juni gatsu
jump to section 2jump to section 3 [this is christmas?]
dececember is here. and its unlike any december ive ever known.
[ this is a view of my approx. 25 minute train ride i take everyday to school. ]
[ company resturant outing. dont be fooled i dont really know any of the people in the picture. ]
[ christmas in nagoya. ]
[where a sleep. traditional japanese bedding is this type of futon. not like the american rendition. real futons are a mat/cushion that goes on the floor. i fold it up and out of the way everyday after i get up. its actually nice because it frees up space that a bed would always take up. ]
[ one of my favorite breads here, okomepan. its made at least partially from rice. ]
section 2
[ this amazing tree is in front of owariasahi city hall and city center. ]
[ this day we helped kenji, seen below in the adidas sweatshirt, move into his brand new very modern house. its the one with the green station wagon parked in front. ]
[ i think this was some kind of political speach. they do this often, they park a bus and get on top and start yelling into a bull horn. no one, i mean no one seems to be listening at all. its very strange and incredibly loudly annoying. ]
section 3
[ christmas is a time.. to be vaguely western. teddy bears and mushrooms, a christmas tradition just like christmas cake and kfc fried chicken on christmas day... ]
[ not even sure what to say.. i guess the guy that normally does this must have quit. ]
[ i went for a walk near my wednesday and thursday school. i think these are rice fields, obviously not being used in the winter. ]
[ my assortment of world wide pagan ornaments.. the bamboo thing is called kadomatsu, i believe it's suppose to bring good luck for the new year. ]
[ my room before the party. ]
[ my birthday party, friday december 22nd 2006. 26 years... unbelievable. the people in the circle are, starting on the left going right: kaori, james, kiwako, kosuke, lisa, chikage, miho, and mike in the middle. ]
[ this is bamboo thing is called kadomatsu, what i call the japanese christmas tree. they are display everywhere from the day after xmas until like the first or second week of january. they are an arrangment of bamboo, pine, and some flower that looks kinda like cabbage. ]
[ on xmas day i went to the jinushi's house, one of the host family's i had in 2004. this their daughter, aria, playing with the etcha sketch i gave her. ]
take a look at my trip! from the 26th to the 31st i wondered all over japan, i slept 3 nights in a bus and 2 at a youth hostel. i went to the cities of nagasaki, fukuoka, hiroshima, miyajima, and got lost during my 4 hours in kyoto. it was so much fun, although i felt a bit like a nomad, it was worth it.
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