BLOGGIN.

Now to end my blogging from Japan. The next few weeks I will be traveling around the place with Jonathan, Tom and Lucy and we are definitely more dangerous than our names suggest. We are going to tear Nippon UP! Nah we will probably very politely trot around and maybe visit an island or two. I will of course have my camera and snap pretty much anything and everything, however I will not have the internet. So, prepare to be overloaded with posts on my return, however they will be coming from England. AH! I cant believe it is the end already. There have been many a moment I was a bit fed up - being completely isolated from all your friends and family for 4 months is a little bit of a strain, but Japan has become my second home and I am genuinely sad to be leaving. I have made some pretty snazzy new friends, Japanese and otherwise, and have thougherly enjoyed myself.

Now why is there some pretty COOL photos of my in a loo? Bought this (straight-out-of-the-90s-and-onto-my-back) Fils cropped shirt for 30¥, thats 21p. Also bought a complete navy woolen skirt suit with navy short sleeve shirt to match for 100¥, 70p. See, how can you not love it here?

PEACE OUT JAPAN. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

NICE RICE.

As I have mentioned before, instead of having twee gardens, the Japanese have strips of land which they farm for themselves. Like allotments but longer and thinner. These most of them are used for rice. The rice shoots were tiny at the beginning of our stay but now look at them! A field of green.

SUMO.

Yeah thats right we went to a Sumo tournament and it was amazing. I do have a video of the actual fights - although they only last 40 seconds, my computer deems this too long and wont upload them. Ill have to just re-enact them for you when I`m back on English soil.

HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.

This is the best thing I have seen in all of Japan so far. My friend Sae made it for our Farewell Party. Not everyone gets to be a giant caterpillar you know. Wanna come?

PREPARATION.

Most of my work is done for the exhibition. Just putting the glazes on the woodcuts and need to sew up my hanging baskets. I was taking down some test pieces for my window print and saw all the bugs on the window sill; not uncommon I know, but there were so many of them I thought it was piles of dust. Decided to take some and spent the rest of the afternoon painting them white. Did you know that the surface tension in water is stronger than a fly`s leg? Spray paint was the way forward.

PRINTMAKING.

Just a few photos of what has been my home for the last few months. Nagoya Printmaking isnt the slickest of departments but it is the bestest. My desk is huge. I can put loads of stuff on it. And I do. I will definitely miss this place, there are lots of things British Art Schools could learn from the Japanese I think. To have a real community at University is really important and wanting to be somewhere will always result in more work being done and students beeing happier. Surely thats what it is all about?

TOKYO TAKE TWO.

Here are a few mini clips from walking around Tokyo and one from a strange coin operated puppet at the 5th station, Mount Fuji.

RE-BLOGGED.

My friend and exchange buddy Lucy has a cool blog so because we cant re-blog on blogspot I copied and pasted for you. Mostly pictures of me. And one of some Pompokos.

www.lucindaabel.blogspot.com

FOOD. PART ONE.

Here is a selection of foods I`ve tried, or watch the girls try, under the catagory SNACKS AND FAST FOODS. Meals to come later.

Octopus with a Quail Egg stuffed in it`s Head. Best canape ever.

Green Tea KitKat. Yum.

Smarties, Japanese style. They have blue ones.

Traditional fast food, octopus balls. Batter cooked into a ball with octopus inside. Served with a kind of BBQ Sauce and mayonnaise. Amazing after a night out in Kyoto.

SERVED.

Went for breakfast this morning with my newest friend Yoko on 3D Design with Shelly. Japan has many coffee houses but in Nagoya, you get a little breakfast with your coffee. I had green tea toast, a boiled egg and a little salad. It was amazing. All for 380¥, about 3 pounds. The weather is also incredibly hot now so I have my comeuppance.