Last Minute Trip Plans

We (or should I say Markian), is are being brave and are trying a new kind of adventure. I may take my computer with me, so I may or may not update. However, we're taking a ferry to Matsuyama City over in Shikoku, about a three hour ride, and then we're renting a car! Yes, we're going to drive on the left side of the road! Scary, but I really want to see this cape in the middle of nowhere. Wish us luck! Hopefully if we make it in once piece I'll have pretty pictures to post! Leaving tomorrow! I'm scared and pumped! :-D

Takoyaki

These pictures were taken back in May at the Hiroshima Flower Festival. Yes, you are looking at a large container of little octopuses (no, it's not latin so it's not octopi I have been informed). These are cooked into a pancake like batter to make little balls in those molds you see on the left in front of them. Just seeing all these little buggers laying out seriously grossed me out. However, I'm so used to seeing this now it doesn't seem so strange anymore. The little takoyaki (octopus balls) smell really good though. I haven't had the guts yet to try one, but Markian and I have considered it several times, but usually decide not to because there is something else better around. I have eaten octopus, but the whole ones, the texture just isn't pleasant. Granted, it's way better than raw squid, which tasted just like trying to eat a rubber band...mmmm....

Capybaras are so cute!

Capybaras are those animals that look like giant hampsters or Master Splinter from the TMNT. If you've been to Memphis, you've probably seen the one at the zoo. There are these cute stuffed animal ones you can win the in the arcade crane games. Markian won me one, but these pictures on the new machine made me laugh. I need to collect them all...kinda like pokemon. haha

Cold Goodness

Shaved ice with sweet syrup is a popular summer treat. It was hot as hell in Kyoto, so that night when we came back to Osaka, we bought some huge bowls of overpriced shaved ice. It was awesome. Markian had the strawberry pictured above, and I had the mango one that's pictured on the very top. Those little clear jelly stars were so tasty and the best part! It was a nice and cooling way to end the day in the hottest place I think I've ever been (it made Memphis look cool in Kyoto in August).

I love my students!

So, I thought you might like to see a picture of some of my students. These are some of the ladies from my favorite class that I teach at the community center! Although they are in a low level class, they are really fast learners, and try to hard to communicate. They're brilliant, interesting, very fun, and I'm lucky to teach they're class! I teach them on my longest day. No matter how bad my day is, or how tired I am at the end of the day, I look forward to teaching these ladies.

This picture was taken at a fancy tea house they took Markian and I to after class. See, they're not even Markian's students and they invite him along! They're seriously the nicest people ever. I wish all my classes were this fun, if only all my students were this motivated!

Lanterns for Peace

August 6th is the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. There is a Peace Day now set aside for August 6th. There are many ceremonies during the day, and the day ends with the lantern ceremony. I went to watch a documentary in English about the bomb being dropped before I went to the ceremony. The movie was called, "White Light, Black Rain." It premiered in the United States the next day. It's a very moving film, it shows a lot of things you might not want to see, but it's worth seeing. It interviews several surviving atomic bomb victims.

The film mentioned Hiroshima has many rivers, and when the bomb was dropped many people fled to the rivers to try to get cool. The river was full of dead bodies and many people died there. Every year you can make a lantern and write messages for peace and then the lanterns are set in the river and hopefully eventually make their way to the sea of Japan. They are to represent the spirits of those lives lost during this tragic event.
As you can see from the pictures, there were SO many people there. The line to put your lantern in the river was unreal! One of our friends did it, but I didn't want to go wait in that long line! These pictures are a view from the other side of the river.

Above on the right where the lights are there is music being performed. We sat and watched the lanterns float down the river for a couple hours. It was very beautiful. Some of the people got very emotional when they placed their lanterns in the water. I wondered if they, themselves, had been an atomic bomb victim or lost someone on that day. I found out later that one of my students parents is a bomb victim. It's surprising to me that anyone can survive that.


Once the crowd had died down we crossed the bridge to the other side and sat down at the river and watched the lanterns float by up close. It was an experience I will never forget.

Kimono Fashion Show

During our most recent trip to Kyoto in August we went to Nishijin, which is the textile district. There is a textile museum there that has a free kimono fashion show about four times a day. We got there in time to see the last show of the day. Ladies walked down the runway wearing various styles of kimonos. The one you see above was very tacky and shiny like a garbage bag; I wasn't feeling it.
Above you see a style which I see many older ladies walking around in.




These are the cool ones, with the really long sleeves. These are brightly colored and are for young, unmarried women. I hope to purchase one similar to this before I leave Japan. They are insanely expensive though. We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars for the obi and the different layers. I'm trying to save up my money!


If you haven't noticed by now there are many ways to tie an obi.



I like this one two. It's another for young unmarried women with bright colors and long sleeves. However, I don't like how high the obi bow is placed.

Here they are all together. Very pretty!

Karaoke Birthday Bash

So my birthday outing was tons of fun! First we went and ate some tasty Indian Food at my favorite Indian restaurant, Spicy Bar Lals (seen above). I had lentil curry, a huge piece of garlic nan, and tandori chicken.
Then we went to a bar/cafe.
He ordered a girl drink. That part of the menu said, "drinks for ladies", and so he ordered a pink one. haha

I had the above pictured. A hummingbird cocktail, and black sesame ice cream with honey and almonds.....mmm......Yummy!
Finally on to the main event, karaoke! It was a blast! Everyone was really into it! We did 3 hours of it! In Japan, you get your own private room, so you only sing in front of your friends. It's the most fun thing ever! I'm totally addicted now. I went again this weekend!
Above: Markian scrolls for songs with the remote.




Above: My geta.
Me singing "Kiss me Goodbye" by Angela Aki in my new yukata, I bought in Nara. I put it on all by myself! My hairclip was a birthday present from a good friend. Yes, I'm singing in Japanese, but I had a cheat sheet in romanji for when I didn't remember a word.

Markian getting down to "Young American". haha I have a video, but he'd kill me if I posted it!
So yeah, it was a really great time. Thanks to everyone that came out with me to celebrate!