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02 Oct 08
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Off to California Well, I am on my way to the airport...I will go and see my sisters for a week. We are all meeting in San Diego, so that should be fun. And, I will be close to the beach. I think it is supposed to be a bit warmer so I should get some beach time in. Yeah!... |
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28 Sep 08
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Sumo! After eight years in Japan, I finally made it to a Sumo tournament. It was really amazing!
Actually, I have had a very busy weekend! I met Glenn on Friday night for what was supposed to be a glorious, two-hour, all-you-can-eat Brazilian Steak feast,... |
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23 Sep 08
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Autumn Equinox Day Today was a holiday in Japan, so everyone could take the day off from work. You know, like I do everyday! Anyway, Freda came down to Kamakura and we walked over to Enoshima. Summer ended on a high note: it was mostly sunny and almost 30 degrees!... |
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14 Sep 08
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Machida DJ concert Yesterday, I went to a show held at Ryoudenji in Machida. Everything was set up on the temple grounds, and it all looked pretty amazing. I am kicking myself for not taking my camera.
Anyway, there were food and drink booths in the open area at the main... |
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10 Sep 08
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It's still summer! OH! The weather has been amazing this week. Blue skies, lovely sunsets...it really has been great. Yesterday, Laura came down and we spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach. We watched the sun set and headed off to Vahana's Bar for what is becoming... |
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02 Sep 08
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One last hurrah! Well, tragically, the beach bars closed on Sunday. I went over in the afternoon and stayed until 12:30am...so, it was a pretty long day. Freda, Haruko and Max also came down to enjoy the party...thanks!
Like I promised, I took my camera along and shot a... |
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30 Aug 08
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Well, it was raining... Tonight was the penultimate night for the bars on the beach. Woo! I drank too much. I did not mean to...the weather is too blame. You see, it started to rain heavily once I arrived at the bar. And without an umbrella, I thought it would be best to wait... |
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27 Aug 08
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At least it isn't raining! I woke up to bright sunshine this morning. Of course, as soon as I swung my legs out of bed the clouds rushed in to block it. That is OK...it is not raining (yet?). Did I mention this is the last week for the beach houses/bars? I went by last night but... |
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24 Aug 08
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Lazy August As i mentioned last month, I went to London for a week's escape from the summer heat and humidity of Japan. I think that might have been a great strategy when I lived in Tokyo, but leaving from Zushi was not really necessary. Of course, it is hot here,... |
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31 Jul 08
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Zushi Fireworks 2008 Like I mentioned, yesterday was ANOTHER beach day including the Zushi Fireworks show. Despite the first signs of rain in what seemed like forever, it came off as planned. It was really comfortable sitting on the beach...maybe it was 75-80 degrees and a... |
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30 Jul 08
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Summer plans I am off to London next week! my original thought was to break up the usually miserably humid summer, but that was before I realised just how much more comfortable summer could be outside of Tokyo. It helps that I can pop over to the beach for a swim... |
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28 Jul 08
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Hayama Fireworks I went to watch the Hayama fireworks tonight. Even better, I watched from Zushi Beach so I only had to walk two minutes to get there. I am sure Hayama was crowded, but there were probably only 20-30 people on the beach around me and five people in the... |
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25 Jul 08
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Did you really want to hear from me? I took this at the beach yesterday. It is not really a big deal for me because I have been going everyday this summer, but I talked to Yoko the other day and she said I should update this. So...this is for all of you that are sitting in your cubicles... |
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01 Jul 08
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EIGHT YEARS! unbelieveable! So, like I mentioned in the last post, I just realised that I have been in Japan for eight years as of today! I cannot believe how quickly it has gone. I am practically 40 years old now, so I have been having a lot of these weird, life-perspective... |
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01 Jul 08
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Moving Day! I am moving today! Actually, I am in Zushi now, waiting for the moving company to bring my stuff. They are eating at the restaurant across the street now!
I will be glad when the whole process is finished. I spent the last week slowly going through... |
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14 Jun 08
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The right decision... I decided on Zushi after all. I am looking forward to it. Well, actually, I am in Zushi right now, so it is easy to do.
Seriously, moving is such a hassle that I cannot wait until all of that is finished. On one hand, it is easier since I own the place... |
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07 Jun 08
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Surprise! Well, it's only been six months since I wrote you something! So, do not be so impatient. Well, obviously a lot has happened in that time. Or, if you will, not happened. For example, I still do not have a job. I am not so happy about that, but then again,... |
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01 Jan 08
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Happy New Year! あけましておめでとうございます！ Happy New Year! Welcome to 2008!
One of the things I hoped to do this year was watch the first sunrise of the year, which is supposed to bring you good luck. Although it seemed like a great idea beforehand, it was less appealing at 6am this morning. So,... |
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28 Dec 07
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Mt. Fuji from Zushi Beach A view like this is one of the reasons I like going down to the beach. I took this a few weeks ago...just getting around to posting it now. That is not too bad considering it took me almost two years to show you the picture of the salt house.
Anyway,... |
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06 Dec 07
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Lovely Fall day Some people might be surprised to hear me say that Fall is my favorite time of year. I know that probably half of the posts on this blog are about the beach, which is a summer place, but nothing beats a sunny fall day when the temperature is crisp and... |
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30 Nov 07
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Yum! Salt! If you visit the blog regularly, you have probably noticed that I am making more of an effort to write something these days. Most be the terrible guilt I felt for not posting anything for a month.
Anyway, I am in Zushi tonight and while I was walking... |
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29 Nov 07
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Foggy Imperial Beach It has been a month since I got back from California. Tonight, having nothing better to do, I was looking at some of the pictures and thought I would post one.
At first, I expected to find a nice sunny day picture to put up, but as you can see it can... |
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28 Nov 07
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Tokyo Tower This is a picture of Tokyo Tower. Actually, it is a few weeks old, but probably it has not changed very much since then, so I thought I would post it.
If you live in the Minato area, it is pretty hard to get away from Tokyo Tower. In fact, I can see... |
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26 Nov 07
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Another beach stroll Continuing on the beach lifestyle theme, I met some friends at Kamakura Station yesterday and we spent the day walking to and around Enoshima. The weather was absolutely lovely and the views were terrific. I wonder how many more weekends like this we will... |
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26 Nov 07
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Zushi Beach Yabusame (逗子海岸流鏑馬) Well, it has been a month, so I thought it would be nice to update the blog again. I have been kind of busy, but always when I get home it does not seem to be entertaining enough to write about. Well, last week's horseback archery on Zushi Beach being an... |
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29 Oct 07
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Urawa Reds v Nagoya Grampus I met up with Max last night and we went to see Urawa play in Saitama. This is the first time I have been to a J League match, although it is the third time I have been to Saitama Stadium 2002, which is a very cool place to watch football.
Here is the... |
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27 Oct 07
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The Good San Diego holiday What better time to review the lovely part of my holiday last week than in the middle of a typhoon. Really, this whole weather/fire thing is a bit frustrating. I just want to have a nice sunny day...is it too much too ask for? Actually, tomorrow is... |
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25 Oct 07
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My timing is still good! Well, I got back to Tokyo yesterday. It is good to be home, especially as San Diego is on fire. You may have noticed, at least if you read English language news.
We were in Imperial Beach so there was never any danger and we did not need to evacuate.... |
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17 Oct 07
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California Here I Come A little bit later today, I am off to Narita to catch a flight to San Diego. Well, flights...no direct service, you see. Woo hoo!
I am not taking my laptop, so no new posts for at least a week. Then again, I have not been prolific recently, so I do not... |
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16 Oct 07
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50,000 visitors Hey! There have now been 50,000 visitors to Sarukoen! Thank you everyone for continuing to come back to visit.
Actually, this has been in the back of my mind for the last few months and sometimes, when I was really REALLY bored, I would think of ways to... |
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13 Oct 07
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Walking in Kamakura I spent Friday morning walking in Kamakura. Of course, I have been down there a lot, but this was the first time that I went there from Zushi instead of Tokyo. It is much more convenient right?
I met a friend at Kamakura station and we walked from there... |
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10 Oct 07
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Progress...well, sort of. So, I went down to Zushi again today. I have not been down there very much over the last few weeks and when I do go, it tends to be in the evening with a quick return the next day. The good news is that I bought a proper bed and the futon can be retired... |
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04 Oct 07
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Cheap drinks at Korakuen So, we decided to head over to Tokyo Dome for the last game of the season. And being cheap, we opted for the beer garden although the game itself was probably sold out anyway.
Now, I think we are going enough to be regular customers...unfortunately the... |
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29 Sep 07
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I am lazy. It's great. Well, we went back to the all-you-can-drink place at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. It was OK...actually, there is a two-hour time limit, but when you are paying less than the cost of two drinks in Roppongi, it is still a fantastic deal.
When I say "we", I... |
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25 Sep 07
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OK, OK...here is an update Well, it is probably safe to say that the worst of summer is over. It can get pretty warm during the day but it is always cooling down at night. So, no more air conditioning for this year, I hope.
Here is a picture of Zushi Beach taken from the rooftop... |
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10 Sep 07
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whoops...been awhile Well, the apartment is finished. In fact, it has been such a long time since I wrote that in the interim, I have spent five nights there. Pretty cool, right? Unfortunately, I haven't done much in the way of furnishing it, although I do have some things... |
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20 Aug 07
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Sneak preview! Ah...so close I can practically taste it. I went down today for a final walkthrough. There are a few small things yet to be done, but the work is essentially finished. In addition, the absolute basics are there - air conditioner, refrigerator, washing... |
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12 Aug 07
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I can hardly wait! I have had a busy week! One of the things I did was head down to Ikea yesterday. That place is amazing...really. We spent something like three hours there and I am sure we did not see everything.
It is down in Yokohama and after the big shopping... |
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08 Aug 07
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Lovely paint job! whew... As I said below, I had a full day down by the beach. I went early and to look at the apartment and do a little shopping. I bought a refrigerator and a washing machine. I am going again next week to buy futons and an air conditioner.
Meanwhile, I have... |
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08 Aug 07
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Enoshima Fireworks 2007 I met up with Laura yesterday in Enoshima for the fireworks. It was excellent, but more on that in a minute. It was actually a full Shonan day but I will get to that in the next post.
As for the fireworks show, this is the second year in a row that I... |
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31 Jul 07
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It's almost done! Yesterday was another Zushi day, but one almost entirely given over to the apartment. Which is difficult, because I have lots of homework and a semi-serious test today, so studying might have been a good idea. Whoops!
Anyway, I picked out the curtains... |
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29 Jul 07
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And an update on the apartment... SO, of course I had to get some photos of the place...it is really starting to take shape now. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera on Thursday so no shots then. And on Friday, they started work on the bathroom, including putting some noxious chemicals in... |
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29 Jul 07
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Zushi Fireworks Like I mentioned below, on Friuday I went to Zushi to watch the fireworks from the roof of the building my apartment is in. It was absolutely awesome! It was fantastic!
I tried to get pictures, but they did not really come out so well...this one looks... |
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29 Jul 07
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Summer is here (Enoshima and Kamakura) Well, I was lazy on Friday and skipped school. Instead, I went to the beach. Surprised? Actually, the plan was to watch Zushi fireworks from my the roof of my new apartment block, but I went early...about seven hours early.
So, I got off the train in... |
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22 Jul 07
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More apartment work I have been down to Zushi twice since my last entry, so I will post a few more pictures of the apartment below. It is slowly taking shape, but we are not at a stage where dramatic changes (walls being plastered, kitchen/bath being installed) are... |
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08 Jul 07
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The walls are coming back up Well, a lot of the wiring seems to be done and the frames for the walls have come up. In addition, the frame for the kitchen is complete and the counter will be built soon.
This is the first time I got a true feeling for what the finished place will be... |
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08 Jul 07
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Back to Japan (and Hayama) So, I am back home. The flight was miserable, but never mind that. I have not done very much since I got back. It is also weird, because I have not really met up with anyone either. The same thing used to happen when I was working, but I always assumed it... |
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02 Jul 07
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More pubs I met Maurice last night in South Chelsea. Of course, we went to a few pubs. We actually met just off King's Road at the Cooper Arms on Flood Street. It's a nice pub, although it was kind of empty. They have a nice garden in back, which is useful now that... |
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01 Jul 07
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Happy Canada Day So, apparently today is Canada Day! I am in London, but there are lots of Canadians here and the one place they all go on a day like today is the Maple Leaf in Covent Garden.
This shows the line to get in at 1pm...what you cannot see is the eight-ten... |
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30 Jun 07
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Mini pub crawl I met up with Stuart and Sam last night for a stroll down memory lane. Well, more like drinking in a lot of pubs that I used to go to when I spent more time in London.
We decided on four-five places beforehand and said we would have a pint in each. Or... |
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