November in a Picture Nutshell

Today I am going to make my entry a bit different from the others. I want to tell you guys about all of the amazing things I was able to take a part of but, I`m having a hard time finding enough free time right now to sit down and write it all up. So instead I will take you throw a `picture nutshell`. Now what is a picture nutshell you may ask? I will post a bunch of different pictures of stuff I did and then add small captions below describing the picture. I hope everyone will enjoy it!


November 3rd. My 17th Birthday. For awhile I wasn`t looking forward to my Birthday because I did`t know what to expect, but it turned to be one of my most fondest memories so far. These three girls, Sayaka, Shouko, and Natsumi, threw a Birthday party for me and it was so much fun. My host family, later that evening, also held a huge dinner in honor of my Birthday.


At my Birthday party my friends threw for me, we made Takoyaki. Takoyaki is fried dough with octopus inside and by far one of the best things I have eaten here. This is what it looks like when you first put in the batter.


This is what the Takoyaki looks like after we flipped it once. We are trying to make them into a ball shape.


The final product! Mmmm~ We made like three or four batches of these things and by the last batch our Taoyaki all had perfect ball forms.


November 9th. (?) University Exchange Student Meet-and-Greet sponsered by Minami Shirakawa Rotary Club and Asahi High School Interact Club. I was asked from some members of the Rotary Interact Club at my school (which up to that point I didn`t know that club existed) if I wanted to take part of this meet-and-greet. When I told my host parents, my host dad told me he would take me to the special dinner party the following night as well. It was so much fun.


November 13. Rotary Trip to Tokyo Disney Land! It was by far the most fun and exhausting day I have experienced. Unfortunatly, the exchange student from Mexico wasn`t able to come because she was ill.


Believe it or not, but we stood in line for this ride for more than three hours. We went on the first Christmas themed weekend so it was completly packed. We only ended up going on three different rides that day.


Our waiting was paid off when a huge parade went passed us as we stood in the last stretch of the line.


Everything was so beautiful with their Christmas decorations. It has really made up for the lack of decorations you would see on a day-to-day basis in December. (Japanese people don`t often celebrate Christmas. At least, not like at home.)


We had a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain and we went at 9pm. You could say Karly and I were `drunk on life` and very very very overtired by that point so it caused for some crazy jokes and laughs to be had as we went through that ride. I HAD to buy our picture when I saw it. We were all trying to make the peace sign but only Oceanne succeeded.


November 14th. Rotary Trip to Asakusa and Ginza! This place was amazing! It`s considered as its own town and it is a huge tourist attraction in Tokyo. There is a giant marketplace where I got a lot of Christmas shopping down, tons of food stalls, and it was all built around a temple!


Asakusa Pagoda.


View of Asakusa from　the top steps of the temple.


A very busy crosswalk in Ginza. Ginza is known best for its shopping, one clothing store had like six different levels! I was able to buy some very nice new clothes for myself.


As we walked through the streets of Ginza, we got stopped by a reporter and camera crew and they asked us if they could ask one of us some questions (in English). I decided to `Be First` and step right up and I am glad, and so were the other girls, that I did because they asked me all sorts of questions about `J-Pop` or Japanese Pop. (Which I absolutly love and know a lot about it.)


November 21st. Joint Shirakawa Rotary Club and Preservation Park Project. I was asked if I would like to voluenteer and help plant trees with my Rotary Club, plus the two other Rotary Clubs in my city, and I immediatly said yes. We planted a lot of Cherry Blossom trees, I can`t remember how many, and next spring they will have very tiny flowers on them but I can`t wait to see! They told me that in five years they will be mostly mature, so that gives me a good reason to come back to Japan! Haha.


Working hard! On the left is the president of my Rotary Club, Minami Shirakawa, and to the right of me are the two other Rotary Clubs` Presidents.


After all of our hard work, Nishimai-san (my club`s President) took me on a very scenic mountain drive up to Shirakawa`s own active volcano, Nasu-san. We even took a gondala up as well as walked up the side of this volcano! Once we got back down, Nishimaki-san treated me again and took me to a relaxing Onsen, a type of Japanese bath house.


We only made it to the halfway point on Nasu-san.

Just as a quick update, I have been with my new host family for a week now and it has been really good so far! My next entry will most likely be about my crazy move and more of my involvement with my Rotary Club.

じゃあまたね！Until next time!

~Stephanie