So, it's been quite a while since I've posted. Since August to be exact..when I took my first trip to the states. So, to catch you all up on what's been happening here in Japan, here goes:
• I've become addicted to City of Heroes (thanks Jim) after flying space available to to Seattle and staying at Jim's house for a couple of days.
• We had a beautiful fall. It's so nice to live in a place with seasons. We visited Koganei Koen and the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in late November. Here are the photos of our trip:
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum147.html
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum148.html
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum149.html
• We also visited a traditional tea ceremony in early November with culture group. Afterwards we had dinner with culture group at Keith and Betsy's house.
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum144.html
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum145.html
• Kimonos are complicated. I bought one for 20bucks at an antique sell. I think it's from the sixties or seventies based on the bright green and orange color scheme. I went to a kimono class with my friends Mie and Yukiko. They helped me put on the kimono. There is a lot more to it than you would think...certain undergarments to be warn..things to nip and tuck you....and so on . afterwards, we visited the Ome Art Festival. Here are the photos:
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum153.html
• Christmas was cut short by events that you all know about. We spent Christmas morning with my brother and sister-in-law in Folkston, and then drove to Atlanta to have dinner with Jen and Dunc. We had yummy food, lots o random stocking stuffers, and fun with our friends.
• I finally made it back to japan on February 7th after over a month of going through things to ship and/or store and to sell or throw away. And cleaning. And more going through stuff. And helping Robin (sister-in-law) paint cupboards in the kitchen. And lots and lots of phone calls. And talking to lawyers. So it's good to be home.
• I think my new favorite movie is Shaun of the Dead. Saw it in Seattle at the end of September with Jim. And have seen it thrice more since then. Seems to be one of those movies we have to watch with certain people. And the extras on the DVD are just as amusing as the movie.
• We just finished the whole Wonderfalls series. Kinda silly and enjoyable. We're sorry it got cancelled.
• Now we are watching Season 4 of Angel and random Family Guy episodes.
• I've been trying to get back into work things. Been a bit hard after a month of non workitude...but getting back into the swing of things.
• Friday night we went to eat with Massa (translator for the band) and his wife Maki (a flight attendent for Japan Air). We had real Yaki Niku and it was sooo yummy. Yaki Niku is a kind of restaurant where you have a grill in your table and they bring you raw seasoned meat to grill. For the first time, we tried a special meat that you dip in a sesame sauce and eat raw. It was quite delicious. Then we had other cuts of beef that Maki (the grillmaster) grilled for us. Good company too. I gave Denny some slang flashcards for V-day, and he took them to work. So Massa has been learning slang..and it is too funny to hear a Japanese guy saying "are you down with that?" or "are you dissing me?" Denny says Massa has been posting slang to his blog (all in japanese of course)...he posted "hoopty" the other day.
• Saturday it snowed! And it stuck! We drove up into the mountains to Hossawa Falls to tromp around in the snow. We hiked around quite a bit (for several hours) while it was snowing. I did manage to get a few pictures (denny had an umbrella). It was such a beautiful picturesque place to be in the snow. Here are the photos:
http://homepage.mac.com/petitshoo/Japan/PhotoAlbum152.html
• Visited culture group last night for the first time since we returned. It was so nice to be back with our japanese friends. We had an interesting discussion about bathrooms. We talked about the Cadillac of toilets...the washerette...that has the spray of water to wash you off when you are done....along with the bun warmers. And it's funny to me that right next door to these Cadillacs is the Geo Metro of toilettes....the hole in the ground type toilet with nothing to hang onto. I still haven't figured out to maneuver going to the bathroom in one of those...by the time i get down in a position so i won't pee on my pants...my bladder is so twisted i can't even go. Craziness.
Hehe, found this funny little demonstration online:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~AD8Y-HYS/movie.htm
I think that brings us all up to date.
Mata ne! (later)
