9.29.11

My! it has been a little while since I have written, and I apologize in advance for the many typos i know i will have since I dont have much time and I have so much to write!

So I have been all over with Mom and Michael. We stayed for a week in Osaka with mom's friend and her husband. From there we visited several different cities. It is so easy to travel in Japan because of the amazing public transportation. Trains and buses rule here! Therefore we visited Nara by train and got to see the amazing Todaiji Temple. I have been there before, and it was equally impressive if not more this time. In the area, deer roam freely and there are stands that sell thin crackers for the deer to eat. It was very crowded but the massive gates that lead us to the temple make us look small and people are unimportant once you see the Buddha. It is so impressive with such detail and beauty. The guards stand on either side and they look very fierce. There is a hole cut in one of the giant support columns that is the size of the Buddhas nostril, and there is a 100ft line where people stand so they can try to crawl through the hole. Mostly it is for small children and the insanely thin Japanese women (which is most of them!) We walked about in the various shrines and other buildings before visiting the Museum there and feasting on Udon sold there in the park. Since I was still jet lagged, I was exhausted by all the walking. It is also hot and humid.
I feel guilty in the crowded trains if I have to hold onto a handle hanging from the bar on the ceiling, because I must lift my arm and be...stinky:(

The next day we went to the Burial site of the 16th emperor. It is the largest mound in the world. We walked around it for about 40 minutes then went to a museum about different findings around the tomb. It was interesting to see ancient Japanese artifacts. There was a model of the tomb, and it large and grey with cylindrical pieces stinking out that were red on the flat ends. Oddly modern looking.
Following the museum we visited a tea house where there was "traditional" tea ceremony. They served us little chunks of sugar that were supposed to balance the bitter taste of the tea. Keiko's bowl was black in the inside and I couldn't help but to think about the book Thousand Cranes we read in English class and how the main character had talked about the powdery tea residue reminding him of spring against the black inside of the bowl. Beautiful. Then we went to bicycle museum, that had all different bikes from the oldest to newest and the strangest. There were even the bikes of famous bike race winners and their jerseys. It was interesting to see the variety and evolution. Michael really enjoyed it, maybe he will make changes to his own bike after what he has seen! Who knows!

The next day we relaxed a lot more. I got to go shopping a little (YES!) and bought a couple things at UNIQLO, my favorite store! I aslo couldn't resist this adorable sweater at  a little store and picked that up too...
Then we went to visit Keiko's friend who is a glass artist. We weren't expecting it, but she invited us to make glass beads. I have never seen it done and definitely never had the chance to do it myself. I'm not one who likes fire and it was a little frightening at first, but it was fine and I made five. Three plain yellow and two base turquois with different patterns. It was fun, but I don't think I'd be able to stand it for very long...it wreck my nerves! Then she started giving us gifts. It was ridiculous! She was so generous. She gave us women each a necklace then two glass dragons,  cookies, Kaki (persimon) pudding and offered us tea and cake to eat there on the spot. It was so kind of her. Japanese people are so hospitable...it seems to over the top! But she was a very wonderful person. Keiko described her has "loud but with a kind heart". Here Japanese women are so gentle and soft spoken, it was a refreshing to hear her stern voice.
Mom and Michael then parted ways and went to meet Mr. Nakamura, president Takiya, which makes items for Art Museums. I stayed back with Keiko and Seibinsan. I went with them to see a new house that they might buy (they decided to move in!) and then we went to the super market and I got Apple juice (since it is the best here in Japan) and Keiko bought yakitori, which is differnt parts of the chicken on a stick and barbaqued. Later I found out the different parts happened to be...heart, liver, skin and cartiledge. It was good...but I prefer the "normal" chicken parts.

I have a lot more to write but I will wait since I will have internet access for a few more days.
Tomorrow I will write about the other places I went!

I hope everyone is fine in America:)

I think it is the 24th. 9.24.11

As we took off from the Cleveland airport I found the highway that Molly had driven us on just earlier that morning.　Luckily it was a clear morning, for the most part, and I kept my eye on the highway looking for the familiar loop ramp onto the highway from Oberlin. I kept thinking maybe I had missed it, thinks look surprisingly different from above. Then I recognized the familiar loop, the slight turn onto E. Lorain St. Then I saw the red tile roofs and the vast silver dome of the indoor athletic feilds of the college. It was Oberlin! It seemed more like a moth eaten carpet of trees than the town I knew from the ground. But as we continued, the town became so small I could fit it in my palm. I`ve looked for it many times while flying out of Cleveland, that was the first time I have succeeded.

We are in Chicago now. Thirteen hours away from Tokyo. From there it is two hours to Osaka, our destination. There are many Japanese here at the gate, waiting to go home I can only assume.

We are in Tokyo now, have been for almost an hour. The flight wasn`t as bad as I feared it to be. Mostly because I busied myself watching Thor, Pirates 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Water for Elephants.
As soon as we landed, I could tell the difference. There next to airport and between the landing strips I could see the grasses right out of Japanese art and Miyazaki films. I could see a bamboo patch.
As soon as I stepped off the plane, i could smell Japan. I`ve always been able to smell the difference. Or sometimes in America I will get a wiff of what I consider to be `Japan`s scent`. It is a warm smell, maybe a little on the musty smell, like tatami matts and old kimonos. Whatever it really is, I love it.

Now I am at Keiko and Saibins house in Osaka. We got in around 8 pmI think...I stopped knowing about the time once we left Chicago. Keiko had made a dish called Oden. It has boiled eggs, noodles, meat, fish paste patties, wrapped mochi (and for those of you who have wacthed Spirited Away, do you remember the large brown sack-looking thing that the girls parents were eating when they were becoming becoming pigs? I think it was mochi wrapped in fried tofu...but I could be wrong...) and konyaku in a broth. She brought it to the table and you just pick out what you want. My favorite, konyaku and mochi:)
Then I took a very relaxing shower. Organized my belongings and snuggled into my bed. So soft and cozy. The smell of tatami matts. Keiko got new sliding doors and instead of blue and green rectangles like before, there is a delicate landscape painting.

I read a chapter of Evangelion 1, the books Qun recommended to me. So far so good!
I think it is Saturday in America...I hope the boys have fun at homecoming!

Today we are going to Nara. Once Keiko, Sabin, Mom and Michael get back from bird watching I can eat breakfast!!! yum.

9.21.11

Takachan is sleeping...she must be blocking out the light!

I am leaving tomorrow. Finally Japan is here, pretty crazy if you ask me. I'm packed and I have gifts ready for people in Japan. I made Ema (my cousin) and Misaki (Ema's friend and she is like family to us)bags with their names on it. Simple gift...I hope they like it. 

    

   Finally the sun is out! It has been raining all morning, grey, dreary...a typhoon is hitting Japan right now, but it is supposed to be done by the time we get there. Still, a little bit scary.

My Dad had a bunch of friends over last night for dinner as a get together before I leave. It was really nice with plenty of good food and company. It is nice when you know that there are people who truly care about you... I wont feel too alone in Japan since I can think of people here!

I will miss many people...and also my cats:) Most people have dogs in Japan, so I will miss my babies. Here is a link to a video I made about two of them... http://vimeo.com/27576166.

My other cat is at Dad's house, her name is Kitty (above). She is a very interesting cat...abandoned by a college student, Dad starting feeding her and she started coming into our house sometimes, then she was in our house a lot and sleeping with us at night. We named her Kitty...because we are a very creative family. After our last beautiful calico, Kiki, passed away it is nice having another crazy Kitty in the house to keep us company:)

Today, Elijah is 16. He has a great outfit for Homecoming plus a date! Tonight we are celebrating his birthday...and saying good bye. I cleaned out my room at Dads because Wen Chao will be staying there until Mom and Michael return. A house full of boys! I hope they will have a good time, I'm sure they will.

Molly is coming to pick us up quite early tomorrow to take us to the airport. Thank you Molly! 

Then we are off to Japan.

9.18.11

I only have three full days left in Oberlin. 
Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. 
It has been interesting saying good bye to people, but in reality, I will be back in a blink. Everyone will be so busy, it might be like I never left! 
I got together with friends all together for the first time since they started college (here in Oberlin). It was a lot of fun:)


I worked my last day of work on Saturday at the garden center. The girl who I "trained" the last couple times I'd worked was there and we finished up a few things. She is very wonderful and I think she will be a good replacement for me this fall. Though she is only 15, I am convinced she is secretly older, she is so mature! I will miss Locke's, it will probably be the best job I ever have. Chuck and Monica are absolutely wonderful, especially since they have managed to put up with me for the past couple years! I will hopefully be back to work in the spring:)


I went to the Bandarama in Avon Lake to watch the OHS marching band for the last time till next year. Elijah, my little brother, plays the bass drum. It is his first year, but he really loves it. It is fun to see him out there in the marching band uniform, too cool. Oberlin did very well, as usual. Since I'd never really seen other marching bands it was neat to see a few others there as well. A couple of the bands were twice the size of my graduating class!


Next week is homecoming week at the high school. It's been fun getting the boys ready for the dance, I wish I could be there to send them off and take embarrassing pictures...perhaps next year!
They are all so cute in their dress clothes:) 


I am basically packed. Suitcase sitting on my floor filled with stuff. Well, since it's six months, I don't feel too bad about what I am taking. I have 4 shirts, one pair of jeans, a pair of quick dry pants, cardigan, fat sweater...one tank top...mmmmm I think that's almost it. I plan to buy a couple essentials in Japan, like socks. For some reason, Japan has THE best socks. They are not only cute and cheap, but also good quality. Awesome. 


I was stopped while walking by someone who saw that I had an OHS sweatshirt on. He said "You went to Oberlin High?" I said yes, I graduated in the spring. "So you know my son..." We talked for a while. He asked why I was still here, I said because I'm going to Japan. He told me what an amazing opportunity this is, that I was blessed to have this chance to go to Japan and visit my mother's family and learn about my heritage. 
Something about the way he talked to me made me feel...elated. Like someone just sucked all the worry and fear out of my future, leaving behind a beautiful, bright and very promising life ahead of me. 


I hopped down the rest of the street, happy and reassured. 
Everything is going to be OK. Even the bad will eventually be good. 
I am invincible! My life is incredible. 
Japan will be wonderful. 

9.8.11

Okay. 2 weeks. Tomorrow mom is taking me to get my visa...my passport picture looks AWFUL! Too bad that will be on my visa as well. My eyes are half closed, my hair looks grey and I have the dopiest grin on...super duper. 

I'm still collecting stuff to take. I'm throwing it in a laundry basket as i think of different things. A list would be good...luckily I can always purchase things there...but it's difficult to get in that mindset. The dilema I'm really having at this point is which bags to take. Which combination would be most efficient? I think I should pack everything in both ways and see what I like most after walking around my house and outside for 20 minutes or something.


In my spare time I've done some pretty cool things. I cleaned my room! The inside of my closet is empty enough to hide my laundry basket there. I cleaned out the scariest junk drawers ever. I had been stuffing things in there for as long as I remember! Besides melty cough drops it was pretty easy to tidy up. I cleared one shelf on my desk for my "sentimental things". Rocks, sticks, leaves and little things I've collected from different places. A round rock from our Senior Class Trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes (which was well worth all the pain and struggling it took to make it happen...), a cool piece of wood from work, an acorn from the Lake View Cemetery where Dad took us the day before we were leaving for the Appalachian Trail (first time). A mountain goat vertebrae that I found on a mountain top in Alaska, pebbles from Alaska and the Appalachian Trail. An old arrowhead from my grandfather's collection... you can get the picture. I'm a little silly sometimes...overly sentimental I'd say. But I'm still glad I've kept all the many items that I have now...it's nice to have things from different places, like instant memories...(that and photographs of course...I have a billion of those too). I went to drug mart and printed out 130 photos...for about $20. That was such a deal! Plus I'd bought an album there for $4.99 the week before. Incredible! I put them in the album. But then I took 24 out because I filled up this mini album I'm taking to Japan to show people who my family is and what my life is here. Maybe everyone will want to see it...maybe I'll never take it out. Either way, I can always have it to look at:)


I've also done a painting. It is of Gena smiling at me in the window seat of a bus with passing Denali National Park trees behind her. She is hold a yellow lollipop that matches some of the highlight colors on her face and the scenery. All very golden and rich with black borders-high contrast-super! My painting is...eh. I had to change the composition to fit the canvas...not so good anymore. Plus I can't get her mouth right...


This weekend I have a couple things on my to do list. PACK. And teach Wen Chao how to ride a bike, our exchange student from China. We went to Dale's and Michael bought a used bike for him. The man there saw that Wen Chao couldn't ride. He said "Doesn't everyone ride bikes in China?" Everyone except... Wen Chao apparently:) It should be fun, hopefully he wont get too banged up.