Random Pix Post #1

During the first week we were served this great meal in the main ryuugakusei meeting room. Basically there are bunches of noodles in freshly half-cut bamboo. You take a cup filled with a kind of soy sauce with you and dip the noodles in there. Also served were these tofu packs with rice inside, very common and very delicious. Not served were drinks and napkins (usually there aren't napkins, but at some places there are).


There was a lot of noodles. I certainly ate my share. Apparently usually there's running water flowing throughout the bamboos, but we didn't put them up to that expectation ;) We were took on the campus tour before we ate, so we all had built up a huge appetite.

Shani and I slurping noodles. In Japan, the louder you slurp, the better! In fact, it's considered rude not to slurp. Much more fun to eat here than back home, that's for sure! Though sometimes I still forget to slurp...I'm just too well-mannered at the dinner table. (*parents snicker*)

John and some of the basketball circle group members at a Viking meat shop (all-you-can-eat). It was pricey, but oh-so-good, and the company was great.


It's the kind of place where you order the raw meat and then cook it yourself. I don't know if we have any of these kinds of places in America (if we're going out to eat, we don't expect to then cook our own food, we're too lazy for that). But man, was this good!! Great way to experience new Japanese foods and cuts of meat as well!

Nekos! (Cats!) And they're lounging around in flower pots! Kawaii! (Cute!!) I wonder if Japanese cats have Japanese accents in nekoben (cat dialect).

Had to take a picture of these movies side-by-side. Cross-eyed Bruce Willis FTW.

"Stick with the peace and the groove'll stay together." - Wise Man Greg

Pika pi, Pikachu! Now all they need is a Farfetch'd mask. Farfetch'd, in Japanese, is "Kamonegi", which is a portmanteau of "kamon", or duck, and "negi", or leek. Duck is often cooked with leek, and Farfetch'd, my favorite Pokemon, is a sword-like-leek-wielding duck. It helps to put words you learn into context to memorize them :) Another side note: I actually had kamon and negi at a yakitori (grilled chicken) shop. It was really good, they even cook skin and serve it separately.


Reads: "Nonth Carolina"


Story behind this: John wanted to buy some flowers for his tutor, Gu-san. Unfortunately, he bought 'death flowers', ones appropriate only for a funeral or during mourning. Koki's pretended to be praying for his dead family members. Needless to say, John didn't give the flowers to his tutor. In Japan, this is also called a "tabuu".


Warning! If you've encountered this man working at the UCLA Wooden Center, then it's his twin. I *KNEW* he looked familiar when I first saw him, so I was relieved when I found out that he has a twin who works at UCLA's gym. I thought I was going crazy.


The company I used to send my suitcases to Tsuru University. Cute icon.


Pac-Man says: No Smoking!


First Engrish shirt I encounted on day one. I think no sense this makes.


More Engrish shirts. I have yet to see a shirt that actually makes sense. Last night one of the guys we were with had a shirt that said "The Tribe of Whiz." We explained to him what "whiz" meant, and he was surprised, to say the least.


This guy looks wayyyy too trigger-happy. Found in the school's byouin (hospital). They have a toy room in there to play with...I guess the college students here get bored while waiting...