A little bit of Yokohama knowledge.

Apparently a HUGE part of Yokohama used to be underwater!  Actually, not underwater... but it used to be part of a lake!  What we know today as Sakuragicho, Kannnai, Nihon-odori... and other big parts of Yokohama are all build on artificial land.

That part of the city was once a busy lake with boats sailing everywhere around it fishing, trading and doing other things.  That was 400 years ago. But suddenly,350 years ago, someone decided to fill it in and build a bunch of rice paddies.  Then 120 years ago it became prime real estate with the opening of Yokohama's port to the rest of the world.

Its an interesting fact to me. However, the book i was reading didnt explain why or who exactly decided to fill in that lake.  If someone decided to fill in Lake Tahoe with land to build whatever on it, people back home would throw a huge fit. I know I would.

I love learning something new everyday!

I love Daiso.

 I got a flat tire with my bicycle last week.  In the few days I didn't use it, i realized how long it takes just to get somewhere, even around my neighborhood just walking.  I was thinking of taking it to the bicycle shop for a fix, but then I found this repair kit at Daiso. The equivalent of the Dollar Store but with actual quality items! 

I bought a tool for different size bolts and a repair kit for flat tires.  All it cost me: 210 yen.  Thats a little over 2 bucks!  Also, I rode all the way to the bike shop after fixing it myself just to test my repair and see what kind of repair kits the store might have.  And just as I thought, they had lots of neat tools, but they were freakin expensive. 

Looking at the kit below, do you see those two orange cylinder like things?  Those are just plastic tools to help pop your tire off of the wheel.  A pack of those alone at the bike shop would have cost me about 7 bucks. No patches or liquid cement included!  Hah, im glad i fixed it myself.. like a BAUS!






 

Im glad to be using this beautiful bike again.

Undokai

Something new I got to see in the last two months is something known as the Undokai. Aka, a sports festival.  Kids at the school train and practice for months before the day of the actual event. Sometimes the kids are there early before I even get to work.  Every morning is filled with the school band practicing, or kids yelling chants and singing songs, running relays and all that fun stuff.

Thinking back, I don't believe I ever experienced this at my elementary school when I was a kid. If we had one, i definitely dont remember it. All 6 years in primary school and no sports festival.. boo.

One thing that left in impression on me was that the entire community around the school, parents, grand parents, kids who graduated from the school a year or so before.... all these people come to watch.  The school puts this event on a Saturday and takes the following Monday off. Its a serious event, but really interesting how it brings the community together as they watch these little people battling it out in sports games.

I like how during lunch time, the entire school becomes like a park with people picnicking all over the place. From grandparents to grand kids, its just one big family in the school almost.  I don't remember having this in my primary school. Im not sure if we have this in america for primary, or even jr highschool. But I think it would be really awesome if we did.

People of all ages, even ojisans getting together to throw bean bags at those piniata looking things.

The group that pops theirs open first wins.

Unfortunatley I was a bit busy and couldnt take more pictures of the cool stuff they were doing. But I do have a video i will edit later.

May

This month marks the 2 year anniversary I got to "walk" for my graduation from San Diego State.  Although I didn't actually graduate until December that year, it symbolized quite a few things. One: It was time for me to move into "the real world".  Two: It was time to graduate from living with 17 housemates in the AGO house and either move back home or find a new job really really fast and get myself an appartment in SD. I moved back home T_T. Though for a very short time.  Three: I finally had that "International Business" degree I worked so long to get.

Fastforward to now and I can see that lots of things have changed.  I live by myself in a tiny apartment with a tiny loft I sleep in above my kitchen. I go to work everyday to be surrounded by monkeys... uhm i mean kids who make me laugh and sigh at the same time.  I have the blessing of being able to finally develop skills with guitar as i am surrounded by musician friends i see every week and alos have the privilege of jamming with them in addition to playing in a church band really similar to Flood Church in SD.  I get to make loud noises with friends with and without instruments on weekends.

While I do feel like I haven't accomplished much in the career area of my life, I did get to Japan and somehow receive God's blessing to stay. Despite trying to be independent and live for myself (while horribly failing at it) Ive been blessed with a good (hopefully not for the rest of my life) job, great friends, a really interesting town to live in and something to look forward to every week.  After all, I did meet another SDSU graduate with the same major as me, yet in the same situation with the same "temporary" job as me.  A little encouragement to know that im not alone in the "career limbo" part of life.  Im not the only one feeling the need to move forward.

Somehow I am still living in this country and it hasn't ceased to amuse me, I only dreamed of being able to play in a band, a church band.. or just any band up until now.  And I don't know how, but I'm livin it.  Meeting new people every week in and out, mostly through church made me realize what a special place it its. In normal Japanese or American life you just dont meet these many new people so often. Ive never seen so many people come together  for or because of Christ.  But thats another story for another time.  Ill share some of the things I experienced this month.



In the beginning of May they have something called "Golden Week"  Its really just a bunch of holidays put in a row just so it feels like you have a week off.  城ヶ島 or Jougashima was the place we went to. Just south of Yokohama about an hour or two. 

Really beautiful scenery mostly. There were a few shots that would have been good except for the huge crane or just random construction machines in the way.

One of our friends decided he wanted a picture of himself taken with nunchucks and his shirt off.

The latter part of the day just turned into a ridiculous photo shoot.

Club Spare Room, a literal spare room at our friends' apartment had a sweet sound system and vinyl turn tables. A true club indeed.

















Here's some manga style pictures from the Yokohama Girl's Apartment. Who can you recognize?

 Another view I get to see when I go running near where I live.

And something interesting I found.  This bass is literally an AXE!

One part of having church potlucks is that we are lucky to have people who live on base bring real american pizza every once in a while.

 Cool fountain park area in my beautiful city.

Okay, way past my bed time. I get more and more terrible at posting and writing things so ill put up more pictures of this past month later!