Winter vacation has begun!!!

I am writing this all in hindsight, 2 days before the end of vacation, but I have had a lot of fun (and spent too much money so far...!)

Christmas Eve was a bit hit and miss. We had plans to go get my gift before it sold out (a Bathing Ape wallet), eat ramen at Sunshine Sakae, do some looking around and then go eat yakiniku for dinner! We got out of the apartment and I felt sooo sick! We got the wallet, and I felt worst, and continued to decline after we ate ramen. I had to call it a day and go home. I was sad we couldn't eat ramen and promised if I slept a bit, we could go get yakiniku when I wake up! I slept about an hour or so, and went to yakiniku, without my sickness interrupting anything else! The next day being Christmas, meant nothing here in Japan! Sayaka and I both worked! Before work I bought myself a new point and shoot camera, that is MUCH smaller than my older one and better quality (go figure, living in Japan...)I had to go to Akaike to teach a corporate lesson, but after I stopped by Oozone to get Sayaka's Christmas present ( a new ipod Nano and case for it). I had her meet me at Oozone station so I could present the present to her, and she loved it! We stopped by a izakaya across from Shin Moriyama station and enjoyed a great dinner there! The next 2 days were work days, so vacation was yet to begin!









Vacation began at the end of me teaching a corporate lesson in Meiki (near Nagoya station), which was a lot of fun. I met up again (had coffee with them before my lesson) with Sayaka and her friend Naoko (who just came back to Japan after living in Mexico for a year+). We found an izakaya and ate some AMAZING and CHEAP food!





The next day we had to wake up early to head to a mochi tsuki party in Toyota! We got to the station and Sayaka's mom met us, and drove us to the place we would have the party at. At a mochi tsuki party, you get to pound mochi gome (which is a kind of rice for mochi) with a mallet like object to soften it up. I got to try this out for a bit and it made me exhausted! There were soo many kids here, so if I wasn't eating, drinking, or pounding mochi gome, I was taking pictures of kids, or talking to them. It was fun to have them ask me to speak in English and they would shout "Wakaranai!" which means they don't understand! That is why you don't have me speak English! Some kids would say I was African or Brazilian, but 2 kids would quickly correct them and say "AMERIKAJIN!!!" or American in Japanese! Too cute. When the mochi was ready we had some dipped in kinako, or inside a radish and soy mixed sauce. I LOVED the kinako (tastes like a sweet peanut based powder) the most, but was made fun of because it is for kids!

After we did the mochi tsuki, Sayaka and I were exhausted and thought we would go bowling, but we sat there, nearly falling asleep on the bench. We went to the liquor store after a while to buy her dad a gift that should have been from California, but we had liquor import issues. We bought him a bottle of Johnny Walker which came with a special edition cup and he loved it. Sayaka's mom picked us up from the liquor store, we went to go get her dad, then went to eat yakiniku together (just like we did before we went to California!). Again we ate and drank sooo much! Her parents love taking us out to eat! We did the long train ride back home and I think slept instantly!











The next day, we were super lazy most of the day, but at night we went to Sayuri's house to do a kimuchi nabe party! We took the train to Nissin and Nao-chan, Sayuri, and Aiko were waiting for us. We went shopping and bout everything we needed for the night. We got to Sayuri's new apartment (which is a Leopalace like mine, but WAY nicer and a bit bigger, with a loft!) and I built a glass table we would use to eat on (IKEA style table). After all of the cooking and preparation, we ate some of the best nabe I have had yet! There was some thick cut pork in there that everyone was drooling over! Overall, a GREAT meal!






New Years Eve will come at a later time!