In Which My Life is Very Busy

So it feels like I arrived here in Japan both yesterday and a lifetime ago. I haven't posted anything because my life has been crazy busy, mostly because of my homework. I have tons and tons of it! But I do find time everyday to just relax and enjoy life, with my friends at school and my host family at home. There have been ups and downs, as there always is, no matter what is going on around you. But I have definitely grown as person and I notice all the time that my Japanese is getting better (which excites me to no end!). 

 Here are some various pictures, both old and new, to give you some idea of my life here in Japan!

 The parking lot for my building has one space (featured below) turn into three spaces (featured above)! All at the touch of a button!!!

I hope my video works right!

 This is ice cream mochi - a delicious sweet! And below is a yummy cookie - creamy filling on top of a wafer bottom! Yu~m!

 Here, in public parking lots, there is usually some method of locking your car up. This picture has a big old metal thing that raises up and makes driving up over it very difficult indeed. :P

 This is the entrance to a school I pass on my way to college. Here in Japan, they lock the gates at a certain time so you're kind of out of luck when you're late! I'm not sure if you can get in at all until much later if you are running late.

 Slug bug Steve!! I'm so going to beat you up when I see you next time because of the slug bugs I can't punch you for!

 A sushi restaurant I walk by everyday. It looks really legit and I want to eat there someday but I think its a bit too expensive.

 Lion outside my building because its called the Lions Kotoen Lounge.

 The method of gaining entry. You can type in an apartments number and call people - there is a video camera they can see you on as well as a speaker phone  - or wave your key in front of the little gray box and it senses some kind of chip or something and lets you in that way.

 We went to a little cafe and had sweets together one day. I had apple juice (best I've ever had) and roll cake, which is really popular here. Its just a cake rolled around some cream filling and fruit bits but totally yummy!

                                                   

 Naomi visited for a weekend and we had toooooons of fun together! It was totally awesome! She took me to Osaka fr=or my first visit there. Near the Umeda train station we rode a ferris wheel at a shopping mall called HEP 5. This is a picture of all the train tracks in that area coming into Umeda station.

 This is a really famous tourist spot in an area of Osaka called Shinsaibashi, specifically at two places called Namba and Dotonbori. Both have lots of shopping, just like Umeda, but they have even more places to eat. I guess Osaka is famous for "eating till you drop" so if you ever come visit, we might have to try doing that, cause the food is delicious! And I'm not entirely sure why this Glico man is famous . . . But Glico is a big food brand - they make pocky!

 I went with my host family to a baseball game in the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Of course it was just nonprofessional teams that are sponsored by the corporations but it was still an interesting experience! Even better, the L'Arc~en~Ciel concert I'm going to in a week and a half is here in this same dome! XD

 The mascots the other team had - an alien, Sonic and friends, and Hello Kitty and friends!!!

 One weekend we went to see a couple places in Osaka that famous historically. This was a garden outside of a place called Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion.

 This is the Silver Pavilion. It was really small but still cool to see none-the-less!

 A different view, after walking through the little garden-y thing and climbing some stairs.

 This was just a building for the gift shop but I thought it looked cool.

                                                                  (BAMBOO!!!)

 Real (I don't know how real) green tea - it wasn't bitter at all! Really creamy and I liked it lots! And the little cakes were yum-yum!

 This is a famous temple called Heian Jingu. Its really old, was built in honor of some emperor and empress/in honor of making Kyoto the capital (because it was the capital before Tokyo was), and was really big and cool looking.

 These white pieces of paper are tied to trees because they are bad (or just not good) fortunes that people got at the shrine. In order to get rid o the bad fortune, you pray at the shrine and leave the fortune here in these trees. I will have to look more into the culture before I try to tell you anymore about it. :D

 Shrine maidens.

           I don't have any pictures, but today my friends and I all gathered and had Thanksgiving together! We actually all got to spend the night at Katie's house, all 6 of us, and the 7 of us made turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, chicken, gravy, pumpkin pie, and lots of chocolate things! It was yummy and all around a great time! Ok, goodnight! I'm super tired and have class tomorrow so happy Thanksgiving to you all!