" July 24th, 8 pm, Eastern Standard Time, I can't believe a year went by so fast..."
*Rent styles*

Wow, I can’t believe that there are only 7 days left in my second year on the JET Programme!! The past 24 months have just flown by! I am looking forward to really making my final year the best it can be. ** sap sap sap...I know** I am going to be more involved then ever and really do it up before I end my career as an Iwaki ALT. Scarier still is that tomorrow some of my closest friends in Japan will be leaving and embarking on the next stage of their lives! I will miss them and little ol’ Iwaki will never be the same!

Happy Trails ladies!!

Liz and I- by this time everyone was a bit tipsy!

 

Kristin and Shawn- lookin tipsy but the night had only just started!

 

Yamazaki Goodness!

I live in an apartment building called Yamazaki mansion and our landlady is Ms. Yamazaki. Whenever there is a problem or she just wants to disseminate info she always writes her signs in both English and Japanese. This one particular sign made me smile! It was winter and had been raining but some of the water froze near where I park my bike. I got home one afternoon to see this warning on the ground. It is brown duct tape, taped over the ice on the ground. For perspective, I must explain that the entire length of the sign was less then 2 feet in length. It cracks me up!

 

Washoi! Washoi!

Twice in the 4 months I have participated in an omikoshi festival. An omikoshi is a portable shrine. During the festival people of the community carry the shrine around town and give the God (who is chillin in the shrine) a tour of area! The first festival was around Taira (in front of Iwaki station to near where my apartment is). The second festival was in the part of Iwaki called Uchigo. I got dressed up in special pants and a happi (or special festival coat/ jacket thing) and chanted my way through the streets. Part of this festival is that you often stop at local shops and houses for a break- for BEER! Yes on both occasions my first alcoholic drink was around 9 am in the morn! The second festival ended with a dip in an onsen; two hours of an all you can eat/drink party and karaoke! I had a blast both times!! Washoi! Washoi!

Taira Festival

 

Uchigo festival

 

Memoirs of a Canadian Geisha!

Back in June Kristin, Liz and I had a little girls weekend away in Tokyo. The more I go to Tokyo the more I love it! I see something new every time and it never fails to excite me and make me love Japan even more.

Kristin and I went down on Thursday and made a long weekend of it. A friend of ours had recommended a studio to us where you can dress up like a geisha or a maiko in kimono, have your makeup done and photos taken. So we made appointments and headed to Harajuku (an area of Tokyo) and had one of my most memorable ‘Japanese’ experiences. It was so neat! We got to choose everything from our kimono, to our hair accessories and even our studio portraits. Then we had our faces painted white etc and we were actually dressed in our kimono by the people at the studio. It was such a unique experience. I think I looked a little weird, but now that time has passed I am happier with the photos. (although i still think i make a pretty 'unique' looking geisha)

I think I’m gonna make Carla and Mom do this with me again next year.

Kristin and I
check out my Elvis style side burns...hehe

 

 

They're Comin!!

Mom and Carla are officially on their way to Japan- O.K not till next March. They found a great deal so they purchased their tickets over a month ago. They will be here for 12 days at the end of March 2007. I will have lots of time to spend with them and that’s prime sakura (cherry blossom) viewing season in the cities we’ll be visiting. I will take them to Hiroshima (it’ll also be my first time), Kyoto and Himeji (too beautiful to miss), and Tokyo (crazy, modern Japan). They will also spend two days in Sunshine Iwaki (that’s the official slogan of Iwaki but the sunshine part is really debatable).
My big decision left to make is whether or not to pick them up at the airport or make them find their own way to Iwaki…hmmmmmmm…hehe

Golden Week

At the beginning of May Japan celebrated Golden Week. It’s a week that has three consecutive national holidays- constitution day, Green day and Children’s day (a day for boys).

Last year I went to Okinawa, this year I traveled by Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto for 5 days. Kyoto was beautiful. I saw old, picturesque shrines and temples, Geisha (Maiko) on the streets and ate plenty of traditional Kyoto food. Our primary mode of transportation was bikes, which we rented from our hostel for the great price of $6 a day.

That region is full of sites to see so I spent one day in Himeji (a short 3 hour train ride from Kyoto..hehe). Himeji city is the home of one of Japans most beautiful, traditional castles, Himeji-jo. On the way back from Himeji I stopped in Osaka and wandered around the bustling Osaka streets for a while.

The weather was perfect and sunny. Much nicer then Iwakis weather, even now. It was a lovely week and it reminded me of all that is great and different about Japan! Can’t wait to return!

 

 

Himeji-jo