Girl in Teahouse

Originally uploaded by apc33.

I spent the afternoon in Kurama a few weeks ago with my daughter. We first took a bath together in Kurama onsen, overlooking the valley and forest trees. It was so relaxing to be nude in the outdoors. After that, we drank tea in an old Japanese house alongside a small river in that same valley. It was great to spend the afternoon with my daugther in such beautiful surroundings.

via Japan Probe

Totti pazzo

Originally uploaded by missvoeller.

Italian football is a very emotional sport. Even the announcers get excited about a goal. Compare the reaction of this Italian announcer with those in your country. Do announcers get this excited where you are from? Watch this video.

RastaDog

Originally uploaded by apc33.

When I was in New York City a few weeks ago, I took a walk at dusk in Central Park with a few of my friends. We came across one of the strangest creatures I would ever expect to see in a city park. It looked like something from a dream. It was very big, too. Have you ever seen such a creature? What was the strangest animal you have ever seen?

There are actually many podcasts for English language learners.  Browse through many of them here.

This is about the rainy season in Japan.  Please listen by clicking the link above. Or try this.

Garden in the Yamada’s Machiya

Originally uploaded by ncoutts.

A Machiya is a traditional wooden Japanese home that you can see all over certain parts of Kyoto, especially downtown. They are generally very narrow and long, because a long time ago, they were taxed according to how much space they took up in front. Most of the first floor in a Machiya is raised above the ground to give air to the floor, preventing the wood from rotting prematurely. Usually Machiya have a small garden toward the back of the house, which lets in natural light. You can often see a stone lantern and some beautiful moss in the garden. Most Machiya are two stories high, and have tatami floors. Very few of them have bathrooms, because most Japanese people used to go to the sento, or public bath house, which most neighborhoods had.

My favorite parts of the Machiya are the horigotatsu (an area below a table to warm your feet in the winter), and the tokonoma, where you can often find a sumie painting or a shodo scroll. I dream of living in a Machiya someday and so does ylodi.

Ghost Train

Originally uploaded by apc33.

I hopped on the train after work earlier this week and I was the only one in the car - a rare situation here in Kyoto. Actually, this train, called the Kirara, is my favorite train on the Eizen line. It has windows near the ceiling to let in lots of natural light and giant pane glass windows so that passengers can take in the beautiful views of the rice fields and hills.