Friday, November 27, 2009

The end of an adventure...


My apologies for the lack of entries toward the end of my trip. I was so busy running around squeezing in as much as I could of the Eastern world that I decided to wait until I got back for my final entry. My last days in Japan were wonderful and I enjoyed every minute. I'm happy with the experiences I had and that I made the most of my trip, particularly with the new great friends I made there. I'll have some pictures up in the gallery, but below are a few of the highlights. Having been back a week now, I am slowly processing and digesting it all in my attempt to readjust to life back in the states. I'm taking the next week or so as time to reflect and decide where my blog will go from here. Stay tuned and thanks for following me in my journey!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Odaiba: The Man-Made Island


Last weekend I went to Odaiba with Nao, Ken, and later met up with Tomomi and Nao's friend. It's a place that had been on my list to see since it's a man-made island and has all kind of technology, shopping, and mainly a cool ferris wheel. So we spent the afternoon walking around and checking out what all there is to see. It's also a dog-friendly town so I saw tons of people who bring their dogs (decked out in cute clothes, strollers, etc) and that made me happy. It's a very modern place, built with many easy conveniences and technologically-advanced, since there is the Toyota, Fuji, and other showrooms there. You could spend a whole day there and not have to leave with all the entertainment and things to do! We saw the Statue of Liberty- a smaller version modeled after the French original, the Venus Fort shopping mall- a beautifully designed mall that made me feel I was in Europe, the Toyota showroom where I did a simulator ride for their new safety breaking procedures, the Ferris wheel to get a nighttime view, and just walked around and got dinner. We went to an Okonomiyaki place, which is cooked on a skillet in front of you and is basically made like a "pancake" though it has lots cabbage, your choice of filling like meat/seafood/cheese/etc, and sometimes noodles. Then there's a yummy sauce and mayo poured on top to make it a ooey gooey goodness! We also had some yakisoba and a couple other things- it was all delicious!

lady liberties: born on the 4th of July!

inside the mall

this dog actually had a green mohawk- coolest dog ever.

weird how much it looks like NYC at night- easily could be mistaken...


Around Shibuya...

Lately I've been exploring Shibuya on the nice days out since it's near where I'm staying. I enjoy just wandering around, observing the people, going in and out of shops, checking out all the different places to eat, and just taking it all in. It's a very busy, huge area that has a lot of hustle and bustle. Below are some shots I've snapped along the way. Check out the gallery for more I recently uploaded...

beautiful wall art at the metro station

The famous Shibuya crossing- huge intersection like Times Square

Out and about for some shopping?

Shibuya station at night

Lots of elevated walkways and big overpasses like this around the city

Magazine newsstands and book shops- often find guys standing around reading the "men's magazines"

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

NaNoWriMo

I know last month when October began I wrote a post about how quickly time flies and valuing it. Well here we are already a few days into November... I'm enjoying my last couple weeks in Japan to the fullest and trying to be mindful everyday so I don't let December creep up on me either. Well, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)- who knew? I was told about it by a fellow actor when I had my brief acting stint for the Japanese tv drama where I was a pregnant Romanian. Anyway- the idea is to encourage people to write, you know where people always say "I want to write a novel..." well this is the impetus to do so! You sign up and have the month of November to write your 175-pg (50,000 word) novel. I signed up since I have had the idea for a novel for some time now and, though in the midst of modeling, school, and seeing the world, I know I can make time to write if I have the encouragement. So here it goes! Anyone can sign up and have the support of the online community to write a novel- the point is to just get it written (not revised or edited)! Here's the website if anyone wants to sign up, we're only 4 days into it: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Wish me luck!!

Sidewalk Cafe

Gazebo cafe

Last week I had a free afternoon and decided to enjoy a nice lunch at a sidewalk cafe since it was so nice outside. The lovely gourmet lunch set included a drink, roll, soup, salad, and a shrimp and avocado croissant sandwich. Perfectly portioned and perfectly delicious (and all for $10). And the people-watching was enjoyable as well... I tried to look as cool as I could while still snapping a few shots.pink lemonade makes my day


she's rockin it

boots are everywhere! (I've bought 2 pairs)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Happy Halloween


Happy Halloween to all you ghouls and goblins. While Halloween is celebrated in Tokyo, it's still not the same as back home in the states. The Japanese like decorating and they've had festive decor up for the past month or so now, along with specialty pumpkin sweets and other fall things. But they really don't understand the meaning of it or why it's celebrated. The kids don't trick-or-treat and nobody really dresses up, except the people who go out Halloween night to clubs or bars for nightlife festivities. So not all was lost by being here for the holiday, just some of the other joys that go with it like pumpkin carving, toasting seeds, parades, mischief night, trick and treats, and the overall feel you get from seeing everyone in costume. I'm sure New York was quite a sight, though I got an eyeful myself last night in Shibuya walking to and at the club. I dressed as Princess Sparkle, a My Little Pony, as I had pieces of things I'd purchased while here in Tokyo and thought the cuteness was perfectly fitting to the culture here. And it was- all the Japanese girls kept saying how cute my outfit was and wanting pictures with me. I made lots of friends. The club we went to even had a costume contest so I entered in it- lucky #13- but unfortunately didn't win the grand prize (which was a grand $$). Below are some pics I snapped and there's more at the gallery.