So, I’m in LA, land of the beautiful and “anti-intellectual”, as has been said.  I look at everyone wearing sunglasses inside any store and think “maybe that person’s a celebrity!”

I am overwhelmed by the fact that parents want to spend $100 for a doll that looks “just like their daughter”… but also think how quaint it is, especially since you CAN get a doll that looks “just like you” and not just a blonde, big-busted Barbie….

I bought and am reading a book called “Confession of an Economic Hit Man”, who are “highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars”.  And then I walk around Anthropologie and notice that everything is “Made in China”.

One time, one of my closest friends, her husband, and I were sitting in House of Pies in Houston, and he said “I think America’s going down”… to which I replied “well, I don’t think so, because if America goes down, the whole world is going down..”… but now, I think he was totally right, looking at what’s happening these days.  Still, most of the people shopping at the Grove don’t seem to notice…

… but of course, being in America also means seeing friends and family… and beautiful nature… so…

 

 

Also got to see an old Honker, whom I hadn’t talked to or seen in 10 years.  Surreal! 

I’m now in San Francisco, hanging out with an old friend of mine from Houston.  Before that, I met up with one of my old small group members … with both of them, it was like time had never passed.  We just fell into conversation as if we had seen each the week before!

California is too pretty to live and work in.  It’s only good for visiting. 

And I just ate Thai food. It’s been so long and it was so good.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Chico to see Spunkette 2.0!  Yeah!

It’s strange to be shopping at OfficeMax on a Friday night with your parents buying copier toner when Israeli troops are amassed at the border of Lebanon, ready to strike at any time.  It makes me stressed and relieved and worried and angry and confused and frustrated… all at the same time.

I know that God is in control of even THIS situation… and I am more stressed out because I have nothing else to be stressed out about… but still… when will there ever be peace in the Middle East?  And when will the US EVER become wise in foreign policy? This is why I am definitely sending my kids (if and when I have any) to various countries during their summer vacations so that they know what life is like outside of the US and A.. I think this is the main problem with US Foreign Policy – the main policymakers seem to have NO firsthand, on the ground, real people experience in foreign policy… ?? What do you think?

On a final, totally unrelated note: life in America, especially Houston, is so comfy.  Everyone is friendly and everything is readily available. 

It’s also BO-RING!

You’ll never see anything like this:

 

Engrish

 
Must be some bee!

 
Whew! I’m so glad someone supports my socks life.

 
Yes, the only one – the sexy.

 
Inspiration, Japanese-style. Do it!  Do it!

Beauty (uh, not ME, duh)
 

Beautiful bamboo forest (near Kyoto)

Beautiful subway ride, on our way to the longest suspension bridge in the world, in Kobe.

 
Beautiful gate of Miyajima island (near Hiroshima).

Beautiful water way, in Kyoto

 
Beautiful garden.

Animals

 
Koi

Carp – our guide pointed out that while the Chinese eat these,
the Japanese like to look at them

Deer – very tame, though not very attentive.  On Miyajima island.

 
The Dragon – and our cute guide, Johnny, in Kyoto

Artsy

 
Sewer cover – I bet there’s a coffee table book on Japan’s sewer
covers.  They’re all so cute!

 
Cranes – made by schoolchildren for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial

 
Gourds – plates where people write their wishes at the Shinto Shrine

The largest…

…. rice scoop.

 
…(and hopefully only) rope made of human hair – this was used to construct the largest
wooden building in the world, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto…

On the longest suspension bridge in the world…

Posing

 
Konichiwa. I am very Japanese.

My mom – modern Japanese

FOOD!
If you think Japanese food is just about sushi, you are so wrong!

Cutely packaged marshmallows.

 
A huge “snocone” with green tea flavoring and sweet red bean on top.  Called Kaki-goori.
Very refreshing on a hot day.  And it’s HOT here!

 
Okonomiyaki – japanese seafood pancake. Hiroshima’s is famous and
includes noodles.  This was amazing, especially the pork.  YUM YUM.

 
Gum – black.  And highly technical.

 
Convenience foods- almost everything I have bought in Japan tastes good,
even these things bought at a convenience store.

Of course, seafood is a huge part of the Japanese diet. 
Here are some pics from the largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji
in Tokyo. 

 

 

 

My aunt took us to this incredible sushi place in Tokyo – a teeny place
where we did “omakase”, chef’s choice.  It was amazing.

 
The fish was still alive and then he killed it and served it to us.

 
The uni (sea urchin) was so creamy (so creamy!)!

And the shrimp… yum, yum, yum.

 

Tonkatsu – fried pork cutlet.  Very crunchy and yummy.

 
Soba – refreshing and healthy!  Zaru-soba is my favorite (made from buckwheat).

  

Cowpies and pastries – all European made Japanese style…   
These were all at a place called “Sweets Harbor” in Kobe, where the
whole area is just pastries and sweets like these.  How the HECk
do the Japanese stay SOOO SKINNY!?!?!?!

 
Grilling fresh crab… yum.  The guy looks great doing it, too, no?

 
This is at a place where you choose stuff for the chef to grill in front of you.
The wooden blocks are for the drinks you order. Let’s just say my family in
Japan enjoys it!

Plastic food…

 

Not for the eating, only for the looking…

Sayonra, Japan!

  
Good thing I left!  There’s not enough ROOM for me!

—

By the way, I am in Houston now. My jdapost email is working, but I can only receive mail – can’t send!  ARGH!  So I’ll send an email from my hotmail account. I’ll be in SF on Monday (July 24th), then in LA on Thursday (July 27th) then in Arizona on Sunday (July 30th)… and then back to Houston… and then in NY on August 5th … and then a little bit of roaming around on the E. Coast, including VA, DC, and Philly… then Colorado… then back to Uzbekistan already on August 29th!

Man, travelling back and forth from Asia is NO fun.  We got back last night around midnight, into Houston.

Woke up this morning, looking through my window to my parents’ bootiful backyard. Houston is boring but a good place to rest and recuperate.

I am having computer problems – ARGH!  Anyone know why I can connect on my wireless but then can’t use the Internet?  Me no understand.

I also tried doing something to my parent’s computer and now they don’t have internet access either.

Hooray for my local public library, which I prefer out of all public libraries everywhere. It’s small, but I can find whatever I need + I can use the internet for free for 60 minutes!  Woo-hoo! 

 

Am at the Osaka airport, ready for my 12 hour flight back to the US and A.  Had a great time here – visited Tokyo, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Nagoya!  Whew!  It’s fun to visit but I don’t think I could live here.  It’s too much.

If you’re still wanting to meet up with me in Chicago, I’ll be coming in from KIX to Chicago O’Hare at around 3:58pm on UA878 on Tuesday, July 18th.  And leaving for Houston at around 8:40pm or so.  Not sure how we’d meet, even if you did come, though… so just the fact that you thought about meeting me there is okay, too!

See you soon!

No pics ’cause I forgot my camera cord, but a few things:

• Tokyo continues to amaze me.  The range of food you can get here is in-sane. You can get ANYTHING here… I ate a delicious hamburger for lunch today with a Kona Ale.. beer from Hawaii.  YUM.


• We visited the fish market today.  Some of the stuff that’s there looks scaaa-wee.


• Examples of Engrish:

On a notebook:”When we feel life’s warmth, it’s a sure proof that we are alive.  Life brings with it countless possibilities.  Life is delicate, be gentler to it”.   

On a sticker: “Our life has become rhythmical”.

On a thank you card: “I’d like to remain to be richly humane”.

• Japanese cards are soooo cute! Kawaiiiiii!


• Japanese guys are SO fashionable.  Their hair is all styled; their clothes are really cool…


• I don’t remember seeing so many foreigners as I have seen this time.  It’s nice to see so many people enjoying Japan!  It’s an amazing place. But super expensive!

I have too many tales, and you don’t want to hear them all, so here are some pics and random stories:

Lonely, I’m Miss Lonely…

I arrived in Osaka after a connecting flight in Tokyo.  There weren’t too many others making the flight, so I was the only
one through immigration.  Then through customs.  Then in the baggage claim, where I was pleased to find a man waiting
for me with my luggage already placed nicely on a cart.  When I walked through the automated doors into the
waiting area, my parents and uncle were the only ones there! 

Japan, Old-School Style

I spent two days in Himeji, 1 1/2 hours outside of Osaka, with my parents and grandma, enjoying old-school
Japanese food, hospitality, and, of course, hot baths.  The food was beautiful and incredible. 
And I wore that robe the entire time!

 

 

Okay, so maybe most of you don’t get the concept of taking a bath with a bunch of strangers,
but doesn’t this look niiiiice?

 

The koi joined us for a bath. No, of course not.. this is in a Japanese garden.

 

On our way there, we rode a bus where the bus driver said “thank you very much” to
EACH person who got off. 
And if there were 4 people getting off, he said it… you guessed it… 4 times!

My “other” family

My dad is the only one from his family who moved out of Japan, so we don’t get to see my dad’s family much. 
My cousin Indo died 2 years ago on July 6th,  and my grandfather, died about 6 years ago,
so we made our way to the cemetary to visit them.  Indo was almost exactly one year younger than me and
I was closest to him out of all my “Japanese” cousins.

 

Look how neat and efficient the Japanese cemetary is.  I like it. Everyone gets the same gravestone shape.

 

Here are my cousins’ kiddos!  The two below are Indo’s daughters, Mira and Miya. 
The older girl is my cousin Yuri’s daughter, Mirang.

 

Here’s my cousin Aeri, who spent a few years in the States, with her fiance, Myun Sook. 
He’s from Korea.  She is 6 months older than me, and of course, now that she’s hooked up…… it’s my turn…

Presenting…. Japanese style…

This is a SEWER cover.

 

The famous “meal ticket” vending machine. If you can’t read japanese, you can order by looking at the pics.
It’s about 115 yen to the dollar, so these meals cost as much as a McDonald’s Value Meal,
but are about 1000x healthier and mightee delicious.

 

 

The subway system is INSANE.  Even locals don’t know where many of the stops are. 

 

My alibi

I ain’t got one. Actually, I’ve had to tell my “story” more than a few times… which is…
I was born in Japan;
I have family here;
but I grew up in America;
my parents live in Houston;
but now I live in Uzbekistan;
and I am actually Korean.

Japanese criminal?

Some of you might know why I had to visit a Japanese police station, a pleasant experience all around. 
Afterwards, my aunt bought them some canned cold coffee as a thank you. 
I think they’re probably better at filling out paperwork then they are fighting crime
(which is fine, since there’s hardly any crime here anyway).

OH so much more to tell, especially about the FOOD!  Oh the FOOD! But I will leave you with:

More tales coming soon from Tokyo…

 

I am in Japan.
It is very different and surreal here.
Have not been able to connect to get my email yet.
All for now. Much more to say later.