Best e-bay listing ever!!!

This has to be the best e-bay liting I've ever come accross.... make sure you read the item description ;-)

Aloha!

Aloha!
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Anyone up for a delicious spam burger? An Okinawan delicasy

A photo from last weeks trip

All the family athered in the lobby
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Promice to blog more about it later, but am now heading out the door for the annual fireworks festival here in Honjo, tomorrow there`s the famous Kanto festival in Akita city after which I leave the kids with Okasan and Otosan and head off to Hokkaido for a road trip with Asuka. Hopefully then I make it back to Tokyo for Saturday to meet up with Halldor again and to catch the Rainbow festival there....so prepare yourselves for an avalanche of photographs ;-)

in the realm of scary stuff in Japan

Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

Not only do they dress their mini versions of dogs up in outrageous costumes, but you can also go to the mall and using cards you`ve previously bought or buy there, then proceed to dress them up in all kinds of outfits and then on top of all have them dance or cheer for you!

Having matsuri soda and takoyaki (at least I think thats the name) pancakey octopus balls

Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

After a minor initial setback by not knowing how to open the glass ball seal, go figure, the day was saved by a passing group of burly wannabe workers i.e. wannabe burly not workers...who gigglingly guided us

Yet another insight brought to you via the mobile technology ;-)

Sunset overload ;-)

The wooden phallus shrine by the vending machines

The wooden phallus
Originally uploaded by Gunnella73.

As we stopped on the way for gas, drinks and ...well you get the gist ;-) we were faced with one of the wonders of Japan, a shrine so incredibly out of place it seemed bizarre even for Japan... not only was it a religious place of worship in a place where people only pass through but it was also a phallus fertility shrine....

Yuri Honjo here we are

Enjoying the lazy life of no studying, well technically it`s just me that`s not studying the kids as is the grand tradition here in the land far far away, have tons of homework to keep them busy over the boring summer month ;-) Apart from daily kanji and math practice they each have to hand in an art/carpentry project, write a book review and on top of that Elena needs to keep a diary. At least the project part has been duly taken care of in the form of amazingly artistic bowls pictures of which will soon be decorating these here humble pages. So, to get back on track, we@ve now arrived in the village formely known as Honjo-shi (the shi part is a misnomer I assure you) where I lived those oh so many years ago (what it`s 17 aready???) to stay with my family here. Although the city is now called Yuri^Honjo and incorporates all the adjoining villages it`s still a wee little place that invites homeyness and photpgraph taking!

At the moment all is in bloom, sunflowers (himawari) line the streets, the sweetcorn is bursting out of it`s leaves and these amazingly intricate yet miniscule garden the Japanese manage to come up with on the windowsills, sidewalks or their 50 cm balconies are stunning to behold.