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This week's puzzle:




Where did I spot these two cats? One cat lives in the USA and says "meow" and the other one lives in Japan and says "nyan", but which is which? Look very closely at the pictures to find a clue. Hmm.... Where is that clue? Did you find it? Keep looking!

Answer to last week's puzzle:




The metal horse on the left is located in Takamatsu near the Mitsukoshi department store. The horse on the right can be found in Scottsdale, Arizona. Notice the feathers dangling from its muzzle. They allude to the strong presence of Native American tribes in the region. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community borders the city of Scottsdale. Did you guess correctly?  

These 3 girls were some of my students in my junior high class. We had a lot of fun together learning, making jokes, and being silly. They had to say goodbye because they are beginning new things in their lives. As much as I will miss them, I am very proud of them and I'm so happy I was able to be their teacher. I'm sure they will continue to do wonderful things in their lives! You go, girls!


  

I went to a festival last weekend. When I arrived, traditional melodies were playing and dancers in yukata moved in time to the music. Two men waved giant flags along with them. Too quickly, the dancers finished. And then Kylo Ren showed up playing an electric guitar and standing above a giant screen displaying Star Wars clips. The loudspeaker blared the Star Wars theme followed by an American rock song and another song I don’t remember. Oddly enough, most of the other spectators seemed seemed unsurprised by the scene. Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures. The absurdity of the scene stunned me into a state of motionless shock and by the time I thought of my camera, the last song was ending. Then the fireworks started, everyone sat down to watch, and the festival ended just like that. I’m still not sure who decided rock songs played by Kylo Ren were the appropriate intermission between Yosakoi and fireworks, but apparently someone on the festival planning committee thought it was! Needless to say, it was an experience I will never forget!  

Gotta keep the electrolytics up, guys! Just water won't cut it. I found this stuff in the vending machine and it really synced with me. Match is tasty but it's a little too much like soda. Aquarius and the other white one has a weird after-taste. Try this one if you feel the same. I think it's a limited flavor.

What's your drink of choice in these times? Wheat tea is never a bad decision! that's my favorite tea even in the winter.   

Many of you remember my love of fabric paint and fireworks!

When I was a little girl, I used fabric paint all of the time! I made a lot of messy shirts for all sorts of occasions. Last weekend, I went shopping for a cheap shirt (300yen!) and took out all of my fabric paint. I had a very relaxing time painting fireworks. I hadn't done a fireworks shirt in a long time!

It looks a little messy, but when you see it in real life, it's super pretty and very sparkly! I was sparkly and messy when I was a little girl---I guess I haven't changed much! My artistic skills have improved greatly though, I'm really happy with this shirt. I wish I could have gotten the paint to come out thinner...I wanted to paint a firework with fine lines.

I hope I can see fireworks during obon!  

Hello All, Last weekend was really fun. A couple of my Kanonji coworkers and I went to the beach. Although I didn't swim, it was a relaxing experience that I remember from when I use to live in South Florida with my family. The beach is also really nice! It has a restaurant on the sand and areas of shade you can rent. My wife brought us a frozen pineapple to enjoy on the beach. I never knew how much I would've enjoyed a frozen pineapple until I had it on the beach. We all got to watch the beautiful sun set on the horizon then we went home feeling good!  

I finally got to experience fireworks in Japan! I couldn't see the Niihama fireworks because of work but the imabari show was amazing. Beautiful explosions of blues reds and golds, all mine for an hour. I've never been to a fireworks show that lasted that long. There were even a few fireworks that I had never seen before! It was such a beautiful night and, if it weren't for one pesky street light, I had an almost perfect view.   

During the summer break, our regular American School classes get a lot of temporary members. My class is usually five students, but then becomes nine or ten.

It can be challenging having so many different personalities and trying to get them all moving in the same direction. One of the downsides, however, is most of the students I don't get to see again. If there is a student who is really fun to teach, I just have to say 'goodbye'. I think we all know how much I hate that!   

Since coming to Japan I've been able to explore Kan'onji in my free time. The land is beautiful, and the people are incredibly nice. I'm most amazed by how diverse the scenery is here. On one walk I went to a Zen temple, down to the ocean, and hiked up a mountain. The trip was fun ,and all of these areas were within a twenty minute walk from my apartment. On another trip I went swimming with some friends. As we walked home at night, we saw a nearby shrine lit up with these beautiful lanterns. We decided to take some photos while we were there. It ended up being the perfect end to a fun day with friends.
Needless to say, I have been loving exploring the area. I keep finding beautiful landscapes, fascinating locations, and friendly people. I'm excited to see what the future holds for me in Japan. This is, after all, just the beginning of my adventure!  

Let’s explore the differences and similarities of American and Japanese culture. To get us started, here are two photographs from my personal collection.

Where were these photos taken? One horse can be found in the USA and one can be found in Japan, but which is which? Where are the clues hidden? Look carefully! If you look closely at the pictures, you will see that there are actually many clues. Did you find them? Hmmm…where could those clues be? Keep trying!

*This blog idea is inspired by Karambolage, a television series that I once subtitled. Click here to see some of the original episodes available in English.  

I really like cycling. I think it's a lot of fun. I get to explore new (and old) areas by the power of my two legs! In the pictures below, I was cycling along the Shimanto river in Kochi. It was my first time to Kochi, and what better way to experience it than cycling with the beautiful nature Kochi has to offer. I was so amazed at how large the mountains were! I had such a great time and I would recommend for anyone to go.





  

I never thought I would appreciate elevators so much until I hurt my ankle. Right now, hiking up stairs is not only a bit painful but also frustratingly slow. So, I was grateful for the many elevators I found on my latest weekend trip around Shikoku. To my surprise, I discovered that even in the most rural areas of Japan, there is a high likelihood of elevators. Unfortunately, at one station I discovered this only after I had already climbed the three flights of stairs. Even though my injury is very minor, it has given me a greater appreciation for what it means to travel while disabled. Thankfully, my ankle is only a temporary problem that will be solved by some extra rest. I just have to walk more slowly and avoid lots of unnecessary walking. However, as I traveled this weekend I thought about what it would be like to have a more permanent injury. So many things would be difficult or impossible. I commend those with diseases or injuries that still get out there and travel anyway but also those that know when they need to take a break.   

A little less beer and meat for me in the next month. I think one thing I'm worried about is over-doing it too quickly.

Like a person who starts running...they'll run 4 times in two weeks and then never run again. I don't want to go overboard with this and then give up halfway through.

So if you see me with Coke or cookies in my hand feel free to slap them away.   

After countless hours of shopping and debating, I have finally broken down and ordered a new laptop. It won't be perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a start.

That is kind of the point, when it comes to computers. You either settle for good enough, or you constantly improve and upgrade. I'm sure there is a life lesson in there...if only I could apply it.

In the meantime, I need to start making a list of all the useful programs that I should download.  

Every time that I look at the water, I say that I want to go to the beach. I grew up swimming in lakes and pools the moment it got hot in Michigan, and I can't turn off that feeling.

The weather forecast predicted rain, but as hour after hour passed, the sun was still high in the sky. The new bathing suit that I ordered was delivered, so I took that as a sign.

I put on a lot of sunblock and went to the beach by bicycle. The water was warmer than I expected but still pretty nice. The murkiness of the water made me nervous, even though I used to swim in deep lakes with big fish and snapping turtles.

I had relaxed and convinced myself of nothing scary in the water, when a SPLASH made me jump. I turned to see a fish jumping out of the water, shooting across the air! I screamed in surprise, because it was a big fish that was in the shallow part of the beach (where I was!). It jumped in and out of the water in a straight line until it was gone from my view.

I had chalked it up to being one weird fish when another did the same thing, moments later. I decided it was time to go home.   

Typhoon Jongdari came through Shikoku in the form of a really strong, really short, rainstorm. We were really blessed! Other places weren't so fortunate. That pesky typhoon messed up my plans for the weekend. I was going to go to Kochi with a friend of mine but we thought it would be better (and safer) to hang out in Ehime instead. We still enjoyed ourselves and had lots of fun eating kaisendon and chanja and later singing karaoke. I do hope that's that last typhoon of the summer though. I've been trying to get to honshu and visit Koyasan for the longest time, but there's always something else going on.

I'm definitely going for sure during Obon though.