Santa Has a Secret...

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But first! Some cool pictures of the light show on display outside of Nagoya station on the JR side.

Spring:

Summer:

Fall:

Winter:

I only wish the pictures were as good as the real thing! The winter scene was really stunning.

Speaking of stunning things in Japan, I want to tell you some reasons I love FEELZ gym in Yokkaichi:

1. They have great classes for an exceptional price. (I take boxercise, hot boxing, yoga, hot yoga and zumba each week!)

2. The atmosphere is very friendly, and the employees speak to me in both English and Japanese (depending on how much English they know). Both the instructors and the staff are kind to me. Everyone--including other members--is very patient with me when I speak Japanese, and vice-versa. It creates a nice atmosphere, because we're all learning.

3. Most importantly, I feel that FEELZ has a great way of bringing Western holiday spirit to the gym. Halloween was celebrated with decorations, a BBQ, magic tricks and boxing. Christmas, too, is being celebrated with decorations and a party. To top it off, FEELZ has even let me in on a little secret!

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Santa Claus is not who you think he is!

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....!

HE IS A BOXING DARTH VADER IN DISGUISE!

Me, Darth Claus, and my boxercise/hot boxing instructor

For more information on the secrets which have been revealed to me via FEELZ gym and Japan, please see Chad and I next week in America!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Nabana no Sato

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After our trip to Gozaisho, we headed to Nabana no Sato, a huge flower garden in Kuwana, Mie. People come year round to enjoy the beautiful gardens, but the winter is especially famous for the Winter Illumination display. We arrived around 4:30 and strolled through the gardens while it was still light out.

Beautiful fall colors!

It costs 2000 yen at the door (or about $20.00 USD), but part of that includes a 1000 yen voucher to use on food. After we walked around the gardens, we decided to get a bite to eat while we waited for it to get darker. We tried spicy gyoza soup, yakisoba, Matsusaka beef nikuman, and little waffles stuffed with whipped cream and strawberries. What a little feast!

Matsusaka Beef Nikuman

After dinner, it was time to see the real show.

The Christmas trees were beautiful; our camera just can't do them justice.

The amazing tunnel of light pictured above had little flower lights hanging down. It felt like we were in some kind of fantasy scene in a movie (just with too many people to make it as romantic as it has the potential to be!). The end of the tunnel led out to "aurora" lights (pictured below).

This spectacle led us to another tunnel of light that was purple.

We spent a few hours at Nabana no Sato, and although it was a little pricey, it was definitely worth the warm feelings of Christmas that fill you when surrounded by so much magical light. Only a week and a half away from coming home, we're about to burst with excitement. Happy holidays!

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Gozaisho Mountain

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November 23rd is a national holiday in Japan that celebrates labor and harvest. As it was the day before my birthday, we decided to go out to Gozaisho Mountain. Located right in Mie, these are the same mountains we can see out our apartment door. We were really lucky to be able to see the autumn leaves (that's right, you can still see them at the end of November!).

The friends who joined us wanted to take the cable car up the 1212 meter mountain. We enjoyed the slow ride to the top, but not the steep price! It cost us around $25.00 USD per person, (including the lift).

Masayo and Caitlyn

Toyokazu and Chad (Chad is representin' Mie)

As you can see, at the very top the leaves have mostly changed and fallen. We felt the view was breathtaking nonetheless.

At the top of the mountain, there is a rock with a poem on it. When we asked what it meant, our friends tried to translate. They didn't recognize some of the kanji, and after looking it up in their cell phone dictionaries they came up with, "Snow, Triangle, Teapot." Above, Toyokazu is pondering what it all means.

Udon lunch!

Above: The beautiful view from the cable car on the way down. We are planning on climbing next spring!

At our friend Joel's suggestion, we decided to try senbei, a type of Japanese rice cracker. These ones were freshly made and served warm, so they were actually more like cookies. Yum!

What a cute couple!

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