I'm sorry I don't update this that often, but I get so caught up in life here (and at the moment, that includes midterms) that this ends up being one of the last things on my mind. But I guess that's why I make my posts hella-long to make up for it!
So, first thing's first, not much new with the tsunami/earthquake/radiation incidences. They're still trying to find missing people (last I checked, the death toll had passed 17,000) and the Fukushima reactors are still leaking radiation, but it isn't getting anywhere near me, so I am still safe.
Next thing on the agenda, I got a tattoo! It's something that I have been wanting for a number of years now. My sister got inked up her first year at university, and I remember a phone call my mom had with one of her friends and I heard her say "Now that Erica has one, I don't see what is stopping Kelly." And she was totally right. That's the great thing about being the younger sibling: you have an older one to clear the path for you, or atleast when it comes to your turn to be a scamp the punishment might not be so harsh. I've wanted one since before she got hers, and once she got hers, I was ready, though there was one thing I still feared a lot:
The Wrath of Dad.
He's not a fan of tattoos at all. He's discussed it with me numerous times and I would just nod and agree so as not to "wake the inner dragon." But certain events transpired that were really the catalyst to me saying "OK, let's do this."
First of all, I had been wanting one for so long, that I was itching for it, and I was across the world so when my dad got mad at me, it wouldn't seem as bad over skype ( :P ).
Second, the disasters that struck. It really hit me that life is short, and you never know when it will end, and the tattoo I've been wanting was all about that.
Third, my old roommate, Jacqui, had to go home. Her university back in California forced her to go home. It was one last big shebang to do before she left. Man I miss that little squirt. She was so wicked-cool. And within a week and a half after the earthquake she was gone. I'm so upset and disappointed she's not here anymore. She was my partner in crime, and I probably won't be able to see her again for a long time.
So, for these reasons I finally got up my butt and did what I've been wanting to do:
Magoshi-san working on my tattoo.
It reads:
"That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet"
And I LOVE IT! I'm so glad I finally got it done! And it hurt. Not as much as everybody said it would (and trust me on this, I've got the pain tolerance of a kitten). And I think it was totally worth the pain. The tattoo artist, Magoshi-san, was really gentle and tender about it too, he was awesome! A big thank you goes out to him!
After the tattoo fiasco, Jacqui returned home to California (*tear*) and I went on a trip to Ise. Ise is a town (by Japanese standards, I'm pretty sure it would classify as a small city back in Canada) that is 3 hours by train ride north of Osaka. It is in the countryside and it is gorgeous! The whole place smelled like cedar trees and I had such a nostalgic feeling of my childhood in northern Ontario. It also has the original and one of the oldest shrines in Japan for Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun:
That isn't the shrine, you're not allowed to take pictures of it,
but here are some pictures of the surrounding it!
I went with my friends Luke, Sam, Mary and Bun, everybody else had jetted off to South Korea (where apparently it smells really bad and they're very rude. Who knew?). But we had a blast in Ise. We actually saw that shrine on the second day. On the first day we went and saw the Wedded Rocks:
I don't know why they got married, but if you notice the rock in the background, you'll see that there is a rock on top that looks suspiciously like a frog...
And because of that there are frog statues EVERYWHERE in Ise:
All. Over. The Place.
We checked out another shrine that day too, I don't remember if it had something to do with Amaterasu, or something else, but right now it's my favourite place in Japan:
All of the trees were massive. I'm no expert but I'm guessing at least 300 years old. It was such a beautiful place, I wish I could go back!
We stayed at ryokan's (Traditional Japanese-style Inn) for the night. I'm glad they had heaters because you could tell it didn't have insulation. Everything was made of wood with the traditional sliding doors and a traditional Japanese style ofuro (bath). And we got some sweet yukata's to sleep in for the night:
I'm thriving in that thing.
The ryokan was awesome. I slept very well, though in the morning when I woke up, I could hear everything that was going on around me because the walls were so thin. But the central garden:
And the giant breakfast:
Totally made the noise in the morning more than worth it. I hope I can stay in another ryokan again soon!
Anyways, that pretty much sums up my break. It's time to hit the books again so that I can do awesome on these midterms (which go on all week and continue to next Monday) and do myself proud!
Hugs and Kisses!
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