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      • Fall Colors
        10/31/07
        On Sunday, we took advantage of the fine fall weather to make an excursion on the Kitakami Line. This railroad crosses the central mountains of Japan, traveling between Kitakami and Yokote (in Akita Prefecture). Running along steep hillsides and across mountain valleys, it offers spectacular views

      • Fish-Butchering Prowess
        10/31/07
        Fish the most intimidating staple of the Japanese diet. We didn't cook fish much in America, but it's so easy to get cheap, high-quality fish here that it seems ridiculous not to. Not only can it be hard to cook well, it can be hard to know how to eat. Presented with a bite-sized cross

      • Small Shrine Near the Station
        10/30/07


        We've remarked before on the large number of small shrines that dot the cityscape. This one is near the station, next to a two-story bicycle parking garage.

      • The Politics of Onsen
        10/30/07
        Public baths can be daunting to foreigners because of the language barrier and the unwritten etiquette. We visited plenty of public baths during our vacation last year, but I still get nervous about inadvertently breaking one of the rules. And my nascent language skills aren't quite up to the

      • Beware of the Bears
        10/29/07


        Beware of the bears. They're verrrry scary. No, really, they are. Grrr!

      • East-i
        10/28/07


        The "East-i" is JR East's shinkansen track inspection train. It runs at night, when regular passenger services do not run. There's no commercially made model of it, so a member of the Iwate Model Railroad Club ("Iwatetsu") made this one himself.

      • October Skies
        10/23/07


        It's been a while since we've posted a sunset photo. The sunsets haven't gotten any less incredible.

      • Gift Daikon
        10/22/07
        Our neighbor across the street gave us a daikon (Japanese radish) from her garden tonight.



        Guess I need to get pickling equipment sooner rather than later.

      • Something Old, Something New
        10/21/07
        On my way to Japanese class last week, I was stopped at a traffic light. An older woman, hunched over a kind of rolling walker thing, slowly crossed the street as cars waited. She wore the wide-brimmed hat, jacket, and knee-high rubber boots indicative of rice farmers; I presumed her bent posture

      • Bowing Flagmen
        10/16/07
        There seems to be a lot of road construction in and around Kitakami. Most times that I've been out driving around within the last few weeks, I've encountered lane shifts, diversions, or some other indicia of road work. Unlike Albuquerque, orange barrels don't appear to have much of

      • On the Road Again
        10/16/07
        Closed doughnut shop notwithstanding, Sunday's road trip went off without a hitch. The staff at the Kitakami Mister Donut were kind enough to open a few minutes early (to quote the tape on my pumpkin muffin wrapper: "Thanks, you beautiful people!"). We got our road snacks and set o

      • Have We Been Here Too Long?
        10/14/07
        We've been told that you've been in Japan too long when things don't seem strange to you anymore. By that criterion, no, we have not been in Japan too long. The latest oddity? The donut and coffee shop next to the expressway on-ramp that opens at 9 am. What kind of donut store isn

      • Gratuitous Autumn Food Photo
        10/13/07
        We had a beautiful, cold autumn day today, perfect for cooking. It was also the first day I've felt up to doing anything really involved. Matthew seems to be recuperating quickly, so I decided to shake up the cooking from just soup or spicy things. We can't quite get away from the desir

      • Alternative Remedies
        10/11/07
        After a week of cold-induced sloth, I'm finally returning to life and the world. Judging from the number of people around town sporting medical masks today, it's not just me. And Matthew seems to be getting the cold now, which is a bummer because we have a Sunday road trip planned. Also

      • Morning Glory
        10/09/07


        Along with everything else (we even saw azaleas in bloom today), the morning glories are blooming.

      • Autumn Insects
        10/08/07
        Of course there are plenty of bugs to go along with all the autumn flowers, and it's hard to photograph flowers without getting a few insects as well.



      • September Showers Bring October Flowers
        10/08/07


        It's fall, and all of Kitakami seems to be in bloom! We don't know if it's from all the rain last month, or the warm weather that continued later than usual, or the combination of the two, but bright colors are everywhere.






      • Matter of Perspective
        10/07/07
        Overheard in the park today while walking the dogs.

        Adorable 3-year-oldish Japanese child looking at Moki: Ookii kuma! (Translation: Big bear!)
        Child's amused mom: Inu da, yo. (Translation: That's a dog, actually.)

        Incidentally, the big bear decided to eat

      • Illin'
        10/04/07
        Grr. I'm trying to fight off my third major cold since arriving in Kitakami. At the same time, I'm attempting to reconcile the otherwise healthful effects of living in Japan with more sickness than I can recall having in a four-month period. Matthew hasn't had the same problem, so

      • Prisoners of Funk
        10/01/07
        How to silence a bar in Kitakami: Request funk music.

        Matthew and I went out with some friends on Saturday night, and wrapped up our evening at a teeny-tiny bar downtown. It was a divey place known for its huge collection of vinyl, which the bartender was spinning throughout the night.

      • Rice Harvest
        10/01/07


        Farmers have started harvesting their rice. It gets cut and bundled, then the bundles are hung on poles. Most, like these, use vertical poles with the rice stacked in columns. Others use horizontal poles, with the rice bundles hanging over them rather like a clothesline.

        In

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