Things I'm going to have to stop doing/things I'll have to get used to in the U.S.

This is for my own amusement, really, but I realized there are a number of things I'm going to have to change once I get back to the States. Here's a list, whoo!

- "Konnichiwa" "Ohayou Gozaimasu" and "Konbanwa" are not commonly understood greetings.
-I'll have to stop throwing up the "v for victory" sign in photos, or else I'll look like a doofus.
-I'll have to stop saying "Sumimasen" when I bump into someone.
-I have to remember to consider sales tax when I purchase items (sales tax is already included in prices here).
-Taking off my shoes upon entering a dressing room in the U.S. is generally frowned upon.
-I won't have to separate my recycling and trash by the type of material.
-I'll have to learn how to live without a rice cooker or properly cooked white rice (unless I just eat at my boyfriend's house all the time).
-I'll have to get used to the cars driving on the other side of the road again.
-I won't have to tie up my cardboard and put it out for the paper truck to pick up.

and last but not least...

-I'll have to get used to getting horrible service at stores and eateries again. Nooo!

Kodai-Ji Temple Light Up

Hello everyone! This week went by surprisingly quickly, thanks to a fun outing on Tuesday night. A housemate of mine organized a trip to a temple lighting, which are pretty popular among tourists and locals during the fall and winter. There are fewer Christmas light-ups than you would find in America, naturally, but temple light-ups seem to be the festive thing to do during the holiday season.

I finish class at 11 on Tuesdays, so I sat around and did homework until we met at 4. A small group of us got on the bus to go downtown. Our first stop was at a popular clothing store, called Uniqlo (coincidentally, one is supposed to be opening in New York). Uniqlo is pretty much your go-to source for wardrobe basics and business wear. You can find jeans, sweaters, blouses, coats, tights, etc. I'm not a huge fan of their clothing, but during the winter time they sell "heat tech" clothing that works really well (they were also having a sale! ;D ). Since I wear skirts more than pants, I bought some tights and socks from that line. It was really cool to find tights made that way, since most heavy winter gear in America is regulated to pants and tops or it looks really bulky and ugly.

Funnily enough, I think I'll find more use for my tights back home. Temperatures have been really warm compared to Memphis winters. We're usually in the mid 50s to low 60s. It just gets really cold at night.

ANYWAY, after we did our shopping we went back to Sweets Paradise for dinner. For those who don't remember my first post about it, Sweets Paradise is a restaurant where you pay about 15 dollars and get all you can eat and drink for an hour and a half. There is pasta, soup, curry, sandwiches, a cake bar, a coffee/espresso/hot chocolate machine, sodas, a tea bar, soft serve ice cream, and a chocolate fountain. It's delicious and well worth the price.

Once we finished eating, we made our way to Kodai-ji temple. You pay a small fee to get inside, and then you can stroll along the garden paths. The trees were lit in a way that made the fall colors practically glow. There were three major areas; the first was a rock garden where rocks were arranged to look like a dragon. Certain parts of the dragon were lit up for short intervals, and there were small blue glowing lights and iridescent pebbles strewn through the garden.

The second was a small pond, encircled by trees. The trees were all brightly colored and lit in such a fashion that they reflected perfectly on the still pond. It was literally like looking into a mirror or another world. It was surreal.

Lastly, you could walk up a hill and go through a small bamboo forest that was also lit. The green of the bamboo seemed to glow, and the bamboo itself was at least as tall as a two story building, if not taller. It was beautiful, and I felt as if I'd stepped into a Miyazaki film.

Taking photos in the dark was hard, but after fiddling with my camera and using fence posts to my advantage, I got some nice shots.
Lately the trees have begun to look particularly beautiful. One of the things I love about Japan is all of the natural beauty and the fact that the leaves change so gradually.

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In other news, I'm trying to plan a trip over my winter break. I am off for Christmas (weekend, durr), I go back for one day (I've no idea why, it seems pointless), and then I am off from the 27th until the 6th of January. Originally I wanted to go to Hokkaido, and then a southern Island caught my attention after I saw pictures of this gorgeous mossy forest that inspired the film Princess Mononoke. However, going to either of those places would be EXTREMELY costly. I'm talking at least 100-200 dollars to simply get there. Plus, my ideal travel buddy is on a budget, and I'm not too keen on taking a huge trip by myself.

As of right now, I'm looking at places like Nara or Kobe. They're fairly close by, and I could enjoy the city as well as some more rural attractions.