Mt. Fuji 3776m (12,388 ft.)

We started at the Kawaguchi-ko 5th station at 2305m (7562 ft.) at 7pm as the sun was setting. We finished at 3776m (12,388 ft.) at 4:30am as the sun was rising. That means we climbed 1471m (4826 ft.) in 9.5 hrs.

There were about 25 of us from Toyama that climbed Mt. Fuji this weekend. But we divided up into small groups. I climbed with Team Niikawa, 4 of us in total (3 of us above).

The sun is rising and we are at the top of Mt. Fuji (finally). For awhile as we were climbing, I thought the sun would never rise again. I thought we had entered some kind of hell....a never ending climb up a mountain in the cold rain with thousands of people fighting each other to get to a top that didn't exist. We're smiling, but it was a bit forced. We've been up all night and we're freezing.

This is one small corner of the summit. It was packed with people trying to get the best picture of the sun coming up. It was like trying to navigate the corridors of a college football stadium...lines for food, lines for the bathroom, people puking, people passed out, people EVERYWHERE! It wasn't being at the top was so bad though, it was getting up there with all these people! The trail was packed MOST of the time. The last 3-4 hours we would take a baby step every 10-30sec. It was slow moving! They need to start a permit system or something. There were TOO MANY people climbing!

I was relieved when the sun finally did come up. It meant the world wasn't over and we had escaped hell. And it meant we could take off some layers of clothing and finally warm up. It also meant, we were that much closer to being done. Only 4-5 hours more to get down.


Yep, that's me at the top. I made it up and back down. In total, we were on the mountain for 15 hours, in the bus for 16 hours, and I didn't sleep for 40 hours. I got home last night, dropped my bags in the door, showered and was in bed by 7:30pm. I slept 13 hours...woke up a little stiff.

I'm glad I did it. I'm glad Team Niikawa made it to the top and back down. But I'll never do it again.

Click here for Brett's account of Team Niikawa on Mt. Fuji and more pics!

Polysemy in Context

Last week I spent a lot of time looking at text, idioms, metaphors, prototypes, lexical structures, meaning and core meanings of words and dissecting grammar. I’m still processing the academic information and lectures. Overall, it was a rich academic experience. But the academic focus was overpowered by human relationships. Even though we all spoke the same language, English, some of us interpreted the signals differently. It led to confused communication and dissapointment.

As humans, social beings, we spend a lot of time wanting and needing things. We especially want and need other people to like us, to love us, to be in love with us, to notice us, to never forget us, and to remember us always. But that comes with conditions and we have to qualify our desires. We don’t want to be liked by that person, we want to be liked by this person. We don’t want to be noticed by just someone, we want to be noticed by the perfect someone. We don’t want just anyone to love us, we want the right one to love us.

When that one, someone, or anyone pays us even a little attention, instead of heart palpitations it brings heart-burn. Instead of sending tingles down your back, it sends a shiver up your spine. Instead of falling head over heels, you feel like you’ve fallen flat on your face. Last week, I had the worst heart-burn of my life, literally.

Because it’s not about anyone, it’s about the right someone. If it’s the wrong someone, you wish it had been no one at all. Because sometimes no one is better than just anyone. At least for me.

Communication and relationships are defined by status and structure. Those involved, what they do and how they do it all plays a part. It’s a very fine balance of presentation, intonation, and style. Last week a relationship pre-defined by structures of power, distance and authority was instantly shattered when the wrong type of attention was paid to a certain someone. Even though relationships are fluid, open to interpretation and individual expression, there are rules. There is a form and a structure that must be followed. When there are deviations from the form, there is a communication breakdown. And when communication breaks down, there is miscommunication. This can result in conflict and conflict results in broken trust. Because once trust is broken, it rarely can be reconstructed.

And it’s always disappointing to feel you can’t trust someone anymore.

Family Ties

Did you ever watch that TV show? It used to be a favorite in our house on Thursday night between The Cosby Show and Cheers. It was a family bonding night in front of the TV. Now our family time usually involves skype and sitting in front of a computer because we live in 3 countries and that's just my immediate family. So family bonding time is limited, but we still stay in touch and send pictures of all our activities. My sister recently visited Jeju, an island off the coast of South Korea. And my parents recently did a bike pedal across the Portland bridges! Go family!

Aren't they cute!!!

She said it was HORRIBLY hot there! But it looks beautiful!

And I'm in Hiroshima...studying!

Seminar Bound

I'm off to Hiroshima for a week long seminar as part of my graduate studies. Since I'm doing a distance course especially for teachers working in countries like Japan, the professors come to Japan once a year for real classroom learning! I'm kinda looking forward to the break from life in Nyuzen. And I'll get to meet a lot of people also doing the course. But I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to the seminar itself. The topics include: structure and meaning, words and meaning, methodology and grammar, a corpus based syllabus, text and context, prototype theory and the grammar syllabus, metaphors at work, and typological universals. I haven't a clue what any of it means now...hopefully I'll be a bit smarter this time next week!

Tai Chi: Ni Hao!

Tai Chi teacher bonding! This morning my school district subsidized and organized an extra-curricular activity for all of the teachers (and I was invited too!). I was strongly encouraged to take Tai Chi by my Vice Principal...he was organizing it. We have a strange love/hate/ambiguous relationship. He's the guy I have to get permission from for just about everything. He likes to keep close tabs on me--where I eat lunch, how much I spend on my vacation, what I'm reading, and he requests specific beer as omiyage. But he also has been letting me leave at lunch this week. So I know he doesn't hate me!

So, this morning about 30 teachers congregated at the local community hall in their sports gear: sweat pants, basketball shorts, t-shirts, towels tucked into the t-shirts, running shoes and there were lots of sports drinks and tea close at hand. We did a lot of stretching and the teachers lectured a bit while I zoned out and thought about a variety of other things going on in my life right now. Finally, we got to practice and they taught us a short little routine. We all sucked! But it was interesting, even if it was a bit slow. I know, I know, slow is the point! But, I kind of like speedier activities (like river rafting)! Ha ha ha, that probably just means I need to be doing more yoga and tai chi. Maybe, when I get old!

We won't remember the routine. But we will remember one thing: the greeting, the yoroshiku onegaishimasu, the kiritsu, kiotsuke, rae. See the picture below.


Later in the staff room my Vice Principal (above) kept walking up to me and putting his fist in my face and saying "Ni Hao." I have a sinking feeling I'm gonna have to deal with this for the next year. But because I'm not shy or worried (too much) about what people think of me anymore (wore my nose ring all day to school today), I'm gonna do it right back at him!! It's not really in the spirit of Tai Chi, but I think it's our own secret intimate way of saying "hey, you're strange and different, but I guess I'll put up with you for another year (and as long as you bring me beer as omiyge, you can leave early)."

Good Enough for the Emperor

In July, a 4th grade student of mine eagerly invited me to visit school on a particular day in August to eat Nyuzen's famous jumbo watermelon (an expensive commodity). He was very persistent! And how can you resist this face? So, I hesitantly showed up at school yesterday, hoping I'd understood his Japanese correctly! Hurray for me...I got it right!

What I didn't get from his invitation was the reason we were going to be eating watermelon. It turns out this little guy's family is The Family that sends jumbo watermelon to The Emperor of Japan. Wow! And his family donated two watermelons to his class.

Before we could eat the watermelon, the students had to prepare and cook Curry Rice. They each brought their share of vegetables (probably from their own gardens) and their portion of rice. The washing, cutting, chopping and cooking began...with very little supervision! I joined the group to the left. The girls took charge and gave the boys orders. The boys stood at the sink and filled the veggie bags with water and poked holes in them and watched the water squirt out. The girls got mad at them for playing and not working. The boys ignored the girls. These are 4th graders!

Unfortunately, my group was a bit over eager about making curry and missed a few steps. So we ended up with curry soup instead--too much water. Oh well. We still stuffed our faces. And there was a lot left over!

Next we ate two jumbo watermelons. They were so sweet and delicious!! I can see why the Emporer wants to eat these. I could have eaten an entire one myself if I hadn't just stuffed myself with curry rice.

Overall, it was a great morning! I'm glad I showed up for it! The only bummer about the day--my school emptied the pool. Boo hoo! So I had to go to the beach instead--summer sucks!

Blogger is being annoying and not letting me upload any more pictures...so I'll try to post a few watermelon pics below in another post.

Watermelon Pictures

Try Again! Blogger currently sucks!

Tatemon Festival

Last night 1000's of people gathered in front of a temple in a fishing village in Uozu for the last day of the Tatemon Festival. The typical festival fare: food, fireworks and yukatas. But this festival also has floats. These floats, made to look like fishing boats, represent different fishing neighborhoods. Each float weighs several tons. The trick is, it has to be brought to the temple by pulling and pushing. That sounds easy if it had wheels, but it doesn't. It's like a sled, but on asphalt and concrete, not snow! It's a challenge. Especially given the heat and humidity! We started pulling/pushing at about 9pm. We finally finished at about 12midnight. There were probably a hundred or so people assigned to move each float. And there were kids and muscians sitting on the float--lucky! Anyway, my arms are stiff and typing is a challenge! So here are some pictures!

What you can't see in the pictures: the heat & the humidity--it was intense!!!
What you can't taste: the sake being poured down our throats and the cold tea breaks!
What you can't smell: the sweat, the festival food, and the fishy smell of a port!
What you can't hear: the flutes, the taiko drums, and the heave-ho's!
What you can't feel: the burn of pulling for several hours!

Summer Fun

Yukata Rules
Summer in Japan means festivals and yukata (summer kimono). Several weeks ago there was a big good-bye party for leaving JETs. The theme: toga! But the Nyuzen(kurobe) crew has a style of our own. So we decided to go in yukata. We got lots of compliments! If you really want to know how to wear a yukata, just click on the link above. That's how we tried to put ours on at first, but later our Japanese friend retied it for us! Thank goodness!

Glass blowing
My friend, Takae, and I decided to sweat it out in a glass blowing studio in the summer heat. Not the brightest decision for a hot afternoon...but a few more degrees didn't really matter. We had both done it once before but by no means knew what we are doing. Luckily we had two teachers to guide us through the entire process. We get to pick up our unique creations this week. Who will be the lucky recipient of my artwork?


Tanabata Festival
This festival is held in July/August throughout Japan. The decorations for Tanabata are incredible. People spend months, or all year making decorations to hang from large bamboo trees they set up on the main streets of town. Other bamboo just has colored pieces of paper thin plastic that people have written wishes on. These wishes hang in the breeze and many people stop to read them while they are walking around town. My town is currently celebrating Tanabata. It involves the typical festival food stands: takoyaki, castella, okonomiyaki, yakitori, kakigori, etc. But this festival also had amazing taiko drumming, dancing and my students were wearing yukata!! My friend, Chica, and I strolled around town looking at the flea markets, commenting on all the yukatas and constantly tempting ourselves to buy festival food--but we knew better!!

HOA

Hokkaido Outdoor Adventure

If and when you visit Hokkaido, and if you visit in the summer months, I strongly recommend you go rafting and/or canyoning. And I strongly recommend going with HOA!!

HOA is located in the mountains of Hidaka. The company is based in an old wooden elementary school. It's been redocorated with Tibetan prayer flags, pictures of rafting/kayaking from around the world, and the rooms have been converted into a lounge, smoking bar, communal kitchen and a few classrooms are used as hostel-like dorms!

The staff is from Australia, Japan and Nepal. And they have a ton of experience between them including first descents down some spectacular rivers! They have videos and slide shows have some of the crazy shit they've done!

Hokkaido hasn't gotten much rain this year so the rivers are running pretty low by now. And the only river they were running is a half day trip. To get a full day in, we decided to do canyoning in the morning and rafting in the afternoon. I'd never done canyoning before, but it's great! We wore wet suits, life jackets and helmets. Basically, we floated, swam, and walked down a canyon with an icy cold river! We also got to do some cliff jumping...my first time! Wow! FUN!!

Rafting was great too! We went down the Mukawa River. Lots of rocks, lots of narrow spaces and the water was pretty low. So it made for some interesting navigating! But there were some flat spots where we got to play around. And our guide, Pat, did some crazy fun stuff with the raft. We spun, we flipped, we surfed, and we got really wet!!! Also did another cliff jump...maybe 4-5m.

I could go rafting everyday! Seriously, I don't think I'd get bored of it!

Hokkaido Dream'n

The Hokkaido Dream came to fruition two weeks ago when Linea, Amy and I packed the coolers with more food than we could ever eat in a week, strapped on our bikes, and stuffed Bertie (the red VW) with anything and everything we might need. We left after school in the pouring rain and drove 2 1/2 hours to Niigata City to catch the Nihonkai Ferry to Tomakomai! We weren't expecting much on the 18 hour ferry ride, but it was like a cruise ship. It was fabulous. There was a jacuzzi, a sauna, an onsen, a movie theater, restaurants, a game center, and lots of space to sit and relax. We got on the ferry at midnight and heavily drugged ourselves to avoid sea sickness. In the morning we found the sun deck and spent the rest of the day reading and eating homemade burritos, banana bread and fruit. We were actually disappointed when we got to Hokkaido. We all wished we could have spent another day on the boat!

For the next week we spent a lot of time in the car. We drove from the Southern port of Tomakomai all the way up to the Northern most city of Wakkanai and back again. Needless to say, we got a bit nutty in the car. Amy made a cave for herself in the back seat between coolers, bags, helmets, and wine bottles. We played 20 questions and told stories and listened to music. We also made a sign for the back window. We got a few looks and laughs. But no offers!






We didn't need to stop at restaurants because we had so much food in the car. But we had to eat a few local specialties. Hokkaido is famous for ramen--so we had a ramen lunch on Rishiri Island. I'm not usually a fan of ramen, it's too oily for me, but it was delicious! Linea got the super size seafood bowl of ramen. It could have feed a family of four, but Linea managed to eat most of it! Nice work lady! Soft Cream (soft serve) is all over Japan. And sometimes you can find really unique flavors. So we went on a hunt for new flavors. We found a few: lavendar, Hokkaido milk, Hokkaido melon, and some other flower flavor. Lavendar/Hokkaido milk mix was delicious.





The main inspiration for our road trip was to get Amy to Wakkanai, the start point for her bike across Japan trip. We tied her carrot mascot (it's a vegetarian bike ride) on to her bike, packed up her bags, and met her team before saying a teary good-bye. Luckily we'll see her again next month when she passes through Toyama.

Linea & I brought our bikes up too. Before leaving Amy we went to Rishiri Island, off the coast of Wakkanai and did a ride around the island, about 60km. There is a fuji-like mountain on the island--spectacular backdrop for a bike ride.




Linea and I drove down the coast rode and had two more nights of camping before our ferry back. Our first night we decided to get some distance and drove until well after dark making it difficult to find camp sites. We ended up camping in the middle of a sandy field flooded with lights next to the highway (and the beach) crowded with tents. It was like a shanty town. I'm not sure why anyone would want to camp there, but it looked like they were there for awhile, not just passing through. There was no grass, no trees, no nature. Just sand, big shower/toilet buildings, some cooking/cleaning shelters, and a highway! It was horrible. We ate, slept, and packed up as quickly as we could. Our last night on Hokkaido was perfect!! We found a lake before 12noon, got our gear unpacked, and laid by the lake and read all afternoon! We jumped in once to cool off...it was COLD! But it was beautiful. Crystal clear! And there were mountains all around us. The bathing situation was less than ideal. All the nearby onsens closed to outside guests at 4pm, we had gotten there at 5pm. I begged our way in and one kind soul gave us 45 minutes to bathe! It had been 3 days...I think he could tell we were desperate!

Unfortunately the next day was cloudy and cool. So we packed up early and tried a few hiking trails...all were closed because of a typhoon a few years back. So we drove around the lake and finally found an outside bath! It was right on the lake! Absolutely beautiful and the last thing I really wanted to do before leaving Hokkaido---sit outside in a hot bath!

We almost missed our ferry back to Niigata--always check how many ferry terminals there are and which one you're supposed to be at! But we made it with minutes to spare. The night on the ferry was really rough, but we made it through with drugs! The next day was another day of lounging and reading! But all good things come to an end!

You gotta get off sometime!

Back to sitting at a desk!

Back on the Mainland

...well, the Japanese mainland of Honshu anyway. Linea & I arrived via ferry from Hokkaido about 6 hours ago and arrived home about 3 hours ago. I'll be posting pics and commentary soon...after the coolers are emptied and washed, the tent and sleeping bag packed away for the next adventure, the very dirty laundry is done, food is put away, emails are answered, and omiyage is distributed. Be patient....more coming soon.

It was a great trip! Just look

A Looooonnnnggg Weekend

The Trip
I couldn't eat school lunch fast enough on Friday. I wanted to get out of school and start my 1/2 day of ねんきゅ/vacation. After biking home, showering for a 2nd time, packing my overnight bag, and watering my babies, I headed to 黒部駅/Kurobe Station, parked my car and jumped on the はくたか/Hakutaka Express for 越後湯沢/Echigo-Yuzawa and the しんかんせん/bullet train onto 東京/Tokyo, a 3 hour trip in total. I managed to get a lot of reading done and drank a Snapple raspberry ice tea that I'd been saving for several months. Delicious!

Arriving in 東京　is always exciting: the lights, the fashion, the crowds, the noise, the anonymity! I know less than 10 people in a city with millions. Sometimes it's great to be anonymous for a few days.

Finding the hotel was easy and the air con, while not as cold as may prefer, felt good after a long trip and negotiating the 東京 trains. When I got there, Bobbie & Elliot were chillin' after a busy day of laundry and Kels had recently arrived from 韓国/Korea, a 16 hour trip, even though it is just a hop, skip and a jump away. To celebrate our mini-family reunion we ventured to 原宿/Harajuku. Unfortunately, the freakshows had disbanded for the day. We ended up at the Elephant Cafe for dinner; small portions, but delicious food! I highly recommend the peach beer and the tuna steak!

東京 Disney Sea

Bobbie & Elliot are Disneyworld experts and Kels & I have both been to Disneyland as kids. So we decided that Disney Sea was the best option because it would be new to us all. Besides the heat, humidity and the lack of an international ATM, we had a fabulous day. The highlights included: visiting Indiana Jones (but my driving sucked), journeying to the center of the earth, watching small children entertain themselves in the fountains and eating cheeseburgers during a Donald show (日本語だけ/in Japanese).

None of us felt the need to stay all day, so we headed back early, I bought some lime green shoes (crocs) in the station and we ate and rehydrated at the hotel before passing out.

相撲：　名古屋場所/Sumo at the Nagoya Gym

I've been waiting two years to see the big boys have it out in the dirt ring! And it was fabulous! It was another long day, but this time there was little walking involved and it was all indoors. Plus we got 6 hours of 相撲/sumo enjoyment in. And the experience was made complete by tasty bentos, special soup, autographs, photos galore, cheering and watching an obnoxious fan get kicked out. We also meet 相撲's biggest fan; he never misses a tournament and is a famous eccentric all over 日本/Japan (so he proclaimed).

After the bouts, as the big boys were getting into their hummers, lexus SUVs, etc the biggest boy of them all, Asasyoryu's driver pulled rank and exited the parking lot in front of all the others. The crowd went wild. But he is the よこずな/champion. As Koutoshu drove out he gave a little thumb's up-it was so cute! I like him too! And even though we didn't get a picture with one of the really big boys, we did get a picture witha a BIG BOY! We saw some りきし/wrestlers walking to the subway at about 12noon. The fact that they were finished that early and have to travel by subway vs. lexus indicates their status on 相撲/sumo totem pole. But they are intimidating nonetheless.

While we were waiting for the しんかんせん/bullet train at the Nagoya station, Bobbie took some super cute photos of the cousins 24-18-28! I've never spent any real time with Elliot before. I'm so glad I got to know him a bit. He's a fantastic guy!

A 東京 Tower Birthday
Monday was my sister, Kelsey's, 24th birthday. To celebrate we enjoyed an overpriced Western breakfast buffet complete with buttery croissants and bad scrambled eggs. It was a rainy day, but our hotel was minutes from Tokyo Tower, so that's where we ventured to meet our friend, Natsuki. The tower was what I expected, another overpriced view of a big city: buildings as far as you can see.

But after fighting the crowds of tourists from all over, including a Florida baseball team or maybe they were just a mormon family on vacation, we went back downstairs for a little birthday treat. We weren't able to light candels (tokyo tower fire code) but there were candels in the brownie mint chocolate chip sundae from Baskin Robbins. Unfortunately she had to catch her airport bus at 1pm so the birthday festivities were cut short. But we got the party started and I think her students and friends were going to help her continue it all week in Sokcho.



小学/Elementary Munchkins
The last stop on their Asia Tour was one of my elementary schools in my little town. They helped me teach 4 classes and are both natural teachers. I barely did a thing, it was wonderful. The kids were in full form: giving かんちょｓ (finger pokes up the butt), asking questions about weight and waist size, jumping & hanging on my 6'3" cousin and falling over in shock to see 2 more foreigners at their school. B & E were a big hit! And they also got to meet the Star Wars teacher who fell in love with them! And the office lady gave them each a big hug as they left. It was adorable!



I don't know many jobs where bringing your family to work for the day is acceptable. And I'm sure some of my co-workers question it. But...my job is specifically about communication and internationalization. So far my parents, sister, aunt and cousin have visited each of my schools. Each of them have brought a different view and picture of America! Thank you!



Wrap-up
I've been catching up on sleep and recovering this last week. It was an long exhausting weekend, but it was so great to be with family! Something none of us will ever forget. I'm lucky to be able to share Japan with so many people! Thanks for the visit!

I also updated my Japan To Do List (already posted)!

I'm leaving for my next vacation on Monday night. I'll be in Hokkaido with two friends, three bikes and a tent for one week. Pictures will be posted when I get back! Life is good!

This Weekend: 東京 ＆ 名古屋

It's family reunion time. I'll be on a train headed for Tokyo in 5 hours. In Tokyo I'll meet up with my sister, aunt and cousin. I saw my sister in May & March, but I haven't seen my aunt in about 5 years. And I honestly can't remember the last time I saw my cousin. They've been traveling around China for 4 weeks and Japan is their last stop. I can't wait to hear their travel stories. And it will be fun to get to know them because I've never spent time with them without hoards of other family around. Our plan: Tokyo Disney Sea, Sumo in Nagoya and some birthday celebrations for my sister. She will be celebrating her birthday two years a row in Japan...last year was in Nagasaki & Fukuoka!

My goal for the weekend: a picture with a sumo dude!

A New Allergy

I've developed a new allergy in Japan. I've always had hayfever. I've always reacted to mosquito bites. And when I was little I think I reacted to MSG a few times. Anyway, this new allergy is the strangest allergy ever. It started last winter. It always happens at home. It always happens at night. And it always happens after I eat my own cooking. But...it only happens after I eat my own leftovers.

It started with curry. I think I'd had it in my fridge for 2-3 days. And after eating it on the 3rd day I puked in the middle of the night. Next....Bear Creek potato soup. Same deal. I had made a big pot of it in winter. I was eating meal after meal of it and finally my system rejected it. I puked in the middle of the night. It has gone on and on like that ever since. It happens about once a month and has happened probably 5-10 times.

At first I didn't know what it was, but now I think I've narrowed it down. I'm allergic to pre-packaged leftovers. It never happens if I just steam vegetables or make a salad. It only happens if it's something with a spice packet or sauce from a box. It's happened with food from Japan and imported American food. So other than the fact that I'm allergic to leftovers, I'm not sure what it is exactly. But I hate it! I eat a delicious meal of thai curry and then want to puke. And you'd think that now that I know what it is I'd be able to avoid it. But I have this horrible problem...I can't waste food. And now I don't know if it's all in my head or if it's real. But I know that after eating leftover vegetarian green curry on Monday I almost puked and then had to go to bed and felt ill most of the night. It was horrible.

So last night I made some Indonesian white chicken curry (from a spice packet). I had leftovers. I delivered them to Linea. I don't think she's developed the allergy yet.

Cooking for one person is IMPOSSIBLE. I can't do it.

Anyone know what's going on?? Suggestions please!

4,000 written, 32,000 to go

Printed, packed and about to be posted. The first paper is done--two weeks early. I had to get it done, I have family coming this week and I'm leaving for vacation the week after. Let's see how the graders like it. Am I meant for grad school OR not?

On another note, this last week has been jam packed with events! Let's enjoying some photos:

Last weekend I went to 135's in Uozu for the Bento Boys CD Release Party! They even performed live. It was fantastic. And I got a front row dancing spot.

The little village of Funami is famous for its' Tanabata Festival decorations. They make them all out of recycled stuff-milk cartons, gum wrappers, etc. To start the festival there is a relay race. I was supposed to run on the PTA team, but had to cancel because of my knee! Bummer.

Later that night we went back to enjoy an hour long fireworks show, eat horrible festival food and chat it up with all our students!

Yesterday, Linea, JP and I took Bertie into the mountains and explored Toga. We found an AMAZING Tibetan-Nepalese Meditation Center. We were just in time to see them dance infront of a spectacular backdrop. They also have a restaurant and we HAD to eat lunch there. We had dahl bhat, tibetan bread, momos, and chai. Delicious!

We also spent a long time in the meditation halls experimenting with our cameras. The mandalas were amazing. The colors were brillant and the detail was mesmorizing. The floors were laquered which made for great reflections. We had so much fun playing with our cameras.

I had heard that this center exisited, but seeing it and just being there was wonderful. It was surreal to hear Indian/Nepalese music, see Tibetan Buddhist art, meet Nepalese people, and eat Nepalese food in the very rural mountains of Japan!

The worst part about visiting this center...it just made me want to go back to Nepal all that much more. There were pictures and maps of the Annapurnas! Oh, man! I want to go so bad it hurts. Someday! Someday very soon, I hope!

We supplemented our Nepal adventure with a hike! Stupid blogger won't upload those right now. Maybe later!