Koto-Ku Community Festival Wow! It seems like just yesterday that I was writing my last blog post, but yet it was really 2 weeks! I have been told it has gotten a lot colder in the U.S., so I should probably tell you I've only worn a light jacket once so far...And that was when the latest typhoon was offshore and pulling wind down from Russia. Otherwise, it has been amazing weather here. As always, I've been doing a lot, but I will talk about one thing I really enjoyed. I worked at a Hippo booth at my community festival. The festival was held over the weekend a week ago at Kiba Park near my home. The park is quite large and known for the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, but mostly it's cool because it has a suspension bridge over a canal in the middle. The event was quite exciting for me as it was also my first Japanese festival. I want to say it was a mix between a flea market and a trade show. There were many tents set up in many different areas. Booths varied a

One Month in Japan Today marks a month since I came to Japan. It really has gone quickly and some how I knew it would. I figured after I'd been here for awhile everything would start to settle down, but it hasn't quite happened yet. I feel like I always have a full calender and from what I've seen from people in Hippo this is a normal occurance. I'm partially excited because there is so much to experience and only a year to do it in, but also starting to feel the wear and tear. Sadly, the weekends are far to precious to catch my breath. This past weekend was once again an extended weekend due to a holiday on Monday- there tend to be quite a few. I personally think it's because people work so hard with so much overtime that the holidays are built in to help them survive. Personally, my weekend was jammed back with brass band concerts, sightseeing, and festival. Outside the Asakusa Shrine One Weekend On Saturday night, we attended one of our usual club