Jocelyn is visiting from the states right now, and while she is here, we're trying to do fun stuff and see lots of things I don't normally get around to. Even though it's winter, and it's not very picturesque, we decided to go to Kamakura on one of my "weekend" days to wander around and see the multitude of shrines and temples there. It didn't take too long to get there from my neck of the woods - about 60 minutes, give or take with trains and connections. It was cool, but not cold, and though we had our coats on, we were quite comfortable walking around. It wasn't busy, either, which I guess is a benefit of going during the off-season. We made it in good time, by 11 AM, and decided that our first ... read more

I met Sayuri today in Shinjuku for a late dinner, and since I'd be wanting to see some more autumn colors this season, I decided to make a whole day of it and hit another post-it in my guidebook: Rikugien! Rikugien is a walking garden that is very famous for having "views" that change as you walk, so that the surroundings are always different. It also has illuminated fall colors starting the last week in November, though I went during daylight so I didn't see those. It was a very popular place today, and my fellow photographers were out in full force! I actually shot the garden in two different modes on my camera, so it's sort of a mix-and-match when it comes to the photographs, but it was really beautiful and was a very relaxing ... read more

After a weekend spent with stomach-churning migraines, I finally had a 4-day holiday break, my first set of days longer than a weekend that I have gotten off since starting on July 3. Trust me, I needed it! I took Monday easy, and yesterday I went to Sweets Paradise with my coworker Rani, and we wandered around the department store there. I picked up a few things for myself - I never buy myself things, and what I bought only amounted to $20, but it was really nice to be able to do that sort of thing and not worry about financial repurcussions of it (of course, I still felt guilty for buying anything - we're still working on that!). And today I met up with my friend Sayuri to head north to Shibamata, an area ... read more

Oops, been awhile since I posted anything here! There has been some fun things happening. I've been working a lot, but since I finally got paid, my attitude towards life has improved considerably, haha. The weather has been cooling down a lot (note: mid-70's) and it's FINALLY nice enough at night that I don't have to use my A/C at all. This is really going to cut down on my bills, haha. Plus, the cool air at night feels like GREAT running weather, so a week or so ago I ran 7k just because I was so happy about the temperature. Felt awesome!! I really explore a lot when I'm running here. I pulled some overtime last week. It's not my favorite thing ever, but I suppose the extra padding to my paycheck in November (ugh) ... read more

Well, we made it through summer here. It was HOT. We went the entire month of August without any rain, and not a single day below 83 degrees (mostly it was in the 90's). Since the humidity here is just atrocious, this was a perilous journey so I am glad we are finally into September! The first three days of September were raining, marked with thunderstorms, and it was a WELCOME relief since it really cooled things down. The nights have finally been cool enough to go without my air-con and just leave my window open - which is nicer both for me AND my bank book. Work is tiring me out, so most days I just come home and putter around my apartment for awhile before bed. And my weekends are largely spent at home, ... read more