Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) Preview

Because I really need to update...


This was taken in Sapporo, on the northern island of Japan, Hokkaido. Every year, they have a snow festival. There is a lot to do there, but this is just the "appetizer course" before I get more pictures loaded up.

The snow sculpture behind me is a replica of the Namdaemun Gate in South Korea that was burned down last year by a crazy arsonist.

Let the Update Begin! Part 5

So before school started, the chorus club had a nabe party. Nabe is a winter dish that you make at the table. It's like... make-your-own-stew. It's REALLY good and really comforting to eat in the winter time when the cold sets in. So since the teachers had to be at school to work but classes hadn't started yet, we had a nabe party for lunch.


Here are our two MCs.



We played a game where 3 cream puffs were actually stuffed with wasabi (extremely strong green horseradish) instead of cream. But you couldn't tell from the outside which were the bad ones. I think my face is hilarious because I was picked as the "teacher" to participate in this activity. Then we ate them whole and the rest of the students had to guess who were the ones with the wasabi-puffs.




Thankfully, I was not a victim of a wasabi-puff. Poor Yuki, Akiho, and Hayato tried to keep a straight face to keep the game going.




My Nabe Party table from left to right: Chisato, me, Yuki, Hayato, Sayaka, Koharu, Aki, and.... I'm embarassed to say I'm drawing a blank on the last one. Hopefully that'll be fixed soon.



And all the students in chorus club! Fun times!

Let the Update Begin! Part 4

During break, the chorus club went to 2 hospitals to sing. And they wanted to sing one Christmas carol in English. So here is my contribution to the Christmas Spirit.

There is one yakitori shop in Shimizu that I love. "yaki" means "grilled" and "tori" means "chicken" and together -- grilled chicken. And it's usually served on a long bamboo toothpick. Of course, you can order other things than just grilled chicken... I prefer the pork and green onion myself.

So after the chorus concerts, Kiyomi and I went to said yakitori shop. The shop is really close to school and really small. Here you can see the bar where I am sitting. To the left (not in the picture) are 3 low-sitting tables that seat 4 each.


The shop is run by a husband and wife. It's called Jiro's but that's the husband's father's name. Still haven't figured out what to call them so I just say "Okusan" and "Ojisan" -- Ma'am and Sir.

So above the shelves, are long rectangles of wood. On them are the things you can order with the price at the bottom. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it to see the writing.




This is Jiro's son. The shop is "old-fashioned" style and is really cozy inside and the couple is REALLY NICE. I feel like a favorite niece when I come in.



So after a few sticks of meat, Kiyomi and I usually order yaki-onigiri (grilled rice) and miso soup. Jiro usually adds aji (fish) as well. So this is before we ate...


And this is after....

Let the Update Begin! Part 3

Awhile back, I wrote about my shock at the different standard of dress just to go shopping in Japan! Here are pictures to prove the contrast...

Omotesando Hills is a shopping center filled with all the names you'd see on 5th Avenue in New York. And I was wearing THAT!



Just to prove my point... I am standing between Chanel and Bvlgari... in jeans and a fleece pullover. If I knew what kind of "department store" I would be visiting that evening, I would've worn something else, of course!



Inside... there were Christmas decorations up... only... unlike any Christmas decorations I had seen. Swarovski crystal chandeliers and Christmas trees adorned the plaza.





So the next day, I tried a different outfit when we went to Roppongi Hills for lunch. I felt a little more at ease but I refused to wear dress shoes when I knew I would be walking all day. My face looks deranged in the first picture... I think I was holding back a sneeze...

Let the Update Begin! Part 2

After the autumn leaves trip, I spent a 3-day weekend in December with the Sasahiras. We went to Harajuku, famous for its cos-play dress and the new H&M that opened up.


Famous street for costume-display (cos-play). It was too crowded to take pictures once we went down the street.



Enjoying the Christmas decorations in front of Gap.





Tokyo is FULL of people... seriously.




The new H&M in Harajuku. Waiting time to get inside is 2 hours.




Another HUGE Christmas tree across the street from Gap.

Let the Update Begin! Part 1

In November, Kiyomi and I took a drive to Yamanashi-ken, just to the north of Shizuoka. On the drive, we were able to see some beautiful countryside and some autumn leaves.