Sister Cities Japan 2004 - Lili on the Loose

6 11, 2017

Travel Missteps: Flooding the Bathroom

By Lili|November 6th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2004, Asia, bathroom, bidet, Japan, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, toilet, Tokyo|0 Comments

Source Japan was fascinating to us. I mean, how could it not be? We were a group of 10 high school students, some away from home for the first time, as part of an Exchange Group with the Sister Cities Program. And as students, we were joking and horsing around taking it all in. I remember just after checking in, we all raced to one room (thankfully not mine) and were checking out all the buttons on the space age toilet the hotel had. It could play music and sounds. It could warm the seat. And it had buttons

29 06, 2017

Tea Ceremony in Japan

By Lili|June 29th, 2017|Categories: Activities, Travel|Tags: 2004, Asia, Buddhist Temple, chakai, chanoyu, Chino, Green Tea, Japan, matcha, Ocha, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Suwa, Tea, Tea Ceremony, Travel Thursday, Way of the Tea|0 Comments

Listening to Koto music before the Tea Ceremony If you go to Japan, you must experience a Tea Ceremony! I was lucky to visit a Buddhist temple during my Sister Cities exchange trip to Chino, Japan. The temple grounds are hauntingly beautiful. A community graveyard greeted us from the parking area. Then as we walked through the lush green forest, I spied little Jizo statues along the pathway, and a pond on the other side. It was so peaceful. We were then ushered though the garden before entering the temple. It is common to walk across dewy ground

16 01, 2017

Travel Missteps: She Loves Chicken

By Lili|January 16th, 2017|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2004, Asia, chicken, Chino, Japan, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004|0 Comments

Source One worry I had when traveling to Japan is that I wouldn't like the food. You see, I hate fish. And I'm allergic to seaweed. Which makes most sushi and common food items a no go for me. And then there was an issue of a mad cow scare making beef not an option either. My unique "diet" got a little lost in translation with my host family. So when I was introduced to people by them, it was "Kore wa Lili desu. Toriniku daisuki desu." Meaning "This is Lili, she loves chicken." I remember my host mother

15 10, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Japanese Wooden Dolls

By Lili|October 15th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2004, Asia, doll, Japan, japanese wooden doll, Kokeshi, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Tokyo, wood doll, wooden doll|0 Comments

A common souvenir from Japan is the Japanese Wooden Doll, or Kokeshi. There are two types, the traditional kokeshi, which is made in two parts and all details are usually painted on. Or the Creative Kokeshi which may have other elements. This Kokeshi below I got in Tokyo and is a Creative Kokeshi. I picked it out as its wearing a kimono with a sakura blossom design. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

26 09, 2016

Travel Missteps: Earthquake in Japan

By Lili|September 26th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2004, Asia, Chino, Earthquake, Japan, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Tokyo|0 Comments

As a high school student going to Japan I wasn't really worried about natural disasters. Sure I had known about earthquakes, and this was years before the horrific earthquake and tsunami of 2011. I was mainly worried if I had enough spending money, and was just so excited about the trip in general. Being from Colorado, we rarely get earthquakes, and when we do they are so minor it hardly registers beyond a few pictures on the walls rattling. Thankfully, for me, the earthquake I experienced in Japan was very minor. On our last night in Tokyo, my roommate and

8 09, 2016

Visting a Judo Dojo in Japan

By Lili|September 8th, 2016|Categories: Activities, Travel|Tags: 2004, Asia, Chino, Dojo, Japan, Judo, martial arts, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Travel Thursday|0 Comments

I enjoy martial arts and so was delighted to visit a Dojo that taught Judo in Japan. While the rest of the girls in my group were timid, I actually went all for it! When they asked us to kick, I kicked hard, making my spotter move. He grunted in approval and braced for my next kick and punch. The other girls in my group looked at me like I was crazy, but I was having too much fun! If you ever visit a Dojo be sure to remove your shoes and other clothes, and then bow as you enter.

28 05, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Baka Neko, Neko Basu: Cat Bus!

By Lili|May 28th, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2004, Anime, Asia, Cat Bus, Chino, film, Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, Keychain, My Neighbor Totoro, Nagano, Neko, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Tonari no Totoro, Totoro|0 Comments

Stupid Cat, Cat Bus! Baka Neko, Neko Basu or The Cat Bus is a bizarre character from Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro). There was a Japanese legend that said as cats get older they can shape-shift, and given the nickname Baka Neko (Stupid/Crazy Cat). In Totoro, this Baka Neko become a Bus! Cat Bus Close Up Cat Bus at the Bus Stop Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

12 02, 2016

Takashima Castle

By Lili|February 12th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2004, castle, Japan, lake, Nagano, Photo Friday, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Suwa, Suwa no Ukijiro, Takasaki-jo, Takashima Castle|0 Comments

Japanese castles are fascinating architecturally (although this one was empty on the inside). This one is in Suwa and overlooks the large lake. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.

23 01, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Pressed Flower Art

By Lili|January 23rd, 2016|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2004, Asia, Chino, dried flowers, flowers, Grandmother, host family, Japan, Nagano, Pressed flowers, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Suwa|0 Comments

When I visited Japan I stayed with a host family. One afternoon we drove up into the mountains near Suwa and visited my host Grandparents. After being introduced to dinner (a live chicken) and being very tired to the point I couldn't keep my eyes open I took a nap. When I woke up, the Grandmother had been told I liked art, and so beckoned me to sit next to her. As a hobby she made beautiful art with pressed flowers and presented to me a little framed piece of paper on my own. She helped me pick flowers out of

14 01, 2016

Omikuji: Fortune Telling at Japanese Temples & Shrines

By Lili|January 14th, 2016|Categories: Activities, Travel|Tags: 2004, Asakusa, Asakusa Temple, Asia, Buddhist, curse, fate, fortune, fortune telling, good luck, Harajuku, Japan, lottery, Omikuji, sccared lot, Sensō-ji, Shinto, Shrine, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Temple, Tokyo, Travel Thursday|0 Comments

If you find yourself at a Japanese temple or shrine make sure to have your fortune told! Called Omikuji are essentially a sacred lot, where you randomly draw a stick that will tell you your fortune. But beware, these fortunes can foretell a bad fate! After you have paid, you will shake, spin, or rotate a container full of numbered sticks. It is important to make sure you wish for a good fortune at this point! Once you pull the stick out, find the corresponding fortune in the numbered drawers. Then return your stick. Now it is time to read your