Dinner Party

Hanging out with strange foreigners is always a blast. They are so free and wild. I enjoy!

We had a dinner party at Tim's house and ate and ate and ate. We had everything from curry and rice to omelets. Tim really out did himself. At the end of the night, Tim brought out his costume box he'd borrowed from school.



The japanese guy is Ryuta. He's the new office guy at my school. He said he really enjoyed it. He's only 19 so he's not in robot mode yet. He doesn't speak much English, but enough to understand some words I don't know in Japanese. He's an easy going guy and I hope we can hang out with him more.



The ladies used the japanese words that means, characteristically girlish, more or less, too describe me in these pictures. It had something to do with how I was standing and holding my hands, not my ridiculous face. It's so great that we don't have to travel for hours to a big city to have a good time. I feel so lucky to be near such great people.

Osaka

I went to Osaka a couple weeks ago and stayed with Mike. I met long ago through Adam. Mike is the guy that introduced me to the JET Program and told me Japan is the place to be. After 3 years in Osaka, his sole ambition is to leave Japan for South Korea. Apparently South Korea is more forward and in your face than Japan. But literally EVERY other country is. As they say : Let's enjoying pictures from now!

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This is a famous part of Osaka, I think its called Shinsaibashi, or Shinsai Bridge. The neon was pretty bright but not quite like nightless Tokyo.


Shinsaibashi, nearly never dark.


We took the train to Nara, a place with a bunch of Temples and deer deer deer my dear. They are everywhere and are quite pushy.


Mike borrowed my camera and shot me feeding the wee beasties.


We went to Todai-ji. A temple with an enormous buddha. I wasn't able to take a descent picture of it. The pictures absolutely don't do it any justice and I won't patronize the image. So here is the beginning of the entrance.


Here, we see Mike, looking in to the second set of gates into the temple.


I stuck my camera through the fence to try and capture the temple.


This place was so massive and the fields were begging for a game of football or frisbee.


Its Sakura (Cherry Blossom Tree) time and they were in full force. The Japanese revere the Sakura. If I show pictures of the Sakura to my japanese friends and coworkers they gasp at the beauty as if it were their first time seeing it's illusive blossoms.


The next day we went to Kyoto. It was incredible and I want to go back. We were only able to go to two places, but it was enough to fill a day. This temple overlooked the city.


Our first stop was an old Shogun house. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but the tour had signs in English explaining the rooms. In each room where a Shogun met with people there was a secret hiding place for his guards.


Outside the shogun house, the garden provided its tenants natural beauty.


I wasn't able to get an explanation for these, but I really liked them.


If I were a ruler, I'd have my morning tea in the garden. I can't see how could stay stressed or angry with this at their back door.


On our way up to the next temple the streets were crowded, not unusual for a saturday in Kyoto.


A "small" temple on the way up to the big one over looking the city.


In the distance an old pagoda withers in the elements, still in disrepair.


People rubbed this buddha as they passed by. Notice the shopping bag. Buddha grant me peace, guide me to enlightenment and a new pair of shoes.


Collecting temple water for later consumption. Delicious and cold.


A pagoda at sunset.


Outside the temple, a man was painting the scene.


We hopped a train back to Osaka and caught the late afternoon light on the castle.


Well, today marks the start of a new school year. We had opening ceremony today. The japanese leave all humor and entertainment out of these sorts of ceremonies and are quite a bore. Most students fall asleep and even some parents. I had to be on my best behavior (not sleep) because I was sitting in full view of everyone. I'm looking forward to being in the classroom again. It gets boring sitting around.