Thanksgiving is not a traditional holiday for the Japanese, but they are aware that we Americans celebrate it. Many of us during our stay experienced bouts of homesickness as the holiday season drew near. We began to miss our family and friends back home and the special foods that are cooked and served during that time. My Japanese

 When I think of the holidays coming up, I immediately think of lush velvet dresses or skirts. I scored this beauty at my local thrift store a couple of years ago. It's the most beautiful velvet, wintry green skirt I've ever laid eyes on. Oh, a most beloved treasure. And it was only about $6! It was in

 We had a birthday celebration last Sunday for my mother, baby niece, and baby nephew. We managed to find time before the party to snap a few quick photos - we were supposed to be picking up the cakes and heading straight back to the house. I always thought the print of this dress reminded me of the

 Last week's #tbt post featured Miyajima Island, which we all dubbed the "deer island". This week, I'll be talking about our visit to Okunoshima, which we accordingly dubbed the "bunny island". It houses a large population of bunny rabbits, who also do not shy away from people and will approach you. We toured the island in the midst

John and I celebrated our 8th year anniversary last Saturday. We didn't do anything spectacular. No bouquet of brilliant roses. No romantic movies or candle-lit dinner. No frills, no drama. It was a day like any other. Almost. We dined at our favorite AYCE sushi restaurant. We're huge fans of nigiri sushi (sashimi too) but don't always feel

 As touristy as we could be decked out with cameras of all types, here we were on our walk to the ferry boat that would take us to Miyajima Island, renown for the deer populating the island. This was part of our trip to Hiroshima, which I had somehow forgotten to include. Oops!

 "This is an evening of wonders, indeed!" -Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

 On our last day at the ryokan in Hakone, we hauled ourselves up early out of bed to enjoy one last bath in the onsen. The first time we went into the onsen, we giggled like little girls out of nervousness because as you already know, one must go in butt-naked! I remember it being unbearably hot at

I never thought much of daisies until I met John. They were simple and unobtrusive. They didn't stand out the way sunflowers did with their sheer size and brilliant yellow petals opening up towards the sun (can you tell I like sunflowers?). But he liked them because they were simple and unobtrusive. They're the kind of flowers that