(no subject)
Ok everybody - sorry I missed the new years party - the pictures look great - I wish I could have been there, but just so you don't get the wrong idea - I will show ya some pictures to show you what my holiday season was like. If you didn't know, my family came to visit me and we traveled around a bit. Some pictures need a little explaining so below is the explanation. Happy New Years and all that Jazz.
http://usera.imagecave.com/eatdrinkstand/winter_vacation/
Home of the Black Eggs - These are sulfur springs that boild up from the earth - Once upon a time someone decided to put an egg in there for some reason, which made the shell turn black due to some chemical reaction - then for some other reason they decide that this black egg will add 7 years on to your life if you eat one. I ate 3...
The Love Rock - this was actually a pair of rocks at this one temple set about 20 yards apart. The idea is that if you shut your eyes and walk from one rock in a straight line (despite there being masses of people walking around the entire time) and are able to trip over the second rock, you will be lucky in love or something like that; needless to say, I tried and succeeded in tripping...
The Big Bell - On New Years Eve, many Japanese make a trip to a shrine or temple in the area and the temples will ring their bells 108 times (108 representing the 108 earthly desires of man) in an effort to expell these desires. I hear it can be a wild time, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling well that night so I couldn't make the trip at midnight. Next year...
The Bad Luck tree - Another New Years tradition is to go to a Shinto shrine and purchase a fortune for the upcoming year; there are 6 or 7 different levels of luck if I recall correctly and if you draw bad luck you tie it to a tree or a pole on the grounds to leave it behind you as you leave. This is the luck you will have with you for the coming year. I drew a mild good luck...
I just returned to my home in Akita today after a nearly 2 week vacation and my family also returned to America today. It was nice to have them visit, but it felt really good to come back to my apartment even though it was about the same temperature as the outside. By the way we have received about 2 meters of snowfall thus far this year. Yikes. Michigan winter seems so wimpy now. Take care.
http://usera.imagecave.com/eatdrinkstand/winter_vacation/
Home of the Black Eggs - These are sulfur springs that boild up from the earth - Once upon a time someone decided to put an egg in there for some reason, which made the shell turn black due to some chemical reaction - then for some other reason they decide that this black egg will add 7 years on to your life if you eat one. I ate 3...
The Love Rock - this was actually a pair of rocks at this one temple set about 20 yards apart. The idea is that if you shut your eyes and walk from one rock in a straight line (despite there being masses of people walking around the entire time) and are able to trip over the second rock, you will be lucky in love or something like that; needless to say, I tried and succeeded in tripping...
The Big Bell - On New Years Eve, many Japanese make a trip to a shrine or temple in the area and the temples will ring their bells 108 times (108 representing the 108 earthly desires of man) in an effort to expell these desires. I hear it can be a wild time, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling well that night so I couldn't make the trip at midnight. Next year...
The Bad Luck tree - Another New Years tradition is to go to a Shinto shrine and purchase a fortune for the upcoming year; there are 6 or 7 different levels of luck if I recall correctly and if you draw bad luck you tie it to a tree or a pole on the grounds to leave it behind you as you leave. This is the luck you will have with you for the coming year. I drew a mild good luck...
I just returned to my home in Akita today after a nearly 2 week vacation and my family also returned to America today. It was nice to have them visit, but it felt really good to come back to my apartment even though it was about the same temperature as the outside. By the way we have received about 2 meters of snowfall thus far this year. Yikes. Michigan winter seems so wimpy now. Take care.