Sanuk Canadian

Christmas is a holiday which I love very much; however, as I am in Japan and far away from family and friends, I feel pangs of loneliness, much more than during other times of the year. So, how to make my home feel warm inside and more like Xmas in Canada? Get a tree! My friend and I went to Nitori, which is a furniture/ household goods chain store. After pouring over the trees on sale, we selected a small, 125 cm tree. I then picked up a box of decorations for ¥499 ($5). I spent about 50 minutes setting up the tree and decorating the house. I think the results are pretty festive: My tree: The tree alone cost $10. Close up detail (top): thick ribbon $1, red bows $1, other ornaments came in a package for $5. More detail (bottom): This tree has two distinct and very Japanese features. Let's take a look! a sushi roll! ^_^ I  won this playing a game at a sushi shop.  Sala from Gundam! ^o^ The total cost of this tree, including all the decor...

More photos from the bazaar at which I volunteered..... Part 1 of this series is HERE .  The weather was warm and sunny on this day; as a result, I spent most of the day outside, selling smaller handicrafts. This bazaar sold more than just handmade goods. I'll showcase more of the offered goods in photos below. This table featured various food for the day -- okonomiaki (Japanese style pancakes), sausages, yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles), tonjiru (vegetables in a pork based soup). There was even hot wine, which was excellent! ^_^ Prices were about ¥200 for one dish ($2) I bought a sausage for my lunch and chatted with the ladies for a while. They were so kind!  This table was the most unique at the event. Called The White Elephant Table , it was a mis mash of knickknacks being sold for low prices. I took a peek: there were geita (Japanese wooden sandals), pottery, ceramics, all kinds of things. It was very similar to a flea market or a garage sale in the ...

Hidden in my desk drawer is a $1 notebook in which I write my goals -- for the week, month, year or years from now. There are crazy dreams noted in it, from "visit Patagonia" to "learn to sail a boat". A personal and more realistic goal I had set for this year was: to volunteer in the community . For the latter part of 2013, I have been joining some older ladies in creating crafts. All ladies are members of the Yokohama International Women's Group, which focuses on fundraising for local charities. This past Saturday all of our craft creations were sold off to benefit two orphanages in the Yokohama area. I'll share some photos from the event. The event took place on the grounds of a local shrine just off the famous Motomachi shopping street in Yokohama. The craft area was set up inside.... Crafts for sale: candy bracelets: Xmas ornaments:  Handmade Xmas stockings -- a very popular item: I loved these happy bears in buckets:  If thes...

I was asked to join a friend last week for some fishing. It was a rare warm and sunny day, so I couldn't stay home. My friend drove us to the Miura peninsula, where I had just been to climb Mt.Oogusu. ^_^ We drove further down the coast, to a fishing spot which was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. I was surprised to find a few sea kayakers.  They pushed off just as we were setting up our fishing gear: The coastline here was incredible. Layers of stone spilled into Sagami Bay: I loved the shape of these rocks.  This view is looking back from our fishing spot: Our fishing spot -- tucked in between two rock outcrops:  On the other side of the bay, I spied some other fishermen: My friend is always incredibly lucky when fishing, catching fish as soon as the line hits the water. This day was no exception. I caught only two, while my friend got six! I took some photos.... My first fish, and the third of the day...Go Team Canada! ^_^ This ...

I'll continue to show highlights from a local climbing group's hike up this mountain in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa prefecture. Part 1 is HERE .  After enjoying a leisurely climb for 1.5 hours, we reached a communications tower, located about 500 meters below the summit: I got a photo of the communications tower's sign, which shows the name of the mountain (top). The map shows Kanagawa prefecture in yellow, with the mountain's location marked by a small, red dot. Past the communications tower, were bilingual signs marking various routes up the mountain: Our hike was a total of 3.1 kilometers. Very easy!  According to this sign, we had 100 meters to the summit. Woo!! ^_^ Yesterday, I mentioned that many women brought large packs for this short climb. Why? We were holding a nabe party (=a kind of Japanese hot stew)! Nabe is traditionally eaten in the fall and winter months. It's simple, full of vegetables and warms your body up quickly. The group...