Japanese Rice Field Art

This is absolutely amazing! A friend from Idaho sent me some pictures & asked if this was real. Internet research has proven that this is indeed, authentic & we're hoping to plan a trip to see this for ourselves if we're still here at the end of next summer. The largest and finest work is grown in the Aomori village of Inakadate, 600 miles north of Tokyo (very from away from us!), where this tradition began in 1993. CLICK RIGHT HERE for more unbelievable photos, info & even a time-lapse video of how they did it!

Folksy yet sophisticated ... a reproduction in rice of Hokusai's famous print the Great Wave. Photograph: Norifumi Naito/Solen

Coming of Age Day 1/11/10

20 years is considered the age of adulthood in Japan and the second Monday of January is a national holiday - Coming of Age Day in Japan. Read about it HERE! and HERE!

Tokyo Sky Tree Tower

Have you heard about this new tower under construction in Tokyo? It's going to be one of the highest in the world -- taller than the existing Tokyo Tower (which is a slightly taller version of Eiffel Tower in Paris.) Take a look at this website & be sure to check out the really interesting color & lighting options . . .
http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/english/

And here are a couple of artist drawings from the website:



I can't wait to get to Tokyo & check this out!

Japanese New Year Customs

Found this interesting article that tells everything you ever wanted to know about celebrating the New Year and the rest of January in Japan - complete with pictures. Check it out HERE!!!

Geek Alert! Robots in Japan . . .

Check out how robots are viewed in Japanese culture! Just watched this short video on a great BBC TV show called "Click" -- this is SOOOO Amazing! CLICK HERE!

Holly & Heather Together in Vegas!

Happy New Year 2010!

Stan's Black-eyed Peas!

Year of the Tiger - 2010 ! ! !

This was the quietest NYE we've had in years! Most of our party friends have either moved away or are out of town for the holidays, so we just stayed in & watched TV and played Wii. Turns out I (who have always been no good at sports) am a crack shot & can also whip Stan at ping pong. Who knew? Baked a spiral ham & Stan's black-eyed peas are in the crock pot. Hope 2010 is a better, easier, and more prosperous year for everyone . . .

Check out a baby tiger in this video from Japanese TV!