I am going to... yume

A few days ago an old man on a bike stopped to talk to me in Japanese. The only thing I understood was the question "where are you going?" to which I racked my brain (I was going to the ocean, what was that word again?), pointed to the ocean, and responded "yume!"
"ume?" He corrected me.
"Ah, so, ume, ahaha, arigato."
It turns out I had pointed and told him I was going to go to a dream.

Yesterday, Thursday, was my day off and it felt like I had walked straight into a yume. I spent the morning with V and Echan looking for a puppy, and along the way we stopped to examine a mountain shrine. The hike was long and strenuous, especially because I hadn't exercised at all during the time spent studying the LSAT, but worth it.

For lunch we had delicious takoyaki, soba, and gyu-don. Then it was off to the mountains where we drove for half an hour to get to one small cafe tucked way away from everything. There was a slight but fortunate detour when we got lost; we found and played on a playground set built onto the mountains with a giant slide. But eventually we made it to Ippo cafe. The cafe building was constructed by the father of the owner. As we crossed the small river and neared the cafe the sound of coffee and live guitar music greeted us.

I didn't get a picture of the owner and his friend practicing guitar (let me tell you, it was magical) but I do have some shots of the place that don't do the atmosphere any justice.

The day ended with a big pot of nabe and new friends. Oh, and a chick flick on a sheet hung up on the wall. All in all a beautiful day off in Ishinomaki, Japan.

I have arrived

Ishinomaki, Japan. Where I am not entirely sure what I want to get out of this year, but I can already tell it's going to be an extremely busy one.

Everyday so far I have woken up at or before the crack of dawn, anywhere from 4:50am to 5:30am to get some free time before the day kicks off at 8am.

The past two days I have:
- Gone on a soul searching walk along the shoreline: where once there was a beach now there is only the breakwater)
- Torn down a house ravaged by the tsunami so that we can help rebuild: tearing down comes before building up
- Helped cook for upwards of 20 people: very different from the usual "gourmet" cooking that I attempt at home
- Been surrounded by Christian belief: the organization I am with is a Christian organization
- Decided with my roommate to get a puppy: asjfhaksudfhkasjdfh pics soon hopefully

There are a lot of thoughts formulating in my head around reconstruction efforts, religion, community, and land. I'll post more insights as they become more coherent.

So far just enjoying the fresh mountain/seaside air and getting excited for the next couple of months to come!

Vol IV (Final Installation)

Pro: The LSAT is over and done with
Con: Not feeling overly positive about the result, but we'll have to wait and see
Pro: No more 4 hour classes from 6-10pm twice a week
Con: No more awesome doodle time

Pro: Leaving for Japan tomorrow morning. How crazy!

And now, the final installation of drawings:

Unsure what she's doing. Falling or something cooler?

Bittersweet symphony (of cars)

The little bubbles are zoom in shots of what's on top of the waterfalls

Dissatisfied 

Random alcohol related doodles.. unsure where it was going 

Hair inspired by college roommate, haha

Side of pencil sketches evolved into something resembling a landscape

I just realized that all my faces tend towards facing (my) left. Strange. I hope you've enjoyed the set! Back to less drawing and more writing/wandering next time on jumplittlewanderer.