The Random Roamings of Jody and Juan

A trip to Laughlin and the Grand Canyon.

2010-08-14T10:24:00.004+09:00

Because there just wasn't enough time to go to Yosemite park like we had originally planned, the folks took us to the Grand Canyon which was great because neither Juan nor I had ever been there before. We went to Grand Canyon West which is on native American property and actually costs a pretty penny just to get on the reservation. Once there Juan and I did the famous sky walk, which was a little terrifying.

We had a nice afternoon walking the unguarded rim and seeing one of the worlds biggest natural wonders. Thanks to my training in Tokyo, I was all prepared with SPF 50, lots of water and my trusty SPF parasol. Unfortunately not everyone in our party fared so well and we left after a few hours for the sanctuary of air conditioning and iced beverages.

Later that evening we went back to our hotel in Laughlin and enjoyed the evening with a buffet and a few games of Cosmic Bowling. It was a great little trip. Thanks Sue and Dad for everything!

The only thing we regret is not opening up that gas station/ car wash at the end of the 15 mile unpaved road you had to take to get onto the reservation.

Sailing in San Diego

2010-08-12T09:30:00.000+09:00

The folks took Juan and I out to San Diego for a lovely day of sunshine and sailing.

Dad works the sails.

Juan pretends to drive the boat.

Sue actually drives the boat.

And me... I just like to sit and enjoy the salty air and the wind on my face.

1st order of Business

2010-08-11T16:35:00.000+09:00

1. A trip to the DMV to renew our driver's liscence.

2. Pedicures and a much needed foot scrub.

3. Eating copius amounts of red meat.

4. Catching up with the family in the nice dry california summer.

We're going to America

2010-08-10T15:39:00.000+09:00

Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri

2010-08-08T15:24:00.000+09:00

After a day of shopping in Shinjuku for last minute gifts for friends and family... Juan and I decided to hit up one of our local festivals. Asagaya's Tanabata Festival is mostly for children, but everyone seemed to being enjoying themselves as they sweated through the crowded streets looking at large paper-mache cartoon characters and eating shaved ice.

Here's a cute little video of a popular festival game in which children fish for goldfish using rice paper rings.

Tonkatsu Lunch and shopping in Shinjuku

2010-08-08T15:10:00.003+09:00

Joestu manhole cover

2010-08-05T14:57:00.000+09:00

As we leave Joetsu, I would like to leave you with this picture of their manhole cover. Manhole covers in Japan are often decorated with designs representing the local area. Not all are painted, but if you run across one it's always a good idea to snap a photo.

Check some more photos out at Gizmodo

or purchase a hip coffee table book for your friends at Amazon.

Enjoy

Sunset on the Sea

2010-08-05T14:49:00.000+09:00

One of our fellow teachers birthdays happened to fall on our last night in Joetsu and we all went to the beach for sunset cocktails. After being eaten alive by the mosquitos we eventualy moved to a izakaya down the road. It was a geat way to end the week.

An afternoon in the Sea of Japan

2010-08-04T14:44:00.002+09:00

After classes today. Juan and I took a dip in the sea of Japan. The sandy beaches were so much cleaner than what I have experiences in the Kanto area. Luckily we didn't get stung by any jelly fish.

Happy Birthday Juan

2010-08-03T14:40:00.000+09:00

Being in Joetsu and not having any idea where anything was... we ended up at Gusto family restaurant for Juan's 20th birthday dinner. Oh well... Happy birthday honey.

Nagaoka Fireworks

2010-08-02T14:04:00.000+09:00

Juan and I both picked up a great week long teaching job in Joetsu city Niigata. This was the first time we had ever gotten to work together and the company was so nice they even let us stay in a twin room. Joetsu city is a nice little shipping port on the Sea of Japan. This was our first time to the other side of the island. At our program we met several other great teachers and after our first day of teaching we headed north to Nagaoka to one of Japan's biggest firework shows.

Fireworks are serious buisness in Japan. The ones at Nagaoka last 2 hours and have a gigantic boom factor. The largest fireworks have a raduis of 650 meters. That's nearly a 1/2 mile!!!!

AMAZING!

Our new friend/coworker Phil tries to make friends with some really silly 20-something Japanese girls in yukatas.

So crowded, but so much fun!

Unfortunately, we took the wrong train back to our hotel and proceeded to get stuck at this remote station for over an hour. We didn't roll into our hotel until after midnight. I guess that will teach us to not study the special holiday timetables.

I'm turning Japanese I really think so.

2010-07-28T14:01:00.000+09:00

I think I may have a serious problem. Does Betty Ford help with this kind of situation?

Life Update

2010-07-18T07:35:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the lack of posts around here, but life has been a little busy. Here's a quick little update about our life in bullet form and in no particular order.

We got robbed. That's right. Our little apartment was broken into and robbed. They only took two things. Juan's camera and our hard earned cash. Total Bummer!!! At least they left the passports.

After living with a toothache for a few weeks, Juan finally went to the dentist and I decided to go for a check up too. Result: Thousand of dollars of dental work needed. That will teach us not to go to the dentist for three years.

Predictably, it got hot and humid in Tokyo. It also rained a lot this rainy season. I had to give up bike riding and take the train over ten times this semester. That's more than I took the train all last year.

Thanks to the help from my friend and coworker Chie, we were able to change the locks on our doors and file an insurance claim. Thank you so much Chie!!!!! You're the best. With Chie's help, we were able to get about 1/3 of our money back.

Juan and I finally bought our tickets to America this summer. Because of our little financial debacle with being robbed, we decided to do a bare bones 3 weeks only visit. More info to come later.

We wrapped up our semester at our regular schools. And we are gearing up for 3 weeks of summer work. Here in Tokyo, in Gifu and in Niigata.

Juan and I are walking about 40 kilometers a week in order to loose a little weight before the big trip home in August.

Well, that's about it. Any questions??? No? Ok good.

Ja ne!!

End of the Semester Bento Round Up

2010-07-17T08:54:00.000+09:00

Ever wonder what the heck Juan is eating for lunch???? Drop me a comment and I will happily fill you in.

Rilakuma Sighting

2010-07-16T06:53:00.000+09:00

As you may or may not remember. Juan is a Rilakuma fan and look what he spotted on his way home from work a few weeks ago. Rilakuma!!

Hydrangea Viewing at Summerland

2010-07-10T06:58:00.000+09:00

The last weekend in June, Juan and I met up with our good friend Naoko at Summerland's hydrangea park. The day was very humid and very hot. In fact, we soaked our handkerchiefs with in a matter of minutes and had to upgrade to large towels in order to keep the sweat at bay. But a little walk with in a beautiful setting with our good friend helped us bear the weather.

The specialty of the park was this big white hydrangea.

Here's us, hot and sweaty in front of snowball mountain. Really! That's what it was called!!

Of course no day would be complete without a cold draft beer, some salty edamame and a lemon shaved ice.

Thanks Naoko for a great little, hot day!!

Carps game at Seibu Dome

2010-06-25T08:51:00.003+09:00

Juan and I attended our first Carps game of the season. YEAH!!!! We dug our red shirts and plastic bats out of the closet and set off to Saitama prefecture. This was our first time to the Seibu Dome and I have to say that I really like the vibe. The stadium itself is actually a little old and the dome is kind of an afterthought, but the stadium has a lot of charm. Take for instance the mega fan seating. It's picnic style. How cute is that!!??!?! Bring your blanket and fan pride paraphernalia and cheer your your team on.

I made sure we took a picture before we get to the game because I am tired of having pictures of me all sweaty with beer stains on my shirt.

Look!!! We saw a Sumo Wrestler!!!

We met up with our designated Carps Fan and newlywed friends. And here we are enjoying our Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. YUMMMMM!!!! Our friends are so funny. We are always getting in kindness wars. One person buys a round of drinks, another person buys some shaved ice, then another person feels the need to buy some yaki soba, and then another round of drinks. It's a never ending cycle. We all come home with full bellies and empty wallets.

It was a fantastic day!!! Good weather, good food, good friends and WE WON!!!!!

Go Carps!

Movie Times

2010-06-25T08:49:00.001+09:00

The Cinema at Toshimean is by far our favorite. Not only is it accessible by bicycle (only 20 mins door to door), but they have discount tickets on the weekends after 9pm. So when Iron Man 2 finally came to town, where were happily there on opening weekend. Also, a benefit to seeing a show on opening weekend is that you have a good chance of seeing it in theater 8 which has the option of getting the rumble seats (for 2 bucks more). So here you see me with our tickets and our coins for the rumble seats. Not pictures is Juan with our sodas, popcorn and churros. What can we say... we love a good action movie.

Not even close

2010-06-25T08:48:00.001+09:00

Where is all the pie???

Hello Kitty Tea Au Lait

2010-06-25T08:47:00.003+09:00

You know I can't resist buying ridiculous things with Hello Kitty on them.

Dinner with Misa

2010-06-25T08:45:00.001+09:00

As of late our dear friend Misa is all consumed with her art. Every spare evening and weekend she spennds creating, discussing or celebrating art. So, needless to say, it's pretty hard to schedule any time with her. Luckily she did find an evening in her hectic life to have dinner with us. She too us back to the Namahage restaurant in Ginza for an eving of Akita cuisine and monsters. It's always so good to meet up with Misa.

Aisai Bento= the Loving Wife Bento

2010-05-09T10:45:00.002+09:00

Juan is working in the Nishi-Tokyo School district again this year and since Juan teaches at public elementary schools, he can eat school lunch for about 250 Yen a day. Unfortunately for Juan, most school lunches involve some sort of fish or fishy by product. As you may or may not know... Juan does not like fish, but he tries to set a good example for the kids and always tries to eat all of his lunch whether it be fried squid or rice seasoned with tiny little fishies.

So instead of suffering on a daily basis, I told Juan I would happily make him a bento every day. So from time to time I will try and remember to take a couple of pictures of Juan's Asai Bentos and post them for your mouth watering pleasure.

Please let me know if you have any questions about bentos or my speedy bento techniques.

Senbei Boshi

2010-05-05T11:08:00.000+09:00

Happy Children's Day from Juan Leon aka
King of the Rice Crackers!

Visiting with the Nonakas

2010-05-04T09:49:00.000+09:00

After a span of much to long, during Golden Week Juan and I made the trek to Ibaraki to visit some wonderful old friends, The Nonaka Family.

Meg's sweet little family have grown by leaps and bounds since the last time we saw her three years ago.

Rea-chan, Meg's oldest girl is now 4 and in kindergarten and can read hiragana and katagana better than Juan and me.

Meg's second oldest girl Yuri-chan is two. She likes singing, eating meat and fish (including octopus) and is super duper cute.

And low and behold, Meg has a third little girl by the name of Riko. She's only six months old, but already her little personality is coming into shape.

And of course we can't forget Meg's fabulous Mother and Father in Law. The every gracious hostess, Mrs. Nonaka, cooked enough delicious food that day for about 20 people. And we are happy to say that Mr. Nonaka is as young at heart as ever and has now hiked Mt. Tsukuba over 500 times!!!! I haven't met Juan's parents yet, but if they are half as wonderful as Meg's in-laws I will call myself blessed.

But the good news doesn't stop there. Meg's sister and brother in law were also there with their two beautiful newborn twin daughters. In Japanese custom, a daughter will usually move back home when she gives birth so that her family can help her out during those first few weeks. Since Ei-chan just had twins she said she is planning on staying for about three months. If was Japanese and had a family as nice as Ei-chan's, I might move back forever.

I definitely had a case of baby fever. So many babies!!!!

We had such a wonderful day at the Nonaka's home! Their kindness is immeasurable.
Thank you so much Nonaka Family. We hope to see you all again very soon.

A Beautiful Showa Day

2010-04-30T09:17:00.000+09:00

Golden Week always starts with Showa Day and what better way to celebrate the past Emperor than to go to his memorial park, Showa Kinnen Park. And lucky for us... it's free on Showa Day!!!

As you may remember from the last two April's, Showa Kinnen Park had an amazing flower festival. For some reason, we couldn't make it to the park when the festival was in full swing, but luckily enough, some of the flowers were late in bloom. So I made us an amazing bento and we met up with our dear friend Naoko-chan for a lovely Thursday afternoon at our favorite park in Tokyo.

Comfortable Mexican

2010-04-26T08:47:00.001+09:00

After Ahaya's art exhibit, Juan and I finally went to dinner at supposedly Tokyo's best Tex Mex restaurant, Junkadelic. Unfortunately Juan and I did not have a reservation. We arrived at 6pm, but were barely allowed to seat. We ate and left in haste. Even though the atmosphere was adorable and the food was better than most, it didn't hold up our high standards. And so another Mexican food restaurant in Tokyo bites the dust. Why do we even try???

2010-04-25T09:00:00.001+09:00

On Saturday Juan and I went to Meguro to support Juan's little student Ayaha-chan. Ayaha is a cute little girl who has been studying with Juan for about 2 years now. Every week she attends an art class in Roppongi and every year her class has an exhibit. For some reason we couldn't make it last year, so we made a point of attending her big shin-ding this year.

I just love how little Ayah-chan looks next to the gigantic Juan.

Spring Time Japanese Cartoons

2010-04-21T16:20:00.004+09:00

Before

and After

Update on Life

2010-04-18T09:58:00.003+09:00

Juan and I have finished and survived our first week back at school. The week has been a mixture of rain and sun, but yesterday morning I awoke to snow and slush. That's crazy weather for April. We never have snow after the cherry blossoms!

Last night, after the rain and snow has stopped, Juan and I went with Simon (my co-worker) and his family to see Alice in Wonderland. I know many of you have probably already seen it, but in Japan... it's opening weekend. Lucky for us, Simon bought our tickets earlier in the week. We had the best seats in the house, but man was it crowded. Every seat was taken... I don't know how we, a party of 6, lucked out.

It has been a long time since Juan and I went to the movies, so it was treat. Our seats were 2,000 Yen (about 22 bucks), which is standard for any movie before 9pm in Japan. The movie was good, but not a must see, but it was fun hanging out with Simon's girls. Thanks Butler family and Derek for a fun night.

Irish music in a bath-house bar

2010-04-12T09:23:00.002+09:00

Last night we went to a little bar/art space in Kyodo (Odakyu line). Our good friend Misa was showcasing her work at an intimate izakaya (bar) called SabaNoYu Cafe and she invited us out to see her work, listen to some good music and of course have a couple of beers too.

The sento (public bath) inspired bar was small in size, but cozy and friendly in spirit. We had such a great time! We didn't even leave until 11 o'clock. Luckily I had Monday off, but poor Juan had to get up at 6 for his fist day back at work.

Check out this site to enjoy the music of O'Jizo!!!!

Night Viewing at Chidorigafuchi and Yasakuni Shrine

2010-04-09T08:14:00.001+09:00

During the height of cherry blossom season, I really wanted to go to a night viewing and what better place than Chidorigafuchi and Yasakuni shrine.

Last Sunday, we met up with our friend Naoko for an evening of cherry blossoms and Japanese junk food. We started our evening by walking around the inner and outer gardens along Chidorigafuchi's Edo period moat area.

We arrived at Chidorigafuchi a little to early for night viewing. So, we decided to run over to Yasakuni for a quick snack of buttered baked potatoes, yaki soba, grilled squid (Naoko chan only) and beer on tap. One of the best things about going to Yasakuni is that all of the seating area is actually under the blossoms.

At 6:30 we went back to Chidorigafuchi to walk along the pink LED illuminated walkways beside the moat. As always, I am in awe of the beauty that surrounds me here. Words can never describe it, you just have to experience it to know how amazing it really is.

After fighting the crowd of a thousand people trying to take the perfect picture, we went back to Yasakuni for a little more food and drink. We popped into a dining tent and with Naoko's help we feasted on bacon wrapped asparagus and tomatoes, conch shells, grilled veggies, beer and lemon sours. YUMMY!!!!!!

Our evening out with Naoko finished off with a delicious crepe. U-mai!!! (That's yummy in Japanese) Thanks Naoko for coming out with us!!!

Every year, as the cherry blossom season comes to an end, I always feel that I didn't take full advatage of the season, but I guess.... there's always next year.

Shinjuku Gyoen

2010-04-06T10:48:00.004+09:00

After relaxing at home for a few days, it was finally time to get out enjoy the foreign country we live in. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and it is glorious. On Saturday, I decided to drag Juan away from his computer and out to Shinjuku Gyoen for a lovely walk around the park. Enjoy all the pictures of us (which is in thanks to my mother who is always complaining that I never post any pictures of us).

P.S. I love this picture. How many cameras can you see???

Bangkok Days 5 and 6

2010-04-05T22:25:00.004+09:00

Our last day in Bangkok was mellow. Juan and I just enjoyed the good food around our hotel, some shopping in the department store that was connected to our hotel (yeah deodorant), getting foot massages, getting a few more snacks for Japanese obligatory gift giving and collecting our tailored clothing. We didn't even take our cameras out all day. It was a good way to end our vacation.

Our private driver awoke us around 4:30 am to take us to the airport in time for our 7am return flight. It was a little brutal, but the flight was only 5 hours and almost everyone slept the entire way.

Upon exiting the plane, I immediately started mentally beating up Juan for inadvertently packing our light jackets. Unfortunately for us, Tokyo had been hit by a cold front and we were in short sleeves. On our way home it even started to sleet. We got stares everywhere we went. People are in parkas and scarves and I am in a light skirt and sandals. But, eventually I got the jackets out of the suitcases, we got to Shakujikoen-station, grabbed a katsu bento and took a taxi home.

It's really nice to be home. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and it's beautiful!!

Bangkok Day 4

2010-04-05T22:13:00.005+09:00

On Saturday we headed off to Bangkok's weekend market. Juan was in heaven. It was just a large, hot, sweaty, crowded swap-meet of awesomeness. A day of shopping, sweating and soft drink drinking.

After our long day of souvenir shopping we headed back to our hotel for an evening of room service and several sushi donuts.

Bangkok Day 3

2010-04-05T21:59:00.007+09:00

On our third day in Bangkok the weather finally cooled off. As heavy clouds blocked the brutal sun we took of to take a tour of Jim Thompson's house. Check out the website to see what all the fuss is about.

Afterwards we took a bus to Chinatown. Chinatown in Bangkok is nothing like Yokohama's Chinatown. It was a real, nitty, gritty Chinatown (Were were even called Guilo!!). Many people come here to buy gold, but we were more interested in the snacks and funeral paper goods.

Later on we had an early dinner at a cafe near our hotel. Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. Then, of course, we went to Jack' s for another fitting.

Bangkok Day 2

2010-04-04T18:26:00.002+09:00

We decided to hit all of the major temples in Bangkok in one day. One miserable hot, scamming, terrible day. So hot!!!!! Because you can pretty much blindfold yourself and point your camera anywhere and take great picture... it would take me forever to upload all of the beautiful pictures we took.

We went to Wat Phra Kaew (aka the Emerald Buddha), The Grand Palace, Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun. If you really want to know here a particular picture came from just let me know. Otherwise, welcome to our hodgepodge of temple pictures.

Phuket Day 7/ Bangkok Day 1

2010-04-04T14:06:00.000+09:00

Time to wave goodbye to Phuket and say hello to...

Bangkok!!!

Our hotel, Centre Point Silom, was just amazing. We wanted to move in immediately!

After settling in, we took the free Marriott shuttle boat over to our tailor, Jack. The shuttle boat was so lovely. They even give you cold, lemongrass scented towels.

That night, and almost every night in Bangkok, we spent with Jack the tailor at Monet il Sarto. Our clothes making experience was great and we are so happy with our clothes (and the prices).

Phuket Day 6

2010-04-03T13:43:00.000+09:00

On our last day in Phuket we took a speedboat tour to an island called Koh Khai Nok.

This tiny island is popular with tourists.
Snorkeling, fish feeding and relaxing on the beach. Fun!

After lunch we decided to separate ourselves from the crowds. Surprisingly enough, all we had to do was go over to the other side of the beach.
It was completely empty and wonderful.

Khai island was nice, but I would recommend taking a different tour company. Ours was go, go, go. If you have the money (which we don't because we are just lowly school teachers) I would hire a private boat for the day. That way you could just sit back and enjoy this beautiful little sliver of an island.

Phuket Day 5

2010-04-03T13:35:00.000+09:00

Spending a day by the pool was relaxing for Mr. Leon, especially when he realized that there was wi-fi there.

That night we went back to Lotus for another scenic meal.

After dinner we took a walk down the beach and worked off some of that fabulous coconut ice cream.

Phuket Day 4

2010-04-02T13:30:00.000+09:00

After our long day of hong sightseeing, we spent the next two days just lounging around the resort. The only thing we did of note on our fourth day was have lunch at Lotus.

The food was ok, but the view was spectacular!

Phuket Day 3

2010-04-02T12:57:00.001+09:00

After another good breakfast...

Juan and I were off for a great day with John Grey Sea Canoe Tours.
Although, the tour was a little expensive, it was totally worth it!!

After a light lunch (with Thai Sprite), we were ready to hit the canoes.

One of the great things about this tour is that you actually don't have to paddle. Every boat has their own guide. Our guide, Ole, was as good of a paddler as he was a guide. Ole was funny, knowledgeable and just Fun!

We took our little boats into the hongs. It was amazing!!

After a day of sightseeing, we took a much needed swim. Thank God we didn't get stung by a jelly fish like another person did.

Before dinner we made, with Ole's help, our offerings to the gods.

Dinner was Fantastic!!! Lots of Thai dishes and fresh fruit.

After dinner we returned to the hongs to give (and retrieve back) our offerings.

We had such a great day!! If you ever go to Phuket

Phuket Day 2

2010-04-01T11:52:00.000+09:00

Due to the fact that Juan and I just finished working and Thailand is two hours different, we found ourselves up around 5am.

But that is no problem because our TV was HUGE and happened to have a plethora of foreign channels including the Discovery Channel!!

We eventually walked our way across the street to breakfast.

The breakfast was pretty good. There was something for everyone.

After our breakfast we took the free ferry across the lagoon over to the beach.

Our beach was nice and quiet with lots of nearby restaurants.

We decided to have lunch at the restaurant directly behind our beach chairs.

The soup was weak, but the pad thai and the pineapple rice were good.

Look what I found... CHICLETS!!
For dinner we decided to get off the resort property to a restaurant called the Black Cat. I definitely recommend this little gem near the Laguna Resort Complex. They actually will come and pick you up and take you back for free. Good service and great food.

However, Juan made a little mistake in ordering his soup "Real Thai Strenth Spicy"

Even though it took Juan 40 minutes to eat his soup, we really enjoyed our night out at the Black Cat.

Thailand: Phuket Day 1

2010-04-01T11:14:00.002+09:00

Warning: Since Juan and I take a lot of pictures ...
I will be telling you about our trip in mostly photo form.

Juan and I had to get up super early to catch the first train all the way out to Narita.

A quick breakfast at Vie de France. Mmmm Apple cheese bread is my favorite.

My Japanese beef lunch.

Juan's far superior Thai pork curry.

Thai Coca-Cola.

Before landing they gave all of the ladies orchid corsages.

Useful Thai Words

We're here and boy are we tired!!

While we were waiting for our luggage I noticed an ad for our resort.

The check in was sooo pleasant. They invited us to sit down and relax with a cold drink while we waited, which was really nice after our 7 hour flight and 20 minute taxi ride from hell (apparently the speed limit is just a suggestion).

Our quick snack from the little resort's mini mart.

Swimming time at one of our resorts 2 pools.

Dinner at Tom Yun Goon near the Laguna Beach Resort.

Good night

A wonderful Lunch with Naoko

2010-03-30T10:17:00.001+09:00

Last fall when I was planning on going to Paris with Mom I started researching good restaurants in the city of lights. I came across a wonderful buckwheat creperie called Le Bretagne, but after our plans got canceled I thought all my dreams of crepes were gone, but I was wrong. Le Bretagne is in Tokyo too!!!!!

In early March, Naoko and I met up at the posh Omotosando area for a wonderful lunch of...

Nicoise Salad

Ham, cheese, leeks and egg

Spinach, artichoke and tomato
Home made hard cider
and brandy soaked cherries covered in dark chocolate with cherry ice cream and creme fresh

YUMMY!!!!

We're on Vacation

2010-03-21T00:36:00.004+09:00

Sorry there have been no posts for a while, but leading up to a few days ago we have been laying low before our big vacation to Thailand. Juan and I have been just hanging out at home while the Japanese school year finished up. Finals are over, my grades have been turned in and on Thursday morning we hoped a special once a week flight diretly into Phuket Thailand. We will be here for a few days before heading to Bangkok and then hopefully will will return to Tokyo right before the cherry blossoms start to bloom.

Phuket is really nice. Hot, but nice. We are staying in a really nice resort area on Bang Tao beach and eventhough we are staying at the cheapest hotel in the resort we are really enjoying our stay here. I promise to give you a full report after we get home, but I will try to post a picture or two whenever I can.

Talk to you all again soon!!!

J n J in T

P.S. This is what we saw today!!!!!

A snowy morning in Nerima-ku

2010-02-18T15:36:00.002+09:00

Juan and I awoke this morning to a winter wonderland. I snapped this little photo as I was trying to walk to the bus stop without slipping onto the wet road and most likely ripping my second pair of stockings today.

I was hoping to take some more pictures after I finished my lunch, but I guess the Shinto gods thought that was a bad idea and decided to melt all of the wonderful snow before I got the chance to take any pictures. Well, at least the sun is shining and I can hang a load of laundry. I guess there is a delicate balance to the universe after all.

Happy Chinese New Year

2010-02-16T15:23:00.001+09:00

Even though Japan has the same zodiac signs as China, Japan celebrates New Year's in January not in February. Since I forgot to show a picture of our neighborhood rhino in January, I thought it would be acceptable to show you it now. Meet out Rhino!!!!

When we originally moved to Minami-Tanaka it was a sad, old looking, hornless, gray rhino. However, starting last year they decided to give their rhino a paint job at the beginning of January... black and white like a cow because it was the year of the cow (Sorry. No pictures.). So I wasn't totally surprised this year when they turned their rhino into a tiger, but it sure is bright. No matter how cold or wet the weather is (and has been recently), it always makes me smile. I hope you like it too.

Happy (belated) Chinese New Year's Everyone!
Happy Year of the Tiger!

Spring is on it's way!!!

2010-02-15T15:07:00.001+09:00

After the beer factory tour last Thursday, Naoko-chan (always the good planner) took us to a plum blossom festival. The plum blossoms were only about 15% in bloom and it was raining, but we still had a lovely time walking around the park. (Thanks Naoko for taking us!!). Juan and I tried to get in a couple good pictures, but it was a little difficult because our lenses kept getting wet. I hope you enjoy them nonetheless.

P.S. Happy President's Day America (Thanks Paula for the American Calender!).

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T12:57:00.000+09:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!! As per usual, I would like to share pictures of interesting Japanese sweets. This year all of these items were found at my local supermarket. Don't get a cavity!

Suntory Beer Factory Tour

2010-02-12T13:15:00.001+09:00

This past Thursday was a public holiday in Japan and our good friend Naoko-chan had a fantastic idea to take a factory tour. The Suntory Brewery in the outskirts of Tokyo has a nice, although simple, tour of their factory.

After meeting Naoko at Bubaigawara station, we hopped on the free shuttle to the factory. You can't see it in the picture, but everyone who came off this bus had rosy cheeks.

Our factory tour was in typical Japanese fashion. A young Japanese woman wearing a uniform (always black skirt, plain heeled shoes, jacket and scarf around the neck) with her hair pulled up carrying a microphone. The only thing missing was the flag.

The factory tour was well planned, so well planned it seemed almost fake. For a factory that is supposed to be the size of approximately 9 Tokyo Dome's, the portion that they showed us barely made up half a dome.

But all hullabaloo touring aside, the highlight of the tour is the beer. At the end of the tour they bring you to a cute little tasting room where you have about 15 minutes to down 3 glasses of beer and nibble on a bag of tasty snacks.

Thanks to a little research, I found out that on their website you could print a coupon that you could exchange for a free Suntory glass. Not knowing that you could use one coupon for up to four people... I printed off three coupons. And being the super nice person that I am, I gave them to two different groups of ladies who were sharing our table. The younger ladies (not pictured) gave me some beautiful postal stamps in appreciation. The older group of ladies (pictured) were also very appreciative, however they were more entertained by the fact that they kept spilling their glasses of beer (which they mixed with CC Lemon (lemon soda)). It was pretty funny to watch.

The tour was pleasant, but I still favor the Yebisu tasting room downtown more. Oh well... maybe next time I go there I will have to take some pictures for ya all too. Ja Ne!!

Juan likes the weirdest things

2010-02-08T15:19:00.002+09:00

This is what I saw my husband drinking today.
What kind of flavor is U.S.A. hip hop anyways?

Demons out! Luck in!

2010-02-03T22:33:00.000+09:00

Happy Setsubun!!! Setsubun aka the bean throwing festival is every year on February 3rd in Japan. It celebrates a cleansing of bad luck/demons/omens from ones home and life.

There are many regional variations of what to do on Setsubun. Normally a member of the family who was born in the year of the current animal zodiac throws dried beans out of the house, or at a person wearing a demon mask, and shouts "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" or "Demons out! Good luck in".

Neither Juan or I are Tigers, so we ended up just eating the beans. I tried to throw a couple of beans at Juan, but he says it didn't count because he's not a demon (hmmm??? really? Mr. Leon is not a demon?).

Another tradition is to eat a bean for every year you have lived. Thank goodness I haven't lived that long yet because those beans were very dry. I needed two glasses of water just to get them all down. And yes, I am an awesome wife because I found these Rilakuma beans for Juan.

Happy Setsubun Everyone!!!

Snow

2010-02-02T22:12:00.000+09:00

After living for five years in the Kanto plain of Japan, I have noticed a trend in snow. It snows precisely every other year, no more and no less. Last year... no snow. Three years ago... no snow. So I knew we were due for a few flakes sometime before Valentine's Day and last night it came. We went to bed in a winter wonderland, but upon waking up it had already begun to melt. Such is life. One minute you are enjoying the novelty of a romantic evening of looking out the window while being bundled up inside with a cup of tea and the next moment you are trying not to die as you walk down the icy stairs outside of your apartment. Maybe we'll get lucky later in the week so we can take some proper pictures. Ja Ne!!

OH NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

2010-02-01T22:07:00.000+09:00

It's the Abominable Mexican Snow Juan!!!

Rasberry and Passion Fruit

2010-01-31T20:04:00.000+09:00

This is the newest flavor of Kit Kat to hit the shelves at my local 7-11. A tart Raspberry and Passion Fruit is layered between Kit Kat's signature wafer cookies and wrapped in a dark slightly bitter chocolate. This Kit Kat has been specially released just in time for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

Bath Time

2010-01-29T21:28:00.000+09:00

Bath time is an everyday ritual in Japan. Most people still take a bath every evening. First, wash yourself (outside of the tub if you have a bathroom equipped for that) then sink into your hot bath.
Here's an example of a typical Japanese bathroom. It literally is a bathroom, the toilet is always in a separate room (except in hotel rooms). Our bathroom is similar to this, but ours has an unnecessary sink.

Here's a couple examples of some high end baths, like the kind you find in "Better homes and Japanese Gardens" (not actual name of the magazine, but you get the drift). Try not to drool on your keyboards.

Sometimes you just want to make your daily cleansing habits a little more special... that's where bath salts come into the mix. Bubble baths are not very popular in Japan because having bubbles in the bathtub is almost sacrilege to some people. Apart from the products available at Lush or the Body Shop, you can not find more than one or two choices at the drugstore. But bath salts... those can be found in abundance. From lavender to spicy curry , your choices are endless. Here's my current home selection. Which one do you want to try?

Guilty Pleasure de jour

2010-01-24T09:00:00.000+09:00

I am a proud GLEEK!!! Say what you may about Glee, but I love it! I try to watch it whenever Juan is not at home. I would just feel too strange watching it while he was at home (I feel the same way about Toddlers and Tiaras). Glee hasn't taken off here in Japan yet, but I bet dollars to donuts that it will be all the rage next year. Fox is so good about putting out there popular American TV series on DVD in Japan. 24, Prison Break and True Calling were all huge hits over here. Trust me... Glee will be too!

The only thing I am not liking about "glee"... is that the next episode isn't until April. APRIL!!! What kind of world are we living in??? APRIL!!! AHHHHRRRRGGG!!!

Gyu Kaku

2010-01-21T18:56:00.000+09:00

I found these pictures as I was looking over Melina's vacation photos and I realized I never shared them with all of you. Enjoy!!!

"Why would you go to a restaurant that makes you cook your own food?" sayeth the Juan.
However, this time, it was Juan's idea to pop into Gyu Kaku for dinner. Gyu-kaku is a chain yaki-niku restaurant where you cook your own food over hot coals at your table.

Gyu-Kaku is a Japanese restaurant chain based on Korean food and lucky for us... they have an English menu. We ordered the Tabi-hodai/Nomi-hodai special which is all you can eat and all you can drink for 2 hours and only costs about $40 bucks (USD)!

We ate and drank until we could barely stand. It was fantastic!!!!
P.S. I love the pineapple chu-hi's! Please try!!!

If you want to sample some Gyu-kaku for yourselves you may be in luck. Besides being all over Japan, there are also locations in California, NY and Hawaii. Check out the American website and then check out the restaurant. You will love it!!!!

I forgot to make any resolutions

2010-01-19T22:06:00.001+09:00

After living in a foreign country for as long as I have you sometimes forget the little things... like making new years resolutions (and then promptly forgetting them by Chinese New Year). Enjoy!!

P.S. If you don't know what a kancho is then please consider yourself a very lucky person.

Another Last Day... Maybe

2010-01-16T21:52:00.000+09:00

Today was my last say at my Saturday job. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sorry no pictures) and had a nice time just snacking and chatting. Some of the students I will really miss, some not so much.The school has not decided if or how many Saturday morning elective English conversation classes they will need next year. My colleague and I have said that if they need a teacher for next year we are both available. Hopefully we will get called up to duty come April.

What am I going to do with all those free Saturday's???

Good-bye Melina

2010-01-12T19:48:00.001+09:00

It's Tuesday and Melina is gone. Juan and I are back to work and our tiny apartment looks like a small scale hurricane has hit. It's weird having our house back. I'm sure it will take a week or so to get back to our normal routine. It's great having people visit, but Juan and I are not encouraging anyone to come visit for a while. Our house is just too small for a stream of visitors. Honestly, the only place to have a peaceful moment to oneself is in the bathroom.

But it was really nice having Juan's sister here. It's nice just to get to know someone from Juan's side of the family. They usually have some funny stories about Juan and visa versa. I am really excited, and a little nervous, about meeting all of Juan's family this summer. If anyone has a spare Spanish word of the day calendar lying around please send it my way.

Thanks Melina for coming over the big blue to visit us. See ya really soon!!!! Love ya!

Namahage Restaurant

2010-01-11T19:49:00.000+09:00

After the game center we headed off to Ginza (like the Rhodeo Drive of Tokyo) for dinner at the Namahage themed restaurant and bar.

Our dear friend Misa-chan is a little crazy about Namahage. What is a Namahage??

NamahageFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Namahage (生剥^?) is a Japanese ritual which is observed throughout Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Honshū, Japan. It is said to have originated as a ritual for cleansing people's souls, and for blessing the new year.^{[citation needed]} It is a kind of toshigami.

On New Year's Eve, a group of young men dressed up as fierce demons or bogeymen, Namahage, visit each house in the village, shouting: "any misbehaving kids live here?" They then scare children in the houses, telling them not to be lazy or cry, though little children often do burst into tears. Then the parents will assure the Namahage that there is no bad child in their house, and give food or traditional Japanese alcoholic beverages to the demons.

An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society.

We had really great time interacting with the Namahage, eating, drinking and spending time with Naoko, Misa and Melina.

We are so lucky to have Misa and Naoko in our lives. They are such kind people and wonderful friends. Thanks girls for an amazing day. You ladies are the best hostesses.

Game Center Fun

2010-01-11T19:42:00.000+09:00

After the festival expo we had some time to kill before our dinner reservation. After walking around LaQua shopping center we fell into a game center for some good clean fun.

Fisrst stop... PIRIKURA!!! Pictures!

The girls try their hand at decorating ridiculous pictures.

Click in the picture for a better view of what glitter awesomeness looks like.
Juan tried his own version of pi-ri-ku-ra too.

Everyone love air hokey!!!

What is this?? An ice cream claw game???!!! No WAY!!!

And of course, no trip to the game center would be complete without a round or two of the taiko drumming game.

Festivals of Japan Expo

2010-01-11T19:30:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was Melina's last full day in Japan. Our wonderful friend's Misa-chan and Naoko-chan took us out for the day. They took us to a festival expo at the Tokyo Dome. Essentially, it was an amazing eating frenzy with specialty food from all over Japan with some festival performances thrown in the mix. Lucky for us...we brought our appetites.

Thank you so much Naoko and Misa. You ladies are the best!!!!!

TDS

2010-01-10T19:21:00.000+09:00

On Saturday both Juan and I had to work. So, Melina went off for some adventure at Tokyo Disney Sea by herself. I met her after work around 2pm. After her relaxed morning by herself I was like a tornado dragging her on this and that ride. She said that visiting the park was one of the best things about her vacation. I must admit, TDS is pretty great, especially your first time.

TDL

2010-01-09T19:02:00.000+09:00

Melina's trip=Melina's choice and Melina (bless her soul) chose to hang out at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Our day was cut short by winter operating hours, but aside from getting kicked out of the park at 7 pm, we had a fantastic time walking around the park, taking silly photos and eating lots and lots of popcorn (of course).

And can you believe it, people scoffed at my awesome popcorn bucket. OK,OK,OK... my popcorn bucket says "Year of the Mouse (rat)" and it is currently year of the Tiger. BFD!!! I'm not going to buys a new popcorn bucket every time I go to a Tokyo Disney Theme park. That's what all of the suckers do! SUCKERS!!!!

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Shopping and Spa Day!

2010-01-08T18:59:00.002+09:00

Yesterday Melina and I spent a wonderful afternoon shopping in Ikebukuro and then that eveningrelaxing at the Toshimean Spa. I really miss doing girly things. Juan isn't really a shopping and spa day kind of person. Thanks Melina for such a lovely day!

Hakone Part XXXVIII

2010-01-07T18:26:00.001+09:00

Ok, I know I have been to Hakone a million times, but we gave Melina a couple of choices in the Kanto area and this is what she chose. The day of travel around Hakone is a classic day trip from Tokyo. As always, we rode the trains, cable car and sky rope but we didn't make in to the pirate ship due to my inability to read timetable. Oh well... maybe next time.

Fun in Yokohama

2010-01-06T18:41:00.000+09:00

Yokohama is to Tokyo as San Diego is to Los Angeles. Yokohama, as you may already know, is the third largest city in Japan and only about 45 minutes south of central Tokyo. Therefore, we were in for a great day of walking, eating and trying not to freeze to death.

We started our day off at the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum. I have seen this museum mentioned in every Japan travel guide I have in my apartment (which is approximately 6 books). I have never been so when Melina said she was interested in visiting Juan and I were completely on board. Unfortunately, the ramen museum is not really a museum. It's more of a restaurant amusement park. We went, we ate (really fantastic tonkotsu ramen (pork bone) that was heavy on the garlic) and we left. I would not recommend going to the museum. You can get a bowl of ramen on any corner in Yokohama (especially around Chinatown)

After Shin Yokohama we were off to Minato Mirai for a very cold and windy walk along the waterfront.

Eventually we found our way to Chinatown for shopping and dinner.

We luckily found the same great restaurant we ate at with Misa-chan and Naoko-chan in August.

Thanks Yokohama for a great day. Hopefully next time we visit it will be a little warmer, but not as warm as last time... that was just crazy hot.

Have you met my husband Mr. Dork yet???

2010-01-05T09:30:00.001+09:00

Kamakura Hatsumode

2010-01-04T08:42:00.001+09:00

Hatsumode is the tradition of visiting a shrine during New Years and we decided that our hatsumode should be in Kamakura (with thousands of other people). Kamakura is a perfect day trip from Tokyo and after our fiasco trip to Kyoto we wanted to stay close to home.

First stop... as always, the BIG BUDDHA.

Getting around Kamakura is very easy. There are lots of buses to be had, but on this trip we decided to take the Enoden line which runs along the coast.

Maybe a little shopping was done. Maybe.

This is Juan's favorite Buddha. He's just too cute. You can find him in the lower gardens at the Hasedera Temple just down the street from the Big Buddha.

After our Buddha viewings we went up to Kamakura station and walked through the heavily crowded streets up to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. The festival atmosphere was is full swing and we decided to get a quick bite before getting in line for the shrine.
MMMMMMmmmmm. Yaki Soba!!!

As you can clearly see, the line was rather long... but we waited patiently with everyone else. Eventually we got up the stairs, threw our coins and made our prayers know to the Shinto gods.

Then it was time for another snack. Juan hunted down a baked potato and I happened upon a German women selling wieners and hot spiced wine. Win-Win for Mr. and Mrs. Leon.

We tried to make it out to Enoshima island before heading home, but it had gotten too late and too cold. We got as far as the gateway bridge that takes you over to the island before giving up. So the only proof that we went to Enoshima is this ridiculous photo I took of Juan and Melina.

All in all, I think we all had a really fun hatsumode yesterday, but I think we all need a day off. So today we are staying in our PJ's, doing laundry and eating Swedish meatballs for dinner. I hope you can all do the same. Ja ne.

Shopping, Shopping and Shopping

2010-01-03T09:53:00.002+09:00

After our late lunch, I took Melina out on the town for some much needed retail therapy. Harajuku, Omotesando Dori and Shinjuku were our major stops yesterday. We tried on many silly hats, ate delicious crepes and had an all around fabulous afternoon/evening. I hope you enjoy all of the super girly photos!

Seeing the Emperor

2010-01-03T09:26:00.000+09:00

After our misadventures in Kyoto, Juan just wanted to stay in his pajamas all day and play on the internet, but Melina and I were ready to tackle the city again. So, what is there to do on January 2nd in Tokyo??? See the Emperor and go shopping!

As you may already know, the Japanese Emperor doesn't come out from around his moat very often. But every December 23rd (his birthday) and January 2nd Emperor Hirohito comes out onto his bullet proof viewing area, makes a speech and waves at all the flag waving people.

Here's Melina as we get off the train at Tokyo station and make our way through the financial district.

Flags... check!

Look at this little boy, isn't he so cute? He's just happy to have a flag to wave around.

Everyone is happy to have a flag to wave!!!

It's not easy trying to get a picture of the Emperor and his family, but with a little help from my face recognition feature... I did it!

I love this picture. We are coming out of the palace gates and walking towards the skyscrapers of Marunochi.

By the time we were done visiting the Emperor it was about 2:30 and we were famished. We found a tonkatsu restaurant near the station and had ourselves some well deserved late lunch. YUMMY!!!

maybe we should have checked the weather before we left....

2010-01-02T08:40:00.000+09:00

YEAH... ok. We had this crazy idea to run down to Kyoto for New Years. Now being the cheap people Juan and I are... we decided to travel using the Senshun 18Kippu, which is a discount ticket that lets you ride all local train in Japan for $23 bucks a day. The only problem is that you have to take local trains. This means it takes almost 9 hours to get from Tokyo to Kyoto. We were all up for the adventure. The plan was to spend all new years eve day on the train and spend all new year's eve night and and new years day morning visiting all of the amazing shrines and temples in Kyoto. Then we would head back to Tokyo around noon and sleep our way back home on the empty trains. This plan was good only in theory. I don't think we would ever had left the Tokyo area if we had remembered to check the weather report.

SOOOOOOOO COLD!!! As we passed Nagoya the snow started to come down... then it really started to come down. I immediately check the weather report for Kyoto on my i-phone ... Cold with 60% chance of snow or rain. Things were not looking good for our adventure.

When we finally arrive in Kyoto around 10:30 there was no snow, but it sure was cold. As the night progressed we tried to get to as many temples as we could, but it was just too cold. Around 1am, it started to snow, by 3 we were hiding in a McDonald's and by 5:30 we had admitted defeat and were on a train back to Tokyo.

We ended up going to the Inari shrine which has thousands of red tori gates, Kiyomizu Dera and Gion. We were really trying to hang on until Kinkakuji (the golden temple) opened up at 9am, but we were just too cold and tired. I hope you enjoy all of our photos and Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T08:32:00.000+09:00

Akemashite Omedeto!!
Happy Year of the Tiger Everyone!!!
May you all have a GRRRRRRRRREAT 2010!!!

P.S. Juan, Melina and I have left on an adventure to spend New Year's in Kyoto. Pictures and stories to follow in a day or so. Ja ne!

Melina's 1st Day!!!

2009-12-30T07:59:00.000+09:00

Juan's little sister, Melina, has just graduated university and has come to spend 2 weeks with us! Of course we have to show her all of the sights, and of course we have to take her on our usual 1st day course of Asakusa, Okachimachi and Ueno. Enjoy all of the photos!!!

The most romantic day of the year has come and gone

2009-12-26T08:23:00.000+09:00

Christmas, also known as the most romantic day of the year here in Japan has come and gone. Juan and I didn't do anything special this year. No tree (where would we put it?), presents or romantic dinner.. heck I didn't even get us any fried chicken or Christmas cake.

On Christmas eve our neighbor Emery popped up (mostly because he thought I was still on my business trip and that Juan was lonely) so I decided to make some homemade tacos (I'm getting better at my tortillas) and the box of Betty Crocker brownie mix I had found at a foreign supermarket near my hotel in Osaka. I wouldn't usually pay $6 bucks for a box of brownie mix, but I thought it would be a nice treat for Christmas... and the fact that I wouldn't have to stand in those really long lines at the cake shops was a super bonus. It was nice to have a homemade meal and our house smelled like brownies for two days!!!

Christmas was completely uneventful. Juan had to go to work in the morning and was really ready to just come home and do nothing for a day or two. Emery invited us out for drinks, but Juan was already in his p.j.'s and wasn't going to leave the house for anything. So we decided to order up a little Christmas pizza from Pizza Hut. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that our wait time was going to be almost 2 hours. I couldn't believe it! If I would have know it was going to be almost 2 hours, I would have just gotten on my bicycle and rode the 3 blocks down to the Pizza Hut. Oh well

I hope all of you out there had a fantastic Christmas/Chanukah. We miss you all and can hardly wait until summer vacation so we can see ya!!! Hugs and Kisses... J. n J. Leon

Look what I found!!!

2009-12-23T08:57:00.001+09:00

As I was wondering along the river on a cold Osaka night, I saw a bight yellow orb in the distance. No, I thought to myself. It can't be... but it is! It's a big ol' rubber ducky!!!

Osaka's "Rubber Duck Project 2009" is a product of Dutch artist Florentij Hofman. His rubber duckies have been seen all over the world. Why a big rubber duck you ask?

"The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn't discriminate people and doesn't have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!"

Japanese people are loving this. They are so obsessed with the genre of "Cute" that I'm surprised they haven't blown up a huge duck and stuck it in a river years ago.

OMG... What if a big Ernie comes and wants to play with this duck! Oh NOOOOOOoooo!!!!Get me the Mayor of Osaka immediately. We have a code RED brought to you by the Letter H and the Number 12 on hand. ABORT. I say again ABORT!

Tell Santa to send a tri-pod!

2009-12-22T10:21:00.000+09:00

While in Kobe, my teaching day ends around 3, by 4 I am back at the hotel and by 5 I am bored and lonely. So tonight I decided to go out on the town and see some illuminations. Osaka has these really great illuminations set up along the river downtown. And the best part... it's all free!!! Well, maybe the crab soup and hot wine wasn't free, but all the illumination viewing was.

Enjoy these blurry pictures!! I really need to figure out how to use my camera and I think having a tripod could help out a little too, especially on nights like tonight.

I think one of my favorite parts of the night was when I accidentally got into a line for no apparent reason. I noticed a bunch of people going into a building. So... monkey see, monkey do. I followed the masses and ended up in some sort of line. Now, having lived in Japan long enough, I know that waiting in line = something good. This is true for restaurants, clothing boutiques, bathrooms, AKB40, temples... pretty much anything you can think of. If it's good... there will be a line.

So I find myself standing at the end of a line that is approximately 300+ people long (no joke), possible more because as I have already said, I have no idea what I am standing in line for... the line could stretch out of the building and down the block and I wouldn't know. Luckily, after standing in line for about a minute things start to move. We are no long standing in line...we are shuffling in line and we are shuffling at a good pace. I wouldn't so far to say that we are walking in line, but we are definitely going somewhere. Where??? I still have no clue. But I seem to remember being excited in the fact at I was going somewhere with all these other people and what ever is going to happen... I would not be doing it alone.

About 5 minutes later I was being herded into some sort of mock amphitheater. Everyone was lined up and sitting snuggely close on some stairs and facing a building. What is going on? If Hello Kitty is going to jump out and sing a Christmas song, I'm outta here!

What ended up happening was even better... It's called "A Christmas tapestry"! They project images onto the old library building and sync it up to music. It was a really great little 15 minute show!!! Check it out!!!

Cafe au Kitty

2009-12-21T08:52:00.001+09:00

While teaching in Kobe I had the lucky chance to find this at the local convenient store. Yes...Yes...Yes... I know I have some kind of mental problem, but it looked really cute next to the boring Mt.Rainer and Starbucks lattes.

Yaki Niku

2009-12-20T09:56:00.003+09:00

Last night we had the pleasure of hanging out with the Butler family (Simon (my co-worker) his lovely wife Akane and their twin girls Hannah and Millie), Simon's friend Derek and a whole lot of delicious, succulent MEAT!!!

Yaki Niku as explained by the all knowing god Wikipedia ....
"In a yakiniku restaurant, diners order several types of prepared raw ingredients (either individually or as a set) which are brought to the table. The ingredients are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table throughout the duration of the meal, several pieces at a time. The ingredients are then dipped in sauces known as tare before being eaten. The most common sauce is made of Japanese soy sauce mixed with sake, mirin, sugar, garlic, fruit juice and sesame ^[2]. Garlic-and-shallot or miso-based dips are sometimes used, and sometimes yakiniku is eaten seasoned only with salt. Soup, kimchi, nameul, bibimbap and other Korean-influenced dishes are sometimes served alongside."

In layman's terms... Meat + Fire = Good

The place they took us to is a local secret. There are no walk ins (at least not during vacation time and especially not on a weekend) and Akane stood in line at 10am in order to get us this table when the reservations opened up at noon. No phone calls will do. You actually have to go on down to the establishment and stand in line! Was all her suffering worth it??? YES, yes, yes!!!

Juan and I don't eat a lot of red meat (mostly because if we did, we would be broke). So, when an invitation came to do so we jumped at the chance and thank goodness we did. The meat was amazing!!! Juan and I both feel that the reason we had no hangover the next day was due to the healing properties of this delicious meat. Thanks go out to Derek, the Butler family and most importantly the cattle whose life was snatched away from them, for a wonderful evening.

N700!!!!

2009-12-19T09:33:00.000+09:00

As always, Juan and I have picked up a little extra work over the holiday. Juan is teaching in Tokyo later this week and I am on my way to the Kansai Area to teach a 3 day seminar. My school is technically in Kobe but my hotel is in Osaka (I think), well... I'm only an 11 minute express train from Osaka... so well just say I'm staying in Osaka.

One of the nicest things about this job is that they appreciate your hard work and they pay for everything; hotel, meals, photo copies, stickers, snacks and reserved seats on the shinkansen. The shinkansen is especially nice. The new N700 series is top of the line when it comes to the world of high speed trains! And lucky for me... the N700 runs between Tokyo and Osaka... just my exact route!

My favorite part about the N700 is that even in coach... the seats are nice and the leg room is ample! Look at it!!! I've seen a family of 4 sit in these two seats. Well... ok, the parents were sitting on the floor while the kids slept on the chairs, but they all fit!

The trip between Tokyo and Osaka takes about 2 1/2 hours, but with seating like this... it's not so bad. I wish planes were like this!!!

Kentucky Christmas

2009-12-16T15:31:00.006+09:00

Christmas is coming
the Colonel is getting fat
please put some more yen in KFC's Christmas Hat!

Happy Birthday to Jody

2009-12-15T13:18:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was my birthday and my school's Bon Enkai (end of year party). Our Bon Enkai was at the the New Otani Hotel (a very swank hotel downtown) at a restaurant that had an international buffet. The restaurant was on the 40th floor and we had spectacular views of the Shinjuku skyline and Tokyo Tower (sorry, I forget to take pictures). The food was adequate but the deserts were amazing, they even had creme brulee ... my favorite! The party was fun. The mc's were very entertaining and the 1st year teachers serenaded Happy Birthday to me too. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I even won a chocolate fondue set playing bingo!!!

After our dinner... I convinced some of the teachers to head down the street for an after dinner drink. Simon, my other foreigner co-worker and teacher/mentor/friend said that he was really impressed that I got so many people to come. It was a great night. Everyone made sure my glass was full at every moment of the night and kept wishing me a happy birthday. I have to say it was a pretty fun birthday, probably the best since my Shimo Girls threw me a surprise one my first year in Japan.

Thanks everyone for making my 31st birthday a special one!!! Special thanks goes out to Simon who also treated me to a pre and post Bon Enkai beer!

Misa's gallery debut

2009-12-13T11:35:00.000+09:00

We haven't seen our dear friend Misa in quite a while because she has been working really hard on her art. Misa makes her living by being a graphic designer for a cosmetics company, but she loves art and has been trying to get her creative juices flowing once again. Juan and I stopted by her first gallery opening and gave her our support. Misa, along with a few other artisits, hung their work at a little gallery just a few blocks off the main road in Ginza (which is like the Rodeo Drive of Tokyo). Misa's prints were influenced by an ideal of a decadant and romantic past. Scenes of a polo game, a banquet, and an arisotcratic couple at a ball and at the opera hung on the wall. Misa's most time consuming project was her mini book. Her mini-book which we purchased only after she promised to sign it for us was all about drinking and world remedies for hangovers. Something Misa said she did a lot of research in (LOL). Juan and I were so happy to see all of Misa's hard work. As we left we made promises of getting together for dinner sometime in the near future (which is something we always say when we meet).

Great work Misa! We are so proud of you!!!!

Homesickness

2009-12-08T12:27:00.002+09:00

Recently I have been carrying around a hard case of the homesick blues. Ever since Juan and I have decided to spend the majority of our next summer vacation in America, I have been feeling increasingly melancholy and nostalgic. Not that I have one location that I would call my "home", I feel that I am missing the familiarity of being in my home country. What is it like not to have to bow all the time? What is it like ordering in a restaurant and not having to point at the pictures? What is it like to see a friend and not worry about whether a hug is appropriate or whether I should shake hands or just bow? What is it like to hear an opinion or a definitive answer? What is it like...? I just don't remember!

I find myself wanting to call my friends and family on a daily basis just to talk about anything or nothing. I find the idea of having a national identity, except the stereotypical one portrayed in the Japanese media, is getting more difficult to define. I find myself pulling my parents address up on Google Earth just to make sure the their next door neighbors still haven't mowed their lawn yet. I find myself starting to resent my Japanese surrounding and the people in it . I find myself in a full case of homesickness.

Juan says that after we spend 6 weeks in America I will snap out of it and remember why I love living in Japan. And even though we sacrifice by not being in our friends and families daily routines, that we are lucky to have good jobs with decent salaries and we are lucky in having the ability to live life in an adventurous spirit as an ex-patriot. To this I say he is probably right, but we will see. It has just been too long. This next spring, it will be 5 years that I have lived in Japan. I still can't believe it, especially since I only intended on staying for two. I have been away too long.

Juan and I are starting to get our itineraries ready for next summer. We plan on being in the US for 4-6 weeks. So far it looks like we will be staying ... 1 week in WA, 2 weeks in CA and 1-2 weeks in TX plus possibly a few days in Chicago or somewhere near our friends Tressa and Barzak. We haven't decided dates yet, but we will let you all know after we have booked our flights so you all can all arrange to take a day off of work to spend with us. Till then...

Missing you all as always,
Jody in Japan

Card Woes (Japanese Family Not Included)

2009-12-05T12:13:00.002+09:00

As the New Year's approaches, Juan and I are finding it very difficult to choose a good postcard. As you may or may not know, in Japan it is all about the New Years Cards. They arrive bundled in your mailbox on the morning of Jan 1st. This coming year will be the "Year of the Tiger". I guess the real problem is that Juan and I are not so fond of tigers. Don't get us wrong... We have nothing against them as a species, but we don't really have any affinity for them either. We are in such a pickle. The New Year's is quickly approaching and our cards need to be sent by the 20th in order to arrive to everyone all over the world by said day, but we just can't seem to find anything that yells "Hey... Jody and Juan want you to have a super duper 2010!!!"

I think in the end we will aim for the cute character cards because no one wants to awake on New Years Day to see a big scary picture of a tiger. Come on... you gotta at least have a cup of coffee before you see that kind of stuff!!!

Please enjoy the random assortment of cards I found online. I should say lucky enough to find and download on line. Everyone is so protective of their stuff nowadays. Anywhoo... Enjoy and let me know if you like any of these!!

Japanese Legos !!!!

2009-12-04T13:10:00.000+09:00

Left to right...
Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa, Hagia Sophia ??? (not Japanese) and Tokyo Tower.

Just because it made me smile

2009-12-03T16:56:00.000+09:00

Definitely what I don't need...

2009-12-03T16:41:00.001+09:00

but I sure would like to own... if I had room in my house for frivolous dust magnets. But.. Wow... it sure is cool!!!

A delicious treat!!

2009-12-01T15:33:00.000+09:00

We are officially in the cooler months of the year. And that means ...

It's roasted sweet potato season! You can pick them up at the supermarket, but we have our own little old man who I buy them from on my way home from school. There is even a sweet potato man who drives around the neighborhood every evening , kind of like an ice cream man... he even has his own song!

YUMMY!!!!

Juan is Thankful for...

2009-11-26T15:10:00.000+09:00

This Thanksgiving we have so much to be thankful for. Good jobs, a healthy and loving family, fantastic friends... but at the end of the day, I think Juan is most thankful for the new Burger King at Asagaya station. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!

Yuzu Tea

2009-11-25T15:05:00.000+09:00

Yuzu is a bitter orange grown in the southern part of Japan. Uzu is a popular flavor in meat dishes, soups, on rice... just about anything. The old ladies at my schools in Ibaraki swore by uzu tea to help in the recovery of the common cold, a sore throat, bronchitis etc... . All you have to do is add a dollop of this yuzu marmalade to hot water. It's that easy. Any one want to come over for a cup???

Make Faire

2009-11-23T15:13:00.000+09:00

This past weekend Juan and I went to the Tokyo Make Faire. Actually, I should say that Juan went to the Make Faire and I came along to make sure he didn't go crazy and spend a lot of money on DIY kits. Look how happy he looks. He is in his element... surrounded by nerd and experiments!

This is our new neighbor Emery. He is also a DIYer and is a member of the Tokyo Hacker Space. I think Juan has found himself a fellow nerd to talk shop and possibly go on man dates with too.

To thank me for escorting him to the Make faire and for not being naggy or looking too bored, Juan took me for an hour of fun at a karaoke box. Thanks babe!!!

Smorking????

2009-11-22T07:34:00.000+09:00

I found these special looking signs on Takeshita street in Harajuku. You would think that they would run signs, especially ones specifically designed for foreign tourists, by a foreigner or at least one of my jr high school students!

Fall Foilage is almost here!

2009-11-19T07:36:00.004+09:00

The boys last day

2009-11-16T13:40:00.002+09:00

The last day, the boys ran off to Tsukiji Fish market early in the morning while Juan and I slept in until a decent hour of the day. Once they got back from having sushi brunch, Juan and I were awake and rested. We decided to take them to Akihabara for an afternoon of techno, comic book loving, and maid costume wearing fun. Juan played the role as private tour guide. We saw and did it all from playing video games to browsing shops with x-rated plastic comic book figurines. Good Times!!! Thanks tour guide Juan! You're the best!

I hope the boys had a great time in Japan. Apart from the time we spent working or sick in bed with the flu, we tried to show then a good time. Anyone else wanna come visit??? Our floor and futons are always available for anyone willing to bring us some Almond Joys and a few sticks of decent deodorant.

Friday Night Fun

2009-11-14T21:26:00.000+09:00

By Thursday morning, my fever was gone and by Friday morning I was no longer contagious, but still a little weak. The medicine the doctor gave me made my stomach topsy-turvey and even though bronchitis is not contagious, it still sucks having it. However, we still wanted to show the boys a good time, but my good time was limited to how I was feeling. I decided to meet Juan and the boys up for dinner then let them tackle the night by themselves while I went back home to sleep.After a quick kebab sandwich I felt energised enough to take everyone to Karaoke. The boys LOVED the karaoke box. They never realized that singing in a room for two hours with only your friends would be so much fun!

After that, the boys wanted another kabob sandwich. Then it was time to take a train back to Asagaya. But first the boys felt the need to prance across the busiest intersection in the world and yes... it's raining.

After we put the boys' rail pass to good use, I decided that we should go to a Japanese Izakaya (bar) before taking a taxi home. Za Watami is a chain restaurant/bar found almost anywhere. They have a good selection of food and more importantly... they have pictures on the menu. Yep, I have been here almost 5 years and I still can't read kanji. Thank you!

Sushi, Shopping and kuShiage

2009-11-11T20:45:00.001+09:00

The boys are in Kyoto today, thank god. I am still sick, but here's some more pics and a video from our Sunday out with the Jake and Christo.

SUSHI

SHOPPING

KUSHIAGE

I'm so Sick

2009-11-10T20:43:00.001+09:00

Luckily the boys are out of town in Hiroshima and Kyoto because I am sick!!!! Goodnight!

Update.... I have the FLU and I am unofficially dying!