Letter Translated!

Thank you to Rich who forwarded it to Maki for a lil detective work!

letter says: I want to go to Fugetsu (Okonomiyaki place) in Ebisu-bashi, how do I get there? From Ebisu-bashi, I heard it’s on the South building of the 3rd floor. Thank you.

I think the guy wrote “America” and wanted her to sign her name at the end because whoever helps her will immediately know she is from the US (a foreigner) who is simply looking for a restaurant. Not trying to do shady things etc. which will make the person want to help her. It’s just to make whoever is helping her feel comfortable right away. that's part of the japanese culture :)

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Wow. I thought it gave them instructions to walk us there because that's what they did! Oh the niceness of people... I felt the love (especially in my belly full of okonomiyaki) :)

RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR LA!!!

GAHHH!!! Victoria Vu of paper & type and I just got accepted to RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR LA!! Woooooo!!! Gahhhhhhh!! The first 5 mins of our conversation went like this:

victoria: WE'RE IN!!

me: !!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY SHIT!

YES YES YES YES YES!!!

victoria: OH MY GOD

me: omg

victoria: OH MY GOD

me: OMG!!

victoria: OH MY GOD

OMG

OMG

OMG

me: GCHAT FREAK OUT!!!

hahahaha

YES!!!

victoria: YES

me: YES YES

victoria: YES YES YES

me: i wish caps could be bigger

hahahaha

OMG!!!

victoria: TWEET! FBOOK!

SLDKGLSKAHG

me: YEAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

omg... it's starting!!

its so ON!

omg omg omg!!!

YAY!!!

YAY US!!

me: omg omg omg

victoria: OMG OMG

i am freaking out

hahaha so, yeah. We're pretty thrilled. I did the one in BK last year, but this one feels like more of an accomplishment because it's just us, and it will be she and I designing the booth and working the station. Gaahhhhh.... This is a bit of a step up from our high school science fair project display on the calming effects of bath salts lol. I've walked through so many craft fairs with her, and it's so surreal that we'll be one of those fine folks with a booth. SCORE!!!!

Setting suns & kiddie fun

I love that people, foreign & Japanese, come together to party all day & night because flowers are in bloom. It's a celebration of nature changing. The cherry blossom blooming really does warrant it... it's so beautiful. I can't wait to see Japan in the fall.
that's totally me happy as ever double fisting mochi
kid in the back was JUST picking his nose. EW. haha

love the kid's drawings of cherry blossoms. looking back, i should have thrown one of mine in the mix. next time :)

(yoyogi park, tokyo & murayama park, kyoto)

Sketches of Japan: Part 1

Kiddies playing at the airport... tons of fun to watch & sketch

Drunk businessmen at the takoyaki bar in Osaka

Osaka castle. So pretty!

Vroooom goes the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo! JR pass ftw!

As I waited for Lino in Harajuku, I sketched the funky & silly fashionistas. An old man sat down next to me and quietly watched. Suddenly this pack of cookies falls on my sketchbook. Rather confused, I thank him. He asks me where I'm from, I answer, and he gets up and walks away. Hahaha. My first art donation!

Sticker Pictures!!

hhahahahahaha the most intense photo session I've ever had in my life! The music was loud & bumpin'. You can pick different themes and dress up in costumes. I wanted to be a sailor but they're not allowed to lend them out after 11pm (????). I'd never seen so many different background options & if that wasn't enough... after the pictures are taken you can draw on them!! Hahaha enjoy! I know I did :)

Okonomiyaki, the best sushi EVER & other food adventures

Breakfast & cherry blossoms. Family Mart quickly became my favorite one stop shop for my snack & stationary needs.

Tsukiji Market!

One of the largest fish markets in the world. The fish auction was fun to see, but the sushi breakfast at 630am... hands down the most delicious one I've ever had. I never knew eel & tuna could melt. Best 26 dollars spent.

Lip, intestines, cheek, etc. yeah, not really a vegetarian anymore.

Mmmm takoyaki! My first meal of my trip. I didn't know they could melt into delicious gooeyness like that. 3 bucks, baby!

Now this next one was an adventure. Masa, our ridiculous hostel manager in Osaka, suggested fugetsu for okonomiyaki. I tried to find it the last time but couldn't & settled with the takoyaki instead (above). To avoid a second fail, he wrote this letter:

(you get a prize if you can translate it)

and said I could just show the letter to anyone and they'll help. He also told me to sign it, which I thought was strange & then I saw he wanted me to write my name after the word, "America". Hahahahahaha. Please! Someone tell me what it says! Anyway, so Lino & I wander & can't find it. I approach a couple & hand them the letter. We basically follow them for a good 10 minutes in & out of the subway and underground passageways, all the while Lino & I completely confused about what the letter says. Haha, I hope they didn't have any place to get to! I wonder how we changed their night by being lost... Anyway, they show us where it is and thank god too because we probably wouldn't have found it on our own. And the meal? It went a lil something like this... HIT IT!

YUM!!!