2009 ended and 2010 began... There were some good and bad moments in our life in Japan. The pictures will show mostly the good times that we've had and of course the food that we've tried. We had our first Thanksgiving and I managed to make a turkey in the microwave sized oven, trust me it was quite hard to fit that bird into the space! However, we managed to have 21 people over in our little apartment! I absolutely loved the hubbub in the house, one of my favorite moments - people enjoying food and company, can there be anything better?
After Thanksgiving we went to a very cool snow monkey park with many onsens (natural hot springs). We managed to get a really cool hotel where we enjoyed private hot springs. We also saw famous Japanese monkeys enjoying onsens themselves, the sight was truly National Geographic moment...
Finally Christmas came and it was very nice to get together with the Lithuanian friends and share our traditional and not so traditional dishes. By then I knew that I will have a job in the spring and I tried to live up every free moment! :) Mostly I cooked and tried new things, but also saw friends as much as I could.
I think Japan is starting to grow on us... There are things we love and there are things we hate or don't like, but... the more I travel the more I have to face the truth: there is no perfect place under the sun...
More to come about the beginning of 2010 and spring of 2010

No comments this time, just couple of pics with captions. Will write more soon!
Nieko daug nerasau, veliau parysiu daugiau!

Japan - first 2 months

Sorry guys, it took me some time to get back to blogging, not that I had no time (the usual westerners' excuse, usually a dishonest one), just didn't have much to say. OK, what I gathered from skyping with everyone it seems everyone wants to know how different Japanese life is from that of theirs. I have to say it's very different in some ways and quite the same in others. I'll just share some of my impressions, don't take it as a hard core truth, they're just my personal opinions based on observation and conversations (both with westerners and Japanese).
One of the strongest impressions I have is the never ending rules or conventions for everything... The way you dress, they way you appear, the way you eat, the way you behave in public... I'm glad we don't know much of the rules since we are foreigners and I really don't care to follow any even I know them :). For example, during the business meeting, there is usually tea served and one cannot take a sip unless their superior has already done so. What's up with that? Or, talking about keeping appearances (which is a national sport and preoccupation #1! here), mothers compete on who would make the prettiest bento lunch box for their kids (here's a link to pictures of those, Maiko, my Japanese friend sent them http://www.ffa.ajinomoto.com/recipe/chara/). Again, what the hell? Another thing that I despise here (mildly put) is the role of women. In this regard, Japan is way behind all the western world. Women don't seem to be treated equal to men. Job market is different for them and if they have a job, a lot of them quit once they get married. It's a pity that country that wants to be among the leading countries of he world doesn't even open a national discussion on how to use the potential of half of their population. Oh, and talking about national discourse, not sure such a concept exists here anyhow.
It may seem harsh what I'm saying, but again these are my personal opinions (which you know I never lack :)). On a more positive note, I love walking around Tokyo exploring nooks and crannies of the city. The architecture is really amazing! If I was an architect, Tokyo would be a city #1 to visit. For example in the middle of a super modern complex of apartments and shopping they put a garden! Also, I'm loving the variety of restaurants that are available here. Unfortunately some of them are very expensive, but at least there are endless possibilities for exploration!
Finally, we are starting to meet people that are slowly becoming our friends. I'm very excited about new friendships! Also, very keen on keeping the old, very dear friendships going. Please, please, please skype and write us! We miss you all very much!

Atsiprasau, bet uzeme biski laiko pratesti mano bloga. Tarp kitko ar nera lietuvisko zodzio ar pakaitalo angliskam zodziui "blog"? Nerasiau ne del to kad neturejau laiko, kaip zinia as jo dabar turiu nemazai (kuo labai dziaugiuosi), bet atrode, kad netruriu ka paskyti... Bet parasius angliskai supratau, kad vis delto turiu ka pasakyti ir galeciau dar daugiau... bet daugiau tingiu :)
Taigi, Japonija... Turiu geru ir blogu ispudziu! Pradesiu nuo blogu :) Japonijoje taisykles svarbiau visko! Cia labai svarbu kaip rengiesi, kaip atrodai, kaip valgai, kaip elgiesi (tiek viesoj, tiek privacioj erdvej), vienu zodziu kaip save pristatai yra svarbiau nei ka moki ir koks esi zmogus, kas man asmeniskai labai nepriimtina. Duosiu pora pavyzdziu kurie iliustruoja ka noriu pasakyti. Pavyzdziui, per verslo susirinkimus dazniausiai yra geriama arbata; taciau galima siurbteleti pateiktos arbatos tik tada kai tavo virsininkas ar bet kas uzimantis aukstesnes pareigas siurbteli pirmas, kitaip tenka laukti. Kitas pavyzdys, motinos daznai konkuruoja kurios pataisyti pietus vaikams bus grazesni (visi vaikai atsinesa savo pietus i mokykla), kai kurioms uzima 2 valandas padaryti visokia imantrybes!! Stai keleta pavyzdziu: http://www.ffa.ajinomoto.com/recipe/chara/. Mano reakcija, kas cia per nesamone? Vaikai per daug islepinti ir moterys nebegali normaliai grizti i savo darbus, net jei jos ir nori. Is viso elgsena su moterimis ir ju teisemis cia labai atsilikusi palyginus su vakarieciu salimis. Daziniausiai kai moteris isteka ji iskarto iseina is darbo ir sedi namuose, galima ir kuokteleti turiu pasakyti! Kita idomi puse, cia beveik nepriimta skustis ar bandyti kazka keisti kaip mes iprate, su demonstracijom, kalbom, laiskais laikrasciams... Visi sedi tyliai ir viskas.
Na is pozytivios puses, tai man cia labai patinka architectura. Visokie architecturiniai sprendimai tiesiog pasaka. Pavyzdziui, didelio modernaus kompleso viduryje yra pasondintas sodas kuris labai graziai ikorporuotas i besitesianti asfalta. Taip pat man cia patinka pabandyti ivairiausio maisto. Pat Japonu maistas gana nuobodokas, tik sushi skanu, bet uztat yra maisto is viso pasaulio, nors kartais jis labai brangus (5 bulves mums kainuoja 2$!).
Na ka, rasykit mums, mes labai laukiam, nes esam visu labai pasiilge!

Japan/Japonija/日本国

Just to recapture: in the past six months we went from Seattle (after graduating) to Ecuador, back to Seattle, then to Poland for half a day, then to Lithuania, from Lithuania - back to Seattle, then to Alaska, back to Seattle and finally we arrived to the land of Nihon/Nippon.
First impression? It's awfully quiet! People don't talk much in buses and trains...
Second impression? There are many, many, many (did I say many?) rules that guide Japanese life.
I won't say much in the blog entry, just read the captions under the pictures.
As nieko daug cia nerasysiu, perskaitykit komentarus po nuotraukom (abiem kalbom)

Kenai peninsula was our favorite place in Alaska! Since we were by the ocean, the temperature was a bit warmer, we even got to walk in our t-shirts couple of days! Since we are in Japan now, I won't go into much detail about the last leg of our trip, I think everyone is waiting for our impressions about Tokyo :)

From Matanuska we went straight to Cooper Landing, famous for fishing. The rivers were boiling with fish, especially sockeye salmon which turns a beautiful red color once it leaves the ocean for the rivers. We enjoyed catching salmon and watching bears on a Russian river. It's thrilling to be close to a wild grizzly who doesn't pay attention to you being there whatsoever!!! From Cooper Landing we went to Homer, self-proclaimed "capital of halibut fishing". It was a very cute mellow town with an active artist community, great food (of course I've never tasted fresher halibut in my entire life!) and local wine (who knew?). From Homer we went to Seward where we took a tour with Kenai Fjords Tours and visited Kenai Fjords national park. We saw sea otters, whales, seals, variety of birds and of course many glaciers which never ceased to impress us with their grandiosity...



Next stop - Hope. A little community of maybe 15 buildings where the showers were in the convenience store right next to Spam and ATM :). The local hostel was the worst accommodations we've had yet! However, the lady who runs the place gave Ian all the equipment needed to pan for gold, which in my opinion was a complete waste of time, but if it brings happiness to my husband, hey, why not? The best part about Hope was King Boletus mushrooms (baravykai!!!!!). They actually paved a way to a deep discount at a very nice lodge in Cooper Landing where we went again the next day. The owner (Bob) let us stay for three nights in a very nice apartment for only 70$ while it usually costs 125-150$. I would highly recommend the place: Drifter's Lodge. They have a sauna, smoker house and organize fishing tours.

Our last adventure on Kenai peninsula was canoeing on two lakes. It was probably one of the nicest and peaceful evenings in Alaska. We had freshly caught trout with wild mushrooms while in the background bold eagles where calling as the sun was setting...
At the end of the trip we went to Fairbanks, which did not impress us much, I wouldn't go back... The only highlight was Chena hot springs, we walked outside in our swimsuits!!!
The trip back on Denali highway was even more impressive than the first time. Tundra and taiga changed - red, burgundy, yellow and brown were dominating colors, I don't think I've ever seen fall so beautiful...
Finally, we spent our last two days in McCarthy and Kennicott, two old mining towns where I went wild photographing...
Overall, the trip was all what we expected, and I realized that I like nature and hiking in doses, not as a full-time lifestyle :)

After our time in Denali National Park and breathtaking views of Mt. McKinley we decided to drive the Denali Highway. Our guide book warned us about possible road problems, but we found the gravel road (not sure why it's called a highway...) to be in an excellent condition – all 135 miles of it. We spent all day driving, the views from the road were truly breathtaking and inspiring! I would say it rivals the drive through the National Park itself; beats me why so many people don't take the time to drive the highway! The expanse of the land, the tundra, the taiga and the mountains is incomprehensible until you see it for yourself. Now I get it why Alaska is called the last frontier, it's still wild and in many ways untouched.

At the end of our drive we stopped for a night at a place that had only bunk beds left in a run down little shack with a wood burning stove, but it was 20$ a bed and came with WIFI!!!!! They had to generate their own electricity, but they had internet; civilization is creeping into Alaska :). (Check out the video of the place).

After our drive on Denali Highway we went to visit Matanuska glacier (we got lucky – it was warm and sunny). It was our first real encounter with an ancient remnant of the ice age and it left us speechless. We were able to walk on the glacier, feel its coolness and hear it melting. Its frigid beauty impressed me and brought home the point about global warming: the glaciers are receding, the planet is getting warmer, the proof was all around us – gushing creeks of meltdown, falling down pieces of ancient ice and forming of freezing lakes in the middle of ice peaks.

Now it was time to go to the Kenai Peninsula where we spent more than a week... (blog to follow in couple of days).

Praleidus kelias dienas Denali nacionaliniame parke ir pasigrozejus McKinley kalnu, pasukome i rytus Denali greitkeliu. Cia reiktu pridurti, kad taip vadinamas “greitkelis” (highway) yra tik paprasciausias zvyrkelis. Musu gidas (kynga) perspejo, jog kelias cia bus prastokas ir teks letai iveikineti visas 135 mylias. Is tiesu teko vaziuoti labai letai, bet ne del kelio kokybes, o del neitiketinu vaizdu atsiverianciu uz kiekvieno kampo. Aplinkui rudenejanti tundra, ezerai, o tolumoje boluoja kalnu grandines. Vienoje vietoje matesi net trys kalnu grandines vienu metu. Neimanoma apibudinti zodziais tos beribes tundros erdves. Reikia ja pajausti!

Vakarejant apsistojome salia greitkelio isikurusiame viesbutelyje, o tiksliau kazkiame neaiskios paskirties namelyje, nes kambariu laisvu nebuvo. Tai patalpino mus i ta kamurke. Skustis negalejom, nes uz du sumokejome $40, o i kaina iejo dvi lovos, burzuika ir... BEVIELIS INTERNETAS! Zodziu, i krosnele malku isimeti ir toliau sekmingai “googlini.” O fone girdi generatoriu elektra begaminant. Kaip rusai pasakytu - romantika balshoi darogi.

Kita diena patraukeme i pietvakarius. Pakeliui sustojome pasizvalgyti po Mantanuska ledyna, prie kurio privaziuoji per koki puskilometri. Mantanuska mus tiesiog pribloske (geraja to zodziu prasme). Atrodo, jog vaikstai ledynmecio eroje. Aplinkui tave stukso ledkalniai, po apacia ledo girdisi ciurlenantys upeliai, o viduryje dar ezeriukas. Grazu ir tuo paciu gaila, jos su kiekvienais metais to grozio lieka vis maziau. Aliaskoje ledynai labai sparciai tirpsta del globalinio atsilimo. Kaip zinia, zmogiskasis faktorius yra pagrindine siu liudnu pokyciu priezastimi.

Siek tiek atsale ir susizaveje siuo gamtos stebuklu, ta pati vakara patraukeme i Kenai pusiasali. Tenai musu lauke nauji nuotykiai ir ispudziai, bet apie tai uz keliu dienu.

Alaska... What comes to your mind when you hear the name of the 49th state of the USA. Before the 44th president's elections I imagined bears, seals, big spaces, tall mountains and tough people. Now I can't banish Sarah Palin out of my mind and all the negative images she brings with her. For my international friends and family outside the US, she was a vice-president candidate for the republican party, McCain's running mate. Let me put it gently: she wasn't the brightest cookie around... or subtle, the moments she brought to Saturday Night Live were precious!

Anyway, here we are in Anchorage, Alaska, in the middle of the night and it's raining. The cab driver (who had some teeth missing and sported long blond hair) told us that they are expecting their first snow storm in October and they are allowed to put studded tires on in September, suddenly I felt an aching need for a mojito on a warm beach... What the hell was I thinking, running away from the summer into the winter? I will answer this question (maybe partly... I am still longing for that mojito though :)) as I go along telling about the trip.

The first night we spent in Anchorage in a Alaska Backpackers Inn which looked OK on the net. Once we got there I couldn't believe how little 60$ buys in Alaska, we got a room with one bed, no blinds and had to take dirty sheets out of the room ourselves (mind you, from the previous inhabitants!). There were two showers for the whole floor. Well, at least we had showers and didn't have to camp the first night!! At that moment I felt nostalgia for Motel 6 in lower 48 (or Outside as they call the rest of the world) which costs only 35-50$. I never thought in the past I would miss Motel 6... ever... We kept thinking maybe it's only Anchorage; it's the largest city in Alaska after all. We were dead wrong, the prices in Alaska are outrageous! They are trying to make a living in 4 months since the rest of the year is too cold for tourists. We will have to figure out a way to afford this state...
Next stop: famous Denali National Park. As always we didn't plan ahead and reading the guidebook I was under impression that you need to book campsites and shuttles 4-6 months in advance to get the best spots and times. Private cars are not allowed into the park after 15 miles (the road extends 89 miles in total), so the only way we could get into the park and spend couple of nights without worrying about campsites would be to do back-country camping. We stopped at one of the reservation points at the entrance and got lucky (!) there was a last minute cancellation for the best campsite in the park for the next day which we took in a heartbeat (85 miles into the park, the campsite is located at the Wonder lake, it's rated as one of the best campsites around the United States). We spent the night in a remote campsite where we prepared our first meal with wild mushrooms after Ainius was stung by wild wasps 10 times!!! Poor guy...

The next morning we got back-country camping permits as we planed to head out into the wild... To get the permits we were required to watch an orientation video which extensively warned about bears and rushing rivers that need to be crossed... With a healthy dose of fear about the wild and a bear canister in hand we were ready for our adventure! The shuttle took about 5 hours to get to our campsite deep in the park. It was raining during the whole ride and it didn't seem like it would lighten up... The first night in the tent at Wonder lake was quite miserable; it rained and it was quite cold, I shivered for most of the night. Rain stopped the next day and we were able to go for a 6 mile hike through the taiga, it was truly nice, but we still couldn't see the mountains, they were hidden under a cloud cover. We kept thinking why we came all this way while we can see similar views in Washington state. The answer came the next morning! We woke up at 6am to a frozen tent cover (it was bellow freezing) and a magnificent view of Mt. McKinley. We caught a 6:30am shuttle and then walked for another half an hour to get to a pond that reflects the mountain range that you see in pictures. It was an awe inspiring morning. We ended up going for another hike to admire the mountains from a different vantage point and finished our three days in Denali National park on a good note without trying to venture into the back-country after two miserable nights in the tent. The following night in the hotel felt truly deserved :) Next – on to Denali highway and Kenai peninsula (coming up in three days :))

Aliaska... Kokias asociacijas jums sukelia 49-ta JAV valstija? Juratei ir man ji visada siejosi su laukine gamta, kalnais, gelianciai saltomis upemis, ir zverimis bei zuvimi atsiduodanciais zmonemis. Pries kelius metus sis ivaizdis pasipylde dar viena asociacija – respublikonu partijos kandidate i viceprezidentus Sara Palin. Uztenka pasakyti tik tiek, jog ji buvo moteriska Buso kopija.

Nusileidome Anchorage velai vakare. Pliaupiant lietui is oro uosto nuvaziavome pasiimti masinos is nuomos punkto ir tiesiai i moteli. Svelniai tariant viesbutukas buvo kuklus, o kainavo visus 60 baksu. Po keliu dienu supratome, jog Aliaskoje viskas kainuoja dvigubai. Kodel? Pasak vietiniu, jie teturi 4 menesius uzsidirbti bakpes visiems metams. Tai atseit todel ir plesia devynias skuras nuo cia atvaziuojanciu turistu. Taigi, jei nori issisukti pigiau, pasiruosk nakvoti palapineje.

Butent taip ir mes nusprendeme pataupyti kai kita diena atvaziavome i Denali nacionalini parka. Pirma naktele praleidome salimais kazkokiame kempinge, kuris primine siukslyna, o ne nakvynei skirta vieta. Dar berenkant sausuolius lauzui, uzkliudziau vapsvu lizda, tai siek tiek sugele, gyvates. Na bent jau pakeliui prisigrybavome raudonvirsiu, tai vakariene buvo fantastiska. Kitas dvi dienas praleidome bludindami po Denali (ir be abejo valgydami grybus, kuriu cia, Aliaskoje, gyva galybe). Aisku, vel nakvojome palapinese, bet jau paciame parke.

Pirma nakti lijo be perstojo, o temperatura sieke gal kelis laipsnius silumos. Kita diena nuotaika siek tiek pasitaise, nes islindo saule, bet kalnai vis dar skendejo debesyje. Guodemes ir tuo, jog vaziuodami parko autobusu (privaciu automobiliu eismas ribojamas) pamateme grizlius, karibu elnius ir kalnu avis. Tiesa is toli. Is arti tik meskos kakuciu paliktu vidury takelio teko “pasigrozeti.”

Tik antros dienos ryte pagaliau pamateme tikraji sio parko grozi. Sesta ryte islindome is i ledo susaliusios palapines (nakti prasigiedrijo ir gerokai pasalo) ir pries musu akis pirmuose saules spinduliuose maudesi kalnu virsunes. Vaizdas nerealus!!! Veliau sie zodziai tapo nuvalkiota klise, nes vos ne kiekviena diena tekdavo juos kartoti. Butent tada pradejome suprasti, jog sios keliones metu musu lukesciai bus virsyti su kaupu. Net mums, kurie gyvenome kalnu apsuptame Sietle paskutinius devynis metus, teko ne karta aikscioti zvelgiant i virs tundros platybiu pakibusias sniego nubalintas virsunes.