New Apartment!

We found a flat - hooray! We managed to find one we could afford that isn't made of chipboard like our current one. It is also bigger and has high door frames in most rooms. Still a bit of paperwork to do, but hopefully we'll move in on March 1st. Now that I know that we are moving into a better place soon, the current flat is annoying me more than ever: the way I am NEVER warm and the fact that we can only have 2 appliances on at once. I have to switch the heater off if I want to use the hair drier, oven or iron. I can't believe we have put up with this nonsense for 3 years!

Only in Japan

I was driving onto campus today and I saw a girl dressed in a cape, bonnet and big furry mittens. If that wasn't weird enough, her mate was wearing thigh-high boots and shorts.

It's like everyday is a costume party in Japan.

Remember Suzanne Vega?

To be honest, I hadn't listened to a Suzanne Vega song for 20 years, but we found out she was coming to Nagoya and thought we'd go along. I used to love her old stuff and liked the new songs she has on her MySpace page. There have been so few gigs we have wanted to go to recently, so it was nice to go and see some live music again. The last time was The Enemy in December. I am happy to report that the Suzanne Vega gig was great! I have re-discovered a really talented artist.

Apartment Hunting in Tokyo

On Friday we are going up to Tokyo for a few days to look for a new apartment. We already have a few appointments lined up, but I am getting nervous that we won't find anything we like for our budget. Which factors will take priority: proximity to Tokyo? size? number of rooms? high door frames (David is sick of stooping)? proximity to a station? outdoor space? sunlight? It's not an easy task. I have come across so many blogs where people are annoyed by the process. Here is one article that kind of sums up the process.

Wish us luck.

Day out in Kyoto

When people list some of the benefits of Nagoya, one of the things that comes up is its proximity to Kyoto - only 36 minutes away on the bullet train. Despite how near it is, today was actually only our second visit to the old imperial capital. Most people go in autumn or spring when it is at its most beautiful. We manage to go off season and avoid the crowds, but also have to deal with bad weather. Our last visit was in the sweltering June heat. This time we had freezing rain to deal with. It was still a fun day though, especially as we were able to catch up with our friends Sayuri (who is from Kyoto) and Zack (who has just moved to Kobe).













Kiyomizu-dera Temple





























Lunch time
















Zack Laughing at Sayuri's fortune preditction at Shimogamo Shrine

Walking off the gyoza in Heiwa Koen

Today we went for a walk in our local park, Heiwa Koen, to work off the gyoza from last night. We wondered whether this would be the last chance we would get to walk in this park before we move. We first came to this park during cherry blossom season in April 2005 and we have since seen it in autumn, winter and summer. Of course, many of the trees are bare now, but the camellia are blooming everywhere. The Japanese Camellia (tsubaki) is one of my favourite flowers and I still can't believe it can bloom when it is so cold and all the other flowers are dead. A lot of people were out today walking their dogs, visiting graves, flying kits, riding bikes, fishing and there was even one couple sailing a remote controlled mini surfboard.

Rent-a-dog

Live in a small apartment and can't own a pet?
Want your kids to have access to animals?
Want to donate money to an animal welfare and rescue centre?
Want to get some fresh air and exercise?
Well come along to Heiwa Koen Animal Centre and rent a dog for an hour!
Brilliant.

Gyoza

Tonight we went to the best gyoza restaurant in the country. At least that's my opinion. It's owned by our friend Yukie's sister and a group of us went along and ordered 4 types of delicious dumplings. I ate way too many of course. I can still taste them now.














Fried dumplings















Ryoko, Chiaki, Ayako and (another) David















Yukie bringing us steamed dumplings















Spying on the chef through the window

Ikeda-yama, 923.9m

It was freezing cold on Sunday, but it didn't stop us going for a hike. The views were impressive and there was even a bit of snow.

Moving to Tokyo

We have been pretty busy since we got back from California. We can finally tell people that we are moving to Tokyo in March to start new jobs in April. David got his schedule this week and he'll be teaching first period 4 times a week. This means he will join the Tokyo rush hour crowds. He'll be one of the million people who passes through Shinjuku station everyday.

The end of the road for the Hula Guy

Before we left San Francisco, we mailed the Hula Guy back to Amy and George in San Luis Obispo. We got this e-mail from Amy a few days later...

"The Hula guy didn't survive the trip. He arrived today all broken - his stand shattered into many pieces. George and I are very sad because we wanted to put him on our rental car in Hawaii. We considered buying a replacement, but it just wouldn't be the same. I think he's going to be put to rest in the trash can...."

San Francisco and Berkley

I had a fantastic birthday in San Francisco. Here are some of the highlights:

• surprise room service - strawberries, chocolate and champagne!
• giant breakfast at Max's
• wandered around the fun streets of San Francisco
  
• saw an art exhibition at the Yerba Buena Arts Centre
• had tea at Peet's
• stopped for a few pieces of Sushi at Yerba Buena
• had delicious Thai food for dinner
• saw an independent Spanish movie (El Orfanata) at the Embarcadero Center

The next day we took a BART out to Berkley during the day and met our friend Kazue (visiting from Japan) in the evening at the Ferry Building near the Embarcadero.

Here are the photos

Point Reyes and Marin County

Today was a beautiful sunny day and we drove from Healdsburg to San Francisco stopping at some very interesting places on the way. Some highlights:

• driving alongside a body of water and later realizing that it filled the San Andreas Fault
• eating clam chowder and tamales in Marshall
• walking along Drake's Beach in Point Reyes state park
• the beautiful countryside and beaches
• discovering North beach in Point Reyes
• spotting another Hula Guy
  
• eating fresh oysters
• crossing the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset
• checking into the chic Westin Hotel in San Francisco
• having dinner at Lori's Diner in SF

More photos of our day