Sunday, January 02, 2005



Just got off the phone with some new years cheer from Grandma.
Happy New Year Everyone!!!
I hope this finds you all safe and sound. Everyone tucked in front of their computers and all writing emails and blogs.
Speaking of which, I would love it if a couple of you would PLEASE email me back with your addresses so I can send you your New Years cards!! Better late then never I say!!!!!

I spent my New Years at home watching movies and cutting up flash cards for my students. I set my alarm clock for midnight so I would not miss the bells.
Yes the Buddhist bells ring 108 times at exactly 12. I bundled up and headed outside for a very nice refreshing walk and strained my ear drums to hear the bells. I did have to strain as the temples are not overly close to my home, but I heard them. Them along with the slightly annoying Shinto shrines shooting off their noise- only- fireworks continuously for the first hour. They started up with the booms again in the morning. A few of my neighbours headed outside as well and stuffed themselves into their cars to head off to the shrines to do their New Years prayer. A lot of people have started trying to get to the shrines as early as they can as the crowds are CRAZY later. The mass crowds last for about two days. Some people wait until the 3rd and 4th which are considerable less crowded.

Li had gone to Shizuoka for the evening. He had dinner with his Chinese friends and then met up with Abby and Kelly at this bar out there for some new years cheer. I never bothered to try – too smoky and too noisy. It sounds like he had a good time and he actually made it home all safe and sound on the first train.

When we woke up – very late – on New Years Day I insisted that we go for a walk. After eating we bundled up and went for a very relaxing, quite long walk around the neighborhood. We headed down some side streets that we have never gone on and just enjoyed the day which was beautiful. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning. The wind was pretty damn cold but it was still soooo nice out. We then discovered that Sumiya, the music store was open, to our surprise. It was also VERY busy. But we headed in there and wandered around. I discovered a bin of CDs all for 4$ each. I walked out with 5 CDs – some great female country artists and this very interesting woman from Africa, oh and Marcy’s Playground cause we all love sex and candy.

We then headed home and watched a few movies while bundled up under the kotatsu. OHH the kotatsu. Z, I have finally taken some pictures of it and will add them to the post following to show you what a kotatsu is.

It is Li’s birthday on the 5th and he turns 30. Thirty is a big year in China. His one friend bought him a 200$ nice bloody lamb skin jacket to help him celebrate it. If he was in China he would have to celebrate it with a full course dinner in a fancy restaurant and his ENTIRE family coming from ALL over for it. He is VERY happy that he has not had to do that. Thirty has been a bit of a mental barrier for him. He has been thinking a lot about life lately and about how different things have turned for him. But, I am happy to say that he believes his life and the person he is has become is much more than he had ever dreamed and he is happy about it. He has lived in another country, has visited Canada (which he had never imagined), got married to someone totally unexpected (hehehehe), speaks three languages, understands the thinking of three different types of people and feels he is a better person because of it all. And now he is going to be a father. Last night at the restaurant he goes – I wonder what type of person I will be in just three years after we move to Canada. I said, honey I have no idea. I have been wondering about it myself – not him but me. I am different than I was before. I know I am. I think different; I look at friendship and family different, and personally better. I too understand the thinking of three different types of people and it changes how you talk to and deal with people.

Hmmm

Anyway, Li has to work on his birthday and I had not bought him anything, so I convinced him to head out to Gotenba Premium Outlet Shopping Center.
I had never been there before but have had many students and friends tell me about it. In my mind it was just a strip mall. OHHH NOOO!!!!!!
I’ll get back to that.
First we woke up much earlier than expected which turned out to be a good thing. We eat then headed out to the station. Now my student had told me that the most direct and slightly cheaper way to get there was to take the train to Shizuoka, then to take the highway bus to Gotenba and it was right there. So this is what we did. Didn’t work quite as smoothly as that, though.
1!! The train was sardine packed!!!!! It was January 2nd and half of Japan was heading to their favourite shrine and the other half to take advantage of the shopping deals. MY GOD it felt like rush hour in Tokyo. There were a few stops where we could not get the train doors closed!!! IT WAS CRAZY!!!!!!
2!!! We didn’t actually know where the highway bus was and were walking in circles and asking people tons of questions until we found a taxi driver who understood us completely. Now the whole highway bus thing was a real eye opener as we discovered that it has direct service to both Nagoya and Narita airport. As for Narita airport it takes about 30 minutes longer but you save 30$ and don’t have to deal with the hell of Tokyo station. We have people to pick up at the airports soon (eg. Li’s mom).
3!!! The bus ride was uneventful and smooth but what we didn’t know was that we had to then take a shuttle bus to the center. Now the shuttle bus stopped right there, so that was not a problem. The entire morning Li kept asking me – are you sure it is open it is an official holiday today. Well it was open and the lineup for the shuttle bus curled all the way around the corner. AND THERE WAS SNOW!!!!!!!
It was sooooooo damn cold. We were only just over an hour from home and the temperature was TOTALLY different !!! Of my god. We were both dressed very warmly but were not prepared for the snow. We had to wait almost 45 minutes before getting on a shuttle bus.
But on a plus side it was a perfectly clear blue sky day and Mt. Fuji was RIGHT there looking perfect.
Li took a bunch of pictures with his cell phone as I was not prepared to remove my hands out of my pockets.



So we got on a bus and headed out. Now as I already said, I assumed this place was a strip type mall. I knew it was all brand name stuff but was not really expecting anything overly fancy. Stupid me.
The bus started heading into the hills and through forests. No one seemed at all concerned by this but I was pretty confused. The traffic jam in the middle of the forest was weird. And then WHALA we were there and it looks like bloody Whistler!!! No joke!!!! Whistler is definitely classier but the layout was the same, and there was snow! The mall stretched out in Whistler style stores over gullies with covered walkways and scattered food courts every where. There was a bloody Ferris wheel up on the hill.



It was actually quite nice.
The first thing we did was grab a map and then dive into the first restaurant with no line up. Turned out to be a good choice. I had a very American type chicken burger that tasted really good. Everything is written in English first and Japanese second. All announcements were in English and then in Japanese. This was a total American adventure – never mind the fact that most of the stores are from Italy and France – Armani and Hugo Boss. It was after eating that I saw my first snow man. I have been in Japan for almost 5 years and this was my first Japanese snow man.



So we headed out to buy what we could afford. This place had everything – Brooks Brothers, Chloe, Elle, Laura Ashley, The Body shop, Versace, Adidas, Nike, Armani, Dunhill, Lego, and United Colours, - You name it, it was there.

My main concern was Li getting his birthday present. Well this may have been an outlet store but that does not mean things were cheap. HELL NO!! This was brand name stuff. Crazy! After a lot of looking, Li found himself a really nice pair of shoes at Hugo Boss. They go perfectly with his new Jacket. They are a boot style but have just the right amount of class to make jeans and these boots appear dressed up. Very nice. He wore them out of the store. Then out of the blue he goes – these are my first hundred dollar pair of shoes - Feels good.
He always gets his shoes from China. They look like an 80 dollar pair of shoes but really were only 5. Li likes shopping that way so he felt pretty cool.
Hehe
I then found a PERFECT cardigan for after pregnancy at United Colours and we both found turtle necks and sweaters at GAP where they were having a MAJOR blowout sale. They had ten cash registers going and there was still a long line. We stopped in the main food court for a pick me up chocolate chip cheese cake and Li grabbed a pint of the Famous locally brewer Gotenba beer. I then got this history lesson about how the first ruler of Taiwan, Moe’s main enemy, used to drink only water and Gotenba beer. The food court had a total western feel to it; they were even playing western music.



We had a very long but good day that turned even longer when the bus back was 30 minutes late and arrived back in Shizuoka an hour late due to MAJOR Holiday rush hour traffic. UGH!
Then in Shizuoka there was a newly made ice sculpture in front of the station that was already starting to melt as it was one hell of a lot warmer there than in Gotenba. HUGE temperature difference!!



Today is a write blogs and relax day.

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