We went to Hell this weekend

Friday night, I had my neighbors Monica, Suzie, and Makii over for Mexican food. We then headed off to the karaoke place 5 minutes from my house. I jumped around that room like a crazy person - funny how karaoke erases all inhibitions (or was that the alcohol?). Check out the pictures for more stories:

Kate Bush = Strange karaoke!

Saturday night was the NOLA benefit at Shin's in Shimabara. It was really good to see the hanto people, but the crowd was so dense it was hard to talk to people. Didn't get any good pics, unfortunately.

Sunday, Erich and I drove up to Unzen on a whim. I've been wanting to do it for a while, and it was a nice day so we just went for it. The pictures pretty much tell the story: it was absolutely gorgeous. I have never been anywhere so beautiful in my entire life. If you read this, TRY TO VISIT ME SO YOU CAN SEE IT. I actually burned out the battery on my camera by the time we got to the top of Mt. Fugen, which just means that WE HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN! First, we walked around Unzen, a town famous for hot springs and jigoku (steam vents, aka "hells"). In the 17th century, Christians were killed here for not renouncing their faith. We didn't go to the Unzen Spa House (yet, waiting for fall), but we did bathe our feet in the foot onsen. Then we drove on up to Mt. Fugen, took the ropeway, and saw the most amazing views of my entire life. This is the closest I've ever been to an active volcano.


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