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!

Courtesy

Courtesy by definition is respectful or politeness in one's attitude or behavior toward others. In my opinion, the Japanese culture embraces this valuable trait and demonstrates its true meaning. I cannot go one day without witnessing people being courteous to one another. To be honest, just being around all the "niceness" is causing me to become a better person. Here are some of my most common and most observable examples:

1. If you are walking toward an intersection with the intention of crossing and the "walking man" light starts to blink, you don't just dodge and cut between cars...that's RUDE. You sprint to the clearly marked intersection and continue sprinting across the street in the clearly marked crosswalk.

2. Say you have the sniffles and occasionally a throat tickle that causes you to cough. You don't just walk around potentially making others ill too...No, that's RUDE, so you wear a germ mask. You don't wear it to avoid getting sick, you wear it to avoid making others sick.

3. When you are at the grocery store, the clerks don't bag your stuff, because then the people behind you would have to wait. How RUDE! After you pay, you take your items along with the bags that the cashier provided over to a bagging counter where you can bag them without holding up the line.

4. If you are riding on a train or bus, even for extended periods of time, you either read or play on your cell phone. You don't stare at others, you don't talk on your phone, you don't even talk in hushed voices to those around you...that's RUDE.

5. Why on Earth would you dream of honking at someone...that's RUDE.

6. And don't even think about shouting, even if you're trying to get someone's attention...talk about RUDE!

7. Anytime you need to maneuver your vehicle to park, get down a two-way street the width of a grocery isle, wait for a friend on the street side, you put on your hazard lights...if you don't you're RUDE.

8. Say you are moving into your house and the moving men come strolling in with your boxes and furniture...Talk about RUDE...over here, the workers run (literally) in and out of your house with your goods...there's no such thing as laziness.

9. Well, speaking of hustling...if you are in the service profession and don't move quickly...you are so RUDE.

10. Picking your nose in public...surprisingly, not RUDE.

11. You move into a new house, in a new neighborhood...what should you do? Get each and every neighbor a small gift so you aren't the new RUDE neighbor. What should you get? The Japanese love American candy, food, and other items that are hard to get.

12. Do people here jaywalk? Absolutely not! That's RUDE! You walk in the crosswalk and when it says you can walk...and not a minute sooner.

13. Everyone smokes over here, do you walk around smoking and sightseeing? No again. In fact, the signs here claim that walking with a lit cigarette is like walking around with a 360 degree maiming weapon. You should only smoke in designated dark nooks, otherwise, you might be RUDE.

14. Never pour your own drink (one might judge you as RUDE)...only pour other's and hope that they reciprocate.

15. When entering another's home, always take off your shoes. It's poor etiquette not too, and also considered RUDE.

16. Someone special gave you a gift...don't open it in front of them unless you want to be considered RUDE. Wait until they have left and then enjoy.

17. Stray leaf blowing down the sidewalk...Hurry! Sweep it up...and throw it away in the proper trash...burnable. It's not RUDE if the trash man throws your trash back on your doorstep if you made a mistake, you should have read the directions for your trash!

18. A stranger in front of you drops a 10-yen piece...Quick, pick it up and sprint after him and return it. Make sure you don't shout his name though, it might startle him, which might be RUDE. Even though it's only worth about 1 cent, that is his money after all.

19. Similar situation, but this time he forgets his receipt at a store. The cashier doesn't want to be RUDE, so she sprints after him, maybe even out the door and down the street in order to give it to him.

20. Phone/cable company representative makes a mistake on the phone and gives you the wrong quote for a service. She calls you back 4 times that same night to apologize. She is definitely not RUDE.

Hopefully, these examples have given you a little insight into my life these past few months. I can't think of one instance here that I exaggerated...which is pretty marvelous in itself. The courtesy in Japan is amazing. I can only hope that I learn the "rules" quickly so that I am not ever considered RUDE!

Memories...

Wow! I didn't realize that it had been two whole months since I had last written...I guess I just let life run away with me. I haven't taken many pictures in those 2 months, but do have a couple to upload later. For those of you who do not know, my Grandfather recently passed away. He was diagnosed with cancer and progressed so quickly, that I didn't even make it back to chat with him before he passed. While that could have made me sad, I am choosing to be glad that I can now remember him for the healthy man he was. In fact, some of my favorite memories are of him telling stories (usually embellished)...I may have inherited his amazing story-spinning ability! I loved how passionate he was about his views, and he stuck to them no matter how frustrated those around him may have gotten. It's also interesting to note that many of his children would get frustrated and try to talk over him (rationalize with him), but really what they failed to notice was that he was the chief...however, he raised a bunch of little chiefs, so no matter where we are together or which family gathering we are attending, there are always about 9 chiefs who like to tell it like it is. And that spirited trait will live on and be passed down forever. He loved to drink beer, and I remember that too. Along with the fact that he was always licking his lips. I'm not really sure why he didn't carry chapstick, but that thought came a little too late to do any good. I remember him driving me around on the back of his motorcycle and how I was never surprised when he asked if I had seen his new one...he got a new one almost once a year. I also remember that when he would ask the same question or tell the same story more than once many people in the room would make eye contact and vacate, or just roll their eyes and prepare for the new and slightly exaggerated version. The most important thing that I will never forget is the love...in the way he used to touch Grandma's back as he escorted her out of the room, the way he called her Baby when he asked if she was ready to go, the way he thoughtfully gave Buddy "people" food to make him happy, the way he offered to help with projects around so many different houses, and the way his wet-lipped kisses felt as he greeted us and as he said farewell. I know that with such a huge family, parts of him and my Grandmother will live on. I can guarantee this, because people don't die as long as their memories still live. Cherish life and remember you never know if you'll get to say goodbye. I'm sorry if this took an emotional turn...it's just where my writing went this evening.

Veteran's Day Roadtrip

I have been very fortunate since I've been here that I have met some amazing people. My friend Diane offered to take three of us out and about on Veteran's Day. Since we had barely been out of Yokosuka, we jumped at the chance to get away. Our first stop was Odawara Castle. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by nature and nestled on top of a hill. Below was a watch tower that provided a vantage point to view the grounds and notify others in the event of an attack.

This stone was located outside the castle gates.

Here I am minimized by the enormous gates into the castle courtyard. The doors were massive, but the Japanese still managed to make them beautifully ornate.

Here is the actual castle, which now has a very interesting museum inside. We climbed all the way to the top floor to look out at the surrounding communities.

Here is my attempt at creative photography...I'm sure I drove the others nuts with my millions of pictures that day!

On the top floor, I noticed this sign pointing the way to our next destination.

One of the gates to the Shrine at Hakone. The picture doesn't show the enormity of this gate as at least two lanes of traffic, including tour buses, can drive underneath.

There were hundreds of paddle boats dotting the lake, but these two "love birds" caught my eye.

This is the famous gate to the shrine. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Fuji in the background. Of course it was crystal clear all day, until we started taking pictures. Oh well, I'm pretty sure I will have some more opportunities.

A beautiful view of the lake with Fuji playing peek-a-boo in the background.

Once we walked around and took many pictures on one side of the lake, we drove to the other where the actual Shrine is located.

Statues like this are always near the Shrine. This one represents the beginning...of life, of the alphabet, of time. Its mouth is open because when we enter this world, we make noise. Also, the first letter of the Japanese alphabet is "Ah", which is spoken with an open mouth. On the opposite side of this statue is another with a closed mouth symbolizing the end. I will try to remember to take a picture of it next time.

Many fortunes and wishes made by visitors to the Shrine. All are written on these pieces of wood and when the racks get full, they are burned providing an offering and hopefully making your wish turn in to your good fortune.

Here is the gate up close from the back side...Of course I didn't post my most artistic shots, someone might snag it and frame it...Patty! Just kidding, I didn't have space for all of them. When I visit this summer I will show you the thousands that I will have amassed.

On the other side of the road from the lake was a beautiful walking trail. It was there that I found my friend, the tree. Yes, I am a tree hugger! Just look at how huge it is!

Here is a shot from my little spot on the ground.

And there were tons of these trees...it just made me feel very small.

And here's to my road less traveled! Which makes me think that all of you need to experience one of my favorites in all it's glory! Enjoy!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

Diane, Stacey, and Becky...who were probably all thinking, "Goodness, would she just put that darn camera down!"

So, after the adventure at the Shrine, Diane informed us that we couldn't live without trying a black egg...and apparently neither could her son, since he wanted us to bring some back. :) So, onward we trekked to the side of a dormant volcano where hydrogen sulfide and sulfulous acid gas steam out of the ground. After a long and difficult hike side by side with elderly ladies, men on ventilators, trendy women in heels, and us who were huffing and puffing we finally made it to the shack on top of the mountain. It was here that we came face to face with the world famous black eggs — Kuro Tamago — with very special properties. They are regular chicken eggs cooked in the volcanic groundwater, which happens to be a murky gray color. After cooking the eggs in this boiling hot water, the eggshell turns very dark black color. According to local lore, eating just one of these eggs will add seven more years to ones life. I, of course, tempted fate and didn't eat one...I was still too darn full from lunch. But, I do still have a couple in my fridge that I hope are still edible, or at least not poisoned by the sulfur. Wish me luck...seven years to be exact!

Here are some of the vents in the volcano. It really stunk!

Another marvelous view from the top! This was the lake again, from a different spot.

After buying some eggs to take home, we decided that in order to fully enjoy the fall colors, we would take the rope-way across the mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous! Slightly terrifying, but definitely worth the experience!

There was plenty of room in our little cable car.

For those of you who have experienced the Sky Ride at the Illinois State Fair, it was a lot like that, but with windows and much higher up!

This was the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death in the valley below. Can you believe it?!

This was my feeble attempt before getting on the rope-way to laugh off my nerves...I think I'll stick with teaching...I like the uniform better! Until next time...I love and miss you all!