Just kidding. Seriously, though. It's been forever since I've updated this.
So Thanksgiving was fantastic. Mr. Oogushi invited Marisa and I over to his house for a feast. We spent the evening eating turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and other traditional Thanksgiving foods with his friends and family, and you know what? It actually felt really homey and comforting. I started to realize something that I'll talk about a little bit later because I just realized it fully today and want to share the good news with everyone. Moving on....
Over the long weekend, Marisa and I went to Mt. Takao, just west of Tokyo to see the leaves changing color. It was my first real experience hiking up a mountain, and the pain in my legs the next day stood as an testament to that. On the way up, I was just fine. On the way down, we said to ourselves, "Well, let's take the ropeway", but by that time of day the ropeway was full and we had no choice but to hobble all the way down. Marisa was a lot better at it than I. At any rate, the mountain was absolutely gorgeous, awash of gold, red, and brown.
This is only tangentially related, but I'm pretty sure that Ginko trees sport the most impressive fall colors. They turn this brilliant, golden yellow, and when the leaves fall they make the ground this sea of gold. I just love it.
Okay, so December. A month of frigidity. There's very little insulation in Japan, so seeing your breath in your own house is a regular occurrence. The kotatsu has become my holy sanctuary, and I dare not leave it lest I become Popsicle-sensei. For the unaware, a kotatsu is a coffee table with a heater built in to the bottom. You cover the table with a blanket, put your feet inside, and voila! Comfort!
Last weekend (was it only last weekend?!?), Mr. Oogushi surprised me and Marisa with an early Christmas gift. He bought us tickets to a helicopter ride over Tokyo. I was stunned by his generosity. I mean, really? A helicopter ride over Tokyo? Needless to say, it was amazing. Marisa is uploading the video now, so you'll see it shortly.
This weekend, I visited my host family again. I got to see the extended family too, this time. Ryou is still so cute. We played New Super Mario Bros. Wii together and it was a blast. Stayed up with my family chatting and watched the Nodame Cantabile season finale. Just a great time.
(You might want to skip with next part. Just nerdy stuff.)
I saw the One Piece: Strong World movie today and my mind was blown. Amazingly fun, amazing animation. I've been a fan of One Piece since the beginning of high school, and I'll continue to be a One Piece fan for the next 10 years that I expect it'll be around. It's become one of the most epic adventure stories ever written. *gushing*
This week Joseph and Randy arrive along with a slew of year-end parties. Karaoke Monday, enkai Tuesday, Festivus Wednesday, rest on Thursday, two Christmas parties on Friday, die on Saturday, and wake up at the crack of dawn to find out how mochi is made on Sunday.
Which brings me to the point: I'm finally starting to feel really settled. I have new friends now--Akiko, my Japanese teacher, Mr. Oogushi, Mr. Endo from the cooking class, my host family. I speak Japanese most of the day. I have to eat weird food all the time. But all of this has stopped feeling incongruent with me. Like somehow it fits together in a comforting way. I don't want to suggest that I'm not coming back. I miss the U.S. very much. It's just that I have roots now. I feel comfortable. It's nice.
It's real nice.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=215044665377
