tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45625649378754664882024-03-13T02:56:43.060-07:00元気+Life of a girl traveling the worldSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-68427795772309163302013-11-29T21:10:00.001-08:002013-11-29T21:10:01.427-08:00Hong Kong part IStarted my Asia tour in Hong Kong, at a hostel in wan chai, near the business district. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfmgbV09J7rS3ngeGVvveLNO-c7TJr2nvbu0Zlv8LYPerZxfi0fv9TJHOARXifQHmFBynHLSUv1qo7XAjlaA8QcKPxeboz3iO1C8bgaMu5t3J09WKCVOvMRXHPqoLL4YA2L5noyq9pqc/s640/blogger-image-1768412640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfmgbV09J7rS3ngeGVvveLNO-c7TJr2nvbu0Zlv8LYPerZxfi0fv9TJHOARXifQHmFBynHLSUv1qo7XAjlaA8QcKPxeboz3iO1C8bgaMu5t3J09WKCVOvMRXHPqoLL4YA2L5noyq9pqc/s640/blogger-image-1768412640.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The hostel was on Hennessey Rd, which is a massive road filled with buses. The area is a little dirty but right next to the flashy business district of Central.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2poCd9OUIV-Oc32fqyhO6eYL6z6MCF-QqqGoiCm3R7aHLZ5aZGdi_BAwBCAah1WJsySxbWxoQb4gKBZKlWHmyvUfAb8C4ZPeGlzRB12ZHO8d6Ei6XhWZ_HaqtmFoP8VQzb0x9Jt3Uyp4/s640/blogger-image-925313677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2poCd9OUIV-Oc32fqyhO6eYL6z6MCF-QqqGoiCm3R7aHLZ5aZGdi_BAwBCAah1WJsySxbWxoQb4gKBZKlWHmyvUfAb8C4ZPeGlzRB12ZHO8d6Ei6XhWZ_HaqtmFoP8VQzb0x9Jt3Uyp4/s640/blogger-image-925313677.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was really tired the first day, because my flight was at 1am. I checked into my hostel, got some coffee, and went to the Peak because it was close. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsje44sBeNPJMphvlonFYRXjoVigKXl0M15qUZDJK3KCI4ur1lAzYf-jMtO0TCGm258HePvo4SMooXtph5s3oGNYFCyTR8HG1-1do98XKrzeJ76HM7F0AqUdhqwcWeC9LvWw_goWLoQiE/s640/blogger-image--1781566560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsje44sBeNPJMphvlonFYRXjoVigKXl0M15qUZDJK3KCI4ur1lAzYf-jMtO0TCGm258HePvo4SMooXtph5s3oGNYFCyTR8HG1-1do98XKrzeJ76HM7F0AqUdhqwcWeC9LvWw_goWLoQiE/s640/blogger-image--1781566560.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I took the tram up, and had to wait in a long line. It was cool though, the view from the top was nice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRVTdiEP5UQThQBBCR7LL2CobbUVBMBh8MUo9Fo8wsSgtH4PqdI-5T0Ou23YDKEJ15xyVeQcEwK_XFWdVed3iF8352-T5vvK22d4evaRXE9U0ojAJO5oq0UQ7CFzbgfjZ-2IjocsdTqY/s640/blogger-image-1473496135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRVTdiEP5UQThQBBCR7LL2CobbUVBMBh8MUo9Fo8wsSgtH4PqdI-5T0Ou23YDKEJ15xyVeQcEwK_XFWdVed3iF8352-T5vvK22d4evaRXE9U0ojAJO5oq0UQ7CFzbgfjZ-2IjocsdTqY/s640/blogger-image-1473496135.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hong Kong is really smoggy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjWRSXtAW0SqDYhBi2R-urDo0GEw8gLeMtRSSsvDnzPMdykwynf_Q4nftWq8h3gh5UqX33i6EoMEF0XWZyy_HuyfjZ5RX_V9F45Cbg153468Cr32Sbz-7-gqRveNIGMbtXJJx8Nd68xM/s640/blogger-image--322285168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjWRSXtAW0SqDYhBi2R-urDo0GEw8gLeMtRSSsvDnzPMdykwynf_Q4nftWq8h3gh5UqX33i6EoMEF0XWZyy_HuyfjZ5RX_V9F45Cbg153468Cr32Sbz-7-gqRveNIGMbtXJJx8Nd68xM/s640/blogger-image--322285168.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Photo op where I had to do a selfie. People here don't offer to take your picture like in Japan! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After that, I went to see the second Hunger Games movie. At the time I thought it was around the same price as a movie in Tokyo, but after I figured out the conversion it turned out to be only around 10 bucks. The theater sold wine at the concession stand, but I didn't get any because I was so tired and had no idea what it cost in real money. </div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-4932618646627751952013-10-17T07:26:00.001-07:002013-10-17T07:26:07.699-07:00Mt TakaoRecently some friends and I went to Mt Takao, a small but pretty mountain in the south of Tokyo. Every summer it has a beer garden at the summit, so we wanted to go before it closed. I went twice last year and it was super fun, and this time was no different! <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1ndaw15THh0lnUrJw9Pxw-gAtZJe17xQ5vTV6Nx08CX8t5qLyKqmYaX0YKWoxHCYxHAey414MMilMUtByQa0Ja-0WZKZNW4MWB8CYfhWLRLdwTqPEPwzaRJlqjxCJzcqkxmfoHxJi2I/s640/blogger-image--1102179886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1ndaw15THh0lnUrJw9Pxw-gAtZJe17xQ5vTV6Nx08CX8t5qLyKqmYaX0YKWoxHCYxHAey414MMilMUtByQa0Ja-0WZKZNW4MWB8CYfhWLRLdwTqPEPwzaRJlqjxCJzcqkxmfoHxJi2I/s640/blogger-image--1102179886.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We took the long route up, so it took us about an hour and a half to hike to the summit. There's a paved route to the top that takes about 45 min, but it's not as pretty! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xjuiplYqAPwxU6oyGKyLowxwFghnZyMc8WwVC00sTft8clKk4FcUDJjeI17frkVASHfWwYRJW7Voo1Yk9ZOXuM-CoDok7ccajS387_Dnct0QR_gHWu5_kgMdKTIKE3cA_5OxCM_8txY/s640/blogger-image--1882751199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xjuiplYqAPwxU6oyGKyLowxwFghnZyMc8WwVC00sTft8clKk4FcUDJjeI17frkVASHfWwYRJW7Voo1Yk9ZOXuM-CoDok7ccajS387_Dnct0QR_gHWu5_kgMdKTIKE3cA_5OxCM_8txY/s640/blogger-image--1882751199.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A stream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qfrZhxejETwvIJdmbGztIYEnOYsSdpRXlAuH8NoQF00uglBGf5nw8VcaVSBZ7HQ3hwlnIYOOU86gpihOXvOylMyLnNgb2Pcm0YBf2N8PMSjnEQPuiCAZojfY2lYgcNJt3jjNeuvtroE/s640/blogger-image--977472401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qfrZhxejETwvIJdmbGztIYEnOYsSdpRXlAuH8NoQF00uglBGf5nw8VcaVSBZ7HQ3hwlnIYOOU86gpihOXvOylMyLnNgb2Pcm0YBf2N8PMSjnEQPuiCAZojfY2lYgcNJt3jjNeuvtroE/s640/blogger-image--977472401.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A mini shrine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwXoGLOcVxlRNjsKyXGzSuCerLi9IxOuRZvCQ1XgdepDOqonnC-4-iSZoGmhkCSmsCBE-BAaRbhfB5MNeI-2F1mr2bYM3Hdn3YbqjqY_obE3nbJFtfK1BaUEcxY8Y8oTAgHNu42bbvBc/s640/blogger-image-801045261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwXoGLOcVxlRNjsKyXGzSuCerLi9IxOuRZvCQ1XgdepDOqonnC-4-iSZoGmhkCSmsCBE-BAaRbhfB5MNeI-2F1mr2bYM3Hdn3YbqjqY_obE3nbJFtfK1BaUEcxY8Y8oTAgHNu42bbvBc/s640/blogger-image-801045261.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A wood bridge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxYSWCARV8UZmt4xs_orpBesDsX5VHLPim99C9CRYhqnL0N3BV6_n5PRWqGHWiksyhyuRWarHpJP3Rz_CgfIkcbkHzJP4sYWwz4ZBn08fqJunz7AGAhnvHwTjj0GrqQoaLZrQVUyLbA4/s640/blogger-image--360095026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxYSWCARV8UZmt4xs_orpBesDsX5VHLPim99C9CRYhqnL0N3BV6_n5PRWqGHWiksyhyuRWarHpJP3Rz_CgfIkcbkHzJP4sYWwz4ZBn08fqJunz7AGAhnvHwTjj0GrqQoaLZrQVUyLbA4/s640/blogger-image--360095026.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm working on my selfie skills, lol</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tZZoBJ91OjDaaRH9Xu8t9lppx84yEj7ZyhKqtevAenPD-osgq_mAE6JYQE-MWXnt46iTNgacMJU6UFZlHu0_2KbbH71R7WSNCpw0EJG3v6GwqTpnwO4xz2XL1219EWI_pB_5Zcu0T8M/s640/blogger-image--1166553857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tZZoBJ91OjDaaRH9Xu8t9lppx84yEj7ZyhKqtevAenPD-osgq_mAE6JYQE-MWXnt46iTNgacMJU6UFZlHu0_2KbbH71R7WSNCpw0EJG3v6GwqTpnwO4xz2XL1219EWI_pB_5Zcu0T8M/s640/blogger-image--1166553857.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Nice view</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGU_F8GhcwQluFHGkm3-VSxvr0OIRcwkF4xcPPButnKVFr8LMNcf4IPwLNMG5f8CJMDv4MZEoZ8YA8eX_lUhCEfA_NBDV6Y_niNaluYgyJKMdnp4giyHCavpNdS3RmcgqqS-rn3cAHFw/s640/blogger-image-1933627691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGU_F8GhcwQluFHGkm3-VSxvr0OIRcwkF4xcPPButnKVFr8LMNcf4IPwLNMG5f8CJMDv4MZEoZ8YA8eX_lUhCEfA_NBDV6Y_niNaluYgyJKMdnp4giyHCavpNdS3RmcgqqS-rn3cAHFw/s640/blogger-image-1933627691.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This guy is a tengu. Tengu are kind of like spirits who live in the woods. The shrine at the top of Takao has lots of tengu imagery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVLVNtMhDV5w4wxLbMnxxU0WnrdJ-9_3I5mTUuw_o15KTI4Gxq7A-ag_zod9T8R6nk_zdxZ74AoxmDkihy0sfpr5MKDvOSHAWp1UVpiqevOHl3NInx-Zt4nBupxf0jGkURI97usbwZGw/s640/blogger-image--1617552050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVLVNtMhDV5w4wxLbMnxxU0WnrdJ-9_3I5mTUuw_o15KTI4Gxq7A-ag_zod9T8R6nk_zdxZ74AoxmDkihy0sfpr5MKDvOSHAWp1UVpiqevOHl3NInx-Zt4nBupxf0jGkURI97usbwZGw/s640/blogger-image--1617552050.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This one had a dragonfly perched on the end of his sword.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirGhX7jdv_iiAH93rWRxMI8uknmrbCz7zEOXFvQA72STFbjxXBjQ-b6iAYjKHUZ0OO8ZNysSGkGuW66NdMwuqRgD-MFK1Rpl5AVYY_ZKf38uJJUq4cUFgTS5x4bEyUqATRrfft5bAJ7A/s640/blogger-image-513299466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirGhX7jdv_iiAH93rWRxMI8uknmrbCz7zEOXFvQA72STFbjxXBjQ-b6iAYjKHUZ0OO8ZNysSGkGuW66NdMwuqRgD-MFK1Rpl5AVYY_ZKf38uJJUq4cUFgTS5x4bEyUqATRrfft5bAJ7A/s640/blogger-image-513299466.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Views!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzBtY4owWAzV_vzMGdMVdduuzFSj-GflSQ_Ms0oxZBWO5x_QE-A9qRq9oFRMHSjiEJ5a27mhJVEBWcnPTPAIKBewBA54EZ2epB2jpmzYBz6iUaPN4IEq8lfoeJgLuNBOWeUuUhTS6vkc/s640/blogger-image--61301091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzBtY4owWAzV_vzMGdMVdduuzFSj-GflSQ_Ms0oxZBWO5x_QE-A9qRq9oFRMHSjiEJ5a27mhJVEBWcnPTPAIKBewBA54EZ2epB2jpmzYBz6iUaPN4IEq8lfoeJgLuNBOWeUuUhTS6vkc/s640/blogger-image--61301091.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Views and a successful selfie!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway we had a great time hiking up, then we had a great time at the beer garden! It's a great beer garden, it's two hours all you can eat and drink, and you don't feel too guilty about it because you just hiked up a mountain to get there, haha. I'm glad we got a chance to go again before it closed!</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-54413751049406402972013-09-23T05:01:00.001-07:002013-09-23T05:01:46.843-07:00Art Aquarium TokyoI went to an art exhibit in Nihonbashi today. It was the last day, so it was crazy crowded. We had to wait in line for 90 minutes! It was like Disneyland or something, but at the end of the line wasn't a ride but an exhibition of goldfish. It was really cool tho! <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5aTKHJs9ybHZmKsSi1BPYvff4LPkTDwObnzcwf-cO0caxfoNNuGMkZrZzCNwOREA8TcJYQTSN_dhD_l_MUygqIGrJN7Cl5syyU4ufJCjft0vCfatQvIQ0lz8n7EdH6YyXIDnttPfZqU/s640/blogger-image-1192776400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5aTKHJs9ybHZmKsSi1BPYvff4LPkTDwObnzcwf-cO0caxfoNNuGMkZrZzCNwOREA8TcJYQTSN_dhD_l_MUygqIGrJN7Cl5syyU4ufJCjft0vCfatQvIQ0lz8n7EdH6YyXIDnttPfZqU/s640/blogger-image-1192776400.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Goldfish chilling on a pedestal. There were a bunch of these bowls, each with a different variety of goldfish inside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcObpej2Qu_GXhNmgNBr4GXSAaxglT4zUOziAgzLI7t8Z9V87uaWtdYW7ELOcH7dsVVgM0YJL9-xTkFy15fCkYfDg8HEki5a_Roln_dFTJRvzpvuCSi1XcWX3MvHkixCELMK1opb7tPFU/s640/blogger-image--1123769094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcObpej2Qu_GXhNmgNBr4GXSAaxglT4zUOziAgzLI7t8Z9V87uaWtdYW7ELOcH7dsVVgM0YJL9-xTkFy15fCkYfDg8HEki5a_Roln_dFTJRvzpvuCSi1XcWX3MvHkixCELMK1opb7tPFU/s640/blogger-image--1123769094.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJik5AT1kSx0acuiJdmHmfu3oxVYhuHyWb2DudetSQwcx3i2WTjVpMFZqeFziz_sniAE1jMMnVitcMRDa7KC-Y7N7Xy7_NlK3JnGUg7Bwo9B-rwW6QyDHMVn5sGAQTg8ZWjJ5qWFXM_ss/s640/blogger-image--267564000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJik5AT1kSx0acuiJdmHmfu3oxVYhuHyWb2DudetSQwcx3i2WTjVpMFZqeFziz_sniAE1jMMnVitcMRDa7KC-Y7N7Xy7_NlK3JnGUg7Bwo9B-rwW6QyDHMVn5sGAQTg8ZWjJ5qWFXM_ss/s640/blogger-image--267564000.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All the tanks were lit with color changing lights.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNpGijayY6VX1ed-l6V35SpYkYd5KJXCIGnw7uOeR08JfNO6fTgEclitCKstbviJ4QUvhWxxlVYAqUArETSDu5kXsXh4bHA5LyxwE_h10WEhbkSpo2bPQXpFphSi0lNmsfWRaUnK48WM/s640/blogger-image-121870133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNpGijayY6VX1ed-l6V35SpYkYd5KJXCIGnw7uOeR08JfNO6fTgEclitCKstbviJ4QUvhWxxlVYAqUArETSDu5kXsXh4bHA5LyxwE_h10WEhbkSpo2bPQXpFphSi0lNmsfWRaUnK48WM/s640/blogger-image-121870133.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Giant goldfish jewel tank.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0H6Lg8M_JFnmYyy5wlkZXPaA7LHtv_jJiPcTDnEtffLvC-eeh8iJrfyLvwpFZ5UaNDyduuTOtjO7Ie5OMP7XP-htt_rRknNILwgPzQkDuh7gNzGNrj0CRrXLD9fAOnOdNIA-mFv41ojo/s640/blogger-image-309889733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0H6Lg8M_JFnmYyy5wlkZXPaA7LHtv_jJiPcTDnEtffLvC-eeh8iJrfyLvwpFZ5UaNDyduuTOtjO7Ie5OMP7XP-htt_rRknNILwgPzQkDuh7gNzGNrj0CRrXLD9fAOnOdNIA-mFv41ojo/s640/blogger-image-309889733.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Crazy eyes goldfish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVUciWv_6x8rVQ2tNkqUff0D2yHZ43izVOSix3Rl9OSap3zHUM68EOHHzq7hmUNkxk6uCLD7pePojgVEGZg3a9NmyoGpuCHyhabO-q7M8C3ok4YIP1oWQRLXT9fbCrb8OHOjzzLDI8vA/s640/blogger-image--2009285229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVUciWv_6x8rVQ2tNkqUff0D2yHZ43izVOSix3Rl9OSap3zHUM68EOHHzq7hmUNkxk6uCLD7pePojgVEGZg3a9NmyoGpuCHyhabO-q7M8C3ok4YIP1oWQRLXT9fbCrb8OHOjzzLDI8vA/s640/blogger-image--2009285229.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Black goldfish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmunjvXxUJFRHegqgmGZNKkGrnT9NvAG2DID3e3K7SxbZiASECQGc7lxP38x29ctG9Q-WSg8c1qr_tnIjGz9dZPUHJgjIdXRgff_WlrMD54jJpIqEsqIR8OYcYw-3tprfLWtr7K0T0D8o/s640/blogger-image--881249214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmunjvXxUJFRHegqgmGZNKkGrnT9NvAG2DID3e3K7SxbZiASECQGc7lxP38x29ctG9Q-WSg8c1qr_tnIjGz9dZPUHJgjIdXRgff_WlrMD54jJpIqEsqIR8OYcYw-3tprfLWtr7K0T0D8o/s640/blogger-image--881249214.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Goldfish art.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimu7Yp4cV25XaVNh7v-D7Sw04rzrzjORsaOP6_B_sXv3uJU2Rp7VyLRPQ1NlQoG4C6z27ZtbklNuBUu5yfqTfXl212obfF6_Xd1M5xJ5TlArSDgvq8_CXHih6y3px-FpFBWYWbw4SvnRU/s640/blogger-image--828482962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimu7Yp4cV25XaVNh7v-D7Sw04rzrzjORsaOP6_B_sXv3uJU2Rp7VyLRPQ1NlQoG4C6z27ZtbklNuBUu5yfqTfXl212obfF6_Xd1M5xJ5TlArSDgvq8_CXHih6y3px-FpFBWYWbw4SvnRU/s640/blogger-image--828482962.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Awesome tank pyramid.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PvRQ8HENtyA36oFFB1b3p-JEjmuj5A5SjWARFJ9Ru5cK8rSzKyQi0JIXeyvH0VfYovzJJopraAxDIufDHgOYTLLRglctiKQyOkoVIes8ZwFBMLzniZNMMeriIL5QWMCyyN8nqGYFiXU/s640/blogger-image-242332112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PvRQ8HENtyA36oFFB1b3p-JEjmuj5A5SjWARFJ9Ru5cK8rSzKyQi0JIXeyvH0VfYovzJJopraAxDIufDHgOYTLLRglctiKQyOkoVIes8ZwFBMLzniZNMMeriIL5QWMCyyN8nqGYFiXU/s640/blogger-image-242332112.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There were all these goldfish portholes in the walls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKWdfFoYWUvq2aDtgI37QD6SKv7PxOATW4Dp1TcmfJvuiVdYpAU9Y8-20-FcHdJMe8tCWGrbhFa0WmJPJ8fNMx4N4IO17RyhsTmJVdKGLzBX0ooVBYHJnrZVMy0oQrfoKTCxqktk-tJo/s640/blogger-image-2007861065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKWdfFoYWUvq2aDtgI37QD6SKv7PxOATW4Dp1TcmfJvuiVdYpAU9Y8-20-FcHdJMe8tCWGrbhFa0WmJPJ8fNMx4N4IO17RyhsTmJVdKGLzBX0ooVBYHJnrZVMy0oQrfoKTCxqktk-tJo/s640/blogger-image-2007861065.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3PC-Rzx2eIdEdk8b9RO-gghr5pnEEy6V2jfkyPDHylTmP6A10Obzfoy4xtWRCJwTT5TGGoYabheWC65_n4PYrKFvj5bSyqM7FbBW2Qg2x3ze6nktqjgHdYBOUuZ41bJFnuc0nzWEMi8/s640/blogger-image--2075425344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3PC-Rzx2eIdEdk8b9RO-gghr5pnEEy6V2jfkyPDHylTmP6A10Obzfoy4xtWRCJwTT5TGGoYabheWC65_n4PYrKFvj5bSyqM7FbBW2Qg2x3ze6nktqjgHdYBOUuZ41bJFnuc0nzWEMi8/s640/blogger-image--2075425344.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQReqhSLvYmNUpaP2Qud3ALIKggtqUDdSjifzYw61uSjh0kNGgYWfR_BBznAw1P6swF37GW7Jl9dE1aiWmkshuAGJj66PWDqpbuwd1sgb4P0ut_e7WlHDaYaPUEhPQZd_ZTBVLMbIX0PM/s640/blogger-image--1255360576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQReqhSLvYmNUpaP2Qud3ALIKggtqUDdSjifzYw61uSjh0kNGgYWfR_BBznAw1P6swF37GW7Jl9dE1aiWmkshuAGJj66PWDqpbuwd1sgb4P0ut_e7WlHDaYaPUEhPQZd_ZTBVLMbIX0PM/s640/blogger-image--1255360576.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There was a projection of Japanese scenery through the four seasons behind these tanks. All in all it was a pretty cool exhibition and I'm glad I got to see it, although I've learned my lesson about visiting on the last day! </div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-81527070549299488232013-09-10T19:47:00.001-07:002013-09-10T19:47:26.859-07:00Mt FujiLast weekend I finally climbed Mt Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain! I've been wanting to do it since last summer, so I'm really glad I got the chance to before leaving Japan. Fuji recently became a World Heritage site, so I'd heard that we would have to pay ¥1000 to climb it, but actually we didn't have to. Maybe because we climbed outside of the official hiking season? Anyway, it was an amazing experience! <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMTnwvzCVmAN4izXCPm3DaQG90X-tDM1NB8Ech595PJRRuPLvVVadXudQBlkI7longdvbiyle3Ld_309-1sUAmR-tZBH-Qb_-hw9GJ60DLQoshJ_lqosICrL0xANFwGJBVgGFPciLAwA/s640/blogger-image--557745718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMTnwvzCVmAN4izXCPm3DaQG90X-tDM1NB8Ech595PJRRuPLvVVadXudQBlkI7longdvbiyle3Ld_309-1sUAmR-tZBH-Qb_-hw9GJ60DLQoshJ_lqosICrL0xANFwGJBVgGFPciLAwA/s640/blogger-image--557745718.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">At Kawaguchiko station, I picked up an extra liter of water for the trek, and I was glad I had on the way up. There are stations along the way up the mountain where you can buy supplies and even sleep for a few hours, but the prices steadily rise the further up you go. By the 8th station Snickers bars were ¥300, and 500ml of water was ¥500! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9Fe-MK8TebnhntdmktlHxk_tAHD5XE5ik5LRogdPF9gh2z2onPOo-f4P_oCIn5bOdRsFASui8ISyH_gLwjFgP3FD0h1SIyS9a9XlVW2pXGCFQ8V810pRPfohkdzZdKALfAVTSTA5tOc/s640/blogger-image-490638285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9Fe-MK8TebnhntdmktlHxk_tAHD5XE5ik5LRogdPF9gh2z2onPOo-f4P_oCIn5bOdRsFASui8ISyH_gLwjFgP3FD0h1SIyS9a9XlVW2pXGCFQ8V810pRPfohkdzZdKALfAVTSTA5tOc/s640/blogger-image-490638285.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here I am at 3100 meters! By this point it was pretty cold so I had my down jacket on, but I had taken off my hat because the exertion was making me hot. By the 8th station it was crazy cold though, and my hand holding my walking stick was frozen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT74NCc-xDpJb42Fmt5itwo9tJzIFmTf6O4avJeaRWGZoYOHsnRw5z7GBZhoczFGn6fzetXE73OHOxY8yU5E7inW8EBVgOsVcMyxM7M6B2c-Ozy7oXUAX0UVBH3gk3N4oEAsyCBeNsxsI/s640/blogger-image--1382266114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT74NCc-xDpJb42Fmt5itwo9tJzIFmTf6O4avJeaRWGZoYOHsnRw5z7GBZhoczFGn6fzetXE73OHOxY8yU5E7inW8EBVgOsVcMyxM7M6B2c-Ozy7oXUAX0UVBH3gk3N4oEAsyCBeNsxsI/s640/blogger-image--1382266114.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When we finally summitted, it was about 4am and pitch black and freezing cold! We took refuge in a little restaurant/rest stop on the top and took a little nap.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6xog4XLkVCgBCk6whwK1I9-Ie9A8qUB1Bs9nmkpCkPGVj45a5L9Xw7A2RE9DtvQ-6KoYOAFdG6nRhm3nHzVEYq1ZBb-1O0cWkD9fNJYmCyE9fRH2aBLUKV0NbJX97uTK7H8P5C9T4gc/s640/blogger-image--843019201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6xog4XLkVCgBCk6whwK1I9-Ie9A8qUB1Bs9nmkpCkPGVj45a5L9Xw7A2RE9DtvQ-6KoYOAFdG6nRhm3nHzVEYq1ZBb-1O0cWkD9fNJYmCyE9fRH2aBLUKV0NbJX97uTK7H8P5C9T4gc/s640/blogger-image--843019201.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">At 5am we ventured outside to take a few pictures of the sunrise just beginning, then hustled it back inside because it was seriously freezing. I'm surprised I could even get a decent picture because I was shivering so hard!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCPntrh7-s2tWqQfoNXxrAsHMkTmkmBYgQv0pfFN14vjZtgexwt-1kk9rbkJQCwBXKSbyeKHF_N0EsxsE3BDrizUvq2oELfUz_552X0C6T647oaLtGLSFoYwLEm4yv3kqEPjtPbc-emw/s640/blogger-image--1449524857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCPntrh7-s2tWqQfoNXxrAsHMkTmkmBYgQv0pfFN14vjZtgexwt-1kk9rbkJQCwBXKSbyeKHF_N0EsxsE3BDrizUvq2oELfUz_552X0C6T647oaLtGLSFoYwLEm4yv3kqEPjtPbc-emw/s640/blogger-image--1449524857.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then when the sun started to come up it warmed up a little, but was still really cold. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBaRbzYcN6u9cH5gOPKoKzfuUrMh7y5aFh9N9AOV9EIw0-2jZDGKO4K2VWuvfTxgYJ0toh6E8Kdt7aTmZyuBu0NylGW2h_rFX_3rRouBcGaWRfqqreaH3JbkQh1pmJi4RNpye5uIIFjM/s640/blogger-image--310273534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBaRbzYcN6u9cH5gOPKoKzfuUrMh7y5aFh9N9AOV9EIw0-2jZDGKO4K2VWuvfTxgYJ0toh6E8Kdt7aTmZyuBu0NylGW2h_rFX_3rRouBcGaWRfqqreaH3JbkQh1pmJi4RNpye5uIIFjM/s640/blogger-image--310273534.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The sky got steadily brighter, although unfortunately the sun itself was coming up under a cloud! It was still an amazing sight, though! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZATas7NcBVIGmVgIzxSyAKdMLVyPcj9gZvH_DpZPbrFaxKKQmnz9nfvl0dngV_NA7B_gv06oeJa5feQtDDCMkPEdN3Z5NN3j6IINXhldOZT4nFK1ULmKu_ADTpdKmL2ZC0g6Zuot9LI/s640/blogger-image-1660198098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZATas7NcBVIGmVgIzxSyAKdMLVyPcj9gZvH_DpZPbrFaxKKQmnz9nfvl0dngV_NA7B_gv06oeJa5feQtDDCMkPEdN3Z5NN3j6IINXhldOZT4nFK1ULmKu_ADTpdKmL2ZC0g6Zuot9LI/s640/blogger-image-1660198098.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The clouds cleared away a bit, and we could properly see the sea of clouds below us. It was so surreal being above the cloud line not in an airplane!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbq0k05v_zw59qjQF5G5G8WkYEvIFIZgy5Q43oVejlSztD-mMQyJBp095RFuYxVtt_yRuWCtnNeGDTgzR6ufPrJ5FCYVQ7LNQOKrfeGy_alztxwipkQT-ZI-s89pA0wHCJnFCeHPJN5Y/s640/blogger-image--908250922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbq0k05v_zw59qjQF5G5G8WkYEvIFIZgy5Q43oVejlSztD-mMQyJBp095RFuYxVtt_yRuWCtnNeGDTgzR6ufPrJ5FCYVQ7LNQOKrfeGy_alztxwipkQT-ZI-s89pA0wHCJnFCeHPJN5Y/s640/blogger-image--908250922.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The horizon cleared and the view was just breathtaking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2RIKp_4_t06WjbSpMaBeBsMYObUXNT-tr0f_sDghzTfnAlaXcy2aN5JwS48VDhOKX0YSAj2aSGLZQS21i6uMzfuacnDCZRRLY5if0i0YRRhS0OWS65myfFx0k6uOL-Q_NAAuqK3y0c8/s640/blogger-image--1948171523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2RIKp_4_t06WjbSpMaBeBsMYObUXNT-tr0f_sDghzTfnAlaXcy2aN5JwS48VDhOKX0YSAj2aSGLZQS21i6uMzfuacnDCZRRLY5if0i0YRRhS0OWS65myfFx0k6uOL-Q_NAAuqK3y0c8/s640/blogger-image--1948171523.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's hard to believe these aren't photoshopped! Nope, that's me, standing at 3776 meters!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_vqIsCNJi-6lizwHFwr6QfNfqcVkx1a94XaMIE4xALUQTktIGbMWnpV2GDlYwcpdYxTHLh6AvMeAPYR4SsqGJsv9KnwdYzF72dvYSQ83iszjUVZK_gN6sYP_zPDzfw31VmqSCeTgPKw/s640/blogger-image-556781265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_vqIsCNJi-6lizwHFwr6QfNfqcVkx1a94XaMIE4xALUQTktIGbMWnpV2GDlYwcpdYxTHLh6AvMeAPYR4SsqGJsv9KnwdYzF72dvYSQ83iszjUVZK_gN6sYP_zPDzfw31VmqSCeTgPKw/s640/blogger-image-556781265.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We made coffee in the bathroom with Nick's portable stove, because it was too windy outside to get it to light and the restaurant we'd been at kicked everyone not buying anything out after the sunrise. Then, after fortifying ourselves with coffee, we started the descent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZ55hqgMgDOWWuNU2ERX3p0eB6Tr00NsrQVl4n-Vqa7OGuFKCmmkO2_693-7b5xvwOzBhL05fN2DhXJJ-acsKdCsYd6xqjHmqn84jrFMDZm14VjparjJkFDFiGBI7XQBXlaazyE4Xl1U/s640/blogger-image-1416278568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZ55hqgMgDOWWuNU2ERX3p0eB6Tr00NsrQVl4n-Vqa7OGuFKCmmkO2_693-7b5xvwOzBhL05fN2DhXJJ-acsKdCsYd6xqjHmqn84jrFMDZm14VjparjJkFDFiGBI7XQBXlaazyE4Xl1U/s640/blogger-image-1416278568.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The first few legs of the descent were incredible. It looked like we were standing on the edge of the world! But then it quickly got monotonous. The trail down is just unending switchbacks of dry, dusty scree that made you slip and slide and get rocks in your shoes. After we entered the cloud layer the trail got easier to walk on and some vegetation started to appear, and when we reached the tree line the walk became a lot more pleasant. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJf9QwxqN4Pq-mOaFh7lJfT_Sdsl6sf2QzUeay6UbkJusiQiDmZq_L_rskkpNgZ96TUtmy8_-d1ytTzWBYtHnhEXXieVoMcwy7Vx8VAL5AtZCcYLlFqYIQLpdbJZPRYLlmx4KB6E72Ys/s640/blogger-image-1617920568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJf9QwxqN4Pq-mOaFh7lJfT_Sdsl6sf2QzUeay6UbkJusiQiDmZq_L_rskkpNgZ96TUtmy8_-d1ytTzWBYtHnhEXXieVoMcwy7Vx8VAL5AtZCcYLlFqYIQLpdbJZPRYLlmx4KB6E72Ys/s640/blogger-image-1617920568.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We finally reached the 5th station where we could catch the bus, and we bought souvenirs before heading out. I got some Fuji cookies for my work, and this Fuji cider for myself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XhYxzBKHQsPCRT7jFW5x6o1TJpWLHTPMm37zdxcLsxF6L3aKtEUuBQLVFeQg7kfacDNSUJFGWtzLUfDsp4RyajfbeCzifBGw70QSX_RQivwaCRnRMQQoFuyMADr14pgOUlFnVYxT9g/s640/blogger-image-1303116663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XhYxzBKHQsPCRT7jFW5x6o1TJpWLHTPMm37zdxcLsxF6L3aKtEUuBQLVFeQg7kfacDNSUJFGWtzLUfDsp4RyajfbeCzifBGw70QSX_RQivwaCRnRMQQoFuyMADr14pgOUlFnVYxT9g/s640/blogger-image-1303116663.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I actually got this little pin on the summit, where they engraved the date on it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Overall, I had a great time and am really glad I did it!</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-79128007924215494382013-09-02T04:08:00.001-07:002013-09-02T04:08:54.754-07:00Going to Fuji<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7T9clx9zMtqMjz7h2_J_7v6dv3eAOSMCfTFxZLhXMCBhj9KRyD-LHhK6p2XSWOksWKB1CzTyvxDWKlOgKtZmo69Qp25ZSH8ONP83j6CrqKeS0MDJIvn42aBLuLPsTHWWdAC_dmQ88NM/s640/blogger-image--524550428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7T9clx9zMtqMjz7h2_J_7v6dv3eAOSMCfTFxZLhXMCBhj9KRyD-LHhK6p2XSWOksWKB1CzTyvxDWKlOgKtZmo69Qp25ZSH8ONP83j6CrqKeS0MDJIvn42aBLuLPsTHWWdAC_dmQ88NM/s640/blogger-image--524550428.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bought my round trip bus ticket to Mt. Fuji today! I'm going with 3 friends next Sunday. We're going to climb overnight and see the sunrise from the top. I'm excited and dreading it at the same time. It's an 8-hour steep hike to the top, but the view is incredible and worth it, according to friends who have already done it. </div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-55373262621823546702013-08-28T18:09:00.001-07:002013-08-28T18:09:33.975-07:00Niijima part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3thYAeXBqqfspiniwIRJAktI5f5IEUMFFvVKORC76cBVPoa103LkeKRteKGA8LQig-bcooxiHKIVk_zMBtydqiywQIH9RO0D-CbGXSu_aDW1RiNbYxuau3TmnCggxu7O6I0wmB5P5qkY/s640/blogger-image--1201604895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3thYAeXBqqfspiniwIRJAktI5f5IEUMFFvVKORC76cBVPoa103LkeKRteKGA8LQig-bcooxiHKIVk_zMBtydqiywQIH9RO0D-CbGXSu_aDW1RiNbYxuau3TmnCggxu7O6I0wmB5P5qkY/s640/blogger-image--1201604895.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here's our tent at the campsite, and our rental bikes. The campsite was full of surfers, and surprisingly multicultural. There were Brazilians, Japanese, British, and Americans. Our bikes were rusty and hard to pedal up the many hills, but that seemed to be the case for every rental bike on the island. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Xiz8xji0bd6weaAF_gmwDqAVypS2zCsii60ujv6B92kbgP4uJzriZzSB4XQrHxVLHGFgspU7G8cxJRw_6unnuWGshjwegI38BeKjfcKJEaiPXESlfee5wwPETcJRtw1fLilx-ZLqNPE/s640/blogger-image-1682229282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Xiz8xji0bd6weaAF_gmwDqAVypS2zCsii60ujv6B92kbgP4uJzriZzSB4XQrHxVLHGFgspU7G8cxJRw_6unnuWGshjwegI38BeKjfcKJEaiPXESlfee5wwPETcJRtw1fLilx-ZLqNPE/s640/blogger-image-1682229282.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We biked around to the other side of the island, and found Maehama beach. The water here was just as turquoise and clear. Maehama doesn't get the big waves that Habushiura does, so this beach had more families relaxing on the white sand and playing in the water. Still nowhere near crowded, though!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-S2MRhlNDkBeZiHpAHPvfMdp774nReJ8hb_EvcNjv1vx3hjEXuwy0r-WzzZAqFX8XTh88VC9ct_GwbnSysgwhwTyB3XzOYenduPAykQCTwCyhUUhErGvHo9mFBBFjzoN0w-OkAKZSXc/s640/blogger-image-1917256398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-S2MRhlNDkBeZiHpAHPvfMdp774nReJ8hb_EvcNjv1vx3hjEXuwy0r-WzzZAqFX8XTh88VC9ct_GwbnSysgwhwTyB3XzOYenduPAykQCTwCyhUUhErGvHo9mFBBFjzoN0w-OkAKZSXc/s640/blogger-image-1917256398.jpg"></a></div><br></div>This was about as crowded as it got. A refreshing change from Tokyo!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3ui60KvV3B5l_hsUgziV_ZCsYVy48zPZUfYv7aJwT2vvfJHCFPQLbeQkJZYk1hz1i3ml3VmAUV8u-zj9jmIoBgIe3I9128ITAQbY9EsS1vqthiZcKnmDRaIZEu8GELp1UPDLZ_ZJ4Yk/s640/blogger-image--716525894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3ui60KvV3B5l_hsUgziV_ZCsYVy48zPZUfYv7aJwT2vvfJHCFPQLbeQkJZYk1hz1i3ml3VmAUV8u-zj9jmIoBgIe3I9128ITAQbY9EsS1vqthiZcKnmDRaIZEu8GELp1UPDLZ_ZJ4Yk/s640/blogger-image--716525894.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We took a stroll along this path running parallel to the beach. It was pretty but really, really hot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfTSJvhET5LoSL7_Xj6TOefU9WvGYdk7Baqb_g951Xi_FYH0zf7D0J7g5T3bCAoAp1psMzXoA7WxjVV6bo_aFwJ13p8p3FPwvpO_472I_fCe1rapPB1Pex8P099oP1pnIwYj21U46eF4/s640/blogger-image--2102602428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfTSJvhET5LoSL7_Xj6TOefU9WvGYdk7Baqb_g951Xi_FYH0zf7D0J7g5T3bCAoAp1psMzXoA7WxjVV6bo_aFwJ13p8p3FPwvpO_472I_fCe1rapPB1Pex8P099oP1pnIwYj21U46eF4/s640/blogger-image--2102602428.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We found this secluded cove, and while it was nice and shady, getting there was a nightmare because the beach changed from soft white sand to little sharp rocks and pebbles. Plus it was burning hot, so we had to walk in the surf at a sloping angle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQ9BTjgczP1zTl6kXTFwmYWcOf2HOJHaVhyphenhyphenPI9duyQX4ku10OH2VnP2Lpu9QFhZ9_KSCKFOz2fHdHnhZWo48AexPO4nvjfwxl7VqJV4JQPwG7LhKXAksJg_FYRS7kYGIz4JV57ACMVs/s640/blogger-image-1908544671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjQ9BTjgczP1zTl6kXTFwmYWcOf2HOJHaVhyphenhyphenPI9duyQX4ku10OH2VnP2Lpu9QFhZ9_KSCKFOz2fHdHnhZWo48AexPO4nvjfwxl7VqJV4JQPwG7LhKXAksJg_FYRS7kYGIz4JV57ACMVs/s640/blogger-image-1908544671.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After that crazy walk, we went to relax in the free open air hot springs. It was mixed baths so you had to keep your bathing suit on, but it was really nice and relaxing. There were about 5 baths of varying temperatures, from scalding hot to lukewarm. The whole place had a great view of the coast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN18pylZtXyDS-J22SVLKLWGUCZIURnIIuJWUDYv_XJ_fWkSCEgYj3rpvAdYF9sDoqdVEIkTOgakogvQRCLNRtV41JjmPrzz8k1Gcol2sixBQm0e5EG-g8hUPJ6eUKCB1JxF4tzmPo38/s640/blogger-image--214714095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN18pylZtXyDS-J22SVLKLWGUCZIURnIIuJWUDYv_XJ_fWkSCEgYj3rpvAdYF9sDoqdVEIkTOgakogvQRCLNRtV41JjmPrzz8k1Gcol2sixBQm0e5EG-g8hUPJ6eUKCB1JxF4tzmPo38/s640/blogger-image--214714095.jpg"></a></div><br></div>That one up the staircase had the best view! It was designed to look like a Greek ruin, for some reason.</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-22531838560469994402013-08-28T00:51:00.001-07:002013-08-28T00:51:03.923-07:00Niijima part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKaV3zRNZRyo8fDutEkm0rmyjgZVADjssbmAN8zGjtf4lmcI-gzT-wNFWrNCbnGkIGhQj0gEIgsUeaRi9uMjd04C-XAGull8Ypj9_UdFctl1D4Fw02LLXAHf5upz1VXusehxOety06lk/s640/blogger-image-1472296614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKaV3zRNZRyo8fDutEkm0rmyjgZVADjssbmAN8zGjtf4lmcI-gzT-wNFWrNCbnGkIGhQj0gEIgsUeaRi9uMjd04C-XAGull8Ypj9_UdFctl1D4Fw02LLXAHf5upz1VXusehxOety06lk/s640/blogger-image-1472296614.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the view of Tokyo Bay as we departed on the overnight ferry!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4nNQD5TJiSpkmOkmQdoW-OMgQwJBmUIWpkEt_xi_put6Wdzt2up0GgMN5ZbsLepTFo5f2cQ_Hg3c9qGnog9vgXKaKNVgD_I1X-a8CjyGKXSEZySmIWYSdpXw9LBhyphenhyphentUO-mi4sZNJ5FY/s640/blogger-image-1940758057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4nNQD5TJiSpkmOkmQdoW-OMgQwJBmUIWpkEt_xi_put6Wdzt2up0GgMN5ZbsLepTFo5f2cQ_Hg3c9qGnog9vgXKaKNVgD_I1X-a8CjyGKXSEZySmIWYSdpXw9LBhyphenhyphentUO-mi4sZNJ5FY/s640/blogger-image-1940758057.jpg"></a></div>And here's the sunrise from the ferry! That island in the distance is Oshima.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD_KzhZXAo41fc6TOPQLxJtYTU9rhsAkGBJvc37EEctDSZrBXdpQ5PQusA0QFJ2TbUuws1u4nZzsZ_fwhN60Gg2Cri1x-KwBuLFBHQhgEEn1ZPdD2q02S6-mSDeb0VcqHPQHurHuwDj4/s640/blogger-image-585766775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD_KzhZXAo41fc6TOPQLxJtYTU9rhsAkGBJvc37EEctDSZrBXdpQ5PQusA0QFJ2TbUuws1u4nZzsZ_fwhN60Gg2Cri1x-KwBuLFBHQhgEEn1ZPdD2q02S6-mSDeb0VcqHPQHurHuwDj4/s640/blogger-image-585766775.jpg"></a></div>The first view of Niijima after getting off the ferry. Look at that blue water!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K1qyrFp5cKFOgTHKf6HvVTbjXHDn0rDxl9er4JftOevhBstr4INn_kWSQh2wSwm0GSKKCodA2xIs5D4R8kFQJ44kKM8LMcZF0GZPzeD2VNjedDeps_SVZacewya6fY8paQ9TP2bUAwk/s640/blogger-image--1926347027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K1qyrFp5cKFOgTHKf6HvVTbjXHDn0rDxl9er4JftOevhBstr4INn_kWSQh2wSwm0GSKKCodA2xIs5D4R8kFQJ44kKM8LMcZF0GZPzeD2VNjedDeps_SVZacewya6fY8paQ9TP2bUAwk/s640/blogger-image--1926347027.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Niijima is full of these stone statues, called moyai in Japanese but actually spelled moai. Niijima gifted one of these to Tokyo, it's at Shibuya station.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbouzyNxgl4402-6bX9v0Ap8boiCNRtjfHPNfzZRIkadwcncLXSvs1Pk-P7boOampSjNfK9YPifjr3V-OKwRUJpCLAa7CEDeuxF-hNErEk-ZUbmm2qoqVsyLDLf2sIS1PX0maq-CJKRhk/s640/blogger-image--1940912082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbouzyNxgl4402-6bX9v0Ap8boiCNRtjfHPNfzZRIkadwcncLXSvs1Pk-P7boOampSjNfK9YPifjr3V-OKwRUJpCLAa7CEDeuxF-hNErEk-ZUbmm2qoqVsyLDLf2sIS1PX0maq-CJKRhk/s640/blogger-image--1940912082.jpg"></a></div></div>This is the lifeguard station on Habushiura beach. Looks so Mediterranean, doesn't it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoIq3bgJwQyE8theo5E7POEm8dWHyH3mnRCVJW_v2GCrXZgybdfk-CysLXMT0yUZGPHXiGh0wUcLcfT23E94nWHroW7LLbRptpIRBchqDjEekLjKAbUgDnukjDGdxyKjI5LViRjVE4AY/s640/blogger-image-1932445138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoIq3bgJwQyE8theo5E7POEm8dWHyH3mnRCVJW_v2GCrXZgybdfk-CysLXMT0yUZGPHXiGh0wUcLcfT23E94nWHroW7LLbRptpIRBchqDjEekLjKAbUgDnukjDGdxyKjI5LViRjVE4AY/s640/blogger-image-1932445138.jpg"></a></div>Habushiura beach! This beach is famous for surfing, but when we were there the waves were small so we could swim. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlr3mVxLywKTGKEmrmonWi8lIHBy1N-c_TuWZU4VO9afImO07D0FLHhjD2-7r1XOoqvykbmjuk41p_2luLAAw0BbaL8dW1g869mGPxPmJfD_pVbycVDSjjvtwz0f0hYAvVm4653HRrT6I/s640/blogger-image--1032354178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlr3mVxLywKTGKEmrmonWi8lIHBy1N-c_TuWZU4VO9afImO07D0FLHhjD2-7r1XOoqvykbmjuk41p_2luLAAw0BbaL8dW1g869mGPxPmJfD_pVbycVDSjjvtwz0f0hYAvVm4653HRrT6I/s640/blogger-image--1032354178.jpg"></a></div>It wasn't crowded at all, either. The water was clear and beautiful and there were maybe three or four other people around. This was early morning though, in the afternoon a few more showed up.</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-35660729897132087112013-08-25T18:47:00.001-07:002013-08-25T18:47:44.735-07:00Yukata cruise<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphUaDlM01JGIiLIWxjdqTBRneyJlLqKRkGPQG7tRY1xtTC_4hQ93EhMEdTgB-c3985HaD6OITCNnrhcmzaHAmEoKwYngq_L4AcQexX4BFRFphaRLka8H0o9ER1tBW3Ezl8ZPlvwPH2RM/s640/blogger-image-555219003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphUaDlM01JGIiLIWxjdqTBRneyJlLqKRkGPQG7tRY1xtTC_4hQ93EhMEdTgB-c3985HaD6OITCNnrhcmzaHAmEoKwYngq_L4AcQexX4BFRFphaRLka8H0o9ER1tBW3Ezl8ZPlvwPH2RM/s640/blogger-image-555219003.jpg"></a></div>My friend's combination birthday and farewell party was held on a cruise around Tokyo Bay. Everyone dressed up in yukatas, and it was all you can drink. It was super fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrPiT7DmleoiZVXG2YO7x_gChljUoQU29ZHtyHkZYyaE2EHxlosb8jB46irKbgnTfdrtlTc5EDKjayefB5EVA-_7n6GgOtlcpa-Mk2ToWIQiTQu-OaNXBVrqYXY5WkvndWYrYO-SKsqE/s640/blogger-image-26854718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrPiT7DmleoiZVXG2YO7x_gChljUoQU29ZHtyHkZYyaE2EHxlosb8jB46irKbgnTfdrtlTc5EDKjayefB5EVA-_7n6GgOtlcpa-Mk2ToWIQiTQu-OaNXBVrqYXY5WkvndWYrYO-SKsqE/s640/blogger-image-26854718.jpg"></a></div>The Rainbow Bridge was spectacular in person as we went under it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH76437kcjbO3fjuH-9DNbvj8iC0n2_5Y_5jog19SaPmKA91Nz-dMXGc20eF4kjlBpOJ4AxpPRE71f4io9HZkKHM3Gw0LygP4JlRdkRUQFf2v5l8HJrf0yYtKfFaMd1SbWyNlkH2NzLY/s640/blogger-image-480416750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH76437kcjbO3fjuH-9DNbvj8iC0n2_5Y_5jog19SaPmKA91Nz-dMXGc20eF4kjlBpOJ4AxpPRE71f4io9HZkKHM3Gw0LygP4JlRdkRUQFf2v5l8HJrf0yYtKfFaMd1SbWyNlkH2NzLY/s640/blogger-image-480416750.jpg"></a></div>We tried so many times to get a nice shot with the sign, but this candid one was the best.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3T_dPoUwfIGsjCZVJbycmdt9QM1DM0TWLOK65SFKYDyVzi1BSTAtOHCWdGkkWZE7_X5VACMYJ9F2-vYCSSBi-7jT5a-R3OOv-OmtfaPDvTklxiOOTwS9I69KQADSBAaTjwHAQttyYxM/s640/blogger-image--2000692908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3T_dPoUwfIGsjCZVJbycmdt9QM1DM0TWLOK65SFKYDyVzi1BSTAtOHCWdGkkWZE7_X5VACMYJ9F2-vYCSSBi-7jT5a-R3OOv-OmtfaPDvTklxiOOTwS9I69KQADSBAaTjwHAQttyYxM/s640/blogger-image--2000692908.jpg"></a></div>There was a dance show too! It wasn't traditional dancing though, it was hip hop. We were amazed that the dancers could move so well, a yukata isn't the easiest thing to dance in. Traditional dances are all about arm movements!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-56095671518072001522013-05-12T20:46:00.000-07:002013-05-12T20:46:20.029-07:00AquariumThis is from last year, but I finally got around to editing it and making some background music to put in. Here's the big Pacific tank at the Osaka Kaiyukan aquarium, complete with whale shark!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyVoY46hjB_GXJDcnss3z_J8npqRuM_Rpf8Qf0PW8wPnvqeXUmTr533TyzxnBTazaR6qhbc3CXzfrKirnt2qw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-40283648323509180572013-04-25T07:01:00.000-07:002013-04-25T07:01:00.142-07:00A trip to Ginza and picnic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ_89V9ihhb_bWTVZmO4Pj_sjctKBM43jTzo4YEyNRTNxwmmQ0RF5-IHmuMcVBsOzIIv_a-BY1QUi5Av_HU2pj_qqRkqdX80980S8YIxUG7Md1TE-fFy-MAkUuWgkJLJej1aKMLrnnW0/s1600/2013-04-22+15.10.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZ_89V9ihhb_bWTVZmO4Pj_sjctKBM43jTzo4YEyNRTNxwmmQ0RF5-IHmuMcVBsOzIIv_a-BY1QUi5Av_HU2pj_qqRkqdX80980S8YIxUG7Md1TE-fFy-MAkUuWgkJLJej1aKMLrnnW0/s320/2013-04-22+15.10.18.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I went to Ginza recently to see a student's art show at a small gallery there. It was a pretty small show, but some of the art was pretty cool. I think this student is going to show in Paris soon as well. After the show, we walked around Ginza a little bit. Ginza is the super upscale district of Tokyo. Everywhere you turn there are luxury brand stores, and even regular stores have a Ginza makeover.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZX9_muhs-hcO4yzvlYxOFLKYpg9tT4wmPls_1vXkm2GhisSrI6MPsLmEuq1K099IWQniwvTubZmC2VbMpOi_VntJJ3p3jovPJlBdE-0ucctSB2BHxo1TUAlpSNyadD48UqHtKRLFmzE/s1600/2013-04-22+12.56.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZX9_muhs-hcO4yzvlYxOFLKYpg9tT4wmPls_1vXkm2GhisSrI6MPsLmEuq1K099IWQniwvTubZmC2VbMpOi_VntJJ3p3jovPJlBdE-0ucctSB2BHxo1TUAlpSNyadD48UqHtKRLFmzE/s320/2013-04-22+12.56.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-H30kLIc6iAh9n2Fydew2qvC-QhhN4M6UH_b0ezvdnNPjtToCufVp5wH4jqbwhug8rJDUAiIh8glrzjv3-ettdnPiaL1LHvV9TYfB4ciVmgQZ4lU6NoFuOI59G0L0ef2JVeRno2Svuo/s1600/2013-04-22+12.56.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-H30kLIc6iAh9n2Fydew2qvC-QhhN4M6UH_b0ezvdnNPjtToCufVp5wH4jqbwhug8rJDUAiIh8glrzjv3-ettdnPiaL1LHvV9TYfB4ciVmgQZ4lU6NoFuOI59G0L0ef2JVeRno2Svuo/s320/2013-04-22+12.56.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These pictures are from Uniqlo in Ginza. Uniqlo is like the Gap or Old Navy; inexpensive, basic clothes for everyone. Normally their store designs aren't anything special, but they had a really fancy store in Ginza. Electronic displays, spinning mannequins, super-modern store design. It was pretty awesome actually, but I don't need to take a trip to Ginza to buy Uniqlo clothes. There's a Uniqlo right in Shimokitazawa! 3 stories of totally plain store, but the clothes are the same.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDpNfQcZPbhqfMbTz0en_1K7pgDJMDPyUbzUCjCeOhyBrr7z_-0t8lUrUexREEEu84Mpo6tQi_T6wacb4VT0vcBy4C05wk9KG3Ypn-1U02mk9nCFyRxDAxMGiuI8iRTAtpouUM_JITEc/s1600/2013-04-15+16.56.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDpNfQcZPbhqfMbTz0en_1K7pgDJMDPyUbzUCjCeOhyBrr7z_-0t8lUrUexREEEu84Mpo6tQi_T6wacb4VT0vcBy4C05wk9KG3Ypn-1U02mk9nCFyRxDAxMGiuI8iRTAtpouUM_JITEc/s320/2013-04-15+16.56.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That weekend we also went to Mogusaen for a picnic. This is the entranceway to Mogusaen park on the Keio line. It took a while to find it, since the stop is super local and there's no handy signposts leading the way. Then, when we finally got there, a park worker kindly informed us that the park was closed!! So we went to a bus stop across the street and ate our picnic lunch there.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pLwyT9f7K_aYY0JEvzo2J_SRSSGZmCEkFlwj75eCLrwvZUeW-Jy4hsEdfoi2nzJug2BgoJthoULT85CF-MV41iY9qzrG6p-8-JV4QIzHXtZ-MzNhXAmtXpCzX8l_0dLl6We36XFZNkY/s1600/2013-04-15+17.00.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pLwyT9f7K_aYY0JEvzo2J_SRSSGZmCEkFlwj75eCLrwvZUeW-Jy4hsEdfoi2nzJug2BgoJthoULT85CF-MV41iY9qzrG6p-8-JV4QIzHXtZ-MzNhXAmtXpCzX8l_0dLl6We36XFZNkY/s320/2013-04-15+17.00.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We packed this awesome little homemade lunchbox. Fish, asparagus, and shumai (Chinese dumplings)! Delicious!</div>
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My outfit for the day. It wasn't too cold during the day, although it was really windy and at night I wished I had dressed a bit warmer. Notice my awesome new shoes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u7oWvFv00wc7YbzTdooxayzzDI46jD4Ze7wsaWKcQvpXoIyWvxF8iNNyEWZfQA36XpBfUpE_U6nUqfGLUceU3aj3bhHXUUV0EJvfil7_KW8nlnQQJhB-eS0rMLgg5WbhU1uJKySxWVg/s1600/2013-04-15+16.56.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u7oWvFv00wc7YbzTdooxayzzDI46jD4Ze7wsaWKcQvpXoIyWvxF8iNNyEWZfQA36XpBfUpE_U6nUqfGLUceU3aj3bhHXUUV0EJvfil7_KW8nlnQQJhB-eS0rMLgg5WbhU1uJKySxWVg/s320/2013-04-15+16.56.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The entrance to Mogusaen. I want to go back to this park sometime, it looked super cool from the little we saw of it at the entrance.</div>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-54280889019229929752013-04-23T06:42:00.001-07:002013-04-23T06:42:48.096-07:00Birthday shenanigansI went to a Mexican place in Shimokitazawa for my birthday with my coworkers. I'd never even seen it before even though I bike past the building every day on my way to and from work! It's on the 3rd floor, a teeny tiny place that apparently sometimes has live music as well. We ordered nachos, enchiladas, tacos, and paella (even though paella is Spanish). The enchiladas and tacos were super good, but the nachos didn't hold a candle to the homemade nachos I made with my friend recently. Then my coworkers sang me happy birthday, and the owner brought over a burrito with a candle in it, lol! She did it on her own, we didn't even order it. We were all actually really full at that point and could barely eat it. I got a margarita too, and it was good although it was tiny and there was a LOT of salt around the rim. The owner made it herself and strained it into my glass right at the table.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy9u9JFn4c-_x3nEpFMtodixMx3l2dLnhY9-9Xy8xj73299WaZfHzYIrB7UIaRvm2D6ikGJEUDk12i4kR8wVFW52E9n0FYvhilzeFaZl9wA8DYPw21_qLEFfyOH3iqVkuLxXNsvaQIbM/s1600/2013-04-11+23.08.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy9u9JFn4c-_x3nEpFMtodixMx3l2dLnhY9-9Xy8xj73299WaZfHzYIrB7UIaRvm2D6ikGJEUDk12i4kR8wVFW52E9n0FYvhilzeFaZl9wA8DYPw21_qLEFfyOH3iqVkuLxXNsvaQIbM/s320/2013-04-11+23.08.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb-sEtSgZ1u3Da0n7_F3KclJtL24LYAWz5SYa_6aptHtJ7U7dwkFlDYJP_vjQHZrsnhrYrcZ05oT0H-d19pphCTiGOOs6aqzHLRwPDb7-iVfCbIORa2Dw7iP6g59M2sxMG7DKMWpdSCw/s1600/2013-04-11+21.56.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb-sEtSgZ1u3Da0n7_F3KclJtL24LYAWz5SYa_6aptHtJ7U7dwkFlDYJP_vjQHZrsnhrYrcZ05oT0H-d19pphCTiGOOs6aqzHLRwPDb7-iVfCbIORa2Dw7iP6g59M2sxMG7DKMWpdSCw/s320/2013-04-11+21.56.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-42124786526457789452013-02-10T23:43:00.000-08:002013-02-10T23:43:00.845-08:00Catching up<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd9gbj7TuGdoRWzVh1gEY1khH04KkEkQAIbT0Sd1-ZWRmGU_NUGwpoDCvaEohS5W8LagxWvvMVZusnEnAa6FiD_WAQJvpf04Sjku60QMAdbvqHYEmyOiIQcFZneGt6rDegvQJDqcx5R0/s1600/IMG_1931%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd9gbj7TuGdoRWzVh1gEY1khH04KkEkQAIbT0Sd1-ZWRmGU_NUGwpoDCvaEohS5W8LagxWvvMVZusnEnAa6FiD_WAQJvpf04Sjku60QMAdbvqHYEmyOiIQcFZneGt6rDegvQJDqcx5R0/s320/IMG_1931%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plum blossoms are coming out!</td></tr>
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There's a park about a fifteen minute walk from my place, so I headed there the other day since the sun was shining and the temperature wasn't super cold. Hanegi park is known for its plum blossoms, and some were already starting to bloom! They're not in full bloom yet but there are some nice blossoms already.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plum blossoms in Hanegi park</td></tr>
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We missed the Setsubun festival, so we had to make our own. Here's a box of soybeans that a student gave Nick. You're supposed to throw some either out the door or at someone wearing a demon mask, and shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" which means "Out demons! In luck!" Then you eat as many soybeans as your age, so I ate 27. That's a lot of soybeans.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soybeans for luck</td></tr>
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Nick served as the oni, wearing the little guy who came with our box of soybeans. He went outside in the hallway and we threw soybeans out the door at him while shouting. I don't know what my neighbors thought, lol.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a cute demon mask</td></tr>
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I also went with some friends to this great place in Kanda that serves Chicago style deep dish pizza and craft beers. It's run by Americans so it's authentic! It was really delicious. The beer was great too. I'm not a huge beer drinker but these were good.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep dish pizza and craft beer</td></tr>
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Nick and I went for a one-day trip to go snowboarding at Naeba. It was really fun! The conditions were perfect, lots of snow on the ground but clear skies and sunshine! I'm slowly getting better at snowboarding, haha. I can make it down the mountain without falling at least, but I still have some trouble switching edges to carve properly. We're going again this weekend, to Shiga Kogen which held some of the Olympic events back when Nagano hosted! We're doing an overnight trip this time, so I'll have plenty of time to practice and then afterward we can soak in a hot spring rather than getting straight back on the bus, lol.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naeba</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naeba</td></tr>
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On January first we did hatsumode, which just means the first shrine visit of the year. We went to this famous shrine in Fuchu, about twenty minutes from my place by train. It was super crowded, but not as crowded as Meiji shrine was last year! I bought a little charm to protect health. It seems to be working, I've had some minor colds but nothing that lasted longer than a couple days, haha.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP-jFrRReWubGXEZDiDCWX43ltXY0v6gOuk-u4ZD7bj2gBAMDEn9VW2UJxCEN1vzYZxaTYHt4q2sBpM7T77pdomcBEUe1bQzTXP4uJ0rvRRM5XZcU3j3ZF-OM2wbo4t6bC4kRupqcMe8/s1600/IMG_1861%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP-jFrRReWubGXEZDiDCWX43ltXY0v6gOuk-u4ZD7bj2gBAMDEn9VW2UJxCEN1vzYZxaTYHt4q2sBpM7T77pdomcBEUe1bQzTXP4uJ0rvRRM5XZcU3j3ZF-OM2wbo4t6bC4kRupqcMe8/s320/IMG_1861%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okunidama shrine, where we did hatsumode</td></tr>
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We got some crazy snow in Tokyo, too! It was a crazy snowstorm, the trains were all delayed and a bunch of JR trains actually stopped in the afternoon. My friend's girlfriend had to get a taxi home because her train line stopped. I was lucky, my train was about 20 minutes late but at least it was still running! It was the most snow Tokyo has seen in years. I thought about taking my snowboard out and snowboarding down the streets, lol. Unfortunately it only lasted the one day, so I still had to go to work on Tuesday!<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It snowed in Tokyo, a lot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgniPK4Qwy4KeTUqdUz7cmNJmDhvzx5nya9FNVoSjhnDOVP_lb5G1IN8BZqdFkd0PclvOAZafLf0BGJvhkgFb1lx76XIG5kRFZOXZxemAfUKkbepqvJrzndxuoYSSfPSf4lI-ti3M13M/s1600/IMG_1862%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgniPK4Qwy4KeTUqdUz7cmNJmDhvzx5nya9FNVoSjhnDOVP_lb5G1IN8BZqdFkd0PclvOAZafLf0BGJvhkgFb1lx76XIG5kRFZOXZxemAfUKkbepqvJrzndxuoYSSfPSf4lI-ti3M13M/s320/IMG_1862%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okunidama shrine again</td></tr>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-31702549695375031072012-09-11T08:42:00.001-07:002012-09-11T08:42:32.902-07:00Summer vacation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDETTP6DbiL0d4qUD3Xje0PNkaANAc3765OPP-bB9dFHrnjZny82dnT9j5DzqCLR1h0E9iwpWqMlicaxvB5qhaGL_SaHB9dIkr6cfKNnBn7RWl-xwN8MVSr9jBAR0Cu_bojZhZniFFH8/s1600/tommy+hilfiger+fno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDETTP6DbiL0d4qUD3Xje0PNkaANAc3765OPP-bB9dFHrnjZny82dnT9j5DzqCLR1h0E9iwpWqMlicaxvB5qhaGL_SaHB9dIkr6cfKNnBn7RWl-xwN8MVSr9jBAR0Cu_bojZhZniFFH8/s320/tommy+hilfiger+fno.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fashion's night out, posing with a Hilfiger model!</td></tr>
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I finally made it to Fashion's Night Out, the annual fashion event that goes on in major cities. I went with my friend and we went into a bunch of stores, each one doing their own event. We had complimentary champage and wine, and a dried fruits and nuts platter at Maison Martin Margiela, and we took a photo with this Tommy Hilfiger model. We wanted to take a picture at Michael Kors because they had all sorts of fun props, but the line was too long. There was a cool photoshoot contest going on at Omotesando Hills, but we got there just when it finished!! It was super fun though, I'm definitely going to try to go again next year!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtArd2hBgH2K08cnYvkSorWMBqOab66IiQw5qyQQ7DDNHyDwKNnAoizjWdil57nLDlnI45GK-LvQzLeJpcIwj7x8NF7-S7A8lOwKcH0vrZA8iwcPTo12wFCBZVfejBkpNwO-YdGPqcsM/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtArd2hBgH2K08cnYvkSorWMBqOab66IiQw5qyQQ7DDNHyDwKNnAoizjWdil57nLDlnI45GK-LvQzLeJpcIwj7x8NF7-S7A8lOwKcH0vrZA8iwcPTo12wFCBZVfejBkpNwO-YdGPqcsM/s320/IMG_1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing our yukatas on the train!</td></tr>
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After going to the beach at Zushi, we went back to my place and changed into our yukatas to go see some fireworks. It was kind of hilarious, we had no idea how to put them on so we looked up a tutorial on youtube and our friends basically tied the obi for us, pausing every two seconds because it's really complicated! We had been drinking mojitos at the beach too, so were kind of tipsy already. It's amazing that we managed to get those things on at all!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6LMhwvLC2KCzfyrv9CHQarVyfucmEBC-Ta6LguGQT5dgRrkc87zuiPKZpIKLsioMpjVXaFnT9BWH0jri7_kGAtc4cRlHlGYB0Gb0xyykbrxOZnJykQYyPjBSzBMD8PTz68pMZPnVXh4/s1600/IMG_1170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6LMhwvLC2KCzfyrv9CHQarVyfucmEBC-Ta6LguGQT5dgRrkc87zuiPKZpIKLsioMpjVXaFnT9BWH0jri7_kGAtc4cRlHlGYB0Gb0xyykbrxOZnJykQYyPjBSzBMD8PTz68pMZPnVXh4/s320/IMG_1170.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This soda is really gross!</td></tr>
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I walked past this soda being prominently displayed at the drugstore by my school for like a week before I finally decided I had to try it. It was not good! I thought that maybe by some magic chemical process coffee soda could taste good, but no. It is so gross. I couldn't even finish it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJffrdCa_WA9Usf-_eIEmHDnYIZuy53js5w-3Cf5hyWu0zafz9h7hrD8orjy75wWwdzePA22kAKb_7tBdY_ZwXisNnEufHGsXN9yTfC0BSXxrPRTWRAxb7cWKkbXeYP-lHp_F24TrMPHI/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJffrdCa_WA9Usf-_eIEmHDnYIZuy53js5w-3Cf5hyWu0zafz9h7hrD8orjy75wWwdzePA22kAKb_7tBdY_ZwXisNnEufHGsXN9yTfC0BSXxrPRTWRAxb7cWKkbXeYP-lHp_F24TrMPHI/s320/IMG_1217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo bay fireworks!</td></tr>
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I went to see the fireworks at Tokyo bay too, with a couple friends. I wore my yukata again so that was cool. The fireworks are great, but it's really crowded! We went to an izakaya afterward just so we wouldn't have to deal with the crowds on the trains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_one2H6Atxru7lCP8saxjddnJnm_ULsR5yHJuCWnQDUIqNDGKObb6knZD6i4X53WLk6Fs5KFZU15kT-gRJH63eTQ7sBjCAjRI67td4yHFL4zWVGG5PkmYyRvNiWBNLB5hcNVLHobB7w/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_one2H6Atxru7lCP8saxjddnJnm_ULsR5yHJuCWnQDUIqNDGKObb6knZD6i4X53WLk6Fs5KFZU15kT-gRJH63eTQ7sBjCAjRI67td4yHFL4zWVGG5PkmYyRvNiWBNLB5hcNVLHobB7w/s320/IMG_1240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Takao beer garden!</td></tr>
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We climbed Mt Takao, which is a small mountain right outside Tokyo. It's a pretty easy climb, it only takes about an hour to the top, but we went in the afternoon so we were sweating buckets on the way up! It was soooo hot! Fortunately there is a beer garden at the top during the summer : ) So we went and had all you can drink and all you can eat for two hours at the top of a mountain! You can take a cable car to the top, but you appreciate the beer garden way more if you hike it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4wRotckUMOxZS8xDkx_Sczw8XvTZMOPArswmI3uEXrXH9_bD4pQxOJmSkfWEflIq4ObSYPXoL6ybxNGbe2RTlU1XoU7Hd1SsepsgmmehiVlqJezdeCq19EkCcqpiJkWR-nOVExJMpqE/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4wRotckUMOxZS8xDkx_Sczw8XvTZMOPArswmI3uEXrXH9_bD4pQxOJmSkfWEflIq4ObSYPXoL6ybxNGbe2RTlU1XoU7Hd1SsepsgmmehiVlqJezdeCq19EkCcqpiJkWR-nOVExJMpqE/s320/IMG_1284.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out on my friend's balcony with sparklers and a kiddie pool!</td></tr>
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Then afterward we went to my friend's place who lives just a couple stops from Takao and we lit sparklers and wet our feet in a kiddie pool! We tried to fill it all the way up, but without a hose it was really difficult. We were lugging a plastic drawer from his storage container from the bathtub to the balcony, and we gave up after like five extremely heavy runs. It was super fun though!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-72280761564265300682012-06-08T08:22:00.002-07:002012-06-08T08:22:40.493-07:00Fujikyu part 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg1-AKKuClMTWuMsik1l5BQ9TgqnWYaCNqIek9AbUP1UjeN1IistN_bvADkvJkcMzDQ7VT9KCLQ7QKfYyuarC2_AY9ttgOH5__sSSoiwjzuj2U3tTxAsZChqezD6-XtBWaXN7HoceKwE/s1600/fujiqgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg1-AKKuClMTWuMsik1l5BQ9TgqnWYaCNqIek9AbUP1UjeN1IistN_bvADkvJkcMzDQ7VT9KCLQ7QKfYyuarC2_AY9ttgOH5__sSSoiwjzuj2U3tTxAsZChqezD6-XtBWaXN7HoceKwE/s320/fujiqgroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuji Q</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFubctmD-jtezV0IgFca8Aa7fWLNQmYDBRSeHiFwYQ9VJ4iyJ2cARZg9Gm4yQrfoRYahSi8cxz7QSLe9YLTFmWAK8nV1qFKDN0FO8rqZ_qVqWnNdc67X_3Quz8_JfvOws-tH0ExtN1Hs/s1600/dodonpa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFubctmD-jtezV0IgFca8Aa7fWLNQmYDBRSeHiFwYQ9VJ4iyJ2cARZg9Gm4yQrfoRYahSi8cxz7QSLe9YLTFmWAK8nV1qFKDN0FO8rqZ_qVqWnNdc67X_3Quz8_JfvOws-tH0ExtN1Hs/s320/dodonpa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dodonpa</td></tr>
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We were going to do a cat pose for Dodonpa, but as you can see it didn't quite work out as planned! I look like I'm doing flamenco, and Lyndsey has some sort of crab pincer thing going on, lol. Justin and Yuki got angry cat and cute cat poses down though, haha. As a measure of how fast we are going, note that Lyndsey and I both normally have bangs!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCzaLNBjFxY8bHfJJIUQ44Truekc090TjLcSiLjjbNoZVKpDK8Y5iOovjycyhRinY1H1W-sTpfY1j3Ld_3_eO6U6V2u-QkhuzmJV-IYbxipN44pJXcmlyclgqzsdjy8IPPjxoSD0fzuM/s1600/fujiyama+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCzaLNBjFxY8bHfJJIUQ44Truekc090TjLcSiLjjbNoZVKpDK8Y5iOovjycyhRinY1H1W-sTpfY1j3Ld_3_eO6U6V2u-QkhuzmJV-IYbxipN44pJXcmlyclgqzsdjy8IPPjxoSD0fzuM/s320/fujiyama+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fujiyama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Check that drop on Fujiyama! I think it used to hold a world record, but it was beat. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_UYc1-6R9_ZKqgdvmhzbkCbXL2_G7vMsklfmAs9laN1pmuKz054gajZ3UEjdM_fll24pz9b7WC0MF0ez2k1E2ksA0fC0uKz-0qcMr__Mtz2efQxNNjpIw-ErVBwcRkIMrEkg9wFHeb0/s1600/american+dude+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_UYc1-6R9_ZKqgdvmhzbkCbXL2_G7vMsklfmAs9laN1pmuKz054gajZ3UEjdM_fll24pz9b7WC0MF0ez2k1E2ksA0fC0uKz-0qcMr__Mtz2efQxNNjpIw-ErVBwcRkIMrEkg9wFHeb0/s320/american+dude+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This</td></tr>
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This American dude was in the line for Takabisha. Note how he's making the shape of the drop with his hand. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydbEUWtm0Wko37dNHHZDaQ08QikRiUTotQzEO9h8HJczLf0CEmQczKHdWF15nYc393Dc1yys5KRB_BdB-RDo31_4V2qNOwkDwOXGQBgzEl282uOrHdFZaO995O7pcFA2q37Uc3_u7PUs/s1600/american+dude+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydbEUWtm0Wko37dNHHZDaQ08QikRiUTotQzEO9h8HJczLf0CEmQczKHdWF15nYc393Dc1yys5KRB_BdB-RDo31_4V2qNOwkDwOXGQBgzEl282uOrHdFZaO995O7pcFA2q37Uc3_u7PUs/s320/american+dude+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then, this</td></tr>
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Yes, American dude peed his pants. No, I have no idea why he is American. He showed up on the outside of the Takabisha line too, saying "Whaaat? You're not going to riiiide?" A bit cheeky of him to tease other people when he couldn't take the terror himself!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt18aPFARcU4XPpfImdprSfuEedPvfMjAVKAggnd9Gv1gmrhg3YwTih1jYX73gO3o5oJJ72E004Kui_YJCqalsoM4gMINHmChhJmqjefMMyE9_Vv1rIXSKvReTNilKyoUNS-DYSVvWu0/s1600/hauntedhospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt18aPFARcU4XPpfImdprSfuEedPvfMjAVKAggnd9Gv1gmrhg3YwTih1jYX73gO3o5oJJ72E004Kui_YJCqalsoM4gMINHmChhJmqjefMMyE9_Vv1rIXSKvReTNilKyoUNS-DYSVvWu0/s320/hauntedhospital.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haunted hospital</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The outside of the haunted hospital was pretty cool. Even though it wasn't as scary as it could have been, it was still really atmospheric and cool. Every room (and there are a LOT of rooms, it's huge) is fully committed to the theme. Apparently it's going to change soon into a prison break scenario though...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcjTPJOc-WoTunjr2k94C3u9yCUOGTfNm5sGLwpewjNsxujc6QCb2dMQh_UIf6VbEdY8o_PstrwFB3wXYf1fhABQqsWjHAwmnsgQy_Ui2Y-C1e9lzFVMHiXKa_lnyrLwKIOybnEPTz-U/s1600/charlie's+angels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcjTPJOc-WoTunjr2k94C3u9yCUOGTfNm5sGLwpewjNsxujc6QCb2dMQh_UIf6VbEdY8o_PstrwFB3wXYf1fhABQqsWjHAwmnsgQy_Ui2Y-C1e9lzFVMHiXKa_lnyrLwKIOybnEPTz-U/s320/charlie's+angels.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evangelion world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was some sort of theme walkthrough exhibition based on an anime that I saw in college that is really popular in Japan. Here we are posing as Charlie's Angels at this cool lit up desk. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfPEdXyrZngxTAgUR0z6j0ZVrrUu3e2PJtJ7W4_w-8umnfC8CSS1V9YtlHGl8ZSM32YpWi7Ld2Gjcl-TDef1eczpKl0YSPt8KPH7rqQPqtIgSaeD0mk1kNF2je84NVwHnoStREWm9tls/s1600/coasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfPEdXyrZngxTAgUR0z6j0ZVrrUu3e2PJtJ7W4_w-8umnfC8CSS1V9YtlHGl8ZSM32YpWi7Ld2Gjcl-TDef1eczpKl0YSPt8KPH7rqQPqtIgSaeD0mk1kNF2je84NVwHnoStREWm9tls/s320/coasters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That middle red one is the one we couldn't ride because of maintenance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These are the four major coasters! We couldn't do Eejanaika, but at least we did Takabisha twice.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-63406540943158629792012-06-04T06:45:00.002-07:002012-06-04T06:45:57.502-07:00Fujikyu!I went to Fujikyu Highland today! It's an amusement park located near Mt Fuji that's famous for its insane roller coasters. It was super fun! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkSNxRBsJeRaIEqlo2QdYH3NcWJkj392cDpiQ_XTzUWO3fQwvqzEJ-C-tOVh-gmhvz2SxFPxBe93mmsvlnBSal6uC0ipToZwMzhDCrT-ff_plPwAfDL69CNLAitRel9CtpVjMoG-elfw/s1600/takabisha+fuji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkSNxRBsJeRaIEqlo2QdYH3NcWJkj392cDpiQ_XTzUWO3fQwvqzEJ-C-tOVh-gmhvz2SxFPxBe93mmsvlnBSal6uC0ipToZwMzhDCrT-ff_plPwAfDL69CNLAitRel9CtpVjMoG-elfw/s320/takabisha+fuji.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I rode this</td></tr>
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Takabisha holds the world record for steepest drop! We rode it twice. It was our first ride of the day and also our last. That huge drop comes in the middle of the ride, not at the beginning! The beginning is pitch black, you can't see a thing and you're expecting to ride gently into the daylight and start the climb up that huge tower but no, you go suddenly into a drop and then a spin and then you're into the daylight, and you go through most of the coaster before you stop and go, at a 90 degree angle, up that tower. The view is amazing but you're too busy being terrified to really appreciate it, haha. Then you get to the top, slowly go over the hill... and stop. You get a moment poised on the brink of the drop to appreciate the view and also anticipate the huge freefall before you, then you're off and it's amazing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkEauOXXoPlWiqwPxn4lhwf16RUHb1FiyFt-D1CCuayYZWXaNTbholA_mnph-3uobAxj51_R7qhn6zsz8zoNbBT5hZoNkJcLis9mSNzHbselSSAcSsOKb4YonTCIE-dwLXWw0n0kfuO8/s1600/takabisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkEauOXXoPlWiqwPxn4lhwf16RUHb1FiyFt-D1CCuayYZWXaNTbholA_mnph-3uobAxj51_R7qhn6zsz8zoNbBT5hZoNkJcLis9mSNzHbselSSAcSsOKb4YonTCIE-dwLXWw0n0kfuO8/s320/takabisha.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Official photo sent directly to my cellphone. Convenient (and cheaper)!</td></tr>
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Here's the official photo; you can see us all looking down in anticipation. We also rode Fujiyama which is super long and filled with steep hills, and Dodonpa which holds the record for fastest acceleration. We rode Dodonpa late in the day and we were all exhausted (most of us had to get up around 5am in order to make it to the bus on time to get to the park right when it opened), but that coaster was a shot of adrenaline. We were all wide awake after that, haha. <br />
Unfortunately Eejanaika, the coaster with the record for most inversions (or used to be, I think it might have been beaten recently by Six Flags), was closed for maintenance so we couldn't ride it : ( <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb7MEw4_ykBVtfnoZ7jcyZPJDkBYwbsV_ha3SqZaa1KKhKvOD7Cj9ptDbfyTCAoltf-r1aiwgdN1Y-TjSBptyp6Q-9sg3ygYtoCeH6qPJwhMewsWQM_NWr_yRl0Qqfn9ypo5o6i_DNV8/s1600/haunted+hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb7MEw4_ykBVtfnoZ7jcyZPJDkBYwbsV_ha3SqZaa1KKhKvOD7Cj9ptDbfyTCAoltf-r1aiwgdN1Y-TjSBptyp6Q-9sg3ygYtoCeH6qPJwhMewsWQM_NWr_yRl0Qqfn9ypo5o6i_DNV8/s320/haunted+hospital.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haunted hospital!</td></tr>
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We also went through the longest haunted house (possibly in the world? maybe just Asia)! It was themed as a haunted hospital, and it took almost an hour to go through the whole thing. It starts off with a short movie to give the background (mental hospital where experiments were done and now vengeance must be wreaked), then you go into a room where you're told to sit on a bench and you get a briefing on all the things you shouldn't do (one of the things that is prohibited: going in alone!), and then the bench suddenly drops and a burst of air hits you and the photo is taken! I think I got the brunt of the air blast, my friend on the other end said he didn't feel much. Then you get handed a flashlight (one single flashlight for our group of five) and off you go! It's really long and there are a lot of stairs, it's kind of a workout lol. We went through the whole thing in a close huddle/train, only separating when we needed to scream and run away from an unexpected actor. It was really creepy and atmospheric, but there weren't a whole lot of actual scares. The actors playing the ghosts were few and far between (although that definitely upped the scare factor when you actually saw one), and there were a few places that I felt were total missed opportunites, like a room where there were a whole bunch of sheets draped over who knows what, and a room filled with hanging burlap sacks, and one with a huge bloody bathtub, but nothing actually happened in those rooms. There was one awesome part though; about 70% of the way through you have to give up your flashlight, and then you go into this loooong hallway lit by candles. You can hear footsteps behind you, but there's nothing there... until you hear them again and there's totally a guy there chasing you! A couple guys chase you at the end too, to try to get you to run out of the exit. While we were waiting in line we kept seeing people just sprinting out of the exit, it was kind of hilarious. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebnkBNn9j1o8sSSsbwIsZKG4igCeTPmJsUs3u_jdX1Q91rDQHXh2aS5MVJsgwKbHrqYkzbEVIlO2JCXVD06pgYpMWwrY8hCbvOQ7EMpaVu_O9G5Qg_Vm6e1g54ywdSxLlJk4oF_i0NlE/s1600/heart+pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebnkBNn9j1o8sSSsbwIsZKG4igCeTPmJsUs3u_jdX1Q91rDQHXh2aS5MVJsgwKbHrqYkzbEVIlO2JCXVD06pgYpMWwrY8hCbvOQ7EMpaVu_O9G5Qg_Vm6e1g54ywdSxLlJk4oF_i0NlE/s320/heart+pose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group</td></tr>
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We got separated at the haunted house because some of us wanted food, some wanted to go straight there, and some didn't want to go, which is why we were a group of 5 at the haunted house, but then we got back together and this was our entire group. It was a large outing! We filled up the roller coasters, haha.<br />
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Anyway I have some more pictures and am waiting for friends to post more on facebook so I can steal them, but for now I need to get to bed. I'm exhausted!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-36387216506868398572012-05-28T07:28:00.003-07:002012-05-28T07:28:41.912-07:00Last weekendLast weekend was really nice! I stayed in on Sunday and finally watched In the Mood for Love. It's a Chinese film set in Hong Kong in the 1960's, and I enjoyed it although it went on a little too long. <br />
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Then afterward I went out for dinner with my friend Emma. We walked around Shinjuku looking for a restaurant that was not our normal 270 yen izakaya, and we found a great Thai place! We got a two person set that was like a sampler of a bunch of different things. It was delicious~ I love Thai food! It was nice to have some different things besides just tom yam soup and pad thai, which are what I always order at the Thai restaurant down the street from my work when I go there for lunch (cheap lunch specials!).<br />
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Then on Monday I went with my friend to see The Artist, the film that won best picture at the Oscars. I thought it was in French, but actually it was in English! I guess I should have realized it would be in English since it won the Oscar; I don't think a French language film would be eligible, it would have to be best foreign film or something. I really enjoyed it! I wasn't sure how I would feel about it being a silent film, but actually it worked really well and there were some clever uses of sound as well as an incredibly dramatic orchestral score, haha. <br />
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After the movie we booked it to Shin-koenji for a takoyaki party! My friend is living in a sharehouse there, and their kitchen is stocked with a takoyaki pan so of course we had to try it out. Takoyaki is really simple to make, you just need batter, green onions, red ginger, and of course octopus! The hard part is trying to flip the balls so they come out nice and round. They weren't the prettiest takoyaki ever, but they tasted good!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil30VYMHfoy2pJ9W1EglgJTN0ocuQNEqLsOEWaitmgT77SuSRDxDxxVtByCe3IH7dV7D2NWRibr0-ltS89ANQegRo7142-Ew_X_5n7UzUj1_HEV6KZlJIp6GEsCSV2S18H9IqSnL4eIN0/s1600/pretakoyaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil30VYMHfoy2pJ9W1EglgJTN0ocuQNEqLsOEWaitmgT77SuSRDxDxxVtByCe3IH7dV7D2NWRibr0-ltS89ANQegRo7142-Ew_X_5n7UzUj1_HEV6KZlJIp6GEsCSV2S18H9IqSnL4eIN0/s320/pretakoyaki.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prep time! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first batch! Messy but delicious</td></tr>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-90509015103920476822012-05-06T01:15:00.004-07:002012-05-06T01:15:56.764-07:00Osaka and Kyoto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOmgVXLvKLMakyCsD6SrYjUtN35UCMD8Y_FA-85jf6TtuyNw1iPQ7E4PdQ6WOYhSvfduORkeFULEkIRpk4NMdGK5duGqDTZ718i4TcnGezttZU8hRixTzcbUz5pLLcq-XlzYdUfOTiV4/s1600/fushimi+inari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOmgVXLvKLMakyCsD6SrYjUtN35UCMD8Y_FA-85jf6TtuyNw1iPQ7E4PdQ6WOYhSvfduORkeFULEkIRpk4NMdGK5duGqDTZ718i4TcnGezttZU8hRixTzcbUz5pLLcq-XlzYdUfOTiV4/s320/fushimi+inari.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi Inari in Kyoto! The whole path is lined with these torii gates, it's really cool. It's a long trail but we did the short version because it was starting to rain and we didn't want to get caught in it at the top of a mountain, lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu9JdQGP0fO9_gcXTPPyw11n0MQk80HCJi7M4ueyMMq-ImQ3IYy2Clviwb9M5x2JQ-vqyC_-PNG59yE3BiXkq9nuObdP9PJqmehwzIaRk-cbwHZj3oi_I86VP8SNzqU03Fn7-17_nrs8/s1600/ginkakuji+zen+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu9JdQGP0fO9_gcXTPPyw11n0MQk80HCJi7M4ueyMMq-ImQ3IYy2Clviwb9M5x2JQ-vqyC_-PNG59yE3BiXkq9nuObdP9PJqmehwzIaRk-cbwHZj3oi_I86VP8SNzqU03Fn7-17_nrs8/s320/ginkakuji+zen+garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sand garden at Ginkakuji. Ginkakuji means 'silver temple' but it wasn't actually silver, just wooden. Nice views though!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvQGkBuxa2IxtEKEERxlsrAN4452mqPLeYUQ-pfBsz3bzFFCHGF5Kb-MokvzMB78dz1TJ80RDmLSsuqyyRqguEK0GHMKttsPqlrJiyO20XNYvMLC85B1cVVbFYb4xobGiwSFcqf2Q21Q/s1600/ginkakuji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvQGkBuxa2IxtEKEERxlsrAN4452mqPLeYUQ-pfBsz3bzFFCHGF5Kb-MokvzMB78dz1TJ80RDmLSsuqyyRqguEK0GHMKttsPqlrJiyO20XNYvMLC85B1cVVbFYb4xobGiwSFcqf2Q21Q/s320/ginkakuji.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginkakuji</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrW_1boRbB7a88LkLmZZxOubqbXFMrb3oSD0QHwDcMZgaXgp7MH4mgOFMSw3o-yPpDfNh-reZMoe5laqPUdkvhPR12PBZagcapnlgCZ7YMzOQy1GXsfkirZKLxqrrIUVFSJ9cSNKfqrg/s1600/kiyomizu+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrW_1boRbB7a88LkLmZZxOubqbXFMrb3oSD0QHwDcMZgaXgp7MH4mgOFMSw3o-yPpDfNh-reZMoe5laqPUdkvhPR12PBZagcapnlgCZ7YMzOQy1GXsfkirZKLxqrrIUVFSJ9cSNKfqrg/s320/kiyomizu+view.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiyomizudera! Kiyomizudera is one of Kyoto's most famous temples, and after going there I can see why, the views are amazing. It was probably the coolest temple we went to in Kyoto</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQYODM6mJ7-x1T3cwzymm4vtK_UyDc_d_M9GMhEt-dKKzWy8EGrNIxTLJ8LexD8HYuvYhNb9zNCzVHKVDmxnfy7vy9oapmx96Y6OyoDhri3u55ez90mJO92MzUnLZE_rhEo9Jlo8PLA8/s1600/kiyomizudera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQYODM6mJ7-x1T3cwzymm4vtK_UyDc_d_M9GMhEt-dKKzWy8EGrNIxTLJ8LexD8HYuvYhNb9zNCzVHKVDmxnfy7vy9oapmx96Y6OyoDhri3u55ez90mJO92MzUnLZE_rhEo9Jlo8PLA8/s320/kiyomizudera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiyomizudera</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qfmuAKc49RnLpfX1nd06FxA3deqehhfORAX6jnT9f-iGJjJ0ePnEnNTeQMNB37IkY3C85gXzwlwCZ8fkj4VUn2brK1Vcyw5KAS1iLwhcr-ujkVGwebST1ujE4_AKq42o5EzG-fWrjW8/s1600/new+haircut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qfmuAKc49RnLpfX1nd06FxA3deqehhfORAX6jnT9f-iGJjJ0ePnEnNTeQMNB37IkY3C85gXzwlwCZ8fkj4VUn2brK1Vcyw5KAS1iLwhcr-ujkVGwebST1ujE4_AKq42o5EzG-fWrjW8/s320/new+haircut.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new haircut that I got right before leaving for Osaka</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBDz6Mf6odgWTnwqa5X1jmberR1s7AFA4VmS_OJhAlEKoGspD5DiCysE8Y8Y5IC21NkE2PY3781klyPVYFFjMoQNgNCZYFYBPXJLU7VIjevN4xwjgAtkKWAF4YFZ94flpNBSzPOOGYFQ/s1600/okonomiyaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBDz6Mf6odgWTnwqa5X1jmberR1s7AFA4VmS_OJhAlEKoGspD5DiCysE8Y8Y5IC21NkE2PY3781klyPVYFFjMoQNgNCZYFYBPXJLU7VIjevN4xwjgAtkKWAF4YFZ94flpNBSzPOOGYFQ/s320/okonomiyaki.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okonomiyaki with friends in Osaka. Osaka is famous for okonomiyaki and takoyaki</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgJL-HnKNvdBN42kYnoOJicyj-beMeSQC6UagGZG4y9qCLEPRyxsSZTHf9zUUDnSnMB5NMxjpFlF_7ZUFC9rn6jce6-11H7A7nddQ1mC02YT21LbhonnVKL5SlgFkxkwPHmr2ed5H3Vc/s1600/osaka+castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgJL-HnKNvdBN42kYnoOJicyj-beMeSQC6UagGZG4y9qCLEPRyxsSZTHf9zUUDnSnMB5NMxjpFlF_7ZUFC9rn6jce6-11H7A7nddQ1mC02YT21LbhonnVKL5SlgFkxkwPHmr2ed5H3Vc/s320/osaka+castle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osaka castle. It was pretty cool, the inside is a museum and they had an awesome display of historical folding screens when we went. </td></tr>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-4593770817836867292012-04-15T07:36:00.002-07:002012-04-15T07:36:23.709-07:00Nature photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnnYufofFtyzy-nTm9dtguImAdlQm7H0QbL4o_VTgV-XXAcMcKgeWF8XqvqTGqMgjO8MW6-wm6as5Unu7Q0i1loTvcUFIB85gsN-A6j9U4UvsKT2WcW8vNr5lL0UsBfTy9WrCeqDrUiM/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnnYufofFtyzy-nTm9dtguImAdlQm7H0QbL4o_VTgV-XXAcMcKgeWF8XqvqTGqMgjO8MW6-wm6as5Unu7Q0i1loTvcUFIB85gsN-A6j9U4UvsKT2WcW8vNr5lL0UsBfTy9WrCeqDrUiM/s320/IMG_0434.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinjuku gyoen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVv3ujbv-PzCoezu_tvQVbWQdDO_2HGgU64-zaCpCApF1ZESIFnoWkn2LR6cegSy2CO-d-nGDL8CG_M7osPBFtn8ogPym-GY04LLPe2Ax5qVian1bFeYDFv6_Mu7GOey8M6jPJ4FW6690/s1600/IMG_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVv3ujbv-PzCoezu_tvQVbWQdDO_2HGgU64-zaCpCApF1ZESIFnoWkn2LR6cegSy2CO-d-nGDL8CG_M7osPBFtn8ogPym-GY04LLPe2Ax5qVian1bFeYDFv6_Mu7GOey8M6jPJ4FW6690/s320/IMG_0441.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camellias and cherry blossoms at Shinjuku gyoen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_207WoHGA5qWkLkrzfhup8K58f6q9zMZtbiF05hS7AYJMDrs6xyafLcwfo2FOCfnXhCCprjnRtX1CRJCBWkV3RD_3MVSuZz2slB4yChkWsOLsPtQSLHX_SAOWrXR3hs7DiU3Q8BiIZw/s1600/IMG_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_207WoHGA5qWkLkrzfhup8K58f6q9zMZtbiF05hS7AYJMDrs6xyafLcwfo2FOCfnXhCCprjnRtX1CRJCBWkV3RD_3MVSuZz2slB4yChkWsOLsPtQSLHX_SAOWrXR3hs7DiU3Q8BiIZw/s320/IMG_0460.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset near the imperial gardens</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pnQYcoEUeUWB46FJaR3UmU0K65F0NHZOPzCy01TLzPAlo7rxLEMk_N8HvC4Qxn2pPDBnbTHV7-E4Cp7uu5kZxzEd1WkTFP0xOFgYhpNWaBK6wpKihs3ZaD4PK7TFbLBj-lyqtdWVYmE/s1600/IMG_0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pnQYcoEUeUWB46FJaR3UmU0K65F0NHZOPzCy01TLzPAlo7rxLEMk_N8HvC4Qxn2pPDBnbTHV7-E4Cp7uu5kZxzEd1WkTFP0xOFgYhpNWaBK6wpKihs3ZaD4PK7TFbLBj-lyqtdWVYmE/s320/IMG_0444.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camellias at Shinjuku gyoen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglonjWNQ95UxrWn4op1Wpb6Ys4ZpVHgTDwQniAtxtvE0JSAfvGZuXL4oCRcR0dgvRd4rVA2j59DBBPEW_apfu5P9EXMPpIeGRiO63LJpwLk9PmDruGTBFfSNzav6wi-g_QBwXLUm73TCs/s1600/IMG_0448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglonjWNQ95UxrWn4op1Wpb6Ys4ZpVHgTDwQniAtxtvE0JSAfvGZuXL4oCRcR0dgvRd4rVA2j59DBBPEW_apfu5P9EXMPpIeGRiO63LJpwLk9PmDruGTBFfSNzav6wi-g_QBwXLUm73TCs/s320/IMG_0448.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossoms along the moat by the imperial palace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUT1WmvEIrt6fYJfh07dIeTYrF8XATOfhfaeks8zeHdghG0KPiPPR5WNpitkYIQZMzSgG-vWr4vY2i96rG4vrsx9Se3JzVTFoN1hKuZQA_ipNVFOtQjvDUXQun-bqvsJShegxxZ9r3lA/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUT1WmvEIrt6fYJfh07dIeTYrF8XATOfhfaeks8zeHdghG0KPiPPR5WNpitkYIQZMzSgG-vWr4vY2i96rG4vrsx9Se3JzVTFoN1hKuZQA_ipNVFOtQjvDUXQun-bqvsJShegxxZ9r3lA/s320/IMG_0453.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moat again</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2q_PSWfHM5F5wEEe_2WSoBlGcg3LMiIG35zSLim0skEspQYtY9gFQmMPrN2X6kDQVX2ZVOtyalJatlz9tOzHfL6SHVJswMCeh-ssDyoHYVHkyY2ALewAifTOy7Pz4c0_eQzSuCjvvm4/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2q_PSWfHM5F5wEEe_2WSoBlGcg3LMiIG35zSLim0skEspQYtY9gFQmMPrN2X6kDQVX2ZVOtyalJatlz9tOzHfL6SHVJswMCeh-ssDyoHYVHkyY2ALewAifTOy7Pz4c0_eQzSuCjvvm4/s320/IMG_0458.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A swan chillin in the moat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CEPTLCjSif_q08jwgFTVsEWe5sk7DvGvxZ-8chnle14qqaI_zZMM1qfLhXVurtpviGGRxx6K1ZkuOZxAFXjMPdH_7ZxEOnvvVxWibpoqN5D-fKWWqndd4kEp2H0tYALPe4tK9jVXO04/s1600/IMG_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CEPTLCjSif_q08jwgFTVsEWe5sk7DvGvxZ-8chnle14qqaI_zZMM1qfLhXVurtpviGGRxx6K1ZkuOZxAFXjMPdH_7ZxEOnvvVxWibpoqN5D-fKWWqndd4kEp2H0tYALPe4tK9jVXO04/s320/IMG_0459.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was a speedy swan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50QlVfctekCVu3A-Xuewc8XUJf9nB3Pf7kT-6ANOmuLnIgpWMchsjEPGR-UsV-_IFeUQMxqF6_-zc0XYiP7XCJTbpZlOUuqn87mUbzsQDtRLArh5C_gEOlC9UBE_lfW_n51eTw8dtWjI/s1600/IMG_0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50QlVfctekCVu3A-Xuewc8XUJf9nB3Pf7kT-6ANOmuLnIgpWMchsjEPGR-UsV-_IFeUQMxqF6_-zc0XYiP7XCJTbpZlOUuqn87mUbzsQDtRLArh5C_gEOlC9UBE_lfW_n51eTw8dtWjI/s320/IMG_0447.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more moat cherry blossoms</td></tr>
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Last Monday I went with some friends to a bunch of different places to get our cherry blossom fix. It was a gorgeous day and the blossoms were in full bloom everywhere! Sadly it was a very short season, and the cherry blossoms are gone now. I'm glad I was able to see so many on such a nice day, though!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-73330058774598254702012-04-09T06:16:00.001-07:002012-04-09T06:16:56.790-07:00Hanami<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1FhEgRvEWZGtWSnXi3rOsC5YDGivxymqLX40Py91yqRyD0StCCZrrf56GIpK9ikh9KGAVf6HCS0-dOq64mpOZtBgX3RZ6ided1aJ1nBD2i_lQbUh9xbECKZyws2x-qCIwewk1df__IY/s1600/chidorigafuchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1FhEgRvEWZGtWSnXi3rOsC5YDGivxymqLX40Py91yqRyD0StCCZrrf56GIpK9ikh9KGAVf6HCS0-dOq64mpOZtBgX3RZ6ided1aJ1nBD2i_lQbUh9xbECKZyws2x-qCIwewk1df__IY/s320/chidorigafuchi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitanomaru park near the palace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Bqmj0a46mZUhWytEPki1cARbXJPcRmwphw3e-Jo-rySmILvEEDgdFNhuPtp8if8ObKX4KcSzJ04IAkOsgnSp6Owx5GiNuLnMclDZPV0WA1UTmJ4XQO5ukqbKWj03NEeyEpOfttTmy5Q/s1600/kinuta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Bqmj0a46mZUhWytEPki1cARbXJPcRmwphw3e-Jo-rySmILvEEDgdFNhuPtp8if8ObKX4KcSzJ04IAkOsgnSp6Owx5GiNuLnMclDZPV0WA1UTmJ4XQO5ukqbKWj03NEeyEpOfttTmy5Q/s320/kinuta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picnic at Kinuta park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliencEzjDMwJ7ueR8_r6TPVQY5m7iU9xKDBpy45wXDWsbK6RZTdoeRbn2LhshoOivi2GfZEJYNhkuB494eJn288VaNRSOSH9-x-IgXBzjep94UQT61P4x2_Enii2eyvyCpp9n77-4DMk/s1600/kinuta2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliencEzjDMwJ7ueR8_r6TPVQY5m7iU9xKDBpy45wXDWsbK6RZTdoeRbn2LhshoOivi2GfZEJYNhkuB494eJn288VaNRSOSH9-x-IgXBzjep94UQT61P4x2_Enii2eyvyCpp9n77-4DMk/s320/kinuta2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinuta park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSyCCpjYK5TAL_SL8HY70GNOD-Y4fo781v-j0oHiq72fwX7IUveXuEMpiBM02iG784ztIiuvKAjCXQQb5NUBgtDu9n8gCsob0Ah4uV4y_tgBhi-9iMaluLe3CVuPoC4SRGv-8Y2E2vMI/s1600/sakura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSyCCpjYK5TAL_SL8HY70GNOD-Y4fo781v-j0oHiq72fwX7IUveXuEMpiBM02iG784ztIiuvKAjCXQQb5NUBgtDu9n8gCsob0Ah4uV4y_tgBhi-9iMaluLe3CVuPoC4SRGv-8Y2E2vMI/s320/sakura.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry tree</td></tr>
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It's cherry blossom time in Tokyo! The trees were at full bloom this weekend and I took advantage of it to have a cherry blossom viewing birthday party picnic. I had the picnic on Sunday but it was actually pretty chilly and windy... then today the weather was perfect! It got into the 70s with just a light breeze, it was amazing! So I went around with a couple friends and we went to a couple different parks to check out the cherry blossoms. We went to Shinjuku Gyoen and then to Kitanomaru park, which is near the Imperial Palace so you can see the moat lined with cherry trees. We wanted to go into the imperial gardens, but it turns out they're closed on Monday. Still, it was a such a nice day!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-47051044764937523452012-04-02T04:55:00.000-07:002012-04-02T04:55:18.427-07:00Festival of the Steel Phallus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCqj8JnrOQ_bKraRt3SNj7HyWKbZQACevKPsaySOPa3PvsocHvEOprREl9n62MCZ9JecZ724af-MIcDvVqVJTAJ4ITTEfDk0AxwKTvV-VdmIzkKryKkxW8ruKFKXr3E7989hpfXCbjyA/s1600/pink+penis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCqj8JnrOQ_bKraRt3SNj7HyWKbZQACevKPsaySOPa3PvsocHvEOprREl9n62MCZ9JecZ724af-MIcDvVqVJTAJ4ITTEfDk0AxwKTvV-VdmIzkKryKkxW8ruKFKXr3E7989hpfXCbjyA/s320/pink+penis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Went to the Kanamara Matsuri in Kawasaki on Sunday! As the name suggests, it's a festival devoted to penis. There was a parade and a shrine featuring all sorts of phallus-related goods. There were a ton of people there, and I think half of them were foreigners, lol. We kept running into fellow Aeon teachers, haha. The train to get there was super crowded and I was initially worried I might miss the stop because I couldn't see the signs, but then I realized that I didn't need to look for the sign because I could just follow the wave of people getting off! It was a pretty interesting experience. </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-47888668472307747652012-03-29T08:41:00.000-07:002012-03-29T08:41:25.480-07:00Miscellany<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghilBdWo4qQn_o30dlnIpBBcVOPzWQyT-a2a0pUbjcc82hp0vUPMYM2-nyPW2nHSHCxeMd-cstRa8mXdAaSaNVuLFdMNiVzNBoRDcOLWbTkoVzBvUQHvCsy4rcbDO4GWTw04LwdRL1Hnk/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghilBdWo4qQn_o30dlnIpBBcVOPzWQyT-a2a0pUbjcc82hp0vUPMYM2-nyPW2nHSHCxeMd-cstRa8mXdAaSaNVuLFdMNiVzNBoRDcOLWbTkoVzBvUQHvCsy4rcbDO4GWTw04LwdRL1Hnk/s320/IMG_0252.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossom beer can!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2flHoniNIoAPnmAXc6Fm0lCCioH0lSGUFKHhz5GuZMEep-hf08Vb7sqDOk8GWEhNoEdSJqg7hSew0tc2JZwLhFcmTapDJhjhhmgXmkO-8TSZ28SsPp3enHRJDtELW9XOWJlcD2Ti9PO0/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2flHoniNIoAPnmAXc6Fm0lCCioH0lSGUFKHhz5GuZMEep-hf08Vb7sqDOk8GWEhNoEdSJqg7hSew0tc2JZwLhFcmTapDJhjhhmgXmkO-8TSZ28SsPp3enHRJDtELW9XOWJlcD2Ti9PO0/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another cherry blossom beer can! Actually every beer has a cherry blossom design now. I love how Japan goes all out for the seasons.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYs8X1ww1797X6_rWuoVyVPeq2MAzqQQSLxTgtWAQkdrzW-y5q1-LxckikEkMUXxe9iNl0pILOev7A1xIAHlScfVg3xQKvthKgO4lm2Gp2p188VOlX0cb35ZcM0irQd_WjG7yq6uVY14/s1600/indiana+jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYs8X1ww1797X6_rWuoVyVPeq2MAzqQQSLxTgtWAQkdrzW-y5q1-LxckikEkMUXxe9iNl0pILOev7A1xIAHlScfVg3xQKvthKgO4lm2Gp2p188VOlX0cb35ZcM0irQd_WjG7yq6uVY14/s320/indiana+jones.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More from Disney Sea! Here's our official Indiana Jones picture. We were all supposed to do the peace sign but as you can see some didn't quite make it, haha.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLUJFH1i_fYCnaNHIsyD6VKS1EzO2yZPBmFCDB5nmNRo3l9vJTJs87g4zvnIdRrobmLWrP3Xus2gXJEAKkQ0_OzlPpv6FeaocZ0Amiz2WF-r_jdYjk9xMQN3wyMFDqsg_We2cd0txkuY/s1600/orange+trench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLUJFH1i_fYCnaNHIsyD6VKS1EzO2yZPBmFCDB5nmNRo3l9vJTJs87g4zvnIdRrobmLWrP3Xus2gXJEAKkQ0_OzlPpv6FeaocZ0Amiz2WF-r_jdYjk9xMQN3wyMFDqsg_We2cd0txkuY/s320/orange+trench.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My awesome orange trench coat that I bought last weekend!</td></tr>
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Not a whole lot has been happening lately, but I did pick up an awesome trench coat and took some pictures of the seasonal beer can designs. I only have pictures of two because I felt weird taking pictures of all of the cans in the supermarket, lol. Seriously every single type now has a cherry blossom motif though. <br />
Speaking of cherry blossoms, they should be blooming soon! Normally they would be starting right around now, but because the winter has been so exceptionally cold they're arriving a bit late. Which is fine with me because it means I can have a cherry blossom picnic birthday party! <br />
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Golden week is coming up really soon too, at the end of April! I haven't decided exactly what I want to do yet, though. The tentative plan is to go to the Kansai area with some friends; we want to hit up Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, and maybe Hiroshima if time/money allows. I was thinking of maybe trying to squeeze in a trip to Korea to visit some of my friends there (and do some cheap shopping!), but I don't know if that will really be feasible.<br />
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Lastly, there's a link at the top of this blog that says 'follow'; if you click this you can get an email whenever I update.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-76715950920984757742012-03-20T19:07:00.000-07:002012-03-20T19:07:13.093-07:00Zao snowboarding<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtYQdxZdz-JJkWXrH3z8gM17OGFAktB8uo5VQ0e9vBVaPRzUcNXmhJXhdzYx-hKDPThPhGg87u_fQdbCOZfgtKjWWatP4aMvySPjCv0_MYnE5vYpMeRqushwEzMsZqfQEquPYvK4O_Xw/s1600/zao+afternoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtYQdxZdz-JJkWXrH3z8gM17OGFAktB8uo5VQ0e9vBVaPRzUcNXmhJXhdzYx-hKDPThPhGg87u_fQdbCOZfgtKjWWatP4aMvySPjCv0_MYnE5vYpMeRqushwEzMsZqfQEquPYvK4O_Xw/s320/zao+afternoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zao in the afternoon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zao in the morning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh-imzMO-lFS1z1Tr9W_xHB62g8lEb8PiICRTGTf7ViK2yKbUhaLGS-T1msRDsaqmocIH2gS-bUKkrU5OVUySu4UxrGwrhfRD4TfrJOvHqQeqvrrW7OUJBM6JfkZSXR8lCONA7GBsYxQ/s1600/zao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh-imzMO-lFS1z1Tr9W_xHB62g8lEb8PiICRTGTf7ViK2yKbUhaLGS-T1msRDsaqmocIH2gS-bUKkrU5OVUySu4UxrGwrhfRD4TfrJOvHqQeqvrrW7OUJBM6JfkZSXR8lCONA7GBsYxQ/s320/zao.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are somewhere halfway up the mountain, about to get some lunch</td></tr>
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It was a good snowboarding trip! Our hotel was nice too, dinner and breakfast were included and were actually really good, and the hotel had an onsen which was awesome after coming back from snowboarding. There was an indoor bath and and outdoor one, but the outdoor bath didn't have much of a view sadly. <br />
Some of the slopes were icy and as we got higher up the wind got stronger, but mostly it was good. I spent the first day traipsing all over the mountain with my friends (who are both advanced snowboarders) but the second day I stuck to the lower slopes so I could practice in better conditions. I think this was probably my last trip of the season, but I'll definitely try to do it again next season! Maybe I can even go to a different mountain, haha. <br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-61162097715658552842012-03-04T08:03:00.003-08:002012-03-04T08:03:36.313-08:00Disney Sea!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNHBiCvNyNE5UewR95POon_kBd0U7-0rCTN_Fv8JyA6DxBPq9Dik6XzpNKFpmaD9bnv5rHkhkxw45_WEWF_8b4qg9D1l8hT51gTVpic3e-tf59_331RXflowbtYhrQXyF9E-j6wFB22k/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNHBiCvNyNE5UewR95POon_kBd0U7-0rCTN_Fv8JyA6DxBPq9Dik6XzpNKFpmaD9bnv5rHkhkxw45_WEWF_8b4qg9D1l8hT51gTVpic3e-tf59_331RXflowbtYhrQXyF9E-j6wFB22k/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the monorail to Disney!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkT2dPs-B2lFEKo12A8ZmSc7qNoPgydbG_RriISg2RZrhjoEZ65UBoEFnrufQW-fDeuGuCoEuqQUaRMMPCCWhzQgb9jxaAB_fYN-mQoJskQDIWRdDq6v8CePvg-L7k0oKMU_EmdtaFEE/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkT2dPs-B2lFEKo12A8ZmSc7qNoPgydbG_RriISg2RZrhjoEZ65UBoEFnrufQW-fDeuGuCoEuqQUaRMMPCCWhzQgb9jxaAB_fYN-mQoJskQDIWRdDq6v8CePvg-L7k0oKMU_EmdtaFEE/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute straps!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZq9dK2Fp1fcA2MtBYsFZseHwbWC3WaHf1RIyaQTz2E_pVV8Bs4RMSjC8JhEaJHxHZRhFqHfvVb32oAo1SnAhn1HxSwKV354LBwpdhGHIHj00IF9EQytKBnKCtFQEmQoaPjnLZm1BxD1I/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZq9dK2Fp1fcA2MtBYsFZseHwbWC3WaHf1RIyaQTz2E_pVV8Bs4RMSjC8JhEaJHxHZRhFqHfvVb32oAo1SnAhn1HxSwKV354LBwpdhGHIHj00IF9EQytKBnKCtFQEmQoaPjnLZm1BxD1I/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just inside the entrance to the park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdo-HpZjv7_kJbB8ETf7BhiYrMhMcsJH8CxZ-tDP5a6udWPG2wnn5f_WPYuVlve_dwQ4Svw_lPBcGYT6GZnTz3ADewizvyXOE4HTYCJ2UBr4piZ57KgbmdzIKqe-LcM7CAzHQz2avyjE/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdo-HpZjv7_kJbB8ETf7BhiYrMhMcsJH8CxZ-tDP5a6udWPG2wnn5f_WPYuVlve_dwQ4Svw_lPBcGYT6GZnTz3ADewizvyXOE4HTYCJ2UBr4piZ57KgbmdzIKqe-LcM7CAzHQz2avyjE/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ariel's castle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-KOzhf8nb2rvOFYrJlpYhz7OcRVNE33Gg6eZStHpKcatYprsSun4XYLpU0UgbjLM3MyqO94tn9l5FBe5EibRnMUVOuIsWC_TBbmbkQEPNaqxQsSkcI8Lx87cOG-_NzfJ-unC6GUEmoA/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-KOzhf8nb2rvOFYrJlpYhz7OcRVNE33Gg6eZStHpKcatYprsSun4XYLpU0UgbjLM3MyqO94tn9l5FBe5EibRnMUVOuIsWC_TBbmbkQEPNaqxQsSkcI8Lx87cOG-_NzfJ-unC6GUEmoA/s320/IMG_0272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Ariel's castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO1PxwHYI9HcqIf7ezMTpP1mJzsZWcnhrEZN7SojAN5aqinVgh0CexLyuz7ozCdgftSwOolm9lRs2k3CIzJ9_NjUpEc1N8S7BPyx44-7tZXBPlRxEwgzpYwviPnzBsi1SWG8m6sgRoLo/s1600/IMG_0275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO1PxwHYI9HcqIf7ezMTpP1mJzsZWcnhrEZN7SojAN5aqinVgh0CexLyuz7ozCdgftSwOolm9lRs2k3CIzJ9_NjUpEc1N8S7BPyx44-7tZXBPlRxEwgzpYwviPnzBsi1SWG8m6sgRoLo/s320/IMG_0275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spinning teacups are in Little Mermaid world at Disney Sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoME9rC1LZVwNOJqSNDZXx6bHNE02tIvbYdMuLbhfDkT-KIcBHXw9pdOuUAHYdc9ulWnnDyd5rwAQr-2QD7Toi0OgBsS4mD8FahQBAIzX9e3bQQfoieDfBdx4Gbd6dRVCmgJe5U9Seqo0/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoME9rC1LZVwNOJqSNDZXx6bHNE02tIvbYdMuLbhfDkT-KIcBHXw9pdOuUAHYdc9ulWnnDyd5rwAQr-2QD7Toi0OgBsS4mD8FahQBAIzX9e3bQQfoieDfBdx4Gbd6dRVCmgJe5U9Seqo0/s320/IMG_0276.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite of the themes, I think!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0PMup4FzeLOxwe7CNCGnLhTeRRBOMm2rOKXXqN-IUVqsArZgCuSWZxydZRHUqZbDAftgR-sIEweVBaVW1NDaRypobd27DCJ7_3T9mSKQ7EkIjnXehn7yWyNHYfIz1dUW89ipSe9jC-E/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0PMup4FzeLOxwe7CNCGnLhTeRRBOMm2rOKXXqN-IUVqsArZgCuSWZxydZRHUqZbDAftgR-sIEweVBaVW1NDaRypobd27DCJ7_3T9mSKQ7EkIjnXehn7yWyNHYfIz1dUW89ipSe9jC-E/s320/IMG_0292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a gondola ride</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MW1y-7xVV_XnGxl9n5_NnfCRcCSeYB5du5iVseCeuZsloru9WJmhG0PDCRbV4SBs_C155IpDm1e9tokSU6r8ox2aLWsHFxlHRTaWGXf4HCGH1_K_jsUFa_JbTrGyt3Ea9xK9zt90vjg/s1600/IMG_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MW1y-7xVV_XnGxl9n5_NnfCRcCSeYB5du5iVseCeuZsloru9WJmhG0PDCRbV4SBs_C155IpDm1e9tokSU6r8ox2aLWsHFxlHRTaWGXf4HCGH1_K_jsUFa_JbTrGyt3Ea9xK9zt90vjg/s320/IMG_0298.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was really nice, it was dusk and the view was amazing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgez78vFz-7k7O7O2MFTr_0ZAipYz_mkhviZcIjd_rmW8bTHKvRAP4V0_Ek4P_zSNQAjXP0baVqpusxGzHFy0h7d_I7qhC1vN5zDGf8THH5DWC3IFTp-HvKgvsiaH4b8mznwlLlQ0yGEJo/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgez78vFz-7k7O7O2MFTr_0ZAipYz_mkhviZcIjd_rmW8bTHKvRAP4V0_Ek4P_zSNQAjXP0baVqpusxGzHFy0h7d_I7qhC1vN5zDGf8THH5DWC3IFTp-HvKgvsiaH4b8mznwlLlQ0yGEJo/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Doom? I don't know, it was near Indiana Jones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEVFlcQ8JlanD3NoYdrm8H-BuDKfVEG8uTiPyikRjDPlGyDvOfA_jCHwc-g9HO45Sl2Wy-iMBPJ4qdJp2VXD0BfO6LOiSXwHCODwUzXyU9wq0mYCZ7bWQ-pVrw9mZeKq0figLNT58AOY/s1600/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEVFlcQ8JlanD3NoYdrm8H-BuDKfVEG8uTiPyikRjDPlGyDvOfA_jCHwc-g9HO45Sl2Wy-iMBPJ4qdJp2VXD0BfO6LOiSXwHCODwUzXyU9wq0mYCZ7bWQ-pVrw9mZeKq0figLNT58AOY/s320/IMG_0319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right before we fast passed it into the Indiana Jones ride!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-19770199974961418992012-02-20T05:48:00.000-08:002012-02-20T05:48:40.331-08:00A couple more pictures<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam5q9A9S-r65viehbGVj4yaeu7G8lwmt-7yFf9JOuUgtC-82uKreWSHWg4Bof1b8rjfZ8OsZm3Du2cKmc9h0xg4R3Sqq10d4LHIIpgUZvkGwS16I7-sAX_4NCXFUqVMCYeUDIQeg3AkY/s1600/bear+and+everyone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgam5q9A9S-r65viehbGVj4yaeu7G8lwmt-7yFf9JOuUgtC-82uKreWSHWg4Bof1b8rjfZ8OsZm3Du2cKmc9h0xg4R3Sqq10d4LHIIpgUZvkGwS16I7-sAX_4NCXFUqVMCYeUDIQeg3AkY/s320/bear+and+everyone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we all are with the Sapporo bear!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizizALYx3fCpPZgGhqWM_STSu0FsBwKBol_tcBOoKeJNY99o42-cFFKXWQKX3taDt_8GKRUhwspoEL__bSQf5mExTvejaWtAYkGBwcpazmbqCMRwcnwAOI8tp2EkJG-1yKHNrfqg4HB1w/s1600/aprons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizizALYx3fCpPZgGhqWM_STSu0FsBwKBol_tcBOoKeJNY99o42-cFFKXWQKX3taDt_8GKRUhwspoEL__bSQf5mExTvejaWtAYkGBwcpazmbqCMRwcnwAOI8tp2EkJG-1yKHNrfqg4HB1w/s320/aprons.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In our lovely beer garden aprons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofyjmHkJGUWgpEMLmjnPRV0WSpG-ndgbmjxrxlLw3rp7Y7rfPn800RrH06e7K7i4o7L_ajd5uPdt1grJUsG0lEKJn8svBNF6DkKwql_sjcdaPfmgwXFz7tbBpiDgX6bAJQmLMbBa5XtE/s1600/ikebukuro+puri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofyjmHkJGUWgpEMLmjnPRV0WSpG-ndgbmjxrxlLw3rp7Y7rfPn800RrH06e7K7i4o7L_ajd5uPdt1grJUsG0lEKJn8svBNF6DkKwql_sjcdaPfmgwXFz7tbBpiDgX6bAJQmLMbBa5XtE/s320/ikebukuro+puri.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not from Sapporo; took this purikura today after a buffet pizza lunch in Ikebukuro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGhZkwOsCl4WsXYAn86bJHLEInLiieeQagD7_UhMEMt0PeiNRIkS_byLoKMzBU7zgsHRx46ReGP8xRQKukeuR2Bdw0Yqm7mwqDe4a5bC6U0c1X1X9wzmpdzrKfDSRqDKr03n5YxXgWhM/s1600/genghis+khan+aftermath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGhZkwOsCl4WsXYAn86bJHLEInLiieeQagD7_UhMEMt0PeiNRIkS_byLoKMzBU7zgsHRx46ReGP8xRQKukeuR2Bdw0Yqm7mwqDe4a5bC6U0c1X1X9wzmpdzrKfDSRqDKr03n5YxXgWhM/s320/genghis+khan+aftermath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After we had eaten all the meat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562564937875466488.post-73747277250408186102012-02-14T18:05:00.000-08:002012-02-14T18:05:02.635-08:00Sapporo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhYmMgJveP0onINy1wjuFOiA0Gwvm3F0bv5biu165TDtF4ug8aKrVJoogrL9OkF59mj6bcm26uR-8YoQiQzFAGH3LRXQy7QqtYJPemWMZXXuP2UqRGkiqXdQ5POaW8GSxJBcsJVZKsCs/s1600/beer+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhYmMgJveP0onINy1wjuFOiA0Gwvm3F0bv5biu165TDtF4ug8aKrVJoogrL9OkF59mj6bcm26uR-8YoQiQzFAGH3LRXQy7QqtYJPemWMZXXuP2UqRGkiqXdQ5POaW8GSxJBcsJVZKsCs/s320/beer+garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongolian barbeque at Sapporo Beer Garden, all you can eat and all you can drink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlf3fh0RvGCoxsQ1zASOl8D6afQzRexj1AVf9tmPGUZyBxX4RLykE_sdMavQvo6L5Us-kdOr3GEJ4nsrudoH1wL0oh35MV1d2Kn-xxU_M1Ph55RvIrgWK4HPIDTenS4z2ZAq_R8PRKQo/s1600/beer+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlf3fh0RvGCoxsQ1zASOl8D6afQzRexj1AVf9tmPGUZyBxX4RLykE_sdMavQvo6L5Us-kdOr3GEJ4nsrudoH1wL0oh35MV1d2Kn-xxU_M1Ph55RvIrgWK4HPIDTenS4z2ZAq_R8PRKQo/s320/beer+museum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapporo Beer Museum beer tasting!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvSYaPLcqKQaqnD0iaUud7VP7tyYJux2M7ibEmls6HuZ6WTFg5SrBRR5KSifyhaBJh4kmyeWeA0GpE3xF8ZJ9z8dFvZGgRIUYT4cIrTsWm5FwGHezJmVrl3-ol38G1VVzThPiIpWXn2s/s1600/bier+garten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvSYaPLcqKQaqnD0iaUud7VP7tyYJux2M7ibEmls6HuZ6WTFg5SrBRR5KSifyhaBJh4kmyeWeA0GpE3xF8ZJ9z8dFvZGgRIUYT4cIrTsWm5FwGHezJmVrl3-ol38G1VVzThPiIpWXn2s/s320/bier+garten.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the apron they gave us to eat in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCTUahfJKdABGJJzCGDYjpCcIFO-_WYaI1lTZHo1j-X9aJOD0sQIgeKPmz3RSzN-XftZeF-Cf6F3SKoJNUPF5DjSTeGYzG-m8CvDZ4jIZ-aYXNbrXUNRP3DxcP4rLQrLo7q6dIEICskA/s1600/aquarium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCTUahfJKdABGJJzCGDYjpCcIFO-_WYaI1lTZHo1j-X9aJOD0sQIgeKPmz3RSzN-XftZeF-Cf6F3SKoJNUPF5DjSTeGYzG-m8CvDZ4jIZ-aYXNbrXUNRP3DxcP4rLQrLo7q6dIEICskA/s320/aquarium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow aquarium!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBbEWB_039bJPLi32nH24uOoZ7lCZ67YvyP14ix-IwMxi-0y1wmwPHxvAPGISbKoO2mHUBEBUwX051_XZtk5vHcFEwIus5dulOlNkuSWLKyzFmlIjs4-CtRUp73hgrDfp09XlyTr29pE/s1600/ice+palace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBbEWB_039bJPLi32nH24uOoZ7lCZ67YvyP14ix-IwMxi-0y1wmwPHxvAPGISbKoO2mHUBEBUwX051_XZtk5vHcFEwIus5dulOlNkuSWLKyzFmlIjs4-CtRUp73hgrDfp09XlyTr29pE/s320/ice+palace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow palace with some sort of pop performance going on in front!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e82wAXQQzibXQmgPkPpZCE74XW9VLljzN47jiRqPbGNA8bVniWBaEjoADuDqJIqvSOGNQNFQ4xqF2bRyA9CAYY9-XleXe8dbPq06UtN4rqsg9zO7CEh6vJJ0T0a1espV3d1nEDSNIUI/s1600/in+front+of+organ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e82wAXQQzibXQmgPkPpZCE74XW9VLljzN47jiRqPbGNA8bVniWBaEjoADuDqJIqvSOGNQNFQ4xqF2bRyA9CAYY9-XleXe8dbPq06UtN4rqsg9zO7CEh6vJJ0T0a1espV3d1nEDSNIUI/s320/in+front+of+organ.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a giant ice organ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEyR8Im9X4MMVwpdCAQkTRtcVk-t7J2b3SBisSyuFEgC92JCSxcA1a4R8al793XB3xJysx5YIJYScJnF7hGnvIXc9wAc32tjjcGNwLReHdcD3UoCxCgPHyXsDgxo-x2GnOfW_5pwTt30/s1600/indian+palace+and+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEyR8Im9X4MMVwpdCAQkTRtcVk-t7J2b3SBisSyuFEgC92JCSxcA1a4R8al793XB3xJysx5YIJYScJnF7hGnvIXc9wAc32tjjcGNwLReHdcD3UoCxCgPHyXsDgxo-x2GnOfW_5pwTt30/s320/indian+palace+and+us.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian palace made of snow! Check my earmuffs that I found on sale for 100 yen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi7Z63_cLBZSwOuX8XNJfXzvOcitm1y_CJ7dMuyqGKNMr4jotr4xwwcrEf6Oe7OKAdGtjdDdXTjANlObZPsJfyp_lMlfDJlzomFp8jfk6GeTch_V_ER6tAFp8pbRorqYaiYLI8mhytHo/s1600/japanese+castle+and+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi7Z63_cLBZSwOuX8XNJfXzvOcitm1y_CJ7dMuyqGKNMr4jotr4xwwcrEf6Oe7OKAdGtjdDdXTjANlObZPsJfyp_lMlfDJlzomFp8jfk6GeTch_V_ER6tAFp8pbRorqYaiYLI8mhytHo/s320/japanese+castle+and+us.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese snow castle! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ51epwFHxwImoP7teNqkoekgguqmhFR5TBSt_-MYUuD47mHWACVywevLjw2LDZjZt2s8soJuTkRbnb0FnXd3nosvoX3-tgY_3pby7GWtt_fMF2NYf80Tq-E-Qd6sCD5dy-aQ7yW8KCM/s1600/karaoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ51epwFHxwImoP7teNqkoekgguqmhFR5TBSt_-MYUuD47mHWACVywevLjw2LDZjZt2s8soJuTkRbnb0FnXd3nosvoX3-tgY_3pby7GWtt_fMF2NYf80Tq-E-Qd6sCD5dy-aQ7yW8KCM/s320/karaoke.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karaoke Sapporo style, naturally!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHzsys9RW18pqjd-ADgXsN8axu9i5Sf3yxPyLfe7OH4PRw4RzuC6Q8J1TcGRz0YRXGp-ipHGyuVSA0e3wgIATzXuxhB71Nc8uAYuEjDZPuWdbl9mN28HGE1zhT9RUSd3gUqQOTTqQRSU/s1600/organ+player.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHzsys9RW18pqjd-ADgXsN8axu9i5Sf3yxPyLfe7OH4PRw4RzuC6Q8J1TcGRz0YRXGp-ipHGyuVSA0e3wgIATzXuxhB71Nc8uAYuEjDZPuWdbl9mN28HGE1zhT9RUSd3gUqQOTTqQRSU/s320/organ+player.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the woman in her bubble playing the ice organ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5WqzvYrLIF4CeiI3T_-s9LR1idVf2N8nF5bGYDcWYzwfEhHogoxZX7erC3pzh6TKm-muZXF1pGXp9byMuiUpCQRTe8uzjTtnh9wZ53QqrTc8Kj3AS9i1Y3s30WOhnV-uWDm45d-ykks/s1600/sapporo+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5WqzvYrLIF4CeiI3T_-s9LR1idVf2N8nF5bGYDcWYzwfEhHogoxZX7erC3pzh6TKm-muZXF1pGXp9byMuiUpCQRTe8uzjTtnh9wZ53QqrTc8Kj3AS9i1Y3s30WOhnV-uWDm45d-ykks/s320/sapporo+bear.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapporo bear!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I8Jm95ps8IvP-3wXIqDnSIfpiFOh7f2OFxk2GO5geMxIwOBk34AS6H2A7l7hSaCgLvOvgYdhyphenhyphenZgrvMiSFW0v0zkFPO8bWX-kUI0d_iAgDRloOOOFWSAUsVB_DfAIO63hVw2VGVh9l0w/s1600/sapporo+snow+festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-I8Jm95ps8IvP-3wXIqDnSIfpiFOh7f2OFxk2GO5geMxIwOBk34AS6H2A7l7hSaCgLvOvgYdhyphenhyphenZgrvMiSFW0v0zkFPO8bWX-kUI0d_iAgDRloOOOFWSAUsVB_DfAIO63hVw2VGVh9l0w/s320/sapporo+snow+festival.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapporo snow festival sign. I look so cold!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8pfW1jyRZKZ_Khc8WVMKC0yni8u7NVrjadIsPVcS7EfF4xk4jcE6_t8nKlpu-qWZqw8OYdNc3bEAJ4GhvivPzpPxksyyHfTgQUSDPpGY5dCTPIL8zQ7N6i23xpSOCjh_whrLk1ROZJg/s1600/snow+jump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8pfW1jyRZKZ_Khc8WVMKC0yni8u7NVrjadIsPVcS7EfF4xk4jcE6_t8nKlpu-qWZqw8OYdNc3bEAJ4GhvivPzpPxksyyHfTgQUSDPpGY5dCTPIL8zQ7N6i23xpSOCjh_whrLk1ROZJg/s320/snow+jump.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowboard jump!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvElP9wYtkVObm26f-7ggG0bckSRF_o9mO7sJar2BXPB3K8M4l0GhZvEcsioIXConXWFSlOTFck3_rC5hlc671a0CWPG0zNjGt4yWchx8m5YhaNaqzosCe2_Dc94C7K5VlliCA13VA5_0/s1600/snow+organ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvElP9wYtkVObm26f-7ggG0bckSRF_o9mO7sJar2BXPB3K8M4l0GhZvEcsioIXConXWFSlOTFck3_rC5hlc671a0CWPG0zNjGt4yWchx8m5YhaNaqzosCe2_Dc94C7K5VlliCA13VA5_0/s320/snow+organ.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice organ again. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17221695858765234363noreply@blogger.com1