Made It!

I'm in Tokyo! The whole trip was almost no trouble at all.
Phil met me at Tokyo Station and guided me the rest of the way. We shared pictures, talked 'bout our time here in Japan, then he went to class and I walked around for a bit. Had some awesome ramen for dinner, pretty stuffed now. Kind of expensive, but lots of it.
I wish I had a bike here though; I stepped on some glass in the street some time ago, and for some reason it's coming back to haunt me.

Shake 'n bake!

Holy crap! Earthquake!
It was like a ripple that just shot through the room from the front of the building. It jarred me a bit, made a bit of a thudding noise, but nothing dangerous. Freaky though! XD
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Woo, yay for aftershocks! *is an oddball*

I decided to bike through the park on my way home from City Hall, and when I stopped to look around and enjoy the fine day, a pigeon wandered under my pedal. I thought it might make for a cute picture, so I pulled my phone out, one hand still holding the handlebar break, and brought the phone up to my face so I could nudge it open with my chin. Apparently, this was a mistake.

Suddenly I was accosted by a whole flock of feathery fiends! They swarmed around my bike, some hovering about, vying for positions on my precious mode of transport. Well, I'm not one to miss an opportunity.

(They're everywhere!)

("Uh, hello there.")

("Please don't defecate on my stuff.")


Doesn't that last one look evil? I contend that this is because pigeons are actually leprechauns in disguise. Consequentially...



I just got back from an Irish pub with some friends. It was packed with foreigners! Nothing like a holiday of booze to bring us out of the woodwork. XD We talked with lots of people, sat at their tables to chat. Mike showed me his new psychological magic, which doesn't even need a physical deck of cards in order to work. It was totally awesome.
I got an Irish coffee, which I didn't realize was alcoholic until I reached the bottom where all the liquor had settled. Hah. That was a surprise. Maybe that's why I was talking in Japanese to the other gaijin when they asked me questions. Heh.
We didn't stay out long because we're going on a small field trip to Yamaga again, this time with new people. Gotta get up early.

So, good night! Celebrate responsibly, you crazy, crazy people ^_^

Hisashiburi! Long time, no post!

If you've never been to San Antonio during the Christmas season, check out my friend's photoblog! It's really nice to walk down by the river when it's all lit up.

The weekend before last, we went out to Minamata to help Nahoko's family harvest a small crop of oranges. It's a bit early in the year for them, but apparently there is a market for sour mikans. They fed us well, welcoming us as if we were family, and the work was lots of fun with us climbing up like monkeys into the trees. And of course the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
The following day was spent at an onsen (hotspring), the Minamata Museum, and a small celebration in the middle of vast strawberry fields that were ridiculously packed with some type of crane. I bought a small souvenir, watched a random aerial battle between two hawks and a murder of crows, and listened happily to the taiko performers, though I thought the background music was superfluous to that wonderful drumming. The drive through the mountains back home was long, and yet not quite long enough.

Ciao for now.