"先生へ"

[chigusairo]

In easy bullet form, my winter break was like this:



*Moved out of host family. (missage!<3)
*My parents came to Japan.
*Kyoto w/parents: Gion, Yasaka, Kinkakuji (it SNOWED while we were there. Beautiful. No matter what the season Kinkakuji may always be my favorite), Ginkakuji, Nanzenji, Ryoanji, lots and lots more.
*Shinkansen: I think my favorite shinkansen has got to be Hibari in Kyushu. So beautiful.
*Kagoshima w/parents: Meiji Resoration Museum (unfortunately, HALF of it was under construction at the time), Sakurajima (my first active volcano!!!! + HUGE daikon)
*Fukuoka w/parents: It was only one night, so we wandered around Toys R' Us ate out at Hard Rock Cafe (my third) and enjoyed the awesome shower at our luxurious hotel.
*Osaka w/parents: We stayed in Osaka for 3 nights, but I can't remember DOING anything tourist-like actually in Osaka. I'm just not an Osaka-gal.
*The meeting of my parents and the Itou family (hosts)!!!! Discoveries: My host sisters rock at English. Home-catered dinner that was beautiful! Cross-cultural bonding! Ohhhhh, it went wonderfully. I'm so proud of both families. ^_____^ *secretly pats self on the back*
*Nara w/parents: Todaiji, Kasuga, SHIKA, and sweet potatoes (a good reason to <3 winter)
*Himeji Castle & Himeji Shrine: It was beautiful and really crowded because we went on New Years' Day. Mom bought me an arrow, but I told her to take it home for the house protection. I was kinda sick at the time. I was really, really stressed the entire time my parents were here, which eventually turned into physical fatigue.
*Parents leave. I pass out. x.x
*Day after parents leave I go to Yasaka Jinja for Karuta Hajime. I had a pretty good seat since I got there an hour and a half before it started. Crazy, I know.
*Bunraku, which I already posted about before.
*Hair cut at a place my host mom introduced me to in Kuzuha. I am happy with results.
*Dinner with host mom, Ayumi, Mizuho at Saint Marc (THE PLACE OF DELICIOUS BREAD!!!)
*Crazy 3 hour bike ride down the river. Wide open spaces, call my name.
*Senzenin and Oto no Nashi waterfall hiking.\
*Various other wanderings

*I watched:
Ringu 2
Casshern
Atashi'nchi Movie
Macross-Do You Remember Love?-
Kitchen
Sailormoon Volume 7
Umi ga Kikoeru (XD Kochi-ben~)
Omoide ga Ippai (where was the Yamagata-ben?!)
Pom Poko (I've seen this one before, but I still can't stop laughing at the cop and the faceless people. Mentality of a 8-year-old, I know.)

*I read:
--(books)--
Ursula K. LeGuin- Wizard of Earthsea
Ekuni Kaori- Twinkle, Twinkle
Ekuni Kaori- Boku no Kotori
Yann Martel- Life of Pi
Liza Dalby- Geisha
Little book on Bunraku
Some short stories by Miyazawa Kenji (<3)
Kurt Vonnegut- Cat's Cradle
--(manga)--
Ooshima Yumiko- Wata no Kuniboshi (1&2)
Kouga Yun- Loveless 6 (SE)
Hagio Moto- 11 nin ga iru!
Sugisaki Yukiru- Lagoon Engine 4
Takemiya Keiko- Terra he 1-2
Mizushiro Setona- Houkago Houkenshitsu 1-4 (The cover art is beautiful, but this isn't a good series for me. It took me 4 volumes to realize, but I'm sorry, the interest is OVER and I can't stand the main character anymore. And....and in the latest edition of Flower, Masshiro and Kureha...are intimate. This makes me uncomfortable. But, so does Sou and Masshiro. (the OTHER couple in this series) ~-~)
Sugimoto Ami- Animal X (I love this series. Well, THREE seperate series. It just never ends! Have you read it yet!?)
Lots of yaoi manga online. Oh, it's impossible.
--(other)--
shoebox_project