Mountain thoughts

"So where do those stairs go?" I asked Tomoko, pointing to some ancient steps that flanked a building near Takeo Onsen. She replied that she didn't know, so I suggested we see. It turned out to be hundreds of stairs. Then it turned into a trail populated intermittently by graves and kami statues. We found ourselves high up on a mountain that overlooked the entire city of Takeo and its surrounding mountains. The mountains are one of the things I love about Japan. The Japanese are a people of the mountains, and their culture somehow lends a aesthetic to life it that is hard to describe. Tomoko had never been to this place before, which goes to prove that Gaijin lead to fun. Anyways, we saw many beautiful things, but I don't recommend giving someone a piggy back ride on a mossy mountain trail. Fun, but dumb.
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This weekend brought the Christmas party. And JETs drinking tequila, and telling me their very odd and embarrassing secrets. But don't worry, I'll hold my silence. As long as you keep the money flowing. Okay, I'll settle for more fun times. I found out that I may be some of the following from others in various states of sobriety: A genius, deep, cooool, a great graphic designer/writer/comicer, scary, not scary, intense and a gentle giant.

What's the craziest thing someone has told you while drunk?
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I just watched this film, and I'm trying to figure out the ending. Anyways, it was interesting to me in that it had a gainjin who came to live among the Japanese. Her presence had everyone on edge merely by virtue of the fact that she was white. I've been concerned with racism in Japan recently. Many people don't seem to think that pointing out a white person's big nose is really rude. People gawk at me wherever I go. No one sits next to me on the train. People assume I'm an English speaker. Is there a solution to these little annoyances, or am I just being overly sensitive? I really like Japan, but feel like I'll never fit in. Maybe I should savor that fact; I don't know.
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Now's the time on sprockets when we show random pics!The X-men 3 trailer is out. This is the first joke that occured to me when I saw it.


Bread that I cooked in the rice cooker. For the recipe, go here. Next time, I plan on adding beer to my mix.

Yeah, they put the heater right behind my seat in the teacher's room. So I get to be a little warm, but I also lose brain cells to the kerosene.

The junior high teachers and students never cease to get amusement and amazement that I drink two milks at lunch, and they give me a ton of milk come the weekend. I'm not complaining.

Another thing that amazes Nihonjin is that I often cook my own dinner. For bonus points, I tell them that I make my own sushi. "Heeeeee!"

A mascot at the local post office.


Another view of Takeo. With Godzilla in the distance (he hibernates here during the winter).

Japanese fiddler on the roof. No, really.


I remember watching a 20 minute movie in elementary school called the bionic grandma. I didn't know it was a game too.