toky-snow......

yup...it snows in Tokyo!!!

Adam has amazing skills with cereal

Last night, it was 2 AM and we were a little giddy. Check out Adam and his amazing music skills

Funny Japanese Commercials

We posted some for Korea, so here are some Japanese ones that made us laugh

moving metal....err water?

.....right, so Nicole has her yoga....and I have my weights. Allbeit not very heavy ones, they allow me a certain zen and peace that only a healthy dose of endorphins can provide. As such, I have been patiently perusing the local hoods in search of a gym of sorts to get my fix. This has not been a fruitful journey as the going rate for many establishments approaches $50 a month. Ok, not bad right? Well yes, if that meant I could go anytime I wanted....but I can't. This rate is the minimal and allows me 3-4 times a week only in the morning. Full access, for over $120 and its all yours bucko. I tend to take the position that for that price, someone else should do the working out for me. Ok, so this will require a decision.....eat food, or use a treadmill as a stage to be gawked at as I sweat profusely trying to suck every dime I can out of my usage. I choose food, naturally.

actress hats

According to web-japan.org Wearing a stylish hat makes everyone feel like an actress. "The term's origins seem to lie in the elegant look of the hats, the kind of style that an actress might portray." Says the magazine...which to me is perfect since I do love wearing my hats...even though I only own about 4 of them now after the move.

a video from home

How I miss Olive, my nephews and the fam!
XOXO
Nicole

tabemashou! (lets eat!)

....from the moment I wake food is on my noodle (no pun or perverse innuendo intended). Since our arrival two weeks ago we have undergone a steady, yet positive evolution of culinary mastery in our new country. Just to paint a picture....night one was 7-11 rice triangles and milk. Needless to say, I am not willing to live on a convicts diet and thus...we must adjust.

Over the past week we have experimented with a variety of veggies, rice, noodles and fried cakes with a mystery meat I have coined "bliss meat". Why? because I quite enjoyed this meat and in the spirit of being ignorant to its animal or large insect origin....i eat it with a blissful delight only derived from its flavor and not its actuality. I know....there is really so much more to me than you thought....and its mildly concerning you but your morbid curiosity keeps you reading.

Slippers!

I know we haven't written much about work, but my favorite part (One of) is that we get to wear slippers at work! I have two pairs of these stripped babies...one for each school campus. It is comfy and makes slipping and sliding around the office quite fun. However, now all my pants drag on the floor and I appear much shorter without my heels on :)

Our Japanese Bathroom

At work, we have one of these amazing contraptions. It is a toilet remote control. Here you can sit on a heated seat, use a bidet in multiple speeds and pressures AND blow dry your rear. I absolutely love it and must have on in the future.

fun for 428 yen

after a day of work, 428 yen or $5.39 for a cheap bottle of yummy Santiago Chile wine..and iPhoto... the fun just kept us laughing. ENJOY and laugh as if you had the bottle yourself.

Japanese Lesson #1

 Last night we had a lesson exchange with Akemi. She is wonderful! Akemi just moved into our building and wanted to work on her conversational English, so in return she is teaching us very simple Japanese. Choo, is a dancer...a hiphop and popping dancer. He came near the end and conversed too.

Target

After being here a week in Japan.... I feel it an appropriate time to begin reminiscing about what we have left behind. As such, and beginning a new teaching gig here... I wanted to say a few words about my time at Target in Glendale, Colorado.

Yokohama, Seaside and ARC

We started our day off taking the train one stop up to Ichiago. We walked to the city office in hopes of getting our Alien Registration Cards (ARC Cards) .

When we got to the building we were told to go upstairs to window 22. There was a sign that said in English (non-Japanese Registration) Okay, we were in the right place. Here is the thing, no one at the window spoke English. We are pretty patient people and know living in a foreign country we shouldn't expect people to speak English. But, we were in the registration office for foreigners...at a City office.

Tokyo!

This whole living abroad deal really involves a lot of task management...subsequently, Nicole and I have devised a plan to keep up on the task of blogging by alternating our stories. This is a challenge for me however as I juggle using a squatter without injury and walking on the left....both extremely difficult for me to master and two very viable causes for my ultimate demise. But anyways, onto our first day trip..Tokyo!

Our Apartment

We spent Wednesday morning in search of an apartment. We really wanted our own place with a bathroom and kitchen...so we took the train about 30 minutes into Yokohama city in hopes of finding something with a great realtor Nishibie. He showed us a place that was small (this we knew) on a bottom floor and with no view. It wasn't a big deal, the price was ok....the problem...public transportation in this city is so pricy it would cost the two of us $500 US a month for the train.

Singapore Airlines

When I found our plane tickets to come to Tokyo, I thought it was too good to be true. We ended up paying a little over $400 a piece for a one way ticket to Tokyo...but the best part, was that it was on Singapore Airlines. Truly...an amazing experience.

big money, little karts.....and tears.

right....so i'm no that picky about most of life's daily challenges and i'll suck it up when faced with most adversity because as they say..."hey, i'm a guy". Well....maybe they say that. Anyways, my point.  Grocery shopping has become somewhat of a pastime to me and something I look forward too. I mean, think about it....its like all the efforts of those who have gone before us have allowed us to partake in a very convenient and slightly less dangerous form of hunting and gathering (minus the hunting) every time we wheel that shopping cart through those heavenly automatic doors.

Moving to Japan will inevitably have its share of experiences...some good, some not...and some that worry me. What worries me you ask? Well, how about half sized cans of tuna for example. Not scary enough.....milk...only sold in quarts. More? Eggs....10 for $5. I whimpered like a Greys Anatomy addict at the site of it all as we cruised through the local mart on our first full day in Yokohama and wondered....is this how i'm going to die?

I know...sounds overly dramatic...and maybe I should write for Grey's... but the thought of shocking the world with a McDreamy/McSteamy love scene that ends tragically as they role over live defibrillators  is something of a distant fantasy....but I digress.

We spent about $100 on our first grocery trip and all and all were quite successful with what we found...allbeit food sized for Americans circa 1910 before we realized that being fat was so easily attainable.

The good news.....we found out later that we had just handed over a wad of cash one of the priciest  grocers in town and were given a slew of way cheaper options for our next go around by some friendly neighbors. Thank god.....

Thanks for reading......send me big peanut butters....please.
adam

What we have learned in 12 hours

Ohio Gozeyemas means good morning
Adam and I fit comfortably on a full size bed.
Coffee at Tillys was $5 a piece
Breakfast for 2 at McDonalds was the same price for 1 coffee across the street.
School kids wear cute uniforms, same with the McDonalds workers (knee highs and skirts)
Everything here is small
They have heated toilet seats!
We are pretty much the same height as everyone else
America is associated with Big...see the Las Vegas Burger

Tons more to come, we are awaiting our ride to go apartment hunting... Hopefully to find our new place.

Back to Denver, 24 hours and counting

Due to the Winter Storm rolling through Denver, and my standby status, I was a little concerned  about flying home on time and ended up staying in Florida for an extra day. It was busy but great.
I ran into another "fate" moment... At Tijuana Flats, I ran into my old teacher Dr. Werthman who headed up the trip in 2007 to Japan that I chaperoned.

I spent more time with the crazy munchkins and the family.

I picked ordered and picked up some Yen.

and then, left Olive in the most caring hands of my Grandparents. Hugging everyone "see ya later" was extremely difficult this time for some reason. I know we are all so sad because we won't be near. But the excitement that is building inside for this huge adventure keeps pulling me toward the more positive thoughts than the sad ones.

Although, my Grandpa, who is 91 and my favorite teddy bear in the world told me when I hugged him goodbye that he doesn't know if he'll see me again...ripped my heart out and had me in immediate hysterics. I understand his thought process, but to me, he will be here forever and I told him, there may be a baby in maybe a yearish...and well it would be detrimental if that little one never met Papa....so I told him he needed to set a new goal of at least 2 years to stick around.

After a very turbulent ride back to Denver, Adam and Shawn picked me up and we headed over to D'Corazon for some Margaritas and a farewell with some very great friends. Liz, Andrea and Josh came by and it touched my heart.

Then, Jack and Rob came around midnight and took our Bed. We made a little camp site on the floor of our bedroom, just like our very first night here in Denver. We have now come full circle and are running through the last of our laundry so that we can pack up, and clean up.

Japan Bloglist

Just a FYI, our blog is now featured on http://www.japanbloglist.com !

and too Florida, to do

Just a few short hours after we arrived in Denver, Adam woke up and headed to work and I pack up Olive and headed back to the Airport via the RTD busses.
I was flying standby and luckily flying alone. I got the last seat on the plane due to a couple who wanted to fly together...
In Orlando, I have had a very busy schedule while Adam is in Colorado busily working to get everything finished up there. I think we may finally get a restful sleep in two or three weeks.
This has been my crazy three days:

Picked up from Airport
Tijuana Flats for Taco Tuesday
Home to Bed
8:30 am...fun run at Bryce's school
Go home to Brandons
Have lunch with Bryce at school

Get ring shined
Pick Bryce up from school
Meet for late snack with grandparents and Aunt Judi
Walmart for toothpaste and floss
Go get Olive
Olive's Vet appointment
Mom made dinner
Pick Olive up from groomer

Meet Kim for coffee
Go to Wellsfargo
Passport Photos at Walgreens
Dentist Appointment
AAA for International Drivers License
Call Frontier, change Flight
Pick up Mom
Meet Grandparents for lunch

Radio Shack with Converter (need to go back with cord for computer to buy right one)
5/3 Bank, Order Yen
Back to Wellsfargo to get $ to buy Yen
Back to 5/3rd to buy Yen
Movies with Mom
Pick Bryce Up
Joann's for Crocheting goodies

Back to Mom's for dinner
Meet Kelly for drinks
Call CC change address
Go back to Radio Shack with cord to buy converters
Make list for Grandma for Olive's care and shots etc to prepare for move
Contact Apartment company in Japan to set up appointment
Register with Embassy

Basically, it goes on forever...its like errands on speed...

Adam is home, still working his tail off...delivering our life to goodwill and cleaning...

And now there is a snow storm hitting Colorado, I may not be able to come home until Saturday..haha this is me laughing inside since we leave Monday morning.