Scenery pics.

Top: Look closely and you'll see a monkey.
Not quite top: Don't worry, Jellyfish don't eat people.
Not quite bottom: A family gathers to admire the bay.
Bottom: A view from the highway.

These are some pictures from the shrine we visited over the weekend.

Top: Miku tests the water. This type of handwashing/drinking water location is common in shrines and temples. It's also very fresh and cool.

Not quite top: A koi pond. As Jun and Junpei learned at the koi pond in front of the castle in the other pictures, if you taunt the fish for too long, they will splash you.

Not quite bottom: The entrance to the center of the shrine. This type of entryway distinguishes shrines from temples.

Bottom: One of the two lions that guard the main entrance. Note the googly eyes.

Thought you might like to meet the members of my host family on a more individual basis. This is Junpei doing what Junpei does best, which also happens to be what I did best at his age.
Final Fantasy 6.

Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what part of the game he's in at the moment.

These are some pictures from the ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) in which I recently stayed. The tradition of the ryokan goes back centuries to the days when samurai roamed the earth.

Top: The view from the window of my room.

Not quite top but not quite bottom (also known in some cultures as "middle"): The traditional ryokan beer vending machine. Unfortunately, the ryokan traditionally does not also offer a peanut or football game vending machine.

Bottom: one of the few pictures of myself that I'm willing to put on the webpage (actually one of the few pictures of myself that I actually even have). This is me in the room wearing the tradional pajamas after taking the traditional bath. The bath was traditionally relaxing.


(spend a few weeks in Japan and you hear the word "tradition" quite often)

Their spelling may be a bit off, but the sound is the same. I'm going to have to find company headquarters and see if I can't pose as the mascot for this wonderful "potato snack."

On days when I don't have time to go to a cafeteria for lunch I go to the convenience store on campus and pick up a meal that usually looks something like this.



Yes, Virginia, that is an octopus.

These are some pictures from the small castle we visited. As you can see, 16'th century Japan had yet to discover handicap accessible engineering methods.

Top: the castle
Not quite top: Miku trying to climb down one of the ladders inside the castle.
Not quite bottom: View looking down from entrance
Bottom: View out of a window at the top