Tokyo

Here is a video of what we do most nights after supper:) Near the Cross is my favorite hymn. In the video, you can catch a glimpse of Stephanie from China, Margie, the family I'm staying with, and Carrie with her little one ;)

Here is Hannah. I had time to draw a picture today. In Japan, the style of "manga" is popular. It basically adds cartoonish characteristics to the picture. In manga, the eys are REALLY big, but the mouth and nose are usually REALLY small. I think I better stick with drawing things as I see them ;)

MANGA

Here we all are having curry for supper.....If you look close, you can see EVERYBODY!

Here I caught a glimpse of Fuji San (mount Fuji)

Here I am in the BIGGEST BUSIEST train station in the WORLD!

Shrimp Pizza! Yummy.....but did I mention 2 pizzas + 1 small pizza = 80.00$ in Japan!!!!!

Here is a great view of Tokyo! That random forest in the middle of the city is reserved for the Emperor and his house!

See the hotel? Its NOT a hotel. Its what apartment buildings look like in Tokyo! This is where Akito and Marie live.....on the 10th floor!

I would say sayonara, but I learned that means goodbye for a very long time, so instead I will say: matane!

Skiing at Nozawa Onsen!

We traveled about 4 hours to get to "snow country". In Japan, the temperature varies drastically in just 4 hours. Here in Hachioji, a jacket is usually sufficient for me, but in Nozawa Onsen, there was negative temps and snow! We stayed at a minshuku (Japanese Inn) for 3 nights, and breakfast and supper is included.....fish and rice for breakfast of course;) The food was delicious and the old couple who own the inn are warm and friendly....it was just a tiny place and we were the only ones there-much better than crowded hotels.

Unfortunately, we got stuck on the way there.....in very deep snow.....the tire was just spinning in mid-air. A bulldozer thing had to pull us out, but it was quite the adventure!

This is our little room we share. Here we are setting up our "beds".

You wear these hats to keep the snow out of your face. The symbol means "snow".

It snows there. A lot. This is the van after just 1 day!

The van-day 2!

Me and the kids are "wading" through the snow. It was SO FUN and fluffy :)

The skiing was VERY DIFFERENT than in America. It snowed so much the first two days, that if your ski came off, it was difficult to find! Here my ski fell of and after searching a few minutes, I finally found it completely buried a foot under snow. It wasn't showing at all. I had to pull the tip out so you can see it in the picture!

Here is the very TOP of the mountain (1, 650 Meters high). This is how snowy it was the first day.

Here is the same EXACT spot at the top the very next day. BIG difference in the weather!

In Nozawa, you have to not only shovel the sidewalk but the roof too! They had an underground running water system on the roads so snow never stuck on the roads! It was pretty cool!

(yes, i ate raw egg....and it was really ok!)

Here is an expert hill I did. The 3rd day the expert courses were a lot more slick, but the first 2 days they were bumpy with lots of snow. I did almost every trail....I think....It was a BIG mountain with lots of lifts. You had to use a map to get around. The Gondola (enclosed ski lift) was nice because it took you up most of the mountain in 15 minutes. Then, you had to get on 2 other lifts to get to the very top!

More of Japan 日本

The other day I got to visit Rachel at school. This is her jumproping class. They also have classes on how to bow and how to correctly peel an apple!!!! (they never eat the skin in Japan)

Here are some of Rachel's friends doing art for art class. Almost all Japanese are creatively talented.

COSTCO! A very American store...that basically looks like Sam's Club....except its even BIGGER....and more crowded!

These fish are up for buying! We got some.....yellowtail something I think they are called.

By the end, we had 2 very full carts!!!.....but dont worry: they have a cart escalator to get to the parking garage! So funny!....especially when 2 apples toppled off my cart and rolled all the way down! hahaha.

Our very very very very very very long bill.....which is quite normal for an 11 people household :)

The emperor's grave! Sarah was sure to tell me to not make loud noises or act too happy. The wife also gets a grave almost identical to this one......this is the emperor from World War II, who famously declared, "Japan has surrendered (lost)."   

These were some monks we saw offering respect to the dead emperor and his wife. They rang this bell thing and started chanting for an entire minute. Then they bow. They clap their hands twice to "wake up" the dead person and then bow to show their respect to them. My camera was way zoomed in because I didnt want them to know I was taking a picture of them because that would be disrespectful. 

Then on the way home, it was so funny! Some elderly man on his bike started speaking Japanese to me and wanted to give me this coat he bought! He said the arms were too short for him and he wanted me to have it. Sarah tried to ask him some questions but he said he couldnt hear well and then rode off! So funny :D

Here's a view of the street where the house is: 

Here's a beautiful view of Hachioji and the mountains:   

Sayonara!