Sayonara II

I guess it's not really a sayonara, but rather a see you in a bit.
We're off to Indonesia early tomorrow morning and are really jazzed for a break from this place. After saying goodbye to friends it's nice to also say goodbye to our life here for a few short weeks. We're heading to Sumatra first to volunteer at an orangutan research project. Soon I'll be sleeping in the jungle and wiping my ass with my hand. Should be good times.
Seriously though, I'm really excited to see and feel the rainforest, and try to be a tad more helpful than just another tourist. The Sumatran rainforest is yet another front losing out to environmental destruction.

Please help me:



After saving the planet, we'll head to Bali for some much deserved R&R.

Sayonara

Along with the arrival of summer, the last couple of weeks saw the departure of some dear friends. We were sad to see many new friends leave, but the flying away of two couples in particular left an empty space. It's great to meet new and interesting people, but to meet kindred spirits is something special. These new friends are people I'm confident we'd be friends with under any circumstances (not just Japan). So we say sayonara for now!





I wish that I had Jesse's girl...

Summer...

...it turns me upside down.

Yes, indeed summer finally arrived recently. It rolled in with a sick oppressive wall of heat that makes sweat the rule of the day. It took awhile for it to finally land. We made our way through the rainy season that just kept raining. It was biblical at times and summarily proved to me that Japan does indeed have a rainy season. I was a little skeptical at first with all the talk and no water, but when it hit, it hit something awful. In Okayama, the rivers filled up, mud slid, trains were delayed, students were late, and in some cases school was actually cancelled. It looked like end times for awhile.
Alas, it passed. Now the day greets us with brute force sun and heat. Nonetheless, the cicadas are out and carrying on noisy parties. People are smiling. Summer festivals are in full swing with yukata clad merrymakers filling the streets.
In this spirit, I headed out to a fireworks festival last weekend with a few friends and my gorgeous Japanese girlfriend.



We did it up wearing traditional clothing. I was quite comfortable though I'm not sure my Japanese Princess was able to breath normally.



She sure looked beautiful though.



The only uncomfortable thing I had to deal with was getting used to these things:



It didn't take long though and soon walking on wood platforms seemed relaxing and right.
Here's a shot of my date with friends:



Yeeha! Hanabi yo!!