halfway around the world

14 hours ahead of the midwest and 17 hours ahead of the west coast... that's where i currently find myself. after a super long flight, i was welcomed to japan by being held back at customs. my passport doesn't show any evidence of me leaving japan on my last trip. why is that a major problem? i have no idea. but it was. nearly an hour of over-emphasised hand motions,
a few days have passed now... the wedding is done, we've ventured here and there, and i'm sure i've already violated multiple cultural customs. for instance: wearing "toilet slippers" to the lobby for breakfast. i was denied access to breakfast until i went up and put real shoes on.
my bad.

the wedding was a blast... i understood more than i ate, but nonetheless, it was a sweet thing to be able to be there for my brother's wedding... especially one as cultural and unique as this. there were three receptions, and for someone like me (very nap-dependent and very jet-lagged), that is a very tiring ordeal. i got to meet a lot of steven's co-workers and friends--most of whom just couldn't stop raving about how cool of a person steven is. and it was hilarious to see steven speaking so much japanese, cracking jokes left and right in japanese... very impressive.

no crazy adventures have gone down yet... mostly hanging around nagoya and making a trip to the local courthouse with steven and naomi for them to sign their marriage license. no matter the trip, though, picture opportunities galore... hence more than 200 pictures in less than two days. these pictures are available in my photo gallery under "japan trip 2008"... so just click on the left and it should take you there.

i find it fascinating that being in a foreign country has left me thinking more visually than orally... meaning, certian images catch my eye and come to mind more than certain thoughts are provoked and nourished. this leaves me with tons of pictures and few words. in a place where i can only comprehend things visually, i guess it makes sense. for one, i don't over hear conversations (at least over hear AND comprehend) that spark a line of thought... for another, it's the essence, the sights, of the culture that i experience. i would compare it to the difference between a novel and a picture book. the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" isn't a cliche for a reason... it gets used a ton... and it do so because it works. i'm just dieing to put a couple of those words down on paper... so hopefully i'll gather up a couple of words to share soon... but for now, enjoy the pictures.

one more thing... i love the fact that despite thousands of miles and multiple hours of time difference, communication is just as easy as it would be withing earshot of eachother. i've skyped and chatted on-line with friends back in the states. it still amazes me that i can have a face to face conversation on-line for free any time i want from any place that has internet access. impressive.

well, it is nap time for me. i don't know what time zone my body is stuck in...but it has left me perpetually exhausted.

more to come soon. i promise.