Snow!

This morning was the first time snow stayed on the ground! Lots of it! (at least for Japan, 1/2 foot) 

I'm finding it hard to deal with the lack of central heating. I've bought some slippers and wear long pants and long sleeves while in the house. Thankfully I was left an electric heater by my predecessor which has been とても　べんり (very useful). 

Despite the fact that it is cold, I find it amusing how many times in a given day I hear comments from Japanese people about how cold its getting. "Samui desu ne?" - "Cold isn't it?" seems to be the new catch-phrase of the season. 

Anyway, I'll have to get some shots of the snowy mountains. It's quite a spectacle. All this snow has me eagerly awaiting my first Japanese snowboarding experience. There is a gigantic sports store (Xebio) opening in our city, which will aparently have a grand opening sale so I'm hoping to get some cheap boarding gear then! 

Photos to come! 

Settling in...

My house is finally starting to feel like a home. I have some scattered art up on the walls, re-arranged the apartment, and bought a sweet TV unit for $20 at the second hand store. The second-hand stores here are much different from a Goodwill or Salvation Army back home. Instead of having items donated, the "recycle store" as they call it, buys your used clothing, furniture, electronics, sporting gear, pretty much anything. As a result, the merchandise is of higher quality. I now buy pretty much all my clothes from there ($9 dress shirts, $5 tees, $15 pants, etc.)

I have an electric acoustic guitar which I got a week after getting here, but last week I finally bought a stand for it so it can be easily accessed, and look awesome. Just wanted to give you a glimpse into my dwelling, although I'm not here that often. Hope you like my setup!
* I had some friends over to eat pizza since there is a half price deal ($15 large) at Pizza Hut on the 8th, 9th and 10th of the month, hence the pizza box.
*The shower is tragic. You have to crank it to light the gas which in turn heats up the water. Although the bathtub is wickedly huge. *My nice cozy toilet.