Monpachi!

Some people have asked me if there's any Japanese music that I'm interested in. Since I've been here, I've had the chance to sample lots of local music, and some of it I find quite to my liking. Especially a punk band from Okinawa called Mongol 800 (pronounced mongoru hapyaku), often abbreviated simply as "monpachi". Cause, you know, mongoru hapyaku is just such a long name *rolleyes*

Anyway, in the event you'd like to hear what my favorite Japanese rock band sounds like, I give you their most famous song, 小さな恋のうた (chisana koi no uta - small love song)

MONGOL800 - 小さな恋のうた
by ASHIKASAN

Here's the wikipedia link, in case anybody wants some further reading ^_^

A great big day, all over the world

The free newspaper I was handed as I exited Gifu station today

....and the other side ^_^


yeay v(^_^)v

Let it snow!

Two posts in two days? Must be some kind of record (-_^) It's snowing today. Big, fluffy, white flakes. The kind you only dream about as a kid, when you live in Colorado. The kind that only exist in places with copious amounts of moisture in the air. Perfect for molding into snowmen, or small projectiles to whack your friends with. The kind of snow I NEVER had growing up.

Course these days, that kind of snow translates not so much as "really fun stuff to play with" and more along the lines of "man, I have to shovel my car free"... but there's still something magic about it. At least in January. By March I know I'll be ready to enjoy the wonders of liquid olive oil (the likes of which has long since solidified at room temperature in my apartment. along with the honey. strangely enough though, the "salad" oil I bought for frying onions in December is remarkably fluid...)

Just after 4pm today a small break in the storm allowed me my "kairu chansu" (opportunity to go home), as my teachers put it


It lasted all of about 10 minutes before returning to this



Winter is back!

2 weeks

That's how long I was home for. And now that I've spent the better part of the last 3 days "re-adjusting" to the 16-hour time change between Colorado and Japan (which is code for "hanging out watching tv and reading"), and it's been 5 days since I returned to the country, I figure now is a good time for an update ^_^

I had a very full two weeks back in Denver, spent catching-up with friends and family and enjoying all that life in America has to offer. Like...

Culture


Art:


Shopping

(^^ day after xmas... BAD IDEA)
Food:



The great outdoors:




(^^ you did know that 1/3 of Colorado is very VERY flat, didn't you?)
The city:



Christmas:

New Year's:

And a good amount of sleeping-in, movie-watching, and just general hanging-out with friends


In case anyone was curious, I had no trouble at all clearing immigration upon my return to Japan. I was a little nervous, since I hadn't spoken Japanese in over two weeks, and I still don't know how to say "re-entry permit"... but I just walked up to the guy, handed him the two books, pointed at the new one and said (in Japanese) 'new passport'. And that was it; he checked my re-entry permit, found it acceptable, and stamped the new passport no problemo. And now, after years spent obtaining a well-populated book, I have one solitary, lonely stamp that says '7 JAN 2009 NARITA'

d(^_^)b