2009-12-07T10:17:00.007-05:00

This morning I went to Fuji to take a kimono lesson with another teacher, Michael, and his co-worker, Yumi. Kimono are a beautiful part of Japanese culture and history, but also very difficult to wear. There are a lot layers and parts. Many young women in Japan don't know how to wear kimono, so there are kimono lessons available in many places.
We arrived at the kimono sensei's home today at about 10 am and got straight to work. One woman did my hair while another helped Michael into his kimono. Then three women helped me put on a beautiful pink kimono. It's amazing how much work and effort goes into wearing a kimono. There's a lot of layers and strings and many hands are needed to wrestle it around the wearer's body.
Having a few people dress you is an interesting experience. Especially in a lesson situation where you just met these people five minutes before they asked you to undress. I think the whole process took about ten minutes, but it was definitely worth the time and slight awkwardness.
After fully kimono-ed, we took part in a traditional tea ceremony, which is always an interesting experience. This was my second tea ceremony. A traditional Japanese tea ceremony is full of little customs and rules, one of the most interesting being that you need to slurp loudly during your last gulp of tea to let the host know you've finished.
After tea, we went to a shrine to take photos.

One of the ladies showed us this kimono that her grandfather wore. It's an old silk men's kimono with his family crest pn the outside and a beautiful painting on the inside.

Before tea.

Me, Michael, kimono ladies and a husband

And a great view of Mt. Fuji.

Yumi is part of a tour guide business based in Fuji and she's a wonderful guide. So if you're in Japan and want someone to help show you around, look her up! You can see her blog here.

Merry Christmas! ...

2009-12-07T10:14:00.001-05:00

...have some toilet paper.

One of my favorite Japanese snacks.

2009-12-07T10:04:00.002-05:00

One of the nice things about living in Japan is that it's easy to find healthy snacks. One of my favorites is sweet potatoes that look like this:

I don't know exactly how they're made, and yes, they look gross, but they are really tasty and I don't feel guilty if I eat a lot of them, because, hey - they're sweet potatoes...how bad for me can they be, right?

I'm taking a trip!

2009-12-04T10:07:00.003-05:00

At the end of this month, I have about ten days off of work - and I decided it's high time to take a trip! I'm going to Kyoto, a famous historical city about a six hour bus ride from me. It avoided bombing during the war so it's full of old temples and shrines and streets.
I went to Kyoto four years ago when I came to Japan with SAU and I really liked it. We saw a geisha dance and participated in a traditional tea ceremony. We also saw Kinkaku-ji, Japan's famous Golden Pavilion. We only spent two days, so I'm looking forward to going back and spending some time wandering around and taking photos.
I'm planning to stay three days - over the New Year - which should be really exciting, since New Year is the biggest holiday in Japan. I've done a little research and found some places I want to visit:
Kiyomizu Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Gion
I'm sure I'll find many more places to visit while I'm there. I'm really looking forward to going on my little adventure - I'm definitely going to need to cram in some serious Japanese studying before I go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T10:39:00.003-05:00

My Thanksgiving was pretty much a typical day - I got up at little earlier than usual to meet Aya at the bike shop (my bike got a piece of bungee cord stuck in the chain...one of the joys of being confined to bike riding instead of driving) and we got some coffee and went to the library after that. They just built a libary here in the spring and it has an English section, which is really great. We headed to work after that and it was another crazy day as usual. One of my co-teachers has swine flu (yikes!) - she'll be fine, but she's taking the week off to recover...AND Miho is on her honeymoon in Hawaii! So, needless to say, we are short two staff members and BUSY.
After we finished work, Aya and I headed to an izakaya to celebrate Thanksgiving. But with no turkey to be found in Japan, we had to settle for some Japanese food instead:

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home! Miss you much!

"Just get me to the church on time!"

2009-11-23T09:10:00.018-05:00

Yesterday, my co-worker Miho got married, and my other co-workers and I attended the festivities. Japanese weddings are a little different than American ones. Traditional Japanese weddings, with kimonos at the shrine, are not popular anymore. Many people want to have Western style weddings with the white dress and tux and all that. But even though these weddings look similar to American ones, Japan has put its own little twist on them.
These kind of Western/Japanese weddings usually take place in a building that looks similiar to a church, but are used only for weddings, nothing else. So it just has the look of a Western wedding.
After the ceremony, there's a reception type deal, but since the wedding starts a bit earlier than American ones (Miho and Sumi's started at 11 am), it's more of a lunch. There's a meal and some performances, like speeches or songs, slideshows, etc. No dancing, though.
After the reception, there's usually a second or even third party with just friends, no family. Miho and Sumi had their second party at a nice place in Shizuoka. We had a good meal and there were some games and raffles as well.
The third party was at a bar in Shizuoka with a DJ. We had ramen (what Japanese typically eat at the end of a long night of drinking) and there was a lot of good music. And toward the end of the night, people actually danced! I know that's expected at an American wedding, but people in Japan usually don't dance. They don't have proms or anything like that in high school and weddings don't have dancing at the reception. So I was pleasantly surprised to see people shaking their groove thing at the third party.
Also, the bride usually changes her dress a few times throughout the day. She wears the white dress during the ceremony and then changes to a really bright, colorful dress for the reception. Then maybe once more after that. Miho changed four times! She looked beautiful in each one, or course. The brides rent their dresses, not like in the States (thank goodness, since it would be super expensive to buy all those dresses).
I had a lot of fun at the wedding - and the greatest thing was that I wasn't the photographer, so I could relax and enjoy the day without stressing! But, even though I wasn't the hired photographer, I still took a lot of photos throughout the day.

Me and Aya eating onigiri (rice balls) in the early morning before the ceremony.

at Japanese weddings, it's really important to have a welcome board (photos, etc, of the bride and groom...and Miho and Sumi had the cutest one ever!

Michiko, Noriko, Yu, me, and Aya (my co-workers and I, minus one other teacher who was sick).

Reception room.

Cute centerpieces that we got to take home.

Bosses usually give speeches at the receptions (for some reason, the boss and co-workers of the bride and groom are almost more important than family). Michiko had to give a speech and she wrote it all out so she wouldn't forget.

Kanpai! (Cheers!)

The cake looked like Miho and Sumi at Tokyo Tower, which is where Sumi proposed.

Look at that cool dress!

At the second party with students and staff.

It's traditional in Japan, when drinking, to pour your neighbor's drink for them. Sumi was fully equipped with a beer backpack to ensure that his guests had beer whenever they needed it.

At the third party, with Noriko and Kenichi.

Miho enjoying some ramen.

My co-worker, Yu, playing some drums for the crowd.

Dancing!

At the end of the night (before we had to run - literally - to catch the last train back to Fujieda...the train workers held the train for us so we could rush on).

For those of you living in Japan...

2009-11-11T11:04:00.002-05:00

I found a great website for buying import food:

The Flying Pig

From what I can tell, they ship anywhere in Japan and the prices aren't bad. As soon as I get my next paycheck, I'll definitely be doing some shopping there.

Nabe Party!

2009-11-07T11:56:00.008-05:00

Last night some co-workers and I had a nabe party. Nabe is a one-pot dish that's popular in Japan in the winter. It's boiled vegetables, meat, and other stuff cooked in a pot at a table with everyone gathered round to keep warm and help cook. My favorite is sukiyaki, which has a sweet soy sauce flavor. I love nabe!

An adventure not too far from home.

2009-11-03T09:45:00.006-05:00

Today I had the day of off work because of Culture Day and I went on a little adventure with Kathi, a really cool woman from church. We are both beach people, so we decided to head toward the ocean, and made a few leisurely stops for photos along the way.

Winter is coming, which means a much clearer view of Mt. Fuji (the summer is usually too hazy to see it).

This view of Fuji-san is from Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, a new airport that was just completed this summer. And since it seems that people in Japan love any opportunity for touristy-type things, the airport today was filled with tourists. Just tourists. No travelers. People anxious to see the new attraction, even if it is just an airport...

...like these people admiring the view of Fuji-san from the observation deck. Although, I guess I don't have much room to talk, since I was also at the airport today with no intention of flying anywhere, just to see what the new airport looked like. Sigh.

One of those, "Yep, I'm definitely living in Japan" moments...

2009-10-29T09:10:00.003-04:00

Me (pointing at a small cooler on the floor in front of a student): "What's that?"
Student: "It's a pig's tongue. For dinner tonight."

Yep. He works as a meat inspector and apparently, the tongue was a "gift" from his co-workers.
Maybe his co-workers don't like him very much. Or maybe I'm just a foreigner living in Japan.

Birthday Party!

2009-10-26T07:59:00.008-04:00

On Sunday I celebrated my 24th year on earth with a party. I decided to have it at the Ale House, an English pub-like bar that one of our students owns. Lots of friends, co-workers, and student came and it was a good time.

me and my co-workers in from of the Ale House

Not only was the party great, but I got some wonderful presents, too, like some beautiful chopsticks, Mameshiba memorabilia, gloves and some homemade scones (from the Ale House - I always order a scone when I go there).

It was great celebrating my birthday in Japan with the incredible people I've met and befriended over the past year!

Halloween Party!

2009-10-26T07:38:00.010-04:00

After work on Saturday we had a Halloween party for school - and of course, it was a costume party. The teachers all dressed up (I was a black cat) and we brought different little costumes for the students to wear if they didn't have their own. It was such a good time and there were plenty of photo opportunities!

me and Yu, one of my co-teachers (dressed as a girl and wearing all my clothes)

Noriko (representing Michigan as Grant Hill), me and Aya (a famous character from Japanese comics)

Random Festival in Fujieda - Sunday.

2009-10-11T08:30:00.006-04:00

The festival continued today - I heard it as I rode my bike home from church. Apparently it made its way throughout Fujieda, because I ran into it again when I went grocery shopping this evening.

Random Festival in Fujieda - Saturday.

2009-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I walked to work yesterday, I passed some kind of festival happening down the street from my apartment. Lots of people were dressed in yukata and the shrine was decorated with the Japanese flag and such. I wished I didn't have to go to work so I could check out what was happening. But, duty called.
After work, I discovered that the festival was still going on, so I rushed home, grabbed my camera, and went back to get some shots.

Harvesting the Rice

2009-10-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

There are many beautiful rice fields here in Shizuoka prefecture. They remind me of the farms back home. The rice has been growing all summer, and in the last few weeks, the farmers have begun to harvest it.

Typhoon Melor

2009-10-08T09:49:00.002-04:00

Well, it was serious in other areas of Japan, but in my town, all we felt from the typhoon was a lot of wind and rain. I woke up a few times during the night from the noise, but when I got up this morning, the sky was as blue as could be and the clouds were clearing out.

Typhoon's a-comin'!

2009-10-07T08:50:00.002-04:00

My first typhoon experience.

There's no danger in my area - just really strong winds and lots of rain.

Teacher of the Month...

2009-10-06T11:06:00.002-04:00

Every month my company sends a newletter to the foreign teachers in our area, which includes a lot of little tidbits about teaching and general information. There's also a Teacher of the Month section and this month, my little old picture was on that page!

My school's manager nominated me in August and the main office chose me and another teacher. Woot woot! I get an engraved pen and a little blurb in the newsletter. But the best thing is that my manager really appreciates my work. Summer was so busy for me - I tried my hardest to do every task well and that effort was recognized. That makes me feel good.

Darn typhoon season.

2009-10-06T10:41:00.002-04:00

When I moved into my apartment in Japan, I noticed that my window didn't have a screen. I thought this was typical of most Japanese buildings, since the windows at my schools don't have screens either, so I didn't complain.
But the last few weeks have been so sunny and nice and I really wanted to open my window and enjoy them, but without letting a bunch of creepy Japanese bugs into my apartment. So I asked my school's manager to help me get a screen. Last week, we went to the Japanese version of Home Depot and discovered that we had to special order a screen and it would be delivered in 10 days. No problem - 10 sunny days passed by with the hope of a window screen in the near future.
The window screen arrived today.
And typhoon season has started in Japan. It's going to be rainy all week.
Waaaaaah waaaaaaah waaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Birthday Yakiniku!

2009-10-05T08:49:00.002-04:00

My birthday isn't until the 25th, but this weekend, four of my students treated me to an awesome yakiniku dinner.

Yakiniku is one of my favorite Japanese meals. You order a bunch of raw meat and cook it on a little grill built into your table. It's fantabulous.

I had a wonderful time with my students and was so grateful to be treated to dinner. Their only stipulation was that I stay in Japan longer.

Halloween candy, onegaishimasu! <---- (please!)

2009-09-28T10:03:00.002-04:00

My favorite holiday, Halloween, is coming up and my school is having a costume party to celebrate on October 24. I would love to give my students and co-workers some good old American Halloween candy, so if anyone feels so inclined to send a package of sweet American-ginormous sized bags of goodness my way, that would be incredible!

Some of my favorites include:
-Sour Patch Kids
-Skittles
-Peanut Butter M&Ms
-Swedish Fish
-Laffy Taffy
-Peanut Butter Cups
-Almond Joys
-Charms Blow Pops

And one of my co-workers, Aya, loves Atomic Fireballs, those red hot/cinnamony candy ball things. So if someone finds those and can include them, she would be eternally grateful.

Wintergreen Lifesavers have become a favorite at my school as well.

ALSO, if one of you Barnes and Noble frequenters comes across a learning-the-Japanese-language book and wants to pick it up for me, I would not be mad about that. I'm still plugging away at my lessons, but I could definitely use extra help. Anything that looks helpful and interesting would be perfect.

Domo arigato gozaimashita!
(Thank you, thank you, thank you!!)

Summer is drawing to a close here in Shizuoka Prefecture.

2009-09-28T09:59:00.002-04:00

A surfer enjoys some September waves in Omaezaki.

Going on safari. In Japan.

2009-09-28T09:15:00.007-04:00

Last week I went to Fuji Safari Park to see all kinds of animals. Fuji Safari Park is unlike an ordinary zoo - you can drive through the park and see the animals roaming around free (well, not completely free, but not caged up, either).
Of course, it was very crowded and kind of a dreary day, but still a lot of fun.

Look at that freaky bear! The sign says, "DANGER! Never get out of your car! Never open the windows!"

People in a lion shaped bus feeding the lions.

After we drove through, we walked to another part of the park where we saw minature ponies (apparently, they are part of the American stereotype in Japan, so that area had oldies country music playing and the workers were dressed like cowgirls) and white kanagroos. Good times!

Sightseeing in Kanazawa.

2009-09-27T09:35:00.019-04:00

When I went to Kanazawa a few weeks ago to photograph Chris and Nozomi's wedding, I had the opportunity to do a little sightseeing, too.
On Friday, Chris took me to the Geisha District and old historical areas. Kanazawa is called "Little Kyoto" because, like Kyoto, it's rich in Japanese history and culture.

Then to a fish market with highly overpriced fish:

The one closest to the camera is $120.

We went to dinner with Chris and Nozomi's friends who helped with the wedding at cool place called the Chopstick Cafe.

The food was good but the menu was the best part - chock full of crazy English.

"Vegetables...are very important, aren't they?"

"I bake a fish in front of eyes!"

On Sunday, we went to Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's most famous gardens.

Then to a modern art museum. Actually, I didn't care for much of the art, but there was one really cool exhibit.

It looked like a real swimming pool on the surface, but it was actually just a few inches of water on top, a layer of glass, and completely open in the bottom.

And we took the shinkansen home. P.S. - I love the shinkansen. The ride is so smooth and the seating is comfortable. I love to just relax and enjoy the landscape of Japan flying by.

Just a quick post...

2009-09-23T09:54:00.002-04:00

...to let you know I'm still here. Had a little vacation from work the last few days and did some fun things, like see the new X-Men movie and go to Fuji Safari Park. I saw lions and tigers and bears - oh my! (I couldn't resist)
I'll post photos soon! But for now, back to studying Japanese. Rough.

Nozomi and Chris (and my temporary comeback as a wedding photographer).

2009-09-13T22:21:00.025-04:00

This past weekend, I went to Kanazawa to photograph Chris and Nozomi's wedding. I was a little nervous because it's been over a year since I photographed a wedding and I was worried I would be a little out of practice! But everything went really well, and it definitely didn't hurt that Chris and Nozomi are a fun and relaxed couple.
The ceremony was held in a record museum, which was very cool. After the ceremony we had a lot of time to take some photos of just the couple around and in the museum. Since the city escaped bombing during the war, a lot of Kanazawa is very historical, with beautiful temples and old Japanese streets.
The reception was really fun, with a taiko drum performance (the groom played for one song), a small piano performance by Nozomi and her piano teacher, an incredible Indian dinner catered by some friends of the couple, and a lot of sake!

Enjoying the last days of summer...although, Shizuoka is much warmer than Michigan, so I have more days left than usual.

2009-09-07T09:56:00.006-04:00

Today I went to the beach after my Japanese lesson...I know you're not surprised. September weather is proving to be perfect here in Shizuoka - not too hot and not nearly as humid as a month ago.
Because summer is so humid and hazy here, I haven't seen Mt. Fuji in a long time. But today, I glimpsed it from the station:

The beach was pretty much empty, which was a little inconceivable (public places are rarely empty in Japan - usually just the opposite), so I had it mostly all to myself.

Another look at Mt. Fuji on the way home:

And I made bread pudding (minus the raisins) tonight in my toaster over - it turned out really nice:

Japan and its lack of procreation.

2009-09-06T09:33:00.003-04:00

It seems like a strange problem, but actually Japan is an aging country. The birth rate is falling, mostly because raising children in Japan is really expensive. So much importance is put on going to the finest schools, including cram schools and extra lessons, all the way up to college. Parents want to have just one or two children and pour all their resources into them.
Some of my students work at a pharmaceutical company that initiated "Family Friday" a few months ago. Employees are encouraged to go home at 3:30 pm on Friday to, uh, "spend time" with their families (aka make babies).

Some random stuff.

2009-08-31T11:40:00.004-04:00

Tonight I went to dinner in Kanaya, which is only two stops from Fujieda, at a lovely Italian restaurant with a great view of the town:

When I got back to Fujieda, I went grocery shopping and came across this disturbing item:

Keep your hands where you can see them. Or else they might get shredded. In one of three ways.

It's the first day of September here in Japan and you know what that means...extremely premature Halloween decorations!

I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in Fujieda with a wreath on my door but that's fine. It makes me happy.

This sweet awesome jack-o'lantern-meets-Japanese-lamp also makes me happy.

Some other new additions to my apartment:

Mameshiba!

Manekineko, the lucky cat that is everywhere in Japan (and many Asian restaurants back home).

I would not mind doing this every weekend for the rest of the summer...

2009-08-25T11:51:00.013-04:00

I had an amazing time yesterday!
A student has a boat and all kinds of fun water things, like jetskis and bit inflatable rafts, and I was lucky enough to be invited to spend the day boating and lounging around Izu, along with some of the student's Japanese co-workers, and a German and Canadian man living in Izu teaching English as well.
We started the day early - I had to get up at 5 am to take the train to Numazu to be picked up at 8 am. We headed to the marina and loaded all the food and drinks on boat, then started out with a long cruise from Numazu to Izu. Rob and I got to be the hood ornaments on the front of the boat, which was so fun.

We stopped near a beach and a few rock formations to do some snorkeling. It was my first time to try it and I had a lot of fun checking out the fish and other underwater-type things.

After a while, we relocated to an inlet area to go cruising around on jetskis and inflatable rafts. The main goal was to basically go so fast on the jetski that all of the people on the raft went flying off and skidding across the water like skipping stones. So fun. When I was on the raft, we got up to 85 kilometers - 52 mph!

The day went by too quickly and suddenly it was time to go back to the marina.

I definitely think this is one of the best things I've done this summer. Everyone on the boat was so nice and I really enjoyed getting to know our co-passengers. I had an incredible time just enjoying the beautiful scenery and the relaxation that only comes from being on the water. I think I would consider staying in Japan for another summer just to go boating in Izu again.

Summer sunset.

2009-08-25T11:47:00.004-04:00

There was a beautiful sunset in Fujieda on Sunday. I couldn't resist walking around and getting some shots.

a rainbow, too!

I mean, seriously?

2009-08-18T08:53:00.003-04:00

There was another earthquake today during one of my lessons.
Just a small one.

But both my student and I gasped and gripped the table when it happened, remembering the big one a week ago.

Scary.

Obon Vacation - Sunday.

2009-08-17T11:11:00.012-04:00

On Sunday, we went to Odaiba, which is a great area of Tokyo that I hadn't been to before. There were many things to see and do, including a man-made beach, European style shopping mall, and a little Hong Kong.

The first thing we found was a monkey doing tricks in a mall for a large crowd:

flying monkey!

lunch in Daiba Little Hong Kong was great - I love Chinese food and I haven't had much since I've been in Japan (no, Japanese food and Chinese food aren't much alike)

Then to Joypolis, a huge arcade/virtual reality center that's pretty well-known...even Leonardo DiCaprio's been there!

Remember Mameshiba? Well, since we found him in Hiroshima, he's been growing in popularity, and we were lucky enough to be in Odaiba during a Mameshiba convention! We were in Mameshiba heaven.

Then to Venus Fort, a European style shopping mall that was incredibly beautiful on the inside:

I really enjoyed visiting Odaiba and would like to go back to spend some more time there.

And now vacation is over and it's time to go back to work tomorrow. It's always so difficult to go back to work after a vacation, but luckily we have a four-day weekend in September so I don't have long to wait until the next one!

Obon Vacation - Saturday.

2009-08-17T10:22:00.025-04:00

On Saturday, after sleeping in, we went to Asakusa for a few hours. When I was in Japan in 2005, me and the other girls went to Asakusa three or four times because we loved it so much. I've been itching to go back since I came to Japan and was so happy to see it again on Saturday. Asakusa is a historical part of Tokyo with great shopping and lots of interesting alleys and restaurants. It so crowded and hot but still really fun.

the big temple was apparently under construction, but I saw it when I came before, so it was no big deal

a place that only sells and serves whale meat

we had to drink some ramune, which is a drink I found long ago with friends in Philadephia

the Asahi building with its beer foam that kind of looks like a carrot

Then back to Shinjuku to meet up with Hiromi. It was so great to hang out with her again! We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant, hit some arcades, and ended up on a great rooftop hangout with lots of little bars and restaurants. I loved it.

How cool is this rooftop place? The roof was open with a terrance over it and lots of great lamps, decorations, drinks and food.

Saturday was a great day with plenty of good food, beautiful sights, and fun with friends. I think the rooftop is one of the best things I've seen in Tokyo yet.

Obon Vacation - Friday.

2009-08-17T09:46:00.007-04:00

Friday was the start of the traveling part of my vacation. We took the bus to Tokyo, dropped our stuff off in Asakusa, then headed to Shinjuku to meet another teacher and his friend from the States. We first went to the Nikon Salon, which has a display of the latest and greatest Nikon cameras and also a gallery of different images. It was really interesting and awesome to be surrounded by all that great photographic equipment. There was also a great view of the city.

We had dinner at a great Mexican restaurant and then headed to Harajuku, which is one of the fashion capitals of Japan:

Then to Shibuya:

a sign in front of a love hotel

Friday night wandering around some of Tokyo's most famous spots was incredibly fun. We didn't have a specific purpose - we just enjoyed the sights.

More on the earthquake...

2009-08-11T08:02:00.002-04:00

There wasn't much info on the internet about this morning's earthquake when I updated right after it happened, but I just found this video tonight:

And the picture in this article is a wall in Shizuoka that I photographed Hiromi in front of.

Apparently, in Shizuoka, there is the Tokai Earthquake theory, which says basically that about every 100-150 years, a huge earthquake hits Shizuoka. The last Tokai Earthquake was in 1854, which means the next one is expected any day now.
This is an online copy of a booklet I have here in my apartment.
Eek.

It's 6 am and I'm awake.

2009-08-10T17:07:00.003-04:00

I was jolted awake at about 5:07 am by the biggest eathquake I've felt in Japan yet.
It was a 6.4 on the Richter Scale and about 20 miles from Shizuoka (I live about 20 minutes from Shizuoka).
A bunch of things fell of my shelves and my big mirror fell over (nothing was broken, though).
And now we're still getting aftershocks.

For a girl that grew up in the Midwest, earthquakes are hard to get used to!

And so begins my (short) summer vacation.

2009-08-08T07:30:00.004-04:00

I just got home from work and I have the next nine days off.
Yep, they just don't make summer vacations here like they do in the States.

(of course, I don't work at an actual school, more of a business/school...so nine days is actually not so bad.)

What I'll Do During My Summer Vacation:
-go to the beach every day if the weather is good...well, every day except for Thursday, when I'll
-go to Izu, and Friday, Saturday, Sunday, when I'll
-go to Tokyo, specifically Asakusa and Odaiba (and anywhere else that seems interesting)
-read the Harry Potter books I bought at the secondhand store near my apartment
-sleep in

Yeah, that's about it.

The time has finally come...

2009-08-04T11:06:00.004-04:00

Remember the umeshu I made a few months ago?
Well, it's been sitting and fermenting on my fridge all summer and I've been waiting patiently to try it, since my Japanese teacher told me to wait a few months before cracking it open.
Finally this morning I got an e-mail from her saying that her umeshu looked really good, so I could probably try mine! I wasted no time after I got home and poured myself a glass. I'm happy to say that it's dang good!

Umeshu in June.

Umeshu now.

The first glass of sweet plum goodness.

And a very happy me. Cheers!

A weekend of summer fun.

2009-08-04T10:27:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I went to a barbecue in Shimizu that was hosted by another school. The weather was really rainy but it was still a lot of fun and the food was awesome.
After the BBQ, there were fireworks over Shimizu Port. It was my first time to see fireworks in Japan - fireworks festivals are usually on Saturday nights, and since I work on Saturdays, it's difficult for me to catch them. I was so happy to see the ones in Shimizu!

Walking back to the station after the fireworks, we unfortunately got stuck behind a family with a toddler sporting the latest (highly annoying) Japanese trend: squeaky toy shoes:

Yikes.

On Monday, I went to the beach with Aya. It was a gloriously sunny day and apparently the official end of rainy season.

Welcome to the beach in Japan, where women are deathly afraid of getting even a bit of sun on their skin. Why they come to the beach of all places, I have no idea.

Another fun SAU visit!

2009-07-20T11:28:00.012-04:00

This weekend I got to host some more SAU students who are spending the summer in Chiba as part of the same semester I did three years ago. Mike, Krista, and Sarah took the bus from Tokyo to Shizuoka on Saturday and stayed until Monday evening. We had an action packed weekend!
On Sunday we went to church and then on a Mt. Fuji hunt. Since they live in Chiba, they hadn't seen Mt. Fuji yet, so we drove to the waterfall I took the other SAU students to. Michiko, Kenichi, and Mike, a teacher in Shimizu, came, too.
We had much better luck seeing Mt. Fuji this time around and could spy it right away in the parking lot of the waterfall:

There was a lot of Japanese food to be found at the waterfall, like grilled fish on a stick:

And squid, oysters, and octopus on a stick, too:

During the drive home, there was a rainbow near Mt. Fuji after a little bit of rain:

See it? Mt. Fuji on the left and the rainbow on the right.

And a really beautiful sunset over some other, not-Mt. Fuji mountains:

Then, karaoke:

Today, we headed to Mochimune Beach (where I went last weekend). The sky wasn't very blue this time around, but the scenery was still beautiful and we had fun:

Crabs!

I had so much fun hosting Mike, Krista, and Sarah and showing them around Shizuoka prefecture. They have about three weeks left in Japan before they head back to the States, so I hope their last few weeks here are memorable and they have a safe trip back home!