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This particular variation is called "gomoku soba." Soba is a type of noodle made from buckwheat. It's supposed to be very healthy.

Soba is often used in soups, fried with meat and vegetables (yakisoba), or eaten cold (zarusoba).

I've wanted to do a section on Japanese foods for awhile, so I'll tell you about some of the foods I've eaten here. It's not all raw fish!

Got a flat tire on my bike coming back from class yesterday and had to walk it back 3km to the dorm. What a pain. Going to try and fix it with some help from Pontus.

In Japanese, "hanami" means "flower viewing." Specifically, it refers to the time of year when everyone goes out on a picnic to sit under the sakura (cherry blossoms) and have a party. The flowers only bloom for a week or two before being blown away by wind or rain; Japanese people see sakura as being symbolic of the brevity of life.

The first photo is from the private university just up the street from where I live. The other two are from Nishi-koen (park) where I had a small party with some friends last Sunday.

Tohoku Fukushi University

Sakura

Hanami crowds

That game I mentioned the other day is called "Katamari Damashii" which translates to... well, it doesn't. Katamari roughly means clump, clod, or a mass of something. Damashii means a soul or spirit. Umm, yeah. Welcome to the Japanese language.

So you should check it out. Because it's weird and interesting.

Came into my lab to see if I could discover the source of my blogpost problems...

7th:

I went to a birthday party for two people from a local Japanese student group which helps international students feel welcome in Japan. I bumped into John as he was leaving, and he asked me if I wanted to come long, so I did. They cooked okonomiyaki, gyoza, and a bunch of other stuff, and I attempted to practice my Japanese after the requisite social drink or two. It was a blast.

Yesterday:

Went to do some research for our new Japanese Culture class with Haesung and a new student named Christophe. We were researching so-called "love hotels" by conducting interviews with some of the owners, sort of like undercover documentary writers. We got a lot of great insider information from a particular unnamed source; I'll post more details later on.

Today:

Went to a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) with a bunch of friends. Several people had prepared enormous plates of food, and we sat in Nishi-koen (park) in the grass under the trees. It was a bit cloudy, but the company was great.

Afterwards, I picked up a PS2 game based on rolling stuff. You're an alien, and you roll a gravity ball thing and pick stuff up with it. Seriously. The ball starts off at 10cm, and you pick up thumbtacks and candy. As you pick up more stuff, it grows, and you can pick up larger objects like tomatoes, fire extinguishers, dogs, people, trees, cars, cows, and buildings. It's brilliant.