1 Year Japanniversary!!

Today, September 5th, is exactly 1 year since I touched down on Japanese soil! Unbelievable! Thank you to my friends and family for your support and for keeping in touch! I think about you all every day, but I've had a great year, and I hope to continue with my adventures and learning. For those who don't know, my contract with AEON expires in March, but I may yet stay in Japan past March.
Noteable achievements of the last year:

• Going to karaoke a million times
• Staying in a ryokan (a Japanese Inn) in Kyoto
• Climbing Mt Fuji
• Visiting Toyama and Kanazawa alone
• Snowboarding
• Geeking out at the Anime Convention
• My 24 hours of pure Japanese-ness

I started off the night before with Karaoke in a kid's playroom themed room singing Japanese songs :)

I was awoken the next by the sounds of whistling, drums and shouting! A festival was passing my apartment!

I threw on some clothes and followed the parade carrying a wakoshi (a portable Shinto shrine) to a nearby Japanese garden.

For the rest of my Japanniversary, I had Mexican food, went shopping and ended it as I had started it with karaoke :)