tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26659624751270195882024-03-05T22:08:24.132-08:00Love 暇Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-79971289774701803052011-04-18T00:37:00.000-07:002011-04-18T20:25:29.019-07:00Shibata in the Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spring has finally come! This is the first time I have actually been able to see cherry blossoms in Japan--they are the unofficial national flower/symbol of the country.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrC9FarlyMQngbWQQH5pbqCqCBwSvWQ_A9d8B4aC2LlFR3pF6wDLdI1AZX8KUsQj3C6ut8AjB4X-A_T5cTGPnJdpYs5esUCC7DHPN0uEFK3xvcf8bWG98Zc-0zHKeYvwdWwCfVD_wlY4/s1600/IMG_0443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrC9FarlyMQngbWQQH5pbqCqCBwSvWQ_A9d8B4aC2LlFR3pF6wDLdI1AZX8KUsQj3C6ut8AjB4X-A_T5cTGPnJdpYs5esUCC7DHPN0uEFK3xvcf8bWG98Zc-0zHKeYvwdWwCfVD_wlY4/s320/IMG_0443.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-39798335055456485782011-03-06T20:05:00.000-08:002011-03-06T20:06:09.433-08:00Shibata in the WinterLots of snow...it's March now and the snow has finally started to disappear--which means I can ride my bike again, hazzah! This picture was taken right outside my apartment complex. I also threw in a picture of the Sea of Japan as a bonus...not the friendliest bit of water I've ever come across; it tried to swallow my friend and I on our first visit.<br />
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</div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-68798482913314252792011-03-06T20:01:00.000-08:002011-03-06T20:01:42.397-08:00The New Year in NiigataHere are some photos of <i>Hatsumoude</i>, the first shrine visit of the new year, in this case from Niigata City. Lots of people and food; more like a festival than anything else.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrRPzQergpLCjGiESMHgNBnsqKWqInh2AahmzsouCoOBz2lvMPxMB-2ETW5e9RuwGnPTWHrwtcX6_WPvv4rcVl69adl4L2kMciz-FN2TuCEXJT0Pn-gqW1FJUKHevodx0iCJ3bTLr1qA/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrRPzQergpLCjGiESMHgNBnsqKWqInh2AahmzsouCoOBz2lvMPxMB-2ETW5e9RuwGnPTWHrwtcX6_WPvv4rcVl69adl4L2kMciz-FN2TuCEXJT0Pn-gqW1FJUKHevodx0iCJ3bTLr1qA/s320/IMG_0344.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-35543095269892839082010-09-25T07:14:00.000-07:002010-09-25T07:15:12.914-07:00Niigata A-Go-Go<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Here are some shots of Shibata's more rural side, along with the first couple pictures I took in Niigata City, which is the largest (and capital) city of my prefecture. There are many more pictures coming soon!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng3jB_1VR4B46AX6s6-G3F_AWi4AAumymmpecDbCaOb-v3tzHtEoSOU7xI_G2m3PmMARM0x3N7JsH6DLJOk5AKiUYS-kwCEXq37TiqcUQyDa2h6CbngEpCwWsv23YzJH9QQA8gvAZAks/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng3jB_1VR4B46AX6s6-G3F_AWi4AAumymmpecDbCaOb-v3tzHtEoSOU7xI_G2m3PmMARM0x3N7JsH6DLJOk5AKiUYS-kwCEXq37TiqcUQyDa2h6CbngEpCwWsv23YzJH9QQA8gvAZAks/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-51625831289292215402010-09-08T06:31:00.000-07:002010-09-08T06:40:36.974-07:00Where I Work<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-bh58NVL73wbZHg5dNtm23QxHd7IlQA9VVkti52Kn0PzzGU8ngl4mvaqQOI3hjDAgnbRHOdhg933gmRGxvb-YEcARpkyrz953Cz6A2oTDthFsOCfKMFB4N-ppaq2Vv40FUWOKsIcw_A/s1600/photo+(2).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-bh58NVL73wbZHg5dNtm23QxHd7IlQA9VVkti52Kn0PzzGU8ngl4mvaqQOI3hjDAgnbRHOdhg933gmRGxvb-YEcARpkyrz953Cz6A2oTDthFsOCfKMFB4N-ppaq2Vv40FUWOKsIcw_A/s320/photo+(2).JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514536159692032914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nkrTJcKe095u3trQstGvLP1CmrZxaDSstD2LcRlx581ZKX2f1v2Q4speKkLa1ntskhFGcD4u0lrf5CEFZGeD1HqHCi0myteI-j-vbZdHC3eaO6ZB0npNu4EO3BRC3_At5xphfHdF75U/s1600/photo+(1).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nkrTJcKe095u3trQstGvLP1CmrZxaDSstD2LcRlx581ZKX2f1v2Q4speKkLa1ntskhFGcD4u0lrf5CEFZGeD1HqHCi0myteI-j-vbZdHC3eaO6ZB0npNu4EO3BRC3_At5xphfHdF75U/s320/photo+(1).JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514536155349918962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWotxCBO8KeAoFzz__miR0Ujr0l5mAMKh-defBNng2kfN480mW3eeF5k3eYd2ce_OZ-Z3VintXN1_YCQCJtFW3wl8up2_CooTS8GRDL9AYmLwTgymNYeYXOUQzP3ciweYT1gBmIKXOfKY/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWotxCBO8KeAoFzz__miR0Ujr0l5mAMKh-defBNng2kfN480mW3eeF5k3eYd2ce_OZ-Z3VintXN1_YCQCJtFW3wl8up2_CooTS8GRDL9AYmLwTgymNYeYXOUQzP3ciweYT1gBmIKXOfKY/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514536145113469442" /></a><br />Here's a shot of a little bronze owl; every Japanese town has one. Next there's a picture of the view from my little classroom and then the classroom itself, complete with mysterious purple glow (every Japanese town has one).<div><br /></div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-55819067446209071632010-09-07T06:36:00.000-07:002011-04-24T08:41:46.640-07:00Back in J-landHello "everyone," I'm back in Japan! This time as an English teacher...it's an experience.<br />
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</div><div>Anyway, here are some photos I took with my new iPhone 4 (!) of my town, Shibata, including the castle near its center. Thanks to this castle, Shibata is one confusing mess of streets; way back in the day the maze-like roads were designed to confound enemy invaders--now it's just for confounding poor innocent English teachers. The first picture shows where I work now.</div><div><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweQeDsE_GBFxrFgiSJluRTLeeh5DO6B2KFuMzN7mhdpHaNyjSHnBnyJk1kGGyghELmKPJZ_Q9VEpK21jK-2T45kzsbcJcGGHKCAR8oaLrdJP30bAOp_OrDy8IUWDsxiZyd4yAvlmsgtI/s1600/Shibata-jo.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514166558645421938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweQeDsE_GBFxrFgiSJluRTLeeh5DO6B2KFuMzN7mhdpHaNyjSHnBnyJk1kGGyghELmKPJZ_Q9VEpK21jK-2T45kzsbcJcGGHKCAR8oaLrdJP30bAOp_OrDy8IUWDsxiZyd4yAvlmsgtI/s320/Shibata-jo.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLt8humdp7ZfPrHana4NymAO7Kz4beQ1es3MODjVh_E-XL_DQ4MptTehY6zFrWi8PxkohUPTRIJjsW2iUtXI3uZ4BhfBetmwD0PZtJKdBV55plAxCOAOmP0XutVAz_IqfPDSJ1tJo5Lxc/s1600/Shibata-jo+Gate.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514166556756552674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLt8humdp7ZfPrHana4NymAO7Kz4beQ1es3MODjVh_E-XL_DQ4MptTehY6zFrWi8PxkohUPTRIJjsW2iUtXI3uZ4BhfBetmwD0PZtJKdBV55plAxCOAOmP0XutVAz_IqfPDSJ1tJo5Lxc/s320/Shibata-jo+Gate.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKKw5zb7hJCkbIYleqZIiTx3FprAn0VMvptl2D6W_BVaRNmiYd2FHeN91ft8q8h0V-Rj2_oM2LrLC6Q8YjoKZUcc6iiThdR9TS6m5fZwW-50WCbhtKmp3u5w7D8LRNhije_SI6NJdQLE/s1600/Shibata+Neighbor.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514166548276229586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKKw5zb7hJCkbIYleqZIiTx3FprAn0VMvptl2D6W_BVaRNmiYd2FHeN91ft8q8h0V-Rj2_oM2LrLC6Q8YjoKZUcc6iiThdR9TS6m5fZwW-50WCbhtKmp3u5w7D8LRNhije_SI6NJdQLE/s320/Shibata+Neighbor.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 239px;" /></a>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-20474114455479050352009-08-03T13:36:00.000-07:002009-08-03T14:12:45.401-07:00Japanese MusicAnyone who knows me well knows that most of my music listening revolves around classic rock from the 60's and 70's...mostly from British bands like The Beatles, The Who, and Pink Floyd. That certainly hasn't changed with time, but I feel since this is a Japan-themed blog, I should take a little time to introduce some music from Japan that I enjoy.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nuala.es/sakura/wp-content/115859.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 301px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.nuala.es/sakura/wp-content/115859.jpg" /></a> <strong>The Yoshida Brothers:</strong> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RERXiliJfdI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RERXiliJfdI</a>.<br /><br />These guys specialize mostly in instrumental music involving traditional Japanese instruments called s<em>hamisen</em>, which is kinda like a 3-stringed guitar with its own distinct sound. Both of the Yoshida Brothers are very skilled at playing shamisen and like to mix their playing with other styles of music, including rock. As far as I know they are quite popular in Japan, as well they should be.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 75px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/63/Buster-kun.jpg/75px-Buster-kun.jpg" /><strong>The Pillows: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYGNM_gJrV4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYGNM_gJrV4</a></strong><br /><p>J-rock at its finest. These guys know how to rock, and not just by being loud. I liked The Pillows way before I started learning Japanese thanks to a 6-episode Japanese animated series called Fooly Cooly, which featured The Pillows' music exclusively as its soundtrack. The sad thing is, almost every Japanese person who I have talked to about music seems to know nothing about these guys! Such a pity, but I'm sure the band is getting along just fine all the same.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 335px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 217px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i6.tinypic.com/25zpifd.jpg" /><strong>Puffy AmiYumi: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1KbwPnZn24">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1KbwPnZn24</a></strong></p><p>Okay, so maybe this is considered pop music...but I feel like these girls have really got a good thing going on. Unlike most Japanese pop music that I have heard, which mostly involves singing in cutesy voices and features catchy choruses (not unlike pop music in the states), Puffy's music has soul and is about the music itself. Sure Puffy have a lot of catchy songs, but much of their work feels like more than just saccharine pop melodies, and sometimes they manage to sound more like a rock band than anything else.<br /><br />I think that'll do it for now. There's certainly more Japanese music out there that I enjoy, but I tire of typing it all out! Ciao.</p>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-84800963348323436572009-07-23T21:55:00.000-07:002009-07-23T22:25:09.238-07:00Kanji<p align="left"><a href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v311/35/36/738832836/n738832836_1314585_5882.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 337px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v311/35/36/738832836/n738832836_1314585_5882.jpg" /></a><br />In Japanese, there are four "alphabets," for lack of a better word. There are two sets of syllabries called <em>hiragana</em> and <em>katana</em>, which have about 47 characters each, representing sounds like "a, ka, sa, shi, ne". There is also romaji, and then there is kanji.<br /><br />Hiragana is mostly used for native Japanese words and some names, while <em>katakana</em> is usually reserved for foreign loan words (but not always). Here's an example, my name:<br /><br />えりっく<br /><br />エリック<br /><br />The top is hiragana and the bottom is katakana, which is how my name is normally spelled, since it is of foreign origin. They both have the exact same pronunciation: <em>erikku.</em> When words are spelled using the english alphabet like that, it is called <em>romaji</em>. Pretty much every Japanese person learns the English ("roman") alphabet and romaji is used all over Japan.<br /><br />Finally we have <em>kanji</em>, which are basically Chinese characters that have been imported and incorporated into the Japanese language across many centuries. Kanji are used for Japanese names, for placenames, for many nouns and verbs...for just about everything. This is the hard stuff...because in order to read something basic like a Japanese newspaper, you need to know roughly 2,000 characters. Kanji is the stuff that makes Japanese learners cry and curse their brains. I am supposed to know somewhere around 1,000 kanji at my level, though the number I can actually remember how to write is far below that (reading is easier than writing; you can recognize many characters even if you cannot recall them perfectly for writing). I have recently begun attempting to learn all 2,000+ general kanji from scratch in order to gain true literacy. I certainly find myself with the time to do it. </p><p align="left">Kanji looks like this: 期末試験.<br /><br />Kanji are difficult to learn not just because there are many characters, but also because most of the time each character has mutiple ways in which it can be pronounced. For this reason I consider Japanese to be the hardest written language in the world (though admittedly I cannot speak for all other languages, not having attemped to learn them). </p>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-28192415843104865792009-07-20T13:52:00.001-07:002009-07-20T14:18:53.966-07:00Back from the Dead but not in Japan<a href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v311/35/36/738832836/n738832836_1314597_8357.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 373px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v311/35/36/738832836/n738832836_1314597_8357.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Hello everyone! (that is to say...no one, seeing as it's been so long)</div><br /><div>I sincerely apologize for abandoning this blog while I was still in Japan last year; I was either too busy or too lazy to continue updating it, even though I did a lot of things that were definitely blog-worthy. Oh well, anyway...I've decided to once again resurrect this blog because there's a chance I will travel back to Japan next year as an English teacher or maybe if I'm lucky a city government clerk, or something like that (<a href="http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/">JET program</a>). Anyway, I've heard the process of applying is rather painstaking, so I've already started to gather up some necessary documents like transcripts just in case I really choose to take the plunge.</div><br /><div>In the meantime, seeing as my job search here in Washington state is repeatedly running me into brick walls, I've decided to start devoting more time to studying Japanese again, specifically <em>kanji--</em>the Chinese symbols which number in the thousands and are undoubtedly the greatest obstacle facing anyone who wants to become literate in Japanese. I'll write more on this later!</div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10194627423641281264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-62613043217511811062008-08-22T01:39:00.000-07:002008-08-22T02:00:54.387-07:00HakoneOn the 18th, Sakura and I went on a two-day trip to Hakone, a famous sight-seeing area located about an hour and a half away from Tokyo by train. Hakone is mostly famous for being a hot spot for <em>onsen</em> (hot springs - pun probably intended), but there's a lot more to do then sit in extremely hot slightly sulfurous water all day.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfA1bHyib6Ad8fQyYqJcEVP2-maadhm5EhHA66p-MzU6eZAnQrhQbFEh29ydutSSdn0yHdEK1LrNX0E1visZ8qBK-0pWBkJ0wGPlXcEomngEXHCyxMsEhe-xA1g4S4X_rnEPtEuJzPAJj/s1600-h/P1000244.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237260223800499218" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfA1bHyib6Ad8fQyYqJcEVP2-maadhm5EhHA66p-MzU6eZAnQrhQbFEh29ydutSSdn0yHdEK1LrNX0E1visZ8qBK-0pWBkJ0wGPlXcEomngEXHCyxMsEhe-xA1g4S4X_rnEPtEuJzPAJj/s320/P1000244.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16mkgAK8AYwfAi8QzpnvE3oHW6MVR1BIUDZNFVBNdHiY6HBfNJPaSBnDK-fs3hjKPz4gByhnPSMDqMsw0n3xFPCC4TEJC66gBbQwjzu2tDh0VuxVGNSB9utOM_EcvBqmiLrk2Ew83TwO6/s1600-h/DSCN0480.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237260228018673346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16mkgAK8AYwfAi8QzpnvE3oHW6MVR1BIUDZNFVBNdHiY6HBfNJPaSBnDK-fs3hjKPz4gByhnPSMDqMsw0n3xFPCC4TEJC66gBbQwjzu2tDh0VuxVGNSB9utOM_EcvBqmiLrk2Ew83TwO6/s320/DSCN0480.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3KfFy1GEbfblPus0ttnEko7Ww302xceLcBphbvUadSa_lIi2GajV5BA1n_D-Rmd8TjQ3lHAjetqoGrmqiXUHPni41Lo1mb5GasIoBK6wJNw8qAZX78Eo34VxSETF6_Bvvy6ro1fIJv5D/s1600-h/DSCN0488.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237260232364718034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3KfFy1GEbfblPus0ttnEko7Ww302xceLcBphbvUadSa_lIi2GajV5BA1n_D-Rmd8TjQ3lHAjetqoGrmqiXUHPni41Lo1mb5GasIoBK6wJNw8qAZX78Eo34VxSETF6_Bvvy6ro1fIJv5D/s320/DSCN0488.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFCD8mssJ3_UqWcTKQwldYSUEcRV3ZLDzYbS8-OgzuJN79JK7u3XgIfEWL2FEfolgng7piDKFrUqw6L0vdmN9TqFg1rqP97iBxB8CwuIi2i1e0IDS_1dHz64ssJZi8HBq9ob-O1Ai9PSN/s1600-h/DSCN0509.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237260239776852338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFCD8mssJ3_UqWcTKQwldYSUEcRV3ZLDzYbS8-OgzuJN79JK7u3XgIfEWL2FEfolgng7piDKFrUqw6L0vdmN9TqFg1rqP97iBxB8CwuIi2i1e0IDS_1dHz64ssJZi8HBq9ob-O1Ai9PSN/s320/DSCN0509.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The first picture is just the first picture taken when we got off the train. Hakone is located in and around mountains, so if you look in any direction you're probably going to see one. It was a nice change of scenery. The second picture was taken from the "Hakone Ropeway," a pretty neat form of transportation. The next picture is the Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) where we stayed. It was quite nice though not dissimilar from the previous Ryokan I stayed at last year. You are supposed to be able to see Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashinoko, but as you can see in the last picture it was a bit too cloudy on the second day of our visit.Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-9309171579222622492008-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:002008-08-13T19:40:31.543-07:00OaraiHere's the last set of pictures from Mito. This place by the sea is called Oarai (the great wash..?). I didn't actually go on the beach or into the aquarium, but it was nice to be there anyway. This beach is a lot cleaner than most of the beaches in Japan, which seem to be typically littered with trash. Some of the pictures are taken from a big tower where I ate ice cream.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYshyphenhyphenzK4n1eyhlGL1P0zDyiAOnFVVtrRiJPBg3kfce34mC8KiEng1qw2pQ7cMFebSozpTHnAFFvr-Wzkwm2G4a-67p71k3lD2KX1qyM3DHwQ20O0B3qO38UB1GQd3Ms31_6idZ8nWQRfHR/s1600-h/DSCN0466.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234197229202982754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYshyphenhyphenzK4n1eyhlGL1P0zDyiAOnFVVtrRiJPBg3kfce34mC8KiEng1qw2pQ7cMFebSozpTHnAFFvr-Wzkwm2G4a-67p71k3lD2KX1qyM3DHwQ20O0B3qO38UB1GQd3Ms31_6idZ8nWQRfHR/s320/DSCN0466.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5vVAYd8-XTj1fyvnPPaLPTFQK_f-ixTvijS2-m1MZxdRAm8df9r7QbVW0qtVgkmjzx_r_ixAxakEJZBm-7mcZl0r4lSyQ162BXUQCPVES_o17HoA-Isx6rJzPkhKNTI8IzekfkmO04gT/s1600-h/DSCN0464.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234197229728931890" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5vVAYd8-XTj1fyvnPPaLPTFQK_f-ixTvijS2-m1MZxdRAm8df9r7QbVW0qtVgkmjzx_r_ixAxakEJZBm-7mcZl0r4lSyQ162BXUQCPVES_o17HoA-Isx6rJzPkhKNTI8IzekfkmO04gT/s320/DSCN0464.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZaxubDrxMgkRweJKYrEfhVLwvCfrUmCIv-TRubcLikgmc5Df43BBXyBbqDV_p1SVMC0UGQhAqDVWx4Ty5bkEubO6xWC0q4LTu_nU5TQ6k8nIMzSBT7NMJKWaKiHRXe2YYTP7Bw4QS_xv/s1600-h/DSCN0468.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234197239086550162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZaxubDrxMgkRweJKYrEfhVLwvCfrUmCIv-TRubcLikgmc5Df43BBXyBbqDV_p1SVMC0UGQhAqDVWx4Ty5bkEubO6xWC0q4LTu_nU5TQ6k8nIMzSBT7NMJKWaKiHRXe2YYTP7Bw4QS_xv/s320/DSCN0468.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-29054614884690487422008-08-13T19:19:00.000-07:002008-08-13T19:32:52.189-07:00MitoThe other day we went up to Mito, the capital city of Ibaraki prefecture. Mito is pretty famous because it's where one line of the Tokugawa family lived during the Edo period (the Tokugawa family being the ruling family of Japan for over two centuries). It's also where a lot of important stuff happened leading up to the overthrow of that family and the modernization of Japan. These first set of pictures were taken at a sort of "summer cottage" for Tokugawa Nariaki, called Koubuntei.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjplkzo5AOPbID96UXoypBhoJC7cs6TTi4tScItBo_V7PYLc6rxEa1Uar-Hg7F8BMC3XkbcRDpthB4ktRsOe-8sTVfMnzpQ-oHHpm30iwYnMktoCUoVExYrLSOioRmJFh5mTxs-gJ11GJ_/s1600-h/DSCN0452.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194915255474194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjplkzo5AOPbID96UXoypBhoJC7cs6TTi4tScItBo_V7PYLc6rxEa1Uar-Hg7F8BMC3XkbcRDpthB4ktRsOe-8sTVfMnzpQ-oHHpm30iwYnMktoCUoVExYrLSOioRmJFh5mTxs-gJ11GJ_/s320/DSCN0452.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgmQDpKP6YxoAQj2CFXRg1paMBns-nL5jyQf52HEjLrOPoJ_FYH3LArNY9zRRedDNYfwkxDzYStnb-LDfFV1TSn3rrNIEP1ZVueHNWkG8AZcKIqjPWduHPkoZtJdbyLdHLmDCQVcPCb3t/s1600-h/DSCN0457.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194920011165346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgmQDpKP6YxoAQj2CFXRg1paMBns-nL5jyQf52HEjLrOPoJ_FYH3LArNY9zRRedDNYfwkxDzYStnb-LDfFV1TSn3rrNIEP1ZVueHNWkG8AZcKIqjPWduHPkoZtJdbyLdHLmDCQVcPCb3t/s320/DSCN0457.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2Ou8FWhHNFzvz_Y6QpT9cNmD_lG3Xw31dKv7DEUjLrqbDv6-gXW5JHg5IsoF9ZMS9lQUMwCh1Rw_johpoo_rgmgwZ1GGHG8wrgJZ-gsXQt0yBQYYpgqJYEqz-ggFp8Tlqn-jT2Y_Pht3/s1600-h/DSCN0458.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234195142237018338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2Ou8FWhHNFzvz_Y6QpT9cNmD_lG3Xw31dKv7DEUjLrqbDv6-gXW5JHg5IsoF9ZMS9lQUMwCh1Rw_johpoo_rgmgwZ1GGHG8wrgJZ-gsXQt0yBQYYpgqJYEqz-ggFp8Tlqn-jT2Y_Pht3/s320/DSCN0458.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94IBSKap7i0pavuWLB6mJcZN9d2FE7IcMseVLoSBryHMmRoHNjVaHILKkKAXcJvghu0ldzgh7aCJInV9KaDiu-bMBWcANONXZcuWr3eARy8ubvsBb8IyW3pRf3HhkzkJNX0BxjGmVypU9/s1600-h/DSCN0459.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194931327555602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94IBSKap7i0pavuWLB6mJcZN9d2FE7IcMseVLoSBryHMmRoHNjVaHILKkKAXcJvghu0ldzgh7aCJInV9KaDiu-bMBWcANONXZcuWr3eARy8ubvsBb8IyW3pRf3HhkzkJNX0BxjGmVypU9/s320/DSCN0459.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-56236709213121421992008-08-05T21:50:00.000-07:002008-08-05T22:01:06.336-07:00Tokyo DisneylandMonday was Disneyland!! I didn't take many pictures, but Sakura has a couple that I will try to get and post later. I have never been to Disneyland in the U.S. before so it was pretty cool for me. Some of the rides I had done before, like Splash Mountain, but I find Disneyland to be much better than Disney World, because everythign is located in the same park and not spread out across ridiculous distances.<br /><br />The park was really fun, and once again it was ridiculously hot, though it got better towards the evening. We rode just about every major ride in the park, despite some incredible waiting times. Every ride had huge lines, with waiting periods up to 100 minutes. I'd say the only thing I didn't enjoy so much was the cuisine, because everything was just typical American hotdogs and burgers and such. There was curry-flavored popcorn but I didn't try it. Anyway, sorry about the lack of pictures...I guess I was just having too much fun to bother with the camera. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rBm-XwMr5sJGFZPScOA-WkAVIzNseQKKQiHshw1TU42RgO4r5r5D2KwOmNp-Qj2vHDv9a3CY0Ub4ldcWdgfj0Ui9TkbESM94mW0LTZg0eZXoKCBS3LviEIMRQbqb4_N8aM-qhoGw6yzn/s1600-h/DSCN0442.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231264884792600802" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rBm-XwMr5sJGFZPScOA-WkAVIzNseQKKQiHshw1TU42RgO4r5r5D2KwOmNp-Qj2vHDv9a3CY0Ub4ldcWdgfj0Ui9TkbESM94mW0LTZg0eZXoKCBS3LviEIMRQbqb4_N8aM-qhoGw6yzn/s320/DSCN0442.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRu0ZdNWt3WJxNH8JDzLWnjRTBEHbovxDt5JOpjNorKtUUo09c7T61IiafUttFlZvo3kiFlWVo0je1O7pG4XAXlVk5tNQzjK5E18wi_hcpIbU-LLYfXjEdBabk-U_GfghPiPDyPyPr-AW/s1600-h/DSCN0443.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231264887172673506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRu0ZdNWt3WJxNH8JDzLWnjRTBEHbovxDt5JOpjNorKtUUo09c7T61IiafUttFlZvo3kiFlWVo0je1O7pG4XAXlVk5tNQzjK5E18wi_hcpIbU-LLYfXjEdBabk-U_GfghPiPDyPyPr-AW/s320/DSCN0443.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZi2NQ3mrdWSBzDIt4OINBtu2z98AFK_pd8NaLFC6pMBzOTkXfRQgveADoACsCFhBSm3C_u_YvyUHrllP-OO6jesXqWWco37IUOal5ca_c12G0UD8dshna6a7xqJ_ns1LdFcQhI15wObHQ/s1600-h/DSCN0446.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231264246525093394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZi2NQ3mrdWSBzDIt4OINBtu2z98AFK_pd8NaLFC6pMBzOTkXfRQgveADoACsCFhBSm3C_u_YvyUHrllP-OO6jesXqWWco37IUOal5ca_c12G0UD8dshna6a7xqJ_ns1LdFcQhI15wObHQ/s320/DSCN0446.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-25888258238925703572008-08-05T21:43:00.000-07:002008-08-05T21:49:24.222-07:00Hanabi (Fireworks)On August 2 me and Sakura went to a big fireworks display in southern Chiba. It was really hot and crowded, but I had a good time. All of the pictures I took turned out horribly, but I will post a couple here just to give you an idea of what it was like.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzu_ZsOTphkjXxJqBmzhXVPEefxRB393ZkvJJB9r8dqJh2EXhZqFExTi7vzwM_61bmJQKu3d8W1VRz754bcOQTp-qrn9DpzMeY37vSM3RValXu-Wv8iQPzxVFeHN5F-OV3YwBXnbOZIDH/s1600-h/DSCN0432.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231261918848588578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzu_ZsOTphkjXxJqBmzhXVPEefxRB393ZkvJJB9r8dqJh2EXhZqFExTi7vzwM_61bmJQKu3d8W1VRz754bcOQTp-qrn9DpzMeY37vSM3RValXu-Wv8iQPzxVFeHN5F-OV3YwBXnbOZIDH/s320/DSCN0432.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk5RrIIC7uiKuinrX_jcH4JcCUyTWk-mKB-xNc7Ovkww48iP5nboGzaus9zUfiB5XbkmKT3_rO_z7PMztgQ7105HTLdW9DS2ReEpHC5_I8DR7BLq-zIjRI1GyUCoTMBoXZ5EV2kJQwda9/s1600-h/DSCN0437.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231261918828898994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk5RrIIC7uiKuinrX_jcH4JcCUyTWk-mKB-xNc7Ovkww48iP5nboGzaus9zUfiB5XbkmKT3_rO_z7PMztgQ7105HTLdW9DS2ReEpHC5_I8DR7BLq-zIjRI1GyUCoTMBoXZ5EV2kJQwda9/s320/DSCN0437.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxu9H8y24CIugQXds6D7oLM0dvj0_GuGvfbKllbsr5hE512IJjtZ8z7rZWGFOQ44MGQ4SeiNs_QspdZr5VdbJpb_nRY1RHzpij3osXMBeCgKzrwcjmK_9wsbrrYqh9nCKVRM4J7pRcLKS/s1600-h/DSCN0440.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231261924121956786" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxu9H8y24CIugQXds6D7oLM0dvj0_GuGvfbKllbsr5hE512IJjtZ8z7rZWGFOQ44MGQ4SeiNs_QspdZr5VdbJpb_nRY1RHzpij3osXMBeCgKzrwcjmK_9wsbrrYqh9nCKVRM4J7pRcLKS/s320/DSCN0440.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-28400572064486956822008-08-05T21:30:00.000-07:002008-08-05T21:40:27.898-07:00Ponyo Ponyo<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtzoQXRQ18ZwS-Hx7xQJgyon0P9NOT8sq3oW2pQftXt1PPZe7Wz7jYH3XQUmO4MhVvSdgy_h2dw2oRGXLAZLFmNjDDn-XlW0qApqtP4K7ieVim2eHcs-t2bEBnGVal8Yq9w7NSBAV0LBy/s1600-h/ponyo.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231259508536765970" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtzoQXRQ18ZwS-Hx7xQJgyon0P9NOT8sq3oW2pQftXt1PPZe7Wz7jYH3XQUmO4MhVvSdgy_h2dw2oRGXLAZLFmNjDDn-XlW0qApqtP4K7ieVim2eHcs-t2bEBnGVal8Yq9w7NSBAV0LBy/s320/ponyo.png" border="0" /></a></p><br />So before I went to Chiba I saw "Ponyo on the Cliff" with Sakura and her parents. Despite loving Miyazaki movies, I was a little worried going into this one because it's all in Japanese and even though I can get along alright in most everyday situations, I usually fail miserably at understanding Japanese movies, TV, and music especially. However, I was pleasantly surpised that I understood at least 85% of the movie's dialog (probably because it is geared towards young kids), and for perhaps the first time in my life I found myself understanding the language passively. I caught myself several times after a scene of dialog had passed realizing that I just understood everything without even trying...it was a nice feeling.<br /><br />The movie itself was very cute, and pretty much what I was expecting. I wouldn't put it up there with Mononoke or Spirited Away, but it's a nice little kids' movie in its own right. I suppose it will come out next year in the U.S., but I don't think I will try to see it in theaters.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12mQYhCyOdo78GwKh6K1KxscP-plarfz9sgjnrMa8171PJ9_oVg150__6gfPDoH43kZ7Eo5oye-6mpE1INBW7vjd2Pd35jpxmsTTiymQ1pYSCU4sB-fkCHD_TNxNzlPQ63-fhWTxaZkiH/s1600-h/DSCN0415.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231259515538729826" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12mQYhCyOdo78GwKh6K1KxscP-plarfz9sgjnrMa8171PJ9_oVg150__6gfPDoH43kZ7Eo5oye-6mpE1INBW7vjd2Pd35jpxmsTTiymQ1pYSCU4sB-fkCHD_TNxNzlPQ63-fhWTxaZkiH/s320/DSCN0415.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-19120468064105795542008-08-05T21:23:00.000-07:002008-08-05T21:27:36.360-07:00Sorry for the Delay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTQkMs20LMxzLyYy42UVwnGPsJbb6xcYcMapuouyGEDyKLOu2V1B39cs2OBgmno0E2OPXtc5La9rOh7rLrmNimNXjJroiRilZPZP-7UKCh3yVziqcD9gcj9nDHO37ZIvznTD__HILGmfA/s1600-h/DSCN0426.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231256502457223250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTQkMs20LMxzLyYy42UVwnGPsJbb6xcYcMapuouyGEDyKLOu2V1B39cs2OBgmno0E2OPXtc5La9rOh7rLrmNimNXjJroiRilZPZP-7UKCh3yVziqcD9gcj9nDHO37ZIvznTD__HILGmfA/s320/DSCN0426.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I haven't been able to update my blog for the last week or so, because I cannot seem to get my computer online in Chiba, which is where I was staying. Right now I am back in good ole Ibaraki, and it's very relaxing compared to city life (if you can even call Chiba the city).</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I'm gonna make separate posts in chronological order as if I had been updating my blog all along, so bear with me. Unfortunately I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately, but I will post what I have for now. </div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-59033723306031175962008-07-27T16:42:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:17.422-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmIx_xzBZtjMeKLOeyEhwHRa1nsSh6i4M45DpIxZDBSUAPmc34PBOD6xeiD-RFJvGi_inhPTddCAQjxmhVEA2ee1cOoN50LeJw2Cl29p08_U9I0U3QJlItkhiH-5c2KOsgysTtDzEzaQr/s1600-h/DSCN0414.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227844906229094754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmIx_xzBZtjMeKLOeyEhwHRa1nsSh6i4M45DpIxZDBSUAPmc34PBOD6xeiD-RFJvGi_inhPTddCAQjxmhVEA2ee1cOoN50LeJw2Cl29p08_U9I0U3QJlItkhiH-5c2KOsgysTtDzEzaQr/s320/DSCN0414.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here's a picture of what it looks like here in Ibaraki, outside of the apartment complex where Sakura's parents live. It seems like a nice place, but I haven't really spent much time outside...mostly because it's quite hot and humid. I think I will be going to see Ponyo (the newest Miyazaki film) today with Sakura and her family, so I will try to write an update about that later. I'm not sure how much of the story I will be able to understand, though... : /Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-12587773530142527052008-07-26T17:34:00.000-07:002008-07-26T17:37:03.005-07:00Back in JapanGreetings all,<br /><br />I've just spent my first night back in Japan. It's been more than a year since I've been back but it doesn't really feel like it. Right now I am staying at Sakura's house in Ibaraki, which is about an hour north of Tokyo. I haven't taken any pictures yet, so that will have to wait, but...I figured I would just get the ball rolling again.Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-67799722604133820782007-09-06T16:24:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:17.710-08:00Hato Bus Tour Catalog!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xgpDHiLMWfktP8N4YyaoeKmKkcxfzCuMZygWQiR357CDHb4sdZAZWLzWTYOlBiSEstoQtnKHXcaOkMp5qvIBHuJohLtNr7sQaw957Tv3R6tjh-vPj4UMefkkrzDBzFUSB5Kb9pMc0IE4/s1600-h/DSCN0228.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107236425557808194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xgpDHiLMWfktP8N4YyaoeKmKkcxfzCuMZygWQiR357CDHb4sdZAZWLzWTYOlBiSEstoQtnKHXcaOkMp5qvIBHuJohLtNr7sQaw957Tv3R6tjh-vPj4UMefkkrzDBzFUSB5Kb9pMc0IE4/s320/DSCN0228.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGc5LKQJmC2FHypzWdDQ82UxfRbQsxB9VcgW0whfsI5mSFyxWGn5yIkWJ2eTgGWQzgODBur7_KP1oXWbLFAzjm4FNSy3cbOTNiongwZLZDI9K1nezFHm5XEIXuEiTf0kyARIBbGSzLcd4/s1600-h/DSCN0230.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107236434147742802" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGc5LKQJmC2FHypzWdDQ82UxfRbQsxB9VcgW0whfsI5mSFyxWGn5yIkWJ2eTgGWQzgODBur7_KP1oXWbLFAzjm4FNSy3cbOTNiongwZLZDI9K1nezFHm5XEIXuEiTf0kyARIBbGSzLcd4/s320/DSCN0230.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-58854618669535434052007-07-30T23:13:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:18.372-08:00Wrap UpHere's a final batch of photos. I have many more, but I tried to pick out the most relevant moments for this blog, so here goes.<br /><br />The first picture is us having dinner at a fancy restaurant in Shibuya--one of our last meals together in Japan. Then, a nice view of some buildings in Nikko, burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, first shogun ruler of Japan. Following that, a picture of my host parents at Nikko. Finally, we have the Nemuri Neko (Sleeping Cat) and the entrance to Ieyasu's grave.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2tecVmvPo-3c3PY5Vsk3k67C-eVVI88qmIYjuMM9DNAmWR-rOdJ1B8PdILTZB4zfg8DTI-AC3vYfCDSiebve8lOK9KQPO75F_HnF9gnUnmOhOZeuPpRHiz4xjTPQfBwaXRwjdLUpTPxY/s1600-h/n2704124_34848846_1748.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093241089309088674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2tecVmvPo-3c3PY5Vsk3k67C-eVVI88qmIYjuMM9DNAmWR-rOdJ1B8PdILTZB4zfg8DTI-AC3vYfCDSiebve8lOK9KQPO75F_HnF9gnUnmOhOZeuPpRHiz4xjTPQfBwaXRwjdLUpTPxY/s320/n2704124_34848846_1748.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ88kE057xHs0bZk3j2VO6kS9mkPXSJrUCfQumEOZDtGB6qea5X9rJnbIogiMot7T5DmfV6wIta6a7pib2e4V66DBvWE2k2BN952SYUV-k3QZW8gCTTzd8__A9SY0FaqzyeeEHLc_0YWn/s1600-h/DSCN0214.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093241097899023282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ88kE057xHs0bZk3j2VO6kS9mkPXSJrUCfQumEOZDtGB6qea5X9rJnbIogiMot7T5DmfV6wIta6a7pib2e4V66DBvWE2k2BN952SYUV-k3QZW8gCTTzd8__A9SY0FaqzyeeEHLc_0YWn/s320/DSCN0214.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztsoo98rV6Y_-tW3wEUbFBBBrZJzVpl8SNOsi00TbrKeOMMSdtIKfmi0ycxYJqt3QMYhVYsQtK8oXwFwn1pQLxvDTyxUU52rknaVGXGCeXsZ7lHChK0hGXS35FXhwvDa2oyoSh6xfRAgP/s1600-h/DSCN0216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093241110783925186" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztsoo98rV6Y_-tW3wEUbFBBBrZJzVpl8SNOsi00TbrKeOMMSdtIKfmi0ycxYJqt3QMYhVYsQtK8oXwFwn1pQLxvDTyxUU52rknaVGXGCeXsZ7lHChK0hGXS35FXhwvDa2oyoSh6xfRAgP/s320/DSCN0216.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz3hyphenhyphenwRxRSf9Zr-JHcPW_7Jtrngt_FQCkGkDEU7WVtq6ea4EOzSj1hEOm2PB2N_CwvgkPxtxPUw26z9AI5iro2qMSrCRdOGBj2Qxms2-pDW2lck-GBkrKG69qmnMBp4ka863xFJBese1z/s1600-h/DSCN0220.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093241115078892498" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTz3hyphenhyphenwRxRSf9Zr-JHcPW_7Jtrngt_FQCkGkDEU7WVtq6ea4EOzSj1hEOm2PB2N_CwvgkPxtxPUw26z9AI5iro2qMSrCRdOGBj2Qxms2-pDW2lck-GBkrKG69qmnMBp4ka863xFJBese1z/s320/DSCN0220.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWTdWskN_mf2JdB4veMH1kGID1gx1tGGpyTEoc8uyWk7L1yGdrhz48Nrk7zpDPscgZBUx8MWJDbmNGyAk38r3wcaE5IPc01yiE2iJCa2rEc-CxIIEyQ0tCVNxklyiSYIhiKgl3j4IJtlB/s1600-h/DSCN0218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093241123668827106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWTdWskN_mf2JdB4veMH1kGID1gx1tGGpyTEoc8uyWk7L1yGdrhz48Nrk7zpDPscgZBUx8MWJDbmNGyAk38r3wcaE5IPc01yiE2iJCa2rEc-CxIIEyQ0tCVNxklyiSYIhiKgl3j4IJtlB/s320/DSCN0218.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And that about does it. I'm pretty sure this is my last update for this blog, so I hope everyone enjoyed it. I definitely plan on going back to Japan in the future, so there's always more to look forward to. :)Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-259654196641421842007-07-30T22:58:00.001-07:002008-12-08T18:09:19.166-08:00Final Update - Kyoto and BeyondWell this will be my final batch of pictures, seeing as I am already back home in the States. I figured it was my duty to finish off this blog, so here goes.<br /><br />Most of the pictures in this post relate to our two day trip to Kyoto. The first picture is from inside the Shinkansen, Japan's fastest type of train. I'm taking a nap, as you can see. Then we have Nijo Castle, all of us after an hour of Zen meditation (and the monk who taught us), a Shinto shrine with literally a thousand red gates (I forget what it's called), and the theater where we saw Kabuki back in Tokyo.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHKZ6r6oG4DgIWS9gU5DD7N3kkYq8eFIzuGa3ooDlRtClKhgawULOC7wXDcuG84aEEvzX7YY8GW6FYbdH5w9PqloOG4Up3cNJqtUdZRzlTkZLQM5CqRtnXoFX4FOiCTPuOyXcLdQ4VFVX/s1600-h/n2704124_34801506_7034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093238890285833058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHKZ6r6oG4DgIWS9gU5DD7N3kkYq8eFIzuGa3ooDlRtClKhgawULOC7wXDcuG84aEEvzX7YY8GW6FYbdH5w9PqloOG4Up3cNJqtUdZRzlTkZLQM5CqRtnXoFX4FOiCTPuOyXcLdQ4VFVX/s320/n2704124_34801506_7034.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxKdfBwVo9uaza3KBwrSjonA3Jte9NVqP-oZNpzSMwe14r0ZW8j0r1RSwaHwmiG70ver-YmXlvgXNHje50iy5-9onZIfzXuv6eqSSGrI7ZXRpfCrpIZDd9JDUhcf9zrO-3r3uWWe8pHOE/s1600-h/n4602578_30474719_4960.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093238885990865746" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxKdfBwVo9uaza3KBwrSjonA3Jte9NVqP-oZNpzSMwe14r0ZW8j0r1RSwaHwmiG70ver-YmXlvgXNHje50iy5-9onZIfzXuv6eqSSGrI7ZXRpfCrpIZDd9JDUhcf9zrO-3r3uWWe8pHOE/s320/n4602578_30474719_4960.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxh5ea01mnc3p0zDcZMVVD-SSjUt2qq-4td0oa51I8xqz-zS0UcYBvMbe5jLAMZuD078TsTHslJyM7WwVqXQPguHE8x-gWh9EjVyMT6Rgk8lJSB1RDUAa91b_2KXfZmMG2LtJQsCnHuch/s1600-h/n2704124_34802212_6418.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093238894580800370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxh5ea01mnc3p0zDcZMVVD-SSjUt2qq-4td0oa51I8xqz-zS0UcYBvMbe5jLAMZuD078TsTHslJyM7WwVqXQPguHE8x-gWh9EjVyMT6Rgk8lJSB1RDUAa91b_2KXfZmMG2LtJQsCnHuch/s320/n2704124_34802212_6418.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZunWs11hRGsJ22KRQs4RDR3cJuAfTjTCGcV46wsWwW0CZYytsTnEr9hHJ6r-O-_HrE7VCgzGQG-c1I88Kud3BcF853kGx-MWMJyTlJf1jjryNc3ckzDLdMK3R1wIYzm0LpFbgwVY7pS3u/s1600-h/n2723341_34801362_7044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093238894580800386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZunWs11hRGsJ22KRQs4RDR3cJuAfTjTCGcV46wsWwW0CZYytsTnEr9hHJ6r-O-_HrE7VCgzGQG-c1I88Kud3BcF853kGx-MWMJyTlJf1jjryNc3ckzDLdMK3R1wIYzm0LpFbgwVY7pS3u/s320/n2723341_34801362_7044.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoizhU3Qq2cMu-nM_Ec2OVwJClZUyUyc_-9HpyPfm0Z88TLeOZsGXyF62bLTp732dLSaDXriry2-EN64Wp4GWRwUb7TUAWnS0VyXQhqOYqEb6gl9YN8j755FDI5ICMuxXEe7iH3Q3FCW0/s1600-h/n2723341_34840820_2440.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093238898875767698" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoizhU3Qq2cMu-nM_Ec2OVwJClZUyUyc_-9HpyPfm0Z88TLeOZsGXyF62bLTp732dLSaDXriry2-EN64Wp4GWRwUb7TUAWnS0VyXQhqOYqEb6gl9YN8j755FDI5ICMuxXEe7iH3Q3FCW0/s320/n2723341_34840820_2440.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-82278139524758413732007-07-14T00:18:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:20.091-08:00More Gion MatsuriHere are some more pictures of the Narita Gion festival. The first shot doesn't look like a festival picture, but I assure you it is. I shall call it Kamejima (turtle island).<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xzwvFU4IUDcf0BWDCW7GYis1m-xZS-Ub6qXy5DqWxmFiR5E2yBJm1xF-oNnrQVOUOObfp5KswiJIEjB-QbTkXRfx7QYP_-kmmOkk3hRuuUVJuRvszYZmbNEnWqG-jHI-7Fb_NlGM11XD/s1600-h/DSCN0187.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086949297913842754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xzwvFU4IUDcf0BWDCW7GYis1m-xZS-Ub6qXy5DqWxmFiR5E2yBJm1xF-oNnrQVOUOObfp5KswiJIEjB-QbTkXRfx7QYP_-kmmOkk3hRuuUVJuRvszYZmbNEnWqG-jHI-7Fb_NlGM11XD/s320/DSCN0187.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuZRE9noMBmzDRGlFW7gosB0MV3kGwkfpvQtI3MaR1ExAS2qoX7fGl7HeDuRZRr65aM-kk1Y80g1m_aHbUg-5EY66VZmjxRAAutYeBPlXc88T21USAbwjWaM8P7B1Num1LNNTIYDAi2rf/s1600-h/DSCN0195.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086949302208810066" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuZRE9noMBmzDRGlFW7gosB0MV3kGwkfpvQtI3MaR1ExAS2qoX7fGl7HeDuRZRr65aM-kk1Y80g1m_aHbUg-5EY66VZmjxRAAutYeBPlXc88T21USAbwjWaM8P7B1Num1LNNTIYDAi2rf/s320/DSCN0195.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzTHtsQKNVEiOQVM7ntl-stnn5PE9oxS6w7GJTXriJHwUP1DmvYhpEFwznzHEGlRiuetKr_IIG1AV0-Wr_Ypdy-GQJsHbkfMwZKzjIr3KC9LMHSbZxmhRWhvooh66iLM8rB5iRZuWCSrz/s1600-h/DSCN0201.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086949310798744674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzTHtsQKNVEiOQVM7ntl-stnn5PE9oxS6w7GJTXriJHwUP1DmvYhpEFwznzHEGlRiuetKr_IIG1AV0-Wr_Ypdy-GQJsHbkfMwZKzjIr3KC9LMHSbZxmhRWhvooh66iLM8rB5iRZuWCSrz/s320/DSCN0201.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXZB1KCQZn3IB__fOaU_IfwVSKr1zK9AbjVVAc5m4zCu1iA5liVo8CZcwuLtN3XxLJDAm1zSC9TLKctdUDWnNlig7QrZboCQaeNjVeUDQzp78O-6tUuVopXnJ50EctJhMQ_Tq8DIlDh4n/s1600-h/DSCN0208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086949319388679282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXZB1KCQZn3IB__fOaU_IfwVSKr1zK9AbjVVAc5m4zCu1iA5liVo8CZcwuLtN3XxLJDAm1zSC9TLKctdUDWnNlig7QrZboCQaeNjVeUDQzp78O-6tUuVopXnJ50EctJhMQ_Tq8DIlDh4n/s320/DSCN0208.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnNTzeM33JgC00nUTIhdmBngfHmNpn5jgzy3Uz4iutVFOFNN8Pi6ZIOIDvVyDNOU8Q-g8X7WbdiQtVhOlLkgGPTL2sh2YNVEXlggUIcaz6IALDMKrtS5uAhSH0eAyHErXc4CAFV2F0WHJ/s1600-h/DSCN0202.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086949323683646594" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnNTzeM33JgC00nUTIhdmBngfHmNpn5jgzy3Uz4iutVFOFNN8Pi6ZIOIDvVyDNOU8Q-g8X7WbdiQtVhOlLkgGPTL2sh2YNVEXlggUIcaz6IALDMKrtS5uAhSH0eAyHErXc4CAFV2F0WHJ/s320/DSCN0202.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>That's all for now, folks.</div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-59796739323325538232007-07-14T00:09:00.001-07:002008-12-08T18:09:21.120-08:00Tea Time and Gion FestivalFirst two shots are from the Japanese Tea Ceremony field trip. The Tea Ceremony is a very traditional and intricate tea serving/drinking ritual, and needless to say I completely failed at being any good at it. The second shot is the tiny door where you enter and exit.<br /><br />Next we have the first couple shots of the Gion festival in Narita (If you remember, I posted a couple shots of Narita in one of my first updates). Narita is a completely different place during this festival, filled with people and delicious foodstuffs--and of course a creepy monkey/fox man, too.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQrifpP-ZYFzSyvnF_liVhXVj4AOJC4YHPqnWYcGgHHt0V3u16nVFw1rgoBBgi92mNCU__FyInHGum5fRTkZ6RFJd6Dlt3ZxRTt64pv30RYui_bdvXr6JdD3wdFyUiYTc0q7RldFqFIQe/s1600-h/n2717563_34673824_2222.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086947047350979570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQrifpP-ZYFzSyvnF_liVhXVj4AOJC4YHPqnWYcGgHHt0V3u16nVFw1rgoBBgi92mNCU__FyInHGum5fRTkZ6RFJd6Dlt3ZxRTt64pv30RYui_bdvXr6JdD3wdFyUiYTc0q7RldFqFIQe/s320/n2717563_34673824_2222.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44jJAJhpXm7ELsSzqTgnYYl5v4SpiEoP28mZRrivIUA65RPUSsyta6Q3Qh-RwzpBYV8-vBoO5sSSeSu-5txL_AHeyUz-90du_G9fl53IFK4vUR78v5Z7yacdZU5jixVZk4OWqnDoxSPtP/s1600-h/n2704124_34696817_816.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086947047350979586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44jJAJhpXm7ELsSzqTgnYYl5v4SpiEoP28mZRrivIUA65RPUSsyta6Q3Qh-RwzpBYV8-vBoO5sSSeSu-5txL_AHeyUz-90du_G9fl53IFK4vUR78v5Z7yacdZU5jixVZk4OWqnDoxSPtP/s320/n2704124_34696817_816.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOoEm-PVE5vZgMdGzyCZLdIfeCnCxl9MKE9-NLKNfSfUmsjGQfVQuuTYlncWrESJcjE1QBB__ruXiKeLgo-sxi2HkfecE0Ra4M1TK_252oOAxTJoHfSfPr5_SSKrrt00Ktq__Mrljw8K-/s1600-h/DSCN0161.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086947055940914194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOoEm-PVE5vZgMdGzyCZLdIfeCnCxl9MKE9-NLKNfSfUmsjGQfVQuuTYlncWrESJcjE1QBB__ruXiKeLgo-sxi2HkfecE0Ra4M1TK_252oOAxTJoHfSfPr5_SSKrrt00Ktq__Mrljw8K-/s320/DSCN0161.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XlqDtIMw6BysEBx2s7-mBabyB7FlitGb5l8_MlRyF3K2JjwfNmMBvOm9gvn8lzRpAZaBrwtR74t_PxYV80wsmBSbAa4932_3mDLG_BSehubA4kJ75MAl9sZ2PFJEdxX-SCnxzTz-OY30/s1600-h/DSCN0173.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086947060235881506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XlqDtIMw6BysEBx2s7-mBabyB7FlitGb5l8_MlRyF3K2JjwfNmMBvOm9gvn8lzRpAZaBrwtR74t_PxYV80wsmBSbAa4932_3mDLG_BSehubA4kJ75MAl9sZ2PFJEdxX-SCnxzTz-OY30/s320/DSCN0173.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PbStuw2TeJPsKUw43rgqdNnb9MeOLwwAANbsYLYrfcG__bAnxsxjlCMmQj-SukVaizDM1-RtFZOaJeQU2XDjOD6wGnS5U94i0K8olPa2Pv3BER_4UV5PfIhd-b5FR5q87-gfIV-2fDBw/s1600-h/DSCN0183.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086947064530848818" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PbStuw2TeJPsKUw43rgqdNnb9MeOLwwAANbsYLYrfcG__bAnxsxjlCMmQj-SukVaizDM1-RtFZOaJeQU2XDjOD6wGnS5U94i0K8olPa2Pv3BER_4UV5PfIhd-b5FR5q87-gfIV-2fDBw/s320/DSCN0183.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-52554329233584534062007-07-13T23:41:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:22.252-08:00School and Graveyards and Fish (oh my!!)What's this, I am updating my blog? It can't be...this must be a hoax.<br /><br />Anyway, this is the first in a series of updates. The first two pictures are from Sugano Elementary School in Ichikawa City. Japanese elementary school is really quite different from what I experienced in America, I think. Each of us UNC students was assigned to a separate classroom, from first grade to sixth. I had a sixth grade class...that second picture was taken right after I entered the classroom...a scary moment. We had squid and rice for lunch.<br /><br />Next we have the grave of a Daimyo (Samurai lord), he is buried along with his 47 ronin (masterless Samurai) warriors. It's an interesting story, but I am too lazy to get into the specifics.<br /><br />Finally...a koi pond. The best one I have seen here in Japan! As soon as you walk near the water's edge, those suckers start opening their mouths like they are gasping for air. The second picture is a picture of me taking a picture of koi, amazing ne?<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTL31qlVAba_1yRgqkzNKT_CnurfTo63mp5x_CWzb-G37qjfU_gdlLq6oHR50c_MTOW8dQE9ljUgL0LI7bKKFtJIIoitIppY42UKSEfiYkCF-kzfwIo-ICZvgNAkTs7HOZK-85II2F6vO/s1600-h/DSCN0151.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086942597764860834" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTL31qlVAba_1yRgqkzNKT_CnurfTo63mp5x_CWzb-G37qjfU_gdlLq6oHR50c_MTOW8dQE9ljUgL0LI7bKKFtJIIoitIppY42UKSEfiYkCF-kzfwIo-ICZvgNAkTs7HOZK-85II2F6vO/s320/DSCN0151.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp1Httd5QO7X91rlYZqws9mbs6-8lvF5fgd6Hzc6Qwmkpvk_O7R2EoAy9F4StKjRjmtt9RUB2NbO5FXUPYO_PfDC3qgSduf4uGp_QYvNf99FpOTngbPZFfddeUDYdnciG7Wn-f9cHSi6q/s1600-h/n2704124_34631579_9329.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086942597764860850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp1Httd5QO7X91rlYZqws9mbs6-8lvF5fgd6Hzc6Qwmkpvk_O7R2EoAy9F4StKjRjmtt9RUB2NbO5FXUPYO_PfDC3qgSduf4uGp_QYvNf99FpOTngbPZFfddeUDYdnciG7Wn-f9cHSi6q/s320/n2704124_34631579_9329.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj5RVhUI7kX-oJSN49sOjf4x_vttEnHqvypLq6YqLzihziseFKRJLW2ArWMbdEHe0Li1lY8SKjo4Jpd9dnERqUTEUIm6kdZGEdW1hfHpwLhK5Uu9InKZT8prfEbrKMo0KiNQcsrdo2xiT/s1600-h/DSCN0154.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086942614944730050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj5RVhUI7kX-oJSN49sOjf4x_vttEnHqvypLq6YqLzihziseFKRJLW2ArWMbdEHe0Li1lY8SKjo4Jpd9dnERqUTEUIm6kdZGEdW1hfHpwLhK5Uu9InKZT8prfEbrKMo0KiNQcsrdo2xiT/s320/DSCN0154.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDej88u52ECxZKRe3hUtPdJGGJ2AZYH95aqStef4HHh6A4-YewFINCSMUr1vlgOKbcW-a6mNR5W58eCaMyq-HLdhtJqE4VkkXzF4bGMX0QQ0R_hZQixSUllwJBThAntULSDrM4ewn1WF5q/s1600-h/DSCN0155.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086942623534664658" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDej88u52ECxZKRe3hUtPdJGGJ2AZYH95aqStef4HHh6A4-YewFINCSMUr1vlgOKbcW-a6mNR5W58eCaMyq-HLdhtJqE4VkkXzF4bGMX0QQ0R_hZQixSUllwJBThAntULSDrM4ewn1WF5q/s320/DSCN0155.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMnqW8_01cq9gIN75KANc75VuSKdrVo5fx2tH7AhanO2yZPCOacahyphenhyphenTV4lgTCy7H34VV26ndBorgLgWv7pjOAeN1q8VxOIoFx0UsVJFyT1p1QeXFFGyqM8kzhRi4aygIqAtmtyLXNlIt_/s1600-h/n2704124_34696834_5125.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086942623534664674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMnqW8_01cq9gIN75KANc75VuSKdrVo5fx2tH7AhanO2yZPCOacahyphenhyphenTV4lgTCy7H34VV26ndBorgLgWv7pjOAeN1q8VxOIoFx0UsVJFyT1p1QeXFFGyqM8kzhRi4aygIqAtmtyLXNlIt_/s320/n2704124_34696834_5125.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2665962475127019588.post-30296867326163398962007-07-02T07:34:00.000-07:002008-12-08T18:09:22.542-08:00Motto AkihabaraAkihabara is the "electric town" of Tokyo, also known as geek-central (that's otaku in Japanese). There's a lot of girls in maid costumes standing around in Akihabara for whatever reason. The last shot is one more look at Ueno Park--those are lotus plants in a vast pond of water.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUQlDkDf4cH4lbzNw5c-bIDF053pi_PztC8BknYj5ulzihfXiubDbpaZ_LU0IE0-mbQ6XWT3Zgi6JOmW0iOvCXohVa1nxllrw9oG-Kp839LRIWp9gjjQrtEM_BSidDkH7Pn8rHdcKYYCy/s1600-h/DSCN0131.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082608640883866386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUQlDkDf4cH4lbzNw5c-bIDF053pi_PztC8BknYj5ulzihfXiubDbpaZ_LU0IE0-mbQ6XWT3Zgi6JOmW0iOvCXohVa1nxllrw9oG-Kp839LRIWp9gjjQrtEM_BSidDkH7Pn8rHdcKYYCy/s320/DSCN0131.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKF5qtqCm8k4siKwKN7Q3tuuWPdBXvaVcf5HtUDpjY60jraHNE_EgI87DOrTJLDEPl-zf40nB5e_YkPg8wy4BrI6eIim12T30MwzOY7f0pQMlvhivnRIABnR-886g-rZjzSb1CnuCtor_/s1600-h/DSCN0130.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082608649473800994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKF5qtqCm8k4siKwKN7Q3tuuWPdBXvaVcf5HtUDpjY60jraHNE_EgI87DOrTJLDEPl-zf40nB5e_YkPg8wy4BrI6eIim12T30MwzOY7f0pQMlvhivnRIABnR-886g-rZjzSb1CnuCtor_/s320/DSCN0130.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOYikpJ8pBfseMHsybXjyW1H9IysDvUjKvEi5KhNhW47DjIIRkpD9ub897oQp2gB2MuYDAFwDdQN01-B3pkSqayEo6eV1yQyucNbkxlUnAZLtQ-QukA5SdIBpgIghfLIMVGnZoSe_8UyA/s1600-h/DSCN0126.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082608658063735602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOYikpJ8pBfseMHsybXjyW1H9IysDvUjKvEi5KhNhW47DjIIRkpD9ub897oQp2gB2MuYDAFwDdQN01-B3pkSqayEo6eV1yQyucNbkxlUnAZLtQ-QukA5SdIBpgIghfLIMVGnZoSe_8UyA/s320/DSCN0126.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACtmQAcxHXy39R0ahJ8l1mnHpjzedUrhoZN-X4JlmtPFzbXu1N-PmRzfPsjf5CEHlSVlzzES4fxIELzvnlQjIQ0Euttr69QEqL__Fspr3fgltQ3eWwLxKzmW9_KCzjRD8Um9DO1PqMNEw/s1600-h/DSCN0140.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082608666653670210" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACtmQAcxHXy39R0ahJ8l1mnHpjzedUrhoZN-X4JlmtPFzbXu1N-PmRzfPsjf5CEHlSVlzzES4fxIELzvnlQjIQ0Euttr69QEqL__Fspr3fgltQ3eWwLxKzmW9_KCzjRD8Um9DO1PqMNEw/s320/DSCN0140.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Shaberuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18179693787727685896noreply@blogger.com1