Byebye Satwant

Discovered a lot of new stuff in Tokyo this past week, including this well-preserved temple with very few visitors called 護国寺(Gokokuji). Ahhhhhhh, 落ち着く～！

>>loren

(Kita)Kamakura

An early start really helped me and Satwant have a fun-filled day with Joe, Kumi, and Kane yesterday. We saw 2 temples, 1 shrine, and 1 big Buddha. "Awwww big Buddha, big Buddha, aww yeah, big Buddha big Buddha big Buddha." --Joe

ジョー、クミさん、楽しかったね！今度の第三水曜日（３月２１日）に会いましょう！けんちゃん、コートから猫の毛は取れましたか？今日サトワントと谷中霊園に行きましたが、そこらじゅうに猫がいてホントに怖かったです。

>>loren

To get a nice view...

Go up the Tokyo Tower around dusk

More plum blossoms

Satwant is in Tokyo! We have been busily exploring the city. Today, we went to Yushima Shrine and the Imperial Palace East Gardens for some plum blossom viewing. We also walked completely around Tokyo Station, which took...awhile. Dinner was at a really nice 串カツ(deep-fried skewers) restaurant near the station. The master made Satwant a special batter without egg, and he was able to create an excellent selection of vegetarian skewers for her. We both ordered the おまかせコース(chef's choice), and my favorite was the steak skewer. おぉぉおぉ so good. S's favorite was the tomato+cheese skewer. 今度皆行ってみて！

久しぶりにグッと来たかも

This is Utada Hikaru's latest single. It's not every day that you hear a song that makes you want to cry.



この歌詞が特にグッと…
ありがとうと君に言われると
なんだか切ない
さようならの後も解けぬ魔法
淡くほろ苦い
The flavor of life...... The flavor of life......

The lyrics that especially touched me...(translated loosely)
When you say "thank you"
My heart weeps a little
Even after goodbye the spell hasn't been broken
The faint and bittersweet flavor of life...... The flavor of life......

Sweeney Todd - in Japanese!

Wow. Quite a disturbing storyline and some very dark humor. But this musical was good! It was an all-star cast, and my favorites were 市村正規(Ichimura Masaki) and ソニン(Sonim). They were both great at acting AND singing. Bravo!

>>anonymous

Jmats' Top 5 Love Notes

5. Love Love Love - Dreams Come True

4. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

3. Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel

2. Near You Always - Jewel

1. And So It Goes - Billy Joel

And the verdict is...

...the hair is still flat!! やったね♪

This past 3-day weekend, my parents and I hung out together. On Saturday, we went to an outlet mall (りんくう）near the airport and shopped (well, I shopped). On Sunday, we first went to Tsu City to see plum blossoms at Yuuki Shrine. We ended up not entering the garden since the trees had only just started flowering. But I got a pic of a pretty branch outside. Next, we headed to the Tokugawa Museum in Nagoya City. They had a special exhibit on the Girls' Festival dolls that the family owned. I guess they could be compared to Western dollhouses, but man, it's a bit excessive when you have miniature chests that contain miniature leaflets of the Genji Tale. I mean, the dolls had everything the Tokugawa family would have owned, except smaller. Talk about showing off how much money you have! We ended the night by having ひつまぶし(hitsumabushi), a Nagoya delicacy where you eat eel in 3 steps -- 1) as is 2) with seaweed, wasabi, and green onions 3) with number 2 plus add hot tea. Mmm, mmm, good! On Monday, we went to our local hot springs and soaked in heavenly goodness. I also experienced my first アカスリ(akasuri), a Korean skin scrub massage where they rigorously scrub off all the dead skin cells from your whole body. And I mean, your whole body.

Has anyone noticed that the theme of Julie's spring vacation is: PAMPER ME? :D

>>tara, noguchi

By Popular Demand...

Here's a photo of DA HAIR. This is actually before the ultimate test a.k.a. first shower after going to the hair salon. Let's hope the hair will stay flat!!

>>courtney, tara

No Pain, No Gain

Yesterday was a day full of pain. I got a straight perm for the first time ever and found out that it is an extremely painful process. After applying some kind of chemical and waiting, my hair was washed/dried. Then, the stylist took a 180° flat iron and pulled sections of my hair. Now, the first 50 times I was able to bear. But I have a lot of hair, and towards the end, I felt like I was being tortured. Pull no more, hair stylist! Ouch, 180-degree iron is touching my ear! Please, no more, no more!

I've also been using this pressure point massage machine for feet at home every night. It seriously hurts. I keep wanting to stop, but I keep telling myself, "No Pain, No Gain... No Pain, No Gain..."

Musical with Mom

I'm back in Osaka, and I went to see the musical Marie Antoinette with my mom today. With the movie out recently and everything, she seems to be getting a lot of attention. The mood, costumes, and some of the music reminded me of Les Miserables. Oh, and it was hella long... 3 1/2 hours. I thought the production was professional (especially compared to that ballet company I saw a couple months ago...), and the singing/acting impressive (especially Seiko Niizuma). Now if only the actual musical were more interesting with better music...

:.....(

Aw Bears, ya did ya best... I didn't get to watch it live, but I did check the live stats starting at 8 in the morning. And I'll watch ya guys tonight. Good work, good work.

>>heromi, leechlady, kaba

Tentative Schedule for the Coming Weeks

Feb 6 to Feb 18: OSAKA

Feb 19 to Feb 27: CHIBA

Feb 28 to Mar 11: OSAKA/CHIBA

Mar 12 to Mar 19: NEW YORK

Mar 20 ~ : CHIBA

Farewell Party

Tuesday night, there was a dinner party held with speeches to bid farewell to the leaving teachers. For me, the highlight was definitely the goodbye video that was made for one guy. "Let's see about these grades... A+, A+, A+ A+ A+... I don't know why it takes everyone so long to do these things." Hahaha, love it.