Hong Kong etc
I couldn't possibly write down everything I saw and did and felt in the past few weeks, but here at least are a few of the major things worth a mention and I'll let the pictures tell the rest...
New Years Day with host family.
(photo: osechi and sake for breakfast)>>
Since my prior stay in Japan was only for the summer duration I missed out on the Japanese New Year. So this time I wanted to go back to ol' Minami Gyotoku to spend the holidays with my former host family in Chiba. New Years included a visit to a local shrine, traditional osechi made by my host mom, and a whole lotta sake.
I always love seeing my host fam again but it seems like my visits are never long enough. This time I could only stay for two nights and 3 days because of schedule conflicts. Mari-chan is getting cuter and cuter everytime I see her (and more fluent than me in Japanese)
and I saw the emperor of Japan:
from left to right- the prince, the emperor, empress, his 2nd son and his wife (they came out 7 times that day, this is the 5th. The princess was absent this time).
The emperor only comes out twice a year to wave from the palace balcony in central Tokyo, which is normally closed off to the public. Really not as exciting as it sounds...after waiting for 30 some minutes he emerged from the palace and stood with the rest of the imperial family behind his glass-encased balcony where they waved for a couple minutes before turning around and retreating back into the palace. Considering he doesn't do anything people were pretty thrilled just to get a glimpse of him.
I spent the rest of the day hitting up some of my fav places in tokyo but mostly everything was closed 'cause of new years, including tanpopo T_T
more of Tokyo here
次は...
HONG KONG!
This trip was looong since overdue. Ever since high school graduation 4 1/2 years ago I've been saying I would visit my friend Kim Kam from HK, but have never had the time or resources to do it.
After a 12 hour wait at the airport (yes 12 ;_;) my flight finally took off from Narita. When I arrived in HK Kim and her bf Denlison were waiting for me in the lobby with their faces hidden behind a sign (even so her turquois fuzzy jacket kinda made her easy to find). After our happy lil reunion we hopped on a double decker bus to her apartment in Kowloon- we sat on the 2nd floor of the bus by the front windows above the driver seat for an awesome view of HK at night.
I was also really happy to finally meet Denlison- we once talked quite a bit on aim when kim was still at EHS and I'd seen loads of pics, but never actually met him. He reminds of Kim in a lot of ways :)
Even though I was in HK for 5 days, we only actually had 3 frenzied days of sight-seeing, shopping, visiting, and mostly eating.
Hong Kong highlights:
-Climbing rocks on the shore of HK Island on a warm sunny day, watching the fisherman.
-Continuous eating. In between all the sight-seeing we were always eating, if not at a restaurant then while walking... and it was allll delicious.
-Rode a 50 year old, 45 degree inclined tram up to Victoria's Peak- the highest point overlooking all of Hong Kong for a spectacular 360 view of downtown at night. The moon was full that night and a brilliant orange.
-Market browsing. HK is nicknamed "shoppers paradise." Seems like street shops, malls and markets make up at least three-quarters of the city and its all a fraction of the cost of what I'd pay for it in Japan :D (I was actually quite good about my spending).
-Dim Sum bfast and dinner w/ Kim's family. They treated me to two huge fantastic HK dinners at a restaurant in Tsz Wan Shan. I ate chicken feet, peking duck, roasted pig (served whole), and fish eyeball :P
-Cat Cafe. The 3 of us went to a hip coffee shop overlooking downtown Kowloon that had 5 cats residing there. That and the selection of coffee flavors and desserts made my head spin... I ended up deciding on a macadanian nut latte.
-Dinner at Denlison's. My last night we spent a few hours takin' it easy at Denlison's place. His mom took me to the market to shop for that nights dinner where for the first time I saw my dinner selected live and slaughtered in front of me (actually I turned around and shut my eyes...) It was really nice having a large home-cooked dinner after so long though and with real meat (japanese get all their protein from egg and fish).
-Last night out. Got to know some of Kim and Denlison's old classmates.
-Finally got my haircut- it's been almost 10 months since my last one, and its way overpriced in Japan.
-and just warm weather in general was prolly one of the biggest highlights.
more of hong kong here
Now after two weeks of nonstop moving and city sensory overload I'm back to the ol'inaka routine in our cold, quiet little town. And as if its timing couldn't be any better, I find my recontracting papers waiting for me on my desk. Not that I don't all together dislike "livin' in the inaka" but everytime I'm able to return to my natural urban environment it makes it all the harder coming back. And then right when I'm really resenting having to leave the city again, they ask if I can stay for another 18 months. Eighteen months...
よく考えなきゃ...
New Years Day with host family.
(photo: osechi and sake for breakfast)>>
Since my prior stay in Japan was only for the summer duration I missed out on the Japanese New Year. So this time I wanted to go back to ol' Minami Gyotoku to spend the holidays with my former host family in Chiba. New Years included a visit to a local shrine, traditional osechi made by my host mom, and a whole lotta sake.
I always love seeing my host fam again but it seems like my visits are never long enough. This time I could only stay for two nights and 3 days because of schedule conflicts. Mari-chan is getting cuter and cuter everytime I see her (and more fluent than me in Japanese)
and I saw the emperor of Japan:
from left to right- the prince, the emperor, empress, his 2nd son and his wife (they came out 7 times that day, this is the 5th. The princess was absent this time).
The emperor only comes out twice a year to wave from the palace balcony in central Tokyo, which is normally closed off to the public. Really not as exciting as it sounds...after waiting for 30 some minutes he emerged from the palace and stood with the rest of the imperial family behind his glass-encased balcony where they waved for a couple minutes before turning around and retreating back into the palace. Considering he doesn't do anything people were pretty thrilled just to get a glimpse of him.
I spent the rest of the day hitting up some of my fav places in tokyo but mostly everything was closed 'cause of new years, including tanpopo T_T
more of Tokyo here
次は...
HONG KONG!
This trip was looong since overdue. Ever since high school graduation 4 1/2 years ago I've been saying I would visit my friend Kim Kam from HK, but have never had the time or resources to do it.
After a 12 hour wait at the airport (yes 12 ;_;) my flight finally took off from Narita. When I arrived in HK Kim and her bf Denlison were waiting for me in the lobby with their faces hidden behind a sign (even so her turquois fuzzy jacket kinda made her easy to find). After our happy lil reunion we hopped on a double decker bus to her apartment in Kowloon- we sat on the 2nd floor of the bus by the front windows above the driver seat for an awesome view of HK at night.I was also really happy to finally meet Denlison- we once talked quite a bit on aim when kim was still at EHS and I'd seen loads of pics, but never actually met him. He reminds of Kim in a lot of ways :)
Even though I was in HK for 5 days, we only actually had 3 frenzied days of sight-seeing, shopping, visiting, and mostly eating.
Hong Kong highlights:
-Climbing rocks on the shore of HK Island on a warm sunny day, watching the fisherman.
-Continuous eating. In between all the sight-seeing we were always eating, if not at a restaurant then while walking... and it was allll delicious.
-Rode a 50 year old, 45 degree inclined tram up to Victoria's Peak- the highest point overlooking all of Hong Kong for a spectacular 360 view of downtown at night. The moon was full that night and a brilliant orange.
-Market browsing. HK is nicknamed "shoppers paradise." Seems like street shops, malls and markets make up at least three-quarters of the city and its all a fraction of the cost of what I'd pay for it in Japan :D (I was actually quite good about my spending).
-Dim Sum bfast and dinner w/ Kim's family. They treated me to two huge fantastic HK dinners at a restaurant in Tsz Wan Shan. I ate chicken feet, peking duck, roasted pig (served whole), and fish eyeball :P
-Cat Cafe. The 3 of us went to a hip coffee shop overlooking downtown Kowloon that had 5 cats residing there. That and the selection of coffee flavors and desserts made my head spin... I ended up deciding on a macadanian nut latte.
-Dinner at Denlison's. My last night we spent a few hours takin' it easy at Denlison's place. His mom took me to the market to shop for that nights dinner where for the first time I saw my dinner selected live and slaughtered in front of me (actually I turned around and shut my eyes...) It was really nice having a large home-cooked dinner after so long though and with real meat (japanese get all their protein from egg and fish).-Last night out. Got to know some of Kim and Denlison's old classmates.
-Finally got my haircut- it's been almost 10 months since my last one, and its way overpriced in Japan.
-and just warm weather in general was prolly one of the biggest highlights.
more of hong kong here
Now after two weeks of nonstop moving and city sensory overload I'm back to the ol'inaka routine in our cold, quiet little town. And as if its timing couldn't be any better, I find my recontracting papers waiting for me on my desk. Not that I don't all together dislike "livin' in the inaka" but everytime I'm able to return to my natural urban environment it makes it all the harder coming back. And then right when I'm really resenting having to leave the city again, they ask if I can stay for another 18 months. Eighteen months...
よく考えなきゃ...
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