A weekend full of art!

The weekend began wonderfully :) I went to Yamada sensei's house right after school. The week had been a big bummer since I had been home with a sick for the entire week. Ikebana was very nice this week. I really liked the flowers I was working with. I continued this simple set up that I have been creating now for three times. Next time I will move on to a new design. I have my first show coming up March 7 & 8. I am very excited about this seeing as I have only done Ikebana 3 times. Yamada sensei will pick out my flowers and I will arrange them on the 5th & 6th. I am flattered that she thinks I am good enough after 3 lessons to be part of the big show! I will of course post pictures after the show:)

After Ikebana, I met Aki for a wonderful dinner at Kaya. It is a delicious French/Italian restaurant. We decided to blow it out and order the 1800 yen special! It was absolutely fantastic! We each ordered the same thing but with different sauces so we could both enjoy both! We started with salads. Then a hamburg steak and spinach arrived. Then it was potato gratin, miso soup, and rice. It was well worth the money! The meal also came with a drink. I ordered pineapple juice - it was freshly squeeze and like right off the tree. We then ordered ice cream and chatted a bit longer. We then said our good-byes and were off to home. I came home and spoke with mom and kat and then went to sleep because it was early to rise for TOKYO!

I woke up about 8 AM on Saturday to get ready for my fun filled day in Tokyo with the girls. I needed to pack and shower. I caught the 10 AM bus and was on my way to the city! I love being so close to Tokyo. In an hour and 10 minutes, I'm there! Awesome. We met up about noon in Asakasa Mitsuke. This is where our hotel was - I found us rooms at the Hotel Monterey Akasaka. I really enjoy this hotel chain. It is a bit expensive when you first look at it but is really reasonable once you see what you get for your money. We were able to check in early and drop our bags. It was then off to lunch!

For lunch, we asked directions to an area that had a nice amount of restaurants. Sure enough right down the street from us there was a street. We stumbled across a Cafe Del Sole - I love this cafe. It is a chain but doesn't really seem like it. It looks like it is right out of France. Annelyse, Emily, Erin, & I enjoyed a long lunch of great food, company, and laughter. Emily and I the pizza set and Annelyse and Erin ordered the pasta set. I had salad, half & half - prosciutto & Margarita, and gelato. It came with four different types so we passed them all around and then picked a favorite! We seemed to figure it out painlessly :) We then decided it wasn't enough and were very tempted by the desert case. I decided to go for the tiny chocolate pie - dear ____ it was so rich and melted in your mouth. We continued to talk and then were off to the hotel to rest and get ready for the play!

We left the hotel at 4:00 to meet up in Shimbashi - where the theater is - by 4:30. The doors opened around 5 and Wicked started at 5:30. Wicked was a great musical. The interesting thing was the entire musical was in Japanese - speaking and music. It was a great Japanese lesson. I have been here long enough to understand a bit of what is actually going on. Fortunate for me, I have been able to read a bit of the novel and Annelyse gave me the entire run down before we saw the play. It was really fun getting dressed up and going to the theater. I have now been to the theater in several countries and I can add Japan to the list! Attending these events makes me happier and happier that I have decided to stay at least another year. I am really becoming so comfortable here - in a good way. I am exploring new places all the time - no, really I am. I had never been to Akasaka Mitsuke or Shimbashi. The play ended up being about 3 hours.

After the play, we walked around to find a place to have dinner. We came across a pub called The Rose & Corner. We had small 'tapas' type dishes and beer. It was like we had walked out of Tokyo. That is sometimes a fun/nice feeling to experience. We sat there for about an hour and half and enjoyed nice conversation. It was then back to Akasaka for an hour of karaoke - see below!

Annelyse and I outside the doors at the Wicked cafe. I love this picture. I think it is adorable! And I love my new dress!

This was just up one floor from the pub we ate at. I thought it was very futuristic and fitting for the evening!

I love little shrines. They are beautiful. Even when they are smack dab in the middle of the city. It reminds me a bit of Greece in that sense. Modern and ancient. I realize that this isn't ancient but the concept is the same. Walking amongst history - its a cool feeling - I can't explain.

Annelyse, Erin, Emily, & I at karaoke back in Akasaka Mitsuke. Great hour girls!

These pictures are for sissy! This is so you get a great idea of the front and the back of the dress! This is just goofy - duh =D

I really enjoy how the front of the dress is shorter than the back of the dress =D

The next morning none of us could stay late. We all had things to do in our respective towns. Emily had a skype date with all her family - 30 people. Annelyse had a 4 hour karaoke day with a few Japanese friends back in Koga. Erin had a international festival to attend to. And I had a concert to go to :) My music teacher from Itako 2nd- Kanazawa sensei- invited me back in the very beginning of January to go to this Wind Instrument concert in Kamisu. I went alone but it was just a wonderful afternoon of music. The concert began at 2 and had 3 sections. The first section was an experimental set. It was very ragtime, great beats and fun. The second section was pop and included such sets as pink panther and Disney compilations - this was my favorite section. The third section was all classical. This was great too but the first two were my favorite! See below for a 2 minute video of pink panther - its great! Kanazawa sensei is on the left below with the spot light on.

After the 2nd set there was a small intermission. I found Kanazawa's wife and one of his daughters. This wife is the one who helped Kathryn and I so that we could enjoy Kimonos! This family is really good friends with the Masaki family - principal from Hinode Elementary. He was the one who invited us to his home for New Years. Okay, got it? Good! =D Anyway, we were able to go back stage and see Kanazawa sensei. It definitely put my Japanese to the test but it was good. They know I am learning and making mistakes EVERYDAY but I don't care. It is so fun learning Japanese. I am really enjoying it!

Solo during pink panther - FANTASTIC! I am so glad I went!

Another solo during the Disney set.

The whole gang. Kanazawa sensei is in the 3rd row standing 4 men in. He is absolutely adorable and SO KIND. I think if anyone asked me who is one of the nicest people you have encountered in your life it would most definitely be him. He ALWAYS makes it appoint to tell me 'ohayo gozaimasu' -good morning with a bright smile. It makes my time at Itako 2nd amazing. Everyone had Itako 2nd is so friendly and smiley - it makes me feel so welcome.

This was a statue outside of the bunkacenter. I really enjoyed it and decided to snap a quick pic. I realize it isn't the best quality but it works for me! It gets the idea across. Well, I certainly had an artsy weekend. Ikebana, a musical, and then a music concert. It was a very laid back, not rushed weekend. It was just what I needed. I was constantly smiling and loving what I was doing.

This week I am back at Hinode for one more week. I am then back to Itako 2nd! yay! I will have to say good-bye to 3rd grade this week, they will graduate in March and I will not return until April. It is a bit strange. I feel in some ways that I just got here and others like I've been here for forever...it will be a difficult to say good-bye, after all they are my first students. Until next time :)

Growing up into a Grown-up...

...it is a really interesting position to be in. This "growing-up" sector of our lives, it's exciting and painful all at the same time. I can tell I am transitioning into being a "grown-up" by daily happenings and choices.
Currently, I am sick and in Japan. I have no one to take care of me, other than me. I am taking all the precautions that one should take when being sick. I am staying in bed, watching movies, taking medication, and drinking lots of fluids. Its strange, these new stages of life that we are entering into. When I was sick as a child and even into my teens, my mom would make Campbell's chicken noodle soup and an amazing grilled cheese sandwich made in the seashell grilled cheese maker. Yesterday I found myself making my own chicken noodle soup. I had bought three mini cans in Tokyo over Christmas break thinking to myself these will come in handy. I had also bought a three piece loaf of whole grain bread (yes, three pieces - they like their white bread). While the soup was on the stove top, I pulled out two of the three pieces of bread and toasted them. I stirred the soup and continued to toast the bread. I pulled out the butter and buttered one side of each piece of toast - watched it melt. I put two slices of cheese on either side of the bread and ketchup in the center - back into the oven it went. This feeling of nostalgia, its an interesting one.
I can also tell I am growing into my adulthood by simple every day decisions. I always saw in the movies and on TV that grown ups were taking bubble baths and reading novels. I now find myself in this position. However, I feel I am a bit Japanese in my system of taking a bath. The Japanese take a proper shower prior to entering the bath. I always found growing up until this point that it was a bit disgusting to take a bath after a long day...prior to showering that is. I have now reversed what I was taught as a child and am quite taken to the Japanese style of taking a bath - sort of. For the past three nights I have found myself fully showering and then enjoying a bubble bath while reading the novel "Eat.Pray.Live".
I am finding myself filling my shoes that were once too big for me. I am growing. I am discovering. Whilst the discovering does come pain but also a new world of happiness. I can't wait to keep going. Its all I can seem to really think about - how to make my life more exciting. Where will I go next? Who will I meet? I am currently not looking for love. However, if it were to cross my path I would not and could not complain. My standards have become so high - I am not looking at this as a bad thing but rather a really good thing. I refuse to settle. Honestly, I have pity on those whose books are already closed or perhaps were never really open. Those who do not travel or explore their interests simply stay on one page of their life's book and can never turn the next page...I pity them.
Being twenty-three and living in a foreign country sounds so appealing...to some...perhaps not to all. It is appealing. I am happy to be single and exploring the world. I am turning the pages of my life's book every day and perhaps adding more content as I go - I know that I am. Today as I lay in bed, I had motivation to study Japanese. I am beginning to read katakana (characters used for foreign words)- its incredible. I never thought I'd be studying Japanese of all languages. It is difficult and won't happen over night but slowly and surely its happening.
Life throws us so many obstacles, I am continuing to love these difficult times, these...well...trying times...these times of real growth. The time now is for me to throw myself out there and see what I can catch and who can catch me. I have no idea what is in store for me after Japan, it doesn't really matter now. I am trying to be a sponge and suck up every good challenge and memory that presents itself. I am being selfish and it feels so good...

Sapporo.Otaru.Niseko.February 2.0.0.9

On Friday Feb. 6th we all boarded the HUGE ferry up to Hokkaido. It was a pleasant 19.5 hour ferry ride. It was great fun getting to play games and sleep! We docked about 2:00 PM. We then had to take about an hour bus ride up to Sapporo. We threw our luggage in our rooms and were off to see the ice sculptures. They were seriously a 5 minute walk up the street from where our hotel was. I ran into one of the girls, Jill, from Nashville Orientation. I thought it was fun to see her there! We walked around for a while in the ice festival. We then met friends for a big ramen dinner! The girls below are all JET ALTs. From left to right: Kyrstol, Emily, me, Bea, and Tracey :)

A few of the many ice sculptures on display. The city of Sapporo blocked off 3 city blocks for the artists to create these amazing sculptures!

This was one of my favorites! I think it is hilarious!! The fish are literally frozen inside!

Bea and I enjoying the wonderful festival!!

Peacock sculpture! I could never be an ice sculptress because I couldn't stand the cold on my hands!

There was a slide at the very end =D The guy patrolling the slide motioned for me to come over to go down and over course I did!

About to go...

...ha ha ha

ice sculpture

We continued to walk through the festival. Hotate (scallops) are one of my favorite sea foods! I had to snap a pic! Its not every day you see them roasting on an open fire.

It was time for dinner :) Bea and I were not hungry so we juts watched everyone else eat until we became hungry! From left to right: Kyrstol, Emily, Tracey, Jason (old JET, new friend), and Bea! Sapporo is famous for kani (crab) ramen!

Here we are outside of Ramen Ally standing in the snow. Left to right: Hong Ee, Jason, Liyan, Kriss, me, Jason, & Bea! Ramen Ally is literally an ally way in Sapporo that has tons of little ramen shops! They are all really small as seen above. In the one above it only sat 8 people :)

Anna, me, & Liyan getting excited for the tranny show! Yes, we went to a tranny show! Proof below!

A pretty little shrine :)

YES! That is a guy! WOW!!!!! I was so surprised at HOOOW believable these guys are!

The show and some of the different acts we saw =D We paid 5,000 Yen (about $50) for all you could drink anything and the show! It was fantastic!

We then played in the snow after the show and were off to rad brothers...oh boy, that was fun :)

Ice sculptures at night!

So after the tranny show we were off to rad brothers, a bar in Sapporo. I went with most of my friends. It was tons of fun and we stayed out until probably the crack of dawn! Or at least it felt like it. The next morning we were not feeling so well ;) and slept in. I had lunch with a new friend :) and then continued sleeping until we headed out for dinner at the Kirin Brewery! We had all you can eat sushi and lamb! It was delicious =D

Here is most of the gang and new friends!

Ha Ha...just kidding I could NEVER drink that much! That was the pitcher for the entire table!

So it was early to bed and early to rise to go explore the SNOW FESTIVAL! Here below is one of the first sculptures we came to. Tokyo as the candidate city for the Olympics 2016.

Tokyo Disney's 25th Anniversary! Emily and I standing below! I can't believe how HUGE these sculptures are!

Me, Emily, Kyrstol, and Bea =D

This is representative of the northern area of Hokkaido. It looked pretty American to me :)

A smaller snow sculpture but still beautiful nonetheless!

Bea and I split off from Kyrstol and Emily because they needed to go back the hotel and pack up there stuff. Bea and I were on a mission to find sweet corn! Victory was ours :) It was warm and delicious!

Sapporo TV tower. Bea and I spent quite a long time in this building. The views were breath taking and we wanted to soak them all in! We didn't have a worry in the world, we just took our time.

City views

If you look at the bottom middle right of this photo, you will see 2 people waving. Those two people are Annelyse and Chika =D I called Annelyse and told her to start waving!

This is the main drag through Sapporo where all the snow sculptures are. It was really neat to see them all from way up high!

After Bea and I came down from the top we stopped to enjoy coffee and kiwi juice! The views were just absolutely amazing. I really felt like I was on vacation. It was truly amazing.

Bea and I and our wonderful view of the city and the snow sculptures!

It was almost time to leave Sapporo so we wanted ramen one last time before we left to go to Otaru and Niseko! Ha Ha, I have no idea what my pinky finger is doing :)

Our AMAZING ramen. You can't appreciate it based on this picture. You must simply go to ramen ally to enjoy for yourself!

David joined Bea and I for our last meal in Sapporo...it was off to Otaru! Otaru is a little village that I saw on an advertisement back in August. I told Emily that I wanted to make sure to visit this beautiful place within my time here in Japan. Sure enough we made it happen!

Candles in Otaru shopping ally

This is the famous Otaru canal. I think this is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The candles in the water and the lanters lighting the pathway, its gorgeous!

Standing in the pouring snow in front of the the canal :)

Small snow sculptures illuminated by candles.

I thought this was the most adorable of all of them :)

The canal :) Isn't it gorgeous?

A lantern - I thought these were just beautiful.

Bridget and I being snow queens for the evening! It was time to go to our snow village - NISEKO! :)

Well, I had never been to a literal ice bar...so we asked the guys at our lodge if there was one around :) Sure enough after our PIZZA dinner we were off to have the "ice experience". You paid 1,000 yen for an ice cup and drink and then 500 yen for each additional drink! It was so much fun to finally have this experience! We stayed for a bit and then tried moving on to the next bar. We soon discovered that Niseko becomes dry after 11:30 and many bars/shops shut down.

Emily, Me, & Eri :) Cheers!

John and I enjoying our drinks. Itako Buds!

My new friend Bridget and I enjoying our drinks at the ice bar! They even had fur for the ice benches so your butt wouldn't get wet!

The next morning was the day we were leaving. Several people hit the slopes but I did not want to blow out my knee so we went sleding instead! We had great views and tons of fun! Emily made grand attempts at building a snow man. The awesome Australians at the lodge lent a few of us snow outfits to go play in the snow! We had so much fun! We were laughing so hard as we rolled down the hills and went sleding! Behind us is Mt. Hirafu.

Emily and I soaking up the sun and the snow before heading back to Ibaraki.

Mt. Hirafu

Playing in the snow :) What great views, seriously?!

This tree reminded me of being out west in the states. Aspen trees - gotta love them :)

Anna and I decided to eat snow! :) and icecycles - yum! It actually was refreshing!

Emily jumping jump after jump off of the base of her snow man :)

After playing the the snow we tried to go to an onsen. However, they were all closed until 2PM. We decided to go an enjoy a really nice lunch in town at a little cafe. I enjoyed a tuna and tomato sandwich and oero hot coco - dear GOD that was amazing! Here below we went to the little shop next to the cafe to buy presents for friends and teachers. I really enjoyed this bug stuffed bear and wanted my picture taken with him :) raawr.

We packed up the bus and left Niseko area around 3 PM so we could make our 6:30 ferry back to Ibaraki. This was seriously one of the most fun trips I have ever taken in my life. It was good fun had by all. I am currently at home sick from school because I have a nice little cold. The cold was worth all this fun. We were bound to get sick. We were traveling, going out, and just having so much fun! This concludes my adventures for now and I am NOW all caught up with my blog! Stay tuned for more of my adventures!! Next weekend I will go to Tokyo to see the play Wicked with Annelyse, Emily, & Erin! TOKYO girls weekend!! I will be coming home in March to visit with friends and family :) It is sooner than I expected but I am really looking forward to seeing everyone!! MISS YOU ALL! Until next time...XO

The sun was setting over the mountains and the water. I could not have asked for a better conclusion to our trip.