Blogs from Yamanashi, Japan, Asia - page 3

Hi everyone! Sorry that it's taken me a few days to post a new entry. We had to do a speech for school and I've been spending a lot of time writing and memorizing it, so I've been quite busy. But don't worry--it's definitely not all work and no play! I'm sure you could have figured that out, though. Alright, well, down to business. I'll be picking up this time with my 2nd weekend here in Tsuru. We begin our tale with a quiet Friday evening... Friday: After class, we didn't do much until the evening, when a few of us decided to go to a restaurant that one of the tutors(Mikity--I know. Great name, right?) works at. The name of the restaurant is Yumeman. It was the same restaurant that Allison and I went to ... read more

For Recommendations and Contact Details, scroll down to the bottom! Wednesday (Pre Departure) I am so unprepared for this. I anxiously email Yumiko, in a slight panic. Yumiko emails me back: Subject: It's OK! Don't worry Leah san. I finish work then I tell you the schedule for tomorrow! :) We have a schedule for tomorrow? thank god I'm going with someone more organised than me. Thursday (Day One) I've been awake since 7:00am. On the bus Yumiko told me scary stories about people who get lost in the forest at the base of Mt Fuji and can't find their way out because compasses don't work inside there. I get my first sight of Mt Fuji and gulp nervously. I send an email to some friends and family members with messages of love and happiness in ... read more

Hello everyone! Sorry that it has taken me over 2 weeks in Japan to get my first entry published. Hopefully I'll be better about it from here on out. So, for starters, while I've been here so far I have: navigated my way from the airport to the 1st and 2nd hotels in Tokyo, gone to the Harajuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara districts of Tokyo, seen a Meiji Shrine, been to two festivals, eaten some amazing food, gotten eaten by some crazy bugs, seen even crazier bugs, beaten a watermelon, played with fireworks, seen fireworks that beat even Disneyland(!), seen a bajillion vending machines, and of course, been working to improve my Japanese! Alright, so let me try and get you all caught up, starting at the very beginning (a very good place to start...). 7/29/08: Michelle ... read more

So its been a long time. I would like to sit here and tell you that the reason I haven't written is because I've been having so many crazy awesome adventures and I just honestly coulcn't fit you guys in but that would be a lie. Not that I haven't been having crazy awesome adventurous but really... think about how many crazy awesome adventures I'd have to be having all the time just to not be able to take 1 or 2 hours to write my blog (I'm not a slow typer but I have to upload pics to, its really quite a hassle). Needless I would like to say I'm that amazing but I'm not. So in the end I've just been lazy. You'll be happy to know that I've devised a wicked plan to ... read more

That's right - sakura mania is once again sweeping Japan: a time when friends and families gather under perfectly placed and pruned cherry trees and drink sake, gross food and look at the cherry blossoms (sakura). In addition to these "o-hanami" events, the Japanese generally are enthralled with their cherry trees. The blossoms bloom brilliantly for about two weeks, depending on wind and rain, and many people keep close tabs on their local blossom forecasts so they'll know just when to head out for a day of viewing. Fortunately for my, Greg's, family, they were able to see the first half of the cherry blossom season. That, along with our many friends they were able to meet and the playing games and taking walks that made up their trip, seemed to lead to a pretty enjoyable ... read more