Many, Many Things...
Friday, June 25, 2010Posted by Michael at 3:38 AM 0 comments
BBQ, Violin Concert, and VIETNAM!
Thursday, May 6, 2010Click here for more BBQ and Violin Concert pictures |
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Posted by Michael at 4:32 AM 0 comments
Friends Visit and Tohoku Trip
Monday, March 1, 2010Click here for more pictures
Posted by Michael at 10:57 PM 0 comments
Bowling and Hakone
Sunday, February 14, 2010Posted by Michael at 4:01 PM 0 comments
Lots of Food, Flat Stanley, Tableware Show...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010Click for more Motsu Nabe Pictures
Click for more Belated Christmas Party Pictures
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Click for more Strawberry Picking Pictures
Posted by Michael at 2:24 AM 0 comments
New Year's, Camping, Onsen
Monday, January 25, 2010Michael and I went back to Ohio for a little over a week and it was a great trip. First off, we were greeted at the airport by my brother and two very surprised nephews. Devon was actually in a bit of shock and didn't hug us right away. Nathaniel on the other hand gave us the welcome we were hoping for. After about 10 minutes Devon came back to reality and talked nonstop for the whole week. We were able to see most of the family and good friends. We probably spent most of the time eating all the things we missed. Well, there were probably one or two or five Target trips too, but it's Target! I even got to spend some time with my cousins Mandy and Fong from New York. For New Year's Eve we spent the day over at Chalisa's with Devon and Nathaniel. We played a lot of wii, well the kids did, and the adults got to catch up. It was good to be with people you love. Later Loni and my brother came over and we had nabe (hotpot) for dinner. The trip consists of a lot of rest and relaxation, but it was a good thing. We came back to Japan and had a little bit of jet lag. Michael was a soldier and went back to work the next day. I took a couple more days to readjust. It was back to the usual this past week, but this past weekend we went to Ibaraki prefecture and did a little camping. Our friend Tada organized a camping trip with some of her friends. We rented a nice cabin for 15 people with our own little bbq pit in the back. It was a secluded camp site, so it was nice to meet some new people and enjoy some good conversation. We can definitely learn some "non-textbook" Japanese lingo. We also learned that hot wine on a cold night is really delicious. It was a fantastic time, thanks to Tada for setting it up. Ok, so I didn't get the blog updatesd as I planned so I am updating some more with our most recent weekend. Michael and I are determined to see as much of Japan as we can before we go home. Michael found a nice area called Kinugawa Onsen and it features many Japanese style hotels (ryokan) with onsen (hot springs). We stayed at a smaller one, but was nice. We stayed in tatami style rooms with the Japanese screen doors. The plan came with dinner and breakfast. For dinner, we had a delicious selection of various things such as yuba (beancurd sheets), tofu stew, tsukemono, etc.. The area was also really lovely, the main attraction is the Kinugawa River. Being in Japan has allowed me to enjoy nature to a whole new level, the mountains, the rivers, they are all so beautiful. Our first ryokan experience was great and we plan to go sometime again before we leave. That was about it for this weekend!
Pictures from Ohio
Pictures from Camping
Pictures from Kinugawa Onsen
Posted by Michael at 12:41 AM 0 comments
Rest and Relaxation with a little golfing....
Tuesday, November 17, 2009November 15th marks my one year anniversary in Japan! Michael arrived 2 weeks before me. It's amazing how fast the time goes by sometimes. The weather in Utsunomiya is turning cold and quickly, the sun goes down around 4:30pm now, which makes for a long evening. This past weekend we were planning to go to the Ashikaga Wine Festival, but it rained on Saturday so it become a day or rest and relaxation. I have been feeling a little under the weather too so it was nice to cozy up at home. On Sunday, Michael and I went to play golf with his Assistant CE, Nishimura-san and old TE, Hayashi-san. We went to a golf course in Nasu which was nice. We had a schedule tee time of 7:37am, yes, quite early I know, but it was a beautiful atmosphere. The leaves on the trees were shades of red, orange, yellow and green. As the day progressed it became warmer and warmer. The only downfall was Michael and I played the worse game of our lives! I think partly because we haven't been on a course in 1.5 years or maybe because each hole is much more narrower than the states or maybe I was too fascinated with the remote control golf cart. Regardless of factor, our scores were horrible. Despite a bad score, it was a worthwhile experience and I hope we can get some more time to play in the spring. That about sums up the weekend. Unfortunately we did not take pictures while golfing. Have a great day!
Posted by Michael at 2:05 AM 0 comments
Hong Kong...Japan...Motegi...
Sunday, November 8, 2009Michael and I took a vacation to Hong Kong. This was probably one of the most important vacations to me because I was born in Hong Kong and most of my mom’s side of the family still lives there, so it would be Michael’s first time meeting the other half of the family. We started off the trip with some sightseeing on Hong Kong Island. We went to the observation deck of the 2IFC building, took a stroll through Hong Kong Park, wandered our way to Stanley Street and ate lots of yummy delicious food. The second night we met up with my cousins, Ivan and Yoyo, in Tuen Mun and did a little shopping. We eventually met up with the rest of the family for dinner. Since we were a sizable group, we ordered lots of food and that meant we could eat everything we have been craving and more. Yum! My aunts and uncles were very generous and some decided to take us out on Saturday to some of the more local areas that we were not planning to go. It was a fun filled day and lots of shopping. I am amazed at how much shopping there is in Hong Kong. We then met up with the rest of the family at night and had hot pot. We do hot pot in the states, but I would say half the stuff we ate I have never tried nor would I care to know what it was. At the end of the evening, we all went to Temple Street night market to walk around. It was your typical night market that you could find in most Asian countries that sold souvenirs, faux designer bags, knick knacks, etc. There were also lots of food vendors, but we were absolutely stuffed. Half way through our trip my cousin Mandy and her bf, Tony came. We saved some of the touristy attractions to share with them. The first thing we did was go to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. It overlooks Hong Kong Island, the harbor and Kowloon. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have been. We spent quite some time up there admiring the lovely view that Hong Kong has to offer. At night, we went to Tsim Sha Tsui to view Hong Kong Island’s famous skyline. It was so wonderful. I could probably stare at the skyline all day. The remainder of the trip we spent in Macau and Lantau Island. Macau was an old, historical place with lots of churches and lots of casinos. We spent the morning sightseeing and then hit up the casinos at night. The Grand Lisboa was one of the most uniquely structured hotels and overwhelming big. The other casinos from Vegas were smaller in scale, but had all the luxury stores just like Vegas. Hong Kong was a wonderful trip, hopefully we can go back again soon.
After Hong Kong, Mandy and Tony came back to Japan with us for a week. We went to Nikko to see the mountains and shrines. While in Nikko, the leaves were in the middle of changing colors, so there was a big array of red, orange, yellow, and green everywhere. I really enjoy the mountains! We spent the weekend in Tokyo and ran around to some of the tourist’s sights as well as shopping. Tokyo is such an amazing place with so many people. It’s definitely fun to go every once in awhile, but it’s a big hectic for me. We came back to Utsunomiya for the remainder of their visit and took them around our city, mostly grocery stores and shopping. Good times!
After Hong Kong and Mandy and Tony visiting Japan we decided to spend the next weekend resting. This weekend though we decided to go to the Super GT Race at Twin Ring Motegi. Apparently, it’s the last year that this body style NSX will be racing so we decided to support them. Going to the race was fun, we sat in the Honda Fan section and received a free small towel to wave around to show our support to the drivers.
Posted by Michael at 4:30 AM 0 comments
Grapes...Tokyo Game Show...Unagi...
Tuesday, October 6, 2009Click here for more pictures |
Last weekend, Michael and I went to Tokyo for the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. It was a video game show that had all the big names, Sony Playstation, Xbox, Konami, etc. displaying the latest and greatest in video games and technology. I was quite amazed by the size of the convention. People were waiting in line to test out the newest games or playing the games with their DS or PSP’s using the wi-fi connection. Unfortunately since our DS’s are from the US we could not play the games. Boooo, I probably can’t understand it anyways since it’s all in Japanese. There was also an area where people would dress up like video game characters and pose. We’re still trying to determine if it was something that they do voluntarily or are they hired. Regardless, the costumes were very intricate in detail and the people truly enjoyed dressing up. We stayed in Tokyo for the night and then on Sunday we met up with one of Michael’s friends from college that moved to Japan about a week ago with the Navy. We went to the US Naval Base in Yokosuka and Tony, Michael’s friend, took us into the base and gave us a tour. I have never been on a military base and I was so surprised by the ships. I mean, we read about in the paper or see pictures on the news, but seeing the ships in front of you in person was like nothing else. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go on the ships, but just seeing it was awesome. Tony took us around the base and it’s like a mini America in Japan. There are schools, recreational centers, etc. We were excited to see Popeye’s Chicken, so that’s what we opted to eat. It tasted good, but my stomach was not happy after. It might be a hard adjustment on my stomach when we move back.
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This past week was one of the most stressful weeks in Japan. Our international driver’s license was expiring in November so we had to get our Japanese driver’s license. The process is ridiculous. First, we had to go do an interview to verify our identities. Then we go to driving school for 2 hours to learn the technicalities to pass the test. Then we go to the driving center (from 9:00 – 4:00) to take a written test and driving test. I took my first test on Monday and failed. Michael and I both went on Friday to take the test and we both passed. Michael took one try as I needed two. Regardless, we have our license and its one thing less we have to worry about. The process is crazy though and I would never want to do that again.
Saturday, Oct. 3 we went to dinner with one of my mom’s from Miya Kids and her family. They took us to this Unagi restaurant that was a traditional Japanese style restaurant. We had our own enclosed room and we sat on the floor in a tatami room. It was so nice and cozy, I really enjoyed it. The restaurant specializes in Unagidon(eel and rice bowl), sunomono, and yakitori. We ordered a little bit of each and it was delicious. Kiyoka, Jiro, her husband, Nico, their daughter, and Joe, their son was great company. Ironically, Jiro works out of Honda most of the time, so he and Michael will be able to see each other at work. What a small world. It’s been so wonderful to meet so many new people and getting to know them is even better. Thanks Miyamoto’s for the fabulous dinner together. On Sunday, we had an American style bbq with some friends. Nothing beats a good ol’ American style cheeseburger! Yum!
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Posted by Michael at 5:42 AM 0 comments
Just Hanging Around...
Saturday, September 19, 2009Sorry for taking so long to update the blog! We've been keeping it pretty mellow the past few weekends. We did go camping on the weekend of Sept. 7 and had a good time. We camped by the beach with some friends so Michael was able to go surfing and then some relaxation. Camping is always a good time. Other than that, we've been keeping the normal routine and just catching up on some R&R. Hopefully the next few weekends we'll be more energized to go out and about so that I can have a more exciting update! Have a great day!
Click here for camping pictures |
Posted by Michael at 5:54 AM 0 comments