Naruko Gorge
Green Day
My partner teacher and I dressed in green from head to toe and found some matching Keroppi hats at school! Kawai! We made paper plate frog puppets, finger-painted and stamped in green, played some green games, ate a green cracker snack, and did show-and-tell with green toys from home. I even brought cucumbers in my lunch. Nevermind, that’s normal. The cucumbers here are better, by the way. I wish I could share some of the adorable green outfits my kids wore to school. You can see the dinosaur onesie in the corner of one of the photos below… Green, green green!
FANCY staff dinner
My school does an annual staff dinner around this time every year but this was the first time in a few years that they were able to hold it in a hotel conference room instead of a cafeteria with individually boxed bentos. Woo hoo! If you want to know what we ate, just read the menu. Just kidding, I can’t read it either. I had a friend translate the Japanese for me and apparently I ate squid, fancy cucumbers, spicy chicken, shrimp in a soft bun, yakisoba, a very green soup, karaage with mushrooms, a couple dumplings, and almond tofu for dessert. Each portion was small, but since there were so many, I was stuffed by the end! Cheers!
Autumn π
The vibrancy of the fall leaves is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I find myself collecting red and orange leaves from the ground to press in an attempt to capture the saturated colors forever, but deep down I know they’ll be brown and crumbly by the end of next month. That’s the beauty of nature’s seasons; admire them while they last. I’m already looking forward to next October.
Sendai Castle Ruins
Took myself on a field trip to the Aoba Castle Ruins and only got lost once. I still struggle with getting to new places by myself. It was a beautiful fall day and the lookout from the top of the hill reminded me of the Pittock mansion in Portland.
A word on eating alone
Climbing up to the top of the castle ruins worked up my appetite, so I headed downtown for a burger. There were only three things on the menu to choose from: burgers, pancakes, and coffee. Haha. Another thing I love about Japanese culture is intentional cleanliness at meals. When you order a burger, it comes with a triangluar wrapper to prevent dripping and the inevitable falling apart of the burger. Not a good date food. Good thing I was eating alone. Next to me, I noticed a young girl and her father sharing a plate of pancakes. They were both talking with their mouths stuffed which normally would have bothered me, but it was mostly wholesome. You may notice two orders of french fries on the table. That was an accident caused by yet another language barrier. Oops.
Strange grocery store finds…
Don’t ask because I do not know.
Lunar Eclipse Party
On November 8th, I sat next to my window with a bowl of ramen to watch the lunar eclipse. I texted my coworkers to look outside and we all ended up meeting outside our window to awe at the strange, cheese-colored moon (since we all live in the same apartment complex). Moon party!
Thanksgiving in Japan
I was feeling sad to be missing out on a Thanksgiving meal with my family for the first time in my life, but my coworkers put together a Friendsgiving at work! We had the day off on November 23rd because it was a holiday called Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan (what a coincidence huh). There was cranberry sauce and salads and potatoes and candied sweet potatoes and pies and even green bean casserole! No turkey, but I didn’t really notice.
Taiyaki, again
This time, I got a seasonal flavor, sweet potato cream! I’d give it a 7 out of 10. I found myself wishing it was anko. Farewell November! Or should I say, γΎγζ₯εΉ΄γδΌγγγΎγγγοΌ
