Mr. Turtle takes a walk

Meet Mr. Turtle:
Mr. Turtle has a problem: he's too big for his home. Mr. Turtle needs exercise! So the pet store he lives at lets him out for walks every afternoon.
However, no one really wants to walk the turtle, because, I mean, he is still a turtle. So the pet shop decided to let the turtle walk himself.

The pet shop tapes a sign to Mr. Turtle. The sign says, "I am out for a walk." Mr. Turtle likes to walk in the sun.

Mr. Turtle knows when to turn around and come back to the pet store. Thank goodness for that, because its a pretty busy street he walks on. He is bigger than some of the Japanese cars! Be careful Mr. Turtle!

Bye Mr. Turtle! Go back to your home!

The only thing in Japan I DON'T want to try*

*Okay, I tried it once, but only because I was at a bar and it was the only option and you KNOW what beer does to you and lets just say it did NOT end well, and apparently drunkeness + squatting + inexperience does not equal an enjoyable experience and like YOU could do better? Anyway, maybe its best if we don't talk about it anymore.

Autumn Festival

The beginning of October marked the Autumn Festival here. The Autumn Festival is when people get all dressed up and carry small shrines to the really big shrine in the middle of town. They do this to give thanks to the gods, nature, etc. for a plentiful harvest. And they drink a lot. I was lucky enough to get to hang out in one of the tents set up for shrine-carriers. It was kind of funny because Donna and I had been out the night before and went to get som food as a hangover cure. We saw this woman we know (at least, she said she knew us, neither one of us remember her) and she took us to her tent, and promptly gave us beer and shots of sake. It was 10 o'clock in the morning. I love Japan. Anyway, while there she also gave us the headbands that everyone wears when they carry the shrine. It kicks ass and I still have it:



During the day small children come out and pull little shrines, and vendors are set up with fair-like food. At least, the booths look like what you might see at the State Fair, but the food is very Japanese

Mmm...squid-tastic!

The parade leading to the shrine starts at about 8, and it gets super crowded!


The the parade started. It was awesome! The people carrying the shrines lifted them up and down and swayed from side to side. It was especially cool because earlier I tried lifting one of those things, and they are soooo heavy! They are made of solid wood and the shrines on the top are metal. Everyone was sweating up a storm. The groups wore different uniforms for the occassion, and some even showed a little tail:


It was a lot of fun!

The oldest man in the world. I see him almost everyday...he walks around the block for exercise, I think. He always wears a jaunty beret and gives me a big smile whenever I see him. His teeth are entirely gold. Awesome!


This guy made me laugh till I wanted to cry.



"Japanese Supplies"

Too many "supplies"

Look at those shoes!


This guy kicks ass!

Japan is all about improvisation

"I don't care how I get to the bar, as long as I get there."--Engraving on Menne Family Crest

Heaven, for 90 yen a plate!

God bless the inventor of conveyor belts, and the brave man who decided to put sushi on it. I can stuff my gullet for less than 6 bucks!!!

Aizu

So a few weeks ago, I went with Joanne, Sara (Joanne's friend from England), and our friend Kumiko to Aizu for a little daytrip. Aizu is about an hour by car from Koriyama, and is known for its castle and its history. In the 1868, Aizu castle was attacked and a group of young Samurai went off to battle. When they got to the mountain on the outskirts of the city, they looked back towards the castle to find it aflame. Horrified, the young samurai did the only logical thing under the circumstances: the committed "seppuku," or ritualistic suicide, by disembowling themselves. Its sad, isn't it? The only sadder thing than a bunch of teenagers killing themselves? A bunch of teenagers killing themselves for nothing, because it turns out the castle was never on fire, it was a controlled burn in the woods next to it. Now THATS what I call a case of the Mondays! Before going to the castle, however, we went to lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. Isn't it pretty? Aizu is famous for its sticky rice, so I had that with some salmon and crab, and "mountain vegetables." I still don't know what those are.




Finally it was off to the castle. Isn't it pretty?




Then it was off to the museum. Check out these traditional Japanese war outfits. They put the "creep" in creepy!




The view from the castle. Check out the mountains!


Then it was off to the mountain where the White Tiger Company samurai committed seppuku. There was a very moving memorial to them there:




All in all, a fun day!