I went to this race in Kyoto. I stood at the finish line with 94,000 other people. DEEP blew the other horses away. It wasn`t even close. It was beautiful! True beauty. I had goose bumps and will never forget it...
Do you like stuffed animals? This is Ms. K`s suffed animal. Her name is HANAKO. She is an elephant! In Japan, snoopy and winnie the pooh are very popular stuffed animals. I know there are more popular ones too, but I am not an expert on stuffed animals, sorry. Somebody, please help me! I used to have a stuffed animal when i was a child. But Ms. K is in her thirties, and she still has a stuffed animal. What do you think about that?
Last month my friend YU went to Kyoto to check out the "light up". He`s really interested in photography and art and also SOCCER!! He even goes to Europe sometimes just to watch a game! It`s true!! Today I think he is moving. He will begin to live by himself from today...until now, he lived with his parents. He got a place in Kyoto, and he said he can see the Ktoto Tower, a very impressive site in Kyoto ;), from his bed. I hope he learns a lot and enjoys living by himself in Kyoto!! GOOD LUCK! 
This is a pic YU took at a kimono show he went too. I like kimonos...I think they are very beautiful and special. I have worn a kimono once, about 10 years ago..It`s a little difficult to move around in a kimono. And I think it`s impossible to go to the restroom! About that kimono , maybe I can`t fit into it now. .haha ;) (=I got bigger!) 
These flowers look very beautiful! Flower arrangement is a common hobby in Japan. Many people study flower arrangement. Ms. N just began to study last week. She already studies english and calligraphy, so I think that she is really busy! She said there were about 10 other women in the class and she really enjoyed it! Have you ever studied flower arrangement?
Do you like dessert? What`s your favorite dessert? The above picture and picture on the bottom are two desserts from the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Ms. M went there with her co-workers on her day off! She went on "Ladies Day" so I think it was 30% off! She said there were many desserts and she recommended it. The middle pic is of a chocolate Sundae. It looks pretty good!
A friend of mine will have a "Big" Birthday tomorrow. Today is her last day in her twenties!! So I am a day early, but "Happy Birthday!" And she will eat a big cake with tons of fruit on the top and in the middle for her birthday! Maybe she will have a BIG :) smile I think!
Ms. e went to China with her friend a few weeks ago. She visited a place which is not so many Japanese tourists go to because it is not so easy to get there. She showed me a bunch of photos and the nature was really beautiful!! There were so many large and beautiful waterfalls and also some unique lakes which actaully looked like hot springs. My image of China before I saw her photos and listened to her talk about her trip was of many many people, many many bicycles, a big city image, and also The Great Wall of China. But after I spoke with Ms. e and saw the pics, my image changed. Now beautiful nature is also included in my new image of China! Please read the "comments" to what Ms. e has to say about her trip and where she went!
The color of the water changes depending on where you look at the lake from. In some photos the color was blue, but in others a dark green. It was the same lake! The photos were taken at the same time! It`s called the "5 color lake!!"Unbelievable...
What a view!
A Giant panda! There were 13 pandas in the park where Ms. e visited!! And she got to touch, hug, one too! She said that the fur was HARD!
Tall waterfalls and many tourists! This is also a World Heritage site.
Thanks for the pics Ms. e!!!
Read this japanese article for the details: 
Ms. Nao recently just came back from Langkawi, Malaysia. Luckily, she sent me some really incredible photos! The shots are really good because she is like a professional photographer! I post some of her photos in my classroom because they are really artistic and original. They light up the room!! About her trip to Langkawi, she didn`t have a summer vacation so she was really looking forward to her trip in September! And she works really hard and does A LOT of overtime, so she really deserved the vacation I think!! She said Langkawi and the hotel she stayed at, The Dalai, were both great, beautiful, GREEN, relaxing, quiet, and on and on. She highly recommended them both!! Both of the photos are actually from a small pond in the lobby, on the 4th floor, of the Dalai Hotel, where she stayed. Whooaaahh!! I want to take a vacation again!
To check out the amazing hotel. look here:
http://www.ghmhotels.com/hotels/hotel_home.asp?hotelid=2§ion=home
Hey, hope you had a good 3 day weekend! My friend collects miniature cars. This is a pic of his collection. The cars look cool. Do you collect anything? Some people coolect many different things, for example, stamps, baseball cards, pins, badges, print club pictures, etc......Have you heard of any interesting collections?
After going 4-4 in his first game back from his 4 month broken wrist absence, Matsui hit his first homer in today`s game, his third since returning. He got a standing ovation at his first at-bat after returning. He said it was a day he will remember. He `s going to contribute to the Yankees til the end of this season. If he gets a little lucky, because of his pot in the batting line-up, he could also get really hot and become the next "Mr. October." 
The Philadelphia Eagles are my favorite football team! The football season began last week, and the Eagles got off to a flying start by pummeling the Houston Texans. Read here for the game details: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5941404
This is the star of the team, the quarterback Donovan McNabb. 
The Eagle`s Logo
Check out here for the Eagle`s Home page: http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/default.jsp
The coach Andy Reid
The star running back, Brian Westbrook.
Anyway, I`ll write more about the Birds when they go to the Super Bowl again this year! ;) haha...
Read this to find out about the picture above: http://www.slate.com/id/2149368/?GT1=8592
Check out this ramen!!! This is my favorite ramen-shop!!! It`s called RAMENMAN!home page: http://ramen-man.hp.infoseek.co.jp It`s located in Hirao-cho, near Honmachi. I always get the regualr ramen! The cooked pork and scallions are great! Also, you can choose garlic or no garlic! I usually choose garlic because I need the extra stamina!! Do you like ramen? Where is your favorite shop?
A pic of the inside of the shop! It has a counter with about 6 stools and also 3 tables. 
The manager, Ban-chan!! He eats ramen often, that`s why he has a "ramen-belly"! ;)
The menu is very large. They also have a hot korean style nabe and ramen if you like spicey!! Also, I recommend the fried dumplings (gyoza)! Hope to see ya there!
Look at these two beer bellies!!!! :) Pure American style!!! Look at the slant in those belts! The belts are diagonal!!! And my friend with his white undershirt!! Pure class!! :) Actually, these guys are two really nice gentleman. They work in the Honmachi area and I hear that they work very hard. So sometimes to let the stomach out is OK I think for them! I forgive `em!
This crazy American guy is a friend of mine. I have known him for a few years now. We work in the same area of town. Anyway, usually I see him every year at the Kitamido-kaikan Obon Dance festival. This year he was with his wife and kid. His kid is 2and a half. He`s really cute. But unfortunately I think he looks like his father... ;) What do you think?
He looks like he is enjoying his soda pop!
Look at all the food on the table! Chips, pop-corn, beer, water-ice,a thermos of tea...Do you know what is happening in the picture? That`s his mother. She is breast-feeding him (in the middle of the Obon festival!!). He`s 2 and a half!! A little old for breast-feeding I think, but more power to him! He sure did look happy!!
My student Ms. O asked me to join her and her friends for a kushi-katsu party. Kushi-katsu is meat, vegetables, chiken, fish, and pork fried on a stick/skewer. You are supposed to dip each stick into a sauce! But all of the customers use the same sauce, so there is a rule: "One dip only!!" ;) Everyone has to abide by this rule!! It`s a must!
The restaurant she chose was near Hozenji Temple. It is located in the heart of Namba, in Osaka. It is very unusual because it is a quiet and incense-smelling little place in the middle of a big and bustling area. I like that area very much. Next time I want to take some pictures of that are and put it on the blog. It is very unique!
We ate a lot of food and drank a little. The kushi-katsu was excellent! Ms. O and her co-worker and freind were very funny and friendly. Thank you!
Do you like kushi-katsu? If yes, where`s your favorite kushi katsu restaurant?
