Leaving tonight to go climb Mt. Fuji! We're riding up to Tokyo on an overnight bus, and then Friday evening we will begin our ascent to the top of the most famous volcano ever. We'll climb throughout the night and then watch the sunrise from the top on Saturday morning, which just happens to my birthday. It will shall be a great birthday indeed!
Not exactly the answer we were looking for but we learned some people in Japan eat horse.
Went to Wakayama this weekend, a nice little ocean town not too far from Osaka.
Ahh, the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The rock behind me is a famous rock in Wakayama. It's cool how there is that hole right in the middle.
Ok, so Wakayama is famous for the fresh fish. Actually, all Japan is famous for its fresh fish, but Wakayama is especially famous. You can't go to Wakayama without eating some Sashimi and Sushi (that would be raw fish). After eating raw fish for lunch and dinner on Saturday, having some kind of fish something for breakfast on Sunday, AND having raw fish again for lunch on Sunday...this little inland, beef-loving, Grill-it-Bake-it-Fry-it girl is a bit fished out.
Hajime said, "When I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and saw the big octopus attacking the ships, I wondered if the octopus would be tasty." Only would a Japanese ever have that thought. Here's Hajime with a gigantic octopus arm.
Whale Bacon was for sale. I think Japan is the only country to sale whale. They also had whale meat for sale. This bacon here costs around 28 American dollars.
Aika...stinkin' cutest little girl ever. She came with us this weekend. She humbled me this weekend by telling me, while I was trying to desperately to carry on a conversation with her in Japanese, that I couldn't speak Japanese. Shot down by a five year old.
Beautiful Wakayama. Beautiful Japan.
This is the beach at Wakayama, called Shirahama. Doesn't it look like Brazil or Hawaii or something? I did not feel like I was in Japan.
Miki, Satomi, me, Hajime, and Kei...beach bunnies!
Here's Aika and her brother, Taru, doing stretches before they went swimming in the ocean. Stinkin' cutest kids ever.
Miki and Upi...they just got married in February and are the most precious Christian couple ever. When I saw them holding hands walking down the beach, I had to take a picture.
And the sunset in my beautiful Japan!
Yep, this actually happened. Ai is super cute and now I know it's a compliment to be an airhead in Japan.
I've always loved beauty pageants, especially the Universe and World pageants. These girls are bright that compete in the Miss Universe Pageant, and it is so interesting to see all the nations and their sample of beauty. Last night, Miss Japan, Kurara Chibana, was first-runner up for Miss Universe 2006. She is from Okinawa, the southern little island of Japan, can speak four languages, and is a journalist. She looks like the classic Japanese girl to me. Miss Puerto Rico was crowned Miss Universe 2006.
I love Japan because seriously they have the best parties and festivals ever. Summertime is filled with all kinds of festivals, and this evening there was a little festival at the elementary school down the street.
This festival was a dancing festival, and this thing is in the middle with the guy playing the drum and everyone dances around it.
People dancing around the tall thing...I have no idea what it is, but it's like circular Square Dancing.
Cute middle school girls wearing their yukatas.
Cute little old ladies watching the dancing.
The concession stand.
Cute little girls working the concession stand with their yukatas on.
And the cutest little girl wearing her little bitty yukata.
