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Overrated Nikko
Of all the places I was looking forward to visit in Japan, it was Tochigi’s Nikko. I was drawn to Nikko due to my images of nature and its many world heritage sites.
Unfortunately, Nikko couldn’t meet my expectations (whatever they were) and left me with much bitter disappointment. A part of the negative experience could very well in part be due to my travel companion being a major pain since the morning of the trip. She was just bitchy AF and for the life of me, I could not comprehend why especially when she didn’t do any of the planning for this trip. (I kid you not unless you want to call a calendar showcasing our departure and arrival date as planning… Begin the eye rolling, folks.)
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Hsi Lai Temple
With 2018 coming to a close, I felt it was necessary for me to do something spiritual.
I ended up visiting Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple. Got there early enough and was able to get a nice parking spot easily. It wasn’t crowded and I was free to roam the grounds of the temple.
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Mom Thinks I’m Crazy to Marry a Japanese Guy
Okay, first of all, contrary to this post’s title, I’m not getting married to a Japanese guy. Heck, I’m not even getting married to anyone! Well, at least not yet anyway… One day, perhaps?
You’re probably wondering why I titled this post as “Mom thinks I’m crazy to marry a Japanese guy” and it’s because it’s the title of a movie I watched recently. On the 8th, the Japan Foundation held a screening of this movie at the Taiwanese Art Academy in Westwood. Yeah, Westwood of all places. (Westwood traffic was bad. The 405 traffic was also bad. So, what else is new?) Because of it being in Westwood, I was close to not attending this screening. I was actually quite hesitant to RSVP for this screening. And then on the day of the screening, I had other errands to tend to prior to the screening which made me second guess on whether I actually wanted to even go to Westwood. In the end, I decided to go to the screening. I was a few minutes late, but I made it and me being a tad bit late wasn’t a problem because 1) I managed to get a seat and 2) the screening hadn’t begun yet. I honestly wished I had gotten there early so that I could have gotten a seat in the front row. Sitting behind people taller than me was a pain. Worst of all was how I couldn’t see all of the movie’s subtitles thanks to it being blocked by heads in the audience. Meh. (Thank goodness that my crappy Japanese skills came in handy, I guess?) The idea of sitting on the ground, right in front of the first row actually crossed my mind a few times during the screening but I suppose I knew better and chose to stay put. (I mean, I was actually fortunate to even have a seat. There were actually people standing against the wall in the back of the room to watch the movie.)
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Panorama Nature Preserve
With the many things that have been going on in my life, I knew it was time for me to get rejuvenated. I thought of going to Disneyland, Knott’s Merry Farm or even LA Zoo Lights but in the end, decided against it all simply because I didn’t want to spend money. I’m sure I’ll go to one of these places in the near future, but it’ll be on a day when it’s less crowded and a little cheaper.So, what did I decide to do? On a whim (kind of), I decided to visit the Fullerton Arboretum however it didn’t exactly work out for me since their free parking lot was packed. In fact, getting in and out of the parking lot in itself was a bit of a chore. I thus decided to go elsewhere.
Not far from the Fullerton Arboretum is a place called Panorama Nature Preserve. I don’t think a lot of people are aware of Panorama Nature Reserve and I have a funny feeling the locals that live near the reserve want to keep it that way.
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San Fernando Valley’s Obon Festival
It’s summer and you know what this means. It means hot weather, sweaty people and festivals. One particular festival that occurs every summer is the Obon Festival. This festival, while most well known in Japan occurs outside of Japan as well. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to attend one of the biggest Obon Festivals in Southern California. It was San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple’s Obon Festival held in Pacoima. Yup, the valley where it’s super hot if isn’t already hot enough elsewhere in So Cal.