Hotel New Castle Hirosaki

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... in the south of Japan, but they're positively gigantic compared to these little northern munchkins. Why? Well, we reckon it's got to do with their lifestyle. They ride their little bikes and walk everywhere, eat little bowls of sea creatures and sea vegetables and rarely breed with the outside world. AND, they seem excruciatingly happy. They certainly put a lot of effort into promoting happiness. There are 'happy buns', 'happy stores' and smiley faces on each ...

... was sort of set up like a state fair with games and food booths set up everywhere.  There was lots of meat on sticks, Fish sticks  and tentacle sticks  (yuk).  I also had a banana on a stick   and a strawberry that was turned into a lollipop.  There were also these weird pastery things that have baby squid or octopus in the center .   There were also a lot of musicians in the park and I took some ...

... few gaijin, and English speakers were not common. Check out Hirosaki Castle for cherry blossoms if at all possible... even in pouring rain and cold, it was gorgeous, rivaling what we saw in Kyoto... but it's NORTH (nearly same latitude as Minneapolis). AND surrounded by or IN mountains... Plan for life, because damn, it comes at you fast and cold... but it's a small price to pay for the spectacular beauty.

... comfortable here, but perhaps not forever. Things are changing, and I cant have another hanami like the one I had. No Neputa and no more sitting in my apartment in the middle of the night with Thom and Michael. (Well, I will be back there with Andy soon, Im sure..) No experience will ever be the same, but there will be more experiences. I am happy, because I dont have regrets. I learned from everything I did, and I have all ...

... and as I headed upstairs collapsing my umbrella, I saw two familiar figures at the end of the hall....it was the FRENCH. Together we deliberated about going to class, if it was worth being late, or if it was better to go get a hot drink from the conveni and check our email....yes, you all know what we did. Sakubun (essay writing) class holds ultimate status as the most boring Japanese class on earth. On top of that, it is taught ...

... to Tokyo. It was so much fun. We went to Disneyland for 2 days, once mainly in the day and once in the afternoon until it closed. It was great, but it was really hot. It got to about 40 on the second day but I think it was hotter on the first day and I dont know the temperature. We walked around Harajuku, where I bought some presents for my family, and we dropped off Jeremy at the airport, because he went home to France. We miss ...

... I teach a class of adults at the tearooms down by the park on a Monday afternoon, a Japanese Art teacher here at the University on Monday and Thursday nights, two medical students at my apartment on Tuesday nights, a class of teenagers at a business college in Hirosakishi on Thursday afternoon, and On Sunday night I take the train out to a place called Owani, where I teach a 13 year old boy for an hour and then train back with enough ...

... I went and took Purikura with Andy again. We took so many, we became severely fatigued and had to sit down and eat a crepe. Then we met Melanie and some Japanese boys we love and took FOUR Purikuras with them. It was ridiculous to the point of insanity and I loved it. Seven in one day? you might ask. Is it possible? I can confirm that it is in fact possible but I dont recommend trying it. Then we went in their CAR -yes they have a car- to get icecream from Baskin ...

... Tokyo, but only Daiei had a driver's license and drove all the way. It is one of the biggest festivals of Japan. The floats and rhythmic dancers called "haneto" were impressive. However, we were so stupid that we had not reserved a hotel. As a result, we slept outside without a tent and blankets, although it was still cold in the summer of Aomori.

On the next morning, we visited Mt. Osore ...