ぱんやお／pangyao

with my Sakura buddy and one of my best friends Aya


high school buddy with their babies!!!! They are all beautiful hot moms huh?


Big cats of my professor

Two Uni mates of mine and professor I used to study under. He is the coolest.


Pangyao is very suitable word for me to express those people who do this all Saayonara party for me.
Arigatp-!

Nikko was blast!!

Nikko

Please visit Nikko and try the boat riding down to the river.
It is rocky and bit rough ride with comfortable sound of the stream and cold splash from the river.
It is very difficult not to get soaked.
Please do not wear high heels and short-skirt for the riding, girls!! (especially the ones from Tokyo)

You can enjoy the all different types of giant rocks which were all roughly scraped due to the years of erosion and mountains covered with trees with beautiful fresh summer green. A group of deer is having a peep at you behind trees.

If you do not know what to do on this week end, please consider about the 40 mins boat riding for 2500yen, which is only 2 hours away from Tokyo (you have to consistently drive 130km/hours though..;P)
It definitely worth.

Info-
You need to go to Kinugawa Onsen station and there is a receptipn for the Kinugawa Kawakudari.(riding)
you need to make sure for their time table of the boat.
15;45 is the latest possible you can try riding.
It is about 15Km from Nikko station.

いってきました、日光。
日光はもう数えきれないほどいっているのですが、今回は初の泊まり。
そして鬼怒川まで足をのばし初の川下り。４０分で６キロのかわを下るボートはスリリングだけど、せせらぎをききながら、新緑のなか鴨の親子をみながら、マイナスイオンたっぷりの短い旅。２５００円でこれはおいしいすぎる。是非是非日光まで足を伸ばした際には鬼怒川にもよって川下りやってみて！！！
今回旅の友であった元職場のガールズよ、一つ質問です。私の運転どうだった？？
私的には最高のドライバーだと自負しているのだけど、なぜか君たちは後ろで固まっていたようなきがする。。（だって免許とってウン年で無事故無違反。ゴールド。ペーパーではありません！！！！）。
皆様素敵な初夏をすごしてください：P（まとめちゃえ）

SAYONARA

I do love you all! Thank you for the memorable sayonara party,
I will miss you great folks.

look back old days

Mamonaku-! 間もなく．間もなく。

people that I work with in 2005.
Tomorrow will be sayonrara party for me.
do not know what to say.

日本的契りのかわし方／Japanese style wedding

This is the second wedding I have been to in this month only !!
Japanese traditional wedding is such a hassle! ( but so much fun)
A wedding is absolutely formal matter and there are so many unspoken rules, which you are supposed to know as an adult common decency. No one actually tells you.
First of all, money is big issue.
You have to consider how much you are supposed to "gift" for the reception.
It depends on how close to the couple or how much actually the wedding SEEMS to cost.
You may not know how much but if you are adult enough you have to guess from the number of people invited and how famous the wedding reception hall is. You can certainly know the grade of the reception by the name.



Usual gift money range should be around 20000yen-30000yen.
There is another rule when you choose to gift 20000yen instead of 30000yen due to your financial situation.
Let's think about the number of 2! "2" can be divided. You have to choose the number you cannot divide. Dividing, or splitting reminds, "divorce", so when you gift 20000yen, you have to choose one 10000yen bill plus 2 bills of 5000yen, instead of 2 bills of 10000yen.
I need a get a manual book for sure to know all these rules. You need a written manual or instruction to be a true grown-ups in this country I guess.

No body really told you something like above. This is a fact that you are supposed to know as you grow. That is the most difficult part.
Otherwise people see you as a sad person or something, but they will still not tell you. These rules draw border.
I do not even remember who I have learned these rules from.

As for the todays wedding,it was authentic Japanese wedding with Shinto style called Shinzen at Meijijingu shrine.
I have never seen this before and I did not know that you were required to drink Sake so many times in the ceremony.
My stomach was so empty and I was so sacred to faint or pass out after chugging Sake every time.
I started to get soooo red and I felt so embarrassed that I looked like a boiled octopus;P


The Shinzen wedding was so simple but done with dignified manner. Not much word spoken but it definitely worth to see. We are prohibited to take photo unfortunately.
Our group was surrounded by the foreigners and taken bunch of photos.
Lot of couples chooses a western style wedding even though they are nothing to do with Christianity. I am nothing against of that because it is personal choice.

We do not have particular religion. we are believer of everything for our convenience!
That is very interesting part of Japanese mentality.
New year we become hardcore believer of Shintoism or Buddhism. We struggle to manage our schedule from new years day to 3rd of January because you should not postpone it after 3rd maybe we go to hell or something...


You can choose either temple or shrine you like. It depends on your mood and your feeling of the day.

On Christmas day we turn to be a very serious Christian and start worshipping blindly Jesus, but most people do not even know who the hell actually Jesus is. The funnier thing is Christmas is a day to make a love for couples.

And for a wedding, lot of couples again become serious Christian even though 100% of couples already broke the promise of abstinence before marriage.
The priest is not even real they are hired as a part timer on weekends with fake beard and bible. (I am sorry I actually do not know about the bible but.. I believe it is fake) so that they can be the closest image of what the most of Japanese people would imagine when they hear the term of the Priest (of course a sect does not matter to Japanese) the matter is a "style."

Do not take me wrong. I enjoy all kind of weddings. I am just very interested in Japanese people's flexibility.

Pls enjoy some photos from today’s impressive weddings.
Congratulation Naomi and Toshiyuki!!!!
Thank you for inviting and letting me share wonderful memory with you guys.

I am wondering what my mood would be like for my far future wedding;)

Good night!

今日は５月で二度目の結婚式へ。
日本の皆さんは知っているかもしれないけど、とにかく日本の結婚式は大変。大変といっても終わってしまえば、たのしかったね、きれいだったねでおわるのだけれど、準備はもとあれ、なんせ暗黙のルールがおおいのである。
わたしはその日本における暗黙のルールとやらがすごく苦手。知らないとものすごく恥をかいて、なんだかしょうもない人のように扱われるのに、だからといって誰かが教えてくれる訳ではない。
代表例としてご祝儀のつつみかた。
割り切れる数でのご祝儀はさけ、２万円の場合は１万円一枚と５千円札２枚を入れること。これくらいは常識だけど、でもだれから教わったか覚えていない。とにかく大人ならしっていることになっている。知っているはずってことを私は知らないことが多い．その他にもおそらく山ほどの暗黙のルールがあるんだろうけど、間違えて恥をかいて覚えていくしかないのかしら。でも指摘してくれる人がいないし、日本、特に東京は放置プレイの町なので、そのままなにも気づかずに笑われて一生をおえたらどうしよう！！なんて入らぬ心配をしてみたりする。

今日の結婚式は神前。初の神前しかも明治神宮。神前行ったことある人ならわかるけど、とにかくお神酒を飲む場面が多く、お酒に弱い私は、困ってしまう。大抵の場面は空腹のことが多いので、たったあれだけのお神酒でも私はゆでだこみたいになってしまう。
私みたいな人は酔ってしまうと最後は全く人として昨日しなくなるので、酔わないように細心の注意を払いいざあの有名な大名行列へ。
すみません、あのみんなでつらつら歩く、なんて御呼びすればいんざんしょ。

花嫁さん、婿さんを先頭に皆様にお披露目会ですよ。
とにかく目立つ目立つ。大量の外人さんがふぁあああああーとよってきて写真とりまくり。寺島しのぶにでもなった気分でした。
って私がとられてたわけじゃないいんだけどね。。
神前はよけいなものを一切省いたシンプルなもので、誓い言葉も短いし、とてもシンプル。
日本人の面白いところは宗教に関してはイベントごとに改宗しまくる柔軟性のある（？）ところ。その一瞬のためにどんな宗教にでも改宗する変わり身のはやさ。
いきなり信じてもいないゴッドに永遠の愛を真剣に涙ながらに誓っていたりするのをみると、日本人てすげーとおもってしまうのです。
クリスマスはカップルがどうどうとメイクラブする日の聖なる日です。ジーザスないてますよ！！っていうかジーザスって何やった人かしってますか？？
結婚式ともなれば、だいたいの人がキリスト教式。いや、あの牧師たちはアルバイトで実は日本語がぺらぺらなのに、それっぽく聞こえるようにわざとアクセントをつけた日本語ではなしてるって噂　”ヤメルトキモースコヤカナトキモーオタガイヲ”（てなかんじかな）
誤解しないで下さい。私は結婚式毎回相当楽しんでます。やっぱり新郎新婦とその御両親の幸せそうな顔、それにつきます。
今日の結婚式も涙あり笑いありのすばらしいものでした。
お二人がしあわせでありますよう。
なおちゃんありがとねー。とてもきれいでしたので、写真ののせちゃいます。

私の将来の結婚式は、どうしようかしらー。（ダイジョウブデス、シバラクソレハアリマセン、アーメン）

Viva Calfornia

a polaroid that I took

I like photo.

In few days

hey yo.
Last Sunday we went to awesome one day hiking trip to Chiba.Mt.Nokogiri allows you to have wonderful panoramic view from the top of the mountain. It is only some 300M mountain, piece a cake for most of you.
Please any of you who are bored with Tokyo life, flee to Mt Nokogiri to refresh.

For me even better was that I was with 20 amazing people (pretty much first met ). It was perfect for my final trip as a member of Sakura Team.
It has been about 2 years and couple months since I started working this agency for foreigners. it also means that the same amount of time already passed since I left the U.S.

I am 120% sure for my decision that I made and it was not that big deal.
Only thing that I regret to leave is people that I work with and work for.
I just cannot appreciate enough to those who give me opportunities to add intriguing aspect for my life and great awareness for the rest of the world. All of them here helped me a lot to be what I am. I like how sometimes my life take a direction that I did not intend to. This invisible power is shaking me and so cool. I like to be influenced, impacted, of course every decision that I make falls onto me and I am the one who has to take care of it, but I like to be always flexible to be able to hear others story or advice.

Life is short so I want to choose always "to do" rather” not to do" when I get lost for my choice, there are many regrets as a matter of fact ;) but all of mistakes that I have made would not be called mistakes now. It is more memorable and kind of cute mark adding interesting essence to my life. They also become part of me and enrich me as a human being.

My mom always says encounters with people settle (determine or affect) your life. I came to realize that I have been surrounded with people whose characters are influential and attractive enough I am always tempted to steal.
Some friends of mine thankfully tell me that they respect my ability of taking ideas into an actual action.
That is such a complement for me but at the same time part of me says “No I am just acting like a little kid who can not be patient for a piece of chocolate cake right in front of me.
I cannot help grabbing it and run away even though I know that I will get chewed out as a consequence.
It might be called “spontaneity” in good way but “selfishness” works as well. It is so called two sides of the same coin idea.
Nothing really holds me back. There is no reason to have cold feet caz there is nothing I would lose yet.

All friends who helped me, people that I met, I worked with, thank you for your unconditional support and help.
All the best and peace be with you for all.

ayawomasho

whooray! since I am leaving for outside of the country in a month, I start taking picture with people that I love.
My friend Nazare invited me for this party with other french folks.
She is an amazing excavator of new restaurants, bars, izakayas...etc.
Foreigners living in Tokyo sometime know so much more about Tokyo than I do. I always feel like I am some kind of ignorance or idiot! I might have taken Tokyo for granted till at age of 29.

what is Tokyo for me? Lot of foreigners choose Tokyo for their life stage. They come across this simple question at some point of their life here.
I have never given thought about it, but it might be interesting to try.. funny thing is that I have to really try to think abut it. The answer will not come out of my mouth without hassle.

Tokyo is exciting and no such a place in the world, caotic but order, new but old. There tradition and cutting edge coexist and do not kill each other.
Tokyo is in the midst of such contradiction,chaos and confusion,which is very clear to anyone. then what is Tokyo for me???
woops...do not know......

what is Tokyo for you?


さすがに全部を日本語では訳せないから、でも日本の友達にも読んで色々書いてもらえたらなーと思うのでー。
フランス人のナザレとあうときはなぜかいつも下北沢なんだけど、ほんとに店をよくしっている！
驚いてしまう。私はなんて無知なんだ！！と悲しくなるくらいに、日本に住んでいる外国人って東京をよく知っているんだよね。
通りの名前とか、安くて美味しい店とか。最近気に入っている店は彼らの口コミばかり。
東京って恐ろしいスピードで変遷している。とにかくボケーとしってたら飲まれる。なんかあのあれ、ほら千と千尋の神隠しのクチナシだっけ？？を思い出す。空恐ろしいっていうか。
人生の大半を過ごしてきた私にとってもやっぱり変！って町なのに、外国人にとっては、一体なんなの？？ってはなしだとおもうんだよね。でも日本に住んでいたら一度はぶつかる質問だとおもう。”自分にとっての東京って？”
これを書きながらもう、いろいろ考えてみたけどわからない。。
この移り変わりのなかで常に混乱と、混沌と、矛盾の中にいるのは確かだけど、自分にとってってきかれたらちょっとわかんないんだよねー。。
あなたにとっての東京はどんな場所ですか？