springing forward

A couple weeks ago, Mike and I went with two of our students to Kairakuen, a park near Mito (an hour north of Tsuchiura) that has really pretty plum (ume) blossom trees from late February to early March. We had a good time and saw a bunch of gorgeous flowers in bloom. The cherry blossom (sakura) trees will be blooming soon too so I'm looking forward to that. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we went to the park. Luckily, Mike had his so I've stolen his pictures and posted them below. 

Bamboo forests are amazing. Apparently they stay cool in the summer and are some of the safest places to be in the event of an earthquake because of their strong roots. If ever there's a big earthquake, I'll probably hop on the train and head to Kairakuen. ^_^

We said "cheezu" with the lovely kimono-wearing ladies who stand at the park all day.

a visit from mr. ed

A few weeks ago, my friend Eddie came to Japan for work, and he gave me a ridiculously thorough tour of Tokyo and the surrounding area including Tsukiji, Nokogiriyama, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Jyugauoka, Ebisu, and probably some other places I'm forgetting. I feel enlightened to say the least. Below are some pictures, and you can see more pictures here, as I can't seem to fit enough pictures on the blog to do the tour justice.

Tsukiji Fish Market - We got there around 6am, and I felt really in the way of everyone who was trying to do their job (carry fish, cut fish, sell fish, etc.). The market was way bigger than I expected, and I left smelling very fishy and not really wanting to eat sushi for breakfast. So we had McDonalds instead.

This actually looks no more appetizing now than it did at 6am. However, I have tried tako-yaki (the grilled octopus balls I mentioned in my first or second post) again, and I have decided that it is edible and possibly even good if eaten in the right place and time. Never thought I'd be able to say that. The Emperor's Palace. We couldn't see it up close, but it looked pretty impressive even from far away.

Ed + cow bread on the ferry

The big sitting Daibutsu (Buddha) on the mountain at Nokogiriyama. It was a nice little hike up after both a ferry ride across the bay and a ropeway ride up the mountain. I've been on more ropeways up mountains in Japan than ever before.This hawk was sitting right in the middle of the cup in Buddha's hands. Then, he left and circled our heads. Slightly scary. A pretty sunset on the ferry ride back. This is a cool place to visit if you get a chance.