It's like spring cleaning, except that it happens right after you return home from Christmas vacation ( Read more... )

There will be a new post in full soon, I promise. There is much to tell, and I want to share, but have been busy with family bonding time. :P

Fact of Life:
There is one major disadvantage to living in a foreign country, on a foreign diet, and then returning home to the once-familiar diet you grew up on.
FOOD POISONING.
It just takes all the fun out of trying to enjoy the foods you once loved. :(

The good news is that I'm almost over it. After three days. >_

So, I came home from Sendai last night (more on that later), and there was a disappointing lack of snow and ice on the ground. It looked like the autumnal atmosphere I had just come from. *sigh* Not at all how I think December should look. But what to my wondering eyes should appear this morning? Six inches of snow smothering the scenery in a quilt ( Read more... )

I'm going to call today the first snow of the season, instead of Friday's so-wet-they-were-almost-rain snow flakes which melted instantly on contact with the Earth's surface. Today's first snow has stuck nicely, knitting a soft white blanket over cars, trees, bushes, stores, homes, and even the pavement. Everything looks soft as wool, glittering ( Read more... )

Alright, in honor of finishing my last school culture festival today, I thought I would draw up a list of my favorite moments from culture festivals last year and this year. Here is a sampling of the hilarious, the weird, the amazing, and the best moments I've had at these events. I promise you'll be amused!

( Culture Festival Wackiness )

So, I was just 'hired' as a translator by the traveling takoyaki man ( Read more... )

Fall has finally arrived here, kicking open the door and settling in on the sofa. The nights are cooler, the wind is brisk, and the humidity has dropped by at least half. The convenience stores are selling hot bentos and nikuman again, and the schools will switch to winter uniforms in another week. The leaves haven't started turning yet, but they ( Read more... )

So, being a rabid Edward Gorey fan, I feel ashamed that I'm posting this link so late in its popularity. But at least I finally discovered it, and am spreading the joy ( Read more... )

It is officially one year since I arrived in Japan to begin work here. I do have 'thoughts' on that subject, but those will come in a moment. Because first, I have 'news ( Read more... )