Kyoto

Yesterday we went hiking in Kyoto and visited the Kiyomizu temple there. Many of the leaves are in the process of falling, but the trees in that area are still amazingly beautiful right now - an explosion of bright red, orange, pink, yellow, and green. We were in awe as we strolled through the forest and gazed out over the mountainside. I wish I could say that we were able to get away from the crowds, but unfortunately most places in Japan are crazy busy on Sundays. At one point it even got a little scary...

This is what we had to deal with on our way up to the temple. We were packed like sardines - at times the crowd wouldn't move at all for a long time and there was nothing you could do about it. I've come to realize that Japan is definitely not the place for someone with claustrophobia. It was really starting to get to us, but once we broke through and got to the top, it was all worth it...

Taichi & Michan's Wedding

Here are a few photos from the Japanese wedding we attended on October 27th. It was in honor of one of Andrew's host brothers, Taichi, and his new wife, Michan. Some things were similar to the "typical" American wedding and others were quite different. It was interesting for me to be a guest at a wedding and not be able understand most of what anyone was saying. Andrew translated a bit, but for the majority of the time I just observed the emotions and actions of the the people around me. The first part of the ceremony, held in a little chapel, seemed business-like and actually somewhat impersonal. However, the "reception" and seven-course dinner that followed was absolutely beautiful and included the family cutting the cake together, speeches from previous teachers and co-workers, a slide show, and a lovely song composed and performed by a close friend. After everyone finished eating and socializing, the newlyweds and their families made speeches to each other and the attending guests. Everyone was teary-eyed, and even though I couldn't understand all the words being spoken, the overwhelming emotion was more than apparent.

Tennoji Zoo

十月十一日
アンバーと私と前のせととせとのママに天王寺度仏縁会いますした。いっぱいあそんでしますした。めちゃあたのしかった。赤ちゃあの名前はれんかです。れんかのおねさんの名前はしゃっらです。　ママの名前はえいこです。二人の子供のはすごくかわいいです。アンバーはいっぱいしゃしんをとってしますした。その度仏縁は大きい。いっぱい度物がいます。　　しゃしんのslideshowは下です。
いっぱいどぶつを見ますした。一番面白いのどぶつはLesser Pandaです。　すごうくきれいです。　Lesser Pandaはいっぱいあそんた。Lesser Pandaのいろは赤とくろとちゃいろ。　ごめん少しどぶつしゃしんをとてますした。
天王時超えんは面白い。いっぱい花がいます。多分春はすごくきれいです。
又行きたい。
しゃらとれんか又あそびたい。

The Joy of Toilets in Japan

I have come to realize that the toilets in Japan are either far too high tech and complicated, or not much more than a primitive hole in the ground. As for the latter, I'm not sure of the proper Japanese term, but every foreigner seems to refer to them as "squatters."

Squatter (n.) : a toilet placed in the floor consisting of a flushing handle but devoid of a seat, or rather - a hole in the ground lined with porcelain upon which one is forced to squat over in an attempt to relieve oneself whilst holding one's britches aside and not urinating all over one's shoes or producing the dreaded "splash back."
note: toilet paper is rarely included...

If you are lucky enough to come across one of the more advanced plumbing fixtures in the country, you can be assured of comfort and cleanliness and that seat will be pre-warmed by some sort of internal mechanism. However, you can also be certain that it will take you a good five minutes or so to figure out how to flush the darn thing. There's a button to lift the toilet lid, a button to close it, a button to lift the toilet seat, a button to close it, a button that sprays clean water from one place, a button that sprays clean water from another place, a button that blows warm air... there is even a button which will create a simulated "flushing" sound so as to disguise any (shhhh!) "embarrassing" noises, should they arise. Be prepared to have the toilet sing you a song before you ever find the correct button to simply flush it.

November 1st

Hi All -

I apologize for the recent lack of communication, but we were without internet for some time after the move and then had trouble getting it to work properly. We have been doing a lot of exploring around Hirakata on our new bikes, and each day we get a little more settled here in the apartment. I usually awaken to the sounds of birds, or more specifically, to large crows cawing obnoxiously beside our balcony. The sweet scent of the burning rice fields creeps through the window as the farmers prepare for the next crop - a welcome change to some of the unsavory smells of Osaka. Lately it seems I am always greeted with sunshine and bright blue sky. Today, however, is all gloom. I don't mind; it seems to match my mood. I'm not depressed... just... blah. The job search is frustrating at times. With Nova losing so many workers and possibly closing down, there is an "instability in the teaching industry," or so I have been told by several different companies and schools. There seems to suddenly be an excessive amount of experienced teachers without jobs (or unhappy with their jobs) who are frantically looking for work. I applied to a kindergarten school that just posted an ad yesterday. After receiving confirmation of my application, it also showed that a whopping 287 resumes have already been submitted. That's a lot of competition! It's looking more and more like I may have to go to Korea in December to renew my visa, but we shall see. Supposedly things should be getting better throughout this next month... just gotta give it more time. =)

Check out our new bicycles. Everybody bikes here.

Good morning!

A view from our back balcony

Birthday Dinner

On October 20th we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Osaka with "T" and Reina for a belated birthday celebration for Andrew and Reina. T works as a promoter and does events there, so he was able to get us discounted meals, which was a very good thing because the food and drinks are way overpriced and not all that fantastic. It was still fun though because everyone in the restaurant got up and sang happy birthday and did a congo line and then sang and danced some more with this crazy Japanese guy who works at the restaurant. Oh yeah... they all really seem to like the song "Y.M.C.A."

Andrew, T & Reina

The whole restaurant gettin' crazy

Andrew and Reina's birthday sundae

In Namba with Madoka

This was a day we spent with our friend, Madoka, a.k.a. Maddy. She speaks excellent English after living in L.A. for three years and studying nutrition there. She rocks!

Playin' around in the "Hello Kitty" store

At a temple in the city

Why so sad?

Maddy and me

Universal Studios Japan

"Jurassic Park"

On October 15th we went to USJ with our friends, Scott (Australian) and Mayumi (Japanese), who are married. It was a lot of fun but also exhausting because for some reason, even though it was a Monday, there were a TON of people there. I do have to say that the "Jaws" ride was way better than the one I went on in California. I actually screamed at one point. I felt bad for this kid who was sitting beside us. He was terrified and bawling the entire time, especially when there would be a loud noise or water splashing on us. I don't blame him - it's a scary ride! Poor little guy might be scarred for life...

"Mama always said...

...life is like a box of chocolates."

Our Trip to Arima and the Onsen

During Andrew's week off between jobs we went to the little mountain town of Arima, which is famous for its onsen (natural hot springs). It was quite beautiful and nice to get away from everything for a while, do some hiking and relax. As a treat we stayed in a very traditional Japanese-style hotel, which was really more like a b&b. Since it was the middle of the week and not a holiday, we were practically the only ones at the hotel. I guess in the "high season" it is packed. The whole thing is quite different from an American-style hotel, where you check in and then are pretty much left alone. We had to give our hostess the times that we wanted to eat dinner, go in the onsen, and wake up in the morning for breakfast. She first came into our room to serve us tea, later brought our dinner in with several different trips, then moved the table and made up our beds while we were in the onsen, and woke us up in the morning around 8:30 so that we would leave and go take showers and she could set the table up again for breakfast (also very traditional: rice, fish, egg, miso soup, seaweed). It's odd to be on such a schedule, but at the same time nice to have someone bringing you all your meals and setting everything up for you. Our hostess didn't speak a word of English, so thank goodness Andrew can get us by with his Japanese. I honestly don't see how a foreigner who doesn't speak Japanese could go to one of these things; it was difficult enough for Andrew to communicate with her since she spoke so fast and with a different sort of dialect. The onsen felt amazing - incredibly relaxing and detoxifying - but you don't realize how much it's going to drain you! We were both light-headed after getting out. At least we slept really well that night. The next morning we had hoped to do more hiking and ride the gondola, but it was pouring rain. We still had a wonderful time, and I am grateful for such a unique experience.

Photos of Our Trip to Arima

Walking through the town

Our delicious dinner that night

Andrew being a goofball

Some foods are still hard to get used to...

Wearing our yukata robes before going in the onsen

Part of our room at the hotel

Having tea

Japan has crazy spiders!