Lost in Translation

Here in Japan there are many things catch me by surprise. I could be in such a hurry to work when suddenly a bumper sticker captures my attention and makes me laugh out loud. I'm sure that the other Japanese drivers think I am just plain nuts as they witness me taking out my camera, zoom in, and start snapping away at other people's cars. Don't get me wrong, I don't just limit my curiosity to my car...I amaze other pedestrians too. There are times where I have felt slightly embarrassed by my eagerness to capture oddities on camera, but after a slight hesitation, I always give in to the temptation. Here are some of my more entertaining photos.

The one below seems like just an ordinary sea creature found at the local aquarium, but read the caption below it to get a more detailed description of this crustacean.

Really?! You know, now that you mention it, the animal above does kind of look like an ass.

I wonder if there's a driver's safety course or something I can take in order to get this sticker for my car.

Or, I could equip my bumper with this sticker to let others know my status.

Or, I could become one of Charlie's Angels so they put this ninja warrior on my plates.

When I get hungry from all the fighting I can go to my local vending machine (found on every corner) to get a nice hot cup of corn cream to rejuvenate myself.

Beware of cats...or better yet, cat repellent.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that if I really want to scare some kiddos next Halloween, I will just dress up as the Japanese version of Minnie Mouse as seen below. Yowza!

The most elusive photograph has proven to be an item that I saw my first week driving here. It took me by such surprise that I couldn't even get my camera out to provide proof of it. As many of you have seen in the midwest, truck nuts are extremely popular for men who are unsure of their manliness or just need a non-discrete way to advertise their goods to others. Here in Japan, the men are so comfortable with their masculinity, that they don't hang genitals from their hitches, but Hello Kitty figurines. Don't stop believing...I will provide proof before I move elsewhere...stay tuned!

Sea Paradise in Yokohama

Sea Paradise is a huge aquarium/amusement park complex. It has indoor and outdoor tanks, a large carnival arcade, lots of outdoor rides and roller coasters, a pier, and many outdoor shows. My new friend Megan and I spontaneously decided to explore one cold day in January, so we hopped on a train and headed here. The stairway below was the train exit closest to Sea Paradise. I thought it was super fun and peppy, so I just had to take a picture.

This was one of the signs on the wall in the aquarium...this one is easily understood, but there were many more that were lost in translation.

Such as this one that came right after the one above...apparently after all life was born out of the ocean our legs became filets...interesting...

This Macaroni Penguin was hanging out right in this spot for over 5 minutes. He just kept making eyes at me...

It was fun to take a couple artistic shots in the tunnel aquarium. Here is one...

and here is another.

This is a Cuttlefish...available in many dried Japanese treats. Just let me know if you feel like giving it a try.

It's Good!

Here's the outside of the aquarium portion of the park.

A friendly pelican.

This Sea Lion was artistic.

Mr. Walrus was just hanging out trying to take a nap.

Chinese New Year

I tried to capture the fun of the Chinese New Year on camera with this video. The angle is a little odd at first, because I was standing right in front and had to look up at the lion. I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the energy and excitement of the evening.

Chinese New Year

The Year of the Rabbit officially began on February 3rd this year. As I said farewell to the Tiger and welcomed the Rabbit, I realized that I have been a little cranky lately. I haven't decided whether it's because of the realization that I love my new job and may actually make a career out of this experience and it freaks me out or whether it's because being away from home is becoming a realization and it's hard to miss the day to day closeness of family and friends. Either way, I have decided that I need to make more of an effort to remain connected and I need to enjoy and appreciate life as I live it. So, here's to a new year filled with opportunities and met with gratitude.

For the Chinese New Year a local martial art school provides people to form lion dance troupes complete with a traveling band, huge lion, human barriers to keep the crowds back, and men to let off the fireworks. This entourage visits the homes and shops of the Chinese community to perform the traditional custom of "cai ching", which means plucking the greens. The purpose of this quest is to collect fruits, vegetables, and red envelopes filled with money from doorways in the community. The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the troupe is rewarded with the red envelope. During my recent experience in Chinatown in Yokohama, there were only red envelopes hanging over the doorways which the two men acting as the lion plucked down. The show was quite phenomenal as the lion and entourage approached the doorway and did an opening dance. Then it went inside to confront the business owners and continue the dance. The lion always backed out the door as he continued to dance with the finale being an acrobatic feat to reach the envelope with the lion's mouth. The dance concluded with fireworks being let off further down the street. Overall, it was loud and energetic and fun. It was definitely an interesting evening...hopefully I can make it to China someday to see the grand version of the same show. Happy New Year!