Day 76

This is has nothing to do with Japan but my dad sent me pictures from a recent family trip to Lake Tahoe. There's was one picture that was so...typical of my mother but I couldn't stop laughing nonetheless.

 

The lengths my mother will go to NOT get a tan.

She looks like a poor man's beekeeper.

(It's weird though, right? How her legs aren't covered up.) 

 

It sees me.

I now have a strong urge to run for my life.

Stay out of the sun, kids. Or skin cancer....and my mother will get you.

Day 73

 

When we went to Miyajima, there was a wedding! The shrine serves as a great backdrop for photos, so I can see why they picked this place. 

I bet the bride is dying in that heavy kimono. It was so hot that day.

 

Another wedding, different couple. I saw a total of three brides that day.

 

Day 71: Hiroshima

On Saturday, I went to Miyajima, Hiroshima.

 

I did not know they had deer there. o.o

 
 

Went to Itsukushima Shrine. The vibrant red-orange color was gorgeous.

Day 67

  

I like that they have small sizes here. I hear that the U.S. has it too but it's just not on the menu? 

Anyways, I find that this size is perfect for me as I'm not a big coffee drinker.

Always makes me pee after 15-20 minutes.

The last couple of days, I've been feeling fairly irritable and easily agitated. I'm thinking it's culture shock, maybe? From the cross-cultural class I took before going abroad, that's the conclusion I've come to. Anyways, whatever it was, it was affecting my appetite. Always around lunchtime, I never felt like eating and when I tried, the food would taste bland. 

Then on yesterday, I decided to go to the training center at school for a run on the treadmill. Honestly, it was like I pressed the reset button on my body. The moment I started running, I instantly felt relaxed and relieved. It was like I could breathe again. Back in the U.S., at the school gym, I ran almost daily so finding that I could keep this routine here in Japan as well felt so good. Sinking back into this routine felt like pulling on your most comfortable pair of sweat pants after a long hard day. 

Afterward, my mood instantly lifted and my appetite came back like everything was normal again. So now, I'm restarting my routine, running three times a week. Last year, I ran 4-5 times a week but this is the most my schedule is allowing me right now. So with my daily death route in the morning combined with three times a week running, I should be getting a good dose of exercise. 

I feel very proud of myself at the moment.

Oh, and most importantly, I found a pair of running shoes for 2,000 yen ($22)!! They're cheaper than the shoes I bought back home. \O.O/

Anyways, I went to the Osaka Aquarium today. It was amazing and an awesome fun time. Will post pictures when I get my hands on them from my friends.

Day 66

Going back to the post from a couple days ago, I wanted to continue where I left off.

After the takoyaki party, we started our trek to Kabuto Mountain. Not joking. It was an hour-long trek that was steep and painful for me. However, once we got out of the suburbs and into the forest, the scenery turned green and very beautiful.

 

 

Can you see the Green Bridge in the back?

My friend said he saw wild boar when he was on his way to the last mountain party. I saw no wild boar.

But once we got to the meeting place, the view was pretty amazing.

Now normally I would not climb a mountain just to watch a bunch of people drink beer, but I took this opportunity to meet more people, especially more Japanese students. And I did, so it was a worthwhile trip.
 

More or less.
 

Can't say I was thinking that when I was climbing back down in the pitch dark.


Edit: By the way, thanks for the 2,000+ hits. :)

Day 65: Aww, nostalgic :)

I was going to update this post with the rest of the mountain details but something happened today that I had to report it here immediately.

I went to a Vietnamese restaurant! \O.O/

 

Holy theme, Batman!

Whether their interior decoration is still accurate with present day Vietnam, I have no idea. But it did remind me a lot of the Vietnam I remembered. And seeing all those crazy familiar dishes' names, also written in Vietnamese no less, made me pretty nostalgic.  :)

Oh, and the Vietnamese food back home tastes a lot better but I appreciate their efforts. :D

Day 64: Deodorant

I recently found something contradictory about Japan. Amongst their awesome heated toilet seats and free tissue packets, Japanese deodorant is crap. Most of the deodorants here are sold as "deodorant power sprays," and I swear, they are not deodorant whatsoever. They're really just body mists labeled as deodorant. You spray it on, and it pretends to be deodorant for like, an hour, and then goes, "Haha, psyche!"

 

EPIC FAIL.

This is a concept I'm having trouble understanding. Do these companies just believe that Japanese people just don't sweat/smell that badly? 'Cos I can tell you, I will gladly point out people on the train that I ride home  with who can prove otherwise.

So a note to people who are coming to Japan: bring your own deodorant.