We are so lucky because we have met so many wonderful people in Japan (Americans, Australians, and Japenese). This weekend was really busy, filled going out with work friends, wonderful meals, Japanese tutoring, and a fantastic market in Himeji that was held at an old Sake Factory. Despite the cold, somewhat snowy weather, we enjoyed organic/homegrown Japanese food (Joe ate a ginormous snail), local art, delicious homeade ice cream...and Katie even made friends with a calf!! Joe happened to make friends with a young Japanese boy who sold him organic fish oil! This kid was barely 10 and had better selling skills than an American car salesman. It was a riot! Our friend, Julian, was one of the artists that displayed work at the market, and we got the chance to peruse his work. All of his ceramic work is fantastic. Anyone that comes to visit us will want to check all of his art, as well as the delicious food we have tasted. 
SNOW! On Saturday, February 2nd, our friends Mayumi and Naomi took us on a roadtrip to see beautiful snow! We drove two hours northwest of Himeji, near the Japanese sea, where we played in the knee-deep snow, had snowball fights, built a snowman, and had a fantastic lunch with a wonderful view. What a fun day! 
