What an interesting name for a bakery…

I met my friend again this week for a lunch outing. She really surprised me when we met as she had made me a lot of birthday presents. My friend is amazing! She baked me homemade brownies. Brownies! As well as the brownies she gave me some banana cake, which she also made, some eyeball looking candies, and a special green pear from her hometown. But to top it all off, she made me a very beautiful detailed birthday card. For lunch, we went to a really nice and expensive Japanese restaurant. Afterwards for dessert, we went to one of my favorite places: Tsujiri. We then walked around Ginza a little and played games in a toy shop. Lots of fun was had… but really, look at that card!

After a friend found this lizard in the building I got it and it was my pet for a night. I would love to actually have a pet here, but I dont think there is any way that one would be able to survive.

Just some shots I took durring some breaks at work.

Why is climbing trees so fun?

For yet another wonderful day off I took a trip to Okutama to go spelunking in Nippara cave. Okutama is located in the westernmost part of Tokyo prefecture, but it is unlike Tokyo in that it is full of nature and clean air, yet not full of people. The hardest part is actually getting out to Okutama. You have to change trains twice at the end of their respective lines, and it takes about an hour and a half. Then another 30 minute bus ride to the cave itself. The nature in the area was very beautiful and I did a bit of hiking before going to the cave. As I have been to many a cave, I pretty much knew what to expect inside. The temperature in the cave was pretty cold and there was water dripping from the ceiling everywhere. I took my time exploring and going through the cave, and the whole journey took about 40 minutes. The cave was not one of the greatest I have been to but it was interesting nonetheless. I enjoyed the narrow steep paths, the cold air, and the different areas and shrines within. Afterwards I went to a fishing area nearby, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to go fishing. I still ate some freshly caught fish on a stick that was really good.

Some hiking in Okutama before the cave…

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