Sushi and preparation for the new year.

Not the sushi that we are used to in Sweden but I would like to suggest that anybody who visits Japan try this one out. It is called chirashi-sushi. We ate this at Hibiki in Kagurazaka.

This one was also a very nice experience!

When the new year is approaching and everybody gets a couple of days of vacation, it is time to prepare for the festivities. Me and Ayumi and over 300 000 others pass this street today to look for some necessary food for the new years day.

Monkies

Monkeys working along the road for dam construction

Warning monkey

Intruder monkey & wrong English

Greedy monkey

Onsen:)

Yes, it is true that it gets cold in Japan at this time of the year, even colder than one of ordinary days in Lund. The big difference is that there is hot springs (onsen) here.

Daniel enjoying roten buro (outdoor bath)

We bathed three times during an overnight trip.

Not only the bath but the food is great at "Taira no Takafusa" located at Oku-Yunishi hot springs.

at our dinner table

charcoal-grilled Iwana (Char in English)

Daniel pouring ice-cold bamboo sake, for me of course:)

Breakfast next morning

In front of Taira no Takafusa

-A

Must-see near Tokyo

This is an underground temple outside Tokyo, which I thought all the Japanese people know but it turned out to be quite unknown.

The official name for this place is "Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel."
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/edogawa/project/g-cans/frame_index.html

I highly recommend it.
-A

We made it!

Finally we landed in Japan. It's very nice to be able to stretch your legs after many hours of not so comfortable airplane. The first thing that welcomed us before we could jump onto a train which would take us to Ayumi's parents place was the posters above.
They may not look like what they are, but the colorful posters above are actually wanted posters. I can now say that we are not wanted in japan and can proceed to Tokyo.


Kai-chan, a member of the official Japanese welcome committee! Daniel is tested thoroughly by him.


Plenty of jet lag and plenty of people to meet. The time is now around 19 (11 in Sweden) and we are going to an Okinawa restaurant. One of the specialties in okinawa is the ugly cucumber the green stuff above. It initally tastes good but have an bitter aftertaste. Such as so many things in life.

Time to do some sleeping, This is our first real sleep since we left Sweden.

Oyasumi.
-D

On our way!

This is how far we came the first day before we got stuck in the snow. Approximately 42m from the apartment.

Well we made it and we came all the way to Copenhagen airport. In the airport, we found the strange creature above. What do you guys think it is? My guess is a mix between Cow, Dog and Monkey.
-D

Sailing Blekinge

Ayumi joined Daniel in Tjärö

Small flags to celebrate midsummer

Walking on rocks

Balancing on rocks with an open beer can

Waiting for Mom&Dad on the deck

Daniel charged his mobile here. We had 3 bottles of beer, a cup of coffee, chocolate, ice cream... turned out to be a quite expensive charge.

Mid summer pole

Wait! I'm not gonna eat you.

Nani?

Mid summer dinner - Grill Buffet

Present from a rain cloud

Unsuccessful fishermen

Approaching Karlskrona

Tsumetai!

A little boy playing in a park

We didn't get to see this move.

Catfish fountain?

Steep bridge to Senoren

Cooking meatballs on a disposable grill. Very Swedish.

Found on the side of a wine box: good with elk meat!

A romantic cat enjoying the sunset, eeeh not really. She probably was just chasing bugs.

Sunset from Ytterön

Our private pier

Glad Påsk!

Students in Hiragana course
@Botaniskaträdgården i Lund

Vilnius 6-9 March 2009

Thanks to SAS EuroBonus bargains, we got our tickets to Vilnius with Ayumi's mileage.
12000 miles + 7000 yen (fuel & tax) for both of us. Not bad, ja?
We visited a family of Ayumi's old friend Kristina.

As the direct flight to Vilnius was fully booked, we had to transit in Riga. This picture was taken at Copenhagen airport when we left on Friday afternoon.

This was the first time for Daniel to ride an airplane with propellers. This aircraft was produced by Fokker Aeroplanbau that went bankrupt in 1996, which means...

Well, we didn't know about Fokker until we came back, and we were safely transported at least. The only problem with this aircraft was the air-conditioning. It was freezing at the beginning as the aircraft does not have separate space for luggage, and two doors were widely open even after passengers were boarded as they had to load luggage at the front and back of passenger seats. After we took off, the temperature rose drastically up in the air. Was it from heated-up engines?


We tried Latvian beer while we waited for connecting flight in Riga airport. If they change the letter K into C, people at Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS, where Ayumi studied last semester) will be extremely happy.

Riga airport is very nice. Some waiting spaces looked like business lounges even though we've never had priviledge to use them.

When we arrived in Vilnius, the entire family were at the airport to pick us up:))
They live by the nature reserve outside downtown Vilnius. Hollywood movie "Defiance" was shot here.

I'm standing on a frozen lake!

I'm scared... let's go back.

We didn't know that it was Kaziukas Fair weekend. There were many stalls selling handcrafts. Most people were buying this decolation of flowers. Savas told us that this is a Easter decolation that brings fortune. I guess it's like a new year's decolation in Japan. Central Vilnius were packed with people, vendors and musicians.

Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit

The Gate of Dawn

We liked this. Drunk cat:)

Svyturys: Great local beer

Cepelinai (potato dumpling) wa oishii yo.

Mermaid in Uzupis and locks of couples

View from the Hill of Three Crosses

A Swedish guy who doesn't have proper winter shoes

Mindaugas, the only King ever in Lithuania

Which carp do you think looks yammy? @fish section at a supermarket iki

GPS vs. paper map

The bumpiest road ever

Europos Parkas: We might have been the only visitors of the day

A woman looking at the moon

Mobile sculpture

Geographical center of Europe

Or is this the center?

Happy with food @Araks restoranas close to the geographical center

Old Soviet ruble

1936!

Ačiū!