R2-D2 - Laundry Version

So we got a new laundry machine a couple weeks ago and it is AWSEOME. It`s one of those fancy washer dryer combo units. Yup, i`m domesticated. But with this thing i have no complaints. Except that Ulala won`t let me use the dryer every time. I tried to tell her that it`s spelled launDRY but she didn`t go for it... Meh. This thing has a ton of settings and i have to study a bunch of kanji characters just to be able to start it. And it sings a little song as it starts up, then another little digi-tune when it finishes. Funny thing is that it`s designed for Japanese houses with no space and limited options for venting so there is no vent for the hot air! How weird is that? As a result the drying takes a long time but the machine never really gets hot. Washers with dryers in them, cell phones with cameras in them, digital personal organizers that do just about EVERYTHING! The future is now, people!! Now if you`ll excuse me, i think i`m going to do some laundry.

Ulala in Kimono

Lots of posts today. While i`m at it i thought i would post these pictures of Ulala in her full kimono. She went to her cousin`s wedding a couple weeks ago and everyone in the close family was dressed traditionally (or at least very formally). She had to go to a special kimono shop just to have them help her get dressed! and then had to go to a hair salon and get her hair done in "kimono style," which near as i can tell just means fancy up with some flowers (don`t get me wrong - it looked great). All this cost a small fortune, not including the gift money for the bride and groom! Yikes! But she tells me the wedding was beautiful and well worth it all. I didn`t go because i was at owrk (and i don`t really know her cousin at all).

Plum Blossoms

Before there are sakura (cherry blossoms) there are the ume no hana (plum blossoms. They are the hope that winter is ending and Spring is almost here. I actually took these pictures weeks ago but forgot to post them. Oops. These trees are located at the shrine where (most likely) Ulala and i will have our wedding, Ikutama-jinja. So i wrote a haiku:

Time passes so quickly,
Are they plum or cherry blossoms
That make my love smile?

The Little Shrine

These pictures are of a tiny (and i mean TINY!) little shrine right outside my Japanese teacher`s school. The shrine is well maintained and elegant in its simplicity but just REALLY SMALL! So i used the close-up on my camera and tried to get some nice pictures.

just plain creepy.

This is from a poster at a friend`s house but i don`t what the original is for. The creepy part is that it pretty accurately depicts the youth of Japan, cell phones and fashion...

Hanami Party at Sakuranomiya

Just a few pics from a lovely Sunday by the riverside with friends and flowers.