tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22914285908464423072024-03-05T04:14:11.580-08:00Lacquered NothingsLife in Japan~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-21660405872198042662017-06-18T00:06:00.001-07:002018-03-22T07:24:21.033-07:00Birthday Weekend<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span lang="EN-US">And I’ve already fallen way behind on blogging,
so… time to play catch up.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My birthday was already almost two months ago,
and the Boy came down to Kyoto the weekend before (22<sup>nd</sup>-23<sup>rd</sup>)
to help me celebrate. He actually took a train in after work that Friday night,
the 21<sup>st</sup>, which happened to also be the release date for the new
live-action Beauty and the Beast movie in Japan, so after he arrived we killed
some time around the station before heading to the theatre to get our tickets,
caramel corn, and drinks. (Pretty much the best thing about movie theatres here
is the caramel corn they sell – so good!) </span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVYJtX5JrVxppN7w-PVTDfHJD_r3zaGZh8cTI4RnaiqPXQY-qLZf0Ur95W2TWP48hjy7W_8hR0m7ma7twVXg2UZtank3KncdOu5noC8FlJ4RQU5ZS_lmckWTSi3g7diiFSw9kVTZH93s8/s320/55.JPG" width="256" /><span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">The movie was enjoyable, but I think I had
built up my expectations too much and the movie didn’t quite meet them lol.
That’s not to say it wasn’t good – Emma Watson was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">best</i> Belle, and overall they stayed really true to the original
animated film, but I still much prefer the animated version.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The next day we woke up late morning and
decided to go spend the day in Nara. We took the train to Nara Station then
looked around for someplace to have lunch. Afterwards we walked to Nara Park,
which is famous for the semi-wild deer that live there. We bought some deer
snacks and were immediately accosted for some yums. There was also an Earth Day
even going on that we took a quick look through, which made me then regret
eating lunch near the station because there were some really tasty-looking
vegan options available… Will have to keep that in mind for next year!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="896" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU85a3AO5Va6HEovUF9fZCbv7AH63h7K8PtUSwRXLARnQS8-dPjfccH26s-Yu7SL3Z9-LJLgdR2zHo_6yWtEoqPhWsMXYr5JYeRpNGBJIyTYtNDLrfU_dLgQc7ajNV5Z7dkE-GmB5UveQe/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /> </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We took a quick look at the famous Todaiji
Temple with its giant Buddha statue inside. I think that was my third time to
the temple, but it was Boy’s first. I tried to convince him to crawl through
the hole-in-the-pillar, which is said to be the same size in diameter as the
big Buddha’s nostril, and if you make it through without getting stuck it means
you’ll live a long life. I did it once before, but since we were there on a
weekend there was a line and Boy didn’t want to wait (nor did he want to try
with a bunch of people watching lol) so on we went.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtVYmKku60ZjJUXkyuPis9JGA3OgBgNll9lSDZxak9cZkWoAq2NpsluTPIbosLkRxiyO3JViWTIZqQEo9Xo5FeBFsR0l7xTW5O9F9TdOwnpsdlACm6ke37AaXzCSlmXf1XGJz30rHrd01/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="897" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtVYmKku60ZjJUXkyuPis9JGA3OgBgNll9lSDZxak9cZkWoAq2NpsluTPIbosLkRxiyO3JViWTIZqQEo9Xo5FeBFsR0l7xTW5O9F9TdOwnpsdlACm6ke37AaXzCSlmXf1XGJz30rHrd01/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">Before heading back to Kyoto we got some
famous Daibutsu Pudding (Big Buddha Pudding), and took them to a café where we
could sit down and eat them (after ordering drinks there too, of course). The
pudding is seriously really, really good. The first time I tried it was around
when S and I first came to Japan, I think we went to Nara during the Golden
Week holiday, and each got a pudding. Just the plain custard flavor. I remember
we both took a bite and at the same time we turned and looked at each other and
were both like, “Oh my god… this is amazing!” We had no expectations so we were
really surprised at how rich and creamy it was, haha. This time I tried the
chocolate, which I think is even better than the custard. Will have to try the
matcha flavor next time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For dinner we went to Donguri, an
okonomiyaki/teppanyaki chain that’s pretty famous here in Kyoto. We stuffed
ourselves with more food than we should’ve, then headed home and zonked out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sunday we decided would be a lazy day. We
slept in, and once we were up and ready we headed to the Teramachi shopping
area and got a light lunch at Starbucks. I had one of their veggie wraps and
the American cherry pie Frappuchino that was out at the time. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tQDhgUBjoH5yYIpOio_j2da_aaVx2vPQGSMlkA4LJKO1BDN_Zs-qSl94Uz2gd6-7g6IaqQWXF9ItZFOidJZcLqnMwCNkJRumFAGSD9lpr76kfnqGBhAFH-PD9K7W2-WJDJNYMJ0gKnfs/s1600/83.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tQDhgUBjoH5yYIpOio_j2da_aaVx2vPQGSMlkA4LJKO1BDN_Zs-qSl94Uz2gd6-7g6IaqQWXF9ItZFOidJZcLqnMwCNkJRumFAGSD9lpr76kfnqGBhAFH-PD9K7W2-WJDJNYMJ0gKnfs/s320/83.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After that we made a reservation at a cheap
(but still pretty nice) massage place, and walked around killing time until our
appointment. At one point, Boy had joked about getting us matching shirts (when
couples wear matching outfits here it’s called “pair look”, and we usually make
fun of couples we see dressed alike lol), but we ended up going to Uniqlo and
getting matching shirts anyway! I don’t think he ever intended for us to wear
them together at the same time, but I made him go and change in the bathroom
and I changed into mine. I thought it was pretty funny but he kept saying,
“Everyone is looking at us!” Later after our massage (which was so relaxing I
fell asleep towards the end) and the sun started going down he used the cool
weather as an excuse to put his long-sleeved shirt on over his matching shirt.
XD</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Before it got too late, we got dinner (I
honestly can’t remember where though, at this point) and headed back to my
place so boy could get his stuff and make his way back home, since it’s a
little over 2 hours away on the local trains. All-in-all an eventful weekend
and I was definitely spoiled. :3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-46199019268984780162017-04-12T07:02:00.002-07:002017-04-12T07:10:50.554-07:00Weekend Trip to Mt. Koya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I'm really late in getting around to blogging about this and I honestly don't have any excuses other than I just kept putting it off. </div>
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The first weekend of December last year, bestie J and I decided to take a relaxing little weekend trip to Mt. Koya (高野山, <i>kouyasan</i>). I had only ever heard of the place, but J knew much more about it - what there is to do and what's worth seeing - so I basically left the planning up to him.</div>
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He booked us a <i>shukubou</i> (宿坊) - which is a type of lodging offered by temples to guests making pilgrimages to the area. Our temple was Fukuchi-in (福智院), and the room we stayed in was a standard tatami mat room like what you would get at any standard Japanese inn. The temple grounds were well-kept and peaceful, and the halls inside full of interesting old relics. </div>
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8gnuxUcKUAU8hzuGpj1ugEaUnxe4ND5MfyU6O5QW48zxsGR8CaaLj0BQIbBUEBbtOkwG5ImQlo8mugqQz2OXlgXzfgLLS5rR4JeJuBbDW17iRw2fjVTgABCYwdstdvuDM-92jxEAZLly/s400/P1030140.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyRfFuS4A18Oam_VtIgVmP3OiUJP1S1_hlFuHPqT2FYnRcx80esV-EF78OmiBJoqArPHO98ThvOx0mQP5p9wEpgYg6Y07Fhsa1SbzAHp93Jn8j7zx7MP4TF95XkAtcgV9XO5ckhAi69_N/s1600/P1030145+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyRfFuS4A18Oam_VtIgVmP3OiUJP1S1_hlFuHPqT2FYnRcx80esV-EF78OmiBJoqArPHO98ThvOx0mQP5p9wEpgYg6Y07Fhsa1SbzAHp93Jn8j7zx7MP4TF95XkAtcgV9XO5ckhAi69_N/s400/P1030145+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We had arrived before noon but weren't able to check-in until 3pm, but stopped by to drop off our luggage before going to do some exploring. </div>
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In wandering around we stumbled upon this... <i>peculiar </i>little temple.</div>
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Inside there were a number of morbid depictions of what I'm guessing was the Buddhist equivalent of Hell. There was also a dark, underground pathway inside, of which I'm not sure what the significance was but near the end there was a really psychedelic neon Buddha that was pretty cool. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks could often be seen strolling the streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random open room within Fukuchi-in</td></tr>
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Once 3pm hit we headed back to our temple lodging to check in, chill, and take advantage of the baths before they got too crowded. That evening we were served our vegetarian <i>shoujin-ryouri</i> (精進料理) in our room, and it was absolutely delicious. There was miso-flavored soy milk <i>nabe</i> hot-pot, boiled on the spot; crispy vegetable tempura with a side of matcha salt; <i>goma-doufu</i> (ごま豆腐), or "sesame tofu", which is actually made not with tofu but sesame paste, water, and <i>kuzu </i>root powder; various potatoes; boiled vegetables in a broth; pickled vegetables; rice and a clear-broth soup. J also got himself some hot sake, while I had an oolong tea in a cool, vintage-looking glass bottle that I kept as a souvenir.<br />
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After dinner we both decided to go take another soak in the baths. I tried out the smaller bath the second time around - the one without the attached outside <i>rotenburo</i> (露天風呂) - and had the place all to myself for a good half hour, which was all the time I needed.<br />
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The next morning J got up extra early to go for yet another soak before breakfast, but I opted for sleep. Our breakfast was also prepared in the traditional Buddhist vegetarian style, and was just as tasty as our dinner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left to right: <i>ganmo</i> (spongy-textured tofu patty with small bits of veggies inside, soaked in a broth, my favorite!), dried <i>nori</i> seaweed, pickled <i>konbu</i> seaweed and pickled <i>umeboshi</i> plum, <i>okara</i> (tofu lees) with vegetables, soy sauce for seasoning, <i>tororo</i> (grated yam, which has a gloopy, slimy texture that takes some getting used to), and white rice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left to right: Miso soup, miso soymilk <i>nabe</i>, seasoning broth (I can't remember exactly but I think it was <i>ponzu</i>), and green tea.</td></tr>
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After checking out we headed to Kongobu-ji Temple (金剛峯寺).<br />
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And from there walked to Okuno-in Temple (奥の院). From the direction we came, we ended up walking through the whole of Okuno-in Cemetery, which is said to be the largest cemetery in Japan. It was definitely impressive, size-wise. The overall aura of the place too - tombstone upon tombstone, worn and weathered and covered in moss, surrounded by towering trees - was mystical yet calming all at once. <br />
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I have no photos from the temple itself; as it is considered one of the most sacred spots on Mt. Koya, photography is prohibited. I wish I could remember in more detail about the temple and its surroundings so I could at least write about it. All I can really remember is walking past a group of older women (and men?), standing in front of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi - the founder of Shingon Buddhism - and reciting a song-like chant that reverberated in my chest as I walked by. The sound was so moving and chilling I had to blink back the tears that involuntarily welled up in my eyes. Granted I am rather sensitive to sounds and music, in that I literally <i>feel</i> them, but it was still an amazing moment to experience.<br />
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On the way back we walked through the newer part of the cemetery, which was interesting in its own right but didn't quite have the same feel as the older section we walked through on the way in. For lunch we stopped at an international cafe that offered vegetarian and vegan lunch plates. The vibe was very eclectic, and the food was served on handmade clay dishes which were also on display and available for purchase. <br />
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The food did not disappoint either. First was a pureed mushroom soup, then a plate of chillied beans, brown rice, quiche (?), salad with sliced persimmons and vinaigrette... <br />
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...and a rich chocolate cake and hot chai for dessert.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're interested in purchasing any of the clay pottery</td></tr>
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By the time we finished lunch, the clouds had rolled in and started a steady drizzle. We had had a full day so were ready to head back to the cable car station anyway, and hopped a bus back. An extra day to see some more sites would've been nice, but we were content with what we did see and felt it was just the right amount of exploring. We left feeling contented and rejuvenated, which is really what we were hoping to get out of the trip anyway. ;)</div>
<br />~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-12801894925275776462017-03-01T02:39:00.001-08:002017-03-01T17:12:29.976-08:00A Walk Along KamogawaFirst off, I want to say I recently discovered I had comments awaiting moderation from my "Guess who's back" post that I missed... When I made the following Valentine's Day post I said something to the extent of "I dunno if anyone is even reading this anymore", which I hope didn't give anyone the wrong idea, because I'm aware that there <b>are</b> people still following along so... yeah. I guess in short I wanna stay thank you for the comments and for still reading!<br />
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Now, onto the main point of this post. Which is nothing special really I just wanted to share some scenery from my wanderings today. I volunteered to participate in a short research study at Kyoto University this morning, and since the weather was quite mild today - the numbing chill of winter has finally let up it seems - I brought along my camera and after the study was over decided to walk home. It's quite a long walk, but along the Kamogawa River (鴨川) is very serene, so it's a refreshing way to clear the mind. Right now the colors are still rather dull, but by the end of this month the cherry blossoms will be blooming and the walk along the river will be colorful once again.<br />
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<span id="goog_2008967777"></span><span id="goog_2008967778"></span><br />~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-88814508383373086662017-02-14T07:42:00.000-08:002017-02-14T07:42:19.631-08:00Celebrating Valentine's Day in JapanSo, I don't even know who - if anyone - reads this blog anymore, but I guess it really doesn't matter much because this is mostly for myself anyway. However, I got the idea of maybe doing an occasional post with a tidbit on Japanese culture and include some relevant vocabulary for whoever may stumble across this blog and is interested in Japan and/or is studying Japanese. As a uni student studying Japanese myself, I always enjoyed reading expat blogs and hearing their personal experiences and learning what bits and pieces of the culture they shared through their stories, so if I can do the same for someone else that would make me quite happy. :)<br />
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Now, without further ado, I introduce to you (whoever "you" may be) Valentine's Day in Japan.<br />
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Vocab:<br />
バレンタインデー / <i>barentain de- , </i>Valentine's Day<br />
チョコレート / <i>chokore-to</i>, chocolate (often shortened to "<i>choko</i>")<br />
義理チョコ / <i>giri choko</i>, obligatory chocolate (given to bosses, coworkers, etc)<br />
友チョコ / <i>tomo choko</i>, chocolate given to friends<br />
バラ / <i>bara</i>, rose (more common to see it written in <i>kana</i> than in kanji - 薔薇)<br />
彼氏 / <i>kareshi</i>, boyfriend<br />
彼女 / <i>kanojo</i>, girlfriend<br />
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Example sentences:<br />
バレンタインデーに彼氏からバラをもらった。<i>barentain de- ni kareshi kara bara wo moratta.</i> I got a rose [roses] from my boyfriend for Valentine's Day.<br />
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私は彼氏に手作りチョコをあげた。 <i>watashi wa kareshi ni tezukuri choko wo ageta.</i> I gave my boyfriend homemade chocolates.<br />
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Valentine's Day in Japan, or バレンタインデー if you wanna say it like the locals, falls on February 14 just as it does in the US, and, just like in the US, lots of chocolate is involved. Around the end of January and beginning of February, many major department stores have special areas dedicated to booths selling all sorts of fun, cute, or high-end chocolates. However, the twist comes when you find out that in Japan, Valentine's Day isn't necessarily a romantic holiday for couples like it is in The States, and that it isn't the male half of the population buying for the woman in their life.<br />
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On Valentine's Day, men are on the receiving end, and not just from their girlfriend. Women may also gift chocolate to men they have a strong acquaintance with, be it their classmates, coworkers, family members, or friends. Chocolate intended for coworkers, superiors, etc, are called 義理チョコ because, as the name implies, they are given out of obligation to those they work closely with. Conversely, chocolate given to friends - male and female alike - are called 友チョコ.<br />
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Now, before you get worked up over such a sexist, unfair representation of the holiday - guys who received chocolate on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor next month on White Day.<br />
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While so far I only mentioned buying chocolate, it is also not uncommon for people to make and decorate their own chocolate instead. You can get a variety of chocolate molds, sprinkles, flavorings, frosting "pens", and cute boxes for your homemade chocolates at the 100 yen shop. Years back I bought a couple of chocolate molds, one peanut butter cup-shaped one and a heart-shaped one, so this year I only needed to buy some bars of chocolate, a little bit of flavoring, and a box to put them in. Since I wasn't feeling very creative this year I used my go-to chocolate recipes because I know they won't fail! Only since I didn't have any peanut butter on hand this year I made the chocolate cups with toasted and salted almonds sprinkled on top. Just as good, right?<br />
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My Boy came for a visit this past weekend, so we celebrated a bit early. I whipped up some of my no-fail chocolates, wrote a note on a cutesy little valentine that I brought back from the States (you know those boxes of 30+ valentine cards you would get to pass out to your class back in elementary school?), and I even went a little old school and made him a mix CD too.<br />
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Knowing the "Japanese Way" that Valentine's Day is done, I wasn't expecting anything in return, but Boy had come prepared with a lovely burgundy-colored バラ, boxed up in a cute little package.<br />
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Then we had a romantic dinner with an uninterrupted view of Kyoto Tower... at McDonald's. We're classy like that. ;)<br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-73317209580395281912017-01-20T18:41:00.000-08:002017-01-21T00:28:39.905-08:00Thanks Obama.I had planned for my next posts to be catch-up posts, with lovely photos of nice things from my years in Kyoto and surround areas, but with this being the trending topic of the moment and my feelings about it all on a huge roller coaster I thought it best to get it all out on here while it's still fresh in my mind.<br />
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President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and their two daughters made a lovely First Family. Say what you want about Obama's agenda, his decisions or his short-comings, but as a representative of the American people and the most powerful nation on this planet, he and his family did it all with the sort of grace and decency not seen in the White House for many a term.<br />
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I've read through debate after debate on Obama's policies and what he could've done, should've done better, on why he absolutely ruined The United States and was the worst president ever. And while I get that everyone is entitled to their opinions, I have to say that most of those arguments have little going for them - the ones they really <i>should</i> be upset with are their congressmen and elected officials, but I'm not here to teach civics.<br />
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I'm also not here to tell everyone he was The Perfect President either. He was not, and no one ever will be. But for one man whose job it was to represent and protect the rights of hundreds of millions of people, each coming from a different background with differing viewpoints on social issues across the board, he did a pretty damn good job, without even overlooking the oft-forgotten minorities.<br />
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He was respectful, he was articulate, but still knew how to have fun. And oh, how I will miss that.<br />
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I have tried <b>very</b>, very hard to be optimistic about the incoming president, but going from a man who has shown such love and respect for his partner and gone about his daily life with utmost greatness and honor, to someone who has un-apologetically objectified women, mocked the handicapped, and has made calls for racist and bigoted policies, well... the transition will be rough.<br />
<br />
To be clear, I have no political affiliation. My voter's registration card has been "Independent" from the beginning. On social issues I will almost always take the progressive stance, but after what the DNC pulled this past election I have no desire to associate with that party. The extremism that divides parties and ideas is only going to drive the nation further and further apart, which is why, as much as I do not want to see someone like Trump as the leader of The United States, I also cannot condone the extremely negative backlash that his election has stirred. What I see is no different than the extremists who proclaimed The End of Days and protested against Obama's presidency. That is no way to bring about the positive change that the US so desperately needs.<br />
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Perhaps we can all learn a little lesson on how to stand up to adversity with as much poise and dignity as the Obamas, to carry on a bit of their legacy. <strike>Former</strike> Always POTUS and FLOTUS - Oh, how you will be missed!~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-54076660961977340492017-01-01T20:24:00.000-08:002017-01-08T01:50:50.079-08:00Guess who's back, back againWell hello. Fancy seeing you here. <br />
<br />
After nearly three years of silence, I've finally felt compelled to dust off the old blog and try breathing some life into it again. The past few years have seen a lot of ups and downs, and with everything getting in the way it was difficult to find the heart or motivation (or most pressingly, the time) to blog regularly as I used to.<br />
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But I have missed it. I always enjoyed chronicling my adventures to share with friends and family, and for myself to go back and look at later on down the road. And so, with this new year comes new hopes and ambitions, and for one I hope to revive this old journal. I will try to keep up with occasional updates whenever time allows. To start, I will probably do a couple of catch-up posts, just to get people up to speed with where I'm at now in life, so keep a look out for those!<br />
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I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, and wishing you all the best in 2017!<br />
<br />
EDIT: I originally posted this saying it had been almost two years since I last posted, when in reality it has been almost three! Seriously where has the time gone?? ~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-27911862932902994022014-03-08T15:52:00.002-08:002014-03-08T15:52:42.055-08:00Level UP!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">JLPT N2= Pass!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">日本語能力試験N2級合格!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*cue Final Fantasy victory music*</span></div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-2142960167697897512014-02-04T02:03:00.003-08:002014-02-04T02:03:43.111-08:00So How 'Bout Them Seahawks, Eh?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's really not much left to say about the Super Bowl. I've never been a fan of football; to be honest I couldn't care less about it. Don't understand it a bit. I'm definitely more content with my basketball-, baseball-, and soccer-type sports.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, I won't lie and say that I wasn't caught up in all of this 12th-Man Fever. Being here during such a pivotal moment in Seattle sports history has been pretty exciting, if for no other reason than the atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Didn't get to watch the game, as I worked the whole time, but I definitely knew it when we won. And I definitely made sure to get wound up in the aftermath. ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The horns, the screaming, the blocked traffic and rerouted buses, the mayhem and the chaos...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The naked people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oohhhh, the naked people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You'll always have a special place in my heart, Seattle!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-39017557522031241942014-01-30T23:16:00.001-08:002014-01-30T23:16:25.292-08:00Snowboarding Part Deux<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just some pictures and stuff from my snowboarding adventure last Saturday. I was worried I'd be just as terrible as my <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.com/2012/01/snowboarding-and-haircut-finally.html">first time</a>, as I hadn't been in the two years since then. But surprisingly I did fairly well, for only my second time (third, if you count the second day of my first time)! Ash had gone a few times before, since we planned to go together and she wanted to get some practice in so we could actually enjoy some boarding, instead of just falling. It was SW's first time though, but luckily Ash's friend is a patient teacher and helped her along. She got the hang of it fairly quickly and was able to enjoy the last couple times down the bunny slope with us. :)</span><br />
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<br />~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-25649320225654761782014-01-24T00:04:00.000-08:002014-01-24T22:02:51.808-08:00Translation Practice: News Article<div class="ymuiContainerNopad">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As part of my study routine, I try every week to read an article in
Japanese and write down all the kanji and words I don't know. This week
ended up being a fairly short article so I decided to translate it as
well.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For those who don't know, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni_Shrine">Yasukuni</a>
is the controversial shrine dedicated to those who have served the
Emperor of Japan in wars up through World War II, including some war
criminals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have my own thoughts and opinions, but am interested to hear what others think too.</span></div>
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<h1 class="yjXL" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"There Are No Heroes at Yasukuni" PM Abe Explains to Foreign Press </span></h1>
<div class="yjSt ymuiDate" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Asahi Shimbun Digital January 23rd (Thurs) Posted 5:13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At the World Economic Forum annual meeting on the 22nd (session in Davos), Japanese Prime Minister Shinzou Abe spoke at an assembly to the media leaders of participating countries about his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine at the end of last year. "It's not to praise the so-called class-A war criminals. There are no war heroes there, just the spirits of those fallen in the war. There's no feeling of hatred or hostility, I wasn't trying to disgrace anyone," he stated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ynDetailText">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When asked by the Chinese media, "Do you think the war criminals are heroes?", the Prime Minister explained further: "I just want to comfort the spirits of the dead. I want to show my appreciation to those people. Wanting to pay respects to those who fought for their country is an attitude shared by all world leaders."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"I want to create a world where people don't have to suffer the ravages of war again," he also added. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When asked about the dangers of military conflict with China over the Senkaku Islands, Abe remarked: "The current military tension is damage caused by both countries. It is very important to avoid any accidental conflict, and am thus suggesting making a sort of 'communication channel.'"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Asahi Shimbun Co.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(Original article <a href="http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20140123-00000006-asahi-pol">here</a>) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(Original text below) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<h1 class="yjXL">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
「靖国にヒーローはいない」 安倍首相、海外記者に説明</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <a href="http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/list/?m=asahi">朝日新聞デジタル</a> 1月23日(木)5時13分配信 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 安倍晋三首相は22日、世界経済フォーラム年次総会(ダボス会議)に参加している各国メディア幹部らとの会合で、昨年末に靖国神社に参拝した理由につい
て「いわゆるA級戦犯を称揚するためではない。そこには(戦争の)ヒーローがいるのではなく、戦争に倒れた人々の魂があるだけ。憎しみもないし敵意もない
し、人を辱めようというつもりはない」と述べた。</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 中国メディアが「戦争犯罪者を英雄だと思っているのか」と質問したのに答えた。首相はさらに「ただ魂を慰霊したい。その人たちに感謝したいという思いが
あるだけ。国のために戦った人に手をあわせるのは、世界のリーダーの共通の姿勢だ」と説明。「二度と再び戦争の戦禍で人々が苦しむことがない世界をつくり
たいという思いだ」とも述べた。 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 出席者から尖閣諸島をめぐる中国との軍事衝突の危険性への認識を問われると、首相は「軍事的衝突は日中両国にとってダメージだ」とした上で、「偶発的な衝突が起こらないようにすることが重要だ。コミュニケーションチャンネルを作ろうと申し入れている」と述べた。 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">朝日新聞社 </span></div>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-12042957094031453892014-01-06T13:06:00.000-08:002014-01-24T22:02:32.667-08:00Resolutions 2014<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's that time of year again. I'm rather late with this, and couldn't remember most of my <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.com/2013/01/resolutions.html">resolutions from last year</a> until I looked them up, which is probably very telling on how I did. On to the breakdown: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>1. Keep up with the studying, drinking tea, regular sleep schedule, and regular haircuts.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hmmmm, I did okay with the studying, but that kinda went down the crapper the past few months after I moved back to Seattle.<i> </i>Same with the tea-drinking, regular sleep schedule, and haircuts. The haircut thing is forgiven because I was trying to grow it out. Still got it cut at least twice though.<i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>2. Go running at least once a week. (Once the Other Job ends I should hopefully be able to do it more than once a week)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Haha! Nope.<i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strike><i>3. Budget and spend money more wisely, and build up my savings.</i></strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i>I did decently enough. Didn't save as much as I had hoped but save I did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>4. Read at least one book in Japanese.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Haha! Nope again.</span></div>
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5. Travel to at least one new place.</i></strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">YES!! Went to Mt. Fuji (and climbed it!) and to Kagoshima/Yakushima with Roomie and Yuu. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strike>
</strike><i><strike>6. ?????????????????????????</strike> (I will reveal what this is later on..
For now I'm keeping this to myself, because I feel like I'm more likely
to succeed with my plans when no one else knows about them. Strange, I
know, but still..)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I believe initially this was to enter into a Japanese language school, but financially and logistically (due to visa laws/ school policies/ etc..) it just wasn't feasible, so it changed to be "save enough money for and apply to a Japanese language school", which I definitely did! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, three out of six. Fifty-percent. Eh, coulda been worse... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, on to resolutions for 2014! A lot of which will be the same <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.com/2012/01/resolutions.html">resolutions I had for 2012</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Drastically cut back on my sugar intake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Eat better in general and plan out my meals for each week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Limit my playtime on the internet and do more productive things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Stick to a regular study schedule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Pay off my credit card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Go running at least once a week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. Read at least one book in Japanese.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. ???????????????????</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm giving myself some leeway and allowing myself to start at the end of January. The sugar thing (and junk food in general) has been spoiled by the copious amounts I received over the holidays. I have even tried to give a lot of it away, but still have a ton which I have been consuming at a disgusting rate. :P </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And the internet playtime? Really need to work on that. I do believe it is an addiction, and I hate hate HATE feeling addicted to things..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ohhhh, and another mystery resolution? You'll have to wait until 2015 to find out what that one is. Dun-dun duunnnnnn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are your resolutions if you made any??</span></div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-63691014343593052132014-01-02T23:13:00.000-08:002014-01-24T22:02:16.189-08:002013 In Review<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Celebrated the New Year in Phoenix with my friends and family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Drove for the first time in Japan! Helping S move from Ibaraki to the Tokyo area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Lost my Grandma R... no more grandmas left in my family. :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Went to Coworker C's beautiful wedding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Finished my dreaded "Other Job".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Roomie and I celebrated our birthdays with some friends at Fuji-Q (until we were rained and snowed out..)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*A visit from my mum, finally!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Scaled Mt. Fuji with Ash, Roomie, and Yuu!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*hide MUSEUM and Sumidagawa fireworks apocalypse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Yuu and I started dating. <3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Finished my two years at the daycare. :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Trip to Kyoto with Yuu, then met up with Roomie in Kagoshima to see the sights and meet Yuu's family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Came back to Seattle, got a job at Uwajimaya, and made some pretty wonderful friends here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Got a much-needed visit from Yuu. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Took the JLPT level N2 (again)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Spent a nice Christmas with Roomie and her family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Rang in 2014 at the Space Needle with some of my wonderful friends.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV9IHDZick4Q3Y6B0zPh5VbS8gKhSR5KDU89mMDpNIUSYNCEzGAsZqcXm8HzTf6H8TW3Rtmxibrecp_OoTBmOZTj5HNO4EWq-h7hpgWREcGdtqCb8ZC6hoPakvirdgvmcajlVEiPDq0UQ/s1600/1388601660201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV9IHDZick4Q3Y6B0zPh5VbS8gKhSR5KDU89mMDpNIUSYNCEzGAsZqcXm8HzTf6H8TW3Rtmxibrecp_OoTBmOZTj5HNO4EWq-h7hpgWREcGdtqCb8ZC6hoPakvirdgvmcajlVEiPDq0UQ/s320/1388601660201.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">♪One of these things is not like the others♪</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPMFiPnjgvmYa7Hfvn1XIiz6yruRPuZ1spu5dsa7mJboNDDXmPNARctRlXXoMV712DARckvVgOGtKERfFdNmEvXB2yGfgyd1Bw6f57EAopQgCeME-5KPG2t1K4La-GpsgYssf-KZjJYV_/s320/1388629645821.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The boys</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I7UqmhU5Zqvq70Je_gKx7Mw5OvGz9FR8Q2PEjgNk77CY0ByxUNi4nHx4hBvKDsffVfNEcZg7-qLunnXss6zxSV9ex9zQuh-OxTo2kDbfUIERcKPKNAJ0QjxJL8sB43ri4zkQOBLMmKKF/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I7UqmhU5Zqvq70Je_gKx7Mw5OvGz9FR8Q2PEjgNk77CY0ByxUNi4nHx4hBvKDsffVfNEcZg7-qLunnXss6zxSV9ex9zQuh-OxTo2kDbfUIERcKPKNAJ0QjxJL8sB43ri4zkQOBLMmKKF/s320/1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy 2014!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wishing you all another great year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-38284472117858677682013-12-19T22:19:00.000-08:002014-03-08T15:59:17.362-08:00And Life Goes On<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Life back State-side has been quite boring. I'm trying not to let this blog go to the wayside, yet I'm finding that I just don't really have anything too exciting to post about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Got a job at a local Japanese/Asian food supermarket. Was told it was a part-time job (i.e. less than 30 hours), but have actually been working <i>at least</i> 30 hours a week. Which is fine, it's not like I have anything else to do really, and I do need the money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Was going to Kaiwa Table (student group for Japanese and American students/non-students to go and make friends and conversation partners) just for the social aspect and to get some Japanese practice in. One Wednesday in November I went, met a couple peeps, and we've pretty much been hanging out every day since then. We just really clicked, and have gotten to be pretty close. They're good kids, and as luck would have it they're from Kyoto and will be going back around the same time as me, so that'll be nice that we won't have to say any sad farewells. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What else.... Yuu came for a short visit the last weekend of November, which was really much-needed for the both of us. It was a short three days, especially because I had to work, but it was still nice to get to see each other. Granted Tokyo and Kyoto are far, but it's not like there's and entire ocean and a 12-hour 1000-dollar flight separating us, so I'm really looking forward to being back in Japan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">December 1st was the JLPT. I hadn't initially planned to take it this year, but decided to apply last-minute to try again for N2. Didn't feel like it was really any easier than last year, but at least this year there was a clock in the room so I was able to time myself properly and actually finish the test. Since I failed by such a small margin last year, I feel like at least this year I have a little better chance. We'll see come February.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other than that, life is pretty much just work and hanging out with my little buddies. In between that I've been taking some trips to Pike Place Market when I can, because while it's so cliche I just really enjoy the atmosphere of that place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So now I leave you with some pictures from the past couple months.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFUjqjD0i2fFelK9dQZ2-acJiLU3syn9CByhlmc8VEa_DTu-wvoggSNlKy7A6DpDPiUJGeif-TxIivXVao1T4MUYwRRamVUoaZaN3pMuM7GQyF1yzj-yFvH_upuqzlS6gbS1f2BLTmP_4/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFUjqjD0i2fFelK9dQZ2-acJiLU3syn9CByhlmc8VEa_DTu-wvoggSNlKy7A6DpDPiUJGeif-TxIivXVao1T4MUYwRRamVUoaZaN3pMuM7GQyF1yzj-yFvH_upuqzlS6gbS1f2BLTmP_4/s320/1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My bed buddy at my dad's</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFoLwio9qRMXbC5PRFcZcxdC5N3oBBWHVQHouuyHfPeYq5gO_cBiYBZzUq1KgIA8EGkVQhy3kNiLAUVSZPCLl_TSrQ_5YDMGdjo2x-SyNbYlbzuPgEHOyixeKyC5DG0AhHqia7bD77Qli/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFoLwio9qRMXbC5PRFcZcxdC5N3oBBWHVQHouuyHfPeYq5gO_cBiYBZzUq1KgIA8EGkVQhy3kNiLAUVSZPCLl_TSrQ_5YDMGdjo2x-SyNbYlbzuPgEHOyixeKyC5DG0AhHqia7bD77Qli/s320/2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Voodoo Donuts, Portland</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxwxrUqPQWXjzKkvs1XEJL6UAr4CC61M1M3qpQ5ZqV7C5W-nZfk7XnI2W1wqE8885jTuck55c4ZZ1z7swNB-7gr7pXs9iGlITCguoOkMQbk3sJPDYD0BtjAabFdCfQ0GQOsE8Kr8xU9LO/s320/4.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gas Works Park</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vAZgSyyWTHSxjjyiBJkNB3iGElQKX8W6VLOviZn0Fn0XPRWvJAcU8UisnMe7vTuBjFuyV6XJnBGzgQB7XYO2SFc9rbe9kEdt6kN2takn5Km4CJsPoxE3dpoKzKxAh7ScFjpVJYk_Wzy6/s320/7.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reuniting with friend SW</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM7e-1GhHtXuufSZF5qTm72QxAT7LcZO9BquPL1XGYlnIrodK_1fkzv8CNqBOOCAM4r6z-MeIjaYF1k912AT0VPf-57ircy4UEn2az2dpkPcH3trNe_K8cKv6keTSxI1b_VdfARrxvU61/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM7e-1GhHtXuufSZF5qTm72QxAT7LcZO9BquPL1XGYlnIrodK_1fkzv8CNqBOOCAM4r6z-MeIjaYF1k912AT0VPf-57ircy4UEn2az2dpkPcH3trNe_K8cKv6keTSxI1b_VdfARrxvU61/s320/8.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beautiful Seattle sunset</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFGMLytHmdb0-N1puwlcimEvHGXHtMbHDVjE2741ZYaoV7B3K3_8tbzFGEdxxEb6ME7xvaup3830BFozV9EWeWNA6bLs8haLAHVM6xKszVjvp6oPSEWXO95JUkSxYtdbU51Xi54MZLtst/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFGMLytHmdb0-N1puwlcimEvHGXHtMbHDVjE2741ZYaoV7B3K3_8tbzFGEdxxEb6ME7xvaup3830BFozV9EWeWNA6bLs8haLAHVM6xKszVjvp6oPSEWXO95JUkSxYtdbU51Xi54MZLtst/s320/9.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn colors</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8RH3SeLJB7IiVMIOcBvfcri37dVisDDvhsFp_CG4S4vNFP1S_qKKqTIoSgr2WhZuW8on7FUDH029rn10cCk2pWqOZatWzESXd1VIvHQQ00xNNpqWsrgczUu54uPAD_z4qgSJ8NXTX3A9/s1600/Picture+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8RH3SeLJB7IiVMIOcBvfcri37dVisDDvhsFp_CG4S4vNFP1S_qKKqTIoSgr2WhZuW8on7FUDH029rn10cCk2pWqOZatWzESXd1VIvHQQ00xNNpqWsrgczUu54uPAD_z4qgSJ8NXTX3A9/s320/Picture+009.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spontaneous trip to Leavenworth</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8mBXHgc_S69I_V6T4NUV9Z2pcLjS5VX8fupVKhY0c-KGBUY876_hJHdPLguamVLjBjVNma_-MULHz8ujYTN2YHMZ_j7oQa_pSGRj7Wbyj11Ew2S-J9hQxFz2MIRYOXAsJ2ZsxfbLYNcJ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8mBXHgc_S69I_V6T4NUV9Z2pcLjS5VX8fupVKhY0c-KGBUY876_hJHdPLguamVLjBjVNma_-MULHz8ujYTN2YHMZ_j7oQa_pSGRj7Wbyj11Ew2S-J9hQxFz2MIRYOXAsJ2ZsxfbLYNcJ/s320/1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">King Street Station</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RO8ufqF_9Wq12ZEpe9KSTfMmyuQu0OOrJYic3azFFKAAob_XWOdES-4Ak8gh_I6P727GA7JJ3jOHL1RL7wpkAKJHZD24pnGFb-YTtEloROgOIkH6j4qGu7-o0sRx3bgcq6Lgs2fbhhYA/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RO8ufqF_9Wq12ZEpe9KSTfMmyuQu0OOrJYic3azFFKAAob_XWOdES-4Ak8gh_I6P727GA7JJ3jOHL1RL7wpkAKJHZD24pnGFb-YTtEloROgOIkH6j4qGu7-o0sRx3bgcq6Lgs2fbhhYA/s320/3.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hidden sign in alleyway</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU066k8lk_DMUZxfcdf9ssKTdiFqcRWEej9mlnTnh3LxkjQoQ_75pNTfnXRjBCQlxnm8QuI-KjuHnqeeJYgWpYKausZsuO-kbEJRX9-yQ1lAPKEQfXjwSxrdadD8UhwTa4lhDbmILGwHSo/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU066k8lk_DMUZxfcdf9ssKTdiFqcRWEej9mlnTnh3LxkjQoQ_75pNTfnXRjBCQlxnm8QuI-KjuHnqeeJYgWpYKausZsuO-kbEJRX9-yQ1lAPKEQfXjwSxrdadD8UhwTa4lhDbmILGwHSo/s320/4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alleyway in Pioneer Square</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySfmDN61-5g545M94egSrN_I61l8qa3zsU6aVT11ZM3nysO9VwxtMVCXC3lhckaH2V9iKljgZzZMYXY7_Syv9mX4uAW4ruPGOW5Bpooi8Fx8MOU7sl-oV8IYnx6Nox_AAh0XHVzclKnkq/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySfmDN61-5g545M94egSrN_I61l8qa3zsU6aVT11ZM3nysO9VwxtMVCXC3lhckaH2V9iKljgZzZMYXY7_Syv9mX4uAW4ruPGOW5Bpooi8Fx8MOU7sl-oV8IYnx6Nox_AAh0XHVzclKnkq/s320/5.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Dinosaurs</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-52oNNQJGx4-uop_wOVTbtDgzWHMqO-9yUiHJtwft8Ye0piJZOm3tCERNwslAA4YvZSavWFMGtjb19WXnPm-gka5ySYSyr-jrd6faO_M6ETD6iw0XB0YJp1t60p0rAsERgHhlzp9HVbgO/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-52oNNQJGx4-uop_wOVTbtDgzWHMqO-9yUiHJtwft8Ye0piJZOm3tCERNwslAA4YvZSavWFMGtjb19WXnPm-gka5ySYSyr-jrd6faO_M6ETD6iw0XB0YJp1t60p0rAsERgHhlzp9HVbgO/s320/7.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The infamous Gum Wall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HsZ5lh85y7Enm-iskwdaPBEJnbAnhrDMMVqX9kMdN9tw5DCfyQEXNj1bKZL3MU_k57WqenNvBGRgzCVgnIyAujBGkXcOFDBgF4x2vQGTu7_C9hE75y-MFFNj3r6PQv1GT62OogXdq8gQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HsZ5lh85y7Enm-iskwdaPBEJnbAnhrDMMVqX9kMdN9tw5DCfyQEXNj1bKZL3MU_k57WqenNvBGRgzCVgnIyAujBGkXcOFDBgF4x2vQGTu7_C9hE75y-MFFNj3r6PQv1GT62OogXdq8gQ/s320/8.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Amazing sunset over the Market</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9HgvFdzfUV5jjXSdDeo5nAajLTawAG2PkFh54SbguGkPMyfKujudVAbU0ERVasRqzEeaUrzCuFH83xT2hIDkuwIdgO8usqkHdveTFliG2eNHtzgrB2DptOhI3_iDpAPPpSd7aIBwGJIJ/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9HgvFdzfUV5jjXSdDeo5nAajLTawAG2PkFh54SbguGkPMyfKujudVAbU0ERVasRqzEeaUrzCuFH83xT2hIDkuwIdgO8usqkHdveTFliG2eNHtzgrB2DptOhI3_iDpAPPpSd7aIBwGJIJ/s320/10.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><3</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmO_YWTOJ_J_EveLroBpnzB_xpftO7YxyvnV_BYM8uZLBV2y-BwywwWXhFWCNm63BXJADiSn2Tq93QfujyZU8dUxLXI8JELy4qh9AMl2XuREXECCXP1nwvha9_lMYlf0G0_aCx5W_1kPC/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmO_YWTOJ_J_EveLroBpnzB_xpftO7YxyvnV_BYM8uZLBV2y-BwywwWXhFWCNm63BXJADiSn2Tq93QfujyZU8dUxLXI8JELy4qh9AMl2XuREXECCXP1nwvha9_lMYlf0G0_aCx5W_1kPC/s320/4.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rainy night at the Market</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphjA_Hvupd9HJ79_RKT4oLPtzoOQttNUHzN79PiFw16aJYeZZt1ZLdybeJqVAHXUExdwgiwDzmLJXdoNTm5vC2xYQwG24Z79b4ZcpNeBnTEw4IlHpBOkiPesyMREDo_chSk8MbQ5CnNeY/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphjA_Hvupd9HJ79_RKT4oLPtzoOQttNUHzN79PiFw16aJYeZZt1ZLdybeJqVAHXUExdwgiwDzmLJXdoNTm5vC2xYQwG24Z79b4ZcpNeBnTEw4IlHpBOkiPesyMREDo_chSk8MbQ5CnNeY/s320/5.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cool Akira sticker on a punched-in newspaper vending machine at my bus stop</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqwhjAXBRm20TKD2ttzmWttxFb2oBHTqru9D9EPDJwEiwdE5TmdTJLE6vaFutGxMFhHAq34rFz-TTqkm4JFc8-o2v6iLZXSLpg-EnXOa5fq2GOOf0CXLXs8gAUMBIjCOrIU5bVxXlLlVs/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqwhjAXBRm20TKD2ttzmWttxFb2oBHTqru9D9EPDJwEiwdE5TmdTJLE6vaFutGxMFhHAq34rFz-TTqkm4JFc8-o2v6iLZXSLpg-EnXOa5fq2GOOf0CXLXs8gAUMBIjCOrIU5bVxXlLlVs/s320/7.jpg" height="320" width="266" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rare winter view of Mt. Rainier</span></td></tr>
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<br />~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-27761565983603621962013-10-18T15:28:00.001-07:002013-10-18T15:28:17.472-07:00Reverse Culture-Shock<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Been back in the States for a few weeks now. First visited my dad down in Vancouver (Washington, not Canada), and my little sister had come up for the week too.</div>
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Now I'm settled in my room that I'm renting in a large shared house. My room is nice and big and quiet, but the shared kitchen is kinda grody so I'm glad I brought my own cookware and dishes. And I also have my own little counter and sink in my room so I can wash my dishes in my own clean sink with my own clean sponge. </div>
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Lots of job applications but no solid offers yet. Hoping that either of the interviews on Sunday or Tuesday leads to something. I kinda miss working and having steady income...</div>
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Nothing else to report really, except that it's really weird being back and I'm looking forward to heading back to Japan. Maybe I'll make a list of things that I miss about Japan (or really, a list of things that annoy me about being here, haha).</div>
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Oh, I did get my videos up of my, Roomie's, and Yuu's trip to Kyoto and Kagoshima. Any new video I post shows up in the sidebar, but I'll post them here too.</div>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-88461869983040288922013-09-30T16:52:00.000-07:002013-10-12T01:30:05.618-07:00hisashiburi ni BESTIES!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
We had a grand reunion the weekend before- J came up to visit from Osaka, and the three of us (S, J, and I) were reunited for the first time in about a year and a half. (We were pretty much inseparable during our university days)</div>
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He took the night bus, and we met him at my station at 7am Saturday morning. We decided to go somewhere for breakfast and decided on Denny's.</div>
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If you're in Japan don't ever opt for breakfast at Denny's- you'll be extremely disappointed. To me, Denny's always equated breakfast foods, but not here. After 10 minutes of trying to decide what we would settle for, we finally decided to leave and go to the McDonald's next door. They at least had pancakes, sausages, and hash browns. And orange juice..</div>
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Later on we played some home-made Scattergories before going to have lunch at my favorite <i>omu-raisu</i> (rice omelet) place, then getting ready for the going-away party.</div>
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Quite a few people ended up showing up throughout the night. There were more drinks and food than we knew what to do with. We played Jenga and a few rounds of very inappropriate Mad Libs. I was surprised with a DVD of good bye/good luck videos from some of my friends, and also a stuffed Doraemon which everyone who showed up signed for me. I know such awesome people! *sniff*</div>
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Sunday we ventured out to Kamakura for a beach picnic. We brought lots of <i>onigiri</i>, leftover chips and drinks from the party, apples, kimchi cucumbers, green bean and carrot salad, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitarashi_dango"><i>kushi dango</i></a> for dessert. I think we had initially only intended to play in the water up to our waists, but it wasn't cold at all, and we were just having so much fun we ended up diving head-first into waves, body surfing, and just generally being little kids at the beach on a Sunday afternoon. :D It had been years since I'd been to the beach, and it was just as fun as I'd remembered.</div>
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S had to leave after that to go meet her boy for their anniversary celebrations, but the rest of us went to see the <i>Daibutsu</i>/Big Buddha of Kamakura, then stopped in Yokohama's Chinatown on the way home for some delicious Chinese foods and more sweets. </div>
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Monday we went to Asakusa so J could see Kaminarimon and the Sensoji temple, but the Kaminarimon lantern was unfortunately taken somewhere for refurbishing (?) and we just got to look at a giant sign with a picture of it instead. Poor J was disappointed, as it seems it is his luck that whenever he goes to see some famous landmark it is under construction. We did have fun looking at all the gift shops around Sensoji and eating <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=agemanju&client=firefox-a&hs=qbO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=i7tJUrmyEMu9qAHfg4HQAw&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=626&dpr=1#q=ningyo+yaki&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch"><i>ningyo-yaki</i></a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=agemanju&client=firefox-a&hs=qbO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=i7tJUrmyEMu9qAHfg4HQAw&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=626&dpr=1"><i>age-manju</i></a>... sooo good!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A picture I took of Kaminari-mon a couple years ago</span></td></tr>
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S met up with us a little later and we had some lunch, wandered around, and took <i>purikura</i> together before J had to catch a shinkansen back to Osaka, and Roomie and I had to make it back for a good-bye dinner with some work people. The dinner was at the Korean restaurant owned by the father of one of the little girls at the daycare. Her mom showed up with her in tow, and they gifted me with a cute little drawstring bag with my first initial on it, and a bejeweled eye mask for the airplane. M-sensei, my lady boss, gave me a huge bag of gifts- a ton of socks (she always gave me a hard time about wearing thread-bare sock and socks with holes in them), a nice pass case for my train pass, and a photo album she put together herself with pictures of all of my babies, and a picture of each of my coworkers and a little message from them. Brought a little tear to my eye it did, and I'm so glad now that I have pictures of each of my kiddos so I can show everyone just how cute they are.<br />
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(Sorry, not pictures of my babies..)</div>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-51590461122790676772013-09-20T02:31:00.001-07:002013-10-12T01:35:04.021-07:00August Catch-up<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Just got back the other day from a nice little trip through Kyoto (京都) and Kagoshima (鹿児島), but more on that later as I just wanna do a quick little update for August.</div>
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Though I've forgotten most of what happened last month already!</div>
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Well, luckily Roomie writes down a lot of what we do on her calender, so if I can just decode it...</div>
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Ah, looks like a fireworks festival the first Saturday of the month- the Ichikawa Fireworks Festival (市川花火大会). Roomie, Ash, Yuu, and a couple old friends (we'll call them Aya and HS) from UW all went. Wore our yukata/jinbei, brought lots of snacks and drinks, enjoyed the not-too-hot evening by the river, then came back home to play with sparklers and stuff on our balcony.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, got my hurr all did up and everything!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunset, and the crowds waiting</td></tr>
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The following weekend was a surprise party for HS. Lots of food and drinks and fun again. And some crazy dancing.</div>
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Sunday the 25th Roomie and I met up with Gaki-chan, Ma-chan, and S for some delicious Korean foods and crazy mango creme-filled <i>taiyaki</i> in Kichijoji (吉祥寺; the restaurant is <a href="http://loco.yahoo.co.jp/place/ded1b5610e9051fb31b24c4d94c5a10a494ff2e7/">韓味楽</a>, decent priced and soooo good, definitely recommend going during lunch time), followed by the big festival in Azabu-juban (麻布十番祭り).</div>
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Other than that, August was mostly just work, a couple other random outings with Roomie, a few dates here and there with the Boy..</div>
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Mmhm. You know, same-old same-old.</div>
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And now I'm at the final countdown- only a week or so before I leave and it still really hasn't hit me. And I still have so much left to do. Why am I sitting here writing silly blog posts??</div>
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Oh that's right. Yes, I don't mean to brag but I happen to be an expert procrastinator.</div>
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I'll get this post up so I can go procrastinate some more. :D</div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-50222127319743198522013-09-11T05:00:00.001-07:002013-09-20T02:34:03.841-07:00Endings and Beginnings<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It's been more than a month since my last entry; I didn't even post once during the month of August. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've skipped a month since I've started this blog.</div>
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Oh well, there's a first time for everything..</div>
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Today was my last day of work at the daycare. </div>
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Been there for more than 2 years.</div>
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Had to say good-bye to my Yama-chan on Monday, as he didn't come yesterday or today..</div>
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Those who know me personally already know my plans, but just for those of you who don't-</div>
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I'm heading back to the States September 29th, and will be there for about 6 months.</div>
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Of course I'm coming back to Japan, but this time with a student visa.</div>
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I just got tired of the whole English-teaching thing. It's never what I wanted to do, and if I'm going to improve and get myself out of the business, I decided I'd better go back and study the language some more.</div>
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So, that's what I'm doing!</div>
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I'm excited to go back.. it's been 2 and 1/2 years since I left Seattle and I miss it.</div>
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But...</div>
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I'm as equally nervous about it all too.</div>
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And I hate moving. :p</div>
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Well, more on the past month later. A lot has happened.</div>
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But for now, I gotta grab my bags and run out the door. Gotta catch my night bus down to Kyoto, then off to Kagoshima on Friday! Adventures, adventures.</div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-37131944707883595392013-07-31T06:48:00.001-07:002013-09-07T10:43:20.693-07:00Sumidagawa Fireworks APOCALYPSE! And hide Museum.<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
When I found out that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide_%28musician%29">hide Museum</a> was being temporarily re-opened (it was initially open in Yokosuka, Japan from 2000 to 2005) I knew I had to go. I was crushed when I found out they were closing the original museum back in 2005 and didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see it. BUT luck was on my side. Ash agreed to join me last Saturday on my pilgrimage to respect The Man- The Man who was (and is) a huge musical influence to many, who wrote such awesome amazing songs as "Dice", and who may have been <strike>part of</strike> the main reason I almost always had pink in my hair. Until work no longer allowed it, that is....</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dice- the first song of his I fell in love with</span></div>
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The museum was a bit smaller than I expected, but filled with greatness nonetheless. So many of the outfits he wore for photo shoots and shows; memorabilia; personal items like his contacts prescriptions and fake nails (ew?); handwritten lyrics, notes, and doodles by him; his many many guitars (including the famous yellow hearts one you see in the picture above)... And at the end you were seen off by a life-size replica of him, made with such intricate detail that if you looked close enough you could see each individual eyebrow hair and even the fine hair over his face. If cameras had been allowed I would've taken a picture.</div>
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I didn't buy any souvenirs, as the ticket stub and memories were enough for me.</div>
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After the museum, we met up with Roomie at Asakusa Station and decided to rent a karaoke room so we could change into our <i>yukata </i>(summer kimono) while we waited for Yuu. When he showed up, we walked around trying to find a place to eat, ended up over at the Solamachi shopping area around Sky Tree (after stopping by this awesome park to slide down the really long roller slide, which was really fun but made me feel like I got rug burn on my butt), then headed back to the river to try to get a decent spot to watch the fireworks for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumidagawa_Fireworks_Festival">Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival</a>. You should read about it, it's got quite a history. And as the article says nearly a million people show up for it annually so it's a bit of a madhouse. <br />
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The spot we ended up getting was worthless as the buildings blocked our view. However, when the fireworks started, they started taking groups of people across the bridge so everyone would have a chance to see them. Our plan was to cross over the blue bridge, find S who was meeting us there after she got off work, then cross back over on the red bridge to see the fireworks being set off further down the river. The bridges become one-way for pedestrians during the event, so if you cross over and then want to get back to the other side, you have to walk over to the next bridge. However, just as our group started getting led across, a crazy typhoon-like storm blew in, complete with thunder and lightning and wind and torrential downpour. We did get to see some pretty cool fireworks up-close as we were crossing, but by the time we had reached the other side they had cancelled the rest of the show.<br />
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We had already gotten completely soaked during our short walk across the bridge- umbrellas worthless against the wind- and had to tread through the flooded streets and sidewalks along with hoards of others trying to make it back to the main area of Asakusa. We finally met up with S, and tried to decide what to do from there. The station was so packed, the lines of people were gushing up the stairs and out of the station and down the street. There were police officers shouting that the crowds were so bad they didn't know how long of a wait it would be to get on the train, and were suggesting people to walk "about 20 minutes" down the road to Ueno Station. We took the suggestion and herded off with tons of other displaced, soggy people. The streets were still barricaded off, police were running around trying to direct the crowds, trampled mushy trash littered the street, people were still huddled and taking shelter under store awnings... It was like a scene from some doomsday/apocalypse/disaster movie.<br />
The "20-minute walk" was more like 40, but when we reached Ueno we all went to grab some food before we parted ways.<br />
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I think it was a first for me to really want a nice hot shower in the summer, but ohhh it felt so good to take one when Roomie and I finally reached home! A bit disappointed we didn't get to see more of the fireworks show, we at least have our amazing story of survival to tell instead. And there's always next year. :)</div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-89571449441425136722013-07-22T07:30:00.002-07:002014-05-30T18:15:33.014-07:00Cheerblasting Mt. Fuji<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Saturday the 13th, I was up at 8am (after going to bed at 2am) to finish the last of my packing for Mt. Fuji!</div>
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Roomie and I headed off to meet up with Ash and Yuu and to go pick up our rental car. After some more last minute shopping/food run we were off!</div>
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There are a couple different trails you can take up Mt. Fuji, and we decided on the Subashiri Route. We parked our car at the parking they have near the base of the mountain and took the shuttle bus up to the 5th Station (五合目), which is where most people begin their hike.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mowgli along for the ride, at the sign for the 5th Station!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Back when we were so full of life, so full of hope...</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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It was raining a bit for a good part of the first half of our hike.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY4Ehyphenhyphen4pXHUAa1QO-bEbjYgyn05plgfoH19tArSIPEuZpXQ9jCLcAW9_Y3DAoCCxhung6u_VRRME1col9XLWr0EPBSCKmcJHSOZ5CoupZUxS-FUkerS9gJ9Z8-Rx0if-8VaVdTd8gLaPT/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY4Ehyphenhyphen4pXHUAa1QO-bEbjYgyn05plgfoH19tArSIPEuZpXQ9jCLcAW9_Y3DAoCCxhung6u_VRRME1col9XLWr0EPBSCKmcJHSOZ5CoupZUxS-FUkerS9gJ9Z8-Rx0if-8VaVdTd8gLaPT/s320/6.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice view, maybe an hour into the climb.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There are "ten" stations total along the trail. I put ten in quotes because it's not really ten. There's 6th Station (六合目), Original 6th Station (本六合目), New 6th Station (新六合目), etc...</div>
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<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the "New 6th Station"</td></tr>
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We stopped at each for a short rest. We didn't want to climb too fast for fear of altitude sickness.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Mowgli at the 7th Station</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">"Original 8th Station"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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There was no picture taken at the 9th Station, for the 9th Station wasn't even really a station at all, but merely a <i>torii</i> gate along the trail. That, and I was too cold and tired and miserable to be bothered with pictures anymore.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Blurry night pic, but all those lights down below are flashlights/headlamps from other climbers</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry pic of sunrise</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRQJvl-2ZB4N0bkqG_m_cnUDgQiiGe0KHf8n3HbA9vgLT6rVG9aMozERRh0tgG_OUJJohm3W5GmLKveSL44Dc60rKbl3G9YUyCNafYTkZOgLcxZ90kmwUFjB_jqg-d-rOFzm2OfHEVgOJ/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRQJvl-2ZB4N0bkqG_m_cnUDgQiiGe0KHf8n3HbA9vgLT6rVG9aMozERRh0tgG_OUJJohm3W5GmLKveSL44Dc60rKbl3G9YUyCNafYTkZOgLcxZ90kmwUFjB_jqg-d-rOFzm2OfHEVgOJ/s320/15.jpg" height="97" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the sunrise. Almost to the summit (we were just past the 9th Station).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it! Kind of dying...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uHWeIgLbfo7oVPDsujNF3hq1ugCp91CnyXxrKbvr4vvAsiHvFIJ7Nv55oUBM5LqACPrOrz5uEBnDEqKiiaivApudEXe7Kt8hY1emH6wxe3s6HMhPsin-Y8Q3K1zwSwI9Fa0oOwE2eBNc/s320/17.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And kind of crazy!</td></tr>
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I told myself I would probably not ever do it again, but now that I'm not feeling like death on the mountain I kinda feel like I would do it again, since now I know what to expect and can plan better!</div>
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It took about 12 hours to reach the top, and about 6 hours back down. The way down the Subashiri Route is mostly thick loose dirt and gravel. They say you can run down this trail (須走 [<i>Subashiri</i>] actually means 須 "ought"; 走 "to run"), and while it seems a bit treacherous, at parts it's better just to do it. You fall down and bruise your butt on rocks whether you walk or run anyway..</div>
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We finally reached the 5th Station and were greeted by other hikers and by the sales guy who sold us our walking sticks the day before (you purchase these wooden hiking sticks for 800 to 1000 yen, and can get them stamped/branded at each station along the way. A neat souvenir, and they're actually pretty helpful during the climb.) </div>
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We took the shuttle bus back to our car before heading to lunch, then to our <i>onsen</i> hotel. The onsen felt amazing, and we relaxed in the hot baths and in our room before heading out to dinner that evening.</div>
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Roomie and Ash went to sleep at a semi-decent hour, but Yuu and I stayed up. I think we were just past that point of feeling sleepy. Finally went to bed around 2am Monday morning. That was about 42 hours for me, on just 6 hours of sleep.</div>
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Then! We all woke up around 8am to head to Fuji-Q. <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.jp/2013/05/april-update-and-golden-week.html">Last time</a> was a bit of a bust, if you remember, but this time we were able to ride aaaall of the major coasters, and finish it off with a crazy funner-than-expected water ride and a peep inside the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_%28anime%29">Evangelion</a> exhibit, before we had to head back to Tokyo to return our car. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And that was our insane, sleepless Fuji-filled weekend. Work last week was a bit hard to get through, what with the sunburned nose/scalp, muscle pain ALL OVER, and sleep deprivation. But it was quite worth it!</span></div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-33073083478607705882013-07-20T23:25:00.000-07:002013-07-20T23:25:31.281-07:00Fancy and Exciting Dinners<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Getting a little behind on updates again. Here are some pictures from the end of June. Roomie, S, and I were invited to a very fancy dinner by one of S's old students. She's a very nice lady and she and her husband are pretty well off, so they like spoiling us. ;)</div>
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And then Ash just arrived at the end of June for her summer study abroad, so we met up the day after Super Fancy Din-din, for a Super Exciting Din-din at a cool jail/haunted house-themed restaurant called The Lock-Up.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have crazy food like black spaghetti.. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">..and crazy drinks like this!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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And here is a video I took. You can't really see much but flashing lights and hear a bunch of screaming, but every hour in the restaurant all the lights go out and workers come out dressed as monsters and go around scaring everyone, then the waitress police women come out and "rescue" everyone and round up the monsters. There are a few locations around Japan, and while it's not the cheapest place it's still a fun experience.</div>
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Next up: pictures and stuff from my Fuji weekend!</div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-74045026420743614162013-06-23T05:15:00.000-07:002013-06-23T05:15:59.320-07:00Boso Peninsula trip<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I mentioned <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.jp/2013/06/long-time-no-blog.html">before</a> about the trip to Chiba with some old housemates/students at the beginning of June. Didn't have time to post pictures since I'd been keeping me and my mum busy the past couple of weeks, so here they are now.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First stop at this cool <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E5%8D%83%E8%91%89%E7%9C%8C+%E5%AF%8C%E6%B4%A5%E5%B2%AC+%E5%B1%95%E6%9C%9B%E5%8F%B0&hl=ja&rlz=1T4FRSJ_jaJP409JP410&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-fuCUa_NHcnLlAWG64CoDw&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=498">observation deck</a> at <span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1371988996326_2163" style="font-size: x-small;">富津岬 (Futtsumisaki)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the boat tour to see the <i>tai</i> fish (sea bream?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driver sporting a <i>tai</i> on his jacket</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neat little fishing port, though the <i>tai</i> are a protected fish in the area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a thing for old rusty buildings</td></tr>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-88843631449886154142013-06-19T07:07:00.002-07:002013-06-19T07:07:42.000-07:00Sai-sai-sainara, bye-bye-bye<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Mum went home today, after two full weeks of almost nonstop walking, sight-seeing, bus and train rides, and eating! Took her around my area, made a visit to my cousin's family's place on the Naval base, and did lots of touristy things around Tokyo. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'll share a few and spare you a novel of all the details!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful park near my place</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple near Tokyo Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tower itself</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Twas my first time too</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa (Which, I just found out, Senso-ji (浅草寺) and Asakusa (浅草) are written with the same kanji! Blew my mind! And another prime example of why kanji sucks ass to learn...)</td></tr>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-72553440308309500592013-06-03T22:20:00.002-07:002013-06-04T05:44:35.646-07:00A Visitor Appears!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Long time no blog. I don't know if I'm just losing my interest in blogging, or if my everyday life has just become so everyday that I feel like I have nothing to blog about. I did go on a trip to Chiba yesterday- to the Boso peninsula- arranged by the guesthouse/English school where I used to live/work. And the weekend before Roomie and I met some friends in Yokohama and spent the evening there in Chinatown. </div>
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Will post pictures and stuff later. Right now I'm on the train, on my way to Narita Airport to pick up my Mum who will be here for 2 weeks (her first time since she left to return to the US at the age of 2, lol)! I'm quite excited and have a lot of things planned for her visit. It'll be interesting to play tour guide/translator for a couple weeks, but I hope I don't tire either of us out.</div>
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Seems like summer is finally upon us, and despite a couple days of rain last week and everyone exclaiming "Oh, looks like rainy season is early this year!", it has been sunny and warm. Luckily no unbearable humidity yet. Not looking forward to that. Keeping my fingers crossed for mild weather for Mum's visit!</div>
~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-57275139514010205392013-05-06T07:25:00.000-07:002013-06-04T05:10:22.179-07:00April Update and Golden Week<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I guess it's about time I do an update, eh?</div>
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First, Roomie and I had a joint birthday-celebration-trip to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji-Q">Fuji-Q</a> on the 20th.</div>
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Though the turn-out was better than <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.jp/2011/12/thanksgiving-and-fuji-q-weekend.html">last time</a>, the weather sucked. Despite getting up to the 20s during the week (that's 70s Fahrenheit), the day of our trip the high was 5° (30-something) and it rained and snowed. We only got to ride two coasters before they stopped due to rain, but at least there were a few indoor things to do.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited and we just can't hide it!</td></tr>
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My actual birthday day I had to work, but afterwards Roomie and I went to 畑の厨 (<i>Hatake no Kuriya</i>), a very yummy vegetable-y restaurant. Not entirely veg-friendly (nothing in Japan is, I feel), but lots of veggie-based dishes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy birthday mojito!</td></tr>
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Last weekend, the 28th, I went to see the Rainbow Pride Parade in Yoyogi Park. Missed the parade as it went out because I couldn't find the stinkin' area, but I got to see it coming back. Checked out some of the booths, took pictures of some of the awesomely eccentric people, and enjoyed looking around at the booths (free wine samples, yes!).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frieza! (From Dragonball)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Return of the Paraders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a gay-old time!</td></tr>
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Met up with Roomie afterward in Shibuya and did some shopping at H&M. Got some cute summery clothes, which were stolen later in the evening... thanks in part to my forgetfulness, but it would be nice if you leave a bag at your table that whoever found it would turn it in to the staff or something. But what can you do? At least it was H&M and just a few items so it was relatively cheap to replace, but still. Despite all the "my wallet was returned with all ¥60,000 still in it!" stories you'll hear about Japan, there are still arseholes and thieves.</div>
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After shopping we met up with Roomie's old exchange student from eight-or-so years ago (we'll call him Yuu) and a colleague of his and his colleague's friends at a place called Self Kitchen- a restaurant where three people in your party get to play chef, choose from a selection of veggies, pastas, cheese, meat, fish, etc, and cook your own food! A pretty neat idea. I and two of the guys played chef- I wowed them with some shrimp fajitas, and the other two made some sides and salads and pasta.</div>
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Ater that, Roomie, Yuu, one other guy, and I decided to go to another place to drink and talk some more- which is where I lost my bag of clothes, along with the flag I had bought earlier and my sunglasses which I'd tossed in the bag too. Other Guy ducked out to catch his last train, but the three of us remained until the place closed, then moved on to a karaoke place until the first trains started again around 5am. That day was a holiday- the start of Golden Week- so we got to sleep in once we got home.</div>
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Golden Week is a week of many holidays, and while many companies get the whole week off, we only got the actual holidays off. So it was a 3-day weekend, followed by a 3-day work-week, and then a 4-day weekend. Had this Friday through today off, so a lot of this went on:</div>
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That's Lord of the Rings. We watched the whole trilogy this weekend, probably the first time for me since high school. I had forgotten a lot so it was fun to watch them again!</div>
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Went to S's new place in Yokohama on Saturday to hang out and make some delicious Mexican food. Then today we went to the planetarium near our station, which was really cool and pretty cheap. Met up afterwards with Mama Ann and she treated us to a belated birthday dinner of yummy Indian food. </div>
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<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two scrumptious curries and a HUGE naan.</td></tr>
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And it's back to work tomorrow. I work the early shift, and it's now past my bedtime!</div>
<br />~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2291428590846442307.post-7910222171884153522013-04-14T04:05:00.000-07:002013-04-14T04:05:21.880-07:00Obligatory Cherry Blossom Post<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
A bit behind the times, but oh well.</div>
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Cherry blossom season is pretty much over, although Roomie and I just went to a cherry blossom picnic with our boss today since a different type of cherry blossom- <a href="http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A4%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B6%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9">yaezakura</a>- are still in bloom. Didn't do a big <i>hanami</i> picnic like <a href="http://lacquerednothings.blogspot.jp/2012/04/very-japanese-easter.html">last year</a>, as the weather was pretty gloomy over both weekends that the trees were in bloom.</div>
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I did take a (very very long) walk to a park I had never been to before to admire the blossoms. I was surprised to see nary a soul around, as I thought it would've been the perfect place to picnic despite the chilly weather.</div>
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But, if there had been tons of people there I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the scenery so I guess that worked out to my advantage.</div>
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And to yours too, as I leave you with these lovely pictures.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street around where I live</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After an hour-long walk from home...</td></tr>
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And finally, a popular song about sakura that I love:</div>
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~Chai~http://www.blogger.com/profile/12272223132203675370noreply@blogger.com0