Sunday, February 29
Happy Leap Day! :)
Oops, haven't written in a while! Guess I've been pretty busy this month. Feb.11 was a
public holiday, so I was able to spend most of the day with Kiza - show her around town
a little, go out to eat, rent a movie, etc. Besides March 20, we won't have another day off
together until summer, I guess, since I plan on going to the US for a return visit during
Golden Week.
The next couple days, the 12th and 13th, Kaori and I took the train to Matsuyama on Shikoku
Island. The purpose was to visit some onsens (public baths), since I'd never done it before
and thought I should get the experience 'cause it's totally Japanese! Dogo Onsen is the oldest
and most famous onsen in Japan. The building is ornate, but the actual baths inside are pretty
small and it was SO hot and crowded, especially with wrinkled old women! LOL It wasn't very
relaxing, I thought. But because we stayed at a nearby hotel, we had access to the onsens at
all the nearby hotels, and the couple we went to were very nice - actually, they were on the
rooftops with great views! They were also much less crowded and had a younger clientele, so
it was very enjoyable. Our own hotel was brand new and the room was really nice. Plus, they
served us a deluxe dinner in the room - it was so much food we had to eat it in 2 or 3 shifts,
LOL! We stayed up 'til almost 1AM watching a contest show on TV that profiled 4 poor (but not homeless)
people in Tokyo and gave the "winner" (most deserving) a cash prize.
Last Wednesday (February 25), I went snowboarding for the first time! I went with Naoko and
Akiko, and we ended up going to the same place I'd gone skiing last year, Nekoyama in Hiroshima
prefecture. Maybe 'cause it was my first time, it was SO tiring - a few times I purposely fell
in order to rest for a second - but it was much less scary than skiing, IMO. It's easier to slow
down and to stop, I think. I think I did pretty well for the first time and made it all the way
down the course a couple times without falling or purposely "sitting down." The hardest part was
getting off the chairlift! LOL
Tuesday, February 10
I can't believe I turned 25 on Saturday! I saw "Happy 25th Birthday" written on the card
my parents sent, and it kinda freaked me out 'cause it seems like such a high number! I
suppose I'll be laughing at myself when I'm 40, though, wishing I was 25 again. :-)
For the most part, my birthday was pretty ordinary, as I had to work - I don't think I've
ever worked on my birthday before. My first two private lessons were absent, though, so
that kinda made the day a little nicer - more time to just relax and plan. After work,
six co-workers went out to dinner with me. That was fun; usually for our welcome/farewell
parties, all 13 or so of us go and it gets a little crowded and impossible to talk to everyone,
but with 7 of us there, it was more "intimate," I guess you could say, so it was nice to be
able to have conversations with everyone.
Tomorrow is a national holiday, so it's added day off for everyone and a normal day off for me.
Thursday, February 5
Damn, it was COLD today. And WINDY, as it's been a lot lately. Felt like I was pedaling my
bike in slow motion. I'm quite sure it must have gotten down to about 25 degrees....In
Minnesota, that would be a warm front, but here, it's very cold when you have to walk and
bike everywhere.
I got a package from my parents yesterday full of skating and miscellaneous video tapes. LOVE
getting mail!! Watched Dave Lettermen and some American Idol last night. LOL Went to the gym
for the first time in about 3 weeks last night and hopefully helped burn off some of the
calories from all the Hershey's Hugs I've been eating, thanks to Mom. :-)
Mmmm, what else. Still studying Japanese as much as possible...several people at the rink
have pointed out lately how good my Japanese is getting, so that's a good sign. I know my
speaking needs a lot of improvement, but I certainly can understand conversations a lot better
now. I wrote a 1-page letter yesterday to my friends near Tokyo, all in Japanese.
Well, until next week...(I turn 25 on Saturday, yikes!!)...