Why went all the trouble of cleaning? Aside from wanting to do this for a long time, here’s another reason why:

Meema came all the way from Tokyo to see Kansai’s autumn scenes. She stayed with me for two days. She’s living in Kanagawa but she’s been to more places here in Kansai than I do. […]

According to Wikipedia>, Nabemono (鍋物, なべ物, nabe cooking pot + mono things, stuff, kinds) or simply called nabe, is a term referring to all varieties of Japanese steamboat dishes, also known as one pot dishes.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia:
A Japanese friend invited me and one of her close friends to her place. Too bad I […]

“I prefer winter over summer” or “I’ve had enough of summer“. These are my usual answers when some Japanese acquaintances ask me about winter. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate summer. I just don’t like sweating. But at the peak of winter, I often take back these “anti-summer” words. […]

Many friends and acquaintances got and are getting married this year. My roommate is going home to the Philippines this Saturday for her wedding in December. Rose got married on the triple 8 day (August 8, 2008). About half a dozen people I know from highschool and college got married during the first […]

I’ve lived here in Japan for more than 2 years. But, I’m still not that used to sitting cross-legged. I still get leg cramps and I still consider sitting on the floor sometimes uncomfortable. My flatmate and I were very delighted when a friend gave us her Japanese-style sofa. (Thanks again, Rose!) […]

One of the things a like (a little) about train rides is I get to observe other people.  In some ways, this helps me reflect on my own life.
This morning, a very old Japanese couple was on the same train.  The old lady sat beside me and her husband sat behind us.  I wanted to […]

I’ve just lost a coin inside the train and one of those train moments happened again this morning.
Since there’s no tea, coffee or even water dispenser in the new company, I usually bring with me a bottle of tea I’ve prepared at home and a can of coffee.  The ones in the vending machine costs […]