Autumn Coffee

Tully's is a popular coffee shop in Japan, much like Starbucks. I got a yummy pumpkin latte with crushed pistachios on top, and an autumn cookie. Soooo good! Autumn is here!!!!

Flowers and Such

More botanical beauties!

Paddle Boarding

We went with some friends to a local beach one evening and brought a picnic and a couple of paddle boards. Only one person in the group had paddle boarded before, and she took us out and taught us how. Well, except me. I am terrified of water. I am terrified of the ocean. I love going to the beach, but I HATE getting in the water. I tried SO hard to paddle board, but I was bawling before I even got on the board. I got in water that was a little over 2ft deep (a first for me!!!! I'd never been in ocean water that deep, and I don't ever really want to be again!) and sat on the board. I was proud that I got that far! Then the waves started getting rough, with water splashing up and over my head and I freaked out really bad and ran, crying, back onto land. Not getting over that phobia any time soon!

After I was able to calm down, I decided sitting on the beach with a beer in one hand and my camera in the other was a MUCH better way to spend the evening! Jonathan and our other friends did great! They paddled out quite a ways and the sunset that evening was breath taking. Despite the paddle boarding experience being disastrous for me, everyone else did very well, and we all got to have a picnic dinner under a gorgeous sky!

Jonathan getting ready to paddle board for the first time!

He's a pro!

Water Birds

I've mentioned before that the canal by our house is teeming with assorted wild life. I love watching the herons there. The great blue herons are especially interesting. There seems to be at least 3 different duck species that hang out there, also. I need to identify all of them and add them to my life list.

Halloween is Near!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! Japan just started getting into Halloween about 6 years ago. Until then, the holiday didn't exist in these parts. They don't really trick or treat here, but they love dressing up, and big cities like Tokyo hold huge Halloween bashes, where people dress up and party all night. I am LOVING seeing all the Halloween and fall decor in stores! It's such a treat!

Haunted house fake lashes - whaaaaaattt?!

Party!

I was on my way to the bus stop one day and there was a parade going on! Not sure what the occasion was, but they were having a good time! These guys sounded great on the taiko drums!

House Critters

Every night it's hard telling what you will find on/in our house. These humid, nasty Japanese summers drive critters indoors seeking relief from the elements. One night I found an adorable little lizard on our house - and the next day I found him in our backyard too. He was barely 2 inches long! We often see blue tailed skinks running around the patio, too.

Another critter we see a lot (and have found in our house twice) is the huntsman spider. They are the largest spider in Japan, and often grow larger than a softball. They are HUGE. It makes the wolf spiders of Kentucky look like babies. They are harmless though, unless you're a bug. They are interesting because they don't build webs, they chase down their prey like an eight legged cheetah. Due to this hunting technique, they are lightning fast! You can blink and they'll be on the other side of the room!

Huntsman Spider

Sometimes we see praying mantises, which are cool. Other times we see GIANT 3 inch long cockroaches, which is not so cool. But the roaches are the favorite food of the huntsman spider, so it balances out.

We think there may have been a tanuki in our backyard a couple of nights ago! I noticed something got in our trash and had the jaw power to crunch through big, thick chicken bones, so I know it wasn't a cat. Tanuki are very cool, and are also known as raccoon dogs, although they are not related to raccoons. Tanuki are in fact canids, meaning they are cousins to foxes, wolves, and dogs, and are very similar to the bush dogs of South America. Tanuki are native to Asia, but have been introduced to Europe recently. I have seen them in zoos, but have never spotted a wild one yet, so hopefully we will someday!

Sorry, We're Closed

As with most businesses most places, when they close for the night, they roll down a security shutter. This one is near a local mall and I love it!

Foreign Snacks

A friend of mine recently went to the Philippines and brought back some snacks for us! I loved the name of this one! It was pretty good - chili cheese flavored corn nuts.