Spring has sprung

first blooms, originally uploaded by ninapod.

I saw a funny TV news clip the other day that epitomizes pointless Japanese officials officiating things.

Site is some park in Tokyo where the sakura have begun blooming. A government official arrives with an enormous camera, takes a few photos of a blooming sakura and announces to the news camera: 「桜が咲き始めました。以上です。」

I pass by a gazillion sakura on my way to work and this is probably the closest I will get to hanami this year. For those who will be in Tokyo next week, the river just north of Tennoz Isle station is great.

Yuigahama

Yuigahama, originally uploaded by ninapod.

Chico the Plott Hound and I made it to the beach after a 2.5 hour trek on the 裏大仏 trail.

I♥Kamakura.

Chico

Chico
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Chico was a big hit among Kamakura-ites.

Here he is doing his best Che pose.

Snowshoeing in Gunma

Snoeshowing in Gunma
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Last Sunday for a day trip with the Tokyo Gaijins. Snowshoe up, slide on your booty down the mountain!
My abs hurt for a week afterward. (Congratulations to V, who found out she was carrying twins the next day (no connection with the snowshoeing))
Finished off with a soak in Takaragawa onsen and a 5-hour bus ride back to Shinjuku.
Fresh air and exercise wipes out all the stress from the workweek.


Editor's note: Gunma snowshoeing was in March; Yunishigawa early January; Naeba late December.

Yunishigawa snow

Yunishigawa snow, originally uploaded by ninapod.

栃木に行ってきました。
A few hours away from warm, urban Tokyo is snowy, inaka Yunishigawa in Tochigi, an hour away from the more popular Kinugawa. I went on a very quiet Friday in early January just as a blizzard passed through. Rotenburo is that much better with falling snow silencing everything around you.

Fuji from Enoshima

Fuji from Enoshima
Originally uploaded by ninapod

From Enoshima, packed with hatsumode-ing families and friends on New Years, Fuji at sunset.

Kent, Rebecca

Kent, Rebecca
Originally uploaded by ninapod

The snow was icy and scarce in Naeba but it was a fun siblingx2 ski weekend anyway.

From the Dragondola

From the dragon gondola
Originally uploaded by ninapod

The Dragondola took us to much better snow in Kagura. From the ropeway we spotted monkey tracks, wooden black bears and a beautiful jade-green lake.

apres ski @ Hotel Cho

apres ski @naeba
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Kent and Ai brought lots of goodies (sparkling, wine, cheese) to share for apres-ski at our room in Hotel Cho.

pioneer square ducks

pioneer square ducks
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Even the wooden ducks in Pioneer Square had their rain gear on.

seattle from west seattle

seattle from west seattle, originally uploaded by ninapod.

Seattle was not very different from four years ago. Everyone still wore goretex, every day was cloudy with a chance of rain, and the best city views were from Alki Beach.

Happy Birthday

In celebration of his birthday, my very own Best Of Ken Shimura YouTube Festival.

Let's start with a song!


Next, some calisthenics.


The best swan outfit EVER. Bjork, watch and learn.


うん、うまいっ！


スーパー志村


Family values.


このおじさん変なんです。


And another dance to wrap up. Best part is from 1.40.



Live long and prosper, Shimura!!!

Pacifica Pier

pacifica pier, originally uploaded by ninapod.

From last October, on my biz trip to San Francisco. Pacifica pier at sunset. One of the Japanese teachers I visited lived in Pacifica and she invited me over for Shabbat supper. What a beautiful place to live.

jump if you love Oregon!

like mother, like daughter
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Hi, havarti? I'm gouda.

Hello, peeps. Summer is almost over, just a few more days of typhoon-induced humidity and then GLORIOUS AUTUMN!! Much of the next 2 months I will be in the US doin' my recruitin', but I will post again with photos from CA, OR and WA. YAY!

So, after Okinawa there were lots of fun things this summer. Many people came and left at work and I have a bunch of new co-peons. I went to my first GNO at Fujimamas, saw the Dark Knight, went to a few beer gardens, cut off my hair, played tennis on the hottest freaking day of the summer, celebrated a few birthdays, and celebrated a few weddings.

Last weekend was my cousin Midori's wedding, to longtime beau Takarin. The ceremony was held at Itsukushima Jinja, a world heritage site, on Miyajima, in her hometown of Hiroshima. It was surreal and beautiful.



The room where the ceremony took place was open to the public.



Holy world heritage site, batman.



The bride and groom's geta. Ghet-to!



All the fam was there. I seriously have gorgeous cousins.



Among the guests were James Bond and the Pink Panther.



So was our favorite little person, Yurine.



Bride and groom began in traditional kimonos.



Then later changed to Prince Charming and Ariel.



We took a boat to and from Miyajima and the hotel.



It was SUPER FUN.



So was the reception.



Ai and I sang A Whole New World, and Takarin serenaded Midori with a Kobukuro song. He took piano lessons just for this.



Madoka and Jesse documented the whole thing on video and film. I don't think they sat down for more than 5 minutes the whole day. Otsukaresamadesu.



And here are the sisters.



That should be all the weddings for this year. But you never know, there are still 3 months left of 2008 and Las Vegas is just a plane ride away.

Cheers peeps!

Miyakojima

catamaran, originally uploaded by ninapod.

Spent a few days in Miyakojima with Ai. Green water, blue sky, yellow hibiscus and bright red skin (now a Tahitian tan).

Tokyo? Seattle?

Bay and Highway
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Hard to tell, innit.

Bay and Highway

Bay and Highway
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Tokyo

Tokyo, originally uploaded by ninapod.

Paris? Non. C'est Tokyo a nuit.

father & daughter

father & daughter
Originally uploaded by ninapod

Was flipping through my Flickr pics and could not resist posting this.

Little cousin Yuri and big cousin So.

Cute, or WHAT.