Nara, Japan.

Watercolour painting. From a photo I took in Nara 2009. First time I've painted a deer. This painting was a little difficult but I think the light and shadow looks good. I kind of hate painting trees. Haha.

Photography

This is a photo I took in Japan 2009. I'm thinking of making a painting out of it. 

The original photo is in colour but I think it looks more interesting in black and white.

I miss Japan.

Rested!

Aaah. Today I just stayed in and rested. Slept a lot and listened to music.
I need to learn some new songs for karaoke. ;)

Yesterday we went to Kyoto, Arashiyama with Sakos boyfriend Yacchan and friend Kayo.
It was great! Arashiyama is so beautiful. It's below the mountains with a river running through. We hired a couple of boats and went rowing in the river. It's been a long time since I rowed a boat but I'm pretty good at it, and fast! lol
We walked through a bamboo forest and visited some temples and shrines.
I got a really good fortune at a shrine.
It said I'll meet the person I've been waiting for and my diseases will be cured. :D
I wanna believe it!

On Monday we went shopping and I finally bought a yukata. And I we went to the Suntory Yamazaki whisky distillery! Went on a guided tour and then got to taste the 12 year old Yamazaki whisky. It was really fun. I got a little tipsy. lol
I bought some whisky for my dad and the yummiest whisky cake ever!
Aah, I kinda wanna go back for another round. lol
I think I'll keep buying this whisky when I get home. And drink with sentimental nostalgia. lol

And last Sunday we went to Kyoto, met Sakos friend Mahou and saw Okuribi! It's the finally of Obon when the spirits are sent back to heaven. We saw all five fires! Daimonji was awesome. I was so happy and felt very lucky that I got to see it! Earlier that day we saw Kinkakuji. So beautiful! The whole area is super beautiful. Japanese really have the best sense for beauty I think.

And I guess it was Tuesday we went to Nara with Sakos friends Yuriko and Chiakki.
Nara park is huuuuuuge and there's deer averywhere. They're completely used to people and tame enough to pet. They're very beautiful animals.
We saw the huge bronze Buddha in Todaiji. There are some extremely beautiful temples and places there and the park is amazing. Anyone who is interested in Japan should go there!

Tomorrow I'm going with Mahou to her familys shrine in Kyoto. Obata jinja.
I want to learn more about shinto so I'll ask her to teach me. He family owns the shrine and the men of the family are priests.
Mahou has many swedish friends and has studied swedish. :D

I am amazed at how many people I've met that have visited Sweden. I really hope Sako will come visit me when I'm home again. And she can bring all her friends and her boyfriend! :D

Sako has been so amazing to me and shown me so much already. I'm so happy I came here and a bit sad I'll be leaving in a week. :./
At the same time I kind of miss Tokyo. I feel more at home there I guess. Since I've been there so many times.
If I'm lucky maybe I can stay with Kayo in Asakusa. She was really great to.
Wow, I've met so many great people here!
I am lucky.

I hope Tokyo will be as nice to me as Kanto has been.
But I have a week left and lots more to see!
I should probably go to Osaka again but honestly I didn't like it that much.
Feels just like a big city with not much to really see.
I guess it's great for shopping though. I want to go back to a store we went to and buy some more stuff there.

Ok.
I gotta sleep.

Oyasumi!

The best day ever so far!?

I got to Narita airport at 8 am.
After I got my luggage I went to buy a prepaid phone. I had to wait for two hours to get it.
That was a bit annoying but I need to get a prepaid so I can mail. Mailing with a rental phone is really expensive.
After I got my phone I went to Sugamo in Tokyo to meet my friends from stickam.
Three guys. Hikaru, Pato and Jonah. First I didn't think they'd all come so I was surprised.
They're all so nice and sweet guys!
Hikaru came flying "Eeeeeeeeema" and gave me a big hug. lol
He's so energetic.
We went walking in Sugamo on the shopping street that's nicnamed "Old womans Harajuku." XD
The really only sold old peoples things anf clothes. It was fun.
We ate ramen. It was so yummy! But I didn't eat much of the noodles. I just mostly ate the pork and egg. But I got so full. I really can't eat alot anymore.
Hikaru gave me maccha as a present. Arigatou gozaimasu!
After window shopping we went and drank maccha in a small café.
I love maccha! I love Japan!!! lol
Then it was time to go to Odaiba to see the Gundam!
It was so cool! Huge! We walked between it's legs and touched it. Haha.
It had a little show with music, sound effects, lights and smoke. It really felt like it could start walking away anytime. But it can only move it's head.
We sat down in the grass and relaxed for a while and then went to Otsuka.
I was supposed to stay with someone from couchsurfing there so we went there to wait for him to call me.
In Otsuka we found an izakaya and ate and drank. We talked alot and alcohol really helps me to speak japanese. lol
After getting drunk it was all sex talk. XD So funny!
I drank some pink drink with vodka and grapefruit. It was pretty strong.
I felt like the ground was swaying. By now I'd been awake almost 48 hours so I thought I was just being tired and drunk. I felt it earlier too when we were in Sugamo.
Then there actually was an earthquake! It was pretty big. The house rocked back and forth.
It was my first time feeling an earthquake.
So that feeling I had earlier wasn't maybe just me being tired. lol
It was pretty cool but a little worrying. There is a really big one coming sometime after all.
Luckily this wasn't it.
I called my couchsurfing contact and he was late in getting to Otsuka so we stayed in the izakaya until they closed. By then we we're all pretty drunk.
Hikaru decided to let me and Pato stay at his place since my contact was so late.
So we went there and bought more drinks on the way. lol
It's a really small appartment but it was fun. We did drunk stickam live. XD
Me and Pato danced the waltz to swedish summer music I brought.
Hikaru fell alseep pretty fast so me and Pato drew on his face. lol
Then we drew on our own faces and we all looked insane. XD
I got super drunk and don't even remember what happened before I fell asleep but atleast I had removed the makeup.
And then the first day in Japan was over.

When we woke up, hungover, I took a shower and then we went out to eat breakfast in McDonalds. And then I said goodbye to Hikaru and me and Pato took the train. Then I changed lines and said bye to Pato.
I went to Tokyo station and got on the shinkansen to Kyoto to meet Sako.
But what happened efter that is another story I'll tell soon.

Today we'll go to Kyoto again.

Mata ne!

In Japan!!!!!

OMG, I'm so happy to be back in Japan.
Yesterday might have been the best day ever.
Hikaru, Pato, Jonah, Sugamo, samen, maccha, Gundam, izakaya, earthquake and alot of alcohol. lol
Today was hangover, rain, Shinkansen, Kyoto, Sakurako, Fireworks show!
I will write in detail about it later. Now I'm so tired. I need sleep.

Oyasumi!

Only 4 days left!

On Sunday I'll finally be back in Japan!

I think I've got most of my packing ready and I can't wait to go!

My horoscope for next week said everyone will like me and I'll even find sweet love. lol

I wonder who that could be! Haha!

It aslo said I'd get some extra cash so it was an exellent horoscope. ^^

I'll be meeting a friend from stickam when I arrive in Tokyo. We're going to Sugamo wich is like old peoples town. lol I just read about it in my guide book and the shopping street is nicknamed Old ladys Harajuku. XD

Also there's a big japanese garden there that I wanna see. So that'll be fun!

Then I guess we should go see the damn Gundam. lol

I found a place to sleep through couchsurfing so I'm not too worried about that anymore.

Just now I was printing out railway maps of tokyo. Ahh I miss the JR trains. lol

I might be sick in the head but I miss the old, shaky Yamanote line the most. XD

I might have some problems getting people to understand why I don't eat rice. In japan it's like "No rice, no life" lol

But now I can say it's cuz of my RA.

Aaah it's already 12pm!! I gotta go wash my hair. I really need to cut it too. I'll do that in Japan!

Work is a bitch and hate it as always. >.<

Only two and a half hours until I'm there again. T_T

Oh well.

The next six weeks will be heaven. lol

Then I guess this will become a travel blog! :D

Peace!

Ten days left!

Exited and a bit nervous about my trip to Japan!

Meeting alot of people this time (I hope!) and some I've only talked to briefly online. >.<

I trust all of them not to be psychos though. lol

I'm worried about the heat. My skin might go crazy like last time. Huge acne warning! :(

If that happens again I'll go to a salon and maybe they can help me.

I'll go to a salon here before I go and get a big treatment that might help prevent any disasters.

I just sent some requests on www.couchsurfing.com . Hoping to surf in Okinawa and Tochigi.

But first thing to see when I get there is the GUNDAM! lol

Ja mata ne!

ONE OK ROCK

My favourite band right now. I'm in love with his voice.

I wish I could see them live in Japan in September. Maybe I can go with a friend.

There's a storm blowing in.

I'm hungry.

Tired.

Lonely.

Sad.

I wish I could sleep for three weeks.

Still don't wanna talk about it.

Doing things to keep my mind busy.

Updated the karaoke playlist with five new versions of old song!

Get IMEEM to listen to the full versions.

Gonna play some FFXII now.

I'm dreading going to work on monday.

Everyone might have found out about me by then.

Work is the worst place to be for me right now.

Everythings physical so I'm constantly reminded that my fingers hurt and the thoughts and worries just build up in my head.

I gotta get through it though.

Three more weeks and then I'll be in Japan. <3

I hope I can meet all my friends there.

I miss them.

Tickets booked! :D

Yay, finally I booked my ticket to Japan!

I'll be there from August 9th to September 18th. :D

It'll be the longest vacation in Japan I've had. Hopefully they'll keep getting longer and longer until one day I'm actually living there. ;) Haha!

First I'm going to Osaka for a couple of weeks.

I'm gonna buy a cute yukata and celebrate obon with my friend. Finally I can go to a matsuri! 

Can't wait!!

And maybe after that I'll go to Okinawa for a few days. I really want to go there so I hope that won't be too expensive.

After that I might go couchsurfing in Tochigi. I love the countryside and I know a great place in the middle of nowhere where I can couchsurf. While I'm there I'll go to Nikko.

Then I'm going to Tokyo for the rest of my trip to hang out with my friends. <3

And shop! XD

Oooooh I'm so exited! lol

Sweden <3 Japan = true

I was watching this awesome okinawan enka song.  Then it struck me that the rythem and sound of the strings sounded very similar to a type of swedish folk musik. "Gånglåt" I thought.

So I searched youtube for "gånglåt" to compare. And what do I find?!

This!! :D

And japanese ppl dancing swedish folkdance. Wearing traditional clothes and everything! lol

I was very surprised. And I guess it strengthened my theory that maybe our traditional music is not so different!

And it made me wanna dance folkdance again. I used to do it when I was a kid. It's fun!

Also I used to play that song on the violin. "Gånglåt från Äppelbo"

But this next song is more what I was thinking about when I heared the enka song.

Anyway.

I feel awesome. lol

Good night!

Jag chattade nyss med en japansk kompis som gärna vill prova surtrömming. Han är faschinerad av att det är den mest illaluktande maten i världen. XD
Han hittade det här filmklippet som är väldigt roligt. :D
Jag hoppas han kan komma och hälsa på mig nån gång. Då ska vi äta surströmming. Jag har heller aldrig provat. Brukar avlägsna mig fort när nån öppnar en burk. Haha!
Japan har en del illaluktande mat också. Värst är nog natto som är fermenterade sojabönor. Det är det äckligaste, slemmigaste jag nånsin ätit.