Life is a beach

A few weeks ago, I went to a place called Chigasaki. My girlfriend lives there. Its about an hour south of Tokyo by train. Its a nice place, it doesn't have that crowded feel that Tokyo does. And best of all, it has a beach! It is still too cold to really enjoy it but it was nice to check it out. The town reminded me a bit of North Carolina.

While there, we just happened to see this motorcycle gang passing by. They are called the Bosozoku. One of Japan's many subcultures. One of the modifications they do to their bikes is to remove the muffler. You can hear them coming from a long way away, and when they pass you, your clothes practically vibrate. Quite an experience.

Photography...

Apa-to

My new apartment. If you can believe it, my kitchen and my bathroom are even smaller than the last one. But I think my living space is a bit bigger. I have a loft which is totally cool. Here are a few pics. Keep in mind its hard to take pictures in such a small space. ha ha.

The Return

Well it looks like I just couldn't stay away. I returned to Tokyo on January 22nd. I've signed a one year contract with the same company as before. It feels great to be back. Everything has such a familiar feel to it.

Things have been a bit hectic since I've got here. Renewing my visa, finding an apartment, finding furniture to put in the apartment. But I'm starting to get settle in now. On top of all of that, work has been steady as usual. I am working with many of the same people as I did before. There are also a lot of new faces as well. Seems like it will be a great group of people and a fun time once again.

One thing was definitely different from the last time I was here. Its snowing in Tokyo! It was a bit surprising to see Tokyo covered in snow fall. But not surprising was the fact that the people here were more prepared for it than most Coloradans are. Almost every car had chains on the tires and many people wore stylish rubber boots.
So my Japanese adventure continues...

Well, Mom and Dad made the big trip out to Japan. We started our trip by getting on a bullet train and heading to Kyoto. Kyoto is know for its temples, having somewhere around 1800 in total. We decided to just see the best 6 or 7.

After spending a few days in Kyoto, we headed to a town called Takayama. It is a nice little mountain town with some historic sights. Here we stayed at a traditional Japanese inn. The whole room was Tatami mats, so you have to sleep on Japanese futons and the dinning chairs are just flat on the ground with no legs.

Our next stop was Hakone. Its in the mountains and is famous for its hot springs. It was a beautiful place. Usually you can get a nice view of Mt. Fuji from here but it was pretty cloudy while we were there. Our hotel was very nice. A mix of tatami mat and regular floor and of course a big flat screen t.v. Our stay here was short but nice. My only complaint was that I couldn't go into the hot springs because I have tattoos!

After about a week of traveling we came back to Tokyo. We had a few days left so I tried to show them my favorites spots in Tokyo. We took a half day bus tour one day. On the tour we visited Asakasa, an older part of Tokyo with lots of shops and some temples. We also saw the Imperial Palace and got to take a short boat ride up the river. We did some shopping and a lot of eating. I took them to some of my favorite restaurants as well as some new ones. I also gave them a brief tour of where I work and my apartment.

All in all, it was a great trip and it was really good to see them. Japan is a really beautiful country to see and I hope more of you will get the chance to see it.

Shark Attack!

Went to an Aquarium on Sunday. It was rather small but it was nice. They had cool walk through tank as well as a dolphin, penguin and sea lion show. It was pretty cool.

Ueno Park

Spent some time at Ueno Park over the weekend. Its a nice little area. There are some museums, temples, and even a zoo there. They don't however have any grass. I was hoping to lay down and fall asleep reading a book but its all pretty much cement. A recurring theme in Tokyo. The scenery was nice though. There is a pond where you can rent paddle boats.

I ended up going to the zoo. However I couldn't help but feel saddened by seeing these unhappy animals in there cages. I used to enjoy going to the zoo, but now I just feel that what we are doing to these animals is wrong. Anyone else feel this way? I couldn't bring myself to take pictures of the pacing tiger, or the depressed looking Silverback Gorilla, but I snapped a few photos at the end. Including some shots of my favorite animal, the Llama!