In Need of a Vacation

A picture of socks, what's this about you ask? They are symbolic of my frustrations over here. Since you need to wear closed-toed shoes to enter most temples in Bangkok, I tried to buy plain athletic socks this past weekend before I left. This seems like an easy enough task, but I momentarily forgot that I was in Japan. Here, I am a giant by female standards. After a few stores and contemplating the purchase of overpriced Gap socks, I decided that I should just try some men's socks (my foot size just fits into the standard men's range, but they tend to have wide feet over here).

As I head into the last third of my contract, I am starting to think about the US and leaving Japan. I will definitely miss the freshness of the sushi, fruits, and vegetables over here (even at the cheapest of places), not having to deal with traffic by taking the train, and also the weekend playground that Tokyo offers me with it's kus (cities), festivals, and numerous activities. But there are some things that I definitely won't miss, such as constantly being the outsider (I am white and really tall for a woman), intrusive strangers, and the blind acceptance of a workaholic culture.

I think this just might be a sign that I need a vacation. Hopefully, spending a few days emerged in the Thai culture will recharge me and prepare me for my last few months over here!

Hakone

On Saturday, we had a staff dinner after work. It was a combination farewell dinner (for Shu), welcome dinner (for Ken and Akiko), and a birthday dinner (for myself). I taught all day, which was kind of a drag being my birthday and all, but the nice dinner made up for it. In celebratory fashion, I ate way too much and then topped it off with a chocolate parfait for dessert.

On Sunday I went to Hakone, which is a touristy/resort area in the mountains (about 1.5 hours away from Tokyo by train). It was windy and drizzly/overcast for most of the day. Even though the cable car up to the sulphur vents and hot springs was closed due to wind, we still managed to find things to do. We spent a few hours at the Hakone Open Air Museum, which was awesome! They had a large sculpture garden and a permanent Picasso exhibit. Since Hakone is in the mountains and near a large national park, the sculptures and views made for a beautiful afternoon. Plus, some of the art was interactive, as you can see me jumping on an "egg yolk".

After walking around the museum, we went to an onsen (hot spring spa); it was my first trip to an onsen. It was very relaxing, and I think I need to get one of these (or I guess I could just settle for a whirlpool bathtub when I return to the States...). Here is a picture of me at the onsen.

Now after a relaxing weekend, I find myself gearing up for one last week of teaching before I leave for vacation in Bangkok. Stay tuned for a Bangkok post.

This One's For You Amy!

Bruce chillin' in the spring sunshine with Kiva and Ruby (photo courtesy of Aaron).

The Carman-Franks versus Japan!

Last week, Aaron and his family visited me in Tokyo before spending a few days in Kyoto. It was great to see them and hang out with the girls. The girls are definitely growing up fast. Ruby was just starting to talk when I left the States, and now she is talking up a storm. Here are some pictures from their visit. Although they only spent three days with me, we managed to pack quite a bit of stuff into those days!

Ruby striking a pose in the sculpture garden: On Sunday, we went to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I was a little hesitant at first, as everything was in Japanese, and I didn't know much about Studio Ghibli (they are an animation studio that produced "My Neighbor Totoro", "Spirited Away", etc.). Boy was I wrong about the place though! It was pretty awesome. There were lots of different displays to watch and a special exhibit for Aardman Animations (the people behind Wallace and Gromit). They also had a sculpture garden and some wacky ice cream (Aaron and I tried the black-bean ice cream, and I'm not kidding when I say it had black beans in it).

Ruby, Kiva, and I outside of Sanrio Puroland: On Monday, we took a monorail to Sanrio Puroland (aka Hello Kittyland). The train ride was great; we got an elevated view of a few towns and hills from the front of the train. Sanrio Puroland was also pretty fun, and the girls had a great time. We watched a parade that included Chinese acrobats and toured Kitty's house. We finished out the day with dinner at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. Aaron seemed like a kid in a candy store at the restaurant!!

Ruby, Aaron, and Kiva in the garden at Senso-ji Temple: For our last full day together, we headed to the Asakusa area of Tokyo. There is a huge lantern there, a large market to wander through, and a great temple to explore. They even tried mochi with red beans (a Japanese sweet) at the market; although, it didn't seem too popular.

Bunnies???

Happy Easter Everyone!! Would someone please explain the link between bunnies, Christ's resurrection, and chicken eggs? There's nothing like living in a foreign country to make you really think about why you celebrate the traditions you do in your native country.


Regardless, Kurt and I dyed eggs like good American kids:

Sakura Time

Happy Cherry Blossom Season Everyone!!! That's right, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in the Tokyo area, and the Japanese are in a state of cherry-blossom hysteria. This past weekend I went to Ueno Park (home to over 1,000 cherry blossom trees) for a hanami party (cherry-blossom viewing party).

This is me on one of the main streets in Ueno Park. It is lined with cherry blossom trees (cherry fruit trees are a different species). People lay blue plastic tarps under the trees on each side, and eat, drink, and socialize with their friends as the blossoms flutter down from the trees. Dominoes Pizza even had people walking up and down the street, taking pizza orders. There were thousands of people flowing through the park all afternoon. Luckily, someone had gone early and saved a place for our party.

Once the sun sets, they turn on paper lanterns in Ueno Park for night viewing parties. There were two bad things about this though: 1. they turned the lanterns off at 8:00 pm, and 2. it started to sprinkle soon after that. After quickly gathering the trash and our things, a few of us topped off the night with another Japanese tradition... karaoke!

Also this past weekend, I met up with a few fellow teachers from my training group. As the rain wouldn't cooperate and let us have a hanami, we had to settle for dinner instead.