プリクラ三昧 (Photo-stickers A-go-go)

I recently made a great discovery! The photo-sticker machines (called purikura) you find in all the arcades in shopping centers in Japan now come with a new feature. You can download the pictures you took to your phone almost instantaneously using the infared beam! Naturally I lost no time in taking advantage of this and I now present you with a bunch of silly purikura I took over the New Year's vacation.


This picture is my friend and former student Naoko, and her friend Shiho (who I actually taught a few times at Sakasegawa NOVA) . We went to AEON Mall and took a whole bunch of pictures, but I think this one was the best.


This is another one from the same batch, the Japanese writing says "I love my hometown."


I sent this pic to Sho-chan at work and he said 'Your face looks scary.' I guess it kinda does, but I still like this pic.


Finally there's me and Sho-chan looking SEXXXXXXXXXXXY!

PS I finally updated the 'What I'm reading now' section. I haven't been reading Persepolis all this time, I've just been too lazy to change it. (I've actually been reading a crap-load of Agatha Christie to which I've become hopelessly addicted.)

初詣 (Hatsumoude)

Yesterday Sho-chan and Rosie and I went to Hatsumoude (the first shrine visit of the year) at 2 different shrines; Nagata-Jinja in Kobe and Hachiman-Jinja in Sanda. We stayed over his parents house on New Year's Eve with Rosie and we all went to Nagata shrine together at midnight. It was pretty cold, but we had a good time and I got a candy apple. I always LOVE all of the little stalls that are set up around the shrine whenever there's a festival. Candy apples, okonomiyaki, baked potatos, corn-on-the-cob, fried squid, tai-yaki, goldfish-dip, and all the stalls selling multicolored Daruma. It's so festive and exciting you forget how chilly it is!

We took Rosie with us on our second shrine visit, and she was mostly well-behaved, but acted up a little on the way home. She sees other dogs and she just wants to play with them, but she can't. Anyway we had a good time at the second shrine and both Shoichi and I got Dai-kichi (Big Good Luck - the best fortune) for our New Year's fortunes. Yeah!

Goog Afternooner

Happy Year of the Mouse!

In just a few more hours it will officially be the year of the mouse! This was an amazing year for me; my Dad and Julie coming to visit, going to the sumo, TWICE, quitting NOVA, starting up at Yes!, breaking my toe, getting a wonderful dog, seeing my Dad get married and getting married myself! It was quite a topper! Hopefully 2008 will be just as much fun!

Happy New Year to everyone!!!