Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunny Sunday
Today was the first warm day I have felt in Japan since I got here in December. It was still pretty chilly from the wind but the sun was pretty warm so we went to the park and played badminton, watched a guy play with a parachute, we had lunch we picked up from a convenient store as well. At the Circle K I played a 5 dollar Lottery and won an Evangelion figure of Eva 01 it was pretty awesome :D At a grocery store we went to there was a Yakitori stand outside too we got food from him, it was so delicious! and he gave one to me for free and said it was a gift! what a sweet old Yakitori salesman!
After we spent time at the park walking around and playing we went to the arcade and played DDR, Taiko and Beatmania until we were exhausted haha.
Then we came back home and ordered pizza and watched Ryoma.
This weekend was very fun, I got an oven finally and some storage shelves! yay ^-^
After we spent time at the park walking around and playing we went to the arcade and played DDR, Taiko and Beatmania until we were exhausted haha.
Then we came back home and ordered pizza and watched Ryoma.
This weekend was very fun, I got an oven finally and some storage shelves! yay ^-^
Friday, February 19, 2010
Nikko and final days of Utsunomiya
While I was in Utsunomiya with Satomi we went to Nikko. In highly recommend going to Nikko, especially in the winter. What a gorgeous shrine and mountain town! absolutely breath taking. I wanted to visit the Onsen and see other areas but sadly we did not have the time. Maybe next time!
I would love to go in the spring too and see what Nikko is like. It is very cold in winter but the amount of snow is gorgeous. Coming from South Carolina where snow is very little or non existent it was amazing to me.
I had allot of fun with Satomi and her friends while I was in Utsunomiya. My final day there we went to her friend Mutsumi's graduation art show. Mutsumi is a very talented artist and a very sweet person I cannot wait to see her again. All of the artists were very talented at the show as well! Mutsumi did a great job using wool and alpaca fur to make her artwork, the patterns were extremely gorgeous.
One of the downsides while I was in Shibuya was this racist group of Japanese against foreigners in Japan. please avoid them at all costs if you visit Shibuya they are dangerous and have been known to attack foreigners who take video or pictures of them. So you need to sneak any photos or have Japanese friends around to warn you atleast like I did. Needless to say it was a horrible feeling knowing that even here in Japan a country obsessed with western fashion and other things has such a huge group of racists. How do you know they are around? they march in a line with police surrounding them, holding japanese flags and the old WW2 rising sun flag and they follow a truck that is blaring out propaganda and harsh words about America and other foreign countries.
After we left the train station we headed to Sabrage it is a very very very great diner and the head chef is our friend Wataru he is an excellent chef. I recommend his restaurant to anybody who happens to be in Shibuya. It is a little pricey but the dining experience is well worth the money. If you eat anywhere in Shibuya skip all the fast food places around and head for Sabarage. They have a website Http://www.sabrage.jp/ The Menu is different each time but everything they choose is delicious. Wataru and the other chefs at Sabrage not only know how to make food look pretty but they make it extremely delicious also.
the dessert dish was made and designed very quickly. Our friend Sada brought the strawberries from his farm and Wataru designed and made all of this as we ate the main courses. Such a brilliant talented cook he is. I hope he gets that restaurant he wants so much!
Wataru and his wife. Arigatou Gozaimasu Wataru! the meal was delicious and thank you so much for the Gyoza you gave me! also very delicious!
After our fine dining event went headed back to shibuya station, onto a crowded train to shinjuku and I was on a long bus ride back to Nagoya. I miss my friends in Utsunomiya but it is also nice to be back home with Yuki, I missed him very much while he was in Indonesia on business.
I would love to go in the spring too and see what Nikko is like. It is very cold in winter but the amount of snow is gorgeous. Coming from South Carolina where snow is very little or non existent it was amazing to me.
I had allot of fun with Satomi and her friends while I was in Utsunomiya. My final day there we went to her friend Mutsumi's graduation art show. Mutsumi is a very talented artist and a very sweet person I cannot wait to see her again. All of the artists were very talented at the show as well! Mutsumi did a great job using wool and alpaca fur to make her artwork, the patterns were extremely gorgeous.
One of the downsides while I was in Shibuya was this racist group of Japanese against foreigners in Japan. please avoid them at all costs if you visit Shibuya they are dangerous and have been known to attack foreigners who take video or pictures of them. So you need to sneak any photos or have Japanese friends around to warn you atleast like I did. Needless to say it was a horrible feeling knowing that even here in Japan a country obsessed with western fashion and other things has such a huge group of racists. How do you know they are around? they march in a line with police surrounding them, holding japanese flags and the old WW2 rising sun flag and they follow a truck that is blaring out propaganda and harsh words about America and other foreign countries.
After we left the train station we headed to Sabrage it is a very very very great diner and the head chef is our friend Wataru he is an excellent chef. I recommend his restaurant to anybody who happens to be in Shibuya. It is a little pricey but the dining experience is well worth the money. If you eat anywhere in Shibuya skip all the fast food places around and head for Sabarage. They have a website Http://www.sabrage.jp/ The Menu is different each time but everything they choose is delicious. Wataru and the other chefs at Sabrage not only know how to make food look pretty but they make it extremely delicious also.
the dessert dish was made and designed very quickly. Our friend Sada brought the strawberries from his farm and Wataru designed and made all of this as we ate the main courses. Such a brilliant talented cook he is. I hope he gets that restaurant he wants so much!
Wataru and his wife. Arigatou Gozaimasu Wataru! the meal was delicious and thank you so much for the Gyoza you gave me! also very delicious!
After our fine dining event went headed back to shibuya station, onto a crowded train to shinjuku and I was on a long bus ride back to Nagoya. I miss my friends in Utsunomiya but it is also nice to be back home with Yuki, I missed him very much while he was in Indonesia on business.
Utsunomiya 2/6/2010
I think I want to live i want to live in Utsunomiya in the future. Sure Nagoya is nice and they have Miso Katsu which I love but Utsunomiya has real people here. Everyone in Nagoya is so fake but out here there are country folk and people like you see around south carolina. The homes are old and there is allot of land and the people's size varies in width and height. In Nagoya seeing big people is rare and finding clothes for big people is even rarer, girls i see my size or bigger in Nagoya are wearing clothes too small for them it's sad.
Here though theres stores with sizes big enough for me or bigger and lots of bigger people and the people are so nice too especially satomi and her friends. I felt really happy and a little embarassed even haha when her friends said i was cute and said my weight was fine. Her friend Sada said i would die if i lost anymore weight. I wish other people like Yuki's parents would say the same thing something so simple and so small made me so happy to hear from someone here. It would be nice to hear it everywhere.
Here though theres stores with sizes big enough for me or bigger and lots of bigger people and the people are so nice too especially satomi and her friends. I felt really happy and a little embarassed even haha when her friends said i was cute and said my weight was fine. Her friend Sada said i would die if i lost anymore weight. I wish other people like Yuki's parents would say the same thing something so simple and so small made me so happy to hear from someone here. It would be nice to hear it everywhere.
My Trip to Tokyo and a visit with Satomi 2/3/2010
so satomi got home and we went to pick up her friend Tasuku and Sada, When we got to Sada's house he said some other friends were coming by to say hey this is when I met the most hilarious group of Japanese people ever haha. Yamaki, Kiyo, Rie and her daughter Yuzuki and Hizash or Hisashi? i forgot lol.
Well we stood around for a long time just chattering away and mostly me being ganged up on by people haha calling me cute and trying to speak english to me.
Hizashi said I AM JAPAN haha and Sada started pointing at body parts and calling them parts of japan like his head was hokkaido and part of his stomach was Tochigi haha so I motioned at all of his body and said Nippon Chizu which means japanese map and Sada busted out laughing and high fived me saying VERY GOOD!! They all enjoyed my sense of humor haha they were all like my friends back at home i felt very welcome there.
Well Hizashi was super drunk as was Rie and Kiyo haha. Rie kept hanging on me and everyone else being flirty haha her daughter kept asking me to take her picture she was so cute. Hizashi kept trying to kiss me and kept hugging me asking me to be his lover haha and Kiyo asked to be my friend and that he is learning english and that if I say his name anywhere in Tochigi I can get in haha. Yamaki was a really nice guy and funny haha whenever i talked to Yamaki or Kiyo Hizashi would push them away shouting and would hug me of course they would do the same when he tried to kiss me haha.
We finally went for Karaoke after talking until frozen we had a great time but Hizashi and Rie passed out quickly Yuzuki kept asking me to buy her things haha all kids do that! and guess what im a damn sucker for it too! i bought her two little gacha items she wanted more haha but i had no more coins haha little stinker went into my purse and got my wallet out and handed it to me asking me for another haha.
After Hizashi and Rie had to go home Yamaki came back and we all sang anime songs and other songs really badly haha Sada was really awesome on certain songs though i have video of his best. Of course if you guys know me well you will know that when hyper and having fun i will go absolutely insane and they enjoyed that.
Im pretty sure evertime i heard something about America they were commenting on how crazy we are haha sorry American girls who aren't like me I just set a standard here in Utsunomiya. Luckily they enjoyed my wildness and encouraged it more and they even got just as crazy hahaha. of course the craziest was Sada haha. Of course they are all super crazy in their own way haha Yamaki brought Sada a hentai magazine haha we were all cracking up at it and looking at the nasty sex scenes and talking about perverted things the guys seemed to really enjoy that hahaha my gross sense of humor kicking in. I especially liked how when i said "balls" Tasuku giggled like a girl and said "baaaalllsss"
Yamaki was super sweet and hilarious. He seemed particularly attached to me because of our similar interests in Anime, he chose allot of songs we could sing to from Anime together Tasuku picked a great song from Evangelion i love and we sang it pretty good i think. I wish we had that on video.
We went out for Ramen after Karaoke it was yuuum and as we did at every stop we went to we stood in the parking lot for an hour chatting and acting like idiots. around 4:30 am we had to all get going because Yamaki had work at 5 am haha poor guy. He was acting silly though since we got to the ramen shop haha said he was my Escort and opened my door saying stuff in japanese like douzo douzo douzo haha and pushing the guys away from me like a body guard leading a celebrity somewhere haha but he totally gave me and Satomi awesome gifts! i was really shocked and happy I go a figurine of Ranka fromＭａｃｒｏｓｓＦｒｏｎｔｉｅｒ and Satomi got a big Tony Tony Chopper figurine we have been trying to win at the One Piece Lottery they have at Mini Stop where Yamaki works. haha I only won a folder and pen and a tony tony chopper sanitary wipe container but Satomi was super happy I think. She adores Chopper he's so cute, I'll take a pick of it.
NEXT is Nikko! Tasuku is gonna try and come with us! I wonder if Sada can come too? wish Yamaki could go too! i wish we lived closer to them! i love Utsunomiya!!
Pictures taken in Shibuya and purikura!
Purikura with Satomi!
Me and Yuki in front of the famous Hachiko Statue at Shibuya station.
Satomi and Me in front of Hachiko.
Well we stood around for a long time just chattering away and mostly me being ganged up on by people haha calling me cute and trying to speak english to me.
Hizashi said I AM JAPAN haha and Sada started pointing at body parts and calling them parts of japan like his head was hokkaido and part of his stomach was Tochigi haha so I motioned at all of his body and said Nippon Chizu which means japanese map and Sada busted out laughing and high fived me saying VERY GOOD!! They all enjoyed my sense of humor haha they were all like my friends back at home i felt very welcome there.
Well Hizashi was super drunk as was Rie and Kiyo haha. Rie kept hanging on me and everyone else being flirty haha her daughter kept asking me to take her picture she was so cute. Hizashi kept trying to kiss me and kept hugging me asking me to be his lover haha and Kiyo asked to be my friend and that he is learning english and that if I say his name anywhere in Tochigi I can get in haha. Yamaki was a really nice guy and funny haha whenever i talked to Yamaki or Kiyo Hizashi would push them away shouting and would hug me of course they would do the same when he tried to kiss me haha.
We finally went for Karaoke after talking until frozen we had a great time but Hizashi and Rie passed out quickly Yuzuki kept asking me to buy her things haha all kids do that! and guess what im a damn sucker for it too! i bought her two little gacha items she wanted more haha but i had no more coins haha little stinker went into my purse and got my wallet out and handed it to me asking me for another haha.
After Hizashi and Rie had to go home Yamaki came back and we all sang anime songs and other songs really badly haha Sada was really awesome on certain songs though i have video of his best. Of course if you guys know me well you will know that when hyper and having fun i will go absolutely insane and they enjoyed that.
Im pretty sure evertime i heard something about America they were commenting on how crazy we are haha sorry American girls who aren't like me I just set a standard here in Utsunomiya. Luckily they enjoyed my wildness and encouraged it more and they even got just as crazy hahaha. of course the craziest was Sada haha. Of course they are all super crazy in their own way haha Yamaki brought Sada a hentai magazine haha we were all cracking up at it and looking at the nasty sex scenes and talking about perverted things the guys seemed to really enjoy that hahaha my gross sense of humor kicking in. I especially liked how when i said "balls" Tasuku giggled like a girl and said "baaaalllsss"
Yamaki was super sweet and hilarious. He seemed particularly attached to me because of our similar interests in Anime, he chose allot of songs we could sing to from Anime together Tasuku picked a great song from Evangelion i love and we sang it pretty good i think. I wish we had that on video.
We went out for Ramen after Karaoke it was yuuum and as we did at every stop we went to we stood in the parking lot for an hour chatting and acting like idiots. around 4:30 am we had to all get going because Yamaki had work at 5 am haha poor guy. He was acting silly though since we got to the ramen shop haha said he was my Escort and opened my door saying stuff in japanese like douzo douzo douzo haha and pushing the guys away from me like a body guard leading a celebrity somewhere haha but he totally gave me and Satomi awesome gifts! i was really shocked and happy I go a figurine of Ranka fromＭａｃｒｏｓｓＦｒｏｎｔｉｅｒ and Satomi got a big Tony Tony Chopper figurine we have been trying to win at the One Piece Lottery they have at Mini Stop where Yamaki works. haha I only won a folder and pen and a tony tony chopper sanitary wipe container but Satomi was super happy I think. She adores Chopper he's so cute, I'll take a pick of it.
NEXT is Nikko! Tasuku is gonna try and come with us! I wonder if Sada can come too? wish Yamaki could go too! i wish we lived closer to them! i love Utsunomiya!!
Pictures taken in Shibuya and purikura!
Purikura with Satomi!
Me and Yuki in front of the famous Hachiko Statue at Shibuya station.
Satomi and Me in front of Hachiko.
Obaasan 1/21/2010
So I was on my way home from Japanese classes and I got to the cross walk in front of a Circle K waiting for the light to change. Next to me is an old lady with a small radio, groceries and her little purse. I start hearing her talk and i here Shiro shiro shiro allot and some other japanese words, I turn and look at her and she is walking straight towards me smiling. I believe she was calling me white girl. She basically latched onto my arm and crossed the street with me talking in really fast Japanese.
Naturally I couldn't understand most of what she was saying I told her in the best Japanese i could that I only spoke a little japanese and that I was still learning. Well she continued to talk anyway.
She kept grabbing my hands calling me "kirei kirei kirei" calling me pretty and asked if i was from America and i told her yes and she said "ureshi! ureshi!!" Happy happy!
She continued to talk, she asked me my name I said Sarah and she said Toki. She asked me my age I told her 23 and she told me 80 haha and that she was an Obaachan (old lady, grandma) this woman sure can get around at 80. Her poor hands seemed crippled from hard work and probably arthritis she kept smiling at me sweetly and talking about America and saying kirei and ureshi.
After awhile we reached her street and she asked me how far I live and i said just a little further and she repeated back in japanese. She told me bye bye and waved smiling and telling me "arigatou gozaimasu" and grabbing my hands and clinging to me saying ureshi ureshi and continued to say this as she walked home.
Needless to say this woman totally made my day awesome. I hope I see her again with Yuki so he can translate haha. Japanese people aren't usually this willing to jump out and talk to foreigners or even other strangers much less grab on to them and touch them allot haha.
so yeah what a cute old lady!
Naturally I couldn't understand most of what she was saying I told her in the best Japanese i could that I only spoke a little japanese and that I was still learning. Well she continued to talk anyway.
She kept grabbing my hands calling me "kirei kirei kirei" calling me pretty and asked if i was from America and i told her yes and she said "ureshi! ureshi!!" Happy happy!
She continued to talk, she asked me my name I said Sarah and she said Toki. She asked me my age I told her 23 and she told me 80 haha and that she was an Obaachan (old lady, grandma) this woman sure can get around at 80. Her poor hands seemed crippled from hard work and probably arthritis she kept smiling at me sweetly and talking about America and saying kirei and ureshi.
After awhile we reached her street and she asked me how far I live and i said just a little further and she repeated back in japanese. She told me bye bye and waved smiling and telling me "arigatou gozaimasu" and grabbing my hands and clinging to me saying ureshi ureshi and continued to say this as she walked home.
Needless to say this woman totally made my day awesome. I hope I see her again with Yuki so he can translate haha. Japanese people aren't usually this willing to jump out and talk to foreigners or even other strangers much less grab on to them and touch them allot haha.
so yeah what a cute old lady!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Irrashaimase
Well I guess I should Introduce myself. My name is Sarah and I live in Japan. Kasugai to be exact. A city in Aichi prefecture close to Nagoya city.
My adventure began here with JapanCupid.com I met an amazing person on this Japanese dating site named Yuki. I am now engaged to him and am in the process of moving here to Kasugai where we share a small but cozy apartment.
We met online and had an Internet relationship for nearly a whole year. Yuki saved up the money to come visit me for New Years of 2009. I only had him for 4 days but they were some of the best days I ever had and knew from the moment he arrived in the airport in Greenville, SC that I would have many many more wonderful days with him.
I in turn came to visit him for a whole month in may of 2009 I had allot of fun but there was also some stress as his parents did not seem to agree with our relationship. Things are still rocky now but they are allot better than they were before. We can't all expect our In-Laws to be wonderful at first I suppose.
After 6 months passed I have come back to Japan where we live now. I arrived here December 30th 2010 and will remain here until June 20 2010 to continue preparations of our marriage and my move here to Japan.
I spend my days here keeping our home clean, cooking meals for my Fiancee, going to Japanese classes on the weekends and spending time eating at nice restaurants, seeing the sites and getting to know Japan.
well thats all for now! Keep reading for more updates. Tomorrow I will begin posting a few of the stories and I will date them too since they are not recent stories.
My adventure began here with JapanCupid.com I met an amazing person on this Japanese dating site named Yuki. I am now engaged to him and am in the process of moving here to Kasugai where we share a small but cozy apartment.
We met online and had an Internet relationship for nearly a whole year. Yuki saved up the money to come visit me for New Years of 2009. I only had him for 4 days but they were some of the best days I ever had and knew from the moment he arrived in the airport in Greenville, SC that I would have many many more wonderful days with him.
I in turn came to visit him for a whole month in may of 2009 I had allot of fun but there was also some stress as his parents did not seem to agree with our relationship. Things are still rocky now but they are allot better than they were before. We can't all expect our In-Laws to be wonderful at first I suppose.
After 6 months passed I have come back to Japan where we live now. I arrived here December 30th 2010 and will remain here until June 20 2010 to continue preparations of our marriage and my move here to Japan.
I spend my days here keeping our home clean, cooking meals for my Fiancee, going to Japanese classes on the weekends and spending time eating at nice restaurants, seeing the sites and getting to know Japan.
well thats all for now! Keep reading for more updates. Tomorrow I will begin posting a few of the stories and I will date them too since they are not recent stories.
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