Week 48: V

A VERY brief foray at the Milan airport justifies a brief return to Italy for V week.

VESUVIO: I took this picture of a VULCANO in Naples back in March just in case I couldn't find any other Vs!

This little guy looks out over Mt. Vesuvius every day.

La VALLE del Po. Bellissima!

VERCELLI: Home not only of my alma mater (Rosa Stampa, Istituto Magistrale), but also 700-year-old buildings hosting clothing stores. To prove my Italophile status, I have to say that I love this storefront more than any other building I saw in the Orient.

VIENNA: Does a layover at the Vienna airport count?

Week 47: U

UMBRELLAS: When you have a rainy season, you learn to adjust. Stores have special umbrella stations at the door and a supply of umbrella wraps so that you don't drip everywhere. Naturally, the girls in our school embrace the rainy season with a lot of pink and cutesy designs.

UNIVERSITY: A few pictures of Sugiyama University, a campus for about 4,000 women (all commuters).

SAYONARA, Japan! Some things I will miss about you...

1. Respect for lines

2. School kids' uniforms--especially the 30's golf hats on the little boys

3. Gyozas at Lawsons 100

4. Flowers squeezed into open spaces.

5. The super-efficient grocery store bagging system.

6. Men wearing white gloves.

7. A fashion sense where anything goes

8. Being handed change with two hands

9. Ohio gozaimaaaaaaaaaas!

10. The Shinkansen -- bullet train

11. Cold Asahi beer

Some last signs of the times

Dude, didn't you watch Lost in Translation before signing the contract?

Kristy, I think I found your host bar!

So, if I understand correctly, in case of an earthquake, crying fish have precedence over driverless cars?

I'm sure that the food is velly dericious in this Itarian place!

 

T-TRIP to Nagano!

Nagano is TRULY TERRIFIC. I stayed on the grounds of the Zenko-ji TEMPLE, on these TATAMI mats.

But even the power of the TEMPLE couldn't save me from the storm clouds of TSUYU, or rainy season.

The TREES on the temple grounds seem other-worldly.

Did you want to see TREES? How about this line of cedar trees in TOGAKUSHI?

Or these TREES on the path to the Snow Monkey Park.

What? Did I mention snow monkeys? I kept trying to heed the warning and not make eye contact with the monkeys, but I'd be walking on a bridge and one would just pop out in front of me or, as you can see, one ran under my bench. (And yes, we really were that close to the famous snow monkeys who bathe in a hot spring.)

I love the mountains! What do I love most? The mountain range?

A mountain stream?

Or a mountain lake? (How about this one called mirror lake?)

Oh...and some icing on the cake: My favorite flower was in bloom!

Last Day of Classes!

Which means....

1. Parties with plenty of junk food.

2. Games!

3. Tons of pictures with this pose.

4. Lovely origami farewell notes.

Week 46: T

Happy Anniversary, M and D -- 45 years!!

How can you think of Nagoya without thinking of beleaguered TOYOTA?  On our tour of the Toyota factory, we saw this robot playing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on his automated TRUMPET.

TORI, TORI, TORI! (or maybe it was TORA! TORA! TORA!?) TORII are traditional Japanese gates found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.

Still my favorite, the floating torii in Miyajima.

Then, there are the famous lines of torii gates at the Inari shrine near Kyoto.

But, I'm happy with my simple tori gate at the shrine near my school.

TOILET seat, heated. After the filth of the bathrooms in my school in China, it was a pleasant surprise to land on heated toilet seats in the bathrooms at our university. I still feel weird walking into the bathroom with a camera, so I don't have a photo for you, but let me assure you that it is one high-tech masterpiece. My favorite element is the courtesy flush -- you push the button and it makes the noise of a flush to cover up any other noises emanating from the stall. Very proper.

Just TWO weeks until I return home!

Week 45: S

SAKE: We tried it hot. We tried it cold. We tried it sweet. But in the end, SAKE SUCKS.

SMOKING  is SEXY. At least I think that's what this ad is trying to say? Ever since I saw this poster I've been smoking Winstons instead of going to the gym, but it's not getting me the arms I want. What's wrong?

SHRINES: The Inari shrine outside of Kyoto.

And a shrine along the Philosophers Path in Kyoto.

And a shrine near my hostel in Kyoto. (Did I mention that Kyoto is famous for its shrines?)

SENTOKUN: Every town in Japan has its own little cartoon mascot. And, naturally, in the land of Hello, Kitty, each one has to be as cute as possible. I find this little Sentokun, the mascot for Nara, to be more creepy than cute.

Week 44: R-2

RAMEN: Hakata Ippudo, you've ruined me for the cheap, packaged stuff. This is REAL RAMEN. The way it is supposed to taste. Amazing!!

And, even better when you add some special toppings.

(Ah, ha! And you thought my food beginning with R was going to be RICE!)

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Day to our neighbors to the north! See you in a few weeks, Canada!

(Japanese Maple Leaves)

If I've learned nothing else this year abroad, I've learned that...

1. James Naismith invented basketball in Canada.
2. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in Canada.
3. The largest open-pit copper mine in the WORLD is in Logan Lake, BC.