Juggling and drum playing in Shizuoka...

A few weeks ago I photographed my co-worker, Yu, and his friend, Hayato, during one of their performances. Yu plays the drums and Hayato does juggling, magic and other various things. It was a lot of fun shooting them!

A good quote for worrywarts like me...

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the future - wondering what will come next and thinking about all the things I want to accomplish in the next few years. It's overwhelming sometimes, being in your twenties...you feel like every decision you make now will have a huge (positive or negative) impact on your future.
Today I read a quote by Leo Tolstoy that really hit me square between the eyes:

"Remember then: there is only one time that is important - Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time we when we have any power."

I can't change the past, no matter how much I may want to sometimes; worrying about the future won't change it at all. So I'm going to try to remember to keep my mind in the here and now - the only place that I can really make a difference.

"My darling is a foreigner"

Last night I went to the movies with Jeff and Aya to see Sherlock Holmes. As some of you readers back in the States know, I LOVE Sherlock Holmes. I read my first Holmes mystery when I was about 11 and have loved him ever since. So I was super excited to see this movie, especially since I have been waiting since I first saw the posters in the theater back in December.
The movie was great - a modern day take on a classic hero. Of course, some creative liberties were taken to make Sherlock Holmes popular with a modern audience, but I expected that. I thought it was well-made and funny too. So I recommend it.
But the actual topic of this post is something Jeff spotted in the lobby before we went into the movie theater:

That's right. My darling is a foreigner - a new movie coming out soon. I can't really read the Japanese inside this little booklet, but it seems that she is a manga writer who falls in love with an American and the movie follows them through all the ups and downs of their international relationship. But in a cute Japanese-y way.
You can check out the website here and watch the trailer. Even though it's in Japanese, you can get the general idea.

What's been going on...

Sorry for such a big gap between my last post and this one. I didn't think it was humanly possible, but as spring is approaching, I am becoming busier and busier at work. Yikes.
But in my free time I've been enjoying spending time with new and old friends - and students and co-workers, too.
I'm really thankful for the friends that I've made here in Japan. Coming here over a year ago completely alone was really intimidating, but I've met and become friends with many great people, other foreigners and Japanese alike. It's been such a blessing. And I absolutely couldn't ask for better students or co-workers.

Last weekend, Aya hosted a girls night/nabe party at her apartment. Two teachers from a nearby town, Nikki and Asami, joined us. We had kimchi and sukiyaki nabe, my two favorites. We ate, drink, watched a chick flick and cried at the end in true girly fashion. It was great.

And purikura! Some shots of girls from the girls night/nabe party, Nikki and I before going to a little party in Shizuoka with other foreign teachers, me and Aya, and some students, too!

I think I need this to organize my tiny Japanese apartment...

And today's purikura (particularly hilarious):

A day of being a photographer again.

I miss taking photos. I try to take photos regularly here in Japan, but work is so busy and the hours make it difficult to go out and shoot. Even though teaching English is a lot of fun, I miss holding a camera every day.
I also miss the random photo shoots I used to do with my friends in the States. I was always anxious to practice my photography on willing models, and I just happen to have incredibly beautiful friends, so every few weeks or so, I would drag my friends to the studio or outside for some photos. Some of my best shots have come from those shoots and I'm a better photographer because of them.
So, today I convinced my dear friend, the very lovely Aya, to brave the cold and be my model in Mochimune, a beach town two stops away from Fujieda. I'm so thankful she agreed, not only because she's a great person to shoot, but also because I was able to relieve the photography itch I've been feeling lately!

Model and photographer.

Then purikura of course! So both of us could be models.

Gaijin purikura!

I love doing purikura with other foreigners because I think the combination of something so Japanese with people who are definitely not Japanese is hilarious. There are a few foreigners around Fujieda that I've become friends with - it's so nice to meet people from other countries who can completely understand all of the craziness that is living in Japan.
Jeff, a Canadian who also teaches English at a high school, heard about Purikura Month and decided to join in on the fun today:

Awesome.