tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150252852011-11-28T00:40:21.927+09:00Adventures in the land of volcanic gods, green tea milk, toilet seat warmers, shashimi and rice paddies…..Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1140839679003270432006-02-25T12:09:00.000+09:002006-03-07T09:07:43.006+09:00

Tokyo: What an interesting mix of gross modernization and ancient history. It is the result of wanting to grow up too fast. Unplanned and untamed it just exploded and spralled. Neither the grand Chicago Lakeshore Drive or Manhatten grid are present. London, too, is a labyrinth of streets and buildings built on top of each other but Tokyo lacks the buildings of old that give London its unique

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1136264652797339902006-01-03T13:19:00.000+09:002006-02-10T22:07:54.500+09:00

My obsession with Fuji-san drove me conquer her summit. And the adventure is one that begged for pen to be put to paper. The task, however, proved to be more difficult than expected and nearly four months later the story is finally told, here, from start to finish. The Fuji Climb was actually a JET organized event. Most people were going to drive to the Fifth Station around 8:00 pm (station is

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1123913994271183832006-01-01T14:21:00.000+09:002006-01-11T15:11:50.943+09:00

Aki- autumnAme - rainboshi - hatgaijin - person from outside, ie. foreigner; not exactly a polite wordGanbarimasu - Hmmm....I don't think there's a really good way to translate this one. It kind of means "Do you best" or "Good Luck" or "Try your best" But it really goes so much deeper than that. Sigh, language can be so limiting yet fascinating at the same time.genki - literally translates to "

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1128774074842000442005-10-08T21:14:00.000+09:002005-10-11T22:46:44.690+09:00

Maybe my second favorite word in Japanese is Aki, the most beautiful season of the year (the first being Ame - a delicate, effortless word that sounds like the feeling you get when listening to falling rain). Time is slow here. I remember autumn passing me by in the blink of an eye; only just noticing it when the sound of my feet shuffling through the leaves on the ground woke me from my inner

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1126961435015131922005-09-17T21:39:00.000+09:002005-10-11T22:53:16.203+09:00

So the other night I dreamt I was planning my own funeral. At some point I suddenly thought, “Wait. I’m not ready to die!” And I spent the rest of the dream trying to convince everyone else of this fact: “But Dad, I haven’t even been married or had kids!” Those who know me best might be shocked that I said such a thing, and may find the dream laden with profound symbolic meaning. However, my

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1126011377877507352005-09-06T21:52:00.000+09:002005-10-11T23:02:38.750+09:00

8/20Us mortals are lucky enough to have five or so lakes scattered around the foot of Mt. Fuji. At one of them, Lake Motosu, I had the luck of being able to camp at its shore. After an afternoon of swimming in the wonderfully warm waters of that clear blue lake, I decided to take a walk around its edge. Our particular site was set back in a nook that blocked the view of Mt. Fuji and I wanted to

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1126010391947332062005-09-06T20:52:00.000+09:002005-09-06T21:50:04.150+09:00

8/10…..on a bus with 50 some other JETS, pushing its way through the very narrow valley of Minobu. Our destination: an ancient town that sits at the foot of the famous Minobu Temple. Before time, people traveled by foot up this perilous valley to offer food and cloth to the ascetic Buddhist monks. Despite the paved road, vending machines and cars ever present, Minobu has somehow retained its

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1124382975814178302005-08-19T01:32:00.000+09:002006-03-05T13:07:44.370+09:00

Only the most talented photographer can capture the essence of what we see. Lacking both the talent and equipment (my cellphone camera has proved most incompetent), I have found it hard to get images which truly represent the spectaclar views that I see everyday. But I've chosen the best of the myriad of pics that have been collecting in my camera since I've been here. All of them are of my

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1124382720219387012005-08-19T00:45:00.000+09:002005-09-06T20:49:53.453+09:00

I couldn't have asked for a better living space. My living room has plenty enough room for my cello, shelves (donated by my Tokyo friends Shiichi and Ryoko) and a table (used both for desk work and dining). I might get a poofy sofa chair or maybe just load the floor with pillows. For myself, its perfect at the moment....the curtains are made out of antique obi cloth, bamboo branches and paper

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1124378705943945192005-08-18T22:40:00.000+09:002005-08-19T00:38:34.993+09:00

This is the winding road that leads to my home.A farmer planted sunflowers at the edge of his field.After a storm, I took a walk and caught these crops coming out of hiding to take a drink.These arrows point to all the quaint cafes, bakaries, shops and pension houses that are scattered throughout the neighborhood. Besides the top sign, these are all English words in katakana! From the second from

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15025285.post-1123907810856932192005-08-13T12:31:00.000+09:002005-08-13T14:16:46.433+09:00

Tokyo7/24I arrived in Tokyo on a warm and muggy night. Although exhausted from the long plane and bus ride in, once I dropped my bags off in my hotel room I headed out to stretch my legs and explore the "most expensive city in the world." The hotel was located in Shinjuku, a quieter business district of Tokyo; however, I only needed to go a block or so before I was immersed in a maze of neon

Kasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194051907274294525noreply@blogger.com4