November marks three months since my arrival in Japan. At the same time, splendid colored leaves mark the gradual change of seasons. I'm aware that my mood also transforms with the change of nature, from excitement of summer to contentment of fall. Almost everyday when I leave school my heart would smile knowing that I'm earning a full-time salary and I'm nowhere near the rat race of our society! Interaction with my students is probably the most divine part of my job and the dearest memories I hold after a full day of work. As I get to know them better [View Full Entry]

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Oh My First Japanese Halloween I just go with the flow, so any style can be in my music - that makes it exciting. -- Yoko Ono My friend, Ben suggested to go as a couple this Halloween season. Loved the idea. And what can be more appropriate than being Yoko Ono for my first Halloween in Japan!? After a couple of costume-hunting-nights around Minami district in Osaka city and a visit to Ben's school for sign-making, "John Lennon" and "Yoko Ono" were ready to party! Our debut was considered successful only when we appeared together. And I thought that was [View Full Entry]

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Two little things about Kyoto that annoy me. First, I still haven't finished writing about my visit there two weeks ago, and now another amazing time we have this week that I need to package into a journal. Second, even though my Kyoto visits are always short and the number of my Kyoto photos are only fractions of all photos on a blog entry, they almost occupy my entire first page photo display. That basically sums up my Kyoto experience. Always pleasant and just that outstandingly picturesque. This time I met up with my roomie Adina with her friends to explore [View Full Entry]

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It didn't take me long to decide to travel to Tsuruga right after work on my 25th birthday. I've always been a person who insists to celebrate my birthday as an ordinary day. Everyday is new, and birthdays are no exceptions. Perhaps it's merely a time mark to keep track of how long we've been breathing on earth. I remember telling my students my date of birth at the beginning of September. While I was walking around school on Friday, some of my 1st-year-boys saw me, and they shouted, "Sandra!! Happy birthday! I love you!!" At that moment I almost burst [View Full Entry]

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Here in Japan every day is a new journey full of surprises, challenges, and joy. Every weekend is a journey not only for the mind, but a chance for me to see a new landscape, to scratch the surface of a new culture. I'm absolutely thankful for the holidays. Oct 12th, Monday, Health and Sports Day. A long weekend. Here the journey begins! ^^ (Four pages of photos arranged by time.) Day 1. Saturday, Oct 10th. Did a road trip with Takeshi out to the northern part of Hyogo-ken and Tottori-ken. Here are some highlights. Izushi Soba Izushi, Hyogo-ken, is a [View Full Entry]

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The five-days holidays came just at the right timing when my two close friends Jane and Cindy visited from Vancouver. It was a funny feeling seeing them in Japan at first. I've done and seen so much since arrival in this country to the point that my brain often fail to connect the amount of events happened with this short span of time. And my two friends constantly remind me that I've only been away from home for one month and a half. The holidays were grand. Went to the maddest Danjiri Matsuri in Japan, Kobe for the best beef on [View Full Entry]

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And the story goes on. The day after I went to Suma beach, my voice was still not quite audible. Fine, I thought, a perfect day for traveling to Kyoto alone and do some photo taking. This is perhaps my third time in Kyoto. First time did the usual sight-seeing routine. Second time came for a festival. I've come to realize that the reason why I love Kyoto so much, is probably because besides the picturesque sites such as the Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizu-dera, the city has much more hidden treasures await to be discovered. Slow down your pace, don't overlook [View Full Entry]

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He poked a tube down my nose and throat. The screen in front of me displayed some moving respiratory system images. Realizing those were from my own body, and with the itchy feeling caused by the tube, I refrained myself from sneezing or puking in front of the doctor, nurses, and my JTE. I felt sick on Wednesday, and had completely lost my voice on the second day. So here I was in a clinic in Japan doing endoscopy. "See? Your nasal cavity is intact, but your vocal cord is very red. Try to say 'yeah'", the doctor said. So I [View Full Entry]

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With the fond memories that lurk around the corner of my consciousness, I came back to Kyoto with excitment and anticipation. However the unexpected is a part of the adventures. I spent hours getting lost in the Kyoto subway stations, hence missed my JET friends for a tour around the city. But I did find my way to join them for the Daimonji fire festival, which was the bomb of the summer. Obon is a festival for Japanese to welcome their ancestors' soul on the 13th of August. Welcoming fires light up the path from the grave sites back to their [View Full Entry]

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Nara, the ancient capital city of Japan, has many world heritage sites. I've visited most of the places on my first visit here three years ago. This time I came mainly to see the lights festival happening during O-bon week. Ben and I took a day trip to Nara at noon and wondered around the city until darkness arrived. Then more than 10,000 candles started to light up the whole place, giving it a festive and surreal atmosphere. I'll stop now and let the photos speak for me. Oh, don't forget to check out the photos on page 2 there are [View Full Entry]

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