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.

Week 44: R

ROOFTOP, blue.

RAIN. We are smack dab in the middle of rainy season, and any day without rain is to be appreciated. Of course, any day with rain is to be whined and complained about (so far it hasn't done any good, but you never know).

REFLEXOLOGY PATH. Who needs a Parcourse in the park when you can have a reflexology path?

Two food Rs coming up, but I'm going to have to go out to dinner this week to get the pictures! What I won't do for this blog.

What to drink

Hmm...It's time for a little pick-me-up in the afternoon, but it's difficult to decide what to drink. Will it be (1):

or (2):

Week 43: Q

QUAIL EGGS: Update! Since my post 26 weeks ago, I have eaten quail eggs (in a salad, in Japan), I just don't have any photographic evidence of the fact.

QUIET: A bridge in Gifu Park.

A cemetery in Kyoto.

QUEUE: As a tribute to our British officemate (and because I needed a Q word), let's talk about QUEUES in the subway station. Queuing is an art here. Can you imagine (Italian friends) allowing everyone off the train before you get on? And respecting the order of who arrived at the platform first? Now if we could just get people who are in the passing lane to walk up the escalator and not just stand there, the subways would be perfect!

Week 42: P-2

PEACE PARK, Hiroshima. It's pretty remarkable that not even a year had passed since the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima when they were making plans for a community space dedicated to world peace. The Peace Park (of which I have no photos because it was POURING rain) and the peace museum are designed for learning, reflecting, and acting on the prospects of peace. 140,000 lives were lost in the bombing of Hiroshima and most of the buildings were vaporized. This is one of the few shells that remained standing.

 

 PACHINKO.  Now, a place where peace does not reign -- a PACHINKO PARLOR. Pachinko was created in Nagoya, so it is only right that we visited one of these famous gambling gaming locations. Gambling, of course, is illegal in Japan, so there is no gambling involved. In fact, I'm sure that the winners take their tokens and decorate their homes with them. They don't go to a secret location down the block and get a cash payout.

[In this photo: pretending that we understand the manager.] We went to a PACHINKO PARLOR last night, and it is now my most favorite game! I'm sure that we had beginner's luck, but a $10 pay-in left us with a $5 payout in cash, plus $9 in merhandise (which in the stores here would have cost at least $15). And how great will it be using the Pachinko toilet paper and shampoo?