I hope everyone's been enjoying October..! I would say I have, but I don't quite remember much of it. Lot's of working, sleeping, some worrying, but I'm still alive and Bingley's healthy (and Shota~) so I can't complain.

Since Halloween in Japan is pretty lackluster, as far as I'm concerned, I've had to search long and hard to find anything interesting to post about. Most are snapshots of decorations, costumes, and my own costume prepping, so maybe not so much writing (for once). Enjoy :)

Halloween in Shinsaibashi

A shop in Shinsaibashi with their Halloween display. It's already been replaced with a Christmas one, and Halloween hasn't even happened yet. And I thought America was always in a hurry DD:

A... Halloween.. tree??? From the same store.
I don't even know. It's cute, but at the same time ridiculous.















Let's not forget Halloween.. presents..!..??
I really think they just got their traditions mixed up, which is bound to happen when they aren't native to one's culture (like Halloween in America..? and origins of Christmas for that matter..).

Halloween at Universal Studios Japan

The really shoddy thing is I was sooo, so, so, super excited to go the Halloween events at USJ (especially since the stateside ones had Silent Hill events, which looked amazing and I'm still regretting not being able to go to..) which ultimately lends to a higher degree of disappointment.

And oh, how disappointing it was. Decorations were nice though (I guess). Orange and black and the like.







This! This is the sign that got me all jazzed! Scary attractions where kids aren't allowed?! How awesome-sauces~

A little more cute before we get into the scary other stuff.


I wanted to buy Sesame Street stuff just to show some support for PBS but.. seeing as this is a theme park, it's being pocketed by USJ. Ah wells.









All of these were taken with my phone, so forgive the sizes. :<

Anyway, the Raccoon City sign in daylight (I don't think I snapped a night shot). I was really hoping the Biohazard (Resident Evil) area would be scarier. More like a haunted house. But, it was not.

I feel bad the zombie staffers were only able to scare ぶりっ子 (burikko - girly-girls. usually the type that scream in super high-pitched voices and are generally viewed as annoyingly cute?).

YEA! Night time! let's scare some people!! Right? Right??

No.

It's impossible to scare a crowd of hundreds with.. 10 zombie staffers. So sad that the odds were against them.





Jill on top of the USJ globe, striking poses and signaling.. someone. I think. I don't really know what she was supposed to be doing.

I tried to snap a shot of Nemesis when he stepped out in front of the globe, but alas, all those shots ended up blurry and have been confined the tumblr-verse, where you may giggle at the terrible quality.





And this is about all I did for the Halloween event. Somehow, all the Halloween attractions were done queuing at 16:30 (when we arrived in the park) even though the Halloween event didn't start until 18:00. Plus, the express line tickets we bought, only worked for 4 attractions instead of the 7 they're supposed to work for. (Dafuq??) As a result, we only rode Spiderman (not scary), Back to the Future (not scary), and Jurassic Park (not scary, but we got a funny photo).

I did get to scare my boss a couple times, which made everyone laugh. She loves me tho :3

Overall, I give USJ's Horror Night, out of 100, a -75. It seemed like they weren't ready for the crowd, and it kind of made it feel like a waste of money especially when you're only coming to USJ for the Horror event and you can't do any of the horror even things. Just a mess. I sure do hope the American versions were better. (Also, thank god I have a pass, otherwise I'd be mad x9000).

Halloween at Work

My boss and co-worker, being as creepy as possible in order to scare one of the customers. Some weird dancing was also involved. Lol

We also decided to make Alien Brain Hemorrhages for the month of October. Most Japanese bars don't do any kind of special shots, so this easily freaks people out.









And finally, photos from the party!! :D

The owner, myself and another staff member.

We scary :3

A patron in party mode.

Halloween Costumes (in JP)

Lookie what we have here! My costume from.. 3 years ago? At twice the price too! Sans hat (which is easily the best part). All the Leg Avenue costumes run around this price and most of the accessories are missing.

I actually did like flouncing around in this a few years back.











Then you have the 'Huh?' costumes? Where.. they just took the names of Disney Princess' and stuck them on random costumes. I saw a Princess Aurora one too, but forgot to snap a photo.

It's pretty funny that they didn't even try to match what was written and what's shown.











Nice Japan-only costumes like.. the Host. I mean, the Host is ridiculous to see on the streets, and they're most easily mocked by other Japanese, but as a costume?? Just seems down right boring, but that might just be me. Perhaps there was a clever young chap out there this past weekend causing a ruckus as a fake Host. Maybe they even scammed a few people, who knows~

There were a couple other 'meh' ones like a police officer and traffic.. police officer, but I'll the save the space on the article, and just direct you to the tumblr post with all the costume photos.







This isn't a costume. I think. At least I couldn't tell you what it's supposed to be ('look! I'm objectification of women and probably one of the reasons why women are so thoroughly molested in clubs -- or some such).

I would suppose that no one would really wear this out in public. I hope. Dear Japanese goddess, who must be rolling in her cave.










How about a little more sexualization?? Mmm yes. I, also, wasn't able to see this costume on the streets last weekend, which is a relief because really. This is creepy. I'm also pretty sure that this uniform is usually only for elementary/middle school students (I don't think it's so common anymore, for obvious reasons).

But Alyse, you might say, aren't you jumping to conclusions about the intentions of the costume?? Well, dear friend, a simple google image search of the phrase 小学生体育制服 Shougakusei taiiku seifuku (Elementary school student PE uniform, as I wanted double-check my assumptions), will lead you to understand why.

Ohhh Japan creepy, creepy Japan.... Sad panda :<




This was another one that threw me because.. I don't see a connection between Diva and having a brown face. There are plenty of popular musicians who aren't brown-faced, and the simple fact that it was labeled 'Diva' and not 'Gyaru' or some other fashion style associated with frivolous darkening of the skin makes me wonder what 'Divas' they could be talking about (hint: everytime I hear the word diva, it's usually followed by Whitney Houston or Beyonce).

Ohhhhh...kaaay.

Eitherway, wholly unattractive. Looks like she smeared chocolate on her face. :<

My Halloween

For my own costume, I decided to go with the tried and true 'Vampire.' I couldn't tell you how many times I've been a vampire, but it does not get old for me. This year, I was going for a vampire somewhere between Blade and Underworld (basically 90s/early 00s). Which is really just a fangs and alternative clothes, which means yaaay, I get to save money. Sorta of.

Anyway, I wanted to made some claw-like nails (which I think might be more Interview with the Vampire), and started with this set. It's pretty simple, but I really like them, and plan on wearing them after Halloween too. :)






Then I made these flesh-toned ones with dripping blood so it looks like I really clawed someone to death. Yaaay.

Too bad I forgot to wear either one when I went out for Halloween this past Saturday. Thank goodness for parties that actually occur on Halloween.






I was able to get my hands on some icy-blue contacts, though not UV lenses like I wanted (they don't come in my prescription :< ). These are actually circle lenses, and since you can't change the B.C. (base curve), they aren't the most comfortable. But they got the job done and I freaked out a lot of people on Saturday. :)

I also got a neat wig, skeleton tights (for no real reason except I REALLY wanted some), and leather pants. I think the leather pants fit the Vamp theme better.. but I really want to wear skeleton tights :3







Partner's in crime..! We had a great time out in Minami, and also learned a valuable lesson, clubs are really crowded during Halloween :< Plus clubs close at odd times (usually somewhere between 1-3), which isn't quite late/early enough to catch the trains back home, and really makes you wonder if it's worth spending the 1500 yen sans drink to get into the club for only an hour or two.

I can only predict that the club scene will get progressively worse from here on, until there's nothing left but fuzoku, girls bars, kyabakura, and host clubs. Is that what the old men want? Just to have the streets to themselves??

Ah well. Happy Halloween!! And be safe! :)
★Peaces★

Cheers!!

September..!! Boy, did we have some... good bad stressed times.

Preface:

It had been the better part of three months. Three whole months of waiting, pacing, and trying not to freak out about my non-existent visa status. I suppose I was partially to blame for not realizing that the visa system had changed so that you could reapply for a new visa three months in advance as opposed to the previous policy of only one month (if you ask me, they were basically begging to always be up to their necks in applications and paperwork with as short a time period as that). But it's not like they send out immigration newsletters or are even a place I particularly like to be in (pre-preface: I HATE the immigration bureau in Japan).

I quit my company job (March) and went to apply for a new visa in May (it was to expire in June), but apparently, I did that in the wrong order. A foreigner quitting their job then applying to renew their stay must ring all sorts of bells in the bureau because after that, I had to send them copies of my passbook (similar to bank statements), so they could check if I had... money..? (I guess??) Then a written explanation on how I would continue on surviving supporting myself in Japan without a job despite being the participant in a marriage. It was weird and completely invasive, and I was completely opposed to doing it until I realized my savings were slowly dwindling away and unemployment checks were almost done running their course (and I do actually enjoy working, so there's another thing).

So the immigration took their sweet-ass time, and another month later, I was finally awarded my first full Spouse Visa (the first two only being 1-year test runs just in case. I guess???). That was mid-August, right before Obon Festival, so even though I'd been asked to work at one conversation school after getting my visa back, I would still have to wait until September before I could get started (which means no yen until October, OUCH). That was a definite no bueno, so I made a leap of faith, away from the Gaijinpots and other publications (and websites) for non-Japanese and went straight for, well, Google for starters. But it eventually led me into the wild world of アルバイト (arubaito)  or part-time work.

The Part-time Nightlife

Part 1: The Interview(s) with the Employer(s)

that's exactly what you think it is and it's chocolate.

I suppose it's really hard to realize how limited your options are until you look through the job section of Gaijinpot.com or Kansai Scene. It's about 80% English conversation stuff (closer to 90% on Gaijinpot), some part-time but also a lot of full-time ALT jobs. After that, you may find one or two waitress/bar-tending gigs, then a few things for babysitting. And while teaching English is ALWAYS a good way to make money, I am genuinely uncomfortable teaching English in big classes. Especially to big, mostly unwilling classes. I feel like I'm wasting my time, and therefore, don't want to give the 100% that would be necessary for a good English lesson (not that I would be doing much teaching anyway). And unless you have JLPT certification, companies outside of the English ring aren't interested (nothing says fluency like standardized testing, amirite TOEIC? Or Eiken???).

It's a faulty system based 90% on appearance (photos are a must when sending applications) and/or native-ness (esp. English school companies) or 100% on certifications (translation gigs). So much god-damned paper that usually has no bearing on a persons ability to do a job.

So I typed, or something like it, 大阪市内外国人 (Osaka-shinai-gaikokujin-kyujin) which is 'job recruiting foreigners within Osaka City.' I can't say, or type, what I was hoping to find since I'm sure non-Japanese rarely type that into search engines, but I suppose I just wanted some reassurance that companies were aware of non-Japanese trying to outside of the English circle. And a few things popped up, mostly in relation to kitchen or izakaya staff, which is also cool, but I don't really want to handle peoples food. But I noticed a lot of results in the sites BaitoruDotCom and Arubatio-Ex, so I made accounts and started fine-tuning my search techniques on those sites.

And OHHH my sweet baby Buddha. Compared to the small number of jobs I was used to seeing on Kansai Scene, I thought I'd hit some sort of jackpot. Of course, these weren't jobs that were especially for non-Japanese (arubaito are usually for young Japanese while they're still in school or before moving up to join the ranks of the salaryman and OL), but I didn't let that damper my enthusiasm.

With these sites, I was also able to get into the details of the type of work I wanted. Since food handling was mostly out of the question, I decided to look for work in a night club or bar, that way it wouldn't interrupt the sleep pattern I established for my illustration stuff. I also wanted something with flexible hours and work days, so that if, for some inexplicable reason I got a big illustration commission (a girl can dream, can't she~) or a family vacation popped up, I would be able to take off the necessary amount of time, but also be able to jump right back into the part-time job once things got slow again. And you would be surprised at how many bars are so willing to accomodate. And telephone operation companies for that matter.

After reading the deets (pay rate, whether a uniform was required, location, hours of operation, etc.) I applied to 3 places plus a part-time position at Universal Studios Japan since I've always wanted to work at a theme park (I love fun~). And to my surprise, all three wrote back asking for interviews. And this is when I got really nervous. My spoken Japanese level is pretty high, but I've always hated talking on phones because I usually have to ask for clarification a couple times, and I feel like people then doubt that I speak Japanese at all. So I made a point of mentioning in my e-mailed replies that I was a foreigner (though I did it a kind of nonchalant way e.g. I'm a foreigner but I've got all mah papers, yoRoshiKUUU~), to which I thought I would receive a few 'thanks, but no thanks' replies.

But to MY surprise again, they were all totally cool with it. I would, of course, need to bring my visa, but other than that, no further explanations were necessary and all seemed well. And I was going into my first interview in high spirits until I realized it was my first interview in Japanese. Enter freak-out mode.

I forced Shota to sit down with me in mock interviews for hours, trying to come up with as many scenarios as possible where I might be presented with words I wasn't familiar with or times when I couldn't express myself sensibly in Japanese (while I could read 日払い I had no idea how to say it or even if it was decent to bring it up in an interview). Those moments occurred much more often that I would have preferred, so my brain almost went into so-freaked-out-I-just-won't-go-to-the-interview mode. But then my subconscious reminded me that I'm a foreigner in Japan and if I don't go, it will reflect negatively on all other foreigners and one day, when some other poor soul goes in to apply, they'll be confronted by a boss who thinks that all foreigners make interview appointments just to never show up. Yeah, my imagination is waaaay too overactive but I suppose that is why I studied animation. :)

So I decided, for the sake of all the other non-Japanese living in Japan, I should at least show up so that we wouldn't all be tagged as no-shows.

The interview was with a medium-short guy who looked like he was a probably a host not too long ago, and had the craziest teeth that I proceeded to stare at for the entire interview but that were really cute in that quirky way. He explained the basics of the bar, and how often everyone was paid, then gave me the usual run of 'just-met-a-foreigner' questions e.g. 'how long have you been here? why are you here? are you part Japanese (anyone who speaks Japanese beyond a basic level is assumed to be ハーフ half-Japanese)? what part of America are you from?? Oh, I've never heard of that.. (no surprises).' Then he gave me the 'Thanks a lot. I've got a few other interviews so I'll give you a call next week after I make a decision' -line.

From my own perspective, the interview went alright, but at the same, I was sure that I seemed more trouble that I was worth. After I left the interview, I saw another staffer further along the rode who waved and asked how it went. I told her 'I'm pretty sure I didn't get it..' with an 'ah-well' shrug and a tired smile and continued on my way back to the trains.

I hadn't made it home before getting a call to come in for a 'trial-run' on staff, I just needed to bring a black button-down shirt. I can't really describe how genuinely surprised/happy/excited I was to get the job (or the trial at least), and maybe even for some, it seems ridiculous since it's just a part-time job. But even so, it was a huuuuge boost to my confidence as well as a validation of my own level of competence. Not only was I capable of holding a semi-professional, adult level (all my earlier experience was with Japanese kids) conversation, I appeared fluent enough for work at a bar (which is probably 10-20% drink making and 80% talking).

Now I had two part-time jobs, plus 3 more interviews in the next few days, with a level of confidence high enough that I felt like I could walk into Sony Corp, in sneakers no less, and get a job. Of course, I couldn't then, and I can't now, but it sure felt like it. :)


UggHHGGG I would love to continue, but hoooooly Jupiter this post has become much longer than intended. I shall continue on with the rest of the interviews soon and then finally get into the actually working part. So if you read through this, thanks :3 If not, more picture-tastic postscoming soon..!♥

★Peaces★

So I'm testing a new format for organizing places I've eaten and food photos..! Nomnomnom, enjoy yes?

San Siro サンシーロ
Umeda, Osaka, Osaka, JP

Access:
〒530-0001
大阪府大阪市北区梅田1-11-4
大阪駅前第4ビルB1
TEL:050-5522-4031
 Hours: 11:00am til Midnight (last order is at 11pm)

The closest station to this lovely little hole in the wall is Higashi-Umeda on the Tanimachi Line. Of course, seeing as the whole of Umeda is connected by a myriad of underground tunnels, any of the other Umeda stations (JR Osaka, JR Kitashinchi, Hankyu Umeda, Hanshin Umeda, Nishi-Umeda on Yotsubashi Line, Umeda on Midosuji Line) will, as long as you can find your way to the Higashi-Umeda walkways. The hallways for the Tanimachi line should lead to a dead end of ticket gates, so from there you have to go up some stairs to your left, through some doors, and you'll find San Siro to your right.

 I'm not a real food enthusiast, so I won't go into any details about authenticity and such. I really don't care, as long as it tastes good and is CHEAP (I'm a simple person really).

San Siro, despite it's what-I-like-to-call-fancy trappings, is pretty reasonably price as far as bars go in Japan. It's definitely in the western-style, with large format TVs hanging about, but then there's usually opera music pouring from the speakers. To go with the whole "Italian" them I would suspect. :)

ALSO, one of the few places with Heineken. That itty-bitty one was 400 yen and the garlic bread-sticks were on the affordable side as well, and for those drinkers out there, they offer All-you-can-drink for an hour and a half.



But seeing as you can get alcohol literally everywhere, the biggest draw for me is the pizza. Hot DAMN is this pizza good. This one is the Margarita pizza which is only 780 yen and it's more than enough to enjoy all on it's lonesome. If I'm feeling particularly Hulky, I could be tricked into ordering two, but I would never make it through the second one~





Since everything was just so reasonable, we ordered this huge cream puff for desert. It was so goood ;w;...

This puff was probably 150 or 198 yen and so,so worth it.

On a separate trip, I also had their Ichiro Tart, 340yen, which was pretty good too!

Seems like a great place for throwing a party or going to each with a bunch of people. A shame it's not open later, but that might be connected to the fact that it is located within the bowels of some office building.

If you're in Umeda, and you really want some GOOD pizza, then go here. Unless you can find that place in Nakazaki-cho~ *mischievous giggle?*

No one told me you were here..! I was just off doing things, absolutely not in a effort to ignore you. Actually, I quite like you as far as months go, things have just been busy. Truly! How about we give it a retry next year??

Regards.

But seriously, September was an okay month..! A lot of learning, with bits of fun thrown in on the sides. :)

For starters, my band had it's first live on the 10th!!
And it was pretty okay! The only regret is not having a drummer in time for it :< So we had to do that part electronically. Also, we were sort of at odds with the genres of all the other bands there.

But the club's owner really dug us and wants us to come back for other shows, so that's a definite plus! :)

And we finally (this month) recruited a drummer (who is quite badass btw, I'm jealous of her mad skillz), so now we'll get serious or something.

Shota also snapped some nice photos of us..! Kudos to him seeing as he didn't really want to go (that's a whole other can of worms we won't open right now). My only grudge is that my arms look really.. gangly :<  I can't wait to get back into doing yoga every day so I can tone up a bit~

I told friends and fam back home I would share some video from it but.. I don't want toooo! Too shy/embarrassed/awkward?? I don't know, but I'm barely comfortable sharing my artwork, let alone things with me singing and moving around like some humanoid quad-o-pus. Someday *wistful sigh* :)

The rest of September has really just been working. Or rather, figuring out where I want to work until I take a small sojourn back to the States for Christmas. I applied for a billion jobs, went to 6 interviews and ended up giving it a go at 5 places (one place was a girls bar, which I wasn't aware until the end of the interview DD:).

But I'd like to do a separate post about that in detail, mostly talking about the dynamics of working at a shot bar (catch sales, which I hate or conversing with customers, which I sorta like), reactions from customers of a *GASP* married woman working in a bar (I guess bars just scream sleazy, when they really shouldn't, but that's also a different can of worms), and the overall kickass time I'm having at one place.

..When I was thinking about what to write, a billion and one things came to mind, but now that I've actually sat down to write, I've drawn a blank. How lame. :< Guess I better just end it here with a sunset photo! ♥

To a more proactive and interesting October! :)

★Peaces★

Fancy menu from an izakaya

And life was like 'OKAY, now do stuff.'
So I respectfully obliged, and got off my lazy bum. I've been to 3 successful interviews for part-time gigs, all of which I decided to take on, mostly because the first two were for English Conversation schools at an extremely part-time-type schedule. Which is good and bad. I won't lose my coveted and preciously held "time" however, I can't really make enough money to well.. anything. ;>

So I did the smart thing, and applied for some other stuff, mostly working late nights at bars, which is something I've always wanted to do (don't ask why, cuz I'm not really sure lol). This is, of course, impossible (the bar-tending part) stateside unless you are licensed/certified, however in Japan, you don't need one! You can just fumble around behind the bar and throw shit stuff into people's drinks. Not literally, obviously, because the Japanese take drinking very seriously because they do it all the time. Anyway, they'll be training me while I work, and there are no dress codes, bleached hair, piercings, whatever you want to wear (except for the shirt, which is black) are all fair game. I can choose my days as well, and how I get paid (daily or weekly). AND I lucked out, and applied to a Hip-hop & Reggae bar, so I get this weird feeling like this is the one time my ethnicity worked in my favor. I could get used to this ;)

Though I may have to get back into listening to hip-hip on a somewhat regular basis (the last new artist I picked up was Wale.. and he came out a few years back I think..).

The name of fancy menu izakaya.

So I get started this upcoming Monday night. I'm going to go into it with as much positivity as I can muster, because really, that's just the best way to go about things.

But then I also have an interview at another bar tomorrow!! I keep sort of forgetting. I should have canceled, but I feel really guilty about canceling after accepting the interview and all.. Besides! The guy in charge of recruiting was using emoticons in the e-mail. You can't cancel on that..!! :D

SO I just may be running around Umeda and Kyoubashi on late weeknights and weekends. I'll probably write about what a horrible idea that was around October or November (if I even make it that long).

One of many, many, many sunset photos.

I still want to apply for one more job though. JUST one more. Because this job is for working at events like concerts, festivals and the like, and I REALLY would like to try that. Though I don't know how good I would be at talking with the customers of those said events, I definitely think I could offer a lot of help in the background though.

And then I'm done, pinky swear. Damn, it is quite nice to have things to do. :3

I should have some decent posts coming up soon, some ancient burial grounds, the largest lake in Japan AAAND.. something else I can't quite remember. Bah, must not have been that important. ;)

Time to say goodbye to summer and .. nope, that's it, just summer. Bring it on autumn! >:D

★Peaces★

Check out Wale! PG County Represent!! ;D

Year number two!! And even though I really enjoyed last year's fest (watching KORN is something I'm not likely to forget for a few years), this year was an improvement..! I stayed until the end of that last show on the main stage, ate delicious food and somehow managed not to spend a buttload on merch (that was a bit of a challenge). AND I didn't get separated from my group (for long) which I was paranoid about this year.

Though I must admit the Sunday line-up was a bit sparse. The only bands I really wanted to see were Death Cab for Cutie (which was probably my fave live from that day), ONE OK ROCK, Franz Ferdinand, and Green Day. I watched a little of the HIATUS (and got to see a bunch of middle-aged women mosh?? it was weird and unexpected), and some odd electronica band called St. Vincent (methinks). Most of the time was spent lounging with friends, trying to fight off heat stroke as it was incredibly sweltering weather that day.
I'm not really into live reports, so I'll try to steer clear of that and just describe the pictures in the order I shot them throughout the day.

Photo op number one: A change in decor.
I noticed they tried to up the ante with these potato-sack banner. Nice :)
We showed up pretty early, around ten ante meridiem, to catch one of the early acts on the main stage, ONE OK ROCK.

They were really good! I love the singer's voice..!! ;w; And he's grown up a LOT since the last I saw them (via the internets with their video Naisho something-or-other. I'm a pro with titles). I like him with his natural hair (I think it's natural at least lol).



Providing drinks next to the main stage.

See if you can find Spiderman in this picture! He was lucky enough to make it on stage with Green Day :<







After ONE OK ROCK, we wandered over to the Mountain stage where Alexandra Stan was getting her set ready. We didn't stay through her first song, but she seems pretty well known/liked.








Prancing around the Mountain stage sign, trying to fend of the delirium and probably early signs of dehydration (though to my credit, I downed over 2 liters of liquids throughout the day).

A shot from the hill behind Oasis, which is where most of the food stalls are. Plus lots of water machines to spray the masses down with.

Note to attendees: Don't bother with any fancy hair-dos and extensive make-up. It'll just melt off/sweat off/get washed away.

Wandering near the arena area. Official merch is also sold here, along with this new and over-priced sweets cafe they started these year.

PRO TIP: If you need a bathroom break, I would definitely suggest using the bathrooms inside the arena. The wait isn't as long, you're indoors, and they bathrooms are pretty clean. There are washiki (Japanese toilets) though, so be prepared. *sumo stance*
Bathroom needs and hunger satiated, when headed back over to the Mountain stage for Death Cab for Cutie..!! I love them sooo ;w;

I was dancing and singing throughout the entire set. I even got to start my own slow clap. YEAH! :D


It rained, very sparaingly, but overall the weather was great. The clouds that did give up a respite from the sun were lovely too!! :D I love cloud~

Surprise festival bonus!! :DD


HARD GAY!
And his partner whose name I never remember.

But anyway, Hard Gay!! He's probably one of my favourite comedians/wrestlers in Japan. Plus he's hot and incredibly romantic. His wife is so lucky!! :<
LOOK! It's an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection of light in water droplets in the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky!!
  A bit of Franz Ferdinand because I only got to see the very last bit :<


It was either Hard Gay or FF and seeing as I was much, much closer to HG.. The choice was relatively easy. FO!

And then the sun got tired and decided to go to bed. Or the earth continued doing it's natural thing and rotating, forcing the sun to appear lower in the western sky until it was completely obscured by the curvature of the earth. Thank you The Universe :D (I'm secretly planning to one day get a degree in either Astrophysics or Theoretical physics, probably the former since I'm more familiar with those theories wishful thinking).

Blah blah, I type too much :>

And then Green Day was like BOOM. Music. And we all started dancing/head banging/moshing/hardcore dancing. Good times for all.

The festvivities were capped off with a lovely display of fireworks. Awesome day and evening. Although it did take us 2 hours to get home, it was totally, completely, and without a doubt worth it. I'm looking forward to next year!!

Also, I took video this time since I had my point-and-shoot. But I haven't strung them together yet cuuuz.. I'm lazy :> Soon, I will!! Plus I have lots of stuff from my trip to Lake Biwa with my family that I'm also eager to share.

Summer is almost over, and there's some relief and some sadness that comes with that knowledge. I'm getting read to trudge back into employment, still not doing exactly what I want, BUT my households has needs and I've been a bum long enough. :)

Hope everyone else had a spectacular August! ♥

★Peaces★

Way back in the day, I went to Shirahama. Well, technically it was in July. Not too far back in the day, but there isn't much of an excuse for such a delay but in my defense.. My house was at a constant 35-37 degrees Celsius everyday...? (That's in the mid to high 90s my Fahrenheit friends).

So yea, I've been limiting my activities to the cooler evening hours, but even then it's been 90 percent drawing, which is awesome for my portfolio but sad for my blog. Awww :(

But this post ain't about me sitting at home sweating..! It's about this awesome trip I took with my mother-in-law and her friends. They're all about going somewhere, eating, drinking, going into the onsen and then going home. Which is absolutely fine by me. :D

On our way to Shirahama (by car), we stopped at a seaside fish mart for some lunch, fresh from the water! That sashimi was sooo good, but raw squid... Never again. We don't go together. AT ALL. DD:


Shirahama is probably around 2.5 hours from Osaka (about 2 from where we left in Nara), and at the moment, the highway to Wakayama is without a toll, so it's a great idea for a short trip in the Kansai area.

After arriving in Shirahama, we immediately went off to Adventure World, which is like a zoo with a little amusement park thrown in on the side.

There's a safar park and even pandas, but when you first walk in, Disneyland's mainstreet immediately comes to mind. It's a bit weird. Not bad, just weird. :x

We were in Adventure World during a slow time because it was pretty empty. But it also feels like quite the relic from the bubble area and in desperate need of some sort of upgrade. Especially when my mother-in-law proceeded in telling me how everything is exactly the same as when she brought Shota here. When he was 5.

Check out this penguin parade though! How adorbs~~



We hopped on the safari bus for a tour through the African safari area (there are animals native to the Americas there though sooo...). You can take a walk through the park or rent a jeep as well. Prices for the various bike, car and jeep tours jump from 500 yen to 10,000 yen. Choose wisely. ;)

That day was also crazy hot, so you can see the bears keeping cool. The free bus tour drives through the two main areas, starting with the herbivores, then to carnivores.


One more safari picture! This tiger trying to cool off as well. I'm sure he'd kill for a real jungle with it's cool shade. Awww :(










We also checked out the pandas..! I love how these two were so relaxed looking. And they do have all the food they could possibly eat, absolutely no need to worry..!
Also, I think they're twins. Or the other pair sitting in the adjacent cage. I didn't read the signs :x







Next went to two of the three pools to check out some aquatic fun. The first one actually included a lot of non-water-related animals like dogs, chickens, and a miniature horse. It was incredibly cute though, parading around the front of the tank.

Does anyone ever feel any kind of guilt for watching these kinds of events?? It just seems so.. forced :< And I'm sure (or at least I hope) they're well taken care of. But still. :<



I'd heard of Adventure World from some of my former students and some friends. It seemed pretty magical in my mind, but I'm also a student of animation so my imagination is probably a hyper-extended version of any normal persons. Hence, I have to admit there was a bit of disappointment. It's just okay, not terrible, but not fantastic. I probably wouldn't make the 2 hour train ride from Osaka just for Adventure World. A trip to the beach (which wasn't included this time around D:) plus a hotel buffet would also be necessary.

But I would totally go here again with my niece and nephew. They would LOVE IT. And watching them freak out over animals is just tons of fun.


English pamphlets abound, but I don't suspect any staff speak any English. But maybe there's someone working there just waiting to surprise us all with their mack-daddy English skillz.

Bonus STAGE!
We stayed a nice Japanese style hotel/onsen for one night and gorged outselves on seafood, some Tandoori chicken (random, I know, but SO good), and BEER. Don't sleep on these old ladies, they can DRINK.

Here you can see.. yakiniku, some oyesters (methinks), veggies (pumpkin and broccoli), shrimp and giant crab.










And then delicious buffet foods! Sushi, spinach, fried chicken, potato salad, tempura and Tandoori chicken. NOM NOM.

I'm so hungry now ;w;..








Then we took the party to the karaoke bar..!! Technically, it's called a snack bar, but snack bars, seemingly as a rule, offer karaoke as well. Cue two hour nomihoudai and lots of enka (which I not-so-secretly love).

Karaoke with older Japanese people is actually one of my preferred methods of karaoke. They're way more into it than the younger people who always suffer from the "HOMG I'm too shy/cool/freaked out to do this!!" thing. It's a weird 180 from the way young people act out in the streets compared to the older crowd. This obviously isn't across the board, but just something that I noticed occurs pretty consistently. :)

I wanted to add our visit to an ancient tomb to the end, but this is seriously long enough. DD: Also, I'd love to do another one of these trips with some friends closer to my age (that way, I'll also get to put people in the pictures. how bout that?!). A lot of buses for these onsen hotels leave from Shin-Osaka as well, so it seems pretty easy to set up. The hard part is time, which no one ever really has :/ Damn..

OH, and I FINALLY got my visa. It's only took ohhh I don't know about 2 months. *BIGSIGH* So I'm going back into the work force, hopefully by the end of this month. I won't lie though, I was extremely pleased with my elongated summer vacation :D Let's do it again sometime immigration bureau~
Take care everyone!! Enjoy this last stretch of summer ;o;

★Peaces★