I'm not sure why I've been so lucky to see so many friends from home over this year. As Amelia travels West around the world and Scott travels East, they were able to overlap in Japan for five nights and we were only one member short of the spring break crew in Baja a year ago (we missed you Club!) After meeting in Osaka, we spent three great days in Nara and Kyoto before coming back to my city. For the most part, there was a lot to catch up and so we were usually too busy chatting to pay much attention to the shrines and temples but they were beautiful cities and it was a great little trip. We then came over the bridge to my city and they braved four junior high classes which went really well. In addition to the regular lessons, they explained their trips and we played some American Jeopardy. We then had a pretty big night out with the Japanese/foreigner crew that I regularly see and the next morning we delivered Scott at the train station where he took the bullet train back up to Tokyo. Amelia and I went to elementary school and taught some sixth graders how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Unfortunatly, the "peanut cream" that I bought ended up being more like incredibly sweet peanut-flavored-goo but luckily the kids didn't know any differently. Although there was some hesitation and they seemed a little weirded out by the American classic, the sandwiches quickly disappeared and I think they were a success. Scott is now safely in Peru after an unfortunate passport delay and Amelia and I spent a great weekend in my city and a nearby temple town after she went to Hiroshima and Miyajima for two days. I'm very sad that she leaves tomorrow for Australia because the past two weeks have been so great seeing both of them.

Nara
Discarded fortunes that people tie onto something outside of the temple if they arn't happy with what they say
Handstands in Nara


Kyoto
Ginkakuji temple
Thanks to Scott's gift from China, we "Tapped the Rockies" in our nice little Kyoto guesthouse, only with weird juice-like pull tabs

Scott might have accidently pressed too many zeros when taking out yen and ended up with a just a bit more than he bargained for
Teaching at junior high

Creative peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, these students are obviously first-timers at this

View in front of my favorite restaurant on the hill

Kompira-san temple

Tako-yaki party: we made these octopus and pancake balls with some women from my adult class and their families
We went to an amusement park with my mountain school and despite the periodic snow blizzards, there was a beautiful view of the sea and we went on some excellent roller coasters with my favorite students

Out to dinner with my Japanese teacher and friends