Fried Sushi

“In Asakusa, sumo wrestlers make babies cry, on purpose. But it’s only one day a year and it’s with parental permission.”

We came across this article this week and wanted to pass it on. This festival is so Japanese – cute, funny, odd and charming all rolled into one tear-filled event.

This was our first day in Tibet, after our 47 hour, let me repeat 47 hour, train ride through the Chinese countryside. Yes, 47 hours sharing a bathroom (not western style, it was what we lovingly refer to as a squatty potty) with 30+ strangers, no shower, and a 4 bunk room with my parents. Ahh togetherness… (I am aware of my high maintenance status.)

Anyway, the weather was wonderful and the scenery at the monastery was beautiful. Here are a few of our pictures.

(Click on the thumbnails to see the full image.)

Now that I am on a break from grad school, I may actually have time (and energy) to blog. While spring break generally means find a beach somewhere, we went the opposite direction…up. We went to Beijing and Tibet, two places I can honestly say I never, ever, thought I would see. It was an amazing, exhausting experience. We decided we couldn’t really call it a vacation, since it wasn’t exactly relaxing, it was more of an adventure. Anyway, we went with a group of people from work and my parents. I was happy my parents were there for this one. It made it special (awww.)

John and I made sure the trip was well documented. Believe me, we have tons of pictures and video clips, so there is no way to show it all in one post. So, I’ll have to do it in installments.

This one is at Sera Monastery in Lhasa, known for its debating courtyard. Young monks-to-be spend the morning in classes and then come to the courtyard to quiz each other. The clapping that you see in the video lets them know if they got the right or wrong answer, and it symbolizes pushing the evil spirits down and lifting people up. It’s kind of like their version of cramming…a little different than the times I spent with Elizabeth, Meredith, Mandy, and other girls studying for Dr. Wiest’s class in the chapter room.

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos.)

Smile for the tourists...

Here is the latest edition of interesting signs we’ve seen around Japan…just a warning the last one could get an R rating…

A Wee Little Vet's Office....we think.

This certainly gets the point across.

That's one hot car!

Automaticaly Glamorous with this Glamatic Gum!

One for Jenna!

Does the name of the car make this ironic?

May not be suitable for kids…we have no idea what this is.

Oh my...This was in a grocery store as a free gift with sake.

Right in the middle of Tokyo…

I’m an outdoorsy men’s clothing store.

How about a geography lesson…Tokyo is divided into different wards, and Akihabara is one of them. Akihabara used to be know for its cheap black-market electronics and goods from the west. Now it is know for Manga (comic book) characters, themed bars and restaurants, electronics, and some other seedy activities that appeal to self-professed geeks.

We hadn’t been there yet, so a few weeks ago we decided to check it out. It probably was our least favorite of the areas of Tokyo we’ve been to. The highlights included huge arcades that had floors and floors of those machines where you use a claw to get stuffed animals or other toys like scantly clad comic book characters…weird. The biggest draw to the area is this HUGE electronics store with everything electronic you can imagine. To me, not as cool as all of the HUGE accessory places in Harajuku. What can I say, I’m a girl.

Here are some pictures. I included one of Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower is not in Akihabara, but we had a good view of it as we came into the city, so I thought I’d share.

Click on thumbnails to see full image.

Here is a picture we took at a little cafe called Paper Moon in Tokyo a few weeks ago.  The Japanese are masters of cuteness!

By the way, if you’ve noticed I haven’t been blogging as much, it is because I have just started grad school, and it is kicking my behind! My goal is to continue to post at least once a month. So, maybe check the blog on your payday or something. Wow, what an awesome day that would be, payday and my blog! (Kidding!)

One of my favorite places to eat is ToTo Sushi.  It’s not John’s favorite place, but sometimes, when I’m really lucky, he actually wants to go, too.  I am not sure what the actual name for this type of restaurant is, but we call sushi-go-round.   The chefs cook, well make, the sushi and put it on this little conveyor belt that travels around the restaurant.  If you see something you like, you just pick it up off of the belt.  The price depends on the color of the plate.  So yummy!

Click on thumbnails to see full image.

It has been a year since we started the blog. So, I thought this sign we found while out shopping the other day would be appropriate. Happy 1th anniversary!