Long Overdue

So I'm real lazy when it comes to computer things. This is not news. Also many of you know that Meghan came to visit me in Japan over Christmas and New Year's. It was a really good time, and I had meant to post about it but my laziness got the better of me. Meghan, becoming sick of this, wrote her own post for me to put up about our vacation together. I'm going to post it but I'll add some corrections where I see fit. My comments will be in a different color. I'll also add pictures if I have applicable ones.

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My Asian Excursion
This is a special blog entry written by the one and only Meghan/”MK” also known as the girlfriend of Mr. Brian Stafford.
Since my boyfriend has not updated him blog in a good month,(not my fault) I figured it was my duty to give you my own P.O.V. on my Japanese vacation over the holidays.

So, without further ado…

I arrived at Kansai Int’l Airport a few hours behind schedule and needless to say, I was exhausted after my 4 hour layover in Chicago, 14 hour plane ride from Chicago to Osaka (where I slept for maybe 20 minutes), and proceeding through customs in a foreign land.(I thought she was coming from Detroit, because I'm a bad listener, so I thought she was like eight hours late. Again, bad listener) When I finally got through the gate, I immediately spotted Brian(not hard to do), and we hugged for what felt like 10 whole minutes. I was so happy to see him it didn’t matter that I hadn’t slept in 24 hours.
After the hour train ride to Kyoto(where she first tried dried squid, a favorite of mine. Let's just say that it's still a favorite of MINE), the 1 ½ hour train ride to Nagahama(The Nag), and 5 minute cab ride, we were finally at Brian’s apartment around 10pm. I threw my bags into one room, changed into some pjs and passed out. Quick note about the apartment; it is lovely(I have 70's floors)…but there is no central heating. We basically lived in the kitchen and living room, as the space heater wouldn’t reach anywhere else. Luckily, I brought lots of hoodies(speaking of which, I'm missing one...), sweat pants and wool socks; and Brian had a heated blanket, heated carpet and various other blankets.
The next day, Brian took me to school with him as a lesson for his students in Hikone('kones). I was asked various questions by Japanese high schoolers including “What don’t you like about Brian?” and “Why are you dressed like that?” and “Kiss in class,” which was accompanied by an interesting hand gesture(Those were my "outgoing" girls). Luckily, Brian was able to filter some questions, since he speaks great Japanese(lier). After 2 classes of being grilled about me and my love life(She forgot to mention that on the walk to the school, a group of my girls passed us and almost fell off their bikes hyperventilating while screaming "cute" and "beautiful" in Japanese. Then in class I think one might have peed her pants), Fuji-sensei took us to lunch at a Ramen place. Now, as a former college student, I envision Ramen as a 10 cent package with dehydrated noodles and seasoning packet(Lord forgive her she knew not the error of her ways), let alone an entire restaurant dedicated to it. In Japan, Ramen comes in a massive bowl filled with noodles, vegetables, meat and tasty broth. It is very filling, and extremely tasty.
Later in the day, we explored Old New Town and visited Hikone castle, the 3rd oldest castle in Japan. The stairs in the castle were practically vertical, and combined with borrowed slippers…it was a bit challenging to say the least.
The next few days were a blur due to the jet lag. I went with Brian to his other school in Nagahama, where the questions were similar to the school in Hikone. I felt more comfortable at the Nagahama school since the previous night, we went to dinner with all of the English teachers(Also because she was dealing with some mature seniors instead of immature juniors as well as meeting the coolest student in the school). It was for Brian’s “welcoming” party…4 months later. We had tempura (fried things) and I experienced Oden, a stew-like meal which includes various ingredients including a fried fish log, a boiled egg, yam (which is thicker than Jell-O, and blue with little black dots), as well as more oddly textured things(I'm not even a fan of Oden. Scott described it well in saying "Oden always needs salt. It would be great if I just carried a salt shaker with me."). Most of the teachers had been to America(Michigan even) to study English, so it was interesting to hear about their experiences and the vast differences in the education systems and cultures.
(She totally left out how I forced her to go to Judo where I'm sure she had a "blast" and a "good time". Nothing like having you image of a boyfriend crushed by a cauliflower eared Japanese man the size of a middle schooler. But she did think the kids class was adorable, which it is because they're so small and have no attention span. I'm pretty sure they're there just to wear the gi.)
That weekend was Christmas Eve, and Brian and I went to YAB’s. YAB’s is a bar(his bar is called "YABs food and drink Guts wrench sports bar". He was the number one collegiate wrestler at 81kg's.), where Brian appears in various advertisements(I'm a big deal.) and there are signs stating “English spoken here” and “Foreigners welcome.” I loved my night at YAB’s because 1 - YAB and his wife are awesome and 2 – I met a majority of Brian’s friends that night including Myles, Scott, Rie, Zach, Mike Bass, and Alex. All of whom are quite amazing people.
Christmas Day was super exciting. I had made stockings for Brian and me before I left, so we went to the 100 yen store (like the dollar store, but WAY cooler) and each got each other 10 items. Fun had by all. We also ate the traditional Japanese Christmas food – fried chicken. That’s right; Brian, I, and his friends Brenden and Karen from New Zealand had our Christmas lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken. If only the Colonel could see us now.(Which he did because they had a life sized statue of the Colonel who was dressed as Santa)
The rest of the second week was pretty busy. In the first trip to Kyoto(K-Town), it was raining, so we viewed an inside temple: Sanjusangendo Temple, which has the 1,000 golden statues of Kannon. It was gorgeous…but they don’t let you take pictures on the inside. We walked in the rain for what felt like hours, and Brian could tell I was not very happy about it. Being the wonderful man he is, we met up with Mike Bass and Zach(read: called in reinforcements) at a bar called the Hub (a big foreigner place) for happy hour, and then we proceeded to Bar Africa also for happy hour. Bar Africa was sweet inside: they had little huts we sat in, some big cushy pillows in other places, and was decorated with very outdated posters.
The following day we visited Nara, which was my favorite of all the places we saw. It is a very old and historical place, with a lot of forestry and over 1,000 deer just hanging around the city. The deer aren’t timid, and a few even bowed to us(the deer are amazing, it's just like a bunch of huge friendly stray cats!!)!! We saw loads of stuff including a 5 story Pagoda, the historical museum, and the Todai-ji Temple. Todai-ji is the largest wooden structure in the world (not to be confused with the largest wooden rollercoaster in the world at Cedar Point) and is home to the largest Buddha in all of Japan. It was absolutely breathtaking. I was simply overwhelmed by the sheer size of Buddha, I began to cry. I know…but I was somehow at such peace with myself and the world when I gazed up at that statue, it just brought a tear to my eye. Throughout our Nara travels, we bumped into Ryan from Hikone and his friend Paul, visiting from Tokyo, and I also tried Takoyaki, a fried doughy ball filled with octopus. Yummy.
So far, the weather had been fairly decent; temperatures were in the upper 40s, sometimes to the upper 50s. I was surprised to see a good 4 inches of snow on the ground when I woke up Thursday morning. With all the traveling and new coldness- Brian and I took the next 2 days to relax, watch movies and make our own yaki soba (fried noodles…delicious!!!)(Its my specialty.).
Next came what I like to call Meat Fest 2006. A bunch of Brian’s friends came up to Nagahama to enjoy an evening of unlimited Yakiniku (fried strips of meat)(though not battered like fried chicken) and Karaoke. All 10 of us went to a Yakiniku restaurant, where you cook your own meat at your table. It was some crazy special, where it was unlimited for a full 2 hours; the wait staff brought us chicken, 2 different types of beef, and meatballs…it was fascinating, not to mention tasty. After we got our fill and then some, we proceeded to Karaoke. Karaoke in Japan is very different(better) than the US. In Japan, you rent out a Karaoke room for a few hours, and get to sing in front of your friends, not complete drunken strangers at a bar. Mike Pak, Rie, Paul, Ryan, Scott his girlfriend Merrideth, Mike Bass, Zach, myself and Brian belted out some 80s tunes, Billy Joel and a Japanese song "Linda Linda" which sounded like “Rinda Rin-daaa, Rinda, Rinda Rin-daaaaaa.”(Its a karaoke staple) Good times had by all.
The following evening we met up with Mike and Zach(because I was sick and ruined an entire day.) in ZeZe for some traditional Indian food, including some hot curry. Not to be confused with Japanese curry rice, which is incredibly scrumptious, and I will be making some for anyone willing to try it.
New Year’s Eve was spent in Kyoto, where Brian and I went shopping for ourselves and our families. We were able to visit 2 other temples; Kinkakuji temple with the Golden Pavilion, and the Kiyomizu temple. Both were breathtaking, but I particularly enjoyed the Kiyomizu temple. It is a finalist in the New 7 Wonders of the World (www.new7wonders.com) because this ancient temple, which sits on 5 stories of wooden pegs, and has no visible nails or bindings of any kind. Thousands of people walk on it every day, and it has been standing for over 1000 years!! It was incredible. Check out the website and vote for it if you get the chance.
After the temple and shopping extravaganza, Mike Bass invited us over for dinner and some movies before we went out to the bars for New Year’s. We spent some more time at the Hub, and then ended up at the Pig & Whistle, another foreigner-dense pub. We rung in the New Year with loads of people from all over; New Zealand, England, America, Japan, and everywhere in between. We roamed around Kyoto, ate the best pitas, and took pictures in a booth (Purikura). Later on, I got some ice cream, which I believe led to my loss of voice. The next day (and until 4 days after I returned home), I could hardly speak.(It was bad, but at the same time funny when she would try to yell something.) We woke up quite late due to the previous nights festivities, and I was becoming quite sick the last few days of my trip. Brian took care of me by feeding me Ramen and caramel milk tea and bringing home movies and some medicine. Isn’t he just the best boyfriend? I am a lucky girl and he’s an even luckier boy.
I was scheduled to leave January 2nd in the evening; so during the morning, Brian and I explored more of Nagahama, including the Tanuki store, where I purchased my very own Tanuki! Tanuki is a raccoon-like creature that is in front of virtually every house and establishment in Nagahama. He brings good luck and various other blessings depending on his paunch size, sake bottle and bamboo hat(Also, I'm not making this up, he has a huge scrotum. I think it could be an old fertility thing or something but in all the statues, he's practically sitting on his children's allowance. The funniest part is that its never talked about.).
I won’t get into details about leaving Japan because it sucked. Both Brian and I were bawling like babies when we parted and it took everything I had not to cry the entire flight home.
Overall, my experience was truly amazing, unique and one I may never had the opportunity to have if it weren’t for Brian. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact I actually visited a foreign country other than Canada and Mexico. I would love to go back and visit in a different season, perhaps a warmer one. Japan is a fine country, and I loved everything I saw, but I won’t lie – I loved spending that time with Brian, and experiencing those things together. Being with him was my favorite memory of all…we make each other laugh and have a fabulous time when we are together. I’m not sure when Brian and I will see each other again, but I am so grateful for the time we spent together and I eagerly await his return.
I hope you enjoyed my very lengthy, but detailed account of my 2 week trip to Japan. Even though they don’t begin to describe to beauty and fun I had, feel free to take a look at my photos. www.photos.yahoo.com/meghanckelly (go to the site because there are some funny pics.)

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other,
Meghan

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So its late and I don't want to look for my camera so I will post pics later, but in the meantime go to Meghan's page. It was truly a fun two weeks, she made quite the impression on everyone she met and they all want her back. I'll add more later.