Nasu: Third times a charm!

I have been taking some time to go over old photos that I shot with my cellphone over the course of the summer.  Here are some snaps from my trip mid-summer to Nasu, Japan.  This was my third time hiking it.  I went with my pal Leo and a new friend Kevin (not pictured).  The hike is short and easy.  If you go at a quick pace, you could make it to the top in about an hour and a half.  If you take your time, two or three hours, depending on how many breaks you want to take.  

It offers up a great view at the top for such a small mountain.  I have done a few videos on it in the past.  You can dig through my youtube channel if you're interested.  For now, here are are few pics.  Enjoy!

Ichiro traded to the Yankees

It's old news but it's sad to see Ichiro get traded to the Yankees.  I don't follow baseball much but when there is someone you like, traded to a team you're not so fond of, it's always sad.  The Yankees, through time have sucked up some other former Mariners; A-Rod and The Big Unit.  If Seattle was a winning team, this wouldn't have happened.  Best of luck Ichiro, I don't blame you!

Ice Cream in Japan

Life strange flavors?  Try these two.  The top 'pink' flavor is sakura and the bottom is green tea.  The sakura flavor took some getting used to.  Eventually I liked it.  The green tea was a hit, right off the bat.  I have also had tomato.  It was kinda weird but surprisingly good.  It's sad that summer is almost over, I'd like to try more!  

Unique flavors - Salty Watermelon

Pepsi released their salty watermelon soda this past summer. The idea seems terrible but I enjoyed it. I asked for the opinion of my friends that tried it and no one was in the middle. Either they loved it or hated it. I'm curious what autumn will have to offer.

Dragon Ball Z - Postage Stamps

I found out the post office is carrying some DBZ stamps. I didnt watch much of the anime growing up but plenty of my friends did. It makes for a nice gift on a hand written postcard.

Aizu: sneak peak

Located in south Fukushima is the city of Aizu. It's a wonderful city that has rich samurai history. I went there this past summer with my sister and brother in-law, to explore what it had to offer.

Before taking the trip up north, I sat down to read about Aizu. Luckily, it was impossible to find any information about it. It's off the beaten path and the likely hood you'll find other western tourists is extremely low.

I first heard about Aizu through one of my schools. I wrote the name down, since it's close and has a castle. As time passed, I slowly forgot about it until my sister mentioned she was coming to visit this past summer. Due to it's proximity to where I live, I put it on the itinerary.

At the moment, I won't go into great details about the city, since I am still working on a video for it. If you happen to read this and are unsure to visit, just go! There is a bus line that loops around the city and costs 500yen the whole day. There is a tourist booth at the train station that can point you in any direction. From Tokyo you can take the train or access via JR bus lines in Shinjuku. It's one of the best sites I have seen in Japan and I have seen quite a few.

9 out of 10 katanas

Slurpees in Japan

What one? Location: Tokyo, Asakusa, 7/11, right in front of the temple gates.

SW Chicken Sandwich

This has nothing to do with Japan. It's just an awesome sandwich I made the other day.

--------
-boiled Chicken, then cubed or shredded, mix with mayo and chipotle seasoning
-pepper jack cheese (melt on chicken)
-jalepenos (lotta 'em)
-tomato
-avocado
-egg
-olives
-lettuce or spinach
-bread, toasted and buttered

Kids Are Dumb

I was at a shop in Asakusa last weekend, looking for some ninja stars. While I was there I overheard a conversation in English. A father was asking his son if he wanted a bow. The son replied "I can make one of those in five minutes." I was kind of stunned but the kid looked like he was twelve and most people that age are retarded. The conversation between this dad and son quickly became more outlandish, with the son making wilder claims. After about a minute of this, the dad says, in Japanese "Speak Japanese!". I turned my head and realized that I was dealing with some spoiled hafu (half Japanese, half something else). They didn't switch but I wish they would have. His stupidity wouldn't have been shielded by another language, as I would have followed him, stealthily; like a ninja.

Beetle bodies

Check out these beetles I found outside my apartment. They're pretty huge and valuable. The males can be sold upwards of $100 in Tokyo. If only I knew a seller...

Summer is halfway over

This summer has gone by fast and I've been having too much fun. It's been a relatively mild summer compared with the past two I have experienced. I really wish I could have made it back to the US to visit all my friends but the airfare is ridiculous. I still haven't been back. At least I'm trying to make the best of it. My sister will be here in two days. I'm looking forward to that. I'll try to get back into the swing of things with my blog and videos. I bought a new hard drive, so I have the space! That's all for now! Later!

Death and Taxes

I'm going into my third year here in Japan and it seems like the taxes just keep going up and up.  Last year it wasn't so bad.  This year, I am curious how I will manage.  I think it's time to be super frugal.  

Healthy Debate

Many of my elementary schools this year have requested that, if I'm not teaching English, I should participate in a class. This makes downtime unexistant, which is something I'm fine with. I usually request to be placed in a class where I wont get bored; PE, art, music, and science are always at the top of my list. The other day, I was placed in PE, with about twenty highly energetic third graders. I arrived to class about a minute late, they were already stretching. As they counted off in Japanese "一、ニ、三…" I decided to rebel and see who would follow. "one, two, three, four..." I said with a grin. The eight count finished and two boys standing in front of me followed (as I was a leader). I soon became curious how many kids would join. I began to push. The field of students was about four wide and five deep. A grid of twenty with two leaders and myself in the front. I had already infected two. So I pushed... We completed the sixth stretch, I had the entire front row was counting in English. At this moment, the Vice principle appeared and a small argument broke out. I continued to push... The boy, in the front row farthest from me got into a debate with a girl leading the stretches... ---Translation--- Leader girl, "count in Japanese". Boy, "I want to count in English" "you are Japanese, you are not American, count in Japanese" the girl said in a bossy tone. "Vice Principle! Can I count in English?" he said with no hesitation. "Count in whatever language you want" Checkmate. I was satisfied. Not only did I give the kids a chance to speak in English, I gave them a small lesson in rebellion. The class finished off their stretches in unison; "six, seven, eight".