Hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy New Year and a great vacation!

May LIGHT fill your 2008!

And after light fills your life in 2008, if you are of legal age to drink, and if you like beer, may many colors of beer fill your 2008 too! :) Thank you all for this year! Signing off....g

Christmas, a little late, Japanese (Nara) style! :)

Ms. H and her family celebrating Christmas is Nara! Looks like they are having a merry time!
Now that`s either one short kid, or two really big Japanese snow-men...Which is it?
Tomorrow will be the last blog of this year...don`t expect too much!!! See ya

NOT A WHITE CHRISTMAS...

I can`t remember the last time there was a white christmas...Do you? Today is the 25th, which means Christmas day, which means absolutely nothing in Japan. In America I bet many people are opening presents, eating a big but earlist, about 4pm, dinner, and recovering from drinking too much egg-nog on Christmas eve... There is only one more week left in 2007...I wonder what it will bring...Have a good week everyone!

The beach and Christmas...

The beach...exactly where I want to spend Christmas. People often talk about how wonderful a "White Christmas" is, but I just don`t get it. A great Christmas for me would be on the white sand of a beautiful beach somewhere. For me, Christmas is really nothing special. BECAUSE, I am NOT Christian. Many people just assume that I am Christian, but actually I am NOT. I have never had a Christmas tree, and never celebrated Christmas in my parent`s house in Philadelphia. When I was a child, I celebrated Hannukah, which is a Jewish holiday. Basically it is like a "Jewish Christmas"...well, not really, but that is the easiest way to explain it on this forum. But just like many Japanese people, I enjoy a little celebration on Christmas eve, the 24th. For example, a dinner or date, or strwberry short cake, or a present. And Christmas is "the season of giving," so I enjoy GIVING presents more than receiving. I am not joking, it`s true! Here is one thing that I think is strange...in Japan, Christmas Day, the 25th, means nothing!!! One Christmas eve is important in Japan. The "Japanese way" is sometimes difficult to understand...when people are born, the do a Shinto ceremony, when they die, they do a Buddhist ceremony, when they marry they do a Christian ceremony or Shinto ceremony...What a variety! The "Japanese way" is a very Open way I think...or it may be just strange...I don`t know. What do you think?

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, really hope you all have a good 3-day weekend!

a beautiful beach on the Phillipines

a great shot of a lonnnnnnnnnnggg pier

Thanks for the great photos Ms. A

Some CAT English

Ms. R sent me some photos of these stray cats. She sees them every day outside of her apartment complex when she goes to work and comes home. She says that she always say hi to hem and pets them and sometimes feeds them milk or something. I think that Ms. R is really gentle and kind!

Here is some "cat english"! Do you know the meaning?

1. It`s raining cats and dogs.

2. They are playing cat and mouse.

3. A cat has nine lives.

4. The cat has got his tongue.

5. I took a cat nap.

6. I saw a black cat...

7. They are fighting like cats and dogs.

8. He let the cat out of the bag.

And my personal favorite...

9. Look what the cat dragged in!

GO-GO Hashimoto~~~!!

Mr. Hashimoto announced yesterday that he will run for Governor of Osaka. For those of you who don`t know, let me tell you a little about this man. He is 38 years old. He has 7 children and one wife. I think, but am not sure that he was born in Tokyo. But now I heard that he lives (or has a house) in Osaka. I am a little fuzzy on that information. Anyway, I think he is a witty, fast-thinking, intelligent, bright, calculating, and at times amusing guy. He was a rugby star in high school and played in the National Rugby tournament. After that he went and graduated from Waseda University, one of the top Universities in Japan. Then he became a laywer. Then a few years ago, he also became a television personality and became popular for his trademark "brown" hair, jeans and sunglasses.

At first he said that he would "20,000% NOT run for Governor"...That was last week. Then after reconsidering and thinking about it for a while, and after he called his friend/colleague Mr. Takajin, who said to him "Now is the time...Do it!" He decided to enter the race for Governor. There are two other candidates as of now, that I know. I think that Hashimoto will win by a landslide...Maybe he will bring some needed change to Osaka, maybe not. Who knows. But I think he is MORE INTERESTING than the other two candidates, so IF I had a right to vote, which I don`t because I am NOT a Japanese citizen, AND IF I wasn`t busy on the election day on Sunday January 27th, I would cote for him...maybe ;)

Oh yeah, he wrote something interesting in his book which was published some time last year I think. He said, "If you can`t lie, you can`t become a lawyer or a politician." Well, now he is both.

Beautiful fall leaves shots! Thanks Ms. M!

Word of mouth

The other day during class Ms. S told me that after class she was going to Nara to see an art exhibition, Chagall, with her friend. I said, "Ah, I used to live in Nara and I know quite a few good restaurants for lunch or dinner if you are interested." She said, "Sure. Please tell me." So I drew a little map of the Nara area and told her about my favorite restaurant in Nara, a TUNA shop. ALL TUNA, ONLY TUNA. If you don`t like or eat tuna, DON`T GO! I told here that this shop`s food is great, but the place is a little small, and not really the kind of atmoshpere for two girls to have lunch and talk a long time...And she said thanks and went on here way.

Later that day I got an email from her with the below photo. She said she went and liked it and had a good time. I was happy to hear that!

Word of mouth is really important I think. If you know any good restaurants , or hot springs, or hangouts, please let me know! I am always interested in finding new and good places.

Lights and masks

Now is the Christmas season. One the radio and at Department stores, Christmas music is continuously playing. The lights in these photos are from Kobe. They are not Christmas lights, but they reminded me of Christmas lights, so I posted them on the blog. Many Japanese people go to Kobe to see the BIG illumination. I have never been there, but I heard it is really beautiful. BUT packed! jammed!! unbelievably crowded with people!!! So prepare yourself for shoulder-to-shoulder walking if you go! I might have said this before in a previous blog, but I recommend the smaller more "at-home" atmosphere of the Nakanoshima Christmas lights near the Osaka City Hall, which is about a 10 minute walk from here.
While on the topic going out to see the winter lights, I`d also like to say BE CAREFUL of the cold and bundle up when you go outside!! Now the flu is going around. I read in the newspaper that it is about 1 month earlier than usual. Already, some Elementary Schools have been shut down temporarily because too many of the children have the flu. (So many children getting sick could be prevented though IF they didn`t have to wear SHORTS to school in the winter!! It`s true!!! Many Japanese schools have a school uniform which the students must wear. And in the winter, some Elementary schools require shorts!!! Stupid!!! Whoever thought of that brilliant idea must have been a real brain scientist!) Anyway, if you get the flu, one way to prevent the flu from spreading to other people is to wear a mask! The mask looks kind of strange, and isn`t exactly the coolest look I have ever seen, but if you want to be considerate and think of the well-fare of other people, and don`t want to give your bad germs to other people, I think that wearing a mask is a good idea! I gotta go to the pharmacy now to buy me a pack of masks! See ya and have a good weekend!

Olympia Part Two

This building looks like a miniature White House. Maybe it is the City Office, or a Courthouse, or some other government building...
Ms. H waiting at the bus stop. It looks a little chilly...
This is the ranch house Ms. H stayed in. A ranch house is a one story house. It is very flat and long. They are poplular in some areas on America. Some people like the design, and some people don`t. Personally, I think they are OK. If someone offered me one for free, I`d probably take it. But if I was using my own money, I would probably pass, and buy a regular two story house.

Also, look at the big yard and many trees around the house. That`s pretty typical in suburbian America. In Japan, most people don`t have such a nice yard or trees or bushes around their houses. The main reason is that it is too expensive. In Japan, land prices are extraordinary!! Crazy expensive! And for the money, the size of the house or condominium is too small. It`s something to think about...

A Tower...Not the Tokyo Tower, not the Kyoto Tower,

it`s the ________________ Tower! You fill in the blank if you know the answer.

This is the official seal of the state of Washington. Of course, the face of George Washington, the first President of the United States is on the seal. Who was the first Prime Minister of Japan...do you know?

Have a good one.