Funny Moment:

The day is over, Mattias and I are chatting in the computer lab, but he's feeling sick. He get's ready to leave...

Mattias: Yeah I'm feeling sick, but I don't know what it is.

Me: Go get some nut bread (His favorite food for breakfast and snacks)

Mattias: Yeah, that always perks me up.

So I came to Osaka today to `experience` spending an evening at a capsule hotel. I`m writing about them for my architecture paper. This will actually be my second time but anyways...I walked by this interesting looking internet cafe and here I am, updating my xanga because I have nothing better to do. But this place is way cool. It`s not any internet cafe. I`ll post pics later. There are about 6 combinations that you can `rent`. The simplest option is a computer with a little privacy divider. There there are the TV/computer/DVD/PS2 rooms, the one I`m in with nice comfy fake leather seats. Then there are the little rooms with everything plus a massage chair. In addition there is a crapload of manga (japanese comics) to read the night away with...I don`t get why I would come here and pay to read manga when I can do that in any bookstore for free but ok....

This place also has a cafeteria, free drink vending machines (that`s the real reason I came), uber looking shower capsules and of course the most essential facility-free sun tanning. Cancer....cough cough...they`re so cool. Rise of the mutants....

Well, my time is up. Gonna go grab my third cup of milk tea and go find the only coed capsule hotel in all of Osaka. Peace.

Yes this update thing is just not working out. When I do add pictures, I want to give it effort and add the little comments on the side, but time is pressing as finals are approaching. Yes, I could do this is my spare time for enjoyment, but I do happen to have a life...so to all my fans worldwide, I will flood this blog with pictures sometime in December after finals. How about that?

We visited an elementary school on Tuesday as a class. The kids were sweet, cute and viscious.  Here are a few of the pics I did take...

The little 4th graders and us, the gaijin.

Here let me put you in a head lock so you can smile for the picture.

Preparing for lunch. In elementary school there is no common cafeteria, so the kids are assigned different jobs. Sometimes they have to serve lunch for their class, sometimes they have to clean the bathrooms...speaking of which, they don't have janitors...I think.

Lunch is served. It was pretty tasty for me. Whole milk of course. Luckily we visited on a day they didn't serve natto. The kids love it like no other. I try to like it, but it's just..... so..... bad.

The main character is not meant to be the tomboy the the very front, but the little girl wearing, like so many young and old alike wear, the most popular symbol for clothes in Japan. Playboy. It's so funny, they have no clue where it's from...

Chiizu!

The moon. I like.

Tomorrow we're going hiking. The leaves are turning colors so it will be prime time.

The following pics are from a festival way back in September called Danjiri. Different prefectures bring their constructed shrines and march them through the streets hours on end. One guy stands ontop and tries not to fall. It crazy though, sometimes they take corners really fast, and you just cross your fingers, hoping the dude on top wont fall off. Then in the evening after sunset, they equip the "floating" shrines with lanterns and continue to march them through the streets:

Before the festival began, the our crew is getting their picture taken by in some shady tourist office.

Sweet pic of entrance to following shrine.

Inside a random shrine in Osaka. There are many of these scattered in all cities here.

Some random castle in Osaka. Excuse my ignorance, or err...my bad memory.

Yumeka and Eric being gooooofy.

Now at the festival, the the shrine is about to come around the corner. This is the front of the pack.

The crazy guy ontop!

Going to the mall to catch dinner before the lantern part of the march begins.

Side of the shopping mall.

The floating shrines equipped with lanterns. Each shrine had wheels and inside there were also several people banging on large drums, so everytime they passed by, my body shook from the beat.

All the people accompanying the shrines were drinking- everyone was supposed to be merry.

Another floating shrine. You must be wondering by this time, how many were there? 30+ would be a resonable estimate.

A looong hallway. These are also common in larger cities, usually lined with restaurants and shops.

Fellow Kansai Gaidai students joining in on the celebration and helping *cough cough* to pull the floating shrine.

An uber train. Looks like some superhero imitation to me.

Side view of the uber train.

I'm going to Hiroshima to get contaminated...err, to sightsee. I usually travel with Mattias, but this time I'll be joining Maribeth and Jason. Should be fun. See you soon.

Vanni, I miss you.

I'm entering a photo contest and I need your help. These are the candidates, but I can enter only one photo. Please vote :)

Theme: International Interactions: "Something or somewhere that you have encountered and been influeneced in an international situtation".