Remember, Remember..

..Wow! Where did November go!?

November 5th is Fireworks Day in the UK, so while doing some night time fishing, Toshi and I played with some sparklers:
１１月５日はイギリスの花火の日。釣りしながら、花火をやりました!

 <-- Before and after! -->

We made tempura, which is deep-fried battered fish (^-^)/

A GIANT pear from one of my students! (Yes, that is a pear and not an apple.)

Toshi will enter a half-marathon in Tokyo on Dec 15th, so I've been accompanying his training (on my bicycle of course!). 15.6km each way 4 times has really bulked up my leg muscles!
トシくんのマラソントレーニングに自転車でついていった。

 頑張って！

A trip to see the Autum leaves last week ^^

I now babysit a friend's baby once a week, and he's so cute! (*^^*)

And finally, I got a Japanese Driver's Licence! Woohoo!

Alice's Adventures in Cosplayland

November 3rd was 'Culture Day' (文化の日), a National Holiday (also known as a 'day off'), so Yoko-chan and I decided to wear our Halloween costumes at an Alice in Wonderland-themed Cafe in Shinjuku and indulge in Cosplay Culture~~☆
Photo shoot!

 (Chess photo for my Dad)

 

 Cheshire Cat-shaped beef and gravy, and Caterpillar and Cat puddings!

An Unbirthday Tea Party!

 

Finishing with a Disney-themed Karaoke session (and more tea!)!

A Short Update

Sorry I've been a little lazy updating!! Here are some snapshots of the last two months:

I went to three festivals in two days: Sept 10th+11th

Ootori Jinja festival, Azabu Juban festival (Andrew is the awkward-looking foreigner) and Nebuta Festival in Tokyo

 I survived a very large, wet and windy typhoon: Sept 21st

 No umbrella was safe (especially when spoked were hurtling at you in the street)!!!

Saw my first baseball game, Oct 2nd

Thank you to Yukimitsu-san for the free ticket!

Camping, Oct 9th

 Illegal camping at a secluded, quiet riverside we found in West Tokyo

 Toshi built a massive campfire using tons of wood washed up from the afore-mentinoed typhoon

 No fishing, but we cooked up some yummy food nonetheless!

Went to Disneyland, Oct 16th (for the Supercalifrajalistic-umpteenth time.. :D)

 Very serious posing for the crew of seven (left) on Splash Mountain, posing in crazy 30'C heat (centre) and meeting fellow British (right)

Fishing!! 釣り！

I've now been fishing four times now; it seems to be becoming something of a hobby!

1. Fishing in Kurihara before camping in July

I don't know what I'm doing with this..

2. Fishing near Musashiitsukaichi (武蔵五日市) after camping in July

Still don't know what I'm doing.. so I'll just pose and look cool

3. Fishing in Oome (青梅) in August
We found a nice river that was close to a station so we could travel by train this time.
This time we tried bait fishing, which is much easier for beginners. But I didn't like skwering the poor worm-thing to the hook and freaked out a bit, so I got Toshi to help me out.
I didn't catch anything, but I did get some good nibbles.

 The fishing professional that is Toshi caught just one fish, proving it wasn't such a good 'spot'!

The fishing wasn't going very well, so we gave up and had a bit of fun!!

4. Fishing at Enoshima Island (江ノ島） in September
I got to try sea-fishing for the first time! We tried bait fishing again, and though a typhoon was causing some high waves..

 I finally caught my first fish!!!!!!

 A blowfish-
if The Simpsons ever taught me anything-- blowfish are not to be eaten!!!

 

 Before and after ^^
Grilled fish, sashimi (by my own personal sushi master) and not forgetting, wasabiiiiii!!!

大阪って楽しいヤロ？！ My Trip to Osaka [PART 2]

Sorry for the wait/お待たせしました
 
Day Three

We went to Kobe, which is where Toshi went to University.

トシの大学生な時代の神戸行きました。

Actually when I first applied to Aeon almost three years ago, I originally asked to be placed in Kobe, as I saw it as an urban, cosmopolitan city.

実は、イーオンに申し込んだ時、「神戸に住みたい」と頼んだけど、東京の方に欠員がいっぱいあった。
Toshi drove us in his car and we stopped at Toshi's favourite steak restaurant from when he was a student..

トシの車で神戸に行って、トシの大学生の時一番好きなレストランでおいしいハンバーグを食べました。
The decor reminded me of Back to the Future III, one of Toshi's favourite movies.
そのレストランのデザインを見て、バック・トゥ・ザ・フューチャーパート３を思い出した。

 What a view!　いい景色ね！

Then we decided to ride a ship!
次は船にのりました！

 I got sunburned and hot so we cooled off at an Arcade Centre, where we played Air Hockey and Mario Kart!
涼しいゲームセンターでマリオカート負けてしまった。。

At La Rosa/ ラ　ローザで

Then Toshi and I went to ShiTennouji Temple 四天王寺 near his home, the oldest Buddhist Temple in Japan.
Due to it being Obon, a sacred time in the Japanese calendar, when ancestors' spirits are said to return to our world, the temple was decorated with candles, which guide the souls of the dead to its location.

 The Pagoda and the view from the top

 Look closely at this photo (click to enlarge). See the 'orbs' streaking the photo?
Toshi's mother claims these are the souls of the dead who have returned to Earth.

魂が付いていますか？

This chant was actually very moving after I put down my camera and Toshi found me a lyrics sheet so I could join in. 感動しました！

After the festival was over, Toshi and his siblings went for a late-night Ramen-run at Dottonbori, the most famous street in Osaka.
I was still full after our Italian dinner, but it seems the Yoshidas never stop eating!!!
イタリア料理食べたから、もう食べられなかったけど吉田家はいっぱい食べれるみたい！

A Yoshida tradition: Late night Ramen-run.

The famous Glico Man
(And yes I am wearing pajamas, that's how late and unplanned the trip was!)

Day Four
The final day of my stay in Osaka, and the final day of Obon. During the Obon time, it is traditional for people to go back to their hometowns and pray at their ancestors' graves, because as I said earlier, Obon is the only time of year when the souls of the dead visit Earth.
I was really moved  when I was invited to visit Toshi's great-grandparents' graves, where I prayed and asked for their acceptance as Toshi's girlfriend, to which I think they said 'yes' :)
吉田先祖の墓参りをして、「よろしくお願いいたします」を伝いました。

Tending to the grave.

 Finally some exploration of Osaka, and a game similar to Pachinko.
最後にちょっと散歩して、パチンコみたいなゲーム負けちゃった。

 I didn't want to leave Osaka! I was really welcomed by the family, and I got to use a lot nothing but Japanese the whole time and I saw how Kansai (the area Osaka is in)  has a lot of things to do, great food and lovely people! I wouldn't mind living in Kansai some day!!
本当に帰りたくなかった！みんなクレアの事やさしくにしてし、いっぱい日本語もつかったし、おいしい食べ物あるし。いつか大阪に住みたいな~! ありがとうございまあした！