Voting Rights

I was just messing around on the net earlier and found myself reading Peter Sunde's blog (one of the founders of the ThePirateBay.com, recently indited for copyright infringement)

Have to say I didn't know the voting restrictions in Sweden (particularly concerning voting without being a Swedish citizen) seem to be surprisingly more lax than expected: http://blog.brokep.com/2009/04/19/good-european-news/

I love Scandinavia.

Random Thoughts from a Run

went running in the forest this weekend and have come to the conclusion i need to not live by the smoke pipes for a while. just a change of scene, ya know? it's like I'm homesick for a place I haven't lived yet... or I'm not even from.

it's funny how you wait so long to get somewhere, then you get there and you get to a point where you want to go back to where you were? or to somewhere new? i was talking to a college girlfriend for a while tonight - someone who thinks too much like me and understand all too well - and she thinks it's a good sign, it means you are ready to go back.

sometimes i think this feeling means it's a good time to go. been here before. you don't want to have regrets or look back and not see how great things are.

anyways, i'm looking forward to upcoming adventures. viva las (america).

Hey all! Been a little behind on the blog and there is a lot to catch up on, but I guess that's what happens when you're too busy doing stuff to write about it. Whoosh!

Alright, so things are going... yeah, alright. Been a lot going on, with Krystal's visit from home, a trip to a beautiful, very old, very large Japanese house in the Japanese countryside (Okayama Prefecture, to be exact) this past weekend and then just dealing with some of the boring old hum-drums and ups-and-downs that come with life. I won't go into all of it in too much detail have talked about it a little bit on here, but I guess I've been a bit stressed out about figuring out where I'm moving next year. I'm definitely coming back to the States and am psyched about grad school, but I have yet to decide 100% where I am going and am getting impatient about waiting on information that I need before that decision is possible.

Work has been really slow, but is now gradually picking up again, and I will admit I have also hit the "Wow, I'm leaving my newest home-away-from home" shock state (slash realization mode) in the last several weeks, which - at least for me - is not always good. Awesome with starting in new places. Hate leaving them. After three years of doing the same job and living in the same little, bamboo-lined apartment, I'm ready for change. I love Japan and will be sad to see it go, however, not to mention saying goodbye to the friends, links, connections and relations that I've made over the years. Yes, some pretty important "connections" have already left, things have changed (they always do) and I don't see everyone I will miss as much as I could, but I will miss knowing I can see them whenever. You know how it is. It's like college - just transition. I'll be back here and will now always have a more intimate connection with Japan, but it'll be sad to have that Ocean between us...

Alright, so yeah, onto the "busy" stuff. I think the last time I wrote, Krystal and I had made it about halfway through the week and I was enkai-bound. As I wrote before, Krystal spent Thursday in Tokyo and Friday in Hiroshima. We were going to go to Mie-ken on Friday night to ease up some of the travel pains, but decided to spend the weekend at Dave' house so we could get Katie an extra ticket we had. It turned out to be a bit of a blessing that we did in some ways, because it granted us the opportunity to check out the "yozakura" (evening blossom viewing) in what I consider one of the best hidden gems in Japan - Nishimukonosokoen ("kotsukoen")! Everyone I know that has done a cherry blossom viewing party there has raved about the location, the atmosphere, everything. Great time! During the weekend, we actually made it to Kyoto, were professionally dressed in Kimonos (the whole shibang - all three layers with ties and towels, purses, penguin socks & tabi shoes!) and had our hair done. We then proceeded to the famous Kyoto Temple featured on the 10 Yen coin before traveling all the way to Mie Prefecture to visit the Ninja Festival in the town where Ninja are from. Yes, in kimono - about 7 hours on trains overall. We did it all, with some kinks along the way (like our train line being shut down and having to take some detours), but it was fun and I don't think I have so thoroughly enjoyed a ramen and beer as I did afterwards. We didn't get a lot of sleep that night, but Krystal made it to the airport safely the next day and - despite the fact I was exhausted - I was convinced to join a hike on a new path on Rokko... and think I discovered a new favorite route. Was also awesome to get in one more day outside with the beautiful blossoms before they were rained out the following day (and are now just pink and brown memories on the sidewalks!).

The next weekend was also pretty busy. We rented a van from Nishi Akashi and a group of nine of us met up at the supermarket next to my house to get groceries for a weekend adventure in Okayama prefecture. We've been to the Okayama International Villas, a series of really amazing houses that are rented out to foreigners at a low cost to promote tourism, before but I definitely think the place we saw this time - Hattoji - tops the list of my favorites. The house was a traditional, thatch-roof farmhouse, over 120 years old with a firepit in the middle and an old, metal bathtub (the kind you light the fire under). The main areas of the place were also essentially one big tatami-covered room with sliding doors dividing them, but I absolutely loved it. They give you yukata, bedding and even bikes, so we did a little exploring, taking the bikes out on the local country roads and trails, then during a short run I went on and via a few small hikes in the woods with Dave. I definitely love cities and think I'm a city girl, but being in nature is so soothing. What I needed and it was fun to BBQ with the group and see some stars for once. On the way home, we also stopped to see the first public school in Japan, try some soy sauce flavored ice cream (not bad) and check out the famous bizenyaki pottery in the nearby city of Bizen.

It's crazy that we'll also be in the Philippines in a week (haven't even thought about packing), but this break made me realize that maybe a break is what I need. I know 3 months isn't a long time to go without a vacation under normal circumstances (and you could consider these weekend trips vacations), but I think it's different with Japan. With all the other stuff going on, getting away and just relaxing (or embarking on some adventure) - in warm weather! - will be nice. I know of one guy who just came to Japan for an engineering job at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and even his supervisor told him he should try to travel, maybe leaving Japan everyone 3-5 months. Not a very Japanese thing to say, yet still...

That's the short version of a long story, but I feel so busy and yet have so much free time at times at work that I'm also so bored. Shouldn't whine... amazing situation and so lucky to be in Japan (just need to get away for a few days to appreciate it..ha).

Summer Salad

Whenever I head to a potluck, I usually bring a salad. I think it's my favorite food and it's sort of turned into "my thing".

The "cooking" process usually involves cutting up whatever fruits and veggies that I like at the moment and throwing it all into a bowl, so it's not exactly difficult, but I guess the combos just work. Maybe it's luck?

Anyways, just made a really good one and thought I would share the recipe ;-)


Currently Eating (Summer Salad):
Chopped Lettuce
Peeled & Finely Chopped Cucumbers
Sliced Tomatoes
Shredded Swiss Cheese
Sliced Chicken Breast
Sliced Strawberries
Sliced Mandarine Oranges (from the can)
Crunched up frosted flakes for croutons

Ranch Dressing (altho I usually make a balsamic & olive oil blend)



You should try it... especially with dried cranberries or raisins... yum, yum.

Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls

My friend Adela sent this on and I think it's worth checking out:

We just heard that President Hamid Karzai has announced he will review the draft of Shia family law that would strip Afghan women and girls of their basic rights. Karzai is responding to the worldwide outrage over the draft law including President Obama who called the law “abhorrent”.

Afghan women leaders in Parliament in the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, and in non-profit organizations have been fighting the proposed law. We must lend our voices in support of our Afghan sisters.
While Karzai is reconsidering, let him hear from you and as many people you can reach. Urge him to withdraw the draconian law that would restrict women from leaving their homes, working, going to school and obtaining medical care without their husbands’ permission. The law also includes provisions that grants child custody only to men and revokes women’s rights to refuse sex with their husband.

And please join our Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls. As the Taliban have gained strength in Afghanistan over 1000 girls' schools have been destroyed. Teachers have been murdered - some right in front of their students. Acid is being thrown on girls’ faces on their way to or from school. As US shifts it attention to Afghanistan, we must do all we can to make sure Afghan women and girls are not forgotten!

Take Action: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1400/t/900/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=685

Photo essay of life inside Guantanamo Bay

I recommend checking out this short photo essay of life inside Guantanamo Bay: http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/guantanamo/.

Not extremely revealing, but interesting nonetheless. I also particularly enjoyed reading the accompanying article about the interrogation experiences of one detainee ("Inside the Interrogation of Detainee 063"). Some of the brief details are haunting and I get the feeling that things are definitely left out that were not flattering to record. The article mentions that the interrogation log, which was recently released by the Obama Administration, was stamped SECRET ORCON, a military acronym for a document that is supposed to remain with the organization (ie - never be made public), so it's probably worse if the administration running these institutions and keeping the logs didn't feel comfortable revealing this information internally.

As for the tactics used, the use of religious taunting ("They suggested to their captive that he had been spared by Allah in order to reveal the true meaning of the Koran and help bring down bin Laden") annoyed me, or even made me a bit angry, because it crosses lines that could constitute "humane" treatment according to the Geneva Conventions, forbidding any outrage on personal dignity. It's OK if you don't agree with religion or even want to debate it, but to taunt someone repetitively seems intrusive, rude, harassing and a way to just kill morale.

While the interrogation log gives a rare window into the techniques used by the U.S. military (actually the first internal look at the Gitmo interrogations since the camp opened 4 years ago), the article also suggests that the documents show that - at least in this case - disclosures were sometimes obtained not when al-Qahtani, the detainee, was under duress but when his handlers eased up on him. Ironic when the major focus of these reports is the intorrogation techniques used and how they work vs the fact that the whole system could be improved by focusing more on methods of using zero or less tactics, but this is partially just media hype.

The End of Hanami Season 2009

The rainy day yesterday stripped the sakura trees of most of the robust blossoms they have been handsomly displaying for the last week, marking the official end of Hanami season!

I was hoping to get one last picnic in before it was all over, but I have also really enjoyed the beautiful trees and energetic atmosphere over the last few weeks.

I don't think it would be as special as it is (with people really making an effort to get outside and appreciate nature) if the Cherry Blossoms graced us with such spectacular beauty for much longer than they already do. Just gonna miss it!

Krystal's Crazy Visit to My Japan - Part 2

Le Finale!

As you know, my friend from college, Krystal, was here in Japan last week... and we hit the ground running!

To spare some of you, I won't go into ALL the details of our Friday - Wednesday adventures, but if you made it through the entire first post, you get the idea of how busy, fantastic, crazy, invigorating, adventurous and touristy it all was (um, and congrats.... you're probably about as tired as I was from doing all the stuff from reading that book)! Well, you'd think things would slow down after such an intense schedule those first few days, but they really only got more busy.

Krystal is one of the biggest Japan-visitor-jetsetters I know.  She spent a day in Tokyo, a day in Hiroshima, a day at school, a day in Mukonoso for yuzakura (night viewing) and we even did a full day in Kyoto AND Mie Prefectures... when we were professionally dressed in kimono and visited the offical ninja festival in "the home of ninja".  

Dave was awesome for letting Krystal and I crash at his house for the weekend (another big slumber party in one bed since it's too cold to use the other rooms just yet), and we both had a lot going on in other areas that maybe could have been stressing us out a bit, but overall... soooo lucky to have such great friends, and especially to have them come visit.  Will miss having Krystal here and have so much more to tell, but the pictures on Facebook will have to suffice for now.  Please check em out.  I'm off to recoup :-P ;-)

Train Pass...

So for the last two and a half years, I've spent $120 a MONTH to get to work (about $6 each day for the train fare, plus about 15-20 minutes of walking time). Yeah, I know, my school or the Board of Ed should pay for it. They do for all my coworkers and force me to live where I do (the distance from work...), but there is no stipulation in my contract that says they have to and I tried - trust me, I did - to no avail to get them to take mercy and help me out on this.

So on Monday, I was talking to a student at my new/visit high school (conveniently located near my house) who lives near my regular/base high school. Turns out she has a one-month pass on the Sanyo Line that costs her about $40 (which is a WEEK for me). I went to the station yesterday to check out the train pass situation and the reason this student's pass is so cheap is that they are cheaper for children and students (but, as an adult, I would end up paying about the same amount or slightly less than I do now).

However... I am now starting to wonder if I could get one of my kids to buy the pass FOR me. Can't believe I didn't think of this sooner... I have spent over $3,000 on trains to get to work. Hmm.

Word.

When you get a, "GIRL, you have GOT to get it together" from your MOTHER... you know it's time to make some changes.

Ceremony Central

As I mentioned earlier, we had quite a few ceremonies last week (as is to be expected in Japan!). Here's a glimpse into a few of them...

First is the Farewell Ceremony for the teachers who will leave our school this year

About eight teachers will move schools this year (one is retiring) so this is the ceremony for them to say goodbye to the students, at the beginning of the new year. This is with only the upper class students that have actually had these teachers in class (second years on the right, third years on the left) and they form an isle down the middle of the gym for the teachers to walk down to get to the stage.

The departing teachers each give a speech to the students. There is usually a bit of crying, adn one teacher even did magic tricks!

And finally, the Principal leads the teachers out of the gym in a line. Everyone claps as they walk out, some students ran up and gave their coach flowers (in addition to the bouquets they received earlier) and the rest of the staff usually crowds around the door to say goodbye to their former coworkers and give them an extra big applause...

Then, later that evening, we had a hello/goodbye party for just the teachers.

Lots of drinks and a 5-course dinner at a fancy hotel in Himeji...

There was an opening ceremony, a toast, and then each departing teacher gave a speech. This is the math/IT teacher...
After all the speeches were finished, we had some time to eat before the next sound of speeches. Each departing staff member would go back up on stage (one by one) with a coworker that knew them well, who would then give them a present on behalf of the rest of the staff while telling a story about them or giving them an additional thank you speech. This particular teacher (Mr. Morita) was retiring, so he got a golf club :)

Most teachers are given special envelopes with money in them, like this one...

Later in the evening. This is about as empty as a glass of beer gets at these parties. You're not allowed to pour your own glass, so people are constantly topping it off (especially the big drinkers, because then you fill their cup in return)...

And finally, the evening ends with a representative from the new/incoming staff members (replacements) giving a speech. Most people go to after-parties with smaller groups, but my friend from home was here, so I skipped out and went back to see her...

Next, this is the induction ceremony for the first year students.

First, all the upper classmen sit in the gym and are given instructions while the freshman wait in the hall...
Then the freshman enter the gym, class by class, lining up (in order) in the front of the gym.

Then the Student Council president gives a speech, welcoming them to our school and offering encouragement. Notice the upper classmen and new students are facing each other...

A representative from the freshman class then greets the upperclassmen and accepts their welcome, giving a speech about how they are excited and will work hard...

Finally, the ceremony ends with some reminders about rules and discipline, announcements, and finally a little game of Telephone/"Chinese Whispers"...

The students had to give the message through a cup to make it more difficult and there were two teams per class...

The whole school (900 people) playing the telephone game (awesome!)...

After each team had finished, the homeroom teacher would read the message (and the real message was written on the board). The message was a story about two of the teachers and some of the things the kids came up with was HILARIOUS (even with my level of Japanese)...

Lastly, here are a few pics from the Sports and Club Expo we held for the freshman late last week, presenting all the acitivites offered at school.

This is obviously a promo for track and field (hence the tank and running shorts)...

Men and Women's Handball presented together, giving demonstrations of cool passes and shooting (throwing) at the goal...
These are the board and posters lined at the back of the gym. Art Club had some pretty cool paintings (and I loved their huge sign). Our English Club board, with pictures of parties and stuff we've done, is near the door...

Next Destination - CUBA

I think this is a positive move in the right direction.

On a more selfish note... after visiting Megan while she's still in Prague, catching up with friends I haven't seen in a long time in Norway, maybe traveling S. America by bike and finally making it to Victoria Falls (sadly, the Transib/Africa plans are definitely out for the summer), Cuba may actually be a possibility for my travel wishlist someday!!!! 

I know the article says travel restrictions for Americans of non-Cuban descent will remain in place, but at least things are changing sooner rather than later.

Krystal's Whirlwind Visit to My Japan - Part 1

It's still been less than a week since Krystal arrived in Japan, but we've been so busy that it feels like longer. She's seen SO much and is already comfortable venturing out on her own while I'm at work (the new school year started this week). I almost feel like I'm on vacation in Japan, too, though we've been doing so much sightseeing. It's really nice to have a girlfriend from home, here, though. The fact that it feels really normal also makes me think the transition back to my home culture ain't gonna be so bad this summer :-p I'm just going to miss Japan - a lot...

So on Friday night, everything went pretty well with Krystal catching the airport bus from KIX to Kobe on her own. I met her at the bus stop across from Sannomiya Station around 10 and we took the train back to my house. We probably didn't get back until 11:30 and understandably were in bed not long after.

It usually doesn't feel like jetlag at all for people coming east for the first time, but Krystal was up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning (about 5am), totally awake and ready to go, as expected. I got up a bit later - although still early for me - and we spent a few hours having breakfast, chatting looking at maps of where I live, etc, before we finally made it out the door and on a train to Himeji (for the annual Himeji Hanami / flower viewing party). My friend Matt had arrived early with the tarps. In most years, you need to arrive hours before the official Hanami event (hosted by Himeji city) begins to secure space on the large lawn-area in front of the castle, especially since our party usually consists of around 40-70 foreigners spanned across several large tarps. Probably due to the terrible weather forecast, however, we arrived to find Matt sitting completely alone on the new, shiny big green tarp we had bought for the party :-( Better yet, when the rain started coming down, the other people packed up and left so we were pretty much the only tarp on the lawn for the most of the day.

More people eventually came, anyways, and we sort of stood around for a while chatting with them, then going into the Japanese Tea Cermony tent to try real matcha (powdered green tea) and Japanese sweets (my kids were helping serve!), heading to the beverage tents to try interesting variations of true Japanese sake (straight from the barrels - the sakura flavored one was the best) and finally visiting the adjacent zoo.

We had plans to meet friends in Kobe later that night and were going to sit out all day it was time to go, but we were getting so wet by the middle of the day that we decided it was time to just tour the castle and move on.

It's been quite a while since I've actually been inside the Himeji Castle, and I was really impressed with how beautiful the sakura were during the day (had previously only seen them at night). The trees inside the castle walls seemed to have bloomed much more than the trees on the lawn and looked almost succulent against all the white castle wall backdrop.

I was also surprised to find that they've renovated or changed parts of the inside, too. The toilet area was open, they have now opened the princess's quarters (and added tatami!) and the route is different than it was on my prior tours (although this could have been a one-day thing because of the large number of hanami visitors). It was sort of fun to give Krystal a little tour, too, though... telling her stories about the kitchen girl that was drowned in the castle well and haunts the castle (people say you can hear her counting plates) and some of the stories behind props on display and architecture inside the main tower (mostly stuff that I've picked up from people in the area).

After the castle, we headed to the station (wearing ballerina flats was a bad idea - my socks were drenched and feet got blistered - OUCH - so it was a very hasty... and somewhat akward... retreat) but we did make one more little stop on the way to Kobe. We got off a train stop early to see the wharf and Meriken Park, which is the memorial for the damage caused by the Great Hanshin Earthquake (that destroyed Kobe in 1995). It was a cloudy day so you couldn't see the whole harbor that well, but it was still a beautiful scene :)

When we made it to the center of town, Dave, Chris and Emi had already gotten reservations at the kushi katsu place, a joint where you deep-fry your own food at the table. Dinner was pretty delicious and the two hours of karaoke (with Bob, Katie & their friends from America, too!) was a lot of fun.

Saturday wasn't the earliest night, but I woke up in pretty rough shape on Sunday morning and almost had to change plans for the day. It's a little embarassing, but I had accidentally taken a pretty big gulp from a cup that I thought was water - and was actually clear liquor - right before bed on Saturday night and spent about 3 hours on the couch in the middle of the night, trying to resist the urge to run to the bathroom and loose my stomach. Not a good mix with fried food and it wasn't very pleasant, but I finally fell back asleep and felt better when I got up. Good thing because we went hiking for most of the day!

This was maybe the 6th time I've done the hike over Rokko Mountain to Arima Onsen, but Emi wasn't feeling well so she and Chris backed out in the morning and it was honestly a little strange doing it without Chris leading the way for the first time. Dave, Krystal and I made it, though, and had a lot of fun hiking the hills for the morning. I probabaly should have been more realistic about how strenious the trail can be (Krystal was expecting an easy path, but the trekk takes 5-6 hours and there are some pretty steep bits), but I was really glad Krystal got to see the views of Kobe, Osaka and the bay from the top of the mountain... and at least it wasn't raining!

When we finally made it to our destination, Arima Onsen (a famous hotspring town over the mountains from Kobe), we headed straight for the normal hotspring that we finish each hike at. Krystal was a lot more comfortable than I expected about the concept of public bathing (we go naked in Japan!) and it was personally one of the best parts of the day just being able to soak and relax the muscles for a while.

After about an hour, we met Dave in the lobby of the hotel (baths are sex-segregated so we had split up) and walked down through the charming town to the Arima train station. My friend Claire and I also visited Arima when she came to visit, and the town had really reminded her of a Swiss ski village. I think Krystal liked it equally as much, so it was nice to see some scenery, too, before we caught a ride back to central Kobe via the Kintetsu and Subway lines.

Once back in Sannomiya, Dave and I decided to introduce Krystal to izakayas, traditional Japanese pubs, and went to not one - but TWO - of the 280yen places before all heading back home. Fun night, but I'm pretty sure we were good with only going to the first place and could have gone home then... gotta stop leaving places too full to move!! If only the mochi cheese cakes weren't so good!

I had to work at Harinan, my second high school, on Monday morning so Krystal hung around my house for a while in the morning and then we took a field trip to the train station to get her JR Pass stamped. Our school year starts this week so I pretty much have to be at work during the day (lots of planning and especially ceremonies... more on those soon) and Krystal has been awesome about venturing out and exploring on her own. I wish I could show her around, but considering she doesn't know the language (and we use a different alphabet here), I'm pretty impressed with how she hit the ground running and how much ground she's actually covered... on her own!

Monday is a great example of that actually. After we got the pass stamped (and ran into Bob & his guests), I headed back to work and Krystal went the opposite direction, to the old capital city of Kyoto. I gave her a map and some direction/advice on what to see, but she made it all over (Golden Pavilian, Philosopher's Path, Silver Pavilian) before meeting me at the Heian Shrine. Not bad.

I had come to Kyoto after work so it was already starting to get a bit dark out and we decided to head to Kiyomizu-dera, which is open a bit later than the other temples, to see the sunset and famous sakura (cherry blossoms) in the area. We definitely weren't alone in that plan - or in sightseeing in general, however - and we watched packed bus after packed bus drive by (some wouldn't even pick anyone up at the bus stop because there was no room!) before deciding we should just grab a cab. The car ride to Kiyomizu was about $10 and traffic was bad, but at least we got dropped off at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, the temple had just stopped letting people in when we arrived (30 minutes before closing), but they are doing special yozakura (nightime cherry blossom viewing) hours at the moment, so we decided to stick around an hour until the temple re-opened. It was probably a good idea we did because the time gave us a chance to look in the cute little tourist shops, sample some of the local treats (like big Chinese dumplings and sesame rice patties) & explore some of the more quiet allyways also lined with hanging sakura. It was so beautiful!

So when we left the temple to explore, there was already a line forming for the night viewing, but we got in right away when we came back aroun 6:40. Now, I have to say I've been to Kiyomizu a few times - 13 to be exact - but I was totally blown away when we walked into the lantern-lit temple complex. I've seen the place at night before (in the fall), during the snow, with cherry blossoms (during the day), during the rain and during the summer... but seeing it at sunset blanketed with scores of beautiful, blooming cherry blossoms was definitely a treat.

We explored the temple for a while, got our fortunes (which were both "the next to best") and took the obligatory sips from the Otowa waterfall that contains the famous healing /theraputic water. Don't ask me how I didn't know this before now, but I just learned that some people believe that the three streams that you drink from confer wisdom, health and longevity. You can drink from two streams, but if you are greedy and drink from all three (and there's no way to tell which is which), you'll actually bring bad fortune upon yourself.

I also learned that the popular Japanese expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the plunge". The stage is actually the huge balcony/veranda that overlooks the city, but it's kind of a cool tidbit of random info.

Anyways... after Kiyomizu, Krystal and I wandered down the sidestreets, stopping at Kodai-ji to see the yozakura there and try takoyaki (octopus balls) before getting to Maruyamakoen to see the most famous sakura tree in all of Kyoto.
We spent a little time at the park, which was PACKED with people picnicing under the trees, checked out Yasaka Shrine and then wandered towards Gion.

Luckily, we saw three Geisha (or Maiko-san, the more elegantly dressed apprentice Geisha, actually) down a famous Gion street called Pontocho before deciding it was getting late and we needed to get home. It was past midnight by the time we got back to my station and started the 25 minute walk to my house, but overall, I'd say it was more than worth the trip for such an awesome evening!!

The next day, Tuesday, was sort of similar. Krystal went to explore Nara, the ancient capital, while I went to work and I met her in Osaka in the evening. I arrived earlier than expected, so I took a stroll through Osaka Castle Park to see the 4,500 cherry blossom trees and sunset there before meeting Dave and Krystal in Umeda.

We grabbed okonomiyaki for dinner at this really good restaurant Dave knew about in the Yodobashi Camera building and then went to Shinsaibashi to show Krystal the lights and check out a bar before we all went home.

It was another past-midnight walk home from the eki and I was pretty tired the next morning, but we had fun.

So, yeah.... busy! The last two days have basically school stuff, though. Krystal came to our opening ceremony on Wednesday morning. My coworker was really cute and bought her a bento, box lunch, but she was pretty fried from all the running around so she went home to take a nap in the morning and I went to the ceremony for the first years in the afternoon before coming home and crashing myself. In the evening, we went to the 100 yen shop and Sushiro, a conveyer belt sushi restaurant near my house, for dinner. I somehow got short-changed at the 100 yen shop around $40, so there was some drama when I went to pay for dinner and had no money, but otherwise, it was nice to have a quieter night (or at least one closer to home!). After chatting and relaxing with wine, Krystal and I went to bed. Today has been more ceremonies, one to introduce the new students to the 2nd and 3rd years, one for just staff where the transferred teachers come back and give speeches, and then a third where the old/transferred teachers say goodbye to the students and the new teachers are introduced.

Tonight is also 0ur hello/goodbye party/ceremony for all the new and departing staff members, but Krystal is in Tokyo for the day (yes, the day!) and will be in Hiroshima tomorrow, so it's at least a good time to be busy while she's gone.

This post is MASSIVE and I have even more I could share so I'll stop now... but we've got some fun stuff up our sleeves for the weekend so more coming soon!! The weather is absolutely georgous out (sunny and above 70 degrees) and the cheery blossoms are everywhere and in full-bloom so I think I need to get outside anyways.

Hope you are all well... and more to share once we slow down enough for me to write again!

Going to Meet Krystal at the Bus...

Today was pretty slow at work (hence all the back-uploads!), but I'm looking forward to a great weekend.

It's Friday evening and I'm heading out soon to meet my friend Krystal in Kobe, who is coming to visit from America for the next week and a half. I talked to Krystal when she was the airport and she was a little nervous about not speaking the language or being able to read anything once she got here, but I am pretty confident she'll be more than fine.

It was sort of funny, though. I had planned a day itinerary for Krystal today, completely forgetting about the time difference and the fact that even though she LEFT on Thursday morning in America... she doesn't arrive here until Friday evening. Oopsies. I guess it's OK, but I hope Krystal is up for a big weekend. Tomorrow is the big cherry blossom festival at Himeji Castle, another hanami event in Amagasaki and then dinner and karaoke in Kobe. We're actually going to stay in Amagasaki and then go hiking on the Rokko chain on Sunday (fingers crossed the rain - if it comes - has at LEAST stopped by then!!), ending at Arima, the famous hot spring town. Claire absolutely adored Arima when she came (even though bathing naked with other women is sort of weird your first time, especially for Americans), so I hope Krystal also enjoys it.

Anyways, I'm going to do a few more things and head out but I'm sure we'll be running around - and have lots to report - in the next 9 days! Oy!

Picture of the Day: Kakogawa Sunset

Stripes & Platforms on Parade

Here is another sort of frivolous commentary piece... but feel like it has to be said.

The headline on Yahoo’s homepage today is all about Jlo’s “sassy stripes” – or the outfit she wore to a recent Samantha Thavesa (purse designer) event in Tokyo.

I quickly saw this picture on some news or trend site the other day and didn’t think anything of it. To be honest, she looks like half of the women in Kobe and sort of even LOOKS Japanese to me (am I alone here people in Japan?).

The American press seem to have since gotten hold of the Assoc. Press shots, however, and are having a field day with the apparently bold statement of this wardrobe choice.

I fear I'm getting a little out of touch. This outfit is trendy, yes, but really nothing out of the ordinary. Even the shoes. They’re pretty big and I might make a comment if I saw them on the street – but again, wouldn’t even be surprised to see them... nor shy or embarrassed to wear this myself. Maybe Japan is a bit ahead or I've just been here too long and am used to it?

Here's the address for the article if the link didn't work: http://omg.yahoo.com/photos/2-hot-2-handle/2779?nc :-p

Leave it to the Beav

This has got to be one of the most hilarious political photos ops I have ever seen.

Check out this group photo from the recent, historic G-20 meeting in the UK...


Doesn't Obama sort of remind you of the Beav? At least it's candid.