"Time to Say Goodbye"

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss

This is a compilation of
my goodbyes.
{I said goodbye to my Chocolate apartment too, but there aren't any pictures of that.}

Goodbye to the Kawamoto family.

I'll always have a home in Japan
because of you, Akemi.

You feed me just as many goodies as my mama does.
...Boy, it sure seems like I'm always eating, here in Japan.

Oh, guess I am.

Goodbye, Kakogawa Ward.
You showed me the same Gospel I grew up with
from a refreshing perspective.

Goodbye, my Aussie gals.

You sent me messages
asking me how my classes went,
warning me about weather changes,
inviting me out to explore Japan with you.
Lauren, Kat, Vera,
I'm coming for Christmas one year.
Be ready.

The "Ghost Trees",
so rightfully named by Lauren.

The spirits of fallen samurai
wander amongst the shadows
of the illuminated Arashiyama bamboo forest...
Or maybe it's just the stray cats.

I'm going to step forward,
gathering all that I learned from
studying abroad,
and become the wonderful person
I dream to be.

My little life

will become a big one.

You're in my heart forever, 日本.

For now,

Sayonara, Japan. 

{♪ "Departure at Dawn" via Cecil Corbel}

"On a Whim, We Went to Universal Studios"

Ashley: "It'll be like we're flying!"

Brooke: "Yeah, like Cinderella!"

Ashley: "Uhm."

With no plans, whatsoever,

we boarded a train bound for Amagasaki,

ate in a little coffee shoppe ...

... and jumped on a train for the U.S. ...

the Universal Studios, that is.

"Like leaves of a spinach, we stick together!"

-Brooke

I love your blonde hairs, hun.

For the Spiderman ride,

we had to wear special glasses

to protect our mortal eyes from pure awesome.

I'm too poor to buy the real thing.

So you get this version instead.

'pologies.

Sending our love to you!

{daw}

"Are we too sexy for za Una-versal Studioz!? Jah!" -Brooke

Chuggin' the caramel corn.

Jah.

♥

Life is too short to ignore

when the whimsical calls.

{Music via Yoko Kanno}

"Something to Munch On"

"In doing something, do it with love, or never do it at all."

-Mahatma Ghandi

One of the most brilliant inventions of all mankind

is here in Japan.

It is called,

the CAKE BUFFET.

The "keeki tabehodai",

or, "all-you-can-eat cake"

allows you one hour to eat

as much cake as you can stuff in your pie hole

{pun intended}.

Although I wanted to eat about 216 more slices,

give or take,

I could only stomach 3;

the sweetness was too heavenly for my mortal belly.

{Note: The cake above was my favorite--it had a hidden strawberry inside.}

Akemi hid this one in her purse,

so I could eat it later.

{We're rebel cake law-breakers, we are.}

Peko & Poko,

the cake children.

{That almost sounds like a sequel to Children of the Corn. Egad.}

I very much think

a weekend spent at the Kawamotos'

is a weekend well played. ♥

{Music via Yoko Kanno}

"The Tourist Teacher"

"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." -Benjamin Franklin

During the week, I teach English.

{zZzZz}

But once the weekend rolls in,

I toss my textbooks aside

and tour the town.

{Psst,

the first picture is of oden,

the second picture is of breakfast sandwiches.

Both of which are heavenly.}

Mizuki

{host sister}

and I

shopped at Cocoe

and lunched at a cake shoppe.

This pup's mine.

BLUBERRIEZEZ

Thank you for having delicious pastries, Japan.

I love you.

Mizuki!

And what would a weekend be

without some Engrish?

Skin Lingerie

fulfills all your wishes.

'nuff said.

:)

Japanese photo booths are ELEVEN X MOAR AWSUMR

than American ones.

{*sigh*}

C'mon, America.

{たこmeans octopus}

The Kawamoto family,

minus Papa.

♥

"Welcome to the Mansion"

"Wanna swing from a star in the big blue sky,

don't wanna watch it all go by,

so I'm gonna fly."

-Sydney Forest (Kiki's Delivery Service)

Friday came

and I boarded the train,

bound for Amagasaki.

I went to sleep over at the mansion,

my family-away-from-family's house.

They cooked me delicious nabe for dinner.

Tanuki sighting!

Whenever I see a tanuki, I have to snap a picture.

I blame Ghibli for my fettish.

Saturday brought with it

an adventure in Arima,

a little mountain town

that's famous for its hot spring.

I love trying tasty, new foods...

...so I know I'm in the right country!

Japanese treats may look/sound/seem suspicious,

but they're delicious.

A rhyme. Ha!

Friends, meet dango.

Dango, meet friends' tummies.

This is a snack you'll definitely want to try sometime.

I asked Akemi

{my Japanese mama}

if this was a hot spring monkey.

The answer was no,

thank goodness.

But farther up in the mountains,

monkeys and people alike soak in the water together.

I want a picture of that.

{An appropriate one, of course.}

Wandering up the little road,

we came across a basket weaver in action.

His shoppe was filled with

baskets, chopsticks, clocks...

everything woven by his own two hands.

So, uh, my talent is playing the piano...

No comparison.

Venturing on to HarborLand

{a place to view all of Kobe}

we found a tiny Ghibli shoppe.

"Totoro, Totoro..."

And for dinner,

we stopped at a kaiten zushi.

And they had corn sushi.

AWESOME.

And here's some... uh... Engrish?

Japan never ceases to surprise me.