OMG...it's too cute!!!

You can buy these from the Sanrio website! Precious!!!

Happy Birthday!

One year ago today I started this blog and it's now one year old! :) Aww...ain't it cute!?!

Also -Happy B'day to my one and only bro - Nolan!

Happy 26th!!! I think that offically puts you in that "mid to late twenties" now! hehe...

Just in...

The first male heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne in four decades was named Hisahito — meaning “virtuous, calm and everlasting,” — today, the Imperial Household Agency announced.

The 6-day-old infant, who is third in line to be emperor, was given his name in an ancient imperial ceremony at the Tokyo hospital where his mother, Princess Kiko, is recovering.

The name Hisahito, formed with the Chinese characters for “virtuous, calm and everlasting,” was chosen with the wish that the new prince has a long, prosperous life, an even temper and peace of mind, palace spokeswoman Yuka Shiina said.

The baby's name was written on special rice paper with a brush and ink and placed with his personal crest in a wooden box next to his pillow in a five-minute ceremony. The crest, a stylized Japanese umbrella pine, will be used to mark Prince Hisahito's belongings.

---Okay---
So, the pic at the top really has nothing to do with the post, but it was just too funny/cute to leave out! :)

I wonder !?!

So, I was reading this article my friend Susan sent me and thought it'd be funny to share. I know many of you out there are actually Orlando haters, but just bear with it:

Good news for those who prefer their men non-threatening, sensitive and soul-patch-sporting and like their women bonier than the dumpster of a KFC: Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth may be back on the market.

"Entertainment Tonight" reports the fitful flames, who called off their nearly three-year romance in January 2005 only to reconcile a few months later, have gone belly-up yet again.
No word on what caused the supposed split, but it comes after a summer spent crisscrossing the globe promoting their respective big-budget flicks: Bloom, 29, was boosting the record-breaking "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," while Bosworth, 23, was out stumping for the more modestly grossing "Superman Returns."

The break-up also comes about a month after the humdrum honeys purportedly had a public spat during a stopover in Japan. According to the London Mirror, the argument was sparked after the cadaverous starlet allegedly tossed a cigarette butt and some litter on the ground at an environmentally friendly rock festival where Bloom was appearing.

"Orlando had a massive go at her," a snitch told the tabloid. "He said they were meant to be there to promote the environment and she was chucking litter around ... Kate kept saying, 'Nobody saw, I don't know what your problem is.'"

The pretty actor, who's been in California filming the third installment of the Johnny Depp-dependent swashbuckling franchise, was on his own at the Teen Choice Awards on Aug. 20, when he collected the coveted "Choice Hottie" prize, but according to E!'s Ted Casablanca, he may have already moved on with someone new. Details are sketchy, other than she's supposed to be "athletic" and he's supposed to be "entranced."
http://movies.msn.com/beacon/editorial11.aspx?ptid=454b5321-67e9-4bc9-a70e-df69bd8d3b97&GT1=7701

Empty Orchestra

Did you know karaoke began in Kobe?

It is now widely recognized that the use of karaoke started at a snack bar in Kobe City. It is said that when a strolling guitarist could not come to perform at the bar due to illness or other reasons, the owner of the bar prepared tapes of accompaniment recordings, and vocalists enjoyed singing to the tapes. Even though it is only legend, this might have been the beginning of karaoke, and since then, karaoke has been commercialized and has become popular all over Japan.

FYI - Karaoke is a Japanese abbreviated compound word: "kara" comes from "karappo" meaning empty, and "oke" is the abbreviation of "okesutura," or orchestra.

It's a Boy

Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth today to a baby boy, the first imperial male heir to be born in more than four decades and the answer to the prayers of conservatives keen to keep women off the ancient throne.
The birth will scuttle for now a plan to let women ascend the throne, an idea opposed by traditionalists eager to preserve a practice they say stretches back more than 2,000 years.
That would disappoint many ordinary Japanese, who favour changing the succession to give women equal rights to the throne.
"It's good that a boy was born so that the royal family could keep its male lineage. I'm happy that Japan's tradition has been maintained," said Tadayuki Aman, a 77-year-old doctor.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had planned to revise the law to let women ascend the throne but Kiko's pregnancy put on hold that proposal, which would have cleared the way for Aiko to become Japan's first reigning empress since the 18th century.
Surveys have shown that most Japanese favour giving women equal rights to the throne. Reform looks all but certain to stall now, although many said the birth should not stop change.
"Other countries around the world have female monarchs. Japan should also change with the times," said Masashi Yamaguchi, a 25-year-old IT engineer.

What's his name?
Ordinary Japanese couples find it hard enough to choose a name for a baby -- there are 2,928 permitted Chinese characters that can stand alone or be combined with others for shades of meaning.
For Prince Akishino, who may find himself choosing a name for a future emperor, the task will likely be even harder and must be completed within a week.
His wife, Princess Kiko, gave birth to a baby boy by a Caesarean operation today and the new baby will be the first male born into the imperial household in more than 40 years. Only males are allowed to succeed to the throne under current law.
Since Akishino is a second son rather than a direct heir to the Chrysanthemum throne he is permitted to name his own children rather than leaving the process up to his father, Emperor Akihito.
The couple's two older daughters -- Princesses Mako and Kako -- were given two-syllable names to echo their mother's monicker.
Emperors' names traditionally end with the character "hito," meaning the highest moral standard, while names for royal women end in "ko", meaning noblewoman.
Names ending in "hito" are highly unusual for commoners and while "ko" was once a popular name ending for girls, it is increasingly rare for new babies.
Akishino's given name is Fumihito, his elder brother is Crown Prince Naruhito and their grandfather was the wartime Emperor Hirohito.
In a simple naming ceremony held seven days after the birth of Kako, Akishino laid a wooden box on the baby's pillow, containing her name written on a piece of "washi" handmade paper.
Whatever name finds its way into the wooden box next week could influence a generation of Japanese children.
When Naruhito was born in 1960 he was also given the childhood title Prince Hiro. That year, four names using the character for "hiro" made it on to the top 10 list of boys' names, with "Hiroshi" the most popular.
Following the birth of Naruhito's only daughter Princess Aiko in 2001, the character "ai" -- meaning love -- became a popular choice for girls' names.

Katahigashi Sports Day

This last Saturday (September 2nd) was Katahigashi JHS's Sports Day, so we got Monday off! Yayy!

Katahigashi (From inside the tent, so it's backwards!)
The yellow team before their 1st cheering match.
Kibasen (piggyback fights)


Big Ball Races
Relays
Tire Steal - My Favorite!

Cheering
Folk Dancing

Did you know?

Other examples of the events held at sports days include running, tug of war, gymnastics, and tamaire (throw the beanbags in the basket). In schools, many of these are contested among the classes in each grade, while in community events they are contested among towns or districts. Alongside traditional sports, more unusual disciplines like bread-eating contests, obstacle races, and costume parades add color and fun to the events. The variety of competitions means there is something for everyone. Sports day venues are traditionally decorated with bunting.
School sports days tend to be enjoyed by all the family. Particularly in elementary schools, parents come to cheer on their children while recording the day for posterity in photos and home-movie footage. They are even made to participate in some races, battling with their kids against other parent-child teams. Sports days are opportunities for families to bond and to deepen their friendships with other people in their communities.

My Crush

Here's some pics of Naoto Kosuge -My #9 (and future b/f) on the Albirex BB Team!
Oh yeah - Back off Ladies!!!

Y'all ready???

Sports Day is right around the corner and school (for me) starts tomorrow. Are y'all ready? B/c I'm not! Where did this Summer break go? Always too quick! Anyways, I am at my new place Katahigashi JHS with only 194 students which is a HUGE change from my last schools with close to 800 students. But here - The students seem cool, the school itself is okay, and the teachers are nice - can't ask for more than that! :)


My new Teacher's room.

Yeah!!!

What is Sports Day?

Every autumn, school kids all over Japan, from kindergarten through high school, take part in Sports Day. On this day, athletic meets are held to give kids a chance to test their skills and compete with each other in a variety of events. It is also a great chance for the whole family to enjoy fun time together. This is particularly true of elementary school meets, where large numbers of families often come out to cheer on the kids.
There are two basic kinds of events - individual and group. A running race is an example of an individual event. Group events, where students are divided into teams, include tug-of-war, ball-tossing games, and mock cavalry battles. Kids usually compete against those of the same grade, but there are also relay races between teams made up of kids from all grades.
Some schools also include non-competitive events like folk or traditional Japanese dancing. At the high-school and sometimes JHS level, students do more than just compete in sports events; cheering contests are often held in which each class makes up its own cheers, adding even more energy to this exciting day.

I want to be the HYPHEN

I want to be the hyphen in KAT-TUN too! :)
This CM cracks me up!

西川まつり

The Nishikawa-tans were in full Matsuri (Festival) mode yesterday as well as tonight. Surprise Surprise - I found out I live like TWO BLOCKS away from "Main Street" Nishikawa, so I got full view of what all my town Matsuri had to offer! Yesterday was the Odori (dancing) event, so people of all ages lined up in the streets to dance the night away. It was quite cute since all the kids decked out in their club outfits (wearing baseball or karate uniforms) and the local businesses sponsered strangely unique floats.
Tonight was some Taiko drumming and fireworks.
My favorite part is they got this odd (probably local boys) hard rock band (seriously...we're talking on par to Limp Biscuit or something with all the screaming and guitar sounds going on) playing as the fireworks are going off. So, I couldn't help but laugh as they blare/scream away on thier mics/guitars as the elderly/children sit quietly on thier patios and sidewalk curbs to watch the hanabi - classic!

I LOVE THIS LIL' TOWN!!!





Why there was a giant Mickey...your guess is as good as mine!?!

Noh-theatre & Shakespeare "Othello"

The fourth production in the popular Noh Theater Shakespeare series produced by the Ryutopia Theater Department was one of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies, Othello (Directed by Yoshihiro Kurita). The company’s third production, The Winter’s Tale, was well received at an international Shakespeare festival held in Romania in April of 2006, earning remarks such as “most memorable performance.”

Ryutopia Noh Theater Shakespeare Series Othello
http://www.ryutopia.or.jp/shakespeare/english.html

Author: William Shakespeare

Translator: Kazuko Matsuoka

Director: Yoshihiro Kurita

[Niigata]Date: Aug. 22-26

Place: Niigata Ryutopia Noh Theater

[Tokyo]Date: Aug. 28-31

Place: Umewaka No Theater

This last Tuesday, Natasha, Ros, and I attended the opening Noh play for Ryutopia's William Shakespeare- Othello. We had no idea what to expect, but we did know one of the English college Students we spoke too earlier in the year on English Day was in the performance.

The play was AMAZING!

Even though it is long, around 3 hours I would RECOMMEND IT!!! Here in Niigata it cost 5,000 yen and starts at 7 pm. If you can still see it - DO. Even though you more than likely won't understand the actors, you should know the story and the acting was superb - so that alone makes it more than enjoyable! I had a great time and actually wouldn't mind seeing it again!!!

Niigata's Ryutopia Noh Theater

The Cast

What is Noh?
Noh is the oldest existing form of theater...
http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/noh.shtml