It's a nice day

I think that I'll take the afternoon off and go for a bike ride.

Family and New Years Day

In Japan, New Years Day is a family holiday. It can be compared to the way we spend time with our families on Christmas day. Today, we went to a couple of the temples in Tokyo. They were crowded I read somewhere that the temples see over 3 million people during the first 3 days of the year.

This holiday season has been hard for me. I knew that it would be, but this is the first time I began to noticeably feel homesick.

I miss my family.
I miss Tyler.
I miss our cats.
I miss, I miss, I miss...

I am very lucky in that I have always spent the holidays at home, with my family. I actually feel a little guilty that I have had it so easy compared to some of my friends. I have always lived within a 10 minute drive to nearly everyone that is close to me (family and friends). This is part of the reason I wanted to move away for awhile. I wanted to better appreciate what I have. I do appreciate what I have. So, thank you for the text messages and calls. They always make my day.

See you in seven months.

I have my health

...but I lost my camera and the 200+ pictures. I'm going to check with the train station again tomorrow.

Capsule

It’s true. Japan does have capsule hotels. My friends and I stayed in one a few times in Morioka. You can see some pictures of it here. The capsule itself is the length of a person laying down and is tall enough for you to comfortably sit up. In this particular capsule, there was a TV, a small shelf, and an instrument panel that had a radio, volume control, light, alarm clock, and an emergency button. There was a mattress that lined the “floor” and a curtain for privacy. The capsules are stacked 2 tall and line a corridor with about 30 or so capsules in each corridor. This particular hotel does not allow females because there is a public bath house similar to a spa, and there is very limited privacy.

Hello Winter

This entry was posted from Dan`s phone.

Making Soba

There is a soba (Japanese noodles) place in Ichinohe that Tyler and I really enjoy. It is a small grocery shop on one side, and a seating area with a kitchen on the other side. The restaurant is only open during lunch, so we rarely eat there except on holidays and vacation days. We’ve caught them a few times when they were not technically open but they’ve served us anyway. The most recent time we went, the cook (maybe owner) brought us into the kitchen and he taught us how to make soba from scratch. Here are some pictures of our soba class.

McDonalds is in Japan

This is a pretty popular burger among the gaijin. It's the Mega Mac and yes, it has 4 patties. If the standard fries and drink are not enough, you can add chicken nuggets to the meal for an additional 80 yen. I will not be going near this monster.

Arts and crafts

These are our first attempts at making owls. It`s possible that everyone will be receiving these for gifts.

A view from my office

Where I`m from this is called a カエル (ka-e-ru)

I want this!!!

This is an actual phone that you can purchase in Japan

Pic of our place in Japan, check out how close we are to the train!!!

Alright, I'm just kidding. This is the type of humor you're subjected to when you work in an architecture firm. Don't you wish you were so lucky?

I know, I know. It's been a while

I'm not sure it the Sandias are becoming more beautiful of if I'm coming down with a case of pre-departure home sickness, if it even exists.

It's hard to believe that we will be leaving for Japan in less than a month; I'm starting to enter "Panic Mode" as we have so much to do still. Before I leave you anxiously awaiting another blog entry, I want to let you in on some updates. I have added a feature to the blog that allows you to subscribe via email. You will receive a copy of each post from the blog as they are posted. I have not used this before, but it seems pretty convenient. To subscribe, enter your email in the box to the right and follow the instructions.

We missed Architecture school so...

celtic punk rock...awesome

We're going to Dropkick tonight!

Welcome to Tyler and Dan's Blog. Happy Valentines Day