TOKYO DISNEY SEA

This fact pretty much sums up my Tokyo Disney Sea experience:

Number of rides ridden: 4
Number of snack consumed: 10+

Maihama station (aka Disneyland) is an hour train ride from Kashiwa...and once we got through the crazy morning commuters traffic we arrived and transferred to these cute Disney trains with Mickey handholds! 

Apparently students get a discount to Disneyland if they wear their school uniform!

Started off the morning right with coffee and Mickey pastries. (The egg one I got was really good)

One of the most popular items at Tokyo Disney is the Popcorn! They sell these reloadable popcorn buckets that practically everyone carries around all day...filling them up with one of the many creative and delicious flavors! Disney Sea has: caramel, cappuccino, milk chocolate, white chocolate, black pepper, curry...and possibly a few more that I am missing. There is even a map with all the locations on it...and for 310円 (less than $3) you can get a decent sized box of popcorn goodness. My favorite was cappuccino...with caramel coming in a close second!

Fun story: my dear friend Caroline happens to be Ariel at Disneyland (yes, it's true) and performs in the King Triton show inside this incredible building. I had been wanting to go see her show for some time now, so actually being there was seriously the best thing ever! She is an Ariel aerialist (say that 10 times fast) so she flys up in the air on a harness all while wearing the huge mermaid tail and lipsinging in Japanese. Spectacular! 

Right after Caroline's show...I rushed over to Aladdin-land to find my friend Declan who happens to be Aladdin! haha. I knew he was doing a meet and greet at 4, but I wasn't sure if i'd find him...but once I ran over there I spotted him pretty quickly and he ran towards me (in full costume, mind you) and gave me a big hug. The Japanese people around me were probably thinking... "uhmmm did Aladdin just hug that random girl?" haha

The decor here was straight out of my dreams! So beautiful. 

*how creepy is that giant Woody head?! It's like he is eating the people that walk in the store!"
These tiny alien mochi (filled with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla cream) were possibly my favorite snack all day. They were so uniquely Japanese and so so cute. 

Apparently matching with your friends at Disneyland is the big thing to do...and I am not exaggerating when I say we saw over 100 matching groups. And I don't mean just matching t-shirts...I mean HEAD TO TOE matching EVERYTHING. Shoes, socks, pants, shirt, jacket, backpack, make-up, hair...identical! It is crazy and one of the most entertaining things about this place!

I think Tokyo Disney sea should win an award (have they already?) for their architecture and design...because these building are so beautiful. I really felt like I stepped into some cozy European city. 

Curry popcorn verdict : smells stronger than it tastes. pretty good!

All day we kept seeing this long line for some food cart...in the afternoon we finally decided to wait in line and see what the hype was about. Turns out people were waiting in line for these 500 円 ($4) steamed pork buns! It was pretty good...especially on a cold day!

We ended the day with some shopping...and then the BEST acai bowl from Cafe Kaila which is right outside Disneyland at their version of Downtown Disney (ikspiari). 

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

BEST POPCORN: Capuccino
BEST SNACK: tiny alien mochi (outside toystory ride)
BEST RIDE: Journey to the center of the earth!! (we waited 1.5 hours...but it was worth it!)
BEST SHOW: King Triton (of course!!)

Also, did I mention tickets to DisneySea are only 6900 円 ($57!!) 

FALL IMPRESSIONS

I teach an English class to a group of adults a few Saturdays a month (alternating with two other teachers) and this past weekend one of the members gave me a book to read titled How To Japan. I was intrigued by the title, as well as it's compact size (most Japanese books are small so people can read them on the train) so I devoured it in a day.

The book was written by Colin Joyce, a correspondent for the British paper The Daily Telegraph who lived in Tokyo for many years. He ended his book with this paragraph:

Lastly, I can think of no better advice than that which our illustrious countryman, the 19th century Japanologist* Basil Hall Chamberlain, told Lafcadio Hearn on his arrival in Japan: "Do not fail to write down your first impression as soon as possible. They are evanescent, you know; they will never come to you again, once they have faded out; and yet of all the strange sensations you may receive in this country you will feel none so charming as these"

So here's my attempt at first impressions...

*How exactly does one become a Japanologist?

The changing of the leaves here in Japan is referred to a "Koyo." This being my first time living in a city where the seasons actually change...I find myself staring in disbelief around ever corner. The colors are incredible. See for yourself

I had some time to spare last week since the students were all busy with final tests...so Steph and I took a walk around the neighborhood our school is in. It is a quiet, peaceful, residential area that is extremely charming and full of traditional Japanese character. 

I was surprised to find that what lies beyond the streets of our school are mostly beautifully manicured gardens and farms full of fresh produce.This street in particular reminded me of my Grandparents who always had a perfectly kept garden in their backyard.  

In the front of our school, where the bus stops, there happens to be a row of Gingko trees. They're pretty commonplace here in Japan...but to me they're magical. The most unbelievable color of yellow that just fills out any frame or photo you attempt to take. They're simply stunning.

Side note: If it looks like I have assimilated within the Japanese fashion scene that is because every item in this photo is from Japan! The shoes, the coat, the pants, the beanie..and I wonder where all my money is going..

This tree caught my eye as the owner has trained it to fall perfectly over their driveway. How cool is that? 

Behind school there is this really cool waterway. It has miles of biking path and a few cool bridges that lead to the other side of town. 

This spot happens to be right behind our baseball fields and when I walked over to it I immediately thought..."Am I in Pride and Prejudice right now!?? This is crazy." It was like I had stepped back into some old European town and I just coudlnt believe this was hiding behind my school the whole time. 

This nice man rode by and said in Japanese, "You have to come back here at sunset. It is beautiful to take photos!" Yes sir! 

This is the back (and newly remodeled) side of school that backs up right to the waterway.

Many people in Japan (out in the countryside) burn their trash...which is what was happening here. It is so surreal for me because when I lived in Gulu, Uganda I woke up most morning to the very distinct smell of burning trash. It doesn't seem like this would bring back good memories...but the moment I came to Japan and smelled the trash burning it stopped me in my tracks and I almost started crying! (They say scent is the strongest connector to memory). I was taken so clearly back to my life in the beautiful countryside of Uganda and my brain and heart was just flooded with so many memories of that time and place. So yes, call me crazy but I love the smell of burning trash.

From the widow of one of the classrooms I teach in, I could always see this amazing building not too far in the distance. I told myself I would go and find that building one day...and this day was the day it happened! I had to search in the neighborhood for some time, trying to get the angle just right of where I stand in the classroom...and boom! Found it. A local shrine; a tall wooden building with a huge glass window. Beautiful.

And to end with this last photo...cars in Japan are T-I-N-Y. I'll admit, sometimes I imagine myself just running around and pushing them over (like tipping cows?). I mean look at those tiny wheels! I am not exactly sure how Japanese cars stay on the roads without flying off when turning a sharp right, but I guess the credit goes to the engineers who developed a way to keep Japanese streets tiny... and the cars even tinier. 

WELCOME TO MY EVERYDAY

By now I've been living in Japan for about four months and I am starting to pick up a routine. I am all for spontaneity and adventure in life, but lemme just tell you... there is nothing like a good daily routine. 

Every morning I head out of my apartment door at precisely 6:45am (6:40am if I want to stop by the convenience store to get coffee). On most days I see my downstairs neighbors leaving their apt and we share an ohaiyo (good morning) which always makes me laugh because they are foreigners (Filipinos?) and I am pretty sure we both speak English...but I'm working on that. 

I walk past this street every morning, which leads to the closest train station to my place, and I head 5 minutes down the road to the bus stop.

My bus stop is in front of this very Japanese building that I believe is an assisted living home, but don't quote me on that.

The bus comes at precisely 6:59am (why not just make it 7am??) and while waiting I usually play this game I invented called "see how many people you can recognize" haha. Basically I just see if I notice the same people everyday, for example...oh there is the guy walking with his giant dog, oh there's the girl on the cool white sports bike, on here comes the business man that I always think is one of the teachers...

It is a very fun game - I highly recommend it for anyone who takes public transpiration frequently. 

Anyway, after a nice 40 minutes (of me usually listening to music of a podcast) I arrive at school. My School's name is intimidating to read in Japanese *see above* but most people refer to it by it's nickname - Ichikashi. 

Almost all the teachers come to school by car, a few by bus...and almost all of the students come to school by bike. Students have to follow strict safety rules when riding to school and even have assigned parking spaces designated by their homerooms.

In proper Japanese fashion, everyone takes off their outdoor shoes in exchange for indoor shoes when coming indoors. The students all wear the same white sneakers with the color on the side signifying what class they are in. First year students have light blue on their shoes, second year students have red, and third year students have dark blue. On this particular day the first year students removed their shoes to walk down to the library/study area where they were practicing for brass band. 

The third floor is where I reside...aka the English department (you can see it from here)! I like to stand at the corner of the balcony up there to look at those beautiful trees and get some fresh air.

School days go by quickly with teaching writing classes, communication classes, teachers meetings, and after school tutoring with individual students. I take the bus back home at either 5:17, 6:07, or 6:32 and usually head into Kashiwa to run errands, or I just head straight home. I am blessed by this job I get to wake up and go to and the people I get to see every single day. 

God is good! 

Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgments as the noonday. Psalm 37

HIGH TEA AT THE RITZ

Last weekend my friend Gina came up with a brilliant idea - high tea at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo anyone!?

Actually, Gina had to make reservations quite a few weeks in advance since they get booked pretty quickly around this time of year. 

I am not one to turn down an experience like this... so I pulled out a dress from somewhere in the back of my closet and headed to Tokyo.

The Ritz is located in Roppongi, which is pretty much the Beverly Hills of Japan. The streets are lined with bazillion dollar cars and people wearing fancy shmancy clothes that I always look at and wonder "isn't that a pain to wash?" Anyway, I headed up to the lobby to meet the girls and was greeted by an amazing view and some delicious tea!

COME ON...WHO DOESN'T LOVE TINY EXPENSIVE BEAUTIFUL LOOKING PIECES OF FOOD!? Everything was delicious, especially those tiny scones. There was a man that we dubbed the "jam man" who literally rolled this cart around full of amazing jam and with his white gloves on scooped jam into tiny cups like it was liquid gold. Incredible.

The view was SPECTACULAR and I think it was one of my first real city views form up high. Overall, a great experience having high tea at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo. My two pieces of advice though if anyone wants to check it out... 1) ask for more scones. 2) DO NOT ORDER THE SPARKLING MINERAL WATER IT IS 1000円 AKA $10 A BOTTLE. 

24

Do I find it any coincidence that Kobe Bryant...who proudly wears the number 24...announced his official retirement on my 24th birthday?? nope. Kobe knew I'd be thinking of him all the way over here in Japan and wanted to make sure I felt ALL the emotions on my birthday haha (lets just say I cried on the bus to school reading his letter) 

After whipping my tears from the news about Kobe I walked into school as usual only to be greeted by students with a cheerful "Happy Birthday!!" followed quickly by "So how old are you now??" 

What I realized was that being a high school teacher and having a birthday would be pretty fun. Especially when you teach Japanese students learning English and you get cute cards like the one above that says "Happy Birthday Amie!! Present for you :) by my mother" and receive a mandarin orange with Happy Birthday Amie written on it. That was honestly one of the sweetest gifts I have ever received! 

Steph was awesome and got this amazing cake/apple pie/croissant deliciousness from the mall at kashiwa station and we shared it with the other teachers. I really felt all the love from family and friends back home, as well as my community here in Japan. Thankful to celebrate another year of life!  

In other news...the trees at school are turning this incredibly beautiful yellow color and I just want to stand there and stare at them all day. My California eyes can hardly believe they're real! God has so blessed me this past year of life and I have embraced 24  with open arms. 

Goals for my 24th year of life

• Improve my Japanese
• Become a (semi) skilled chef 
• Pray. Always. 
• Befriend the people I see on the bus every day *see goal #1
• Consume less. Create more.