The Odyssey pt.1: 柳川 Yanagawa...

This was the first stop outside fukuoka with ma mere; we decided to stay in kyushu a little longer than expected, but it enables us to visit neighboring places, like yanagawa...the little 'venice' of japan, all the way in the south part of fukuoka prefecture near the sea. It's known for its canals and it's unagi-don...which is eel over rice.


too bad it was 'off and on' raining that day...


However indoors, something was going on. It was the season of Hina Matsuri, where you set up hand made dolls at the beginning of march for 'girl's day'...


traditional dolls are also set up on stairs...each stair representing different important figures of japanese folklore or everyday life...




a glimpse of the unagi-don...a local specialty that is very hard to find cheap...notice the brown rice. wow. delicious.


and these are unagi bones...so good, ma mere had to bring some back home.


...then we were off to saga ken, trough the woods, trying to find a nice onsen...yea, can't leave without skinny dippin'.


on our way: a little water fall in the distance under yanagawa's megane-boshi (spectacles bridge).


ma mere, maman, moms, deb...i think you get the point.


ai-chan...


on our way back we stopped for floating fish flying over the river...this was actually an early setup for children's day...called kodomo no hi.


each fish differs in size, representing either the father, the mother or the child.

Graduation

Graduation...a special time for celebration, kimono's and pictures...?
undergrad + masters


I probably wouldn't of came if it weren't for all the beautiful colors and familiar faces that I came across on campus on this (march) afternoon...even though many of us were gone, I was still in town to catch the after ceremony picture session at school.


A strange feeling came upon me as i pointed the lens away at some of these friends that i had just made...fresh, only after 6 months...


that's it: for some it was the end of school life, off, leaving to various places like tokyo...see them again?hmmm...for others it was just another step closer ...at least when it comes to the attire.
my graduation won't be looking like this though...


For the girls, some chose the traditional kimono for their departure moment...these kimono's can be very expensive, however the result can be...well, nice for a day. renting the amazing.


for others, it can be well, the classic style, which probably ends up standing out even more when there is only a few of you!...(kasumi-chan and kurita-san)




'Nishiyamalab' homies: kayo-chan, kiho-chan and okada-san...omedeto gozaimasu!


asami-chan...bon courage dans la capitale!


from the hair down to the geta: it sure makes the picture look a little more vivrant.


une petite photo pour l'année prochaine en france les mecs! gyas-san et seno-kun...


bo-gosse mori-san!...eh ouais, toujours classe ce taka...


for the guys, it's also the same deal: some chose the traditional male kimono, with the hakama over-coat...and some straight stick with the suit!


this one is for the road...the road to tokyo. satomi-chan, ganbate ne!
peace. sayonara?

野球 (ヤキュウ) ：Batter's up!

Marins Vs. Fukuoka's Softbank Hawks...baseball season time of the year.


that's right...they play ball over here as well. Don't think north america is the only place they play baseball; it's very much the same deal. See for yourself, this was my first time watching a baseball game in japan...first time in a covered stadium.






loupsan et shiruben-san (sylvain) first timers...its not too common in france.




"...these cells consist a little more than a nucleus and a flagellum...up until now the cells could only remain motionless, but now there is enough space for them to move actively..."


"...like a boat propelled by the spiral movements of a single oar at the stern, the small cell, is propelled forwards by the wavy motions of the flagellum at its hinder end...it is attracted by positive chemotaxis towards the egg-cell..."


"...for these delicate creatures, it is a fateful journey fraught with the danger of utter destruction...of the 200 million cells discharged in a single emission, only one survives if fertilisation ensues..."
-potential life: the unique journey...




well that was it: cheap tickets for fairly good seats, an exciting 12 inning win, topped with a closing fireworks show and an opening of the grand dome: showing off its colors to the cool night, opening it's wings to it's sister "seahawks" hotel...what more can you ask for??

O-Sushi welcome...ようこそ！

With the end of the first semester and the massive arrival of parents, we thought it would be a good occasion to have a little sushi making welcome party in the neighborhood friend takesan's cafe...eating raw fish is not an everyday thing, on the contrary, sushi is a special experience even for the folks around here...


when it comes to culinary platters, japan is probably best known for o-sushi: raw fish on top of vinegared rice. However this is only one of many delicious dishes, and unfortunately we don't eat this everyday because like everywhere else, it's expensive and it's not the easiest thing to prepare...


eating it is nice, but making it first makes it a whole lot better. fun.


we had many different ingredients, including natto, which is basically fermented beans. cheese-like, stinky beans. just delicious.


sometimes you can just forget the chopsticks...




hey! one for me, one for you...you can't ask why.


oh la la! quel surprise! annie et son Yukata...un kimono d'été...


faut pas oublier la photo avec papa et maman.


...annie, on te reconnait plus!


kawaii deshou??...the two most beautiful parts of the kimono, and the woman: the back part of the Obi, and the back of the neck that you are supposed to let uncovered by the hair...


picture moments.

'Jihanki': dans la serie...

here are some more examples of machines you can come across...just a few more to add to the collection...


tv included, just in case the product takes a long time to come down.


this one's cool: ice cream cones.


nice...a chewing-gum vending machine, not bad no?