Sunday, January 05, 2003

Time for the post New Years up date. So my japanese new years went by very nicely. Although there was not nearly as much drinking as I was told. The "Sake" did flow (just not in my direction) and the spirits were merry. So for dinner we had allot of really interesting, very traditional Japanese food. NO of which tasted any good, and I am some one that likes to eat almost any Japanese food. (It true just ask my friends) Its not true to say it was all bad I did like this kind of egg dish we had and the soy beans where great. We also eat this mochi soup (mochi is a pounded rice cake that is really really chewy. I think of them as a cross between rice donut and rice dumpling) The soup was marvelous. Following the mochi soup we ate Soba (japanese buck wheat noodles, "I think") For you see the Japanese eat this Soba on New Years Eve because they believe that is they eat long noodles they will live a long life. As after the dinner, most japanese say up late and go to a shrine for the first prayer of the new years. However my family being one of those progressive forward thinking family went to bed far before midnight. (Hey that sounds allot like my family back in Canada =-)) Do no fret I was not deprived of a real Japanese new year for my host sister is a stickler for tradition and goes every year. So come 11:30 she dawned her pink Kimono (would have been nice if I took a picture of two, but you know me I never take picture when there needed) and I my red ski jacket and off we went to the shrine. It was insane how how many people where there and they were all wait patently in line for there turn the clap and ring the bell. (it part of the things you do when you go to a shrine I will explain in an other update) As usual I towered almost over every one by about 10 cm so I had a really good of the crowd and toke a few pictures.





After we through our money and said our prayer we went on to buy the years first omikugi (Japanese furtune cookie, only with out the cookie) and then off to drink a little Sake. Here a picture of that omikugi, this one is soso good luck.



Finally home, but not before we took a look and the games and food that was set up just out side the temple.

So being new years I have a few days off I went to the Onsen on one, Karaoke on another and skied. But no picture of that stuff. Reasons you ask, well I dont think i am aloud to take a camera into an Onsen and I dont think you want a bunch of pictures of naked Japanese and naked me, so we will leave the camera at home for those trips. As for Karaoke, well we tend to do that after Onsen so, no camera, but I will be going to Karaoke some time with my friend Yosuke, and I will promise to take some picture. Skiing, let me write you an equation that will show you what happens when when you bring a digi-cam skiing.

Ski = snow = water

Water+ Electronics = dead electronics

Dead electronics = angry Todd

Ok, understand? Back to the point I had a few days at home so I decide to clean my room. So here is a before picture, dont expect a after picture because just after I decided to clean I started to work on this up date and it is almost time for dinner now. So here a picture of how I am living in Japan



Finally last but least my dv camera has been charged for a very long time so I finally got off my lazy ass and did some thing with it. Expect more this month I think I will have fun with them. Its about 4.5mb so for you with 56.6k sorry I now how you feel.

Japanese with Todd

posted by Toddokun @ 6:31 PM