International Tea Party

Check out my name in Japanese
Please pass the Folgers
Presenting the tea

Making the tea

Day Trip to Tokyo

Whoops- the narrative is down at the bottom!

Oh No! I got separated from my tour group!Yasukuni Shrine

That's the biggest tori gate I've ever seen! (the kids are in front of it, not under it!)
CUTE.
umbrellas and rain boots

I went to Tokyo the other day for a job interview. After a few dodgy answers to my well thought out questions I realized this is not the kind of company I want to work for. Anyway, after the interview I went to a shrine and took a few pictures. Japan is a very safe country. It is very commom to see groups of school children walking around unattended by any adults (teachers, parents etc...) I guess their uniforms play a role in their safety, and of cousre there is stregnth in numbers. Bear in mind also that Tokyo is a huge city. Imagine a bunch of elementary school kids walking around New York city by themselves....

Happy Thanksgiving! Last night (Nov 23) I went to a real Thanksgiving party! I'm in a new band with two Americans and Japanese guy (Yuji). We play an interestingly eclectic mix of blues, rock, reggae, and well, rock I guess. Yuji and his girlfriend (Autumn) threw the party and invited a really nice group of people. I met some other English, American and Canadian people, all of whose Japanese was much better than mine-motivation to study more. One couple there had two really cute kids who spoke both Japanese and English and are dual-citizens. Durring dinner we passed a bell around the table and took turns sharing with everybody what we had to be thankful for. It was really cool because alot of people said their speech twice, once in English, and once in Japanese. There was definitley a nice warm fuzzy feeling of unity and gratitude in the air. When it was my turn I let everyone know I was grateful for a really, really, really, loving, and supportive family. It was an AWESOME night! (I'm not in any pictures-I took them!-Sorry Mom)Autumn (she threw the party)
That's Little Chris (bassist) in the back giving the "rock star" point to the camera.

A very nice time indeed...

Jamericans
Please pass the stuffing (that's Saori in the white)
Chopsticks and mashed potatoes

Yuji and Autumn (the two people standing)
Warm hearts-full bellies

A Few Pictures of My Trip Last Weekend...

Hello! Here are some pics I took the other weekend. (If you have a map of Japan -find Sendai {North of Tokyo, on the east coast}) I drove from the east coast (Sendai city) across to the west coast (Niigata city) and then took a ferry to Sado Island. It was awesome. I saw a wild monkey cross the road-( not on the Island though, actually about an hour from my apt), I saw a racoon dog, and I ate squid-mouth! (Sound yummie?)... The leaves were changing and the weather was great. As you can tell from the photos it was a beautiful weekend. Feel free to leave comments if you'd like. I hope you enjoy!!!
Arigato gozaimasu-
Clark

Trip to Sado Island... click on the pic!

• Bike and the view from the top of the island. You can see the Sea of Japan... Beach by the hotel I where stayed (you can see the hotel's roof)
  View from my room (29$-1 night)
  The "hotel" where I stayed -my window is to the left of the telephone pole "Downtown"
  

First time I've ever seen this... Octopus fishing- he had a stick with red lace tied on the the end of it- the octopi think it's a cute girl and come out from under the rock only to get stabbed with the other stick, and then served for dinner at restaruants on the island...notice how clear the water is
This is the fishing village where I stayed at the "hotel" - you can see the beach from where I took the sunset picture.
The road was ALL MINE!!!
This waterfall fell down about 40 ft. to the ocean which is just behind the camera

Open, curvey, roads/ clear sea, and skies. Check out the sea weed... and clear blue water I've never seen before
Flea market at Ryotsu, the Island's main port town.
NIPPON.

Chillin' on the 2 and a 1/2 ride to Sado Is.ikanoha- squid tooth/mouth?
on my way back down (towards the sea) from camping
The Sea of Japan- if you look hard enough you can see N. Korea on the other side...just kidding
Inside the ferry
Where I spent the cold lonely night! Actually it was pretty nice, next to the ramblin' stream...it was still cold!

On the way to Sado Island from Sendai

Damn(ed) river! Somewhere in Yamagata-ken

I was driving through that tunnel (on the right) and came out of it there were about 10 people with camera's set up on tripods by the side of the road, waiting to take this picture (or a few like it ) with the trains and the leaves changing.
Wheelie! (just kidding)
Kilometers/hour!
Becuase this country is about 70% mountainous- there are LOTS of tunnels!

Two hours into the trip and already lost! Not really lost but don't know whether to make a right or go straight. The sign has English on it but my map doesn't, and the Kanji on the sign does match Kanji on where I think I am on the map. But I doesn't really matter so I decide to go straight and slow and enjoy where I am and not worry about where I'm goin'...