Some things do change...

After 2.5 months of living in Japan, some things are bound to change. For instance:
1)  I have started to refer to 30C (86F) weather as "refreshing."  Really??  That's what happens when u get months of 35C (95F) weather...

2)  I have not worn a skirt nor dress in a month.  This, coming from someone who hadn't worn pants to work in over a year in the States!  Gettin' down and dirty in the lab doesn't mix well with breezy skirts.

3)  I have become *gasp* outdoorsy!
Exhibit A: REAL camping en route to the summit of Mt Ontake. No central air or brand new hot tub this time around!
THEN (my last "camping" experience):

NOW:

Exhibit B: Exploring the city via (drumroll please)...CYCLING!

What's that? You see my fav ramen place in the background?  Of course my motive was food driven. Not EVERYTHING can change, sheesh.

Obon vaca in Guam, complete.

Vaca to Guam - check.  Was it beautiful?  Yes.  Would I go there again?  Most likely not.

You may or may not know that Guam has been under many powers, and most recently, it is an island of United States property.  It proudly boasts, "where America's day begins."  So vacationing in Guam 1.5months after moving to Japan had its benefits.  Lets just say we stuffed our faces with meeeeeaaat, drove on the *right* side of the road, and spoke Eeeeeenglish, hallelujah! 

Our trip mostly consisted of eating...

Chicken skewers w/ a peanut-y sauce @ Proa...nom nom nom

and drinking...

"Oh ma gah they have FAT TIRE!!  No more of the same ol same ol Japanese beer!!"

and eating...

Trio Fish platter @ Roy's...presentation - check.  Taste - eh.

and drinking...

Kona coffee via science experiment?  Intriguing...

and eating...

Taco Bell?  Yes please!  We haven't seen one of these since we left the States!

and drinking...

Taste testing Guam beer in the utter heat (my camera fogged up!).  The taste was just eh.

and eating...

The famous burger at Jeff's Pirates Cove...with a PILE of fries - come to mama!!

Oh, and we *did* do some touristy things too :)
Our lovely beach:

Our view from our "Ocean View" room

The hubs jumping for joy

The famous Two Lovers Point:

The place where two lovers tied their hair together and jumped off and committed suicide...Gloomy, yes, but the view was fantastic!

War memorials:

Guam had been handed over from Spain to the US to Japan, back to the US...crazy history.

Talofofo Falls:

One of the famous waterfalls in Guam.  But if you ask me, not worth the $20 entrance fee.

Local Village party:

Dancing their tooshies off.  Fantabulous.

Posing w/ Miss Guam.  Hmm, the hubs lookin' a bit *too* happy, huh?

Yummy local bbq goodness.

 

Gettin' buddy-buddy w/ the local animals

I swear we were best buds

And even secret hideouts informed to us by the receptionist:

The hubs didn't care about the pouring rain, he's all about "gettin' the pic!"

After 4 mornings of waking up to a beautiful view of the Philippine Sea, I'm a tad darker and a handful of lbs heavier.  All in all, a good vaca, but I'm glad to be back "home."

Yakinuku, Utsumi beach, grillin', and a splash of booty shakin'

Friday night, the hubs and I decided to walk around the nearby train station, Ikeshita, in pursuit of a new restaurant to try.  After some ups and downs of local streets, we finally decided on Shoya, a yakiniku place with a strong aroma that lured us in.

Beer and wagyu meat, what a perfect combo.  Nom nom nom...

What better way to top off a carnivorous dinner than with the home-made pudding, which supposedly sells out nightly?

Ice cream on top, puddin' in da middle, hint of caramel at the bottom.  Perfection.

To burn off the calories, we hit up a local fav among expats here -  ID Bar.  I didn't remember it being so crowded 5 years ago when I made my last appearance.  But alas, I took this opportunity to shake what my mama gave me.

These people are crazy into the songs!

The next morning, the hubs and I dragged our sluggish tooshies out of bed and onto a train en route for Utsumi Beach, one of Nagoya's famous white sand beaches at the southern part of the prefecture.

The sand was fine as promised, but the water could be described better as "earthy-green"

The hubs was uber excited to be there!

Takoyaki and yakisoba were both must-have dishes I had to devour on da beach!

Is this not the cutest kid bathing suit?  Tehehehe...

On the way home, we picked up some of Utsumi's *famous* local treats (and by famous, I mean, I saw it on a flyer while I was sunbathing), fruit daifuku.  These are fresh fruit encased by yummy soft mochi.  We bought one of each that they had - grape, melon, peach, and the original strawberry.  We couldn't wait to eat them til we got home, so we snuck a bite on the train ride home:

This morning I woke up to cloudy skies, which meant potential for a *long* run (my definition of a long run has changed recently).  As I prepared myself w/ my trusty water bottle full of ice cold water and my fannypack containing my phone, candy, and cash, I laced up my shoes and headed out the door.  It was a sweaty, grueling, "slowly-but-surely" 8 miles but I made it - my longest run yet in this country! 

And to reward myself, I devoured all this:

burgers, chicken, corn, oh my!

Grillin' in Japan?  Oh yeah!

And now, I need to do a lil research on what to do in...GUAM!  See u in a week!

B-b-b-boooooowling!

Since today was "leave work early day," the hub's group set up a welcome bowling party for us at a nearby alley.

Nothing too different compared to any in the US.  But here's the kicker...Look at these kicks!!

Totally wanted to take them home w/ me

Aaaand, they were dispensed out of a machine, like a bag of cheese-its or can of coke!

It was great to meet everyone the hubs is working with for the next few months!   

We realized afterwards that we were STARVING, so we decided to try the first thing that caught our eye.  None other than "Bikkuri Donkey." 

Literal translation = Shocked/surprised Donkey.

I had their "burger and fries," which were significantly different than the dish back home...

4 pieces of fries?  No wonder these people look like sticks...

Birthday shoutout!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LA LA LU LU!!

Hope you're enjoying your special day getting a blowout and stuffing your face w/ some watermelon and brie! 

Interesting traditions and yummy Asian food

Imagine a fast pace company, taking time to gather everyone in a building into one area to watch the head honcho paints an eyeball, just one eyeball, onto a giant big red head of a doll for "good luck."  Follow that with mass applause.
 
According to Wikipedia, Daruma, a Japanese doll, symbolizes good luck.  So of course our company partakes in this ritual three times a year, each before a long holiday, for good wishes upon everyone's safety.  The other eyeball will be painted on when we return from holiday.  I guess I should be happy my company takes these extra ritualistic measures for my safety...

Scary head = good luck?  Sure, I guess.

After a slooooow day at work, I headed over to Paragon Asian Food Bar near Motoyama station for a ladies ICT dinner.  It was a nice change of pace to chat it up w/ females all in the same situation - on assignment here in a foreign country, but enjoying the experience we were given.  Here's hoping there will be more of these events to come!

Tapas style Asian food...my kind of restaurant!

 

An ode to shoes

In the last minute scramble to pack up my life overseas, I had to do some quick decision making of something dear to my heart...shoes.
Here were the cream of the crop selects who made the cut:
1). BCBG grey pumps: Low, thick heels...These were assumed to be beneficial for work. Fail. Didn't even make it one day. Hidden in the back of the closet indefinitely.

2). Tried and true Banana Republic pointy flats, circa 2003: These were definitely comfortable shoes in the US, but failed the unprecedented test of walking 30min to/from train station.

3). Puma flat slip-ons: You'd think an athletic brand shoe would be comfortable, but what I got were post-marathon-like blisters, minus the marathon experience.  Clearly those Germans didn't consider people with Double- D wide feet, hmph.

4). Tory Burch flats: These are actually pretty comfy and pass my speed walking test. But, the seams are already falling apart after less than a year of wear! I expected more from you, Tory.

5). Gold Shelly flats: These have become my staple here in Japan ever since I rediscovered them during the move.  Unfortunately, they have now gone through a round of Tsuyu season (Japan's infamous rainy season that lasts the month of July) of repeatedly being drenched, then dried, then drenched again, to a point now where the pair can stink up a sumo stadium by themselves.

So, now I'm in a pursuit of finding the perfect pair of comfy, decent looking shoes. I've even stooped to the level of considering *gasp* Crocs!!  Help!  Any suggestions??

Eat Your Heart Out Sunday

Last night we met up with one of the hub's old coordinator and his family.  Its been four years, and everyone seemed just the same (minus the then-two year old son, who now has a vibrant personality).

Tapas style dishes from paella to karaage to noodles

The kids wasted no time remembering their favorite toy:

The hubs, otherwise known as a "tree"

The youngest son even challenged the hubs to a arm wrestling match, just to show him he ain't no 2-year old no more!

After rounding out the evening with some Wii matches, we were off to bed, sound asleep in less than a few minutes.  Boy, are kids hard to keep up with!

Ive been having some issues w/ my ear ever since I've moved here, where my left ear just stops functioning.  Its an annoying feeling, and I wanted to avoid it at all costs today.  So, I decided that the root cause was from running, and therefore forfeited my exercise for this morning.  Poor excuse?  Pssht, maybe, but it was 99F today!!  I just couldn't motivate myself to run in that kind of weather.

So instead, I declared today "eat your heart out day."  This began with a repeat showing at Ippudo, our fav ramen restaurant:

Nancy's first appearance at Ippudo.  Verdict says?  Two big thumbs up and what she declared as a "sophisticated taste!"

We then headed over to Nagoya station to try the famous roll cake everyone has been talking about - the Dojirou from Salon de Mon Chou Chou.

Don't be fooled - although French-sounding, this shop originated from Osaka, and recently opened shop here in Midland Square, Nagoya's top notch shopping plaza

This is what we waited in line for:

Plain roll cake filled w/ fresh cream, w/ a side of milk tea gelato

We were so excited for this first bite!!

Definitely delicious, but our local roll cake store is just as good (in our humble opinion!)

The hubs enjoyed some caramel chai tea - raise your pinkies!!

We even had a chance to do a meet & greet w/ the Nagoya 400th Year Celebration Mascot:

To rest our feet after a *tough* shopping around Sakae area, I gots me some of this:

Can't be a summer w/o some shaved ice consumption!  This one's full-o-mangos

And for dinner, we headed to the Nagoya favorite chain restaurant - Yamachan, known for their wings.

Just the right amount of spices, cooked to a perfect crisp.  Nom nom nom...

And what better drink to sip than this?

Miso beer - with a hint of sweetness, it actually tasted quite complimentary!

And, we finished off our lovely Sunday evening w/ full tummies and a taste of the final round of Cosplay action here in Nagoya:

(pics courtesy of Nancy)

G'night!