tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83752272473292972532024-02-21T18:45:38.276+09:00Hello EllenEllenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-24250864802382923172010-01-30T19:02:00.002+09:002010-01-30T19:09:09.939+09:00Saturday, January 30, 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9YVjgC-7wUd5ERe2msrZFghvurNE1zmUOAyBpS5TZiLngO3QoH4JDsVOYDcz5Cna4HK_rAj8q4apRyYH9v37tObN0L3OJoXNRUhLjY1M6ut6txcueZt8Z9apCv8Z9dMsZwppRyeZ9_Un/s1600-h/IMG_7482+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9YVjgC-7wUd5ERe2msrZFghvurNE1zmUOAyBpS5TZiLngO3QoH4JDsVOYDcz5Cna4HK_rAj8q4apRyYH9v37tObN0L3OJoXNRUhLjY1M6ut6txcueZt8Z9apCv8Z9dMsZwppRyeZ9_Un/s320/IMG_7482+-+Copy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432472785425484610" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I figured I could post at least once in the month of January! Soon this will be a blog about our adventures in Washington D.C. We are leaving Japan on February 9th, and it is going to be so difficult to say goodbye to this wonderful place that I have called home for the last two and half years. Right now we are in the middle of getting things organized and ready for the movers. They arrive on Monday! Wish me luck, since this will be my first military move. I must get back to my to-do list, which seems to get longer every time I cross something off. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Thanks so much for following our time here in Japan. And stay tuned, because there will be plenty of fun stuff to share once we get to the D.C. area!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-61882128998292707922009-12-24T15:34:00.015+09:002009-12-24T16:11:33.201+09:00Thursday, December 24, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr00gyizk2WqEJhxDRE7EPkDL905jHdmWWUhxW9_GjtydEunx6ME4DvvcVM4zU5g_czIS9OsoET1yCddlTgIbnsMRnpA5hIbc_fbkPKaoOjR_maYiR5tDIrbfnzhHDXm9wBKL5_Aiz3dwA/s1600-h/049.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr00gyizk2WqEJhxDRE7EPkDL905jHdmWWUhxW9_GjtydEunx6ME4DvvcVM4zU5g_czIS9OsoET1yCddlTgIbnsMRnpA5hIbc_fbkPKaoOjR_maYiR5tDIrbfnzhHDXm9wBKL5_Aiz3dwA/s320/049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418693237764768786" border="0" /></a><br />Anpanman and Baikinman wish you a Happy Merry Christmas! (If you don't know who they are, check out my post from January 7, 2008).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jtqR5U2SOcnOC4AUJ6zi_SpE8VetsRCTm2dMRj-9pGRL-OTQ2rCQHmfJNQ4iRahFXcbPmrbi_a-nWZ_egi-PDuVhzKJNRcQQ89-Pn6o1tIqvP-lqbdDYHjeNdgqY2pTYGM8ZaFv73svI/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jtqR5U2SOcnOC4AUJ6zi_SpE8VetsRCTm2dMRj-9pGRL-OTQ2rCQHmfJNQ4iRahFXcbPmrbi_a-nWZ_egi-PDuVhzKJNRcQQ89-Pn6o1tIqvP-lqbdDYHjeNdgqY2pTYGM8ZaFv73svI/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418693088839739442" border="0" /></a><br />Karaoke electronic menu<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrQ5QJ48tFOISDKmdtevcT8SMcoSQDvtSXDCOux2KA-DZr9CZC5gPWSuEuntk5XLMvin6rimfI_atMSDzP0eBzJEJjVJXiiHWbGE8QwXC0zjBwrLqGfLV2Kz65SZAGVb4YgtDXIDDyl0g/s1600-h/012.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrQ5QJ48tFOISDKmdtevcT8SMcoSQDvtSXDCOux2KA-DZr9CZC5gPWSuEuntk5XLMvin6rimfI_atMSDzP0eBzJEJjVJXiiHWbGE8QwXC0zjBwrLqGfLV2Kz65SZAGVb4YgtDXIDDyl0g/s320/012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692931859390354" border="0" /></a><br />Khozo and Seiko---they are awesome at karaoke!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFGE_PGk-HCbntb_pXI7za0d4t8aLcFd9cJOFyRklxQQR0pfphYH6kG6bdOBY9D0e3pQt4acQgFeNk8eiHrJwLRjCzMXJNHpz9Fl5Rf11JqV7OhKj-NMeEt-b2LfwwHveQKikzkcGMt0V/s1600-h/013.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFGE_PGk-HCbntb_pXI7za0d4t8aLcFd9cJOFyRklxQQR0pfphYH6kG6bdOBY9D0e3pQt4acQgFeNk8eiHrJwLRjCzMXJNHpz9Fl5Rf11JqV7OhKj-NMeEt-b2LfwwHveQKikzkcGMt0V/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692782226384658" border="0" /></a><br />Yep, I tried.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixfREzBJrBf9-U29dqPtY75q7n7o4G-dqaWoyC1Mlrj16JKZtWThCv35-MX4zqYmRGXRQpghGapgUyMuiip2xjcMwiKzxqm_EaNquDNsAnYh09IfALBOZPs3E8VYAoaev3HqtCIJ9yx5I/s1600-h/021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixfREzBJrBf9-U29dqPtY75q7n7o4G-dqaWoyC1Mlrj16JKZtWThCv35-MX4zqYmRGXRQpghGapgUyMuiip2xjcMwiKzxqm_EaNquDNsAnYh09IfALBOZPs3E8VYAoaev3HqtCIJ9yx5I/s320/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692644726044818" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, this is proof that Zach also sang!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdatsTdIg_FYvkr2zTBVgXdRjt5_US8LdikI-GpjS49iRbQob5Sk-hZX3jgg0N4FxvmE1AnVhXjRN2YUJr8AJlcg8mUCr4moUeC7sG5irCgPLSWDacUVjuK4VOVmLrS-hNaCiSV1c6n22/s1600-h/025.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdatsTdIg_FYvkr2zTBVgXdRjt5_US8LdikI-GpjS49iRbQob5Sk-hZX3jgg0N4FxvmE1AnVhXjRN2YUJr8AJlcg8mUCr4moUeC7sG5irCgPLSWDacUVjuK4VOVmLrS-hNaCiSV1c6n22/s320/025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692512031942994" border="0" /></a><br />Khozo is ichiban---number one!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYg4eMxETTw01W6sxnT1aCSqoIJ3yo42IvxT9Iuhxqq7zW_9iFigpt75bdtJguQTFRfpoQ8i5k4NfEgh5mbfEOH3uAdnfvWbfEAVDisnzamdksCksHMl3Ut1Jbc4OYdAzgIHJm2uHCpKQ/s1600-h/031.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYg4eMxETTw01W6sxnT1aCSqoIJ3yo42IvxT9Iuhxqq7zW_9iFigpt75bdtJguQTFRfpoQ8i5k4NfEgh5mbfEOH3uAdnfvWbfEAVDisnzamdksCksHMl3Ut1Jbc4OYdAzgIHJm2uHCpKQ/s320/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692376706964178" border="0" /></a><br />Seiko singing and dancing. This was so hilarious. She sang a Japanese song popular during her high school days, and she still remembers all the words and dance moves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz23rTBJFAiF-ur73Zv2PoIiDZf8fyGKCYr60FCRfifc_kopUvfMTy8g1VtJpy4Qp4Aqi_nn5OJYf0IUNfx_rlQg5sE8ZskL48tifeun5koFkDnBNCw_nHuEPm05ENam_GbYhFYA3fg_fl/s1600-h/034.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz23rTBJFAiF-ur73Zv2PoIiDZf8fyGKCYr60FCRfifc_kopUvfMTy8g1VtJpy4Qp4Aqi_nn5OJYf0IUNfx_rlQg5sE8ZskL48tifeun5koFkDnBNCw_nHuEPm05ENam_GbYhFYA3fg_fl/s320/034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692226927824418" border="0" /></a><br />Our 2009 Christmas cake!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiX3NfKQzbT55u5IX1CuUpzMnaNMSPzNOx-7V9yMSLLOBuTbqGNbIXRQOarCrH7GxJDQ7J6XsiMAU-Q1KuUByMh2g5TwHQP5b3OV0OlsGOSBzfsOBc3lS1mT4HF1iNpmWUQEHCt6unGJ0f/s1600-h/043.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiX3NfKQzbT55u5IX1CuUpzMnaNMSPzNOx-7V9yMSLLOBuTbqGNbIXRQOarCrH7GxJDQ7J6XsiMAU-Q1KuUByMh2g5TwHQP5b3OV0OlsGOSBzfsOBc3lS1mT4HF1iNpmWUQEHCt6unGJ0f/s320/043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418692110917766402" border="0" /></a><br />A closer look<br /><br />Happy Merry Christmas Eve! We just got home from Vinawalk, our local shopping mall, where we bought our Christmas cake for 2009. The photo is pretty good, but I wish you could smell the chocolate scent that was coming from this dessert while I took the photo. I am planning to make Swedish meatballs and Norwegian rommegrot for dinner tonight, but maybe we should just eat cake. Hmmm...I'll let you know how it tastes.<br /><br />The other night we went out with Seiko and her husband Khozo for a fun evening of dinner and karaoke. Karaoke was on my Japan to-do list, and now I can say I did it. It was a blast! In the States you usually have to get up and sing in front of lots of people at a karaoke bar, but in Japan you rent a small room for a certain amount of time (we had ours for an hour), with your own private karaoke machine and couches. This allows you to sing and embarrass yourself in front of just your friends, not total strangers. :-) The place we went to had free soft drinks, and you could also buy beer. Seiko and Khozo were amazing singers. Seiko even did a dance number!<br /><br />We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-62127236886707654172009-12-18T12:46:00.036+09:002009-12-18T15:33:20.451+09:00Friday, December 18, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQe4W-ePnHfSYriy5lyfBrv4f_cfI0gsZ-UNGSqXiajb1UEirYDMgxSAcIok2ujVy1sCyQSXtCTKMHmQbxZVDu7S-4Jf2bAOLG8UWMIFvxgb4gqI6xVATy0irKJ4J14Q49XTsy7liGQ4B/s1600-h/033.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQe4W-ePnHfSYriy5lyfBrv4f_cfI0gsZ-UNGSqXiajb1UEirYDMgxSAcIok2ujVy1sCyQSXtCTKMHmQbxZVDu7S-4Jf2bAOLG8UWMIFvxgb4gqI6xVATy0irKJ4J14Q49XTsy7liGQ4B/s320/033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416454153968693506" border="0" /></a><br />Temple at Mt. Fuji Peace Park<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlmJeNrvbV83yoJp7VdOYIeI6YNF_c8epu0i5PHhsmrEonny-Lyf8TqQG8GO4BY-RaU4Eod_MUt22CUcl8N4g9-XvWeqGU7Baxw75ZOiRA8aEPr1s9Q4IOEvN9_pjJHjKIxGYQRAnegK5/s1600-h/049.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlmJeNrvbV83yoJp7VdOYIeI6YNF_c8epu0i5PHhsmrEonny-Lyf8TqQG8GO4BY-RaU4Eod_MUt22CUcl8N4g9-XvWeqGU7Baxw75ZOiRA8aEPr1s9Q4IOEvN9_pjJHjKIxGYQRAnegK5/s320/049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416454067040908130" border="0" /></a><br />Mt. Fuji viewpoint from Peace Park---except the clouds were in our way, all day. Reminded me of Mt. Rainier and its amazing ability to also hide.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI8fNQ5mujITBEisN-gg8JHtotqpQrnysfcb0vvaCbHu2XAQonADeR4HDAJNMMpUu6LDvUs-R3YD8CPrJHcpdjR5Rl_87xZobNPtyDYwIlt9BzMmIAqrvfGV2DYTsDNRH7mpCvWXxwyJI/s1600-h/060.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI8fNQ5mujITBEisN-gg8JHtotqpQrnysfcb0vvaCbHu2XAQonADeR4HDAJNMMpUu6LDvUs-R3YD8CPrJHcpdjR5Rl_87xZobNPtyDYwIlt9BzMmIAqrvfGV2DYTsDNRH7mpCvWXxwyJI/s320/060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453932396876482" border="0" /></a><br />One of Mt. Fuji's eight springs<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-YHuHtBxrpsz1qsvBNeROR1SCVWvVnsgRfcr3Z_eyc3Wke2jOfUuDYxWpePJ_fegqc8SGveWuB_IklVoF1Hjwo6jxXlQycUZqw8-ylUQzR_KzUaBZEfAL4ehcAKRsMUm3-NYfFZBXZ5W/s1600-h/084.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-YHuHtBxrpsz1qsvBNeROR1SCVWvVnsgRfcr3Z_eyc3Wke2jOfUuDYxWpePJ_fegqc8SGveWuB_IklVoF1Hjwo6jxXlQycUZqw8-ylUQzR_KzUaBZEfAL4ehcAKRsMUm3-NYfFZBXZ5W/s320/084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453623918496946" border="0" /></a><br />Torii gate at Miyajima Island<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj198gpy8R4V1Fp4N-JQsHjlzd4lUMq6Z-pRxZ0AfHYcD3LULmy8al5KMEhqaHx4iVMA0bmFpujkP8AfAEkLQBbQK-lfBRzUTmsVpBRXt5mYq_ODGPd_z9b_HIk5pq9bOko24Yo1Qe4-Zj9/s1600-h/134.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj198gpy8R4V1Fp4N-JQsHjlzd4lUMq6Z-pRxZ0AfHYcD3LULmy8al5KMEhqaHx4iVMA0bmFpujkP8AfAEkLQBbQK-lfBRzUTmsVpBRXt5mYq_ODGPd_z9b_HIk5pq9bOko24Yo1Qe4-Zj9/s320/134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453509495305890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0CLyqBxI6eTyUrDN4UuH9znQX_UhZ0K8DR5OE9JIi29EGxMMJPplxHBzoOBhZqyxYgDuG_bhnJX-lcsZLqb6bN8Agglrhc71IVwfdd6iPTUyxttyAFCk0f8elPBuaNvVOzPyIH1K3kZm/s1600-h/113.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0CLyqBxI6eTyUrDN4UuH9znQX_UhZ0K8DR5OE9JIi29EGxMMJPplxHBzoOBhZqyxYgDuG_bhnJX-lcsZLqb6bN8Agglrhc71IVwfdd6iPTUyxttyAFCk0f8elPBuaNvVOzPyIH1K3kZm/s320/113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416459790991108610" border="0" /></a><br />Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy99i7tPXby-P_5nGhQPr6zaHirVVVQCsR0oKjCuFajXUVDLcgTi4jDkeDshphc8cJeIJDZCJKJC_DuLrZ7r4Skx5VPYqdTNcnfH2C2BaE4Bn7fuvqlubRlaGn1RA1D0VUW1KR9VJf2Ozp/s1600-h/251.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy99i7tPXby-P_5nGhQPr6zaHirVVVQCsR0oKjCuFajXUVDLcgTi4jDkeDshphc8cJeIJDZCJKJC_DuLrZ7r4Skx5VPYqdTNcnfH2C2BaE4Bn7fuvqlubRlaGn1RA1D0VUW1KR9VJf2Ozp/s320/251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453366685131698" border="0" /></a><br />Yummy waffles shaped like leaves and filled with chocolate, custard, or red bean paste. Miyajima is famous for these delicious snacks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA5VgoVgzoPOPmjDNhgN3bN1n2oif6DpFSpKydfrh9s7_s7HcXcBi5vJkTKRsNGndgZNKt2qhQ6wDzyOHwO_Dn2_QQjEwQlJDVsC713U8TprCU8DnW_E1ZRRZmu9oCI8VehQQeu1x32KF/s1600-h/044.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA5VgoVgzoPOPmjDNhgN3bN1n2oif6DpFSpKydfrh9s7_s7HcXcBi5vJkTKRsNGndgZNKt2qhQ6wDzyOHwO_Dn2_QQjEwQlJDVsC713U8TprCU8DnW_E1ZRRZmu9oCI8VehQQeu1x32KF/s320/044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453259635103154" border="0" /></a><br />Miyajima deer<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygg3rqukNCOhAlcMRrgTNwupym7K7X0F9To42pSz4mTf0KPfo4kUn70bCuzRU3yE6OBceuaKfEFVgCOkyyZWxynXYVeP2TRdRYpgQk42a3OQclw6PomkCnexByVOIs5_Ge_rQ5iWJ9Mpw/s1600-h/331.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygg3rqukNCOhAlcMRrgTNwupym7K7X0F9To42pSz4mTf0KPfo4kUn70bCuzRU3yE6OBceuaKfEFVgCOkyyZWxynXYVeP2TRdRYpgQk42a3OQclw6PomkCnexByVOIs5_Ge_rQ5iWJ9Mpw/s320/331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416453149174918562" border="0" /></a><br />Beautiful park near our hotel in Hiroshima<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHETKjw37Yl8B4ojgujsUE88tYRhkIhbTDMeY-jMl_ed-ZjyyhgPKriP140KNTO4KYYGNwednHXUejCBOltQ0MEg9zp_MVGo4lrxj2dYU280ggcoXqZ51ZG6gPu2s1G5km6B4gMpYzZLd/s1600-h/370.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHETKjw37Yl8B4ojgujsUE88tYRhkIhbTDMeY-jMl_ed-ZjyyhgPKriP140KNTO4KYYGNwednHXUejCBOltQ0MEg9zp_MVGo4lrxj2dYU280ggcoXqZ51ZG6gPu2s1G5km6B4gMpYzZLd/s320/370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416452991581148114" border="0" /></a><br />Fall leaves<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_PWSnYJt9s1S0H5p6dK89mFgqNDgNbxHx0Jq45ukS3EeMMXBQG-7Xzz9O-q7PNNaQZpX19nFIxqFnj3juSnJEA3TT9zN-9iZiRRiJmmZHHk2YgGA-Miupqf30EACYSbQ092gBhWYF8Rm/s1600-h/490.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_PWSnYJt9s1S0H5p6dK89mFgqNDgNbxHx0Jq45ukS3EeMMXBQG-7Xzz9O-q7PNNaQZpX19nFIxqFnj3juSnJEA3TT9zN-9iZiRRiJmmZHHk2YgGA-Miupqf30EACYSbQ092gBhWYF8Rm/s320/490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416452748309286962" border="0" /></a><br />Statue at Children's Peace Park in Hiroshima<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPrEdn5yy6EQ6LKfpv1FcrFNnS2cpIypwsQ-KM3bFnx-rb12SRKdxu0VUZWj1w3AB4W6xMCU5vY0Qk4TTPR_cDbFNoqP8376FayjBvE7EJF7NPS7Az1exNePcDO8taQ6nFkYEoQ5MzFmh/s1600-h/494.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPrEdn5yy6EQ6LKfpv1FcrFNnS2cpIypwsQ-KM3bFnx-rb12SRKdxu0VUZWj1w3AB4W6xMCU5vY0Qk4TTPR_cDbFNoqP8376FayjBvE7EJF7NPS7Az1exNePcDO8taQ6nFkYEoQ5MzFmh/s320/494.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416452623842559234" border="0" /></a><br />Cranes that people leave at the Children's Park<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6QnNUlZkeJf_sJnjrHg0zW6Jjl1hfuv8K2wcVrNnqFvq_U5HFHPJRiKfycuxz19AAw_RSELuuaZgyxeOx_uHTzAcNM18ggPYfqnP1mrxn4JWpI11pPyIaDH7x9CSwwRscHGcS9X3hL0s/s1600-h/507.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6QnNUlZkeJf_sJnjrHg0zW6Jjl1hfuv8K2wcVrNnqFvq_U5HFHPJRiKfycuxz19AAw_RSELuuaZgyxeOx_uHTzAcNM18ggPYfqnP1mrxn4JWpI11pPyIaDH7x9CSwwRscHGcS9X3hL0s/s320/507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416452449425170210" border="0" /></a><br />Peace Memorial Park<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7f36-QDHfofODpZaZJh70bUFlHbUsHlZRMc2HTa9lBcJXLceiEfXEOi5bOXtBDltV5ylbKW3k_YPq9SVj_N__ZKqd6epsJ80p9FCh4rFN4jy-EECXoFn_puJ8SZt0fnQUJXQp8QVumE0/s1600-h/485.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7f36-QDHfofODpZaZJh70bUFlHbUsHlZRMc2HTa9lBcJXLceiEfXEOi5bOXtBDltV5ylbKW3k_YPq9SVj_N__ZKqd6epsJ80p9FCh4rFN4jy-EECXoFn_puJ8SZt0fnQUJXQp8QVumE0/s320/485.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416452262477918786" border="0" /></a><br />A-Bomb Dome was left as it was the day of the bombing<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEJ1akSwYKcjs5MTR1-6lrZv_7JsBpiZoOcdbCiGkjCKTjJwD8uq2Mky_t5cShAKmn7Kh2HOtVopX5HpdFMboqbJbRSPS_7mZZ-pU3yhIPg0a63OhEBMsLTc4k5rvKo0eBsr2xyh3Ihyphenhypheno/s1600-h/514.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEJ1akSwYKcjs5MTR1-6lrZv_7JsBpiZoOcdbCiGkjCKTjJwD8uq2Mky_t5cShAKmn7Kh2HOtVopX5HpdFMboqbJbRSPS_7mZZ-pU3yhIPg0a63OhEBMsLTc4k5rvKo0eBsr2xyh3Ihyphenhypheno/s320/514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451990362644674" border="0" /></a><br />Old photo of the city after the bombing. You can see the A-Bomb Dome in this photo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q5TuEKqvcKZdHOD2T2utgxZ0WEFx7bzA8BI5IgVLGOuiZI6r2EVlgutMS1u-LPvru0ms7GKHgVh8gYNelA5WO6d4f2emyIQYb_D7oZqni5QzHmABoVvTguDxxSO0oKpmV50Vr4Cc-a29/s1600-h/560.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q5TuEKqvcKZdHOD2T2utgxZ0WEFx7bzA8BI5IgVLGOuiZI6r2EVlgutMS1u-LPvru0ms7GKHgVh8gYNelA5WO6d4f2emyIQYb_D7oZqni5QzHmABoVvTguDxxSO0oKpmV50Vr4Cc-a29/s320/560.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451781872104306" border="0" /></a><br />Our okonomiyaki chef. Hiroshima is famous for these. They are kind of like an omelette pancake. It was so much food, but tasty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6ozzbAEnElQ5qpzl5J1ST1UJCDkdxqLaRgDcbRds6g6qGiSnGwW2EMKYRUOASZJr2dP_VYvZtobRny6swxHODcC6dQ_pabrvnygcHA0D7whvU6tsmQzpMN_p2_605UUFIGvOFYQPsiU5/s1600-h/643.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6ozzbAEnElQ5qpzl5J1ST1UJCDkdxqLaRgDcbRds6g6qGiSnGwW2EMKYRUOASZJr2dP_VYvZtobRny6swxHODcC6dQ_pabrvnygcHA0D7whvU6tsmQzpMN_p2_605UUFIGvOFYQPsiU5/s320/643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451634317496802" border="0" /></a><br />Model of Yamato battleship<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCsRQH7ciqXbhzAEQlVEhlNiIuN4T0bFaRwp5m44pt3DUhPssketMPaszUw_HpTWlZPzGwrJjF3Cn9HW97J9YmaTCAzO2UUFfuAzxikMrXMgEz6h_YIMROAYgwp7L2j1SZO23u4erZdjF/s1600-h/061.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCsRQH7ciqXbhzAEQlVEhlNiIuN4T0bFaRwp5m44pt3DUhPssketMPaszUw_HpTWlZPzGwrJjF3Cn9HW97J9YmaTCAzO2UUFfuAzxikMrXMgEz6h_YIMROAYgwp7L2j1SZO23u4erZdjF/s320/061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451444171244770" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance to Disneysea!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zh4sQ_yZJQ5hyphenhyphen_TahS9TCMBjI8Hjdp-nxm3BFBH072wfiN3ByI_5sTDepS8ndePfo9TUaMk18HQtNfwvXUCqBZ6oh1Nur8ITk_p1tjJinZ3vlldthW1Hi4azj7Nw1eqaIBY8HPjAVknW/s1600-h/101.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zh4sQ_yZJQ5hyphenhyphen_TahS9TCMBjI8Hjdp-nxm3BFBH072wfiN3ByI_5sTDepS8ndePfo9TUaMk18HQtNfwvXUCqBZ6oh1Nur8ITk_p1tjJinZ3vlldthW1Hi4azj7Nw1eqaIBY8HPjAVknW/s320/101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451298464232130" border="0" /></a><br />20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk1HrpzSZ_i8mcT9qD3X2M7kjZpnbVxaJFWL6hdX9BBSthCg1bJb2yPMHFn030UzAc6Hy2_4UyDjqTktxtwPiT6HlYa9mv7knvm3zRioMUbmfENJvLx_oRc0jt2wYSxnmkJRALkGtK8me/s1600-h/114.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk1HrpzSZ_i8mcT9qD3X2M7kjZpnbVxaJFWL6hdX9BBSthCg1bJb2yPMHFn030UzAc6Hy2_4UyDjqTktxtwPiT6HlYa9mv7knvm3zRioMUbmfENJvLx_oRc0jt2wYSxnmkJRALkGtK8me/s320/114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416451139568519186" border="0" /></a><br />Zach is happy because he found smoked turkey legs!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RaPv6nred9DNAJcfTFN6VSnjQfPtI-RP0eb23neH9ISadjeRXahGqAJidVmPE9dfVQ-Vtgeor9UtkAoL0u8rqgflvAWW2P94ky9eAW-ScwvDx1HCNL6lhwK3G3qwiC7A0dNxGgM5WwAl/s1600-h/120.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RaPv6nred9DNAJcfTFN6VSnjQfPtI-RP0eb23neH9ISadjeRXahGqAJidVmPE9dfVQ-Vtgeor9UtkAoL0u8rqgflvAWW2P94ky9eAW-ScwvDx1HCNL6lhwK3G3qwiC7A0dNxGgM5WwAl/s320/120.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416450962881315138" border="0" /></a><br />My hat, my lovely, lovely Mickey Mouse hat. I love this thing. It kept me so warm! And yes, it is goofy, but so am I.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrqNq59p9XNwE3N_-Y46Jn62Xcd-Ue0JhqQKZBoIxZ3o0lzZRxVDdECpaQguvX8uzD6nkgdjg7TGBZ1AoWWwbOHYrBwrFImo9_zIn37IuDZkok-828bdm5gambMKOWrTvdmcSOfD8oUkg/s1600-h/239.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrqNq59p9XNwE3N_-Y46Jn62Xcd-Ue0JhqQKZBoIxZ3o0lzZRxVDdECpaQguvX8uzD6nkgdjg7TGBZ1AoWWwbOHYrBwrFImo9_zIn37IuDZkok-828bdm5gambMKOWrTvdmcSOfD8oUkg/s320/239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416450821113988642" border="0" /></a><br />Freaky Duffy bears. People were going nuts over these bears, buying them like crazy, and I didn't get it. They have Mickey's face shape but they're not Mickey. They really disturbed me a lot, and that's saying something, isn't it, considering how many weird things I do like.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkSBi9gd3qh12P9FB5-7rQ__VKq8dCaalmqzGCRvj-X3DGW8PBgUFVFNcp3nCEuiByzKdAiI4PQObw5DEYcbHtc9RXEA2OHNPq4Fjvm05RWe1z_FR8QW3GHop-9jSLY_w3cz7o86FqfzM/s1600-h/127.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkSBi9gd3qh12P9FB5-7rQ__VKq8dCaalmqzGCRvj-X3DGW8PBgUFVFNcp3nCEuiByzKdAiI4PQObw5DEYcbHtc9RXEA2OHNPq4Fjvm05RWe1z_FR8QW3GHop-9jSLY_w3cz7o86FqfzM/s320/127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416450693186889378" border="0" /></a><br />More of Disneysea<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDW4HDtcJhnlFEYCKaaqQHZshYjYMCZeKX0CcdIEVKjMHuN3gGdiNb8iecbDNiXK3vMMskDTPpkdaGdaSM3MnVNO_jbCzkUuPC84SJ61k2nlSo4TvBcO3DKJ7yicYMV1XO7QUrOLGZvQK/s1600-h/247.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDW4HDtcJhnlFEYCKaaqQHZshYjYMCZeKX0CcdIEVKjMHuN3gGdiNb8iecbDNiXK3vMMskDTPpkdaGdaSM3MnVNO_jbCzkUuPC84SJ61k2nlSo4TvBcO3DKJ7yicYMV1XO7QUrOLGZvQK/s320/247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416450333655253282" border="0" /></a><br />And more of Disneysea<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5ZmlABvp5DWtcTGU_ZeeXF4Of9p3I_4xD_CukpL9hLupqxx7ReMhObn6AY3nh6a4eWjROpI6VO9CI2Jm-bXAR1_fSYf_QZElUWQvxlAQ4dx4GfbWrLjtkViN-u-iiHJL9bltj2lPK5Gv/s1600-h/263.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5ZmlABvp5DWtcTGU_ZeeXF4Of9p3I_4xD_CukpL9hLupqxx7ReMhObn6AY3nh6a4eWjROpI6VO9CI2Jm-bXAR1_fSYf_QZElUWQvxlAQ4dx4GfbWrLjtkViN-u-iiHJL9bltj2lPK5Gv/s320/263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416450186244452754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello! Christmas is one week away! The tree is up, the decorations are in place, and Zach's presents are wrapped and under the tree. I guess baking a few Christmas goodies is next on my agenda, but not before I update my blog.<br /><br />Our big news around here is that we finally have orders from the navy, and we're headed to the Washington D.C. area in a few months. Zach will be working at the Naval Ice Center. I will really miss Japan and the friends I've made here, and I think a part of me is in denial that we are actually leaving. I think I might also be trying to block out the thought of moving too.<br /><br />We've been trying to get as much sightseeing in as possible, since time is quickly running out. Zach took a few weeks of leave at the beginning of December, and during that time we were busy. We went on a day trip to see Mt. Fuji and the surrounding lakes. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate all day and we never did see the mountain, but we've seen it before so it was okay.<br /><br />We went on a longer three-day trip to Hiroshima and the nearby towns of Miyajima Island and Kure City. I've always wanted to go and pay my respects to the people of Hiroshima, and I finally got that chance. It was a sobering experience, walking around the town and visiting the memorials. What amazed me was the fact that if you didn't know history, you'd never know that a disaster occurred there so many years ago. The city is completely rebuilt and thriving.<br /><br />The island of Miyajima is just a short train ride away from Hiroshima, so we went there to see the famous torii gate out in the water, and the Itsukushima Shrine that looks like it is floating in the water. Unfortunately the tide was out while we there, so we didn't really get the sense of floating on anything. But it was still beautiful. They do have a severe deer problem there, and there are signs everywhere telling you not to feed the deer. At one point, one of them tried to eat our map!<br /><br />Zach wanted to visit the Kure Maritime Museum and the Japan Marine Self Defense Force Museum in Kure City, which is also a short train ride from Hiroshima, so we did that on our last day. The maritime museum houses a model of the Yamato, the largest battleship ever made. And the other museum has a submarine that you can go inside. Both museums were very nice.<br /><br />During Zach's vacation time, we also took a trip to Tokyo Disneysea. What a blast! I think I really wore Zach out by the time we left, but it was so much fun. As its name suggests, the park has a nautical theme, and it's also where they've put some of the rides that are geared more toward grown-ups, like Indiana Jones. We also enjoyed a ride called the Tower of Terror, which takes you up in an elevator and then you freefall. And Journey to the Center of the Earth was another fun one. It was actually quite busy while we were there, which I thought was strange since it was on a Tuesday before school holidays started. And Karen, if you're reading this, it didn't rain! But it was cold. Everyone was wearing these goofy fuzzy character hats, and of course I had to get one. I finally chose the Mickey Mouse hat and just love the silly thing. It's so warm!<br /><br />Yesterday I had a wonderful visit with Seiko and our friend Makiko and her son Ryohei. I used to teach English to Ryohei, but his dad works for Nissan and they moved to England earlier this year for his job. Makiko and Ryohei are visiting Japan for a week, and I felt so lucky to see them.<br /><br />Okay, guess that's about it from here. I hope everyone is enjoying the pre-Christmas season rather than stressing out from it. If at all possible, take some time to just relax. And by the way, Reindeer Man says hello!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-79099959094994299582009-11-24T18:42:00.024+09:002009-11-24T19:54:21.682+09:00Tuesday, November 24, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTt7sfSbTtSgzd_vA2DfNDqid64nudwxvX_qdpemn9yOF8AUSw-ErbD78w-gXNr3LMze1YRjP4HD9EQIJwid1vzV7h7mB6vdY5vZI_Dcawo8y0N3uhJ2AiibsCo3axjABwP9pH1v0ndlsX/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTt7sfSbTtSgzd_vA2DfNDqid64nudwxvX_qdpemn9yOF8AUSw-ErbD78w-gXNr3LMze1YRjP4HD9EQIJwid1vzV7h7mB6vdY5vZI_Dcawo8y0N3uhJ2AiibsCo3axjABwP9pH1v0ndlsX/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407619642006436034" border="0" /></a><br />Beginning of trail to Mt. Takao<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLo1VrQQd9YQisNmfPOI6Lvh0vbHC64Msn_l9SoVHktYJGxFMDJL4N_n4XxNIVOQC4wi3XOoodjDah5oIzdnFx9nou97umDtIJYGEiVZUCKjw4oft64FWQXCSJbcA4Y7qDIi_FwOjgAOw_/s1600/011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLo1VrQQd9YQisNmfPOI6Lvh0vbHC64Msn_l9SoVHktYJGxFMDJL4N_n4XxNIVOQC4wi3XOoodjDah5oIzdnFx9nou97umDtIJYGEiVZUCKjw4oft64FWQXCSJbcA4Y7qDIi_FwOjgAOw_/s320/011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407619489509253794" border="0" /></a><br />Look at all the people!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSN8rvdVp_4yEunfaZs1Y05j-YD-ctyusFwZbVuO0BiIz96o9NDVq14TINGz6mSP930bvdarAf_SWMbAL4Gp9V62xOxMNh8z5PLp7K6HbL19xZ9SVavsGL5VdXNfE0M-PfcZNJYKl7362/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSN8rvdVp_4yEunfaZs1Y05j-YD-ctyusFwZbVuO0BiIz96o9NDVq14TINGz6mSP930bvdarAf_SWMbAL4Gp9V62xOxMNh8z5PLp7K6HbL19xZ9SVavsGL5VdXNfE0M-PfcZNJYKl7362/s320/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407619338346188146" border="0" /></a><br />First stop<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZDgbVMC8lzvN98jxr2yswtu0KrVYu1aV8ckZ8prsL2phNg-ZKyQRws_QJ61jSJTwHrLPkiRGd_FuMLLwabJqcxdtJ6ka21UasdLLa-RnYZgYg2anXYQd9Ehs7l1TTIlt3knNw8LPMvH/s1600/051.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZDgbVMC8lzvN98jxr2yswtu0KrVYu1aV8ckZ8prsL2phNg-ZKyQRws_QJ61jSJTwHrLPkiRGd_FuMLLwabJqcxdtJ6ka21UasdLLa-RnYZgYg2anXYQd9Ehs7l1TTIlt3knNw8LPMvH/s320/051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407619210762612706" border="0" /></a><br />View from 382 meters<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixw07KahfDCzOQSFwiISwt54nIk6V2puLFNxUgtHIQP3ci5tSuvnkr5tRJIcMa7i56EWEJ8dZtZpEStd4E1Ouipm3zCUvLTC00SU60pmlEcPtNWhKSzibcfjqI_CgQ0lIwruZWhS55_Juh/s1600/056.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixw07KahfDCzOQSFwiISwt54nIk6V2puLFNxUgtHIQP3ci5tSuvnkr5tRJIcMa7i56EWEJ8dZtZpEStd4E1Ouipm3zCUvLTC00SU60pmlEcPtNWhKSzibcfjqI_CgQ0lIwruZWhS55_Juh/s320/056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407619102613711138" border="0" /></a><br />Mr. Okura making a kokeshi doll<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NlcAOXUhk3JCsiRnsPnXaisFNZQe7eSsgjzcNnSKVHk5FX14lAXA17jZVaAsqZ8ULgGn1B79Jm8drwLyS9Y5q83pBJFd0VsRQmn37xOtza6bCBK4A5u_lH2nHxn8GB-gpt1aRkdadfoc/s1600/059.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NlcAOXUhk3JCsiRnsPnXaisFNZQe7eSsgjzcNnSKVHk5FX14lAXA17jZVaAsqZ8ULgGn1B79Jm8drwLyS9Y5q83pBJFd0VsRQmn37xOtza6bCBK4A5u_lH2nHxn8GB-gpt1aRkdadfoc/s320/059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618974815197938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSK-_fCL7Z8XYxPMXiqy2vaZPlBLm1tIT0KCFFnVEn4kkdz2-3ILYKPZX9H0NNKFqyckJ3s1Fc9HCuO_Ns56-Y5NSsrCSRY3lPh14hkqebUNwXw0qByozIunHVlXyM3X1-346RlaXFheg/s1600/061.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSK-_fCL7Z8XYxPMXiqy2vaZPlBLm1tIT0KCFFnVEn4kkdz2-3ILYKPZX9H0NNKFqyckJ3s1Fc9HCuO_Ns56-Y5NSsrCSRY3lPh14hkqebUNwXw0qByozIunHVlXyM3X1-346RlaXFheg/s320/061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618848710972498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VVwq1zzuSnZYbicqDqOzg2Ry8lrxRFpwXqT1vWEe4Ht5ozqCv5x2GIvIpXSKY8Pf1XQ4AyLkBuk632m2jGciBhdOlkpkIwjEE4gWAsOfzOKrqlTDdTvEuwTswD5dT-DZ36R639up-77g/s1600/066.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VVwq1zzuSnZYbicqDqOzg2Ry8lrxRFpwXqT1vWEe4Ht5ozqCv5x2GIvIpXSKY8Pf1XQ4AyLkBuk632m2jGciBhdOlkpkIwjEE4gWAsOfzOKrqlTDdTvEuwTswD5dT-DZ36R639up-77g/s320/066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618694564509666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLwbZczF1oQkegBXTlhA7IYw6UxI-3Aky0KOP2Nqs4bCC1ROzKyBAXSiWrzfumcEkTPab62a3g8fayP094dBq1Uz_kxoxfPw3g1Rpgn_kRtRndNSvVcbSFGZQe7I9pKjVjp_btiohLIYT/s1600/073.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLwbZczF1oQkegBXTlhA7IYw6UxI-3Aky0KOP2Nqs4bCC1ROzKyBAXSiWrzfumcEkTPab62a3g8fayP094dBq1Uz_kxoxfPw3g1Rpgn_kRtRndNSvVcbSFGZQe7I9pKjVjp_btiohLIYT/s320/073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618573520954242" border="0" /></a><br />He gave this to me when he was done!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogEYjovl6A9j7emBaW5yLEp5BhnbrbbuU_hsEVVeOzQoj3Oq0qTu-aweKTodrtgevZ2mbiE19_15K42vOODsYe0e04PXDjHamOEWr2UaFL2Rou3oI2T1B_yS5vp_SlltqKrPywy8CJHb1/s1600/077.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogEYjovl6A9j7emBaW5yLEp5BhnbrbbuU_hsEVVeOzQoj3Oq0qTu-aweKTodrtgevZ2mbiE19_15K42vOODsYe0e04PXDjHamOEWr2UaFL2Rou3oI2T1B_yS5vp_SlltqKrPywy8CJHb1/s320/077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618459595791362" border="0" /></a><br />Seiko and her wooden cup filled with delicious sake<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVIqtHwW04bvGr69K0M-LXmliCT4uZ6weyQxtJSiYRmiTaAJkep55e4mxecviKTQ5WbipwoaHwpQS3QVOuvcN6pPtet7GA5REQjQ2nwNDIZbkXaeMkfOzfzXJw5E5XFuX5AYpsxlnqpVZ/s1600/079.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVIqtHwW04bvGr69K0M-LXmliCT4uZ6weyQxtJSiYRmiTaAJkep55e4mxecviKTQ5WbipwoaHwpQS3QVOuvcN6pPtet7GA5REQjQ2nwNDIZbkXaeMkfOzfzXJw5E5XFuX5AYpsxlnqpVZ/s320/079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618359681559170" border="0" /></a><br />Close up of our cups filled with sake<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMWRR6FLJ1BXQBeMJvnTa2G40S8x01kcneoRg0m38ORdfsG233GiChVUm4n8T7DfnhQGfayG_umxJAAsaT-wT3Q-7buJmdM92SRZcI4rQ8TSAI_tkXXV_1qnPbVsZs4sHIDLJVZqtmmzC/s1600/090.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMWRR6FLJ1BXQBeMJvnTa2G40S8x01kcneoRg0m38ORdfsG233GiChVUm4n8T7DfnhQGfayG_umxJAAsaT-wT3Q-7buJmdM92SRZcI4rQ8TSAI_tkXXV_1qnPbVsZs4sHIDLJVZqtmmzC/s320/090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618227087957618" border="0" /></a><br />Dork<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBYq75PrUTt7lWu3qu9-KVj59P8xWdAk3iI2D3AAoENCpaMw5vVTO_VOud_IgH2QSiSFHMJeGo0usHkncjTJJpqFFDYJGYWfyCIYdLhUM5Er4M5-ZYXiHYs2A6pWtxx9BSSHphzhsJXm1/s1600/109.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBYq75PrUTt7lWu3qu9-KVj59P8xWdAk3iI2D3AAoENCpaMw5vVTO_VOud_IgH2QSiSFHMJeGo0usHkncjTJJpqFFDYJGYWfyCIYdLhUM5Er4M5-ZYXiHYs2A6pWtxx9BSSHphzhsJXm1/s320/109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407618011864936962" border="0" /></a><br />These statues were so amazing along the hillside<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_22R_7kXfMcvzIhRNGV90HjQZfLOLBH56l7sIJBYg5c_zYHLcHoJEiWkKG-haHeUy0nE1bnIssZg31EdjJPtnh_b-QJS0cUwb8H43vYMis3_uOdTwl5Ze8M_kNoZnsPF85hA4ep4do54M/s1600/119.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_22R_7kXfMcvzIhRNGV90HjQZfLOLBH56l7sIJBYg5c_zYHLcHoJEiWkKG-haHeUy0nE1bnIssZg31EdjJPtnh_b-QJS0cUwb8H43vYMis3_uOdTwl5Ze8M_kNoZnsPF85hA4ep4do54M/s320/119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407617858561427410" border="0" /></a><br />View from the top---599 meters!<br /><br />Hello! Yesterday I went on a long hike with Seiko to Mt. Takao, and these are the pictures to prove it! We planned to take the cable car to the top, but yesterday was a Japanese holiday to honor workers, similar to our Labor Day, and it seemed like <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone </span>was in line for the cable car. The weather was gorgeous and the fall leaves are spectacular right now, enticing even more people to visit the mountain. So, after some discussion, we decided to climb it. Thank goodness I have been going to the gym lately, because this was no easy task. It took around two hours to climb to the top (plus time for a stop for sake and lunch!), along a very steep path that was paved most of the way.<br /><br />On the way down, we thought we'd try to take the cable car, but we weren't too surprised when we saw the horrible lines of people standing in line, with no signs of it getting better. The hike down the mountain was difficult on my knees because it was so steep, but I managed. The most incredible thing was watching all of these elderly Japanese folks along the trail. These guys were amazing! Seiko and I kept commenting on how they are in such great shape for their age. I want to be like them when I am that old.<br /><br />We met some really fun people along the way, including this one gentleman who has been hiking the mountain every weekend in November for the past several years to enjoy the sake that they sell. They sell the sake in these little wooden boxes on weekends in November, and you get to keep the box as a souvenir. He told us that he has many of these boxes! It tasted great but it was strong, so we took our time with lunch!<br /><br />We also met a local man, Kuninobu Okura, who makes beautiful kokeshi dolls. His wife paints them with gorgeous flowers and leaves. We watched him carve a doll and afterward, he gave the doll to me! I was so touched that he did that. Apparently he is going to be on a local t.v. show next week, demonstrating his craft, so I hope to watch it.<br /><br />We were very tired when we finished our hike, but it was such a fun day, with wonderful experiences to add to my memories of Japan.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-87456828796960998902009-11-17T18:12:00.030+09:002009-11-17T19:27:51.802+09:00Tuesday, November 17, 2009<img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSNStZF9c6khkWkPKcDXJ_bJmDJIjBPjJt96RENk029bhIrTbczlVL4LYfE9NP71QnfyGwHdbAtMhjPTclsQjO5fJ8KA1mut51btKTttSoV0Q-Nm2cIIQemF_Qctsh6tU4VSm4gpr_cR_/s320/138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405013434664589474" border="0" /><br />Shinkansen, or bullet train<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2iJq1R9lKHD2M2kH5Uu_oGTz-Hzz2O-NYNjf8R4tWnuJJIcV0g_ihboLJJ4J96uMxkQF_FMVDjEaXYV6mqUjW3FpYIHsd8tTfr55d0u5Pn-rM9bRwnH_MpzcLvUYUKzXV6Rt0UOegkwf/s1600/057.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2iJq1R9lKHD2M2kH5Uu_oGTz-Hzz2O-NYNjf8R4tWnuJJIcV0g_ihboLJJ4J96uMxkQF_FMVDjEaXYV6mqUjW3FpYIHsd8tTfr55d0u5Pn-rM9bRwnH_MpzcLvUYUKzXV6Rt0UOegkwf/s320/057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405013319989741746" border="0" /></a><br />Me in front of the Golden Pavilion<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPPA_R_dq_rXkcHiQuBPBc9C_N1-94tLyCngDBNwhQQ2kAAisbOh6zvEPE2TZ0uGvs7MYIBV__XMjq4xk_F4vxXBsBYymiWANfeAKBEONtSLw_h18KvNdhhmr8zLQJeweW40H88d9W8Hs/s1600/132.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPPA_R_dq_rXkcHiQuBPBc9C_N1-94tLyCngDBNwhQQ2kAAisbOh6zvEPE2TZ0uGvs7MYIBV__XMjq4xk_F4vxXBsBYymiWANfeAKBEONtSLw_h18KvNdhhmr8zLQJeweW40H88d9W8Hs/s320/132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405013172085518274" border="0" /></a><br />Kyoto Tower at night<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebnV08UbbFlAJpgNxF9DEuI0rpqdlKtpjy5GiO4ZYvFlHVPPLjRy5DEtT8EfSCc4dggDFkuorOl42hgwC_esQLfUebBSwhWC5f28GaECRf2hC-5KYwqzDmXm9CYSK2yUAeMlVfcLRSlDR/s1600/136.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebnV08UbbFlAJpgNxF9DEuI0rpqdlKtpjy5GiO4ZYvFlHVPPLjRy5DEtT8EfSCc4dggDFkuorOl42hgwC_esQLfUebBSwhWC5f28GaECRf2hC-5KYwqzDmXm9CYSK2yUAeMlVfcLRSlDR/s320/136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405013042681746162" border="0" /></a><br />Funny!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0WKwfs9M0YnEfCjAqKXN-X-Ji9AsrSDl9dbYaSDRxLC-5FvCRs-iQe4EsJq0BDqPG5gYiT5jbk3sapJ9NsVx_IIWoOT85bzBhwa9b1m9KR4FGuy9LcJdHwWs_r_R-X8rd9eMd6-Qe9Ge/s1600/114.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0WKwfs9M0YnEfCjAqKXN-X-Ji9AsrSDl9dbYaSDRxLC-5FvCRs-iQe4EsJq0BDqPG5gYiT5jbk3sapJ9NsVx_IIWoOT85bzBhwa9b1m9KR4FGuy9LcJdHwWs_r_R-X8rd9eMd6-Qe9Ge/s320/114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012896701247714" border="0" /></a><br />Delicious sand?! Yum!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0b3xE_hytkcAMNC6MHMADeDx1ZEIsKGHCbNKPm2Thtn-4YiIzWmCjLh6CstbwnWc_8EOic43SHIvh2_BNKhYIkr_QgN554xcJwwi-RNnIw7aRe9AHZajDGyA30iJVDITrTw8uSR6tnjN/s1600/220.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0b3xE_hytkcAMNC6MHMADeDx1ZEIsKGHCbNKPm2Thtn-4YiIzWmCjLh6CstbwnWc_8EOic43SHIvh2_BNKhYIkr_QgN554xcJwwi-RNnIw7aRe9AHZajDGyA30iJVDITrTw8uSR6tnjN/s320/220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012781452619122" border="0" /></a><br />Kiyomizudera Temple. Please notice the large number of people standing on the wooden terrace. Wouldn't it make you nervous too?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hjdn37j-PERnH-89kMDsyR0ksUVQkKq_MPkPm4SZ2WfSDCtEJ9ZAor878Dq6O_RG_f0iCmpFr4ueL2wmuDtNM8hsXN9nFaACduU6MSsoPSl-LmXjFRLcsM_qwwBArfs6JaGOYTyYGqST/s1600/232.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hjdn37j-PERnH-89kMDsyR0ksUVQkKq_MPkPm4SZ2WfSDCtEJ9ZAor878Dq6O_RG_f0iCmpFr4ueL2wmuDtNM8hsXN9nFaACduU6MSsoPSl-LmXjFRLcsM_qwwBArfs6JaGOYTyYGqST/s320/232.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012629487312674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcYbCqhWEAyQuU2q5BeAHN3nHIWaCehaJpalHxwEbLWYdci3O-HMyGZU5sGyjdci8ZWIW3ARjB37PWr3N1jEo-4WpQ3x0g9H0JqGGa0mvVoP1LjFv0ffNH4Sllv3-Wt_lBImONUw8o3AK/s1600/209.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcYbCqhWEAyQuU2q5BeAHN3nHIWaCehaJpalHxwEbLWYdci3O-HMyGZU5sGyjdci8ZWIW3ARjB37PWr3N1jEo-4WpQ3x0g9H0JqGGa0mvVoP1LjFv0ffNH4Sllv3-Wt_lBImONUw8o3AK/s320/209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012473902601778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoM_zCp0e5r8NtcHhuI1hOYWyrwHgH1_AboTwgLVMENz31AursbKrhKYupXLbibBjNekD9X-AaCnfYoDTJazqVUyK2HScNDom1TavklwRbA6V4JHWC2hamse9CbSLow4BozUWUTKAQZCm/s1600/291.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoM_zCp0e5r8NtcHhuI1hOYWyrwHgH1_AboTwgLVMENz31AursbKrhKYupXLbibBjNekD9X-AaCnfYoDTJazqVUyK2HScNDom1TavklwRbA6V4JHWC2hamse9CbSLow4BozUWUTKAQZCm/s320/291.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012356481800194" border="0" /></a><br />HUGE torii gate outside the Kyoto Museum of Modern Art. If you look closely, you can see Zach standing at the bottom of it on the left.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNmjWPGJtCLvD9g5B7BX1DnJnno4S5GoOtlfdSp88Tl1DZM5kpYM7cfI208-OMBaj4tCMzkivLD68PUgbTlOeDorlqGPkrei6r4pdNSEc2bH-zW-vb9IXBIetDHfNs8CVaUItVV7O54yh/s1600/341.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNmjWPGJtCLvD9g5B7BX1DnJnno4S5GoOtlfdSp88Tl1DZM5kpYM7cfI208-OMBaj4tCMzkivLD68PUgbTlOeDorlqGPkrei6r4pdNSEc2bH-zW-vb9IXBIetDHfNs8CVaUItVV7O54yh/s320/341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405012027929585314" border="0" /></a><br />Zach---which way should we go?! This is near the beginning of the path of torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgNsOD4ZnJW28aCv1Anbs8-17QEW2c2s5PyLY2CKzuO_Z4B815Jtt60ZyBaz2U92jDWyjkhuPbvw6s7ju_K4JJjsyILNami5IX2Giq_UJiinH7oeKZDePcZDyxkm2kox52XASbhIpmiR-/s1600/343.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgNsOD4ZnJW28aCv1Anbs8-17QEW2c2s5PyLY2CKzuO_Z4B815Jtt60ZyBaz2U92jDWyjkhuPbvw6s7ju_K4JJjsyILNami5IX2Giq_UJiinH7oeKZDePcZDyxkm2kox52XASbhIpmiR-/s320/343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011905860396370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMk3FSwJZXP45cK-wNv7s0d-wpPL6e52jriQzNvs42w8wImGNJAUbOR4ogLjz7PeeDbaYK6uBKuO2eifArz6cviqjjxv1k60DrqBh_1wgA0-9NIGXLx5fSy0Cj8qoABlmukLtL2Iox44F/s1600/395.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMk3FSwJZXP45cK-wNv7s0d-wpPL6e52jriQzNvs42w8wImGNJAUbOR4ogLjz7PeeDbaYK6uBKuO2eifArz6cviqjjxv1k60DrqBh_1wgA0-9NIGXLx5fSy0Cj8qoABlmukLtL2Iox44F/s320/395.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405016664005435218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpgymQRYv_ezz5-qNKt4-yIePm2t8wsPH9Lfd_aJBH-NsK9KsffCOTOlMw3y-ALMcyRrjPiR5EI2sbuizBS9368MQorC6Zj_N8vySDavaOQJPlQjitRt6XL1w6xNVGszACE7Vajqp4J_V/s1600/404.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpgymQRYv_ezz5-qNKt4-yIePm2t8wsPH9Lfd_aJBH-NsK9KsffCOTOlMw3y-ALMcyRrjPiR5EI2sbuizBS9368MQorC6Zj_N8vySDavaOQJPlQjitRt6XL1w6xNVGszACE7Vajqp4J_V/s320/404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405016399927046546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" try="" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSNStZF9c6khkWkPKcDXJ_bJmDJIjBPjJt96RENk029bhIrTbczlVL4LYfE9NP71QnfyGwHdbAtMhjPTclsQjO5fJ8KA1mut51btKTttSoV0Q-Nm2cIIQemF_Qctsh6tU4VSm4gpr_cR_/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZRzHJ2VJwRdrBqydOgxA0MNlYg3qJx6jJ5N7yz9OwHD9tkF8yKFiwVd8IbmGDYUxm9zj-Zu5BI8jV9p8gySGwIYyhaNlP8FVghzTyHYTY7oK-LVv-1fqHMKrYDswblptb5DIsrP9AKCH/s320/391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011760019257346" border="0" /></a><br />I think we had been hiking for about an hour at this point.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZCDus0Q3vmZdzlY2_5LGgceosFNOnTh7q8uPLFQPJCohWb0AVJ7cOY2naUxTZRXGHu6e1Cs-jPBNGJB5y39-LLqKG9qGFi0prqrg0otylhmVUyYuv5RIBWuvv0dRsPGBrq_ImIG9XhBU/s1600/417.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZCDus0Q3vmZdzlY2_5LGgceosFNOnTh7q8uPLFQPJCohWb0AVJ7cOY2naUxTZRXGHu6e1Cs-jPBNGJB5y39-LLqKG9qGFi0prqrg0otylhmVUyYuv5RIBWuvv0dRsPGBrq_ImIG9XhBU/s320/417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011570810247234" border="0" /></a><br />Cute kid dressed up in her kimono<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql5bOgHDx8Has7ZdTAhwJp09-9e5Sl1O_8ldPKiqIH_C-EDVCVvukFPxsQhHCtNTeKDB5DfPywdqD0du9LWEpgyH_xtepN3ma5iAvD5X8cPe_L07_eQ_775KTI1u7-CbKnb9MntahbAwY/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql5bOgHDx8Has7ZdTAhwJp09-9e5Sl1O_8ldPKiqIH_C-EDVCVvukFPxsQhHCtNTeKDB5DfPywdqD0du9LWEpgyH_xtepN3ma5iAvD5X8cPe_L07_eQ_775KTI1u7-CbKnb9MntahbAwY/s320/015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011409655262866" border="0" /></a><br />The cousins, Zach and Jarrod<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-3oGGQSAASPW8Ya1sKa5MNwKkv8uvuKseiBW6jS0r9MiUXjMG7I9h-thd2Ha5yqNlaB_lfmxMm1p6-eyGdl3sclQ-USWKeP55Gb_yYDFAzV57u3xuP6vmr2stcqu4mc9GLIppe1L-iQf/s1600/033.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-3oGGQSAASPW8Ya1sKa5MNwKkv8uvuKseiBW6jS0r9MiUXjMG7I9h-thd2Ha5yqNlaB_lfmxMm1p6-eyGdl3sclQ-USWKeP55Gb_yYDFAzV57u3xuP6vmr2stcqu4mc9GLIppe1L-iQf/s320/033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011298999367730" border="0" /></a><br />Yoko and Seiko<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9quu8-3SC_kZ2A4nTFMX9rtN79Mfb2t4POlwrlKFDjec0Amh0daPbwIi8PLjyh85bg5mlYFhky2gr_WXJSWZAkJ0oqeTsNkaVKx2j8h6sBrhYQfA_on4_qa0PDmQvSBvfCHiL9wnoWslx/s1600/028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9quu8-3SC_kZ2A4nTFMX9rtN79Mfb2t4POlwrlKFDjec0Amh0daPbwIi8PLjyh85bg5mlYFhky2gr_WXJSWZAkJ0oqeTsNkaVKx2j8h6sBrhYQfA_on4_qa0PDmQvSBvfCHiL9wnoWslx/s320/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405011178231665202" border="0" /></a><br />Those dots are surfers! View near Yoko's house<br /><br /><br />Hello! Zach and I had a terrific weekend in Kyoto, and we ended up with some fun photos to share. We took our first bullet train or Shinkansen ride to get there, and it was FAST! Up to 186 miles per hour fast! Plus, we did not dawdle when getting on and off the train. I think we had maybe two minutes to get on the train. It started moving before we were in our seats.<br /><br />While in Kyoto, we managed to see quite a bit, although there were many more things to do that we couldn't fit in. We arrived in the afternoon on Friday, and by the time we got our bus passes and made our way across the city to the Golden Pavilion, it was almost dusk. I was in awe at how beautiful it was and just couldn't believe that I was finally seeing it in person.<br /><br />On Saturday, we walked and walked, and then we walked some more! We visited the Kiyomizudera Temple, or water temple, with its gigantic outdoor terrace that freaked me out. I kept looking at all the people standing on it, and my imagination got the best of me. The view was stunning, but I was happy when we made our way across to the other side.<br /><br />We ended up with gorgeous weather. The leaves were also beginnning to turn, and I think in another week they will be even more beautiful. We also visited the Kyoto Handicraft Center on Saturday, which turned out to be not quite what I thought. I was under the impression that there would be many artisans there demonstrating their crafts, but it was more of a place to buy locally made gifts. That was okay for me, but Zach got a bit restless, as most husbands would when faced with a five-story building filled with trinkets! Afterward, we walked along the Philosopher's Path that follows a canal through the city. It was getting quite dark and I think it would have been better earlier in the day.<br /><br />On Sunday, we went to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, which involved a two-hour hike along a path lined with thousands of torii gates. I thought we would just take a look at the beginning of the path, but Zach wanted to do the entire hike, so we did, and I'm so glad we did. It was an incredible walk through the forest, and along the way were little restaurants selling fried tofu and noodles. We were watching the clock because we had a train to catch in the afternoon so we didn't stop to eat, but I've heard that it is a pretty tasty dish. Maybe next time. :-)<br /><br />I wish we had more time to spend in Kyoto, but I'm thankful that we made it there. Living near Tokyo is great, but sometimes it's nice to get out of the big city and see some of the countryside.<br /><br />We also had some company visiting last week. Zach's cousin Jarrod came to visit. He's in the army and stationed in Germany, and it had been a while since Zach had seen him. We had a fun time showing him around Kamakura and went to afternoon brunch at the New Sanno Hotel. We also went to Sunshine City, an enormous shopping area that I was unfamiliar with and a bit frightened of. I love to shop, but this place tested my patience.<br /><br />I also spent time with Seiko last week and met her sister Yoko for the first time. Yoko has two children, a girl and a boy, who are absolutely adorable. Yoko and her husband live near the water, so we went for a walk along the waterfront. The weather was fantastic, and the view was great.<br /><br />Well, I think that brings things a bit more up to date from here. Enjoy the photos!<br /><b></b>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-42023389950243108392009-10-09T23:17:00.012+09:002009-10-10T00:15:26.064+09:00Friday, October 9, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjii-7YB-3c5UZYnyIC_WkcsK7rzwnck9kCDMYG4N95UKasPQS0bXqPK07bF3ervG72DwXDxOxmJoJUmVnJGuSNcLJW-9PwVzjdBQIsZ__1Qy9x8DvK7uq8DgRWzz87dGh7U2GLIZgwcLKs/s1600-h/3434146987_51bdcab8d6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjii-7YB-3c5UZYnyIC_WkcsK7rzwnck9kCDMYG4N95UKasPQS0bXqPK07bF3ervG72DwXDxOxmJoJUmVnJGuSNcLJW-9PwVzjdBQIsZ__1Qy9x8DvK7uq8DgRWzz87dGh7U2GLIZgwcLKs/s320/3434146987_51bdcab8d6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390617454112210034" border="0" /></a><br />Signs on the street indicating that we are in "Fabric Town"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpxYA7XUjq_fmDdvZ0375_GHbj5U2-wYn7Gc921407i-7tkPuIzrOFUZBjLuFhV2MJ3S5yWMNF-lWnNAA-JvvP4ffze4WclimpoPWcSfN9cTZh8FdPjuL97fnNsqj6-9Z0q40LFojoFNV/s1600-h/3434147641_0dc46e2a47.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpxYA7XUjq_fmDdvZ0375_GHbj5U2-wYn7Gc921407i-7tkPuIzrOFUZBjLuFhV2MJ3S5yWMNF-lWnNAA-JvvP4ffze4WclimpoPWcSfN9cTZh8FdPjuL97fnNsqj6-9Z0q40LFojoFNV/s320/3434147641_0dc46e2a47.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390617373539920274" border="0" /></a><br />This store called Tomato had six floors of fabrics!<br /><br />Ack! Has it really been three months since my last post?! Yikes. Well, I have to admit that things have been a bit crazy these past few months but this is ridiculous! We had some stuff going on that led to my posting negligence, but hopefully I can get back into a little bit better routine. Maybe many of my faithful followers have left me already, and all I can say is, "Gomenasai" or "I'm sorry."<br /><br />If you are wondering, things are going okay here. I passed by my two-year mark in Japan, which just shocks me. I can't believe that it's been that long. We're supposed to be here until February of next year, but I'm learning with the navy that anything can change and it does. We also made it through the typhoon that passed by us yesterday. It rained a lot and the wind was strong, but thankfully nothing was damaged at our house. The entire base was closed as a precaution though.<br /><br />I'm still going to my craft classes and volunteering my time to the baby blanket project on base. We haven't been doing much in the way of sightseeing, but earlier this week Seiko changed that when she took me on a trek to Nippori, an area of Tokyo that is known as "Fabric Town." (Here I must tell my Martingale friends to breathe deeply and not freak out too much. Yes, it was pretty darn cool.) I posted a few photos so you can get an idea of what the area looks like. I didn't go too crazy with my shopping. The majority of shops were small and sold really fancy fabrics, like kimono silks, wool, and stunning evening-gown polyesters---fabrics I would never dare to sew with because of my lack of experience. We did find a fair number of shops with fabrics that didn't intimidate me, and I bought a few cottons, including an adorable Hello Kitty sailor print. I have no idea what I will make with my fabric treasures, but after working for several years with women who have amazing fabric stashes, I've learned that you don't always have to have a project in mind to buy a piece of fabric.<br /><br />After our fabric excursion, we had lunch at a Persian/Turkish restaurant that Seiko had seen advertised on t.v. The food was awesome and really inexpensive. We were so full by the end of our meal. The only thing that we weren't too crazy about was the Turkish Delight. Seiko said it looked like soap, and after she said that I couldn't get it out of my head!<br /><br />Since this was a outing with Seiko, who is famous for her never-ending energy levels and awesome ability to pack in loads of stuff in a trip, we continued on after lunch to Ueno, which has a zoo, lots of great museums, and cool shopping. We went for the shopping district, a strange mix of food and clothing vendors all side by side. One booth would have seafood on ice, and the next one racks of funky shirts. We headed home after that with all of our loot, tired but happy.<br /><br />So, I'll try to be better about posting. Really. :-) I hope you enjoyed this one.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-62786288260674156052009-07-26T15:05:00.005+09:002009-07-26T15:44:59.062+09:00Sunday, July 26, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJDwa3nM2hDUZl-3cga6yI_nQPrcuz5c8zaeoD8p6wnu6dBioqI2KqF9o_dto8HqQD9uYQh5kpIIVfIi6Tqp0R8tcx9WiaGR9NAlT0wxQb2S8x9r3jDsYXWy90RL1jbJoybll79mz8U24/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJDwa3nM2hDUZl-3cga6yI_nQPrcuz5c8zaeoD8p6wnu6dBioqI2KqF9o_dto8HqQD9uYQh5kpIIVfIi6Tqp0R8tcx9WiaGR9NAlT0wxQb2S8x9r3jDsYXWy90RL1jbJoybll79mz8U24/s320/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362655073763573906" border="0" /></a><br />Another great Japanese sign. Who knew that water could be cute?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-aiv6A1taaqukO39Jr9WqNzIhE7Jup6l2Yo22JCKPdUYytZlj4DfcBDl_vaQNy4ok83ioEtjd0qFUauP0MOpBO52nqiYsYvWCkcypJrnzbXpGTGKxrhP9YPOBIijlHHKG2NcK8U82w_r/s1600-h/021.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-aiv6A1taaqukO39Jr9WqNzIhE7Jup6l2Yo22JCKPdUYytZlj4DfcBDl_vaQNy4ok83ioEtjd0qFUauP0MOpBO52nqiYsYvWCkcypJrnzbXpGTGKxrhP9YPOBIijlHHKG2NcK8U82w_r/s320/021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362655009466592290" border="0" /></a><br />This turned out to be milk tea, not chocolate milk. Sigh.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ2aspMxmzcyD7sAVl1OAffrRKTS4ppDoPSamphjEgVstI82MC1Da3OTWj3hXm7jHNh2t5YQnP7MCaHuLkaPDjjlyE-3xiHkHFHQkjM2e-Qd9DTOq1YhX7AfbyOy8JQdr9etDXEnvmpvD/s1600-h/023.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ2aspMxmzcyD7sAVl1OAffrRKTS4ppDoPSamphjEgVstI82MC1Da3OTWj3hXm7jHNh2t5YQnP7MCaHuLkaPDjjlyE-3xiHkHFHQkjM2e-Qd9DTOq1YhX7AfbyOy8JQdr9etDXEnvmpvD/s320/023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362654916701536738" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm slugging through another hot and muggy day here. I finally couldn't take it anymore and turned on the air conditioning. As someone from the northwest, I'm still not used to the concept of AC in your house. It seems like a big luxury to turn it on, but here in Japan, it is a necessity. So, AC all the way! Until the electric bill arrives, right?<br /><br />We've been doing okay here. I had sushi with Seiko this week, which was fun. I've still been attending my craft classes and recently volunteered to crochet baby blankets for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. I've made two blankets so far, and I'm working on a third. Summertime isn't the best time for working on a blanket, but it is for a good cause and it keeps me busy.<br /><br />I added a few more photos to the blog that I hope makes you laugh. The "water under construction" sign was just too weird to pass up, and the Hello Kitty drink was calling my name at the convenience store down the street. I should have known that it was a milk tea drink by the fact that Hello Kitty is sitting in a teacup, but for some reason I convinced myself it was chocolate milk. Sigh. There's nothing wrong with milk tea, but when you're expecting chocolate milk, it was a bit of a disappointment. On the bright side, though, I now have this adorable milk carton to make something crafty with!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-27729700529151597302009-06-17T15:40:00.016+09:002009-06-17T16:06:53.340+09:00Wednesday, June 17, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzZpNu3RFS7-MzgBzrlSmx9bNdETIDia_XdKuvbdeMBEOxvR8gq-2EOOq9BxEcaZE1PcCzKggGtFYd5DES6B2yte1lhMDEl5VjDVevjydawZtaj4vV7UKUmFDC0jwPg_MCk28fVMEXHtI/s1600-h/009.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzZpNu3RFS7-MzgBzrlSmx9bNdETIDia_XdKuvbdeMBEOxvR8gq-2EOOq9BxEcaZE1PcCzKggGtFYd5DES6B2yte1lhMDEl5VjDVevjydawZtaj4vV7UKUmFDC0jwPg_MCk28fVMEXHtI/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348188274237125314" border="0" /></a><br />"Hydrangea" in English, "ajisai" in Japanese<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PC83pdsggopbz4K2Z-wXvnXPTgjlifbE-_xxVEWIEpsJZNioyTOQspn2REn3YPj9AsiN5hjGvywVbN2tOYtbl2h5EfyHEX-8YGiROr2WYj1Tlhyn7z28ihikFp5g-ECeivwoALzYU04I/s1600-h/047.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PC83pdsggopbz4K2Z-wXvnXPTgjlifbE-_xxVEWIEpsJZNioyTOQspn2REn3YPj9AsiN5hjGvywVbN2tOYtbl2h5EfyHEX-8YGiROr2WYj1Tlhyn7z28ihikFp5g-ECeivwoALzYU04I/s320/047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348188208479874018" border="0" /></a><br />Seiko and me<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSbyKv5eRAauUyf-XI2wFc5Eb71YAbt1IpL-gViZG8_8yUG_ZwN9oghPYlXFZESMODI_57UP9PXfkGIin8M4MwmBw-rSiyiTw-BFIiSXJ1FnOUWAvsOUmezKWnCzGUgoAKyFbME3ZUzxc/s1600-h/006.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSbyKv5eRAauUyf-XI2wFc5Eb71YAbt1IpL-gViZG8_8yUG_ZwN9oghPYlXFZESMODI_57UP9PXfkGIin8M4MwmBw-rSiyiTw-BFIiSXJ1FnOUWAvsOUmezKWnCzGUgoAKyFbME3ZUzxc/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348188124504434034" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JuY8hyphenhypheneZ63Mr4Ri2CTThxkDThfkjayIO8IobIDpCEldtzp3H2rmOxCVgRYBJJCOBhXZASj-GKb5UaI_Sle62wEaSklfeD2UhXIJBY44ELMfpDUYBR8s4nagbqdSBVGaXAiZ4kxMx5X0o/s1600-h/011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JuY8hyphenhypheneZ63Mr4Ri2CTThxkDThfkjayIO8IobIDpCEldtzp3H2rmOxCVgRYBJJCOBhXZASj-GKb5UaI_Sle62wEaSklfeD2UhXIJBY44ELMfpDUYBR8s4nagbqdSBVGaXAiZ4kxMx5X0o/s320/011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348188048919868898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYznH1N4ijw1kOoi_Q5JwyVBfH0q_q90tGmamX1qXolNSDTd2WW_sUKOr-KzfJ4-Xri3ed64zGCFmVqID3PeygUxWuPazKqm8tYot7UEvuuJwP_3f1d0foq4tdv6LM0PN7jQpyyPey_T6g/s1600-h/013.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYznH1N4ijw1kOoi_Q5JwyVBfH0q_q90tGmamX1qXolNSDTd2WW_sUKOr-KzfJ4-Xri3ed64zGCFmVqID3PeygUxWuPazKqm8tYot7UEvuuJwP_3f1d0foq4tdv6LM0PN7jQpyyPey_T6g/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187972881891154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPqwHQXk5ifybq3Hgzi_AsaqtOwonHYwHAYBCAUQNu_eprbJ2MJBV2FfQEe7AcdqzuZD29VIpUaccc5Kl8RGuquqfFW6Ky9eU5VFuJ1ltka7XVdRpyIRZJibsLsqUHm5zJJJ5f4I9G8tJ/s1600-h/029.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPqwHQXk5ifybq3Hgzi_AsaqtOwonHYwHAYBCAUQNu_eprbJ2MJBV2FfQEe7AcdqzuZD29VIpUaccc5Kl8RGuquqfFW6Ky9eU5VFuJ1ltka7XVdRpyIRZJibsLsqUHm5zJJJ5f4I9G8tJ/s320/029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187894435781426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_IlhuNmSOrAFvQbaCjmz_dS6I7oKhHQmDf5gAFlWBAHCPT5OElPbiduvTq9gzOe-vjfvmQJNd9HEh3MpoJnwwj5z8k5AHRvJiDhpM_txRlVmwHOfztbk2glcqL_7TTUIqXebMtq3XOIn/s1600-h/032.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_IlhuNmSOrAFvQbaCjmz_dS6I7oKhHQmDf5gAFlWBAHCPT5OElPbiduvTq9gzOe-vjfvmQJNd9HEh3MpoJnwwj5z8k5AHRvJiDhpM_txRlVmwHOfztbk2glcqL_7TTUIqXebMtq3XOIn/s320/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187818994438706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-0UOi3bZjPGwzyQNXnj-7aKd9whUKHvIweBr0AR40CStPKTU18E9h_E3iYGjlPMhvlW4Cqgi4ELXJYwC1-NKKoy14q-avDg6l2RxlXM5nWQfFaGf045svwfaOWK8GnpmUlz6-nkSItnL/s1600-h/040.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-0UOi3bZjPGwzyQNXnj-7aKd9whUKHvIweBr0AR40CStPKTU18E9h_E3iYGjlPMhvlW4Cqgi4ELXJYwC1-NKKoy14q-avDg6l2RxlXM5nWQfFaGf045svwfaOWK8GnpmUlz6-nkSItnL/s320/040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187748381314610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLXolO8nhs3Yu7FFafn7HPN1a2Eg-NmLqhiOPTZqcWt_PyDlRlvdAkM2AvHvlcw306pv2Dolbaj4OouOqgP1l7gdd0DCFAbww2vKTh2L94vpNO51D2N2_WolDgYhxYQIH_-iglQllXnnt/s1600-h/399.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLXolO8nhs3Yu7FFafn7HPN1a2Eg-NmLqhiOPTZqcWt_PyDlRlvdAkM2AvHvlcw306pv2Dolbaj4OouOqgP1l7gdd0DCFAbww2vKTh2L94vpNO51D2N2_WolDgYhxYQIH_-iglQllXnnt/s320/399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187640295730626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XgE7J7USdw2am0yDqdR-pq6WvvsBVthWnp3QXrqBGucVftmg6Msu0FS8C1I2lg4xDpLUO4mmn5ctS30YwcY61P4IJijkjzGLqhuDu2jTyOVRtNAXKj9q4J9Xv_23QFDIRU___bd1rwTE/s1600-h/413.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XgE7J7USdw2am0yDqdR-pq6WvvsBVthWnp3QXrqBGucVftmg6Msu0FS8C1I2lg4xDpLUO4mmn5ctS30YwcY61P4IJijkjzGLqhuDu2jTyOVRtNAXKj9q4J9Xv_23QFDIRU___bd1rwTE/s320/413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187502695401154" border="0" /></a><br />Seiko and Satsuki<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO3JbMpOZgDjUiPOIkyoV07IHozNMcj3SU7RSxx9b9R5rZ-0MwkgJCZFVvj0_mRFsMEtN3461fJbmWPARCru2_q3TI9eOsDDtRL9Y_mxCIxeP_riPwH8hXdc9nT0FrGfDZQc_atnetudr/s1600-h/416.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzO3JbMpOZgDjUiPOIkyoV07IHozNMcj3SU7RSxx9b9R5rZ-0MwkgJCZFVvj0_mRFsMEtN3461fJbmWPARCru2_q3TI9eOsDDtRL9Y_mxCIxeP_riPwH8hXdc9nT0FrGfDZQc_atnetudr/s320/416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187411742377618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkwflE5qRmoggTUqTiGXr3G1Jaak61XU2Vf_LZ7dF9dFCBMHmeuFWQi5S0VHah6rSPvxm-zbMDjtuptIT1_vi6GHksBoA3ESkzOcywnun_tJ4xsHoH1AiDjSp6KckPnkkwKgCxqArOZ8K/s1600-h/420.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkwflE5qRmoggTUqTiGXr3G1Jaak61XU2Vf_LZ7dF9dFCBMHmeuFWQi5S0VHah6rSPvxm-zbMDjtuptIT1_vi6GHksBoA3ESkzOcywnun_tJ4xsHoH1AiDjSp6KckPnkkwKgCxqArOZ8K/s320/420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187300848402002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnNV-6hmXi_Z2awP8WPty24MzuVy13NqSZL5JHTzgTPTy-oWqXHaKPWEyb0pP_cNnAXbrfl71yvhpTnsHdg47fYb_W2DOJF4FYP-H4PpphPmBjr2j3SfsCNz-txNoljgfQr3MG6yQ6UhV/s1600-h/442.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnNV-6hmXi_Z2awP8WPty24MzuVy13NqSZL5JHTzgTPTy-oWqXHaKPWEyb0pP_cNnAXbrfl71yvhpTnsHdg47fYb_W2DOJF4FYP-H4PpphPmBjr2j3SfsCNz-txNoljgfQr3MG6yQ6UhV/s320/442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348187204669337602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello! Wow, two posts in less than a week. What's going on? I have more photos to share. Yesterday, I went with Seiko and her friend Satsuki to one of my favorite places, Kamakura. Our goal was to see the hydrangeas, which are in full bloom right now. They grow really well in this area of Japan, and the Japanese name for them is "ajisai." We went to two different shrines to see them, and also stopped by a popular money shrine that promises good fortune if you wash your money in the water there. Is it just me, or does "money washing" sound a bit like "money laundering"? Hmmmm. We washed our money and now I'm waiting to see what happens with it. Unfortunately, my photos of our money washing didn't turn out because I had my camera on a weird setting. However, I was really happy with my flower photos and I hope you will be too.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-44485940527072394502009-06-13T15:51:00.040+09:002009-06-14T12:58:05.891+09:00Saturday, June 13, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SXTrEYS4XhWfEHG2sGxkIw5TsWN8zD9H997ebilKkof-1XUcGgR0uaDvcs6fUZ9_3QuenO167oerXvWNuQDxpqZM-IVFVH2iG2kBgDFWb7BXMWGW4jqHtBeZrehOI0MzQA_945v5WZNl/s1600-h/244.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SXTrEYS4XhWfEHG2sGxkIw5TsWN8zD9H997ebilKkof-1XUcGgR0uaDvcs6fUZ9_3QuenO167oerXvWNuQDxpqZM-IVFVH2iG2kBgDFWb7BXMWGW4jqHtBeZrehOI0MzQA_945v5WZNl/s320/244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346721069652523714" border="0" /></a><br />That's really me in front of Tokyo Disneyland!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrUVY9jJvz82TFgid_If4JVDmSuA0l_7dxlPV6r87my7TT2ZjH8X0OW0ToMYG09c1PFl6yvuwCWeNP9RvpVE4vEE-g0Yt_fHrbWeD0tiJiJ-YoRl5TEXP8mFG49YJ9Cz7vFu0c95mR84k/s1600-h/245.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrUVY9jJvz82TFgid_If4JVDmSuA0l_7dxlPV6r87my7TT2ZjH8X0OW0ToMYG09c1PFl6yvuwCWeNP9RvpVE4vEE-g0Yt_fHrbWeD0tiJiJ-YoRl5TEXP8mFG49YJ9Cz7vFu0c95mR84k/s320/245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720955079274530" border="0" /></a><br />This is a covered version of Main St. USA and it's called World Bazaar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOCcO3VHe1u34Gk3tg9cWRTZ4YTZqbjOsBUUEcLpc6uqb5Xjfmvmi_MZNgDAwbQrt26HqmjTZVEuCv859tntz33A1Zl7_fJByKVb3VKEC_Nij9ObRFX4GKOS45ui95uugR6D7fbI6Rd9t/s1600-h/260.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOCcO3VHe1u34Gk3tg9cWRTZ4YTZqbjOsBUUEcLpc6uqb5Xjfmvmi_MZNgDAwbQrt26HqmjTZVEuCv859tntz33A1Zl7_fJByKVb3VKEC_Nij9ObRFX4GKOS45ui95uugR6D7fbI6Rd9t/s320/260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720658990591730" border="0" /></a><br />Zach enjoying his popsicle---maybe a little too much?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt7uzv-CQ5WKZfeGjFKZn7aUAjxO3E3s3sbCADEXJdbVRz-sPUscrbqDCtOl5i78eqI4hI-cYWP6AHQAtlNX6rarfkR3xuBQPki95Zj8NSgDN5mfWVDJiIC4U3q1wDBfwEii3sMWnTG3Q/s1600-h/263.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt7uzv-CQ5WKZfeGjFKZn7aUAjxO3E3s3sbCADEXJdbVRz-sPUscrbqDCtOl5i78eqI4hI-cYWP6AHQAtlNX6rarfkR3xuBQPki95Zj8NSgDN5mfWVDJiIC4U3q1wDBfwEii3sMWnTG3Q/s320/263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720580577911202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RLKjm0afEdlAqIPakU6vW5fcOFzr9OHIfrYwgcZ7jkhpw0djYqy1QyxubD0-dvW50sL23_ptt67335GGgPckwHMn6WHsaTMNdMFOWzOmGv3shyphenhyphenfNU2JF8ZLgEGRvAhnvEWHz3jIZZCIk/s1600-h/265.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RLKjm0afEdlAqIPakU6vW5fcOFzr9OHIfrYwgcZ7jkhpw0djYqy1QyxubD0-dvW50sL23_ptt67335GGgPckwHMn6WHsaTMNdMFOWzOmGv3shyphenhyphenfNU2JF8ZLgEGRvAhnvEWHz3jIZZCIk/s320/265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720493148434818" border="0" /></a><br />Splash Mountain<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtQv0wfDspKBKxJwpQMmPHZmakBaMvhfvI3onUdbyS4vHPXdY-gtHzc5zjJMhT0i3OfDjlurLwQtQkqvICWEkDBFnyyVEzx-oVq1loCy6b_vwRp4KveQq34TLeMqRSrFyj-8Y1_rBlegv/s1600-h/317.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtQv0wfDspKBKxJwpQMmPHZmakBaMvhfvI3onUdbyS4vHPXdY-gtHzc5zjJMhT0i3OfDjlurLwQtQkqvICWEkDBFnyyVEzx-oVq1loCy6b_vwRp4KveQq34TLeMqRSrFyj-8Y1_rBlegv/s320/317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346728646595582098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2SL5eD98xk3NenyH_dHBpWxGnYTv3AffuKgSD5sTONgNwxoPnKOudlNle7oZphdzvTaUlhUCibgYUiWqlWFKuilEOJqRx2sgUzrc5cdUsrqqdkJnd9ld_LhGOrPLumRC4T280NHeLblB/s1600-h/310.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2SL5eD98xk3NenyH_dHBpWxGnYTv3AffuKgSD5sTONgNwxoPnKOudlNle7oZphdzvTaUlhUCibgYUiWqlWFKuilEOJqRx2sgUzrc5cdUsrqqdkJnd9ld_LhGOrPLumRC4T280NHeLblB/s320/310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346729983190196642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrezkte3eBE6BiTAf-GxGAr1zlANGpIWW6DdCY2oSwJuanMeW-ixsy_GpRtT6W5eUo5-8A8-vYyAQDImiZzp1NACog4f8JUDHtE1hD2_pFyjwtA9KZ0DdH-P8oWq_S3nAI2bAOu_-QBJ4h/s1600-h/268.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrezkte3eBE6BiTAf-GxGAr1zlANGpIWW6DdCY2oSwJuanMeW-ixsy_GpRtT6W5eUo5-8A8-vYyAQDImiZzp1NACog4f8JUDHtE1hD2_pFyjwtA9KZ0DdH-P8oWq_S3nAI2bAOu_-QBJ4h/s320/268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720429084862290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwxKYTImdHtesaKQtC0jpV42ewZei7Ahr1umyokrpw8tgyLH6883LjpjkJMyKf2eI-6nnIk5CldnnJokEgUBlNtblGg18-ZMDdMn3MWdXMOZ33A3AbXvDNj40mO_AFydqHk0Z67luxW_P/s1600-h/315.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwxKYTImdHtesaKQtC0jpV42ewZei7Ahr1umyokrpw8tgyLH6883LjpjkJMyKf2eI-6nnIk5CldnnJokEgUBlNtblGg18-ZMDdMn3MWdXMOZ33A3AbXvDNj40mO_AFydqHk0Z67luxW_P/s320/315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720346565157186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdmbiRNXYAnT4q0JktZRAnhzGynlmBIRL92U_iWNiQVR3dPP6YfopxkrvgB2qBSY4ClzljRbMZWpcyBNZrz8L91d1akXAZWabX1JPstbh9Ol2XtLKJvFhqxzEEAITRBbXIWd7c9hmNXk7/s1600-h/356.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdmbiRNXYAnT4q0JktZRAnhzGynlmBIRL92U_iWNiQVR3dPP6YfopxkrvgB2qBSY4ClzljRbMZWpcyBNZrz8L91d1akXAZWabX1JPstbh9Ol2XtLKJvFhqxzEEAITRBbXIWd7c9hmNXk7/s320/356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720202439269890" border="0" /></a><br />Zach with his Mickey bucket of caramel corn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn46tB9IFEclUDwC9AGwVXQ8fuoCFYhK840L03vsvaFCgI5SG1yhQW9MDlEeNUHeLzrZ2lVX2S54WVunitxHrE1UXStojxHPEMIBsCxfhTuufjw96UN4QgssMYcFk4Xluy8gDec1CzMxc/s1600-h/366.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn46tB9IFEclUDwC9AGwVXQ8fuoCFYhK840L03vsvaFCgI5SG1yhQW9MDlEeNUHeLzrZ2lVX2S54WVunitxHrE1UXStojxHPEMIBsCxfhTuufjw96UN4QgssMYcFk4Xluy8gDec1CzMxc/s320/366.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720131990425282" border="0" /></a><br />This was delicious!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKzPvU1bTaZFfokcPrKS6Hb9OScmFmP8CrmTYS4mWnifVnfGZ0aaSFsJ4gIQIqYqud1K7VZ7YGXa4v9ZESPRUANYojLo-CX3LyWoEK1NKbSqKtTq2ttxPPy2nznUMDTr_dxEXAa1lRE4e/s1600-h/372.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKzPvU1bTaZFfokcPrKS6Hb9OScmFmP8CrmTYS4mWnifVnfGZ0aaSFsJ4gIQIqYqud1K7VZ7YGXa4v9ZESPRUANYojLo-CX3LyWoEK1NKbSqKtTq2ttxPPy2nznUMDTr_dxEXAa1lRE4e/s320/372.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346720038561258290" border="0" /></a><br />These bakers had 10 Mickey-shaped waffle irons going at once.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V9aWFWFFepWFu6e6ew1zNcN22LuXtCIjKJ5bZANdxp6KsKCHwhh5D-DTjYmgwvr6eJzLizunQeWxPJC3eUvdCbUF5s1jAVoaWiof-QTEIrERsudKz6vtLrV7sBLaKCQDnPbsjAAUAXmW/s1600-h/375.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6V9aWFWFFepWFu6e6ew1zNcN22LuXtCIjKJ5bZANdxp6KsKCHwhh5D-DTjYmgwvr6eJzLizunQeWxPJC3eUvdCbUF5s1jAVoaWiof-QTEIrERsudKz6vtLrV7sBLaKCQDnPbsjAAUAXmW/s320/375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719960194038626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokE6F07_Ew5WRMbqUxGH6Q1TteoFhM4NkhGoMXZvXxQfXhqjfAqCvNeQAnRwghrytAQqNvaF9CNLSmNoPrimvZwHs-uPVe1HggDOIhlBTtcvizY1nt5mxde49RvmqrczrnFYOixlTGOw8/s1600-h/376.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokE6F07_Ew5WRMbqUxGH6Q1TteoFhM4NkhGoMXZvXxQfXhqjfAqCvNeQAnRwghrytAQqNvaF9CNLSmNoPrimvZwHs-uPVe1HggDOIhlBTtcvizY1nt5mxde49RvmqrczrnFYOixlTGOw8/s320/376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719875443134898" border="0" /></a><br />Cute! And tasty!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TXOHLnrTrTEuN4cbEQ28apZRpnqybZDPvUnhBWcE-OZ91s7TiC36Dm0pyIHRDRLnl5fKkUq74Zu8DqJZdruo8pc_GpgnpXFZXvT2DPTUfG43GSBfSyFQyM0MgXg0y4NsMI9mjW3ldqEx/s1600-h/350.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TXOHLnrTrTEuN4cbEQ28apZRpnqybZDPvUnhBWcE-OZ91s7TiC36Dm0pyIHRDRLnl5fKkUq74Zu8DqJZdruo8pc_GpgnpXFZXvT2DPTUfG43GSBfSyFQyM0MgXg0y4NsMI9mjW3ldqEx/s320/350.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719792109198082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27cBQXJKKFkj3abnJqRJaUm3BTWgdbsxUP3c7zrPq7YfCRMPkwEU_C_J_Is1eRefIU8nAevIV-3XSdgUqOLXuxNgO6uWsla8byNo_kd7FgxI6WQvFf9jLE_dxc9ECqWY4JUnZdOhoraai/s1600-h/111.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27cBQXJKKFkj3abnJqRJaUm3BTWgdbsxUP3c7zrPq7YfCRMPkwEU_C_J_Is1eRefIU8nAevIV-3XSdgUqOLXuxNgO6uWsla8byNo_kd7FgxI6WQvFf9jLE_dxc9ECqWY4JUnZdOhoraai/s320/111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719608134976050" border="0" /></a><br />Inside the Enoshima Aquarium<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikATGdY_C-FzGgkc6BUpGyVYBjHKrLa7eQQgS9-1R50AcxAjnumnyJIdGCeKpWxXRlitiM3Cj_lO39l5TPLDeKd5Oxj4WKTqsDBkNzVfWy4jyATO9jUKwQPsWhiPh4LoaWD2TquzsXoRa/s1600-h/119.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikATGdY_C-FzGgkc6BUpGyVYBjHKrLa7eQQgS9-1R50AcxAjnumnyJIdGCeKpWxXRlitiM3Cj_lO39l5TPLDeKd5Oxj4WKTqsDBkNzVfWy4jyATO9jUKwQPsWhiPh4LoaWD2TquzsXoRa/s320/119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719519720181634" border="0" /></a><br />Zach found a friend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCGF4G0yGA1jjXFRFEJoMh5llUAl-VKeKEc16PFh0ZRMO6aTqEmH6fZ2sHcvWTQVT-HGztZ9NxjTwcXX3-JzfAY3xNYSkftkxXhKROIXf3zduugfyT1hev765DdgjfikIDSeyUWlRxiQ2/s1600-h/130.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCGF4G0yGA1jjXFRFEJoMh5llUAl-VKeKEc16PFh0ZRMO6aTqEmH6fZ2sHcvWTQVT-HGztZ9NxjTwcXX3-JzfAY3xNYSkftkxXhKROIXf3zduugfyT1hev765DdgjfikIDSeyUWlRxiQ2/s320/130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719432083206322" border="0" /></a><br />Cool jellyfish<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQsY2P9IEqFchtp8i235cBCsDp22UugJ8NMtpt13scazR23Qzq7hv12p558a0sljzwjLavaCWNW57Xd9mzx5QwErkF0qku0s277QefUQSy8ReWtfdflYtlT9jBhZjicm03YBIsgdjx9r8/s1600-h/126.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQsY2P9IEqFchtp8i235cBCsDp22UugJ8NMtpt13scazR23Qzq7hv12p558a0sljzwjLavaCWNW57Xd9mzx5QwErkF0qku0s277QefUQSy8ReWtfdflYtlT9jBhZjicm03YBIsgdjx9r8/s320/126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346724251139148786" border="0" /></a><br />Creepy and scary Japanese Giant Crab<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4tUdnydj1wh3hZEyzZiMvqAeDxGzPIrrK9S6-03D7snEEm56lF0ZNob6dPKiHgjWlPPX42-deJGg3VRCNo4f0FbQquXrJJSBmAQgbvPRhtr5bsN0m4h7m8bo3dSFsLa4vqRiujnixi71/s1600-h/199.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4tUdnydj1wh3hZEyzZiMvqAeDxGzPIrrK9S6-03D7snEEm56lF0ZNob6dPKiHgjWlPPX42-deJGg3VRCNo4f0FbQquXrJJSBmAQgbvPRhtr5bsN0m4h7m8bo3dSFsLa4vqRiujnixi71/s320/199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719356117547858" border="0" /></a><br />They had a whale/dolphin/sea lion show in the afternoon that we watched. It was pretty good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KMkCMveoJ99U00rk_GiZUYM-F5wcy336MzmdJcMixaueuq2kMJtb2mnNb3zbiF8xWn3m85cETfcDbPtfzqOOFvs-tvSU-qobufqkrgp6nshruT92aj6MxNgFRf8170tLFCMCrSPntl01/s1600-h/209.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KMkCMveoJ99U00rk_GiZUYM-F5wcy336MzmdJcMixaueuq2kMJtb2mnNb3zbiF8xWn3m85cETfcDbPtfzqOOFvs-tvSU-qobufqkrgp6nshruT92aj6MxNgFRf8170tLFCMCrSPntl01/s320/209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719275007631090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YZCkrFvtYZyX7Ih6Zh6bly1kW2qKvLipXhgwEBWSwrYWu2a4-tx1FIJSvr72MFNvZHN9t_kotaedpDDROEebkPiXVGb66RVOr6bagCnWtfUc55Sj2yRnIRCDCvTsPJBnAHB0qVbfU319/s1600-h/236.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YZCkrFvtYZyX7Ih6Zh6bly1kW2qKvLipXhgwEBWSwrYWu2a4-tx1FIJSvr72MFNvZHN9t_kotaedpDDROEebkPiXVGb66RVOr6bagCnWtfUc55Sj2yRnIRCDCvTsPJBnAHB0qVbfU319/s320/236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719187741455906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAR6X5uXerp19mirAWvYGNUnNRYiaCdNWWyMAxE1eTSIM6-5V5YMHaV7eqWIw_Y-jNHrD2Dr0OJXzBVnVvIQ6L3JiJlT6Tzlv0BU6THnhEzMyKbsLtJ27yKsE8xIx4a28HHZCdEjHMUc/s1600-h/240.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAR6X5uXerp19mirAWvYGNUnNRYiaCdNWWyMAxE1eTSIM6-5V5YMHaV7eqWIw_Y-jNHrD2Dr0OJXzBVnVvIQ6L3JiJlT6Tzlv0BU6THnhEzMyKbsLtJ27yKsE8xIx4a28HHZCdEjHMUc/s320/240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346719049613513730" border="0" /></a><br />We stopped at McDonald's on our way home and tried this Shaka Shaka chicken. The instructions are on the bag, and it basically tasted like a McNugget covered with the powdered cheese you get in a Kraft Mac&Cheese box.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDP9FiimtNxUcRC3krlP-n-H6isABVTtIGq-4iURVOZjuhn0R_TO9UOiL-o6OC9iXSEUiOBBgrP8FQPOozSjkZGTjaQtTz93lXXhLRGS7EOUbvf37gSdWBmNTFxlaCnkIfGJRTnE0LuI/s1600-h/242.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDP9FiimtNxUcRC3krlP-n-H6isABVTtIGq-4iURVOZjuhn0R_TO9UOiL-o6OC9iXSEUiOBBgrP8FQPOozSjkZGTjaQtTz93lXXhLRGS7EOUbvf37gSdWBmNTFxlaCnkIfGJRTnE0LuI/s320/242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346718959898371026" border="0" /></a><br />Zach saw these on the menu and was so excited to try one. They were good, but not good for you. Japan's McDs still deep fry their pies (I think they are baked in the U.S.), and this potato version is the same as the fruit ones.<br /><br />Konnichiwa! Okay, so it has been a while since I've been back here and if some of you are annoyed, I apologize. I do think about my blog, if that means anything. I just haven't been good about writing. Anyhoo, I have some fun stuff to share, and if anyone is still checking this thing, I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />We've been enjoying a small vacation this past week. It was kind of a last-minute decision, so we stayed close to home. There is so much to do in Tokyo that we haven't done yet, and one of them was a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. We've been talking about it for a long time, and we finally went yesterday!!!! The park is quite similar to Disneyland, but it has its differences too. It was pretty crowded, but we didn't have too much trouble waiting in lines. The longest we stood was 70 minutes for their brand-new Monsters Inc. ride, which was a disappointing ride to us but probably quite fun for really little kids. We didn't have any problems with Pirates or Small World, two rides that always seem to have long lines in California. Most of the narration on the rides was in Japanese, of course, which gave them a new twist. In fact, I think it made the Pirates ride more scary. I was bummed that the Enchanted Tiki Room was closed for repairs because they have their own special Lilo and Stitch performance in Japanese that is supposed to be really fun, but Zach was thanking his lucky stars because he strongly dislikes the Tiki Room. I don't know why. ;-) "In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki room..."<br /><br />Headband ears were incredibly popular, and they had so many different kinds---Mickey and Minnie, Dumbo, Bambi, Goofy. I got myself some cute Minnie Mouse ears on a headband and wore them proudly. Earlier in the day I bought some cheaper barrette-style ears but they didn't feel like they wanted to stay on, so I splurged and upgraded and was happy I did. ;-) I've been wearing them around the house today and Zach just keeps shaking his head.<br /><br />We ate our fair share of tasty treats as all good Disneyland visitors do. Churros, a Mickey-shaped popsicle, Japanese curry rice (this was really weird to eat at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Westernland a.k.a. Frontierland), a slice of Mickey-shaped pizza, caramel corn in a Mickey Mouse refillable bucket (I mocked Zach when he said he was going to get it but realized that I was foolish---the bucket is cool and the caramel corn was yummy), and a Mickey-shaped waffle to end the day. Zach's friend told him that they sold turkey legs somewhere in Westernland, and he had his heart set on eating one, but we never found them and wonder if it is a seasonal thing.<br /><br />Now that we've made it to Tokyo Disneyland, I'm hoping that there will be a future trip to Tokyo DisneySea, a second amusement park next to Disneyland. Apparently it's the only one like it in the world, and we've heard lots of positive things about it.<br /><br />We also made it to the Enoshima Aquarium this week. It was a bit pricey for what they had, but the weather was cooperative (the rainy season is almost here) and it was fun to see and smell the ocean. They had a pretty cool jellyfish exhibit and giant Japanese crabs that freaked me out. It's been nice having Zach home from work, and I'm glad we got out and saw a few more Tokyo sights. There's just so much to see and do here.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-42098953074665937332009-05-09T11:17:00.014+09:002009-05-09T19:05:38.325+09:00Saturday, May 9, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjMkzWALjm1VTlZCRq7tuP4WQqdfrkX423yD3a7asc9bCdLMWzDpbhZ9BbswhMRZLJ5seIliPF1Lf_HUPElYZD_8dZw_W8HQ4HtLjZqpsfjgpWIFdKbo7DwRRe8PVVAgnq_VFZxC-vlI/s1600-h/453.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjMkzWALjm1VTlZCRq7tuP4WQqdfrkX423yD3a7asc9bCdLMWzDpbhZ9BbswhMRZLJ5seIliPF1Lf_HUPElYZD_8dZw_W8HQ4HtLjZqpsfjgpWIFdKbo7DwRRe8PVVAgnq_VFZxC-vlI/s320/453.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651717541322178" border="0" /></a><br />Look at how big this kite is and how many people are working to get it flying!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G7hU5yXv5_O5obz3fMXNJ3Cw90ik1DoTZVKHmqfew9EVF7COwFmwo5QZOiCmbJ7MfT3Jgmqz30qWx296DFnN8t6-0tgnVN8Y_HOtfqDO9bwBY4Gwpz-83Smb_B_Up42AbZ9jC_ZS5X8/s1600-h/454.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G7hU5yXv5_O5obz3fMXNJ3Cw90ik1DoTZVKHmqfew9EVF7COwFmwo5QZOiCmbJ7MfT3Jgmqz30qWx296DFnN8t6-0tgnVN8Y_HOtfqDO9bwBY4Gwpz-83Smb_B_Up42AbZ9jC_ZS5X8/s320/454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651641073775762" border="0" /></a><br />Whoa!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PIT-b57ztpYJPnDxp7ozfj1FMi_GcvUGJZzXecM0cZ4eLn_KGwzE-m4mF-sxjXzMhdVmAP2J7Bn7bJXLMCOSHAUcSG5Pz6hVwP7wPjtKHOVeyrYLmNhN0bY8n9cIUJFCxUiu_yrXvQk/s1600-h/462.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PIT-b57ztpYJPnDxp7ozfj1FMi_GcvUGJZzXecM0cZ4eLn_KGwzE-m4mF-sxjXzMhdVmAP2J7Bn7bJXLMCOSHAUcSG5Pz6hVwP7wPjtKHOVeyrYLmNhN0bY8n9cIUJFCxUiu_yrXvQk/s320/462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651559323946194" border="0" /></a><br />There it goes!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pToqZAMl4qsqdfN2fQy1Vg04dVbo6Y2VM3xxKUfRvMSNscEXarqGvWRNxJ3YoSrKGXGye3LqnFlhNicqajefzDlhW4NtlRm1lRkXdeo5rf3-FhyphenhyphenjwOX2ylHZ1VYwboQDh1KU7cM0jec/s1600-h/466.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pToqZAMl4qsqdfN2fQy1Vg04dVbo6Y2VM3xxKUfRvMSNscEXarqGvWRNxJ3YoSrKGXGye3LqnFlhNicqajefzDlhW4NtlRm1lRkXdeo5rf3-FhyphenhyphenjwOX2ylHZ1VYwboQDh1KU7cM0jec/s320/466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651481357218482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo-HhcxyoKT7_YLliDO16VxG5Xhy6SajxswHarpKA3PG8gYHMfRFmPxR_b4MpV6S8RtXfDj9vc-HQSRBHV7sFO1UVcGSV8f7_lDukx6zbzq52MIQ1bTXK-jHwyF-8KHeXMeWx2-oP-p0/s1600-h/482.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo-HhcxyoKT7_YLliDO16VxG5Xhy6SajxswHarpKA3PG8gYHMfRFmPxR_b4MpV6S8RtXfDj9vc-HQSRBHV7sFO1UVcGSV8f7_lDukx6zbzq52MIQ1bTXK-jHwyF-8KHeXMeWx2-oP-p0/s320/482.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651414354991570" border="0" /></a><br />Fish kites<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocg65gWD5t7uMIQCfGSYOWpTu-sVWkNki3IlkypBu6Cv6w1NXes5shZLC0gYdVict5MdSAKSBTRIOQz0sX-RbsD4Zz9DJLKr8uF37N3tuauWjbso0lA47dc9Pd_fFGUbRpp-1GOx6kXw/s1600-h/580.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocg65gWD5t7uMIQCfGSYOWpTu-sVWkNki3IlkypBu6Cv6w1NXes5shZLC0gYdVict5MdSAKSBTRIOQz0sX-RbsD4Zz9DJLKr8uF37N3tuauWjbso0lA47dc9Pd_fFGUbRpp-1GOx6kXw/s320/580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651338199652210" border="0" /></a><br />They had three of these giant kites flying at the same time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F2x6j6qtKpBcCRg7ix5yT4YGOZPLisTw5Q2NKEtqnwZiANWflH9VDMmrYVR4W_lfx1-IrD6shvDX0xNtZ5_kULu73f0yNfDmYyzquu1acN1cmgta99Xvhm7nCtr3DKQuUO45grPCoLk/s1600-h/594.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F2x6j6qtKpBcCRg7ix5yT4YGOZPLisTw5Q2NKEtqnwZiANWflH9VDMmrYVR4W_lfx1-IrD6shvDX0xNtZ5_kULu73f0yNfDmYyzquu1acN1cmgta99Xvhm7nCtr3DKQuUO45grPCoLk/s320/594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651271380280098" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a group flying one out in the rice fields. Notice that it is tethered to the truck!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgklG_6Knn-0D19fGF_GWsnpK5-UZ4salS6T-YqKyTK3JA7DbHgoia1CgBqYVikKhZe68nBqPivLwuRitIy2YenhX2mRxyCBU9w4a3aVMe9tY1WM0LyG1You0XQFIJROjCFkws3RVvAxI/s1600-h/597.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgklG_6Knn-0D19fGF_GWsnpK5-UZ4salS6T-YqKyTK3JA7DbHgoia1CgBqYVikKhZe68nBqPivLwuRitIy2YenhX2mRxyCBU9w4a3aVMe9tY1WM0LyG1You0XQFIJROjCFkws3RVvAxI/s320/597.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333651186266047538" border="0" /></a><br />Another funny Japanese sign that I assume is telling you not to litter.<br /><br />Hello! Wow, it's been forever since I posted here. Craziness! We're doing fine here in Japan. The weather is gorgeous today, which is a nice change because just yesterday we had a river going down our street from all the rain.<br /><br />This week has been good and I have some fun stuff to show you. On Monday, I went to the big kite festival that they have every year near our house. The kites are HUGE and they require several people---like maybe 20---to lift them. The kites are tethered to a bulldozer or large vehicle to make sure they don't blow away. I guess a few years ago one of the kites came loose and hurt some of the people watching the event, but of course I found out about this <span style="font-style: italic;">after </span>I went. That's okay, though. If I had known, I might have stayed home. Tuesday was Children's Day, and in honor of that day Japanese families fly kites in the shape of fish. They had several of those kites flying at the festival as well.<br /><br />Yesterday I got brave and took the train (okay, a few trains---the Tokyo transit system is not to be taken lightly) into Tokyo to attend the annual Hobby Show at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center. What a day! I think I spent close to five hours there just wandering around and checking out all the cool crafts. One of the big features of the show is that you can pay a small fee and do make-and-take projects at the different vendors' booths. I only did two make-and-take projects (painting a picture with these awesome watercolor pencils, and making a yarn lei with novelty yarn), but I watched lots of people working on several different kinds of crafts. Beading was very popular, as well as scrapbooking, needlepunched felt food, and plastic food made with soft modeling clay. I unfortunately was not allowed to take photos, so you'll have to use your imagination I guess.<br /><br />Okay, that's about it from here!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-79307230757268596122009-04-08T15:16:00.017+09:002009-04-08T15:49:19.250+09:00Wednesday, April 8, 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEr5Dgxpp5EOWy0w7Wva2wBE3wTZDy491dV-HYjR5GMfe2kJ3AOoDBezinEwmrNvCryGrjcZbpFqmnWDrRk6hEcUMIWxkew9SD2mXZ-WbLxlSHUKh-Ah8bgAaqnwrGm24EGACif-Bpp0/s1600-h/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+007.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEr5Dgxpp5EOWy0w7Wva2wBE3wTZDy491dV-HYjR5GMfe2kJ3AOoDBezinEwmrNvCryGrjcZbpFqmnWDrRk6hEcUMIWxkew9SD2mXZ-WbLxlSHUKh-Ah8bgAaqnwrGm24EGACif-Bpp0/s320/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206725546315970" border="0" /></a><br />View of cherry blossoms at Camp Zama golf course<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeuTFtVqsa0W767otwX7qCEq43E-6qzpOEe5DmCHqJnWcTEWEb9q0s26GKlaKa7rUVThxxIraNmotONKY5cxkWNZnkBjyxQYdfvct8dL1unX2Egt-jEltt2t7UpatydS36iQiJFs2dPE/s1600-h/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+011.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeuTFtVqsa0W767otwX7qCEq43E-6qzpOEe5DmCHqJnWcTEWEb9q0s26GKlaKa7rUVThxxIraNmotONKY5cxkWNZnkBjyxQYdfvct8dL1unX2Egt-jEltt2t7UpatydS36iQiJFs2dPE/s320/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206650369348898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37GQ0smpthfitqJje7JYXXpTtUkN6oH6Hw-iNG3UFR6e30sqo_58-OSza2f_ml0IyWCyfcn-MRz7cezOWIfpY9Mjh_KTY24nwRquaXAVEaTrZcgNzp6bCbBBeMl81Cqux7g_oXrgpDDA/s1600-h/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37GQ0smpthfitqJje7JYXXpTtUkN6oH6Hw-iNG3UFR6e30sqo_58-OSza2f_ml0IyWCyfcn-MRz7cezOWIfpY9Mjh_KTY24nwRquaXAVEaTrZcgNzp6bCbBBeMl81Cqux7g_oXrgpDDA/s320/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206573557944498" border="0" /></a><br />Seiko and the girls<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4Ot7_okY4hqKHdn6ijMmistP2cb0vUrNO01Z6PCChANTfIS8_Qjd6hBwLDzUjqGf73JvcZgrPht63XqHEXJXfVQfb6Jm3-_noRG3WGkp2J5jS341tlfgn_m_RJu2GtYNZATbQplXFpE/s1600-h/Copy+of+Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+017.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4Ot7_okY4hqKHdn6ijMmistP2cb0vUrNO01Z6PCChANTfIS8_Qjd6hBwLDzUjqGf73JvcZgrPht63XqHEXJXfVQfb6Jm3-_noRG3WGkp2J5jS341tlfgn_m_RJu2GtYNZATbQplXFpE/s320/Copy+of+Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206500955714242" border="0" /></a><br />Say "cheese!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5DjhcHQJz9NxwsxvE-kL1qY4IzvJYdSD7JuSnClprS4jcioxQoHGTtWV60spoh8VlmPetQs-aawYjF9SAYGfJ4Fx8tMIfMz6oINruzGuPBMl_xp2dSsMR88UkevXBya4j71dj2DKBcM/s1600-h/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+022.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5DjhcHQJz9NxwsxvE-kL1qY4IzvJYdSD7JuSnClprS4jcioxQoHGTtWV60spoh8VlmPetQs-aawYjF9SAYGfJ4Fx8tMIfMz6oINruzGuPBMl_xp2dSsMR88UkevXBya4j71dj2DKBcM/s320/Camp+Zama+and+Seiko+April+2009+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206365715215906" border="0" /></a><br />Take a close look at this tree---it has both pink and white cherry blossoms!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFezgP32IV_W0sTJ3I0AT72ug5cExerBUuAvgl-btdFtYpjhn0ZnfKtk0DDTPknUtmzytwP5iW1b914rTJvMJSMMM6L2IA41uVIBTWcAYzX6J5jYKAj0rHdGQXKT26eOBfnfPuEVeYlg/s1600-h/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+009.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFezgP32IV_W0sTJ3I0AT72ug5cExerBUuAvgl-btdFtYpjhn0ZnfKtk0DDTPknUtmzytwP5iW1b914rTJvMJSMMM6L2IA41uVIBTWcAYzX6J5jYKAj0rHdGQXKT26eOBfnfPuEVeYlg/s320/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206226817759986" border="0" /></a><br />Our completed ring holders. My oshie teacher, Yumiko, is seated next to me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiot6fIF0IfrxoCdXpkx79fp_UPxGwXVirEdYz481fzC2BAJCvTh6rop4jR-hKbSa96akci1UYXvSJbVOBZ5ou1Qp7C4kBxXI9eA7Wz3u0v0t2FRk-lLpBZd_1RD0wYQYjOiLlFNXqVZMI/s1600-h/Ring+holder+002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiot6fIF0IfrxoCdXpkx79fp_UPxGwXVirEdYz481fzC2BAJCvTh6rop4jR-hKbSa96akci1UYXvSJbVOBZ5ou1Qp7C4kBxXI9eA7Wz3u0v0t2FRk-lLpBZd_1RD0wYQYjOiLlFNXqVZMI/s320/Ring+holder+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206139847296850" border="0" /></a><br />Close up of the ring holder<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCd2QWnN1G-OZvIpHnrwAYQb51eyaQgt8euz0A3hk5dT_mxXknqR44qXWWAej5TILMagtHau8T_VQLVA73WW2M0etmuksM6J9_z34GCjha60yW8-3MEGUj6tj-Q0OYj6C_uGmjWddghTU/s1600-h/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+019.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCd2QWnN1G-OZvIpHnrwAYQb51eyaQgt8euz0A3hk5dT_mxXknqR44qXWWAej5TILMagtHau8T_VQLVA73WW2M0etmuksM6J9_z34GCjha60yW8-3MEGUj6tj-Q0OYj6C_uGmjWddghTU/s320/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322206026342246962" border="0" /></a><br />After our craft class and lunch, we went outside to see some cherry blossoms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegrkkaGna2dMTfo7ZT2g_Ww6zntBALikrFjqKanrLjmtpor-5lhF8TI8VW9RvKKUl71oe3UG0xzvCHQlXdtCtOLSri9Rj3ZSO9ZQpOs7DObaJUHZRa6G3lDqWI1UMWkAkw0IrVM7QOxE/s1600-h/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+033.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegrkkaGna2dMTfo7ZT2g_Ww6zntBALikrFjqKanrLjmtpor-5lhF8TI8VW9RvKKUl71oe3UG0xzvCHQlXdtCtOLSri9Rj3ZSO9ZQpOs7DObaJUHZRa6G3lDqWI1UMWkAkw0IrVM7QOxE/s320/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+033.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322205912679036130" border="0" /></a><br />Shrine near Yumiko's house<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtHgQpWGa-ht5Iag0ow7DYpVpqLRMYoFRoN4cYMxdWp1_NpnHTNDg2eYQteB7uWCkgwYV0CdgrjwYhkGsC0GpMQpKFV_QK4eovDcJDeK1eGxVb5SXQxllUKnF9l2K_fZy1J_ueWcMjEA/s1600-h/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+042.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtHgQpWGa-ht5Iag0ow7DYpVpqLRMYoFRoN4cYMxdWp1_NpnHTNDg2eYQteB7uWCkgwYV0CdgrjwYhkGsC0GpMQpKFV_QK4eovDcJDeK1eGxVb5SXQxllUKnF9l2K_fZy1J_ueWcMjEA/s320/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322205785539538578" border="0" /></a><br />Cleansing hands before entering the shrine<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm29y7UuYw1iNhCfXwc1FpgCjEtyBeS9_QXXM3TRTW0xztiGoYugeNvLivCU77aVkNSLcgbeLz5IU7pdSJaanOlaw2AH1spm8yhJhtc_GGA03shBkxbBxCgSKiWwJvJ3OZrM3hKLl7Ww/s1600-h/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+049.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm29y7UuYw1iNhCfXwc1FpgCjEtyBeS9_QXXM3TRTW0xztiGoYugeNvLivCU77aVkNSLcgbeLz5IU7pdSJaanOlaw2AH1spm8yhJhtc_GGA03shBkxbBxCgSKiWwJvJ3OZrM3hKLl7Ww/s320/Day+with+Yumiko+and+Friends+April+2009+049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322205678895244882" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a poster that shows you what you're suppose to do before entering the shrine.<br /><br /><br />Hello! The cherry blossoms are in full swing here, and just like last year, they are gorgeous! Everyone is out and about enjoying them while they last, which isn't very long. Some of the blossoms are already starting to fall, and it creates a beautiful snowstorm-like effect.<br /><br />We had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, I helped Zach and the First Class Association that he belongs to serve hot dogs and hamburgers at the Kamiseya Cherry Blossom Festival. (Kamiseya is another local base.) I spoke with one of the festival organizers, and she expected close to 30,000 people to attend. I think they did, because we sold out of food at least three hours before the festival was scheduled to end! On Sunday, we took our friend Seiko, her daughter Neiro, and Neiro's friend to Camp Zama Army Base for the brunch buffet. Afterward, we went for a walk on the golf course, which was open to everyone for a few hours to view the cherry blossoms. The weather was so great, and I got some nice photos.<br /><br />Yesterday, I spent a lovely day with my oshie teacher, Yumiko, and three of her friends at her house near the town of Shonandai. Yumiko helped us make ring holders out of kimono fabric. And then she fed us a wonderful lunch. She lives near a beautiful shrine and a large number of cherry trees, so after lunch we headed outside for a walk and some more photo opportunities. I thought I'd share a few of them on this post, so enjoy!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-13923990476108932392009-03-20T12:18:00.003+09:002009-03-20T12:38:48.376+09:00Friday, March 20, 2009Hello! Well, we had a rather interesting Sunday this past week with our friends Ali, Kevin, and Andi at the Tagata Fertility Festival near Nagoya. Yes, you read that right---a fertility festival. We went with a base tour group, with no one under the age of 18 allowed. Why the age restriction? Well, let's just say that I don't dare put up photos for fear that Blogger will kick me off. Wait, it wasn't THAT bad. I mean, don't let your imagination take off too far on this one. It just wasn't what many Americans would consider appropriate for the younger crowd. That said, it was kind of refreshing to see a different culture's view on this topic and relative easygoing attitude. I think I've given you enough information that you can do some googling on this topic if you are so inclined. But you have been warned, and the photos out there are pretty crazy, so I wouldn't recommend doing "research" on a work computer unless you really don't like your job anymore. I spent a lot of the day laughing and absolutely amazed at what was being sold by food vendors. You would never, ever, ever see anything like this in the U.S., and I think that's the main reason why this festival is so popular with the American crowd over here. Apparently Kawasaki has it's own version that is even more entertaining, but I think one fertility festival is enough for me.<br /><br />I only had one rather embarrassing incident during the day, when a funny Kodak moment next to a wooden statue of a male body part (you can figure it out) went seriously wrong. Some old Japanese man decided it would be a better photo if my head were closer to this statue, and I didn't agree. He came right up to me and started pushing my head closer to the statue!!! All of this was recorded on camera by our friend Kevin, along with a large group of Japanese photography nuts who saw what was going on and thought they should also take part. I laughed it off, but I felt kind of grossed out after the fact. Yuck. May you all learn a lesson from my experience. :-) And no, Ali, you can't have a copy. No one can. :-)<br /><br />Japan is just filled with so many different things to experience. This was one that we won't forget---ever!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-23595860690067694422009-03-13T10:47:00.006+09:002009-03-13T10:52:38.070+09:00Friday, March 13, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyRHtFDPlh_qk5uqELUWKo-qUypV7obeScCosyjRZdSwlyhs9-TJI33YIbeEQAkp7apmtX4A-j0E3QJLWu0R9tGFtgSIDu3w-2mNhf_40wyFaG0JKxGOG_gXmrY_assUGFtCG5SyIunw/s1600-h/Hello+Kitty+Twister+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312483867260885346" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyRHtFDPlh_qk5uqELUWKo-qUypV7obeScCosyjRZdSwlyhs9-TJI33YIbeEQAkp7apmtX4A-j0E3QJLWu0R9tGFtgSIDu3w-2mNhf_40wyFaG0JKxGOG_gXmrY_assUGFtCG5SyIunw/s320/Hello+Kitty+Twister+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFtEKYWMFLKEIvvmcDA8C6UceCGtN8Sv07Pi46tYORtFxEhMTPqJXUszOVGKwP2P_Vo90t0vwe2U0Pe4uEqzUL6fUEh4B1qcrtnOghBjeIlrUjQ730Kcld9dwSgXeIz-YIh2HtUyvR60/s1600-h/Hello+Kitty+Twister+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312483738720238610" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFtEKYWMFLKEIvvmcDA8C6UceCGtN8Sv07Pi46tYORtFxEhMTPqJXUszOVGKwP2P_Vo90t0vwe2U0Pe4uEqzUL6fUEh4B1qcrtnOghBjeIlrUjQ730Kcld9dwSgXeIz-YIh2HtUyvR60/s320/Hello+Kitty+Twister+012.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLNCCMQRkuT4wfrgDn4vYcY5MN0o0nCpfjskjw9ksfAF9S3NBnLtG8p6xu4R_dJ7JYHBUUlCoBkj-nwEBaI0EZh-CVd0h07MW2-6Efm2wnHaB6r5TBJ_wpKvj7hC-3G3ue_MQCnzg7wk/s1600-h/Hello+Kitty+Twister+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312483652388517442" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLNCCMQRkuT4wfrgDn4vYcY5MN0o0nCpfjskjw9ksfAF9S3NBnLtG8p6xu4R_dJ7JYHBUUlCoBkj-nwEBaI0EZh-CVd0h07MW2-6Efm2wnHaB6r5TBJ_wpKvj7hC-3G3ue_MQCnzg7wk/s320/Hello+Kitty+Twister+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Ha! Ha! Ha! There aren't a lot of words needed for this post. I can't begin to describe how happy I was when I discovered this game the other day at our local secondhand shop for 350 yen, or around $3.50. Hello Kitty Twister?! Japan is amazing.</div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-25151413137393655422009-03-02T14:13:00.009+09:002009-03-02T14:53:25.057+09:00Monday, March 2, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhoMG369OEu2I4UAeAoHYnNpY59zKcBhITlIHlzqsOjoEDm7vaeC-5EQqlIRs9TWe87ge9RFIJ7HUB3iuNTt13tvqgtUJYN1r6dYvuhBG3IrPkRI-Pi1z1elVtRKNGMdX4GPw22OHiBk/s1600-h/Mt.+Rainier+Coffee+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308462339726745090" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhoMG369OEu2I4UAeAoHYnNpY59zKcBhITlIHlzqsOjoEDm7vaeC-5EQqlIRs9TWe87ge9RFIJ7HUB3iuNTt13tvqgtUJYN1r6dYvuhBG3IrPkRI-Pi1z1elVtRKNGMdX4GPw22OHiBk/s320/Mt.+Rainier+Coffee+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mt. Rainier. The Mountain. It's as familiar to me as the back of my hand, and I spent my whole life living in its shadow. I consider it one of my favorite destinations on Earth, and I have even talked about climbing it one day. (We'll see if that really comes true, but it's a nice thought in the meantime.) Whenever I see it, I know I am home. So imagine how surprised and perplexed I was when I first came across Mt. Rainier Coffee in the refrigerator section at a convenience store here in Japan. This is not a new find; I've known about it for a while but just didn't get around to sharing it with you. So am I the only one who thinks it is weird that this coffee exists in Japan but not Washington State, or at least not that I am aware of? And notice the strong resemblance to another Washington institution---ahem, can anyone say "Starbucks"? I did a bit of googling, and apparently there have been some discussions about logo copyright infringements (big surprise!), but I don't think anything has come of it yet.<br /><br />I can't end this post without also offering links to a few Mt. Rainier Coffee commercials. The first is a catchy little musical number that was fun the first couple of times I saw it, but now it is REALLY getting on my nerves: <a href="http://www.mt-rainier-cl.com/index.html#/Top/0">http://www.mt-rainier-cl.com/index.html#/Top/0</a> I never knew that coffee made so many people want to dance!<br /><br />The second is one from YouTube with Scarlett Johansson: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mHWYKKFuzo&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mHWYKKFuzo&feature=related</a> She also has a winter one where she's sitting in front of a fireplace drinking the coffee, but you'll have to find that on your own. It's not unusual to see American celebrities occasionally doing advertising spots over here. Tommy Lee Jones is often see on ads for Boss Coffee (another Japanese coffee brand), and I recently saw Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking Japanese in an ad promoting California tourism. Go Arnold.<br /><br />So, go enjoy a latte! I will enjoy my Mt. Rainier one. And yes, they taste pretty darn good.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-61647698455609742502009-02-25T14:08:00.005+09:002009-02-25T14:26:13.625+09:00Wednesday, February 25, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aJwXw7s3UU_66-Es2MYmMgXPGqJANiAZqGzs-4Ok4SUy1v0tbroS0Ujrtwm4UmibvX0pPsBbgfPuWjmf5Skis8tC4PG97h0Nm8yjxFy8dAFhictQYsphXQMgrKae8n-5iyS_Q4fNKY4/s1600-h/Kit+Kat+bar+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306601194481399634" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aJwXw7s3UU_66-Es2MYmMgXPGqJANiAZqGzs-4Ok4SUy1v0tbroS0Ujrtwm4UmibvX0pPsBbgfPuWjmf5Skis8tC4PG97h0Nm8yjxFy8dAFhictQYsphXQMgrKae8n-5iyS_Q4fNKY4/s320/Kit+Kat+bar+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />KitKat bars flavored with red beans? Yes, it's true!<br /><br />Hello! Recently I learned that Japan has several different flavors of KitKat bars. I'm not sure how this bit of information slipped by me since I seem to spend a fair amount of time in the candy aisle at our local convenience store. The only reason I can think of is that I might have glanced over the packaging as soon as I saw the word "KitKat." I mean, if there are all kinds of wonderful Japanese candies to try, why on earth would you waste your time with a KitKat bar? After doing a bit of googling, I discovered that there are many flavors of KitKats all around the world, and a nice person over at flickr has compiled a photo album of some of the varieties: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/friedtoast/sets/72157594224722117/">http://flickr.com/photos/friedtoast/sets/72157594224722117/</a><br /><br />Seiko brought me a gift of one of the KitKat bars flavored with Japanese red bean paste. The taste was unusual---not quite what I was expecting. Not bad, not great. I'll be on the lookout for more flavors. I promise.<br /><br />Oh, I can't end my blog today without sending birthday wishes to my nephew Henrik. He's 14 today! Or tomorrow, what with the time difference. Argh. You know what I mean!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-9045752279694876422009-02-20T12:51:00.021+09:002009-02-20T14:02:30.071+09:00Friday, February 20, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLB8JgTGybykI38eyH1yfQ_81GvEj2rcrImkeKot6fmCjI9uhAuEtmK6ObgGHBGXxRkVVnbkXn6PSGFICxJXlPfIeZeBQT-iNUevre0EYB_i4iHIP4VsgEHtVtk6jWIS80FYl_hZa-Gw/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728997186003074" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLB8JgTGybykI38eyH1yfQ_81GvEj2rcrImkeKot6fmCjI9uhAuEtmK6ObgGHBGXxRkVVnbkXn6PSGFICxJXlPfIeZeBQT-iNUevre0EYB_i4iHIP4VsgEHtVtk6jWIS80FYl_hZa-Gw/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Shrine for the Happy Cat? I'm not sure.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBok26s17jurnzO45ry_1dC5Ykit2WQCOPucpT0NAaPA-xSpLTiwc6P1Awb_mOOSQO2jRYd5XbYebq4kYSDqPvjy_yrwQGSVRp_j3XZ10jJM7AR8cp61jBcvX9DeNB-FsIFvigprzwtCc/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728902961923746" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBok26s17jurnzO45ry_1dC5Ykit2WQCOPucpT0NAaPA-xSpLTiwc6P1Awb_mOOSQO2jRYd5XbYebq4kYSDqPvjy_yrwQGSVRp_j3XZ10jJM7AR8cp61jBcvX9DeNB-FsIFvigprzwtCc/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+016.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Illuminated display during the day<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTei0II7GVTYb1IWaBE4COBbVAuh3_gsPpKS9n_BXKEeil8XxpDnx42RePr0vWWwxiARduNxXJc_FPtSz-G2OZKB166oYi93oICBhAv291NNBS_l2pe8axDmfRpDZ2KS9S13xEz6gdn0/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728806883515794" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTei0II7GVTYb1IWaBE4COBbVAuh3_gsPpKS9n_BXKEeil8XxpDnx42RePr0vWWwxiARduNxXJc_FPtSz-G2OZKB166oYi93oICBhAv291NNBS_l2pe8axDmfRpDZ2KS9S13xEz6gdn0/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+040.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Illuminated display at night<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm6ZcezrIkKghA6t963cShnfxAB7ysJajRp0ygXJ8l8loWJmWxXMrSCuuqjy-Gm1YSYqa4fPGRisVknOS_FqNyQFlZYbDt2rqyPBnK4vR_cJuRWXogdu1PhDaRbM8-aW4QFMJ-b5rslI/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+049.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728726394031426" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm6ZcezrIkKghA6t963cShnfxAB7ysJajRp0ygXJ8l8loWJmWxXMrSCuuqjy-Gm1YSYqa4fPGRisVknOS_FqNyQFlZYbDt2rqyPBnK4vR_cJuRWXogdu1PhDaRbM8-aW4QFMJ-b5rslI/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+049.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6Yuij_iAy-JB8aS8sEsmpUyhCPqHvMjN4ePj50vR8Mv63an4hEL0wUe7qowGVN8MvB08HgqPQUy6JRHQ61icyaquHvdpBPiHW__uq6gq4g_2m5pPTQtOiCfhpVoI6CYIQN8qewmpEFQ/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+061.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728625323106594" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6Yuij_iAy-JB8aS8sEsmpUyhCPqHvMjN4ePj50vR8Mv63an4hEL0wUe7qowGVN8MvB08HgqPQUy6JRHQ61icyaquHvdpBPiHW__uq6gq4g_2m5pPTQtOiCfhpVoI6CYIQN8qewmpEFQ/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+061.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqNdSEpY7oL8eJgIQM_VVXo9mr4li6v0q-BoIydllCV-Bpkyi-qBNiFWLNiea3esDf1OdMu4TS5DQoqC5V1pn31ZgJtGvjt_SaONKZ0NByfLhroE8dZ7-5OwjImNiKWpLCrlvULwDpOs/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+056.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728358670948290" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqNdSEpY7oL8eJgIQM_VVXo9mr4li6v0q-BoIydllCV-Bpkyi-qBNiFWLNiea3esDf1OdMu4TS5DQoqC5V1pn31ZgJtGvjt_SaONKZ0NByfLhroE8dZ7-5OwjImNiKWpLCrlvULwDpOs/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+056.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A cool wood-carving that we saw on display at this little bookstore near the restaurant<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXilqQXIxJyVwmCWF5aCzjpZNqTMkP6Y_W2tXWpADlHMug6RF_IPVO6wgFBrmTy2OmI4gh_oQzJjEdx9eP3YfvxLKEz8DX15GI31bD2aA1DH6VGzK9jJ-XjS0v04NLcN_t9FlvhacUs/s1600-h/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+060.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304728226498246450" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDXilqQXIxJyVwmCWF5aCzjpZNqTMkP6Y_W2tXWpADlHMug6RF_IPVO6wgFBrmTy2OmI4gh_oQzJjEdx9eP3YfvxLKEz8DX15GI31bD2aA1DH6VGzK9jJ-XjS0v04NLcN_t9FlvhacUs/s320/Gotemba+Valentine+Dinner+Feb+2009+060.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Mr. Owl<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0Y-7v7lADthwol7Nv1s11yUcfAS3JFOCnMt3dti1LTHbxoeKlRD3bWW4JiqKF4yfgrCz2lrSfK8vDihW3xHLaR_HFKS2z08O4zb2YILuOuRCVMOcyb9szSKGRu8jz8ITzuoRotkxHkc/s1600-h/easy+patchwork+picture+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304727869928623602" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0Y-7v7lADthwol7Nv1s11yUcfAS3JFOCnMt3dti1LTHbxoeKlRD3bWW4JiqKF4yfgrCz2lrSfK8vDihW3xHLaR_HFKS2z08O4zb2YILuOuRCVMOcyb9szSKGRu8jz8ITzuoRotkxHkc/s320/easy+patchwork+picture+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is called "easy patchwork." Easy? I don't think so.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip89VdNlh-edD5MUnoPVCPuCZ_QicQg0ukxLFSbOLMzIwvpn6BplXgcwQgqqZoFznL42LLGQD5SDbb6o1nhcfOY-ikMkrEY4FucJwO5GyPqRDcovcVqMq2eSKimogyjpcngwaJ7B6-v_0/s1600-h/easy+patchwork+picture+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304727736717814690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip89VdNlh-edD5MUnoPVCPuCZ_QicQg0ukxLFSbOLMzIwvpn6BplXgcwQgqqZoFznL42LLGQD5SDbb6o1nhcfOY-ikMkrEY4FucJwO5GyPqRDcovcVqMq2eSKimogyjpcngwaJ7B6-v_0/s320/easy+patchwork+picture+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvp6Np8udZqma1sNIaPNywq5vsOrQ6W1f-KkIt1S-673oXYRMkLF-xxh5UuBYzNedijyHTUpQL_ut3uPJSm5WLv5shGLgj-ge97mbSmlNotUwEUbodexSp5ndoEMHAhQKuk9SV-2m2ag/s1600-h/sock+puppy+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304727627710184786" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvp6Np8udZqma1sNIaPNywq5vsOrQ6W1f-KkIt1S-673oXYRMkLF-xxh5UuBYzNedijyHTUpQL_ut3uPJSm5WLv5shGLgj-ge97mbSmlNotUwEUbodexSp5ndoEMHAhQKuk9SV-2m2ag/s320/sock+puppy+009.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Glove puppy</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOkI3aH_02ecE86xRkqUb68XLFzdJM5nbWWIFyXN7RsZIWH-ClkqZ8Bg3LwmJKHMR2u6YMCvrvyzj-0NDr-g_ukd3J5WgR2ouds_es1m0amWIHnfOEzHa9KCuJjjUe_4qtGAhKGBzDEI/s1600-h/sock+puppy+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304727450405767762" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOkI3aH_02ecE86xRkqUb68XLFzdJM5nbWWIFyXN7RsZIWH-ClkqZ8Bg3LwmJKHMR2u6YMCvrvyzj-0NDr-g_ukd3J5WgR2ouds_es1m0amWIHnfOEzHa9KCuJjjUe_4qtGAhKGBzDEI/s320/sock+puppy+016.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Not sure what inspired me to put a shamrock on his bottom other than I thought it was cute because Zach is Irish.<br /><br /><div>Hello! I hope everyone is having a great Friday. I finally uploaded our photos from our Valentine's Day dinner last weekend and thought you might enjoy seeing our outing to the town of Gotemba at the base of Mt. Fuji. We went to a German all-you-can-eat buffet (strange choice, I know!) arranged by the base tour folks. The restaurant is located next to a park, which apparently puts together an illuminated display every year from January through March. The weather happened to be freakishly warm (Zach wore shorts!) on Saturday, and as a result, the poor plum blossoms around town are confused and starting to pop out. The weather is now back to its chilly ways, and today we got rain. </div><br /><div>I also wanted you to check out a couple of my latest craft projects. The first is a picture that I made from a kit that I bought at the Yokohama quilt show. It's name translated into English is "easy patchwork" but I wouldn't call it easy, and this is probably the only one I will make. The surface is covered with an adhesive, kind of like tape, and you cut your shapes from fabric and press them onto the surface with a sharp, pointed tool. It's not so hard with the large pieces, but once you get into the smaller and tighter areas, things start to get frustrating. Or at least they did for me. I was also working with directions in Japanese, relying heavily on photos and illustrations to get me through. Sometimes this was easy, and sometimes it wasn't. I should have asked Seiko or one of my other Japanese friends to translate them for me, but I was too impatient as usual.</div><br /><div>The other project is a dog that I made using a pair of gloves from the 100 yen shop. It's from the book <em>Sock and Glove</em> by Miyako Kanamori, a Japanese woman. It is now available in English if any of you are interested. She also recently came out with a second book called <em>Happy Gloves,</em> which I also own and recommend. The projects are so cute and easy. I made this little guy in a couple days, working on it off and on when I had time. </div><br /><div>Okay, that's it for today. Enjoy!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-34728303307711153212009-02-09T15:14:00.033+09:002009-02-10T17:25:59.688+09:00Tuesday, February 10, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNIOQnDK5KIoG4tn2N7pMJQ4SJZ1j_y43h68zM34MljnwyBhL3j7OvX4NY0v3_YBUaonUu5ouyl8nBcb6MZTNf6EyaM_LDSoNJxwaKKC2fkrqFlFrYqR-f32MLOzdhDpQ8bNL5_UoUkc/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+143.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301069674743218866" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNIOQnDK5KIoG4tn2N7pMJQ4SJZ1j_y43h68zM34MljnwyBhL3j7OvX4NY0v3_YBUaonUu5ouyl8nBcb6MZTNf6EyaM_LDSoNJxwaKKC2fkrqFlFrYqR-f32MLOzdhDpQ8bNL5_UoUkc/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+143.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance to the snow monkey park<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPmOv7JY5PXSoF_N0yI0H-ZK5i7KOwodgbUPteU6zqsXxdiEAWoMXOchkrPlR_PsQqi-ooN8kod368qNu6ylt5t_U-er1Dw0k1FSPLZ4cqlYk0gRNzBgKeGkeX2gfdPUp-RtUhDlYOow/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301069595388986162" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPmOv7JY5PXSoF_N0yI0H-ZK5i7KOwodgbUPteU6zqsXxdiEAWoMXOchkrPlR_PsQqi-ooN8kod368qNu6ylt5t_U-er1Dw0k1FSPLZ4cqlYk0gRNzBgKeGkeX2gfdPUp-RtUhDlYOow/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+015.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Because there is the situation...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKudq9T9k0tlC8rUSt1NcnHsh4WksByX8Cae-5sUAy6Z4aQkNsB9RV4kwwAaQDCqmQrFXrLzMkAfbkwzmHLcJ_7MtkAYI6C9KgV3Dcl_nm18zQjxSaptdfKt-47zDnHhINnHoNYztFGs/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301069441857191874" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKudq9T9k0tlC8rUSt1NcnHsh4WksByX8Cae-5sUAy6Z4aQkNsB9RV4kwwAaQDCqmQrFXrLzMkAfbkwzmHLcJ_7MtkAYI6C9KgV3Dcl_nm18zQjxSaptdfKt-47zDnHhINnHoNYztFGs/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, I had to make sure you saw this. My day started off with this lovely, wonderful roll shaped like Anpanman. To my surprise and delight, it was filled with chocolate pudding!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kENppZVr_qO971QUy9UG11I2isBkvH2bRJr7TaRX55_dMBW-5_vwXmq3JnOhl6QL36EsKXpt5MIG-B6CHsxlM0vrzBvBXTHm2HE2qQ3ZDmItZIZu3WDJuCi0NNdLW1IqZBkvBRutmpY/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301069133905882050" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kENppZVr_qO971QUy9UG11I2isBkvH2bRJr7TaRX55_dMBW-5_vwXmq3JnOhl6QL36EsKXpt5MIG-B6CHsxlM0vrzBvBXTHm2HE2qQ3ZDmItZIZu3WDJuCi0NNdLW1IqZBkvBRutmpY/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Zach is making sure that everything is safe ahead.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2EGaxUts1K3K8zgu0UhVLV88z85yepeR7twvjdpaSnahcj1t8UXmGiAgkCFZVsMSDmbvSvIYJnVGcdOxtrRne04sP7nHEgA9Yh3pVQJGMCok-h4xAn2FvoG0uUKaVL6-JStyh3IM2RY/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068986151280130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2EGaxUts1K3K8zgu0UhVLV88z85yepeR7twvjdpaSnahcj1t8UXmGiAgkCFZVsMSDmbvSvIYJnVGcdOxtrRne04sP7nHEgA9Yh3pVQJGMCok-h4xAn2FvoG0uUKaVL6-JStyh3IM2RY/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+034.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOSO0Z8SHf0TyFfwZaOHCTKabTdht_Yb2EPu-KhqV24CFhvHeWuc5AKP0kcNSbmAZ_xnB7cuLyac1CaVyoJ0XeXflsFgLp0NjupraMtc7HtXniseE10YES6pi5e0cx05Q7rnmkeIVcBs/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+046.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068906416474946" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOSO0Z8SHf0TyFfwZaOHCTKabTdht_Yb2EPu-KhqV24CFhvHeWuc5AKP0kcNSbmAZ_xnB7cuLyac1CaVyoJ0XeXflsFgLp0NjupraMtc7HtXniseE10YES6pi5e0cx05Q7rnmkeIVcBs/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+046.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />"Does the monkey see me?"<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ktdsd_lrrRaNxf-rh_I0kMeQOgotc1aEsM59YolG-Z7zOpDsTUvSsLmOANngMrmI5GbXkEasqCFFO_5ZJYnkMcZ54R6E8hsAjoSs0ANDQrWoQFx9gS-Efz2zss6n1R5PUUFITJ9g9-c/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+059.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068822153422610" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ktdsd_lrrRaNxf-rh_I0kMeQOgotc1aEsM59YolG-Z7zOpDsTUvSsLmOANngMrmI5GbXkEasqCFFO_5ZJYnkMcZ54R6E8hsAjoSs0ANDQrWoQFx9gS-Efz2zss6n1R5PUUFITJ9g9-c/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+059.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This monkey was too busy searching for food pellets thrown out by the park staff to notice me, thank goodness!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzqRowErL1L6IdempdahyphenhyphenpX21FeekFXbr6yqW2AgiTFCsY1oRrdjQR6A7R_OcLL6JMm9IP6Uvmso5iycvFcgSGAHO4pi5364-hnzafR1U70_IsbDb5Nwbsi7dBASaqCmuT4RnOJp6FQ0/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+060.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068686125146562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzqRowErL1L6IdempdahyphenhyphenpX21FeekFXbr6yqW2AgiTFCsY1oRrdjQR6A7R_OcLL6JMm9IP6Uvmso5iycvFcgSGAHO4pi5364-hnzafR1U70_IsbDb5Nwbsi7dBASaqCmuT4RnOJp6FQ0/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+060.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And this one too!</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU6Sv5qmaBiGd5rIKqGJeV9Igggkw6pbIODxnTxmBs0QUVjSRctxyai0TcGQOUQKlaWg8Nf6RTk6FDIEBPYln8BkiKc7mfwua80Evig_4ZbqDP3i3wNWPJfA8kFbz2SplFyHO3gDpRn0/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+112.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068585904734866" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU6Sv5qmaBiGd5rIKqGJeV9Igggkw6pbIODxnTxmBs0QUVjSRctxyai0TcGQOUQKlaWg8Nf6RTk6FDIEBPYln8BkiKc7mfwua80Evig_4ZbqDP3i3wNWPJfA8kFbz2SplFyHO3gDpRn0/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+112.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTyepHOyZSZS2BHMtubQyhq5RwQi32J7jPOhw9oc3olFIVmHivgGKuYnCELJ4m-293sjPgKDH1WWr5VdY6AJdzR01MkzM0dZyBFKUyZfZ4n7wlI_oksx_zM5lqJ5mjfmAM-pBJxQ1Fg0/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+110.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068393608735330" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTyepHOyZSZS2BHMtubQyhq5RwQi32J7jPOhw9oc3olFIVmHivgGKuYnCELJ4m-293sjPgKDH1WWr5VdY6AJdzR01MkzM0dZyBFKUyZfZ4n7wlI_oksx_zM5lqJ5mjfmAM-pBJxQ1Fg0/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+110.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnD58ob9M-6AJoRX80fis1IOdXA4o2TJDzAK0KCb7lyTLTymhNi7LDx8mh1jXL_Q3KeFfkOCQISa_Vf1kyk1GckNT9wGvAZEpvgPfDQY0xBgROmU5nYOUeH6ercekwm8dU7duKzCQt28/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+099.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301070838308210546" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnD58ob9M-6AJoRX80fis1IOdXA4o2TJDzAK0KCb7lyTLTymhNi7LDx8mh1jXL_Q3KeFfkOCQISa_Vf1kyk1GckNT9wGvAZEpvgPfDQY0xBgROmU5nYOUeH6ercekwm8dU7duKzCQt28/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+099.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM2qzOHxyqAAhgwUzbdfDUeUawsev9Ic-4vtUzKmnlVf6ODSblSGOiGLfcv57SYcXhhy7W5F93QMaHp7rf9NdDaRvBPVuelM5Xxu9Qo7q4mxLVYmQ4XMzptJkiyzLtVLELYD6D6o8dUc/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+116.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068294192597330" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM2qzOHxyqAAhgwUzbdfDUeUawsev9Ic-4vtUzKmnlVf6ODSblSGOiGLfcv57SYcXhhy7W5F93QMaHp7rf9NdDaRvBPVuelM5Xxu9Qo7q4mxLVYmQ4XMzptJkiyzLtVLELYD6D6o8dUc/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+116.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBN0iv8BEYmCHECutRJh1Xf_tcwO6iG7x3ESmU1PNsw67qu33rlhBZB3O6wg5EBbbIVo-UbrNHXd0QfAKzCiymArxeGvYND3d5_qofeSEIUw_JAaVHMJK_Q2Au5CKIY66KFwNWDuYjnQ/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+122.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301068166011099122" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBN0iv8BEYmCHECutRJh1Xf_tcwO6iG7x3ESmU1PNsw67qu33rlhBZB3O6wg5EBbbIVo-UbrNHXd0QfAKzCiymArxeGvYND3d5_qofeSEIUw_JAaVHMJK_Q2Au5CKIY66KFwNWDuYjnQ/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+122.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1BH8fztyDDA9tqBAhphp48jwWTtYSJj081kza9u0MKzlNI9aDn0I-VhFwP4KUIcmkV_flbiYLBEipkIrgqdtQ-kHgOUGa2Aggoh2iFN4iJcNnDtK6Dz_k1yTP4QvY2-uiNsh8s1bwAU/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+124.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066608012207090" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1BH8fztyDDA9tqBAhphp48jwWTtYSJj081kza9u0MKzlNI9aDn0I-VhFwP4KUIcmkV_flbiYLBEipkIrgqdtQ-kHgOUGa2Aggoh2iFN4iJcNnDtK6Dz_k1yTP4QvY2-uiNsh8s1bwAU/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+124.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lmL09QGW3D3ktcEKk6nJtGHw7p-qT-a8fBML6xl8LaCvL6tF5Lkyb4dG8amqaJukaxh_Zad_KZYyiBEs0DJDbYJX_Vdb5zbb4VuiSyX7QozToSXxkb2LpRT_SjodL-wR7GB4Yse1t4M/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+128.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066502734698466" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lmL09QGW3D3ktcEKk6nJtGHw7p-qT-a8fBML6xl8LaCvL6tF5Lkyb4dG8amqaJukaxh_Zad_KZYyiBEs0DJDbYJX_Vdb5zbb4VuiSyX7QozToSXxkb2LpRT_SjodL-wR7GB4Yse1t4M/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+128.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzVUta7qpEDHqcF_89IdHEhsiXISpuHfYmVtN4IrWmCOsgSZruh219ovVvU1bfuFME0x9M3ctxBsMJk-pJZsCH0_Fi4OHJNEWGhGj0RtKZh-v0upAv-_hSv6nqvdo4IazGQMpaSlN8D8/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+130.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066427500873378" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzVUta7qpEDHqcF_89IdHEhsiXISpuHfYmVtN4IrWmCOsgSZruh219ovVvU1bfuFME0x9M3ctxBsMJk-pJZsCH0_Fi4OHJNEWGhGj0RtKZh-v0upAv-_hSv6nqvdo4IazGQMpaSlN8D8/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+130.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8HpKUXFg6Rjw7zP26RZQI2B8bODOGhw59VR1t28Sdw51YIdHGuQEZufPsb76lGpouQ98UrIbv1mL9jERFgOkUt8SQ-swibcbmEOahLR94vRKj_Sz4TBl_5ttyt-Q265IqPs_x6w841k/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+148.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066336911311186" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8HpKUXFg6Rjw7zP26RZQI2B8bODOGhw59VR1t28Sdw51YIdHGuQEZufPsb76lGpouQ98UrIbv1mL9jERFgOkUt8SQ-swibcbmEOahLR94vRKj_Sz4TBl_5ttyt-Q265IqPs_x6w841k/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+148.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />View of the mountains surrounding Nagano<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVHVB2eTq-c-UAdpy-MXOvCQ0PbURJ_KPKJO2zZaZokUddHX9JN66XYRWWuNOe-bG9j1L57tE_kZopVU7nE7QuTPzvZX8BnQp7rtf-OH9sjGxWIU1nXAIXMoOet-eDCXxLAbDeQghXGc/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+152.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066249936923858" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVHVB2eTq-c-UAdpy-MXOvCQ0PbURJ_KPKJO2zZaZokUddHX9JN66XYRWWuNOe-bG9j1L57tE_kZopVU7nE7QuTPzvZX8BnQp7rtf-OH9sjGxWIU1nXAIXMoOet-eDCXxLAbDeQghXGc/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+152.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBy2Vyi1tMswrX2wZ7mZGH_rgyL2yBogdAPC63FaCGzLvNivufNQUVGuijN4x0d41hAiaFbnaz0rNvQZImn5to_yxi0RQDWMId3ViAz6k6RDcKkSQEkq0ARB7UQ_PiTdpMifn-elH1RU/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+154.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066164095160562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBy2Vyi1tMswrX2wZ7mZGH_rgyL2yBogdAPC63FaCGzLvNivufNQUVGuijN4x0d41hAiaFbnaz0rNvQZImn5to_yxi0RQDWMId3ViAz6k6RDcKkSQEkq0ARB7UQ_PiTdpMifn-elH1RU/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+154.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJKvW_8Nd7JTeJtDq3zCSjzUdPSfsxbE4Lz9GnkfsroAuVvDl-w5ajsDd9mKNva9hMXypeUyfKorNGWEBl0VzOCtZNBIE8UdQOEq0DNAHux2O5_CmJDtjEn4esOlRfxOrj0Cak6UhiBU/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+165.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066085017380722" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJKvW_8Nd7JTeJtDq3zCSjzUdPSfsxbE4Lz9GnkfsroAuVvDl-w5ajsDd9mKNva9hMXypeUyfKorNGWEBl0VzOCtZNBIE8UdQOEq0DNAHux2O5_CmJDtjEn4esOlRfxOrj0Cak6UhiBU/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+165.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Cute tiger I saw along the way<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNS_qd2WOiAMMPXPzXwq7nkX-S2PATc1EPRCCnx9-bKc4pMK687SLVxLQpPfVbkvjLlaitwAX0Ows1PCA02-XCEhW6DNofhtMNtjaea7wG3nlWHRf_HdHLLM7rejMbkq5XfKkvajCQYw/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+177.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301066010487389810" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNS_qd2WOiAMMPXPzXwq7nkX-S2PATc1EPRCCnx9-bKc4pMK687SLVxLQpPfVbkvjLlaitwAX0Ows1PCA02-XCEhW6DNofhtMNtjaea7wG3nlWHRf_HdHLLM7rejMbkq5XfKkvajCQYw/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+177.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Zenkoji Temple<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR_5dNGZe2gp_vZGqJ07PAuR2mcV0WwGhB5ZfIpWQUe4UizW2Fo5onMYwd-CGGWCWCKRze3_u6emKs4FdSNQ8yh92kKNla4ljle9wVqgLfpEs8plNwP5EARgd2yRe5BDHFhvYX4POThs/s1600-h/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+191.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301065906096860466" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR_5dNGZe2gp_vZGqJ07PAuR2mcV0WwGhB5ZfIpWQUe4UizW2Fo5onMYwd-CGGWCWCKRze3_u6emKs4FdSNQ8yh92kKNla4ljle9wVqgLfpEs8plNwP5EARgd2yRe5BDHFhvYX4POThs/s320/Snow+Monkey+Trip+February+2009+191.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Hello! We had a very busy day on Saturday, taking a five-hour bus trip (one way!) to Nagano, where the 1998 winter Olympics were held. Our mission: to see the snow monkeys bathing in the natural hot springs at the Jigokudani Monkey Park. And the monkeys did not disappoint. Yes, it was a long bus ride and a bit of a hike in to the area where the monkeys hang out, but I thought it was great to see them up close. They have a live webcam, so you can all see them if you wish. Here's the address: <a href="http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/">http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/</a> We were told not to the stare at the monkeys or they would try to attack you, and we also were told not to feed the monkeys either. I was surprised at how close we got to them. The caretakers of the grounds threw out food pellets around the area so the monkeys were digging for the pellets in the snow when we got there.</div><br /><div>The area of Nagano is just gorgeous, and I took some nice pictures of the surrounding mountains. It made me miss Washington a lot. They grow a ton of apples in this area of Japan, and we saw many apple orchards covered in snow along the way.</div><br /><div>The second half of our tour included a stop at the Zenkoji Temple. It was a very busy place on Saturday, and we had difficulty hearing our tour guide, who was soft-spoken. As a result, we had no idea why we were all guided down this dark staircase and into a tunnel that was absolutely pitch-black. I held on to Zach, who was in front of me, and I just slid along the floor (you have to take your shoes off in temples in Japan). I kept asking, "Why are we doing this?" and no one around me could tell me why. At the time I kept thinking to myself, "What if there was an earthquake right now, with all these people underneath a temple, in the dark, in a tunnel/maze thing, and no idea how to get out?" Of course, I kept my crazy thoughts to myself until afterward (I wasn't about to start a stampede!), but really, how could you not think of it? So, do you want to know why we went on this little trek? Apparently the metal Key to Paradise is hanging on a wall along the way, and you are supposed to touch it to gain enlightenment and a future in paradise. Neither Zach nor I touched the key, so no paradise for us I guess! There was no way I was going back down into that corridor of creepiness to find paradise, and Zach wasn't volunteering either.</div><br /><div></div><div>I hope you enjoy our photos from the trip. It was another great day in Japan!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-38511401022904062752009-01-28T15:34:00.016+09:002009-01-28T16:12:40.458+09:00Wednesday, January 28, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEaMwIz8Dtz0ckbYPbmSvCNgRQIYYQwSV5LxwdKB6tQE9_r1b9WhMbitFVNn7G-JakRbY6yXbZE5meYPNoGIIuC40vWe2m1eZsWCIWOG9_oCz7J8oQk3Ni1Un3u58gVw2CXNDdmlSEGc/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296236211045065826" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEaMwIz8Dtz0ckbYPbmSvCNgRQIYYQwSV5LxwdKB6tQE9_r1b9WhMbitFVNn7G-JakRbY6yXbZE5meYPNoGIIuC40vWe2m1eZsWCIWOG9_oCz7J8oQk3Ni1Un3u58gVw2CXNDdmlSEGc/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Japanese rice that they make mochi with<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2WAPui-f0qeBeUW4GLWGbPYkfrbL6udJ9MhTWVs90xDvThef7_AkE8w5EjonpmfaqOyGCkNP-_ZG_1BPyNDUpe1RXrwZKnRtxDcAtF2nezS2-aF7R48RPcECcmJM9lkM4fl28P9C_5I/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296236132273493330" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2WAPui-f0qeBeUW4GLWGbPYkfrbL6udJ9MhTWVs90xDvThef7_AkE8w5EjonpmfaqOyGCkNP-_ZG_1BPyNDUpe1RXrwZKnRtxDcAtF2nezS2-aF7R48RPcECcmJM9lkM4fl28P9C_5I/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+017.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />You can also buy the mochi already packaged and ready to roast<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXRiHGBbUJN7ZG3vSxd5vuCT79C0jKUJlUsC9BqR4BfGkItyRwaV0rXUccCAI1MYcLEAJmCH5q6srke-NA44o0N_5UXJ9ASwXOROZBsTyOymk9h6BzDbv6DlE7W8BxIp6dJMqNi0_BL8/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296236038335969218" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXRiHGBbUJN7ZG3vSxd5vuCT79C0jKUJlUsC9BqR4BfGkItyRwaV0rXUccCAI1MYcLEAJmCH5q6srke-NA44o0N_5UXJ9ASwXOROZBsTyOymk9h6BzDbv6DlE7W8BxIp6dJMqNi0_BL8/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Roasting the mochi<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtApo_D6_sMhmNrMAsPBCcoOcoRF26Ao8UmxFlMhrJs57t6Hy-Y8FJvSyEU4AVgJC0o7w4gcbhcfkGNXvpvBNBx2KXU49Yuei6-MnUv-6v4UiANUN7IN-YwSkQkIa_b1F9ShOyDGjvl8E/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235922481237970" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtApo_D6_sMhmNrMAsPBCcoOcoRF26Ao8UmxFlMhrJs57t6Hy-Y8FJvSyEU4AVgJC0o7w4gcbhcfkGNXvpvBNBx2KXU49Yuei6-MnUv-6v4UiANUN7IN-YwSkQkIa_b1F9ShOyDGjvl8E/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ruffy the dog---isn't he cute?!<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW4j4m1cujN9x0mgWgu0c97FDj2tqzFThanMw06Pymy1cFosMSPiLd2OifZoclBTwLaQeZvwOBA-14tg7Cuxy9EITq6RIDR26WbUQ9sigiDg5pjFy-TrXcfZ4mCSXJgqIXFfiCCk6hlA/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235828878763186" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW4j4m1cujN9x0mgWgu0c97FDj2tqzFThanMw06Pymy1cFosMSPiLd2OifZoclBTwLaQeZvwOBA-14tg7Cuxy9EITq6RIDR26WbUQ9sigiDg5pjFy-TrXcfZ4mCSXJgqIXFfiCCk6hlA/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-vsGZJ1bCkpexXRmOoR-zMBQLeRuwTi6waZNX0a81Kbu_2DeqEIuzqBUkQkOI9wfiMnASFAEf4DHlUphsK9vsULNosyA4_Q42ehxILnsA6AN22vJNSvTH-VvRO2TEn9sou5LuYQte4M/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235755799268418" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-vsGZJ1bCkpexXRmOoR-zMBQLeRuwTi6waZNX0a81Kbu_2DeqEIuzqBUkQkOI9wfiMnASFAEf4DHlUphsK9vsULNosyA4_Q42ehxILnsA6AN22vJNSvTH-VvRO2TEn9sou5LuYQte4M/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's ready to add to the soup</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM0-eJzLexxiLT5TtpI4RFXW_c7C5uj_CxwPoY8uLpArNV_SvInMHN8FlgWEQm3ecd0RDzp4oqVLkdTh3yJ3I6eXUeAkul9EFEj8wJHLIxfnp5TDVp-yBebaZlDwtQvYm60X4DnnB_nQ/s1600-h/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+011.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235675814835842" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM0-eJzLexxiLT5TtpI4RFXW_c7C5uj_CxwPoY8uLpArNV_SvInMHN8FlgWEQm3ecd0RDzp4oqVLkdTh3yJ3I6eXUeAkul9EFEj8wJHLIxfnp5TDVp-yBebaZlDwtQvYm60X4DnnB_nQ/s320/Day+with+Makiko+Jan+2009+011.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ozouni---soup with mochi<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYQPEsUOpbzxz7qLazVOduMPkBJYggSE09lug6xm2MkSvhN73q4pRKcQ7HeJfIDlTyDm7zLQyf3nbi4E0BlXFQPlipNEQoEP4pGhnIsXQYhs5suwujuuqb6CGtrwNpkoakTMvDTjR9u4/s1600-h/boots+and+chocolate+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235559072964994" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYQPEsUOpbzxz7qLazVOduMPkBJYggSE09lug6xm2MkSvhN73q4pRKcQ7HeJfIDlTyDm7zLQyf3nbi4E0BlXFQPlipNEQoEP4pGhnIsXQYhs5suwujuuqb6CGtrwNpkoakTMvDTjR9u4/s320/boots+and+chocolate+012.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hello Kitty chocolate!<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ4cGjzU2IErjXFb5ey1r6GvGFu6Jm4cQMWXHh0iNeXyEYv5aCQ0_dBKwwiB6zVB73jmOov16GAv86VxJsCDCoV7Q5D0VM3ScjEnvyQ_LtbYop95RE20bX5Ei73N6nX2NVrEPqR7lB2E/s1600-h/boots+and+chocolate+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235483252108994" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ4cGjzU2IErjXFb5ey1r6GvGFu6Jm4cQMWXHh0iNeXyEYv5aCQ0_dBKwwiB6zVB73jmOov16GAv86VxJsCDCoV7Q5D0VM3ScjEnvyQ_LtbYop95RE20bX5Ei73N6nX2NVrEPqR7lB2E/s320/boots+and+chocolate+016.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yum!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7JbT0uubUkbwyeS8MqZ3rTbZAY1Nn6Syrw_YXTyePGVJOImEuTS60Er1lE7ylQKeLxuxHjEfDVuoMqXGIzM5XW4c4Iku_g9M9sy-Dye5FX4C4YKU_jkxN-_FRVJvoUXEU1iJ2eZ6Z40/s1600-h/boots+and+chocolate+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235389883179458" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7JbT0uubUkbwyeS8MqZ3rTbZAY1Nn6Syrw_YXTyePGVJOImEuTS60Er1lE7ylQKeLxuxHjEfDVuoMqXGIzM5XW4c4Iku_g9M9sy-Dye5FX4C4YKU_jkxN-_FRVJvoUXEU1iJ2eZ6Z40/s320/boots+and+chocolate+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />My boot kitties!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6aNVJljEIT2BtU0T6Z030fNsoSf_M3ZKmRoTXtNJh5W82CWbuZOW4td7IpeaqWhuydEqEjIE6SSxp-nX6Z151rVxGxT4VUpMDerZu7N7n9r36iIDW-TJNOflYweXoOh1M9nVa0PcEow/s1600-h/boots+and+chocolate+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296235309078784562" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6aNVJljEIT2BtU0T6Z030fNsoSf_M3ZKmRoTXtNJh5W82CWbuZOW4td7IpeaqWhuydEqEjIE6SSxp-nX6Z151rVxGxT4VUpMDerZu7N7n9r36iIDW-TJNOflYweXoOh1M9nVa0PcEow/s320/boots+and+chocolate+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Hello! Is it cold where you are? It's super cold here! The Japanese word is "samui."<br /><br />Yesterday I was at my friend Makiko's, and she taught me how to make a few dishes with mochi, a dense rice cake that you roast. I took a few pictures of the mochi roasting. We had a soup called "ozouni" with the mochi in it, and a dessert made of mochi, ground soy beans, and sugar that is called "abekawa mochi." Both were very tasty and Makiko sent me home with some of the supplies, so I'll have to try and make it on my own now. While we were cooking, their family dog Ruffy joined us. He is such a sweetheart and a big dog for Japan. He is a beautiful black flatcoat retriever.</div><br /><div>And after a fun day with Makiko, I came home to find that my dear husband had bought me a surprise present---Hello Kitty chocolate! In case you're wondering, the chocolate is quite tasty.</div><br /><div>My Thursday washi class is back in action after our instructor took a break over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We'll be working on making a box with a lid tomorrow. At home I've been working a kit that I bought at the Yokohama Quilt Show a few months ago. It involves pressing pieces of fabric into a styrofoam board with a sharp, pointed tool to make an image. When I'm done, I'll show you, but right now it still needs some work. It looked easier than I'm finding it to be, and I'm also trying to figure out the instructions by a) trial and error and b)looking at pictures rather than trying to read the Japanese characters!</div><br /><div>While I was home in October, I bought myself a pair of black boots. (I haven't bought a single pair of shoes while I've been here because nothing fits me! Grrrr. ) Boots are very popular here and everyone wears them. The stores have these cool little stuffed things that you can put inside your boots to keep them standing upright. Some have cute little animals on top, and I finally bought myself a pair of boot kitties this past week. I snapped a photo so you can see what I'm talking about. Enjoy!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-8832381052651980832009-01-13T15:50:00.016+09:002009-01-13T16:29:05.947+09:00Tuesday, January 13, 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ7dkfeK6GgttWs7mpFWzzULPfkV7uHrQLGtiEi4c1EKgkUuHmR3FrF2BkJld4FC_o6bn1RfDhCIiAM4FAaAZgLYbR-kHdaUrdaQGmleP1AsW6HjUDe52bIoo8ZM1wAPkK4j89DrMTkw/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675368476778450" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ7dkfeK6GgttWs7mpFWzzULPfkV7uHrQLGtiEi4c1EKgkUuHmR3FrF2BkJld4FC_o6bn1RfDhCIiAM4FAaAZgLYbR-kHdaUrdaQGmleP1AsW6HjUDe52bIoo8ZM1wAPkK4j89DrMTkw/s320/Adult+Day+2009+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Group of 20-year-olds celebrating Coming of Age Day<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwh1rE7xszxRCRuz4SdOERmQ0vJOiA5wO1ZKpIIPcM3jYjQ0nVSlTE45I6M9cF-rf0-MvX64rCL4LlZjDUjyMWyu6CZVBqAdq2tJsmSrNWNORXugV9tusSm8Y1_VHplqZfnkHNCmigiY/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675303842524930" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwh1rE7xszxRCRuz4SdOERmQ0vJOiA5wO1ZKpIIPcM3jYjQ0nVSlTE45I6M9cF-rf0-MvX64rCL4LlZjDUjyMWyu6CZVBqAdq2tJsmSrNWNORXugV9tusSm8Y1_VHplqZfnkHNCmigiY/s320/Adult+Day+2009+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Aren't their kimonos just gorgeous?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tcsQfiA7VteE76eKYC8tmNiUnYpynLBBfoF3BLJt5Sewe-pcAl73QvuXDYkX445K-C0-_NbqXU1hbU9i8PIMwE0hE8Jv07LSBc4PcxYHfd6d-7M_QJK2IOgD6s4ajiPeDQGQvKSO3Wk/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675236934534418" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tcsQfiA7VteE76eKYC8tmNiUnYpynLBBfoF3BLJt5Sewe-pcAl73QvuXDYkX445K-C0-_NbqXU1hbU9i8PIMwE0hE8Jv07LSBc4PcxYHfd6d-7M_QJK2IOgD6s4ajiPeDQGQvKSO3Wk/s320/Adult+Day+2009+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't see many guys wearing kimonos. This was a fun photo.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-wgrXcuSEuyWc7kkbrbOzIINAlV-f_8ZlA51SUPyKOSnC0hPOlnOj0CBYoCUD_UnblNnlUQgQWMpi_BEvMoF7TvM4KxsaEMYJfR_9D8FmRYL6zkZGXXjcRVz9YCwibyCv3N7doGTnAs/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675164963006546" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-wgrXcuSEuyWc7kkbrbOzIINAlV-f_8ZlA51SUPyKOSnC0hPOlnOj0CBYoCUD_UnblNnlUQgQWMpi_BEvMoF7TvM4KxsaEMYJfR_9D8FmRYL6zkZGXXjcRVz9YCwibyCv3N7doGTnAs/s320/Adult+Day+2009+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />These girls were really sweet. The one on the left had gold sparkles in her hair!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tyq2XRhb37F2s8LNk_7zxx1_u8OHR9rcRwmtTI0IVV9kXbO_ePbBToy9ctEMZ5VAfgqfxlQ1GG5LFEV60txKVG1EVYJkQds2wXFEoEwEJ3fIdt15uq8kjwGa7eeJQS9Bot8GqJJg6Mo/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009+011.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675088389588034" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tyq2XRhb37F2s8LNk_7zxx1_u8OHR9rcRwmtTI0IVV9kXbO_ePbBToy9ctEMZ5VAfgqfxlQ1GG5LFEV60txKVG1EVYJkQds2wXFEoEwEJ3fIdt15uq8kjwGa7eeJQS9Bot8GqJJg6Mo/s320/Adult+Day+2009+011.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I felt like a really sloppy American standing next to these two.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAgqpiX-WAPF3VDcjMlN_XLPDwaFLBYIxoWPgm__VdQwrvK6hm15-x4ERlPqul7K-0vr0Dta_DE4QsK0-IGB7zwuG4cZV42zgc0sOgbRoyslKEsOpNZ0bUnIRHOdOdw9EuUhqN5UeXJ8/s1600-h/Adult+Day+2009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290675023507310066" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAgqpiX-WAPF3VDcjMlN_XLPDwaFLBYIxoWPgm__VdQwrvK6hm15-x4ERlPqul7K-0vr0Dta_DE4QsK0-IGB7zwuG4cZV42zgc0sOgbRoyslKEsOpNZ0bUnIRHOdOdw9EuUhqN5UeXJ8/s320/Adult+Day+2009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yukiko and Seiko<br /><br /><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhJiEGpwcxthiPmX_3tWB8lX0oNWWGivg7b6w7VtKfLcrYcubQjXmpgSXFnesv_nNNslFfBE7Rdd8A9wSbHWn3osLM0wZOSVT7AgH5ng7AWLlXgvtSWRogYLHQv0MSUNfp2J8B1ypy9g/s1600-h/New+Year+2009+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290674653096379954" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhJiEGpwcxthiPmX_3tWB8lX0oNWWGivg7b6w7VtKfLcrYcubQjXmpgSXFnesv_nNNslFfBE7Rdd8A9wSbHWn3osLM0wZOSVT7AgH5ng7AWLlXgvtSWRogYLHQv0MSUNfp2J8B1ypy9g/s320/New+Year+2009+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our door wreath for the New Year holiday<br /><br /><div>Hello and welcome to my blog for 2009---a little late. I hope everyone had a good rest during the holidays. I am recovering from a rather yucky chest cold and feeling much better. Yesterday I got out and about with Seiko and her friend Yukiko. The second Monday in January is called "Seijin No Hi" in Japan, which means "Coming of Age Day." It is a national holiday to celebrate 20-year-olds and their new status as adults. The 20-year-olds dress up in kimonos and nice suits, and they visit temples, shrines, and city halls to celebrate. At the age of 20, they can vote, drink, smoke, and marry without their parents' permission. Seiko drove me to Zama City Hall, where a bunch of the 20-year-olds were just leaving the building. Seiko taught me how to ask "Can I please take your picture?" in Japanese. Every group I asked was so sweet and a little surprised that I wanted to take their picture. I was stunned at how gorgeous their kimonos are, and a couple of the girls let me stand next to them in one of the photos. I felt like a clunky and very sloppy American standing next to them.</div><br /><div>After our trip to city hall, we met Seiko's friend Yukiko at Ebina for lunch. We went to this really yummy organic, all-you-can-eat buffet. I stayed close to Seiko to make sure I wasn't eating something too weird, but everything was really tasty. It was very nice to meet Yukiko. She is a busy lady with six (!!!) boys, the youngest of which is two years old!</div><br /><div>So I have something rather funny to share. One of my photos for this post is of a little cow and a straw wreath. It's a traditional ornament that you hang on your door here to welcome in the new year. I saw it at the store and thought it was cute, so I bought it. I figured that the writing said something like "Happy New Year." But classic Ellen strikes again. When Seiko came to pick me up yesterday she told me that the sign on the wreath means "Drive safely." Drive safely?! What the heck? They must have had 20 different styles, and I managed to buy the one wreath that you are suppose to hang in your car! Seiko said that about five years ago or so it was really popular to decorate your car for the new year, but not so much now. I bet the cashier at the store thought I was crazy when I bought the thing, and come to think of it, there were a bunch of people picking out wreaths and no one was buying the version that I bought. So, here's my New Year message for all you---drive safely in 2009, okay? </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-79881407490339166802008-12-25T11:40:00.008+09:002008-12-25T12:08:15.252+09:00Thursday, December 25, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RsScMyYHuRtiXoUmR-JBAEKJRC0IpAVag-rsEwtQPJq5URHFa48fzDxwLSevQ4rpkzh3WkaH2MacjBF4fkJIt4Sp8k9frKnRJufALRAiFcVCQpUYhs3iMGLsL0tCWQMfQFJmrKLugwI/s1600-h/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283557958826086546" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RsScMyYHuRtiXoUmR-JBAEKJRC0IpAVag-rsEwtQPJq5URHFa48fzDxwLSevQ4rpkzh3WkaH2MacjBF4fkJIt4Sp8k9frKnRJufALRAiFcVCQpUYhs3iMGLsL0tCWQMfQFJmrKLugwI/s320/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Reindeer Man and Reindeer Hello Kitty wish you a very Merry Christmas!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOmeJdmQpcESisTqg0yRvHJmpmEAk_nXhWdaYSSPltEQ8KoPRD4IoJWjcpHkBOcKDxAEezhuj9r2ugPTafvjhvVwKMwt_fTEuBReM_afAUC-jUFdql4uo_YTxp4ricRwdC_6GGp9b5s0/s1600-h/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283557871085793682" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOmeJdmQpcESisTqg0yRvHJmpmEAk_nXhWdaYSSPltEQ8KoPRD4IoJWjcpHkBOcKDxAEezhuj9r2ugPTafvjhvVwKMwt_fTEuBReM_afAUC-jUFdql4uo_YTxp4ricRwdC_6GGp9b5s0/s320/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+027.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our Christmas Cake for 2008!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqU8PHldXpNWy-vCIske6DSMqbvTs7DRSTSZTEN89cu5EAkxHahwJXKZ_3zA23eCe7or4lZ6PCtYyRWJDN0N7-GiqhwMRX7wMU5RvHKnpf9kb_WV2lCujnT-YwEZHzeEp1KPse6UePq4/s1600-h/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283557754124586434" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqU8PHldXpNWy-vCIske6DSMqbvTs7DRSTSZTEN89cu5EAkxHahwJXKZ_3zA23eCe7or4lZ6PCtYyRWJDN0N7-GiqhwMRX7wMU5RvHKnpf9kb_WV2lCujnT-YwEZHzeEp1KPse6UePq4/s320/Christmas+Hello+Kitty+and+Cake+042.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Happy Merry Christmas!</div><br /><div>It's hard to believe that Christmas is already here. Most everyone back in the States is just now getting to their Christmas Eve, but here in Japan we are well into Christmas Day. Zach had to work the 24-hour shift over Christmas Eve, so I took the bus to the base last night and had dinner with him. When he got home this morning, we opened our presents and ate some breakfast, and now he is fast asleep. We plan to have a quiet day at home together. I hope to make rommegrot for dinner tonight, an incredibly rich Norwegian porridge-type dish made of cream and milk, with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. Mmmmm---yum!</div><br /><div>Yesterday I got a call from my friend Carlina, inviting me to visit the school that she teaches English at. I forgot to bring my camera and was kind of bummed about that, but it was still very interesting to get a chance to see what a Japanese school is like. Most schools here are plain, concrete structures. If there weren't an attached schoolyard with yelling children playing sports, you might not know that it was a school. Classes were already dismissed for the holidays at Carlina's school, but the teachers were still there. I had to take my shoes off when I entered the building and put slippers on! While I was there, I met the principal, the vice principal, and a few of the other teachers she works with. Everyone I met was so nice. The major difference I noticed from American schools is that the classrooms belong to the kids. Carlina explained that the teachers go to the the classrooms, and when they aren't in a classroom, they share their desk or work space in one giant room with all the other teachers. This means that they have very little storage space, and their desks are loaded down with all their classroom materials and computers. </div><br /><div>As you can see in my pictures, Reindeer Man has a new Reindeer Hello Kitty friend that Santa brought. And after my school trip yesterday, I went to Ebina and made my way through the crowds to buy our Japanese Christmas Cake for 2008. I'm not sure what is inside, but it sure looks good!</div><br /><div>I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends!</div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-76391170920591758392008-12-05T15:02:00.008+09:002008-12-05T15:37:51.164+09:00Friday, December 5, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7nJhcEO_IF5crs7zKJ2wMdZhXgHbmxWnXWo1VXrwEhzvFJ1QcdtpfQllsE9dYG6pJo-t30ignsXRGYMIxnst6oLuq896B_xcCquStjOoyn-0kfrAhyphenhyphenWAfY91DHOf8cgMsV8IVLTdjU4/s1600-h/Harajuku+2008+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276186848477922898" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7nJhcEO_IF5crs7zKJ2wMdZhXgHbmxWnXWo1VXrwEhzvFJ1QcdtpfQllsE9dYG6pJo-t30ignsXRGYMIxnst6oLuq896B_xcCquStjOoyn-0kfrAhyphenhyphenWAfY91DHOf8cgMsV8IVLTdjU4/s320/Harajuku+2008+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Kat and Darren in Harajuku<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrakNNFjigosmA-10dOxqqyKQtWILQnJbX9Ebn3d8owTYg9-mdbRY2Xf6r-4d4BEZv3Q7Zf3FQ4Nb4ugj_k6-WSRHvzXlXF82txfFBuC9VbfL3Ua2y2H6H4omiXExxJ1VUIhMtTTlkFE/s1600-h/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276186717549116658" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrakNNFjigosmA-10dOxqqyKQtWILQnJbX9Ebn3d8owTYg9-mdbRY2Xf6r-4d4BEZv3Q7Zf3FQ4Nb4ugj_k6-WSRHvzXlXF82txfFBuC9VbfL3Ua2y2H6H4omiXExxJ1VUIhMtTTlkFE/s320/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Christmas toilet paper?! Holy crap!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKdGSm6S74fL1o8_xxSv_kI3L6ay6HuEd5FjPPdEjYGG3G9CK-k9n3b0WYOmyfmuRSlWrdSJGzAs075ESkaqRXudMyqirx60YkNseSq6vmheHtC7qbyWZL1Wq5FFPMdLapfasDzZCZZA/s1600-h/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276186605415196290" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKdGSm6S74fL1o8_xxSv_kI3L6ay6HuEd5FjPPdEjYGG3G9CK-k9n3b0WYOmyfmuRSlWrdSJGzAs075ESkaqRXudMyqirx60YkNseSq6vmheHtC7qbyWZL1Wq5FFPMdLapfasDzZCZZA/s320/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, I feel like I'm about 10 years old for pointing this out. Is that really Santa on a yule log between Mr. Bear and Mr. Pig?!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYqnhN-KM6qMS6jcoQnvHybepr7kPZX7io7oreTsMGXaN1Vj8kH3HlKeMJ0C9AxiYQt_DlI2V-MMDzjMExPlxNX4_VsH6YAy6hSA1Glh6RLzZlhxIK774Kdfslshuhyphenhyphen9HCSDshd1zHmU/s1600-h/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276186533271248338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYqnhN-KM6qMS6jcoQnvHybepr7kPZX7io7oreTsMGXaN1Vj8kH3HlKeMJ0C9AxiYQt_DlI2V-MMDzjMExPlxNX4_VsH6YAy6hSA1Glh6RLzZlhxIK774Kdfslshuhyphenhyphen9HCSDshd1zHmU/s320/Christmas+Toilet+Paper+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Hello! It's a very stormy day. I'm looking outside at crazy rain, and the tree next to our house keeps slapping against the window. </div><br /><div>So things are pretty quiet around here. Kat and Darren headed back to Seattle on Wednesday. We really enjoyed having them here. Before they left, we took a trip on Sunday afternoon to Harajuku in search of the famous kids dressed up in crazy outfits. Unfortunately we only saw a handful. We figured that there must be a gathering place, and we assumed that we would find it once we got there, but Harajuku is big and we struck out. We did find a great toy store called Kiddy Land and spent a lot of time there. They had a whole floor devoted to Hello Kitty and Sanrio, so I was quite happy.</div><br /><div>Now I'm getting ready to decorate for Christmas. Yay! I finished cleaning up the house this morning, and I hope to set up the tree tonight or tomorrow with Zach's help. Reindeer Man will soon be hanging out in our living room again.</div><br /><div>We also have a new product in the house---Christmas toilet paper! I saw it at a store in Yamato and had to have it. Zach expressed some dismay when he came home and saw it sitting on the counter, but I told him that it was unique. Plus, it's cuteness with a purpose! </div><br /><div>Okay, have a good day, and stay warm.</div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-81811627572485056592008-11-21T15:05:00.031+09:002008-11-21T17:10:02.953+09:00Friday, November 21, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYIkJWJ6brbR6KVYwSxrqJAT4jJCeoi655Hp3kAHl2-W4JoiUK4LJe66TENWb5iHG7DRoZGDpuqJRKdGg9ioc-6Atyq6AbnK7u4MbvmRK2sdGsC7A7qVpTVUP06gYbbBN-50Vugsc5u0/s1600-h/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271006848994096418" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYIkJWJ6brbR6KVYwSxrqJAT4jJCeoi655Hp3kAHl2-W4JoiUK4LJe66TENWb5iHG7DRoZGDpuqJRKdGg9ioc-6Atyq6AbnK7u4MbvmRK2sdGsC7A7qVpTVUP06gYbbBN-50Vugsc5u0/s320/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Zach and I ate at the Mellow Mushroom restaurant (yes, that's really the name!) in Asheville, North Carolina<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOnDCEk-QRnAMrXrHNU_sm9xhUBiZdcn1D2VveSk_E7w_sPmWT1-HytMaZTxsUuyLtK4xwE1hYhzto2186edjulyZurA_BWIMomlFcWqwYoqRpRNY-6iAKnLhezYE0YvO_MKqUCL5BCs/s1600-h/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271006761533975522" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOnDCEk-QRnAMrXrHNU_sm9xhUBiZdcn1D2VveSk_E7w_sPmWT1-HytMaZTxsUuyLtK4xwE1hYhzto2186edjulyZurA_BWIMomlFcWqwYoqRpRNY-6iAKnLhezYE0YvO_MKqUCL5BCs/s320/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+017.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our North Carolina family<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ1NdWGMiZLvigRrGg_bjVlnmYWse6b-i8VbeHIYeOm28v-5I1q-NtF_e5V9R1RiiACJqI6G4eE1Krkj3cP-15c0xAjoMDUadIZT02kmqiUhavJyjJm8V8Bkk9nXws8Np_NbeqS7sgGs/s1600-h/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271006657591040530" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ1NdWGMiZLvigRrGg_bjVlnmYWse6b-i8VbeHIYeOm28v-5I1q-NtF_e5V9R1RiiACJqI6G4eE1Krkj3cP-15c0xAjoMDUadIZT02kmqiUhavJyjJm8V8Bkk9nXws8Np_NbeqS7sgGs/s320/Friends+and+Family+October+2008+024.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our Washington family. My grandma turned 90 while I was visiting!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGVTk0NRRveBcUMtuP-ZlEW3-Kf1I-vycVc1jAmYvyR-MI_9CkVdgdZT4eAoTb6ZNSnVgK0SQYZHr7q1MW0j87c6d0E-Uz0YxkqGDQoduUPKhMpbvRctAY2_aJzuhxzgJgQ6LhinqdXQ/s1600-h/book+club+spa+day.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271006529352426402" style="WIDTH: 311px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGVTk0NRRveBcUMtuP-ZlEW3-Kf1I-vycVc1jAmYvyR-MI_9CkVdgdZT4eAoTb6ZNSnVgK0SQYZHr7q1MW0j87c6d0E-Uz0YxkqGDQoduUPKhMpbvRctAY2_aJzuhxzgJgQ6LhinqdXQ/s320/book+club+spa+day.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Girly at-home spa day with Book Club to celebrate Holly's engagement! Kat couldn't make it, but she was there in spirit.<br /><div><div><div><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtnB9IzUASdiY0_y_A3Z8JvHKRmB247iWBo8tJPpEW4Zz7n0sT8dh-wr2iTHlsB2OGqMt8neaJC8pWMMfw0dhMyLqJQjBPTKWPOgiC7jbxj53QQBVJjQetTUjzRLt1YE2GBb7ihif0kU/s1600-h/Virginia+visit+October+2008+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271002641339281746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtnB9IzUASdiY0_y_A3Z8JvHKRmB247iWBo8tJPpEW4Zz7n0sT8dh-wr2iTHlsB2OGqMt8neaJC8pWMMfw0dhMyLqJQjBPTKWPOgiC7jbxj53QQBVJjQetTUjzRLt1YE2GBb7ihif0kU/s320/Virginia+visit+October+2008+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here I am with Carol outside of Dairy Queen in Appomattox, Virginia. Long live Dairy Queen!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXP6_boy4ozYuXJN04SzZ5_P1XgDDrfY-lF27U4qwTD5uJs5eRFpcXNIrFftzHMHJXdKJHf_HITXhUrrQp5kqh8X5B9NkLRy6IxPzYyQgihZsBwAl0M9iKAoapaHzLq865U_QSSMKJl88/s1600-h/Yokohama+Quilt+Show+November+2008+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270996797406358082" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXP6_boy4ozYuXJN04SzZ5_P1XgDDrfY-lF27U4qwTD5uJs5eRFpcXNIrFftzHMHJXdKJHf_HITXhUrrQp5kqh8X5B9NkLRy6IxPzYyQgihZsBwAl0M9iKAoapaHzLq865U_QSSMKJl88/s320/Yokohama+Quilt+Show+November+2008+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Makiko and I stood under one of the large quilts at the Yokohama Quilt Show<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqVC9h0jt_F_YjlCaUyj8TPfCWheRF81IZBNnRWKwmdf6-0mMKchqUfmEeC8-LMUWHJNeDPUHu26lcpEWuh8FKGdOWZGvKBP7Tsa6G4HpjvpbNu5MpbiYhr_lutd9L-8bSllJIgLkid0/s1600-h/Yokohama+Quilt+Show+November+2008+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270996711278232322" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqVC9h0jt_F_YjlCaUyj8TPfCWheRF81IZBNnRWKwmdf6-0mMKchqUfmEeC8-LMUWHJNeDPUHu26lcpEWuh8FKGdOWZGvKBP7Tsa6G4HpjvpbNu5MpbiYhr_lutd9L-8bSllJIgLkid0/s320/Yokohama+Quilt+Show+November+2008+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Etsko, Seiko, Migiwa, me, and Makiko at the quilt show<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoQlAS3szrbS2GZ1z4pS8Fa8wBpP9o1W3Q9xWQNDqwL8wDIEu3LeDRlmBuOGKKJzRPo7EY3aZHQsrZWAqCRwBIcWhGoWlvYvt_8_jKxZjmX8Ezw87sXs7022pXUBokJ0wcj5JQdKe0Wg/s1600-h/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270996402283011218" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoQlAS3szrbS2GZ1z4pS8Fa8wBpP9o1W3Q9xWQNDqwL8wDIEu3LeDRlmBuOGKKJzRPo7EY3aZHQsrZWAqCRwBIcWhGoWlvYvt_8_jKxZjmX8Ezw87sXs7022pXUBokJ0wcj5JQdKe0Wg/s320/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I took Kat and Darren to see the great big buddha in Kamakura.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TaFUZBNuuLDq-60mdxZFzK7W_HsjwMgi7l_ay0s71Wp7Fc9FiSJWvH6pEtg_cOo-URehAS0ZZLmgvWAeXdBheKDLQU5sG8Rot71PjANAsNOBDfCS_X8ODN-31ZmQVj-NKM8ponrjOEs/s1600-h/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270996319800368898" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TaFUZBNuuLDq-60mdxZFzK7W_HsjwMgi7l_ay0s71Wp7Fc9FiSJWvH6pEtg_cOo-URehAS0ZZLmgvWAeXdBheKDLQU5sG8Rot71PjANAsNOBDfCS_X8ODN-31ZmQVj-NKM8ponrjOEs/s320/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Darren wanted to take a hike while we in Kamakura, and he talked me and Kat into joining him. We attempted this one but the trail got increasingly difficult and large, scary spiders kept getting in our way, so we decided to head back down.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZOsugYzkBsNOLoesZLr2VQi6ZgGjlBe1_Obb8XmZJ2j3lUa6ftjJ2bGa-SxrH5Hr56F3fcU6fGY_cZL-2nffSzWO0PY842dbqkRaqKWGqbF3pliJqS2VOrZW-cfRk6M48sPH2L2kAdU/s1600-h/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270996170633561906" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZOsugYzkBsNOLoesZLr2VQi6ZgGjlBe1_Obb8XmZJ2j3lUa6ftjJ2bGa-SxrH5Hr56F3fcU6fGY_cZL-2nffSzWO0PY842dbqkRaqKWGqbF3pliJqS2VOrZW-cfRk6M48sPH2L2kAdU/s320/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+026.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Darren and Kat in Yokohama<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrEgEOZg1gw4ZGS4kibTVp8W4f7a7aN3q2Yv7EahCM7t8geYiHzKEOTjnER6tp2onOJ_vMHny4Gp9nGjQyagzeOTfjwm4Hv3SDIueL1quae1MvXyFX8sUK8tRA_eexWPHd7_9UzMmt5Y/s1600-h/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+041.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270995953302344098" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrEgEOZg1gw4ZGS4kibTVp8W4f7a7aN3q2Yv7EahCM7t8geYiHzKEOTjnER6tp2onOJ_vMHny4Gp9nGjQyagzeOTfjwm4Hv3SDIueL1quae1MvXyFX8sUK8tRA_eexWPHd7_9UzMmt5Y/s320/Kamakura+and+Yokohama+2008+041.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />View from the Landmark Tower in Yokohama. The tower is 69 stories and has the fastest elevator in the world. It took us 40 seconds to get to the top.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVERJOmtC6JyDK-ls6R9bLZi0YRLBZ9ZRqDBUJNoNcrW-ApMS5GKtHAPMwbllNzqoMEvatj8pSet3sth-fnSrY5UUwgwKE0i-lADnVgf9goYw2EfH4-cv1pTt7okv6DKkg6zUhFjCZXI/s1600-h/Halloween+Tofu+Man+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270995662836608434" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVERJOmtC6JyDK-ls6R9bLZi0YRLBZ9ZRqDBUJNoNcrW-ApMS5GKtHAPMwbllNzqoMEvatj8pSet3sth-fnSrY5UUwgwKE0i-lADnVgf9goYw2EfH4-cv1pTt7okv6DKkg6zUhFjCZXI/s320/Halloween+Tofu+Man+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Halloween Tofu Man!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksUAHK6i-47zHquimhinwDld6VfFoCetH0bkj_yUvOXkjZJvtF9m4rhKYgFBlxxglcqt-ZHkuqEaDM42fe3Q_RNsvdJlh1byj2WlITUoAFgtKDPTuhB8YfhetIwaTm0usNVSVCThmW5k/s1600-h/Halloween+Tofu+Man+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270995576705768434" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksUAHK6i-47zHquimhinwDld6VfFoCetH0bkj_yUvOXkjZJvtF9m4rhKYgFBlxxglcqt-ZHkuqEaDM42fe3Q_RNsvdJlh1byj2WlITUoAFgtKDPTuhB8YfhetIwaTm0usNVSVCThmW5k/s320/Halloween+Tofu+Man+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Check out the cool bats!<br /><br /><div>HOWDY!! Okay, I thought I better say a huge hello since it's been a while. I hope I haven't lost everybody because of my considerable absence. So, I'm back home in Japan in case you were wondering. I had a wonderful trip back home to the States. We spent about two weeks in North Carolina, and then Zach went back to Japan while I stayed in Washington for two more weeks to visit my family and friends. I tried hard to meet up with as many folks as I could, but unfortunately there were a few of you I missed because time just disappeared. You'll just have to get on a plane and come over here and visit me, okay? :-) </div><br /><div>After I got home, I started to get back into my routine and proceeded to get sick. That put me out for a few days, but I'm much better now and having a fun time with our friends Kat and Darren who arrived last week for a visit. They stayed with us for a few days and we went to Kamakura and Yokohama. Now they are on their own in Tokyo and plan to visit a few other cities before they come back to our place for Thanksgiving. It's great having them here and seeing them experience all the cool Japanese stuff for the first time. Darren seems to be quite enthralled with the vending machines over here and keeps trying new drinks. He had a bad encounter with the "aloe and white grape juice" beverage, which had chunks (I'm not kidding!) of aloe in it. He has a rating system now, with the aloe drink understandably on the bottom of his list. </div><br /><div>Before I got sick, I did go to the Yokohama Quilt Show with Seiko, Makiko, and a few of their friends. What a fun group of friends! They all had children in the same kindergarten together, and even though their kids are much older now, the moms still get together. It reminded me a lot of my Book Club buddies back home (I miss you, ladies!). Many of you know that I worked several years at a quilt book publisher, and as a result I have a huge appreciation for the art of quilting. I was in awe of the quilts at this Japanese show. And to my Martingale friends, several of our titles were at the show. That was pretty cool to see! While I was at the show, I had a really strange encounter with this Japanese woman who wanted to take my picture with her friend in front of a quilt. The weird thing was that it was my camera she wanted to use. I laughed so hard afterward with Makiko and Etsko, trying to figure out what happened and why, but we never came to any good conclusion. Now I have this photo with this Japanese woman I don't know. Isn't that odd?<br /></div><div>You'll also see in this post that, um, yes, there is a new addition to the Tofu family. This is a Halloween version that just could NOT be passed by. I hope that all of you enjoy him as much as I do. Christmas is just around the corner, and soon Reindeer Man will be taken out of his box to bring us joy and cheer. And no, there isn't a Turkey one. I already checked. :-)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-72322490884131170322008-09-30T16:27:00.002+09:002008-09-30T16:29:46.839+09:00Tuesday, September 30, 2008Hey---I know it's been a while. I wanted to post a little note that I'll be away in October for a visit to the States. I will be back, though, with more Japanese fun stuff to share!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-37501475337947932642008-09-15T15:48:00.032+09:002008-09-16T09:28:11.213+09:00Monday, September 15, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uBAlSpyzYKy6QJ-f95cqodhUDcyijHzdQ_-SbJ1o_dfysdcIMwyA1sM29mdY03oxvBNobr6PexvI3q49RjT3wSE6Pbpi8HBVpni4vBe1rxSZfFUELpBlyUaSGt_NfaKMkr1DhJuIG5E/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+038.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246146181107195138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uBAlSpyzYKy6QJ-f95cqodhUDcyijHzdQ_-SbJ1o_dfysdcIMwyA1sM29mdY03oxvBNobr6PexvI3q49RjT3wSE6Pbpi8HBVpni4vBe1rxSZfFUELpBlyUaSGt_NfaKMkr1DhJuIG5E/s320/Hello+Kittyland+038.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Down the street from Hello Kitty's house!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu051Mp-KE-jMkSTKW497tZfpO_VlYHUEH3dr03imQyxDHchzjap-WR6AFMaM6TIVKqZj5AZtbr8S3fJEUT3ZIY8rAx4PUJdd7Ju72NgfNLFfWMeAkcBUO8v03WuMsAMXuuD95nzpgjaU/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+045.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246146064122701538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu051Mp-KE-jMkSTKW497tZfpO_VlYHUEH3dr03imQyxDHchzjap-WR6AFMaM6TIVKqZj5AZtbr8S3fJEUT3ZIY8rAx4PUJdd7Ju72NgfNLFfWMeAkcBUO8v03WuMsAMXuuD95nzpgjaU/s320/Hello+Kittyland+045.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sarah, Ali (with Kaitlyn), and me in front of Sanrio Puroland<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulSrYML6ySATo7nCJzcfx8GDFgQn8cUlMSEhBtS4fVPQLF4iOY043JuV4IsyZ3G1SkB2D0_saO9QzcRa6gKPLzTTe8hT8Rk0jQoyvfxobc1n6-NRvLJqHUUnaDpVAy8KJezjsvmlPJoA/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+046.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145976915068082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulSrYML6ySATo7nCJzcfx8GDFgQn8cUlMSEhBtS4fVPQLF4iOY043JuV4IsyZ3G1SkB2D0_saO9QzcRa6gKPLzTTe8hT8Rk0jQoyvfxobc1n6-NRvLJqHUUnaDpVAy8KJezjsvmlPJoA/s320/Hello+Kittyland+046.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSxOGhV-UrigLILj8r8Bha-W4q-FhslORoaanQZGndTHW10Y-Z9sVdzAYPR5BxoEN0vb8si2uCaHZ8QvKhSHJCRmN6M4CXX8kN68GxhdaQkJRfjO4zKkYVMB3OGUEc3MNMpUP6XPeV_s/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145873662260162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSxOGhV-UrigLILj8r8Bha-W4q-FhslORoaanQZGndTHW10Y-Z9sVdzAYPR5BxoEN0vb8si2uCaHZ8QvKhSHJCRmN6M4CXX8kN68GxhdaQkJRfjO4zKkYVMB3OGUEc3MNMpUP6XPeV_s/s320/Hello+Kittyland+057.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb-s0PL-u1Rg0wxoUKowJeY7fOAX0NzkalxPMpDc3bVAKqZRj1fMfXZqp4wJSMsH61tbkjlfIZO-e3gMG8PeLpGEkOFQXllgcGo7UPzhpJD4cGGhnDGKkMdQl1Yf3nyIT1EFlK-SnHiA/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+068.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145742753129042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb-s0PL-u1Rg0wxoUKowJeY7fOAX0NzkalxPMpDc3bVAKqZRj1fMfXZqp4wJSMsH61tbkjlfIZO-e3gMG8PeLpGEkOFQXllgcGo7UPzhpJD4cGGhnDGKkMdQl1Yf3nyIT1EFlK-SnHiA/s320/Hello+Kittyland+068.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance to boat ride<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi6HvpTeR0myhTmxuO9ZDPGPWbFXrJGutVHwIptnPjYjDyiIkPUDwacd0-FfJYAe2DjPOqiYbAhnMSSds7O2vSiIM0YGnXiS0inz9w6UJp7oAilHN04XHhhE_e40rXG86cT7aEYf7inA/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+072.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145589887559010" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi6HvpTeR0myhTmxuO9ZDPGPWbFXrJGutVHwIptnPjYjDyiIkPUDwacd0-FfJYAe2DjPOqiYbAhnMSSds7O2vSiIM0YGnXiS0inz9w6UJp7oAilHN04XHhhE_e40rXG86cT7aEYf7inA/s320/Hello+Kittyland+072.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Main hall<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAdiHOilUDuMh3Xenikls9Petq1jyXXj8BF5XYyLwYHwbhyphenhyphenEBEc-KgtOh_W5fqH1Cn-W-5K_OL7MjCxB7aSreWrouFrb0yhhS2yw_ny32JTbiC1bIHLgocSiJNAVya4hwnX8mfk4Z_NA/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+080.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145479280199378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAdiHOilUDuMh3Xenikls9Petq1jyXXj8BF5XYyLwYHwbhyphenhyphenEBEc-KgtOh_W5fqH1Cn-W-5K_OL7MjCxB7aSreWrouFrb0yhhS2yw_ny32JTbiC1bIHLgocSiJNAVya4hwnX8mfk4Z_NA/s320/Hello+Kittyland+080.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Start of boat ride<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7pOvw6S4LQteMxlIKgRWod4rRU_GPi7be8Qg20YgIEQsCiBLxRvg1tx4VCEDdnyB-fCCsZAloSx4wfUVaqx6uDOd1RfIIEro4caimvs6LScXlIq2DWjXHOoU2Ob7AbqzPxWP2YsAnRQ/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+142.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145340169003154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7pOvw6S4LQteMxlIKgRWod4rRU_GPi7be8Qg20YgIEQsCiBLxRvg1tx4VCEDdnyB-fCCsZAloSx4wfUVaqx6uDOd1RfIIEro4caimvs6LScXlIq2DWjXHOoU2Ob7AbqzPxWP2YsAnRQ/s320/Hello+Kittyland+142.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Restroom sign<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeTkmufOHr_XP7B7KseTyHX1jYPLlBI-kMBtzv_vGGdD23RQHO4fGiSMrqM4zZyhbUeIsoAko3E62cidxNds7nkGyOQ9sz3-DhJhId6PrbrN5ywNwVmyq4KKfKTiyHDYFPKccziP2tTs/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+156.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145229073616418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeTkmufOHr_XP7B7KseTyHX1jYPLlBI-kMBtzv_vGGdD23RQHO4fGiSMrqM4zZyhbUeIsoAko3E62cidxNds7nkGyOQ9sz3-DhJhId6PrbrN5ywNwVmyq4KKfKTiyHDYFPKccziP2tTs/s320/Hello+Kittyland+156.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Our new car. Well, okay, my new car.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8du4cSilSZ4MY7lTAEQqaGlpkbAgDUeAnVXmoXaNGWcCpjDbBHYkvIue3ISeRpdQCPzWFS8r6R1IbwcCgdB54eYg7eCS5s4hbuIRU3xCVgIDl65_v_TpkiwkmpUg95fbdXFmGjQWl1k/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+161.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246145086299361218" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8du4cSilSZ4MY7lTAEQqaGlpkbAgDUeAnVXmoXaNGWcCpjDbBHYkvIue3ISeRpdQCPzWFS8r6R1IbwcCgdB54eYg7eCS5s4hbuIRU3xCVgIDl65_v_TpkiwkmpUg95fbdXFmGjQWl1k/s320/Hello+Kittyland+161.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Alenya taking a Kitty nap<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCSGV2GJeltNzCEIDWDkGK42xeV5ev2pCOw1rU6Vv86auAcOS1qdRUWGiUEqEBfuaMhKxmLNH-h8KK-B0WOnJAbhd_nlPpIT7a8gU0oMmybqLZpuqEQV0Xls_51kmUjDXZTgL3y1eos8/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+164.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144978418122146" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCSGV2GJeltNzCEIDWDkGK42xeV5ev2pCOw1rU6Vv86auAcOS1qdRUWGiUEqEBfuaMhKxmLNH-h8KK-B0WOnJAbhd_nlPpIT7a8gU0oMmybqLZpuqEQV0Xls_51kmUjDXZTgL3y1eos8/s320/Hello+Kittyland+164.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I was very jealous of Alenya's dessert.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGyGk0r2hGNd10Pg7sdISIOEhXurkMt83yOWvaqpy2J-ndI22h7SdVKrmTHOG2voHbQ4GOjUZrwqsu4l30p8_HQJy7CeP1vJyRyI4gAN7tAIcWfskRJjzOjqRfHKYX9y916mb1wPsDY/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+165.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144837724586690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYGyGk0r2hGNd10Pg7sdISIOEhXurkMt83yOWvaqpy2J-ndI22h7SdVKrmTHOG2voHbQ4GOjUZrwqsu4l30p8_HQJy7CeP1vJyRyI4gAN7tAIcWfskRJjzOjqRfHKYX9y916mb1wPsDY/s320/Hello+Kittyland+165.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, Zach drank from a cup with Sanrio characters on it.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1hgdht7sjoZBqmMqANIhxpOEYaR5HUjfMdKM8qGUr5S4GyLXKSUB3cU0cf0XJiaZ5g-D8_RYHCnyoCH1MF9MyyKpNKLKY82wM5we1Kij-Eih2wlkWWtWJZ32W_2ClajtZDIlMXtEb3Q/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+170.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144738586074194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1hgdht7sjoZBqmMqANIhxpOEYaR5HUjfMdKM8qGUr5S4GyLXKSUB3cU0cf0XJiaZ5g-D8_RYHCnyoCH1MF9MyyKpNKLKY82wM5we1Kij-Eih2wlkWWtWJZ32W_2ClajtZDIlMXtEb3Q/s320/Hello+Kittyland+170.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hello Kitty water<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6ZxfAjRmwYFW1-J6L1ZLqlgDTNNv5sSh-nz7bP9CfXfaU49cUy_Ms-Wjb85POc-bYgUWE1L_GmRfrvu8SlwuQlKUJOaMyuWKVpeyt_d6lG-y3k6QV1rWc055N4rmMmRxnZqEyXUELl4/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+152.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144566507030770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6ZxfAjRmwYFW1-J6L1ZLqlgDTNNv5sSh-nz7bP9CfXfaU49cUy_Ms-Wjb85POc-bYgUWE1L_GmRfrvu8SlwuQlKUJOaMyuWKVpeyt_d6lG-y3k6QV1rWc055N4rmMmRxnZqEyXUELl4/s320/Hello+Kittyland+152.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hello Kitty's house!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDF4GBFM16_zIvP__rujdFLzuLWcSQSJaEkQxKz5KdsnKlJR20T37HJDgIHGybDwtaQjxmQL6xI13HhCGX3t5mIiBCFRehdpxiBriyU-uEy-1qc9IvWiEabnxhcL3xDq07_RWB353lCQ/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+177.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144357716391474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDF4GBFM16_zIvP__rujdFLzuLWcSQSJaEkQxKz5KdsnKlJR20T37HJDgIHGybDwtaQjxmQL6xI13HhCGX3t5mIiBCFRehdpxiBriyU-uEy-1qc9IvWiEabnxhcL3xDq07_RWB353lCQ/s320/Hello+Kittyland+177.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Bricks on her house<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eSQKgwN96AebK9MLfzwQZsBQh4kNUEiWkpuAmvJJg1bst75l3L9kiXLY4OaXZ3EGUiH4Sa3cff9aA27VXIkQv7Ptg0zmUDlGJ1mvPh7PzaakSma3_hdUgA6OglzX4wHrDCcy9gb8Qes/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+187.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144261060534162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eSQKgwN96AebK9MLfzwQZsBQh4kNUEiWkpuAmvJJg1bst75l3L9kiXLY4OaXZ3EGUiH4Sa3cff9aA27VXIkQv7Ptg0zmUDlGJ1mvPh7PzaakSma3_hdUgA6OglzX4wHrDCcy9gb8Qes/s320/Hello+Kittyland+187.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Her front entrance<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHiuTSzRhLKdEfdr-5qVayXPcelBxZm1ybpKDSdOToWNGNHYqL_EAKsbfFiNKkH9HRwE6WF-J_0K0I_KKcu0xEcJPa6wphih-Qz56Hnz4wc_9DwPmLmaVGyEzPA_u179d3M3W7wzfwcQ/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+202.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144144119215330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHiuTSzRhLKdEfdr-5qVayXPcelBxZm1ybpKDSdOToWNGNHYqL_EAKsbfFiNKkH9HRwE6WF-J_0K0I_KKcu0xEcJPa6wphih-Qz56Hnz4wc_9DwPmLmaVGyEzPA_u179d3M3W7wzfwcQ/s320/Hello+Kittyland+202.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hello Kitty's living room<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijtD-fWpHBU_-ZwgLkZ16YQ2Z0ZhrF4NaWajjAsHazjq7GzfhcFnF2mEc8UfIPy6IHwXOuLpl0Pi5WbFthE19Q1YDrb-MUPCo2L1NC93QBbJStF2am0RLz3UskhoR9RGpPxi1cip3tiA/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+206.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246144012351746754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijtD-fWpHBU_-ZwgLkZ16YQ2Z0ZhrF4NaWajjAsHazjq7GzfhcFnF2mEc8UfIPy6IHwXOuLpl0Pi5WbFthE19Q1YDrb-MUPCo2L1NC93QBbJStF2am0RLz3UskhoR9RGpPxi1cip3tiA/s320/Hello+Kittyland+206.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Family portraits<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uKliJkJs9O9LVZyFhIiDRaMS_Km3RL0-SPq-4fGDPAsGBMSq8bnexS-FYVxaTgjhZN2cf9m0SX4deXQcCSHzeAXLkKDKzY3-KzoQevDM7xr2rlRsx8SUuevTW85SRS07yZWonRzw_b0/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+212.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143926872872514" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uKliJkJs9O9LVZyFhIiDRaMS_Km3RL0-SPq-4fGDPAsGBMSq8bnexS-FYVxaTgjhZN2cf9m0SX4deXQcCSHzeAXLkKDKzY3-KzoQevDM7xr2rlRsx8SUuevTW85SRS07yZWonRzw_b0/s320/Hello+Kittyland+212.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Wood stove</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-oxXn-iI517rp-azfItQkOtGuD5l0GUXbkY1NkQm7TtN_ycNC5A7iNEdcyUEY2iV1gTQbJg8-kLKbih6vi_Bn-TGoojkDXvbMKHOnUMGhxjEdq4heSsciPFtEHbS7ZoqbAQrIkJ_sjk/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+219.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143793768492226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-oxXn-iI517rp-azfItQkOtGuD5l0GUXbkY1NkQm7TtN_ycNC5A7iNEdcyUEY2iV1gTQbJg8-kLKbih6vi_Bn-TGoojkDXvbMKHOnUMGhxjEdq4heSsciPFtEHbS7ZoqbAQrIkJ_sjk/s320/Hello+Kittyland+219.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Shopping!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYBefJfSvW0keAHErlEJguTV2-_zhzaUwIlhT9v3aFNjkPhIopG7OEfLRI7zq5ZKEUS4ZAJ07ft8kVsn_RcKZwOdaa0JxoFI-XdR8yKmAA7Nkc0bfnbjwd0ahVSGZ38IGRKoc2uoJVOc/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+220.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143681452632962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYBefJfSvW0keAHErlEJguTV2-_zhzaUwIlhT9v3aFNjkPhIopG7OEfLRI7zq5ZKEUS4ZAJ07ft8kVsn_RcKZwOdaa0JxoFI-XdR8yKmAA7Nkc0bfnbjwd0ahVSGZ38IGRKoc2uoJVOc/s320/Hello+Kittyland+220.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />More shopping!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveB2cnSSnOT4GKZpJWzy5DaByHRjNk1TMqoPBrFAXodwNtXBWwGxdqaZ5ze6vydS6BGh_iRYMR-COgdPqd_Vs1mtuHyhjpVLHAYRIc718HAmA9J4LnSbUsEnk1yKjg_5EfuiafphHczg/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+222.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143551152014322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveB2cnSSnOT4GKZpJWzy5DaByHRjNk1TMqoPBrFAXodwNtXBWwGxdqaZ5ze6vydS6BGh_iRYMR-COgdPqd_Vs1mtuHyhjpVLHAYRIc718HAmA9J4LnSbUsEnk1yKjg_5EfuiafphHczg/s320/Hello+Kittyland+222.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1iboDFbJbtLuOnqH24d9lQDLf79fTatSB9GUVeGvdAnLhPHqm7H39DOJUpiovdbvN1TyB2rywngI29FvGcmcQ2mgYdBh5uQ7x2gRNWmJTndtA-UyojnyzIbmqg1BptYB4kv5YVrN0c4/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+225.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143445619074562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1iboDFbJbtLuOnqH24d9lQDLf79fTatSB9GUVeGvdAnLhPHqm7H39DOJUpiovdbvN1TyB2rywngI29FvGcmcQ2mgYdBh5uQ7x2gRNWmJTndtA-UyojnyzIbmqg1BptYB4kv5YVrN0c4/s320/Hello+Kittyland+225.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRisRNlPVUslKrjfVXtvi8Eka0fDioFljzPCYvNeU55LfF59xuD5vlcOArTup2W9tA-Eov2Y6KkTdwTbzvYBKpSuVg1igEpzwW1HlB72N3qXoNL0So8bfD1B9rXFy94pu_cQU9epLATw/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+226.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143366001486370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRisRNlPVUslKrjfVXtvi8Eka0fDioFljzPCYvNeU55LfF59xuD5vlcOArTup2W9tA-Eov2Y6KkTdwTbzvYBKpSuVg1igEpzwW1HlB72N3qXoNL0So8bfD1B9rXFy94pu_cQU9epLATw/s320/Hello+Kittyland+226.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg203eKkNGjNfKuq9TqLae4BddyVxXXK-D36DHpoRysOJpA2V0moqnZdEUVddqXJSmudaKQa9Od7kD1k29l2JIKheJoHsXIQLlWR4Yc8xHOKIEgqsWclzUPnOPZ7GAkCs-VsiFSNd8MQ4k/s1600-h/Hello+Kittyland+230.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246143257968223330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg203eKkNGjNfKuq9TqLae4BddyVxXXK-D36DHpoRysOJpA2V0moqnZdEUVddqXJSmudaKQa9Od7kD1k29l2JIKheJoHsXIQLlWR4Yc8xHOKIEgqsWclzUPnOPZ7GAkCs-VsiFSNd8MQ4k/s320/Hello+Kittyland+230.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Time to say good night<br /><br /><div>Howdy! Hey, guess where I went on Saturday?! Hello Kitty's home----Sanrio Puroland! We finally made it there after talking about it for a while now. We went with friends from Zach's office and had a great time. Ali and Kevin brought their two girls, Alenya and Kaitlyn, and Sarah and Darrel joined us as well. The guys were great sports about the whole thing, and Zach and Kevin did a lot of the planning. The girls just enjoyed the day and soaked in the Land of Hello Kitty to their hearts' content. The biggest attractions at this theme park are the theatrical shows, but since we don't know very much Japanese and the lines were long, we chose to check out some of the other sights. One of my favorite highlights was the boat ride around the park, which was similar to Disney's It's a Small World ride, but with Sanrio characters. Unfortunately my photos on that ride didn't turn out so well, but I got photos of lots of other things. </div><br /><div>Of course a visit to this marvelous place was not complete without a stop at Hello Kitty's house and a personal visit with her. And the shopping was incredible! Anything and everything you can think of has been Hello Kittyfied. I was pretty good, but I couldn't resist getting a red Hello Kitty watch that I saw in the display case. (Some who know me also know that I have a thing about watches. It's okay guys, really.)</div><br /><div>So, all in all, it was a great Saturday and one I will never forget. And Zach probably won't forget it either. Thank you, dear husband!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8375227247329297253.post-32811252655152603282008-09-10T17:29:00.002+09:002008-09-10T17:41:05.161+09:00Wednesday, September 10, 2008I realized today that I let my one-year anniversary in Japan go by without any kind of "yippee" on my blog, so "Yippee!" Can you believe it's been a year? A year full of fun adventures, lots of crazy and cool Japanese stuff, new friends, and a new husband! We still have another year to go here in Japan, and I can't wait to see what other neat things are around the corner. And I look forward to sharing them with you.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00712594732162618142noreply@blogger.com1