I'd say it's about time for ...

An update! It's been nearly a month since my last update and man, it was a fun month!! Crazy busy, but fun :) and also a little sad at the same time.

I spent the month saying good bye to friends leaving Aomori, practicing taiko for the festival, playing volleyball, working, going to fuji rock (the largest rock festival in Japan), participating in the best local festival ever, entertaining friends from tokyo, watching fireworks with (hmmm), meeting new JETs and possibly new friends, and just really feeling like a part of the community!

if i gave you all of the details then this blog would be extremely long, but I think you get the idea that I've been living it up here in Japan. It's been disgustingly hot lately (not necessarily temperature wise, but humidity is the killer) and things are just finally start to settle back down to normal, whatever that means.

Two weeks ago, three friends and I took a road trip to go enjoy 3 days of music (including artists like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, JET, Jason Mraz, The Zutons, Mogwai, Snow Patrol, Flogging Molly, and the list goes on). It took us 14 hours to get there and 12 hours to get back, but the drive was beautiful (Niigata has amazing mountain views) and it was an awesome experience. Made new friends from Tokyo, experienced concerts in pooring rain and mud, slept in a tent so close to other tents you could touch them just by reaching your hand out the front. Here's some pictures


prepared for the rain with $1 plastic ponchos!












neigbors and new friends from tokyo













festival took place at a ski resort. and yup, those are all tents!












the other big thing that has happened was the tachi nebuta festival. aomori is famous for it's nebuta festivals and goshogawara has its own called tachi nebuta. i was really luckly and was able to participate by playing taiko. i got to wear the traditional festival wear, and participated every day (5 days) yelling yate mare and sore, beating the taiko drum, and pushing the float. i've never sweated so much in my life, but man it was awesome! i'm looking forward to doing it again next year, except next year i want to play the flute and other stuff too. here's some pictures from the festival ....

alright, blogger is being funny and not letting me post pictures, but go to my pictures page and you can see lots of new pictures, one including me in a yukata (summer kimono) for the first time :)

alright, enough for now ... i'll try and post soon!