iPhone

I was in a debate on if I really needed a cell phone. It would be nice to have one for emergencies, but since we will have a home phone I didn't really think it was necessary. But Joe convinced me to not only get a cell phone - but to get an iPhone! I'm not going to lie... it's pretty awesome. :) He is going to download the Skype application tonight - so then I will be able to talk to all of you anytime I want!! It will be so nice not to have to sit at the computer to chat. Joe already has a cell phone from work, but of course we will be "sharing" the iPhone.

And on another positive note... my Valentine's Day cherry blossom tree is blooming!

Pink Building

Look at that tall pink building! Oh wait - that's our new apartment building!! ;) Maybe you can't tell from the photo, but it really is pink and cream checkered. Our apartment is on the top floor on the right-hand side of the photo. The lease was approved by Joe's manager and went to Boeing Legal on Friday. We've been told it usually takes Boeing Legal 4-6 weeks to finalize and approve the lease.

We've been at the hotel for about 50 days - so Joe's Marriott status is now "Gold" - which means we were able to upgrade to a larger room! We can actually walk around the room now... it's seriously twice the size of our last room! And there is a nice little sitting area next to the window, perfect for reading.

Cozy Cafe

This cute little cafe is just down the street from our new apartment. We ventured out to explore the area surrounding our apartment this weekend and found quite a few small little places nearby. The restaurant only has about 4 tables inside and the menu is only in Japanese, which makes ordering a challenge! But it had a comfortable & cozy atmosphere and the food was good. I anticipate spending a lot of time there in the near future. :)

Emily's 1st Japanese Class

I signed up for a 1-month beginner Japanese class - 4 hours a week for the month of February. I can't believe the month is already over! Where did the time go!? I met a great group of people from around the world. The boy standing next to me is from Africa, the 3 girls in the middle are from the Philippines, the blonde girl in the back is from Ukraine, and the boy on the far end is from California. I would write out their names - but I honestly can't pronounce them! Very nice group of people, and I'm sad it's over. I learned Hiragana, one of the Japanese alphabets. I now can recognize and read the characters, as well as write them... a pretty good accomplishment for a 1-month class. :)

Crab Restaurant!

Crab - one of my favorite things to eat!!! And this restaurant had nothing but fresh, delicious CRAB! You can order it any way you want - sushi, sashimi (raw), grilled, fried, or boiled.

We started with sushi. Yes, I finally tried it - and it wasn't that bad. I'm hoping it's an acquired taste that will gradually get better with time. Jenny, you can now be relieved that when you visit in April we can go out for sushi! :)

We also order the grilled crab. They brought the "grill" right to our table and cooked the crab over fire. Very cool!

Turned out fantastic! Brian, my crab-lovin' brother, we'll have to go here when you visit!!!

Osu Kannon Antique/Flea Market

Osu Kannon Temple area has an antique/flea market on the 18th and 28th of every month. Tons of people crowd the area to search for bargains and collectibles. It was pretty interesting to see antiques (and as with all flea markets - junk!) from another country. It was a little overwhelming to be there by myself. Very crowded and many of the items didn't have a price... and even though I know how to ask how much something costs, that doesn't mean I would necessarily understand the answer! But it was fun to walk around and look at everything. I didn't find any "treasures" but I plan on going back once we're moved in to our apartment and I have something to search for.

Shabu Shabu

We went out for Shabu Shabu on Saturday night with some friends. Shabu Shabu is prepared by submerging thin slices of meat and vegetables in a pot of boiling broth and swishing it around. Each table has its own electric stove top to boil the broth.... and you get to choose 2 different broths to cook the meat/veggies in - we chose plain (left side in the picture) and spicy (right side in the picture). Once the food is cooked - you dip it into either a sesame sauce (white sauce in the picture) or a citrus-based sauce (red/brown sauce).

Mio & Joe - they have been in Nagoya for a couple of years.

Yumi, Robert, & Brian - they arrived the same time we did.

Sakura

Starbucks Japan just launched their seasonal special sakura drinks and various sakura-themed products to celebrate early spring! Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. The cherry blossom trees bloom in the spring and are supposed to be absolutely beautiful.... and they're PINK, which makes it that much better :)

The 2 main drinks are the Sakura Cream Frappuccino and the Sakura Steamer. I had the Sakura Cream Frappuccino this morning - which is apparently sakura powder and sweet red bean powder blended with milk, ice and whipped cream, topped with flakes of sakura-flavored chocolate. It was actually really good... sweet and refreshing! The Sakura Steamer is a hot sweet sakura-flavoured milk shake topped with foamed milk and freeze-dried sakura petals... I will have to try this one next.

Nagoya Aquarium

We bought a year pass to Nagoya Aquarium! It's only about 25 minutes away from our hotel, and now we can go whenever we want. :) We got to see penguins, sharks, sting rays, giant turtles, a tornado of sardines, tons of species of fish, dolphins, beluga whales, etc. There was also a dolphin show where we got to see them perform different tricks - such as playing catch, jumping through hoops, waving, splashing, and much more. We had a great time and are looking forward to going back soon.

A trainer giving the beluga whale a treat. It was fun to see what
tricks these guys can do! There were about 4 beluga whales.

This dolphin liked to jump in the same spot over and over.
I guess he was practicing his jump for the show ;)

Dolphin show

Tornado of sardines during feeding time

Nagoya Zoo

We made a trip to the zoo last weekend on Valentine's Day. It's only about 20 minutes away from our hotel by subway and it's only $5.00 for adults (and kids are free)! Visiting the zoo was a very bittersweet experience for us. On the plus side, it was really awesome to see a variety of different species from Asia. The zoo had tons of animals, reptiles, birds, etc. from all over the world. It was surprisingly large, and took us most of the afternoon to walk through. The major downfall to the zoo was that the animals were not kept in their "natural habitat" - meaning, a lot of the animals were caged or kept in pretty small areas. It was sad to see the animals pacing back and forth with no where to go or hide. Many of the cages were dirty - bugs everywhere, dirty water, & coins tossed into their environment. But on the other hand, we were able to be right next to the animals and see them up close. So if you can get over the sadness of seeing the animals in dirty & small environments, it's a really great experience. Not quite sure if we can or not, though. This spring we'll go back to see the botanical gardens.

Just going to post a few of my favorite pics....

There were a couple different species of Rhinos

This monkey was trained to count 1-5 on this machine to get a treat. He would sit there and push 1,2,3,4,5 over and over again to get snacks!!

Polar bears loved to play

We got to see the penguins SO close up

Our favorite species... the "Procyon lotor"... also known as the "Common Raccoon."
Just kidding.