It's not beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....

That is me and an infamous dragon fruit. I will be eating a lot of these soon... READ ON!

Christmas is fast approaching and it does not feel very much like the season. For one, in Japan, Christmas is not a national holiday so people go to work, children to school, you get the picture. They look at it as more of an event. They eat 'Christmas cake' which they think is traditional in America and sometimes they give a present to their family members, but for most people, it is a very low key holiday.

I decided to take three of my paid vacation days, one of which is Christmas, and combine them with days we already have off for New Year's vacation to create a "SUPER HOLIDAY". Since I will be returning to America in Feb., I really wanted to see a little more of Asia.

With this in mind, I decided to have a Christmas of adventure and head out to SE Asia for a beachy holiday (and hopefully a cheap one too! ).

I wanted to keep you all updated and also give you a bit of information about what to keep an eye out for one here in the new year.

First I will be flying into Bangkok on the 23rd of December. From there I will be staying at an amazing!!!!!!! beach resort on Koh Chang Island where I hope to go diving, ride a motorbike, and ride elephants through the jungle. :) Then on the 26th I will be heading to Cambodia to visit the famous Angkor Wat and Pheom Penh. After that the plans get kind of fuzzy as we don't know how long we will be spending in Cambodia...

We will end up in Ho Chi Minh City... also known as Saigon... for a while and hopefully visiting some Vietnamese beaches before flying back to spend the last two days in Bangkok.

The total trip will be 13 days long! I am so excited to get this opportunity and to be able to have this much time off from work. I will take tons of photos and video and will start uploading it as soon as I have internet access.. Expect MANY blogs on this vacation! I will make sure to take my handy dandy pen and paper, seeing as many of these places are without internet. :)

If there is anything that any of you would like to know or have from these places please let me know.

Also, on a side note, I will be leaving Japan in February to start another chapter of my life....even though this blog is Jen's Eastern Travels... I do believe it will continue and become one of travels in General. Keep checking... keep reading....and keep traveling!

Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Photos Shoot... I'm One Lucky Gal

This weekend my best friend Meredith wanted to shoot some photos of me to keep in practice with her photo technique. I was looking to have some new head shots, in case that urge to go back into a field I would need them ever reemerged. So, we got together at her apt/photo studio to take some head shots then we headed out to the streets.

Meredith was trained in Photography at College where she majored in photography. She really had some great ideas and things she wanted to try and we really were able to push each other to do crazier and crazier things during the shoot. We started out in her apartment with the awesome shadow boxes she had handmade (due to lack of money and the language barrier here it is more fun to make stuff she needs). I wore my dress from my birthday blog photos, if you read that far back. We took some with bubble gum, sunglasses, and mostly just plain.

Now, anyone that knows me knows that I can't do make-up well, especially Eye Liner. Well for this shoot, I needed it and I was quite pleased with the outcome. Was it perfect, no, but it would prove to be enough for what we were shooting.

It was a terribly cold and windy day, so we knew that the dress wouldn't cut it down on the streets. I threw on my jeans and Converse along with my furry hooded coat and we were on our way. We stopped at the convenience store for a tasty beverage and proceeded to begin shooting a couple of random test shots. We were lucky because it was overcast so we were able to do some interesting things with consistent lighting. Meredith has one flash so we were working with a single light source. It was interesting to try to learn something about photography in the process of posing. haha.

We found this amazing lit up staircase next and we couldn't wait to see what it looked like on camera. The best part was every Japanese person that walked by was looking at Meredith and I to try to see if we were famous or if they knew who we were. It was def. something that I won't forget.

Next we decided to go all out and shoot in the subway and then on a train. We got some good shots in the station and then on the train. It was rather crowded, seeing as it was a Sunday night and Luminarie was going on for the last weekend this week, but we were able to pull off a few awesome shots.

Meredith edited them and sent them to me, and this is the result. I hope you enjoy! If you know anyone who is looking for models or actresses... haha e-mail me... jenniferpdickey@gmail.com

Wedded Bliss... Western Style

If you have seen any Japanese movies with weddings you probably have the beautiful image of a woman with many layers of Bridal Kimono being led by her husband and escorted by her family walking through a shrine with a big red or white parasol over her head as she walks. The beautiful colors and solemn looks on the faces of the bridal party are peaceful and traditional. Straight-faced wedding photos taken outside standing in rows will be the evidence of this sacred union.

However, in Japan, the traditional wedding is almost ancient history. The western style wedding is making incredible headway here. It has not just reduced the number of traditional weddings, but almost devoured it with brides in search of taffeta and chiffon who are ready to abandon any ounce of tradition when it comes to their big day. Hey, every girl wants to feel special, and I understand that, but to lose this tradition is a little sad to me.

The reasons that are given for why brides and husbands choose to do a non-traditional Japanese wedding, or, in better case scenarios do both styles of wedding, is simply that they think the Kimono is too uncomfortable. They want to look like a princess in a white dress.

It is interesting for sure, and I have many friends that have dabbled in this industry in Japan as 'priests' for wedding ceremonies.

Yes, I said 'priests'. That is the catch. These western style weddings are exactly that; styled to feel like a traditional Christian Church wedding. The man who stands at the front 'alter' is dressed like a Catholic Priest and holds a bible, which he proceeds to read from during the ceremony with three or four women on the side of the 'alter' as quasi-nun quasi-alter boys quasi-choir members. They sing throughout the breaks and transitions in the chapel portion of the ceremony. It is very interesting, but to me, being Catholic... something feels incredibly wrong about the idea of a Fake church with a fake priest performing a fake Christian wedding ceremony. So strange ( and in case you are wondering, here they do not have the Catholic Aerobics as many people call them. We do stand, sit, stand, sit but there is lack of kneeling. haha).

I was recently lucky enough to get invited to this exact type of wedding for someone close to me that was getting married. I felt so honored to be invited, especially because I was going to be the only foreign person at the party. The church experience was as described above, but after we all lined the stairs and waited for the bride and groom to come down the stairs where we proceeded to throw rose petals on them and snap photos. Then, as a group, we all took a giant photo. The photographer was very funny, even though it was all in Japanese, I still understood him and thought he was very entertaining.

After this we headed into a courtyard for champagne and some things to eat and we were then led into a ballroom where we took our seats for the remainder of the evening. The bride and groom appeared and we all listened to their speeches. At Japanese weddings, many people give speeches. All of the formal dinner is filled with talk and banter between the guests and an MC with a mic. We had a 6 course meal that was probably some of the most delicious food I have eaten in a long long time. We started with Fois Gras over a puree of some type of Japanese potato with an amazing glaze and proceeded through a soup course, salad, fish course, meat course and on to desert... which we will get to in just a moment.

After about 30 minutes of the wedding party, the bride disappeared to go off and change dresses. That is another thing. In Japan, at western style weddings, brides change dresses sometimes as often as three of four times. They don't just change the dress, the make-up, the hair, everything.

When she arrived again at the party she was in a Bright Red floor length gown. She looked amazing in both of her dresses, even though this is not something I am used to seeing at a wedding. She looked amazing.

All of a sudden, they announced that they had a surprise for their guests and disappeared. After about 10 minutes the MC announced that they were ready and the curtains lifted and the glass doors into the courtyard swung open to reveal our bride and groom holding slices of wedding cake, the groom dressed as a chef complete with coat and hat. Behind them was the most elaborate dessert buffet I have ever seen in my life. In the distance you had a perfect night view of Kobe Harborland and Mosaic with a brightly colored Ferris wheel lit up.

We went outside and took photos with the bride and sampled some of the many desserts, from strawberry shortcake wedding cake to crem brulee and even a pink chocolate fountain and Coldstone-esq ice cream stand. It was delectable.

After we proceeded back to our seats we watched a slideshow of the bride and groom. They had been dating since they were only Junior High School students and the photos were even of them back then. It was very touching and our whole table couldn't help but tear up at the sweetness of the photos. There was even a photo of all of us together dressed up for Halloween! How embarrassing! I was wearing a Hot Pink Ballerina costume. haha

We got to see a presentation from the children to their parents and heard their parents speak kind words about the opposite person. It was really beautiful and I was lucky enough to have Miho there with me as a great translator so I didn't miss what was going on the whole time. :)

When we left and said goodbye we were handed a photo that was taken of all of us together earlier that day! WOW! Talk about fast photos.

All in all, I was very happy to be a part of someone else's special day. Experiencing a wedding in Japan might not feel like it is really worth the 30,000 Yen you give the couple as a traditional wedding gift, but for me, it was worth more than that.

It's just about time for some Humor....

In honor of Thanksgiving... I wanted to write a blog about all the things that make me laugh in Japan. I have seen and heard some strange things over my 11 months here so far and I wanted to share a few of them with you.

On a side note, obviously, we don't have thanksgiving in Jap

an. The really strange part is that despite the fact that people here eat raw horse meat, whale, raw chicken, and numerous other intense foods, they look at me like I am crazy when I ask them why I can't get any kind of turkey here. Like turkey is really so exotic. Haha. They love chicken- but a l

arger bird-the turkey- must seem like an alien bird... beats me. Picture to th

e left that is me eating basashi- raw horse meat.

The above photo is me posing with a statue that is supposed to be Our President. Haha. It looks nothing like him and he is wearing a headband that says I Love Obama. If you see the flag pictured to my right you can see the horrible drawing they have of him. Now here is the funny part, this is in Obama Cit

y, Japan! That's right... there is an Obama City here and it's residents not only love Obama (as do most Japanese People), but they are proud

to have a leader that represents change that has the same name as their city. Plus, it is a nice boost to the tourist industry here. Besides this statue, there isn't a whole lot here.

The next thing on my list isn't just this little fur-ball; but the many fur-ball-like characters that exist all over Japan. There are so many characters! T

his little guy is the representation for Awaji Island. He has a car on his head.. probably something to do with the highways and bridges, but he looks like a giant Yellow tooth man. I love to pose with strange things.

Next on the List; Bad English! I love seeing bad English. You know the kind I am talking about. It seems like they just put what they wanted

to say in Japanese into a cheap computer translator that used similar words and attempted to make numerous grammar changes, but just ended up with a pile of mumbo jumbo. Usually, I am able to decipher these incredibly challenging puzzles to figure out what the author was trying to say in English, but failed miserably at.

But this sign, found on a vending machine at Nijo-jo in Kyoto, is impossible. I can't even read it without going into a laughing fit... to me, it is just that funny. I mean, seriously, there are foreigners on every corner, especially in Kyoto, plu

s you have so many University Students that are English majors or have studied abroad. How long does it take to say, " Hey, can you read these two or three sentences for me? I don't want to look like a jackass". Haha. Keep up the bad English Japan, it keeps me happy if I am feeling blue.

Wow... I don't even really know where to start with this one. I love this because it is a constant source of entertainment for me. Experimental Food Choices. Every month or so it seems that every single restaurant, fast food chain, and convenience store just jumps on the bandwagon and has a 'special' seasonal food or drink to taste. Right now there are two strange types of Pepsi products; the first being Azuki Pepsi. Azuki is sweet bean paste. Yes, you read correctly... there is a pink Pepsi in Japan that tastes like sweet beans. I hope it is short lived. The other flavor is Shiso. Shiso is a plant that people have with sushi and some other traditional Japanese foods. It tastes like a plant, not lettuce. The Pepsi is green. Needless to say I have never seen anyone drink either of these Pepsi products. The photo above is from a fast food place. McDonald's has the Ebi Fillet, which is a patty of small shrimp formed together and deep fried, served on a bun with mayo and lettuce, but this Tako Burger takes the cake. Tako is octopus. Yes, that is an octopus patty fried with tons of Mayo. I think the little tentacles give it away.

Looking at it makes me curious, but also makes me feel like I am going to be sick all at the same time. I think the strangest craze for the month I tried was a tamago double mac at McDonalds. It has a McMuffin egg on a double BiG Mac. Needless to say I didn't eat all of it. I prefer to try caramel, wasabi beef, and teriyaki chicken flavored potato chips as they are released.

I have many more funny things that I will periodically add to this blog. I think that these are really the joys in life so I must send them for you all to see. Keep in touch and keep reading!

Fall into Kyoto

Seeing as Autumn is probably my favorite season, and I was definitely missing American football, apple picking, and pumpkin flavored everything, I thought I would try to remedy this with what Japan has to offer. Leaves. Japan is famous for the Japanese Maple trees which grow all over the place like crazy. What is special about these trees is the way they change color, and how bright their leaves get. Well, I decided that I wanted to take a weekend trip to see the leaves in the best place for viewing, Kyoto.

Kyoto is the best place because it provides us with over 600 Temples and Shrines which provide a great backdrop to go with the leaves. Since there were obviously many places that I had left to discover here, I decided it would be the best place for a weekend getaway. I invited my best friends, Meredith and Miho, and we took off for our adventure. Meredith would be hiking during the day, but would meet up with Miho and I come evening and we would all stay together for the remainder of the trip.

We arrived in Kyoto around 1040 am, and much to our surprise our hotel was conveniently located and the streets were yet to be crowded. We grabbed some provisions and headed to our first destination after dropping off our bags.

We chose Arashiyama first. We had heard that it was traditional, beautiful, and full of great places to see the colors of autumn. The bus was as expected for a weekend in Kyoto, barely allowing enough room for one person to stand. Embarrassing as it already is at times to be foreign here, the embarrassment escalated when Miho didn't hold on before the crazy bus driver took off, knocking her into me and me to the ground with her on top of me laughing hysterically. The man in the seat above us looked at us distastefully, probably for a number of reasons.

As we were driving around the west outskirts of Kyoto, we started to notice that there were many young children dressed in Kimonos. We were thinking that maybe their parents just wanted to take photos of them in the kimonos with the fall leaves, but soon we realized that today was a special day, which might have been part of the reason that there were so many people with families in Kyoto. November 15th is a day here where children (boys of 5 and girls of 3 or 7) go to a shrine to pray wearing kimonos and take photos. These are special years. What I find interesting about these ceremonies and the one in January held for all the 20 year olds (legal age; much like the 18 in America...but they can also drink at 20) is that they are all head at the same time. It is good, I suppose, because you can celebrate with friends, but it feels a little too THE GIVER to me; the nines the tens... etc. (if you haven't read The Giver, I highly recommend you give it a quick once over.)

We got off of the train and headed around the part and looked at the famous bridge, Togetsukyo Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Japan I think. It was once all wood, but now has some concrete supports. Another interesting thing about this bridge is the river that flows under it. From one shore, it is called the Hozu River (west of the bridge) and the other it is called the Katsura River (east side). Interesting.

We snapped some photos; my favorite being one of a girl with her boyfriend. She was dressed up as a "Maiko for a Day" which is a common thing you can do for about 10,000 yen. They dress you up as a Maiko and you walk around Kyoto, face paint, kimono and all, and take photos. I think I must do this before I leave Japan. Even though it is ridiculous. It is awesome, and many many Japanese girls do it, so I really have to I think. She was so funny b/c she looked traditional and he was dressed in a red leather Michael Jackson-Esq jacket with spikey hair. Modern meets Traditional... all with brightly colored leaves. Hah.

After this we poked around at some local temples, grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel where we would meet Meredith before going to our night viewing spot.

Miho's mother and father had suggested we head to Eikando Temple for night viewing of leaves because they light up the trees at night. I was very excited about this because Temples in Japan usually close around 4pm, so getting to go to a temple past dark is a very rare occurrence. We approached the gates to the Temple and it's beauty was overwhelming. It was tucked into the mountainside with the gates lit up and the bright colors of the leaves appeared even brighter in on this dark night. As we entered, the garden was lit up as was the bridge over water. We were luck because we arrived just in time to get to hear some traditional Kyoto music played by musicians on the bridge. I was so overwhelmed with Japan's beauty that trying to take this all in at once was a struggle, but a much enjoyed one at that. It was simply amazing.

We returned home for some rest after having a bite to eat and heading back to our hotel.

In the morning we headed to the lobby for our Japanese breakfast of rice balls, seaweed, miso soup, pickles, pasta salad, and bread. Of course, all of this lovely food was accompianied by a cup of coffee and The Japan Times newspaper. Here in the lobby we were approached by a small Japanese woman who asked us if we spoke Japanese. We told her that we didn't speak very much and she was curious as to how we were able to travel around Japan. Her English was wonderful and we asked her to sit with us. She told us that she was from Brazil and she was an English teacher there. Her parents were both Japanese, so she had heard them speak to her all of her life, but never formally spoke or studied until only 4 years previous. Now she had been saving for a long time to take a trip to Japan and she was vacationing for a couple of months.

She said that she had to take the trip now because last year the Brazilian government required her to declare her savings (for her trip) and upon complying with their request she was required to pay 45% of it in taxes to the government. She is not rich, merely a humble English teacher that had been saving for her life trip, but according to the tax bracket with the money she saved, she was a higher earner. She said she had to take the trip after she paid because she was worried they would come back for the rest of the money. She then cautioned us to travel as soon as we have the money. She handed us her business card, and requested we get in contact with her during the Olympics or if we ever wanted to travel in San Paulo. Very sweet woman. We then cleared her tray from the table as she disappeared down the street.

We gathered Miho from the room, as she was still getting ready for our adventure, and we headed off to Ginkaku-ji (the silver pavilion). Upon our arrival, we noticed a sign that the temple was undergoing restoration, so it was not looking great. We were bummed but due to the red and orange we could see up the hill behind it we shelled out the 500 yen a piece to enter.

We explored the trails and snapped some photos of the view and headed out to walk down the 哲学の道, Tetsugaku no Michi which is the Philosopher's Path in English. The trees that line the path are a pleasant mix of Cherry Blossom (Sakura) trees and Japanese Maples to give the colors of the two most 'philosophically inspiring' seasons; spring and fall. It is named the Philosopher's Path because a University of Kyoto Philosophy Professor named Nishida Kitaro used to walk this path everyday for meditation. It passes many places that are spiritual, such as many temples and shrines. It was very inspiring, and made us feel like we needed to grab a bite of food.

We headed to a small bowl restaurant where Miho and I grabbed a Child and Parent bowl (this morbid name is Kanji still makes me laugh today. Oyako Donburi is the name in Japanese which literally means Parent and Child. (It consists of Chicken and egg... Get it....parent and child... so funny). It is quite tasty...I have always enjoyed this bowl, probably mostly because of the name.

Next we headed to another Temple...this was the Chion-in Temple. It is famous for it's very large tori and number of stairs. There were many people here and we were lucky to hear some of the Monks chanting inside for a private prayer with a family. The sky was growing cloudy and we were feeling the night chill creeping up. Miho had plans back in Kobe, so we headed to the bus stop to see her off before heading to our last stop. Kiyomizudera.

Now, as you have seen in previous blog postings, I have been to Kiyomizu many times. However, each time it is amazing in a different way and I am always excited to take someone there for the first time. Meredith had never been here before, so I was hoping we could make it up the hill before the sunset. We arrived just in time to catch the colors in the sky overlooking all of Kyoto. It was breathtaking but short-lived because they were closing in 15 minutes and then for an hour before reopening to light up the leaves. Meredith and I didn't want to wait in the 300 person line for re-entry and decided to call it a night and head back to get some rest for the long work week ahead of us. What a trip!!

FINALLY THE DAY HAS COME!

Last weekend was THE weekend. I had gone out with some students and Miho on Saturday after work and we had enjoyed an evening filled with wine, fine Italian food, and good conversation, and the next day was filled with a new kind of adventure.

I had had a couple of students that wanted me to try Kobe beef. As you probably know, Kobe beef is world famous. It is considered by some to be the best beef in the world due to the marbleization of it's meat. The beef owners are able to achieve this by feeding the cow a diet of Sake and Beer and massaging them often. Needless to say they are very drunk, pampered animals for the short time they live. Some of the luckiest beef cattle in the world.

And for this, Kobe is famous.

"Jen," you might say, "Why is it if you have lived in Kobe for 10 months now that you have had yet to try such a delicious piece of steak? Such a morsel of delicious meat should be enjoyed!"

Well to you I say, "I agree there you very smart friend. I see that your mouth is watering at the prospect of such a delicious steak. However, as tempting as this was, the steaks usually range between 80-110 dollars a pop."

You might have just gasped out loud upon reading this information but if you didn't you might now. Some restaurants, for the highest quality, serve their steaks for over 600 dollars each. Mind you, these steaks are not the size of American steaks either. They are about 170 grams.

As I was saying, my students wanted me to go and I was so lucky that they offered to take me. I met up with my student at 2pm. We went to Kobe where we entered a Japanese Sword shop. The art of Japanese sword making was explained to me and I was informed that this shop was owned by my student's friend. The blades of the swords were beautiful and the stamp of the name of the maker was very unique and interesting. Next, we headed to a china shop. However, the regular collector's items are on the first floor, but my student knew the owners and is a very well known member of the community so he was able to take me upstairs where the shop owner showed us rare pieces that sold for anywhere between 150-100000 dollars while we sipped on macha tea.

We headed even further into Sannomiya where we had coffee at a posh cafe in Marui Department store before heading to a local museum. The Kobe Prefectural Museum of Art houses many special exhibits, and, unfortunately, I missed the exhibit I had been wanting to see with Dali art by only 2 days. Now there was all Japanese art. It was still beautiful, even though it was not what I was hoping to see. There were many screens that were painted with crows and tigers and even Geisha. It was very beautiful.

Next we headed into the final destination. It was a smokey shop. The aroma of charring beef filled the air and the surroundings were all stone and dark wood. We took our seats at a table and looked at the menu, which consisted of two types of steaks and the choice of getting them as a set (with sides) or alone. We chose the sets and a beer and waited while our steaks were being cooked up. Out first came a stew. It was made with beef and potatoes. It was very hearty and I didn't want to get too full, but I couldn't help but eating it all. Next, was a salad with a delicious dressing that I still can't quite place.

Finally, out it came. Sizzling on a skillet, a nice big chunk of Kobe Beef covered in onions with a side of green spinach and some potato wedges. The meat was a perfect medium rare and due to all of the sizzling we had to wear a bib.

When I took my first bite I was in heaven. The meat literally melts in your mouth. It was unlike anything I have ever tasted in my entire life. If you had no teeth, you could survive on a diet of pudding and Kobe beef; that is how tender it was.

I will be forever thankful of this opportunity to try the best steak in the world. I suggest anyone in the Kobe area that has a hundred bucks to spare head to A-1 restaurant to try this amazing delicacy. Come Hungry, Leave on a Cloud.

Shikoku Famous Noodle Adventure: Day 3

Day three of my three day weekend was packed full of events and traveling. After this day I felt if I didn't ride another train or bus for weeks I would be okay with that. We started out at 8 am after a nice breakfast of rice balls, bread, salad, pickled veggies, and pasta salad. Due to the surprise cold front, it was FREEZING. We got to the station to realize we missed the hourly train by only two minutes. At this we decided to waste some time and warm up at a local coffee shop with a nice HOT cup-o-joe.

As the time of our train was approaching, we headed to the station. Our first destination, Naruto whirlpools. These whirlpools have formed due to tides in the Naruto straight between Awaji Island and Shikoku Island, Japan. The tides move large amounts of water twice a day between the inland sea and the Pacific Ocean. The reason the whirlpools form is because the straight is very narrow so the water is rushing through at 13 to 15 kilometers per hour between the times of high and low tides.

Upon checking the tide flow charts we were very confused. I had been given lots of information from students about times to go and where you should view from. They told me that if you go at the wrong time the whirlpools are basically non-existent. We learned that the best time to view was actually NOT at hight tide or low tide, but when the tides were changing, so before and after those times. Luckily, the train time that we had chosen was the perfect time.

We arrived at our stopover station where we were to change trains. Mind you, we were out in the middle of nowhere on and island riding on a train that had only one car. We asked the driver if it was the train at the station, he said yes so we hopped on only to discover either he didn't understand our Japanese, or he didn't like foreigners; it was probably our Japanese, but I'm still not sure. The next driver suggested we get off at the next stop and wait for the next train, which was about forty minutes later.

We walked around and took some photos near the station. Our fear of missing the next train was real and tangible due to the fact that if we missed the train, not only would we limit our day because we would have to wait another hour, but we would miss the changing of the tides and our chance at seeing the whirlpools.

The train was approaching as I purchased a glass bottle with Kit-Kat bars inside from a vending machine and we were off! Down to Naruto. We arrived at the Naruto station and talked to the attendant at the ticket window. Due to the infrequency of trains we decided that it was necessary to plan what train we wanted to take in order to ensure we would have enough time to see what we wanted at our next destination. We hopped on a bus to the straight, along with our new friend Oscar from Mexico, who was on a three week holiday from his work in Seattle.

We couldn't decide it we would rather view the whirlpools up-close-and-personal on a boat or under the bridge on a walkway. We opted for the bridge in order to try to save some cash and because the weather was not calling for a boat ride. Despite the sun, it was a very windy 13 degrees C and with only a light sweater and scarf I was in no condition to bear those circumstances.

However, to my dismay, under the bridge was actually freezing as it was open air and the winds at such a height were VERY strong. Despite the cold we were able to catch a glimpse at the whirlpools and snap a few photos before heading back down to catch our bus back the train station.

By the time we got to the station we were starving and had only about 13 minutes until the train came. There was no fast food in the area so we opted for a Family Mart convenience store on the corner. Now, convenience stores in Japan are very similar to those in America; they have both hot food and cold food along with ice cream, and a variety of snacks and drinks. But I think they are much more fun, probably because I can't read the packaging. Also, because of what we bought for lunch. Please let me introduce you to the AMERICAN DOG.

Meredith and I have been eating these for quite some time now, but I have come to realize that I have never blogged about this scrumptious snack bearing the name of my homeland. The American Dog is....a corn dog. I hope that didn't kill your suspense too much. But here is the exciting part about the American Dog in Japan. It is all in the condiments. When you buy one you get this ketchup and mustard packet (Japanese mustard is sooo spicy). Please check out the photo to see why it is so amazing. You squeeze it and it comes out in perfect lines with no mess. They also use this kind of packaging for salad dressing and many other liquids on the go. It is fantastic.

We hopped on our next train with our destination in mind; Takamatsu. We were off on a voyage to see what we could before the sun set and we had to take our bus back to Kobe. We only had a few hours so we settled and changed our plans to only include a very large Japanese Garden and the ultimate goal; UDON. Udon is a noodle soup with thick noodles. My mom was not fond of this upon her visit to Japan due to the sticky and chewy texture of the noodles, but I love them and I heard that in Takamastu not only were they famous, but they were even stickier and chewier than elsewhere in Japan!

We approached the station around 2:15 pm and decided to rent bicycles at the station for a mere 100 yen. I had recently re-taught Meredith how to ride a bike because she hadn't since she was very small, but in Japan you have be to be able to ride a bike sometimes, especially after you realize how much easier your life will become.

We rode down to the garden passing designer shops and a Domino's pizza restaurant, all of them proving to be little reminders of the mass amount of western influence that is in this country. But finally, we approached the traditional Japan that we craved, a giant Japanese Garden. It's name is Ritsurin Koen. It is built as a promenade style garden and was constructed in the 1600's during the Edo Period for the Matsudaira Family that ruled during this time. It was beautiful and the amount of Coy and Tea Houses were simply amazing.

After walking around here we headed to a noodle shop to have a bite to eat. I chose the udon with soy sauce with a side of tempura octopus and shrimp. It was so delicious and at only 450 yen it was such a steal. I wish we had these in Kobe!

We returned our bikes, bought our bus tickets, grabbed a bus-beer and a doughnut and we were on our way back home, thinking of the Wednesday workday that was in store for us the next day.

Oh what an adventure!

Next installment; Jen FINALLY tries the World Renowned Kobe Beef!