Cigs

 Definitely don't see these in America anymore!

Kamakura

 Spent the evening with my love in our favorite town 💕 the sunset was incredible! The long path leading up to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (a huge shrine) was constructed in 1182 by the first shogun of Kamakura. Originally the path lead from the shrine to the sea. 

World's Fair

 A few months ago,  I found out that the World's Fair still existed.  I had always thought they stopped having those 100 years ago.  I was amazed to learn that they occur every 5 years, with a different country hosting each time. This year it was in Osaka,  Japan,  so off we went! It was neat to see the ideas and cultural representations brought by each country, but it was dangerously hot. There was little shade and it was 95 degrees.  Several people were taken out on stretchers suffering from heat stroke.  We made sure to stay hydrated and reapplied sun screen several times.  We may go again someday,  when it's held in a much cooler climate!

We also explored Kobe and the food was amazing! Found a large shrine complex, and the grounds had a small cemetery with a well known shogun buried there. 

Never Say Sayonara

 After 7 long years, we are heading back to our favorite place on earth! Heading back to Japan was a sudden opportunity that fell in our laps this summer, and we couldn't say no. I'm excited to experience what we didn't get to previously,  and add more memories to this blog! 

We Shall Meet Again!

Sorry for the huge lapse in posts! Over the past 2 months we've been busy moving literally around the world! Our time in Japan was absolutely wonderful and we plan on visiting as often as we can throughout our lives. Due to certain life circumstances, we felt it was best to move closer to home. We lived it up a bit during our last few months in Japan, and one of the last things we did was dress in kimono and walk the streets of Kamakura! We enjoyed spending time with friends, eating all of our favorite foods (7-11, we miss you!!), and just taking everything in and treasuring every moment.
We will always miss Japan, but thankfully we can always visit, and we have addresses of people we care for so we can keep in touch and send special gifts back and forth. It's not sayonara, it's until next time!

Exotic Tea and Coffee

We found a great coffee and tea shop in Tokyo called Maruyama. Huge selection! I got a rare Chinese tea called mitsurankou; the tea leaves are only found in a small Chinese village named Shi Gu Ping. Only small amounts are made, and although it's popular locally, it's not really known outside of China. It has fruity undertones of mango and lychee. The dry leaves were in a small glass jar and came on a tray with a tiny pot, 2 thermoses of hot water, and a timer. You steep it yourself at your seat, which is a fun experience! It really gives you the opportunity to appreciate the rare tea leaves.

What System?

This shop is near our home. Global Pimp System. Despite what you may think, this place is nothing more than a bicycle shop.




Or is it?

Shiba Cafe

We popped into a shiba cafe in Kamakura. It was really nice and the dogs were well taken care of. They had about 10 adults, and 2 puppies. I had one jump in my lap and start licking my face!

This puppy was mid-lick

Coffee!

We found a wonderful coffee shop in Kamakura last week. Delicious roasts from all around the world. They even have coffee flights! The place is called Verve, which we had never heard of before. We thought it was a Japanese business, but they are actually based out of California. Fun fact, Verve only has locations throughout California and Japan! I highly recommend them!

Coffee flight

Toby Trolly

Here in Japan, we use the train a lot. In order to bring animals on the train, they must be in an enclosure, like a carrier. When we first moved here, we got a doggy stroller for Toby! It's a lot easier to handle than a carrier that is bulky and heavy. In his stroller, Toby can be safe and warm and we can also put bags and other things in the storage area underneath, plus there are cup holders on top. We ordered ours from Amazon for next to nothing; pet strollers in Japanese pet stores are hundreds of dollars! The other night we decided to take an evening jaunt, and brought Toby along!

Festive Toilet Paper

I get so excited for this Halloween tp every year! It's sooooo cute, and the character is named Pickles the Frog! Precious!

Spooky Eggs

7-11 has Halloween packaging for their eggs. I love it!! And yes, I absolutely bought a carton!

Ramune

A lot of people back in the states are obsessed with Ramune, aka the Japanese marble drink. It's definitely interesting and fun to drink. Ramune was first created in 1872, and is a Japanese soda in a glass bottle that is sealed with a glass marble on top. It comes with a plastic top that you use to push the marble down into the bottle so you can drink. The bottles are codd-necked, which holds the marble toward the top and prevents it from  rolling all over the inside of the bottle. This design serves two purposes: if you happen to tip your drink upside down, the marble will stop up the opening and your drink won't spill, and it also prevents kids from guzzling their drink because if you tip the bottle back too far, again the marble will close the hole. A hundred years ago, this marble and codd-neck design was very common with most drinks in Japan, but nowadays only the Ramune drink still uses it. These drinks are very cheap too, at about .80 cents per bottle.
Ramune comes in several flavors, with the original being lemon-lime, which is what I got. Honestly, I don't detect any lemon or lime at all. To me, despite it being clear and colorless, it tastes exactly like the soda Big Red.

Marble-sealed top

Popped the marble down inside

I removed the top and got the marble out

Ramune flavored candy

Halloween's Coming!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Fall and Halloween are drawing near, and the stores here know what's up! These are some great finds at the local 100 yen store.

Glow in the dark polish!

Not spooky, but still a great food container. 

Creatures of Thailand

Seeing so many wild animals in Thailand really moved me, and I want to mention the ones I didn't get photos of or fully identify. For the ones I did get to ID, I'll link photos found via Google so you can see what they look like.

Great Hornbill - We got to watch a flock of these eating fruit in a tree. They are such huge, beautiful birds, with a wingspan of 5ft. They can weigh up to 8lbs, making them the heaviest hornbill in all of Asia.

Black Giant Squirrel - I was stunned when we saw these... I had no clue giant squirrels existed! These furry giants look just like normal squirrels, but grow 4ft long!! It's easy to spot them in the trees; their long tails usually hang down from branches.

Finlayson's Squirrel - My first time seeing a white squirrel! It was so cool. They can come in solid white, or white with black backs. Mind you, these are not albino - they have black eyes.

Cattle Egret - These egrets are common in the states as well as pretty much the rest of the world.

Asian Openbill - These large storks are everywhere and have a gap in their bills which helps them eat snails, their main food.

Red Junglefowl - I was hoping to see these! These birds were domesticated over 5000 years ago and became what we know today as chickens. The wild junglefowl of Asia are very common, but don't approach them thinking they'll be a friendly chicken - these are still wild animals that won't hesitate to bite or scratch! As their name suggests, they live deep in the jungle and are related to pheasants, peafowl, partridges, and quail.

Other animals that I wasn't able to get a positive ID on include several other small birds, leeches, several insects, eagles, scorpions, frogs, and large fruit bats. I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to encounter all of them!
The photos in this post are NOT mine, and were found online.

Ball Game!

Baseball is a huge deal here in Japan! Games in America are a lot more quiet and laid back, while here they get wild! If you attend a Japanese baseball game, you may feel like you're at an American Super Bowl football game! The crowds go totally nuts for their team, and they constantly scream, chant, and sing for hours! Community bands come out (usually consisting of just trumpets) and sit in the stands to play and get rowdy! It's definitely an amazing and hilarious experience. The concession stands sell a lot of noise makers and items to help you cheer on your favorite players. Mini ball bats, mini umbrellas, whistles, and flags are just a few items you'll see. The game we saw was in Yokohama, where the BayStars play. Below I've linked a couple of videos I took of the different crowd cheers.

Game Chant

Umbrella Dance!

Girl with a keg on her back, serving beer!