Nikko: Toshogu Shrine

Sunday my host mom and dad took me to Nikko. It's hard to describe just how beautiful it was to be there because you are not only surrounded by tall trees, flowers, and other greenery, but the ornate architecture (both inside and out) of the Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples are mind blowing. There were many people like myself, taking photos and trying to take it all in.

Hear no, speak no, see no evil...

...need I say more?

At the Haunted Medical Research Building

This picture taken with some new friends shows our reaction at the moment right before they blew air into our faces and the bench we were sitting on dropped. Pretty funny! The haunted building was a maze of hallways with creepy medical experiments on humans were being performed and an occasional lab zombie would come out and scare us. The anticipation of something happening was where most of the scary feeling came from, but mostly it was just funny.

Mt. Fuji at Fuji-Q

The backdrop to Fuji-Q is of course Mt. Fuji! So...riding rollercoasters at super fast speeds while twisting upside down, I saw Mt. Fuji! Never thought I would see Mt. Fuji flying upside down but you never know...

Fuji-Q

Fuji-Q

Roppongi Hills and Mori Tower

Morning walk to the station

The mornings are full of hurried school children in their uniforms, black suited men with briefcases, and women scurrying in their floral skirts and high heals. On the train, people are either sleepy with their chin to their chest or deeply involved in a manga book or maybe some other drama fantasy. I was the foreigner studying my flashcards. The ride is overall pleasant despite the fact that I'm standing for 50 minutes but as long as I can read something, it's not so bad.

Wagashi

From wiki: Wagashi (和菓子) is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits. Today, we had green tea and wagashi. This one pictured is made with white bean. Oishi! My most commonly used word.

Depato

Fancy! The department store had a section of food vendors making gourmet style foods of all kinds. I tried samples of pickled veggies and fried chicken. My host mother was happily giving me samples and after I said oishi (delicious), she decided to go with the sesame chicken.

Tsuki Shrine, Urawa

Trying to keep up...walking to the Temple campus in Tokyo. My host mom and dad show me the way as a practice run! After I'm shown the route we head to Ginza for some Sunday window shopping and udon noodles. Yum!

Ginza

Shopaholics heaven!

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

Next stop, the art museum for a look at samurai swords, kimonos, and National Treasure objects!

After a full day of walking around Tokyo, we returned Urawa station. The walk home is a winding pathway that I remember by specific landmarks since there are no street signs. Watch this short clip for an interesting story that also explains how addresses operate in Japan. The streets are also shared with pedestrians, bikers, and cars. Many of the neighborhood streets don't have sidewalks because there isn't room. When we got home, I could feel the jetlag setting in a took a nap. I woke up to the sounds of my host family's grandchildren playing in the living room. They are sooo cute! We all ate a beautifully prepared meal (fish, different types of rice, miso soup, and a salad) and then after, played with the kids. What an amazing day!

MFA Thesis

MFA Thesis

This was a my MFA exhibition at Temple Gallery, Tyler School of Art. It's titled Festival Gate. The materials are cardboard and screenprinted paper. It was a blast to create and couldn't have done it without the help and support from my mom and friend Kara. Thanks you two!