Trying Out Something New

If everyone who takes a look at this blog could visit my new Picasa Web Album, it would be greatly appreciated. You can find it here. This is considerably faster than posting pictures here, so I think I will be using that for the rest of my stay. Hopefully, I'll have enough time to add comments to my pictures, but until then, you can see some of the pictures I've taken since my last update here.

Judo Class 3

One last video of some judo sparring involving some futile kicking attempts.

Judo Class 2

A short video of some judo sparring and a knockdown.

Judo Class 1

Some video of sparring from my judo class.

Karaoke Colors of the Wind

Now we're singing Colors of the Wind. It's crazy how big Disney is over here. I was watching a news show today, and they were doing some human interest story. Right in the middle of it, they started playing Colors of the Wind... weird.

Karaoke Sk8r Boi

Here we all are (still at the Prince Hotel) singing Avril...

Singing A Song Is Born by Ayumi Hamasaki

This is a video of Heather singing some Ayumi at the Prince Hotel karaoke.

UFO Dance

Old Japanese disco dance... performed by some friends with only one hour of practice.

Manholes and other Stuff (June 27)

So, today was spent heading out to the convenience store near school. Along the way, I ended up taking quite a few pictures of the various manholes I saw along the way. Then, after school, I had a bit of time to kill before my host mom could pick me up, so I stopped by the local book store and browsed for a bit. Here are the pics:











This is the Japanese Harry Potter. They're also really expensive. The first 3 are 1900 yen each (about $19) and the last two are 3800 yen ($38). The last two are actually divided up into two halfs, each in separate hardcover books. That would probably make reading them a lot easier as the book is only half as heavy, just way more expensive...

This is the sign that's on most of the subways. There are two seats that are labled as "Priority Seats" and are only supposed to be used by those pictured. The first four are pretty easy to figure out: old people, pregnant people, people with babies, injured people... and... heartbroken people?? They get priority seating?? Kind of weird to throw them in the mix... Oh well, they only show up on a few of the subways... Most just have the first four.

Crazy Antics During Class (June 26)

So, it's been a little while since I've updated, so I once again have some back entries to post. For starters, I have a few more pics of the crazy stuff that happens in class. Plus, I have some pictures of the local grocery store and some Engrish.

Here's a picture of the bento box that I sometimes get from my host mom.

This is a compass rose outside of Inuyama Station with pictures of all the zodiacal animals.

That kid in the corner is actually doing time out... You'd think they wouldn't need that by the time they got to high school...

The two on opposite sides of the picture are fighting each other with their feet... Yeah, weird...

Those guys bring a rubber ball that they play catch with, sometimes even during classes, like when that picture was taken... lol



And some more pictures of manholes in Japan...

That's the wall in the grocery store. I think it might give food a bit too much credit... The text says: Make every day an enjoyable one with good food. The's bring peace and tranquility back into the world.

Almost all of the food displays are accompanied with these little video screens which advertise that same product. Even in a little grocery store like this one...

In Japan, there aren't any baggers. Instead, there are these tables set up and the cashier gives you bags which you have to use to bag all your stuff yourself. This area can get pretty busy quick though...

Well, I've got some more pics to post, so I'll do that soon!