Japan and miniskirts

It is now winter and to most people, that means putting away summer clothes and bringing out bigger, warmer clothes for the cold weather. However, for some Japanese girls, this is not the case. Now, I do understand that I am a guy and don't have any idea about fashion anyway. Also, I am not from this country and realize that styles are different here but, I still can't see how it would make sense to anyone to wear a miniskirt in literally, freezing weather??? When we went to Hokkaido, for example, there was ice all over the streets and snow blowing in the air and still, girls in miniskirts! Some without leggings even! After seeing it so many times, I don't even get surprised anymore, just amazed that their legs don't freeze and fall off. I mean, there is no way as a guy, I would try but, even if I was a girl I could never do it. To make it even more confusing, some of the girls in Hokkaido were even wearing high heels and falling all over on the icy streets. It was pretty amusing to look at. After seeing some of the interesting fashion trends here, I would be interested to see what Japanese think about American fashion. Or, even what people here think about the clothes I wear everyday.

===Word Help===

put away 片付ける

this is not the case　これに当てはまらず

freezing　　　　　　とっても寒い

leggings　　　　　　レギンス（タイツの足首から先を切ったようなジャージ素材のスパッツ）

confusing　　　　　ややこしい、わかりにくい、紛らわしい

The New Year

This year was my first time to have a real, Japanese New Year. Our plan was to watch the first sunrise of 2009. We began by camping in the mountains, in south Chiba, on New Years eve. It was pretty cold., but we made a big campfire and wore plenty of warm clothes. The hardest part was staying awake all night, until past 7AM. I’m glad we did though, because the view was amazing. Watching the sun come up over the mountain tops was an amazing sight! Still with no sleep, we traveled to the temple, Kinkon-zan Nihon-ji Daibutsu, located on Mt. Nokogori. I don't know if I can even begin to describe how magical this place is, but it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. There are many stairs that go towards the top of the mountain, where you can view a large forest and even part of the Tokyo Bay. The climb is pretty long and tough, but well worth it. Looking over the edges of the cliffs can be pretty frightening. You can see straight down, from the top of the cliff. My favorite part had to be the Yakushi Nyorai (Big stone Buddha.) I hear it is the biggest Buddha figure in Japan, and is the Buddha of medicine and healing. Truly breathtaking to look at. After saying some prayers and buying some omikuji, (fortunes) we finally went home and got some much needed sleep. My best New Year yet! I even got the dai-kichi, which means greatest blessing as my fortune.

===Word Help===

the first sunrise 初日の出

staying awake all night　一晩中起きている

I have seen in my life　　今まで見た

stairs　　　　　　　　　　階段

cliff(s)　　　　　　　　　　崖

frightening　　　　　　　恐怖に感じる

breathtaking　　　　　息をのむような、ハラハラする

Christmas Vacation

For most travelers, I'm sure that Christmas away from home can be difficult. I know it is for me. This year was not so bad though. I was lucky enough to spend the holiday with my wife and two of our friends in Hokkaido. We stayed at an onsen hotel, on Niseko mountain and enjoyed four whole days of snowboarding. It was so fun, but after four days we were all very tired and had a lot of muscle pain from the hard work. It was very nice to have the onsen in our hotel to help us feel better. Our last two days of vacation in Hokkaido were in Sapporo. We made sure to visit the Sapporo beer factory to sample the many different flavors of beer and had a crab dinner buffet in the evening . We all ate so much delicious food! Sapporo city was a lot bigger than I imagined, and a lot colder too! The tv tower was exciting to see. So was the view from the cable car. I was glad that I was around so much snow during Christmas time and can't wait to tell everybody at home all about it.

＝＝＝Word Help＝＝＝

muscle main 筋肉痛