my favorites (photos taken while in japan or surrouding countries from my time abroad--the past two years)

inspired by my recent trip to the iowa state fair and all of its biggest and best of this and that competitions (including "most unusual vegetables" category), i decided to put my photos to the test. my test that is, and choose my favorites. i will be commenting briefly on each photo about where and what. i'd like to thank all of the unique and unforgettable individuals who contributed their time, humor, and friendship to me while i was in japan. hontouni arigatougozaimashita! this will also be my last post because i don't really live in japan anymore so the title of my blog would be rather misleading.

this was my second and final trip to disney sea. we had a good time despite the rain...this picture, however, would indicate otherwise.

this photo was taken during "Sakura 2007" outside of the Takasaki City Hall. kirei desu ne.

my private student hosna told me she "born two tulips, they are twins". after some confusion she brought me outside and then i understood completely.

lisa and i look like we came straight out of the 70's. i don't know how this picture turned out to look so old, but i like it. it was taken during "Week in Hokkaido, Summer 2006".

i had the honor of playing taiko in the Haruna Matsuri, but i also enjoyed watching my peers play. shane, jamie, and i played for the special "exhibition" time.

my students at kuragano kindergarten loved to play in the mud. they even had a special tent set up so the mud wouldn't dry in the sun. nothin' like blowin' bubbles in mud.

i apparently was not allowed to take this photo since i was inside the shrine in nikko, but i'm glad i did. it seems a bit confusing and that's what i like about it.

taken at miyajima island, the tide was low for this photo of the famous torii gate.

i ran into some of my students at the takasaki matsuri this year. us gaijin were dressed in our best yukata as well.

these two fellas, cynthia, and i barbequed at her place in rural minakami. it was oishii!

i was a model for a day with lisa, claudio, mike, and pete. we were the actual models' (slightly less beautiful, but as beautiful as we could be) bridesmaids and groomsmen for the georgian house brochure this summer. it was an awesome experience. unfortunately, i don't think they will be using this shot for the brochure.

this photo is taken on the southern korean side of freedom bridge. the bridge leads to north korea so south koreans who still have family on the other side write letters and pictures and set them against the border.

hanabi translates to "fire flower" and they have some of the best in the world in japan. this photo is from this year's takasaki masturi.

john and "his dad" in a park on ogasawara island in the middle of the pacific ocean.

on the way to ogasawara island on the ferry. even on our way there it seemed like heaven.

i conformed to japanese culture by participating in their sakura rituals of drinking beer and eating a bento in hiroshima.

i thought this was pretty, the colors and all. i took it at school during sports day.

this is from my christmas/new years in cambodia and thailand. it's the sunset reflecting off the moat around angkor wat.


of course there are many more, but you can't post them all and you can't save all memories in your hard-drive. living and working and traveling in japan was an experience that i am so grateful to have had. when i'm old and gray i will still remember these 2 years fondly. hope you enjoyed reading and/or viewing my blog. until the next adventure, sayonara.