Japan: a photo gallery (II)

Another ten of my favorite photos from life here in Japan. This group starts at the beginning of 2010, the year Geordie and I started dating. I was less active in 2010 than I had been in 2009, but I still got to see a lot of wonderful things in Japan, and I had the added bonus of having Geordie for company.



Geordie and sheep at Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu, March 2010.



Weeping sakura at the Daruma temple in Takasaki, April 2010.



Daibutsu at Kamakura, April 2010.



Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, May 2010.

Waterfall in Nikko, November 2010.

Geordie makes friends with a black lemur at the Nagasaki Bio-Park, Jaunary 2011.

Geordie (and Rabbit) and the deer at Nara Park, March 2011.

Windmill at Kasumigaura, May 2011.

Dancers at the summer Susono Awa-Odori Festival, August 2011.

Jizou memorial statuettes for deceased children
at Hasedera Jizou-do, October 2011.

Japan: a picture gallery (I)

I had another busy day today and didn't get much writing done. So, what I'm going to give you in this post are some of my favorite pictures from my life here in Japan. This week has been hard as Geordie and I say goodbye to this beautiful country we've come to love so much.

These are just the first ten of twenty pictures I want to post. I encourage you to click on the pictures to see larger versions - some of them are much better when they're bigger! Look for more in the next posting.


Let's start this off right: Mt. Fuji from Gotemba, March 2009.



A lion guardian at a shrine in Takayama, January 2009.



Weeping willow tree in Takayama, January 2009.



Sakura over a shrine in Utsunomiya, April 2009.

A huge statue of Kannon-sama in Takasaki, April 2009.

Wisteria at Matsumoto Castle, May 2009.

With Benni-sensei in Maebashi, during an autumn festival, October 2009.

Behind us is an omikoshi - a portable shrine - which is carried around
the town, presumably to show the god its domain (or to show the people
their local god). Benni-sensei and I were among the group of
shrine-carriers, and we were also honored by being asked to carry
for a short time the lanterns that led the way in front of the omikoshi.

Easily one of my best expriences in Japan.

Maple trees at Mt. Tsukuba, November 2009.

Tsurgua Castle in Aizu-Wakamatsu, New Year's Day 2010.

Meoto Iwa, the wedded rocks, in Ise, January 2010.

how can you have a picnic without any sun?

Well, we managed it somehow.

Our school held a picnic on the 28th, and the sun never came out once. The forecast had called for a 60% chance of rain, but it didn't start until 4pm, at which point the picnic was coming to an end anyway. The clouds disappointed me a little, but everyone else seemed a little relieved by the weather.

They all thought I was kind of crazy to suggest a summer picnic anyway. Every day for the past three weeks, everyone has come in complaining about the heat. This has amused me a great deal. Because while it is somewhat hot and humid, it's nothing compared to a Florida summer. As I told some of my higher-level students, "Sure, it's hot. But it ain't *that* hot." As for the humidity, eh. There's not much wind unless it's raining, so everything's all hazy and a bit muggy. Until this week, the rainy season hasn't been all that impressive: it would rain maybe three days out of seven. Even this week, it's been more cloudy than rainy. The way people talked about it, I'd expected rain five days out of seven. But most people I've asked say this is normal. Well, everything's relative, isn't it?

For another thing, the sun isn't as strong here, but maybe that's just me too. Japanese women seem terrified of getting even a little sun - I've never seen so many cardigans and long-sleeved shirts worn in the summer (maybe *that's* why they're so hot!), and they wear these funky long and fingerless gloves and carry parasols. Also, lots of them wear not just pantyhose but leggings, which is downright crazy if you ask me.

But, I digress. Back to the picnic.

I wanted a picnic. 1: because I'd had little chance to hang out with most of my students, and I wanted to have a get-together to do that. 2: because I must find new ways of entertaining myself. 3: Izumiさん (our manager) is moving back to Sapporo. She refused to allow this to be a sayonara party, but I wanted something to let everyone chat with her once more before she left.

We had about 30 students show up, most of them mine. Several of our students live near a park near Shin-Moriya station, about a 15-minute bike ride to the school, and they suggested that we have the picnic there. We had everyone bring their own lunches, and Izumiさん and I brought some picnicky items like bubbles and frisbees and a couple of balls to toss around. One of my students brought a badminton set, and another student brought a larger ball so we could play soccer and dodgeball.

It really was a perfect set-up. We ate lunch first and then broke out the picnic toys. We had about ten kids there, and they had a blast with the bubbles and playing soccer with some of the adults. Some of my students had never played frisbee before, so I conducted a quick mini-lesson on the art of the frisbee. The previous English teacher also stopped by, which made a lot of the students happy because they don't often get a chance to see him even though he lives in Moriya. One of my extremely shy and quiet pre-teen girls kicked butt at dodgeball. And there were dogs - three dachshunds brought by a student who lives nearby. The adults fawned over the dogs more than the kids did.

The best thing for me was the park itself. In addition to a playground and tennis courts, it has a nice big lawn for groups such as our own. Also, it is grassy and not sandy (as it would be in Florida) and there were no ants in sight and it was all nice and soft. So the first thing I did upon arriving was take off my sandals and run around barefoot. The way my students reacted, you'd think they'd never seen a barefoot person before. I couldn't convince anybody else (except one of my kids students) to go barefoot with me, but they all thought it was "adorable." Some of them are still calling me the Barefoot Sensei. Even better was when I had to roll up the cuffs of my jeans because they were getting all dirty and I kept tripping on them. That sent Izumiさん into a fit of giggles. Of course I had to wash my feet when we got back to the school, but it was totally worth it. What's the point of summer if you can't go barefoot?

We got about three hours in before it started to rain. I had known it was going to rain eventually - I could smell it in the air - so this came as no surprise. Everybody (except me, apparently) was starting to wind down and needing a rest anyway, so it worked out. And nobody went away disappointed - everybody gave positive feedback and said they hoped we'd have another get-together in the future. I get the feeling an August picnic would not go over well, so I'm settling for September. This satisfied them.

Afterwards, Izumiさん, Mio先生, and I went out to karaoke to memorialize our last weekend as co-workers. That went beyond entertaining - both of them are good singers and they even sang English songs! (Usually, Benni先生 is the only one who does this with me.) We finished with a trio version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

[item of interest: Simon & Garfunkel are as popular as Queen and the Beatles here in Japan. S & G will are appearing in concert in Tokyo this weekend, and one of my students is actually skipping class to go to it. Some of my other students were disappointed that they couldn't go, either because of the cost of the tickets or the fact that they sold out almost immediately.]

And so, that was our Moriya summer picnic. I am now anxiously awaiting the main summer season, which will bring festivals and fireworks and other wonderful summery things. I'm especially hoping that I can make it up to Isesaki or Maebashi to hang out with my friends up there. Either way, summer is shaping up to be pretty awesome this year!

the magical 90-day mark

Well, I've been working in Moriya for 3 months now, and I've made a decision: I'm moving to Moriya.

I'm already tired of living in Matsudo. I spent most of June 28th in Moriya at a school picnic (which deserves its own post, which I will hopefully post soon), and I realized how much I disliked living in the city. Moriya is much more comfortable, and it's just a nicer place to be. The commute isn't so terrible, I just don't like the atmosphere. Also, I have no place to ride my bike, so I'm getting much less exercise now (even taking into account the 10 minute walk to the station and all those stairs I have to go up and down twice a day). I tried working out in my room, but the only time I have to do this is when I get home, when all I want to do is relax after a long day of work. Also, it bored me. I could never participate in a gym class because aerobics really do bore the hell out of me.

I will still be close to Tokyo. In fact, I will be exactly 32 minutes from Akihabara, which is faster than the 45 minute ride from Shin-Matsudo to Ueno. This pleases me, because though I wouldn't want to live in Tokyo, it's fun to go there for day trips. There is always something to see in Tokyo, but even if you can't find it, there's always Kinokuniya, which (for a bibliophile like me) is paradise.

The whole moving thing is going to be a pretty major undertaking because GEOS does not have any apartments in the area, and I will have to do everything on my own. I have fortunately been blessed with very nice Japanese co-workers, students, and friends to help me out with this. The packing I will have to do on my own, but having Japanese support is way more important.

This will all have to wait until after the 20th, which is when I will return from my trip to the States. July is turning out to be an exciting month for me, what with the Florida trip and the busy weekends and now the whole moving thing. Now I just need to start filling up my August calendar. My birthday is August 10th, and I have that day off, so I want to do something fun.

(and that's only about a month away. jeez, time is just slipping away from me now. whee! have I mentioned that I love living in Japan? I love living in Japan. I'm having way too much fun.)

Japanese Trainspotting

Timing is everything. With careful planning and precise timing, you can see amazing things, so long as you know when and where to be. Everything runs on its own clock, and if you can synchronize with it, you can witness marvelous things.

Or, if you're lucky, you can stumble upon them at just the right moment. There's something magical about arriving just as the natural order of things is unfolding.

Twice since moving to Matsudo, I've left my apartment to discover a group of people gathered at a nearby railroad crossing. I live close to the tracks - they lie just across the street, parallel to a skinny creek lined with sakura trees. I'm used to the trains, but the people are unusual.

They are almost all men, and they all have cameras. Not your everyday handheld digital cameras but serious photography cameras, replete with lens attachments and tripods and whatever else may be needed for serious train photography. These men - there are seven or eight of them at the crossing, with more of them posted haphazardly along the sakura path - are ardently preparing for the moment of the perfect shot: adjusting their tripods for maximum stability, curling around the fence railing to get the best vantage point, clustering around around the edge of the path to get the clearest view. They are quiet and serious, focused on their work.

The crossing signal comes to life, and the actions of the photographers becomes more frantic as they make last-second preparations. Rumblings announces the train's approach, and then the group goes still, poised and ready to capture the moment.

The first time I witnessed this activity, the train had a vinyl banner spread across its front, declaring in Japanese and English that this was its Last Run. The second occurence provided no such insight to the importance of the event. Two sets of cars - one yellow, one blue - had been coupled, and nobody rode them; they carried only a small squadron of jumpsuited railway workers. Its signifigance remains a mystery to me.

To me, but not to the photographers. A symphony of snapping shutters erupts as the train comes closer, and then follows a scramble as the group reassembles to catch hasty photos of the train's backside.

And then the moment has passed. The photographers smile at each other and consult their cameras and compare pictures. This lasts only briefly, and then they pack up their things and head off in different directions. Within five minutes, the crossing is abandoned, once again an unimportant fixture in the Matsudo cityscape. You would never know that anything special had just happened here.

Japanese Travel Journal: Hakone

I read somewhere that traveling in Japan will remind you of why you wanted to travel in the first place. This is 100% true. I could not have asked for a better vacation.

As always, I enjoy train rides. It's a pleasant way to travel. Also, it's better than riding a bus - I had to take a bus from Odawara station to the hostel in Sengokuhara, and that was a longish trip up a windy mountain road. I'm impressed that I was able to make the trip with only the slightest hint of queasiness.

I arrived in Sengokuhara around dinner time, so after checking in at the hostel, I went in search of food. Found a nice Chinese restaurant that served decent ramen and excellent gyoza. Upon returning to the hostel, I met my roommates for the evening, Tomoko-san and Kim. This is one of the reasons I like staying in hostels - you have the chance to meet really awesome people! We stayed up talking until about 1am, and then we finally went to bed. Kim was leaving for Hiroshima in the morning, and Tomoko-san and I agreed to go to Lake Ashi together the next day. Which is exactly what we did!

On Lake Ashi, you can ride these really colorful and mildly hilarious boats to Hakone from the ropeway station. Here, Tomoko-san and I pretend to be pirates. Well, Tomoko-san is; I just look really, really cold. Because it was really cold and really windy.

Before getting to Lake Ashi, we went to Owakudani first. Owakudani is famous for its sulfur onsen, and the steam rises from vents in the valley. It's kinda creepy-looking (one of the Australians sharing our ropeway car commented that it looked like "a vision of hell"). The other thing that Owakudani is famous for are black eggs:

When eggs are boiled in the sulfurous water of the onsen, the shell turns black. On the inside, however, they remain otherwise normal. They taste just like regular eggs, they just need a little bit of salt. Supposedly, eating one of these eggs will add seven years to your life. Tomoko-san and I shared a bag of five of them (you could only buy them in multiples of five); she won janken for the fifth egg, so I only got fourteen years to her twenty-one. Still, they were a tasty treat, and it was nice to share them with a friend.

We went on to Lake Ashi, mainly to see the Hakone shrine. One of the most notable things about the shrine is the torii in the water. It's clearly visible while sailing on the lake, and once at the shrine, you can walk down to the torii. Also, the shrine is surrounded by a beautiful and amazing cedar forest; the grand trees grow up within and around the shrine like an army of silent sentinels. Many of the trees are sacred themselves, including a safe travel tree and an easy childbirth tree.

We ate lunch a nice little soba restaurant, and then Tomoko-san went off to find an onsen (not a problem, they're all over the place in Hakone). Much to the disappointment of my students, I have found that I am not overly fond of onsen. After the head-bashing incident in my own bath, I'm wary of them. They're so hot, they don't just make me drowsy and dizzy, they also make me a little nauseous. Even the prospect of private onsen isn't enticing to me. I could probably get over the body issue thing and go to a public onsen, but I really would prefer not to feel ill.

Instead, I went to the Hakone Open Air Museum. There are museums all over Hakone, and unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to all of them. The Open Air Museum looked particularly interesting because of its extensive Picasso exhibit and many outdoor sculptures. Things would have been quite lovely if it hadn't started to rain when I got there. Even so, it was nice, especially around the Green Lawn, which had some beautiful flowering trees interspersed with the sculptures.

I stopped at a Lawson's for a combini dinner (mmm, ham-n-cheese sandwich and Pringles). As it happened, Tomoko-san had the same idea: she came in about 30 minutes after I did with a rice dish from the same Lawon's! We ate dinner in the common dining room, listening to the wind and rain slam against the windows. What had been a sedate but steady rain became a fervent rainstorm, complete with gusty winds. This continued through the night and even into the morning.

I had planned on going to the Little Prince Museum, but because most of it was outside, I was reluctant to go. Tomoko-san planned on going to the Pola Art Museum, and she invited me to go with her, so I did. The Pola is a beautiful and expansive museum, with both Western and Japanese art. I was especially interested in the Japanese artists, as I hadn't heard of some of the contemporary names, and what I saw was impressive. We spent a total of three hours in the museum, definitely worth the trip. The museum itself is very beautiful and modern, with lots of glass and metal, windows looking out into the surrounding mountain woods. Most of the galleries are underground, so that you wouldn't even know it lay tucked into the mountain by looking. The idea was to blend the structure into the landscape, and it works beautifully.

Upon leaving the Pola, Tomoko-san and I parted ways. We exchanged contact info and wished each other well. Because it had stopped raining, she went on her way to the Open Air Museum, and I decided to go to the Little Prince Museum.

The Little Prince was written by a Frenchman, and the only way I can explain the existence of this museum in Hakone is that the Japanese seem to like the story. I am not overly fond of it myself (I had to buy and read the book to discover this, because it's been over ten years since I last read it). But the museum is an amazing piece of work itself, including a remarkable replica of the childhood home of Saint-Exupery and the winding streets of an old French village. The amount of detail that goes into the setting blows the mind. The museum itself (detailing Saint-Exupery's life and the Little Prince's travels) didn't hold much interest for me partially because it lauded Saint-Exupery without looking at the more negative aspects of his life - but mainly because it was all in Japanese.

The restaurant made up for it. The Japanese menu had decent pictures, so I ended up with a delicious seafood pasta in a creamy sauce. Yummy.

And then I boarded the highway bus headed for Gotemba.

boom-de-yada

I wrote a semi-long post about how awesome my Hakone vacation is, but then I pressed one of the STUPID side buttons on this STUPID mouse, and it took me back to a previous page and demolished all of my writing.

I'll just have to post all of the details about my trip when I get home. Suffice to say, I'm having a fantastic vacation, and I'm falling in love with Japan all over again.

To sum up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BxNJRxGbgE&feature=related

"I love the whole world, and all its sights and sounds."

the laziest Wednesday ever

I like my Wednesdays a lot, because there's not a lot of demands on me. I don't have any classes until 6pm, and my total number of students is 3, including Naofumi-san, who is always amusing. The kids are amusing too, especially since they usually want to spend the first five minutes sending my Obi-Wan doll on new adventures around the room.

There aren't any kids' classes because it's a "catch-up" week, when any classes missed due to GEOS holidays or teacher absences can be made up. I have no need to do this, so that ejects eight classes from my weekly schedule and leaves me with only Naofumi-san's classes today. I love it when I can show up at the school in jeans and know that I have ample time to do whatever the hell I want to most of the day.

Benni-sensei showed up with taco leftovers, so we all sat down for a taco fiesta for lunch, which was brilliant in so many ways. A delivery guy stopped by to drop off a package, and being the generous people we are, we forced him to eat a taco. Can't imagine what he thought of that - Mexican food isn't incredibly popular or available here (Shinobu-san had never eaten tacos before, and neither have Hitomi-san's parents) - but he seemed to enjoy it. He should have, because they were damn good tacos. Again, I ate way too many of them. We decided that we should do this more often, so our next theme will be a pizza party. No telling when we'll actually have it, but it's an idea.

After lunch, I went out to do something I've been putting off all month long: buying a set of weights. I stopped by Beisia first to get the ingredients to make peanut butter balls for this weekend and then went over to Cainz Home to get the weights. 3kg each, which is a little more than what I used in the States. We'll see if doing all this bike-riding has actually improved my endurance or not. I even brought my Biggest Loser DVD with me, so I'll be giving that a try this week. Good thing I don't have any kids to worry about, because I'll probably be in pain for a couple of days. Nice.

I dropped my stuff off at the apartment, changed into appropriate attire, and arrived back at the school in time to learn that Naofumi-san had called to say he would be absent, thus affording me my first day of 0 classes taught. Hitomi-san and I gave Benni-sensei her card and present (a small blanket and pillow for when she wants to nap in her classroom - seriously, she's done it a couple times, and she's slept there overnight too), and then I spent three hours studying Japanese.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my life? Because I do. Totally.

Japanese Food Journal - Izakaya

An izakaya is a Japanese bar - there are bars and pubs in Japan, but an izakaya is more traditional in spirit, having separate rooms with low tables and cushions for sitting and a menu with a smorgasboard of options to choose from. (at least, that's how the one I went to was like) Patrons order from the menu and pass the dish around the table, so it's more of a free-for-all than a sit-down meal. Drink-wise, you can get just about anything, from traditional sake to imported wines to beer to cocktails familiar to even a casual drinker.

The best part about going to an izakaya is the company. I found myself seated amidst our Japanese hosts, and they very kindly introduced me to the essence of going to an izakaya, which is, quite simply, to eat, drink, and be merry.

They ordered the food items, I simply enjoyed the food. I told them I'd try anything they offered to me, and they didn't disappoint me when they started setting food on the table.

We began with an assortment of veggies, pickled, if I'm not mistaken. The carrots and yellow cucumbers were my favorites. The only thing I didn't really enjoy (for the entire evening) was daikon, Japanese radish. It looks nothing like the little red radishes that Americans know, but it doesn't taste any better than them. I'm not a big radish fan anyway, so I wasn't surprised that I didn't like it. It was the only thing I took that I didn't finish completely - one bite was plenty.

This was followed by Korean pancake, roughly equivalent to okonomiyaki, though apparently made with less cabbage and more curry. This is very popular in Japan, but I prefer okonomiyaki. With the Korean pancake, there's more pancake than filling, and with okonomiyaki, I like how much flavor goes popping into your mouth with every bite. It's more fun to eat and tastier too.

Then was brought out a pot filled with octopus and squid for us to cook over heat. It was so-so. Again, both of them are fairly rubbery, and I get bored chewing, and the flavor is very subtle and not very interesting. I had only a little bit of each, which was enough for me.
My hosts were delighted to find out that I like sashimi, so they ordered some. The tuna was absolutely heavenly, no surprise there. It just melts away in your mouth, mmmm. The scallops were also good, and there was a white fish I can't remember the name of that was quite tasty.

At this point, a bowl with small chunks of meat was passed around, and when I asked about them, I was told it was an "organ." I had only the vaguest sense of what that meant, but I tried it anyway and thought it was good. Not so tender, a little tough, but with an excellent flavor. After further questioning, I was told it was from a bird, and another of the English teachers and I came to the conclusion that it was gizzard. To which point our hosts readily agreed, and there followed a hearty discussion about the consumption of turkey.

They saved the best for last though. Near the end of the party, I was offered a small plate with a row of thinly sliced meat, seasoned and lightly cooked. My host placed a large bit of chopped leeks on a piece of the meat and presented it to me. In answer to my question, she said, "Cow's tongue." Well, I'd come too far to be scared of a muscle, and it looked good and smelled good, so down it went. No disappointment there, except that I didn't get to have another piece of it because it was eaten in no time flat. That was quite sensational, and I wouldn't balk at eating it again.

So, other than the daikon, I am pleased to report that my first trip to an izakaya was a roaring success, and I can't wait to do it again.

for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya

Japanese Food Journal: Takoyaki

Takoyaki, for the uninitiated, are octopus dumplings. I shall remember it fondly as my first real introduction to Japan.

I didn't get to spend much time at Will's farewell party, because I was dead on my feet, so while it was my first outing in Japan, I don't think it counts because I wasn't lucid. I did, however, get to have a couple onigiri (rice balls) and a few plums, which are delicious and are now my new favorite fruit. They're aren't like the plums we get at American grocery stores, being smaller in size and much sweeter.

Anyway, Will was invited to a takoyaki party on Sunday, and he asked if I wanted to go too, and I said sure. (when I agreed to go, I'm not entirely sure I had any idea what I was agreeing to, that's how out of it I was). I was still quite tired Sunday when I woke up, but I didn't want to just slouch around in my motel room, so I was glad to go to Maebashi with him. Sunday had a lot of firsts for me, including my first train ride, in which I probably took far too much glee.

But this is about food, specifically takoyaki.

I get the feeling that octopus can be served many different ways, but this was a specific type of party, one that dealt with takoyaki balls. There is a cooking machine designed just for making takoyaki balls. I have no idea what went into the batter because I didn't make any myself (being too enamored with the food presented to me and too engaged in conversation), but I'm assuming it's octopus, batter, and some veggie-type things. Whatever it was, covered in mayo and tonkatsu sauce, it was delicious. Octopus I'm not so keen on by itself, but in ball form, it's less rubbery and more palatable.

Also served was a delicious beef and potato dish brought by another one of the guests. It was rather like a stew, bone-in beef served in its brother. The beef just fell right off the bone, and it was so tender and juicy. I believe it's called nikujaga, but I neglected to write it down, so I could be wrong. Whatever the name, it was heavenly. The potatoes were perfectly done too, and quite flavorful.

There were two new vegetables that I tried. The first was Japanese eggplant, which is different from the Italian eggplant that Americans are used to. It's smaller and not the same color, but it also tastes very good grilled. There was also a cucumber-like vegetable used in a salad, and that I didn't like so much. It had a very bitter taste, and I could have done without that.

But for the most part, everything was insanely yummy.

And there was pocky, quintessentially Japanese. Mmm.

After the takoyaki party, we went out to an izakaya, which is a food journal entry all unto itself.


to read more about takoyaki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoyaki

rewind: I sing the praises of Vancouver.

I. A haiku about Vancouver.

Ahem. Cue beat music.

Vancouver, mountains,beautiful; snow-white, snow-cold,but go there you should.

Thank you.

II. Genna's camera captures Vancouver.

(proof that we were in Vancouver! ladies, hope it's alright that I'm posting this!)

III. Food I ate in Vancouver.

Ah, Canada, the land of candy that Americans have never heard of and could only dream about. Behold the glory that is the Crunchie bar. Witness the wonders of the hazelnut filling. Puzzle at the complexity of icewine chocolates. Melt in the divinity of maple sugar candy. Wonder at the joy of Turkish Delight wrapped in chocolate.

Translation: I consumed mass quantities of candy while in Vancouver. I probably ate my weight in Crunchie bars, because sponge toffee is the best invention in the history of the world. And, yes, there was actual Turkish Delight, which I now love more than ever. I don't think I was too far off from it when I tried my hand at it, I just think I got the timing wrong with the cooking. Oh, well, I'll try it again someday. Maybe I'll even get to Turkey some day and have some of the real McCoy!

Had also some unappetizing Chinese food (sorry, Sarah, maybe I should have had the chicken BALLS!), a Subway sandwich, a delectable BLT, delicious lobster rolls, french fries with mayonnaise (a Canadian favorite), and a gyro. Or two. But it had nothing to do with the falafel guy. Nothing at all. Really.

IV. In transit to Japan.

The Vancouver airport is the nicest airport I've been to. It has dioramas inside it. It's like taking a trip to a freaking museum. It is the awesome. In fact, Vancouver is TEH AWESOME. Srsly.