kamakura one

Ayumu, a college student from my church, took me on a sightseeing trip to Kamakura, an area famous for its numerous and beautiful shrines (Shinto) and temples (Buddhist). A shogun - whose name escapes me - once made Kamakura his capital, accounting for the concentration cultural buildings in this now relatively quiet prefecture.


I'm always impressed with how well Japanese architecture and aesthetic harmonize with nature. I felt very peaceful walking through the valley.









(spring flags, to hazard a guess - my friends couldn't read the kanji. Kamakura.)







(detail of a wooden gate, approx. 7x10 cm. Kamakura.)

geisha

McSweeny's just gets weirder and weirder. Find out about real geisha here.

tokyo outing

I took a solo walking trip around downtown Tokyo last Monday, on which I walked past interesting stores like this one.

And this one. You always find interesting stores off the main drag. Tintin books, Tintin TV shows, but most awesomely, Tintin and Snowy figurines, two of which I bought.

Also happening in my life: I've suffered from tea poisoning - oolong, more specifically - during the last 72 hours. Thankfully it's clearing up, but yeah, apparently oolong has a nasty tendancy to flush out important oils and whatnot from one's stomach. I'm stickin' with green.

typhoon

Sorry about the lack of updates recently. I have become very entrenched in my daily routines of teaching, sleeping, eating, grading, etc. Japanese university students have been on vacation for the last month, so all of my college-level classes and activities have temporarily ceased. I have been using my extra time to coach my American students, especially in trig, algebra, and Latin. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Soichiro, a university student, for lunch and possibly a Bible study. More Chiba updates coming.

It's midnight right now. We have been expecting typhoon-level winds, and they just hit by the sound of what they're doing to the house :-) The weather's fierceness makes my workspace all the more cozy. Now just add a dash of indie internet radio...