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Saturday, January 10, 2009 6:08 AM

My blog has moved!

My blog has moved to http://rens-footprints.blogspot.com/

I was never very happy with MySpace blogs, so now I am on Blogger!

Please update your bookmarks!

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008 3:54 AM

The rest of my jam-packed September

The fun in Truckee continued with a beautiful bike ride along the Truckee river from Squaw Valley to Tahoe city. Bicycles ride separately from the cars on the highway and can leisurely make their way along the beautiful, paved trail. We stopped on the way to, and returning from Tahoe city, to go swimming in the river. The weather was perfect and the ride was so much fun. We extended the ride another few miles by continuing all the way into Squaw Valley and to check out the sights there. We ordered a small smoothie and were given a large instead, so even our luck was good that day.

Squaw's Olympic flame still burns

On the trail

We shared a big sandwich and ate it by Lake Tahoe

Extending our ride into Squaw Valley

We spent another day on the beach on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. The day was consumed with sun, beer, snacks, frisbee, and the nice water. We drove the entire perimeter of the lake with my mom who was to do a 150 mile bike race, which included this road, the following weekend. I am happy to report that she completed the entire race successfully!

Soon after that we had to get out of Truckee and I had to go to school. I was a camera-operator for the annual 3-day Earthdance festival in Mendocino County which was webcasted globally. I also found out that at a show that I filmed at Reggae Rising last year has been made into a DVD that will be on sale soon! I have already got a copy if you want to watch it. The artist is Anthony B!

After Earthdance, Miho and I went on a one-day camp-out at Mount Tamalpais. It was my first time there and I really appreciated its ability to be a quiet escape from the busy North-Bay.

Making breakfast

Doing homework up at a viewpoint

All the cats in Ukiah

Last Tuesday we watched the Giants get killed by the Rockies. One of the highlights of the night was talking the pushy scalper down to $25 for tickets that were $37 face value.

San Francisco's new bike trail, and ocean beach

Taking a rest on the bridge

We later hit the Mendocino coast for a splendid weekend by the sea. Miho got to go body-boarding for the first time in her life. She did quite well considering how big the waves were. I was impressed how she even got pounded by a wave, shooting her board straight up in the air as she spun under water like a mouse in a washing machine, coughed up some of the water she swallowed, then got back out for more! We took a waterproof camera out into the swells so be on the lookout for those shots!

Steve also took us out on his fishing boat. It was an adventure from the get-go because as soon as he started it up the check engine light turned on! This instilled a bit of paranoia in me considering I had no cell service. However, the awesome scenery soon had me distracted from any worries. In fact, as soon as we got going we saw some river otters, which, supposedly, is a rare sight.

Setting off under the Albion bridge

My sister, Elly married a great guy named Bret Morton on Saturday and I DJ'd the after-party. Elly looked great in her gown, and I had a lot of fun seeing old faces, and meeting Bret's side of the family. Congrat's to Tara and Ben on their marriage the prior weekend!

They both thought hard on how to style their hair

As I DJ'd, baby Iris was backed into on the dance-floor

Bret's parents' dog!

As I write this, Miho is on the way back to Japan to begin her last semester of college. I also just submitted all of my graduation forms so I am almost set for the end of my schooling in December. My classes this semester have been tolerable so far. My Japanese literature class is a challenge though. The professor of that class claims that the material that we cover here at SFSU is more difficult than Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley's Japanese programs. Only a couple months to go!

Keep in touch everyone! Talk to you next time!

Currently listening:
American Boy
By Estelle
Release date: 2008-04-15

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Monday, September 08, 2008 9:52 PM

The End of Summer

Hello, and thanks for reading! It has been so long since I have blogged, so let me catch you up with what I have been up to.

Soon after I went hiking at Bear Harbor I moved to Ukiah so I could get ready for the upcoming school year. I had a very difficult test to study for, and passing it meant that I would not have to take a class I didn't want to take, and would allow me to graduate this December. So, I locked myself in the house and studied around 8 hours a day for a week. It was torture, but it paid off because I received the necessary credit, allowing me to graduate this December, and not have to wait until next May to graduate, and saving me from paying the tuition that has risen every semester I have been a student. I am now in the Fall semester which I am quite certain will fly by easily. I am taking 7 units, and am also consumed with various deeds necessary to graduate.

One thing I did other than study in August was work at a 49ers game. I manned an on-field parabolic microphone for KPIX (San Francisco's CBS). It was my first time at Candlestick Park since 1999. It was a nostalgic moment walking onto the field as my childhood memories of going to Giants games were all at Candlestick. The stadium is definitely in need of some repairs or replacement though. It is so rusty and run-down! I ran into some people on the film crews there that I had known from my work in 2007. I even saw a photographer, and a cameraman that I met in Tokyo at the MLB event I worked at. The cameraman was the guy from Salmon Creek.

The noteworthy event in my life was Monday, September 1st when Miho came to visit me for a month! I picked her up at SFO and we drove straight to Truckee from there. We relaxed until Wednesday, when we went to Donner Lake for a swim.

Jet lag and a bike ride

Donner Lake

Making curry that night

The next day we went to Reno and went bowling, saw a cirque-style show, and stayed at the El Dorado downtown!

The following morning was the Reno Balloon Races so we woke up at 4:45 and went to that event! It was very beautiful so I will let the pictures do the talking.

Early morning and setup

The first balloon up for the patriotic opening ceremony

More balloons soon followed

Smokey the Bear was my favorite

Currently listening:
A Time & Place
By Julian Marley
Release date: 2003-10-07

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Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:14 AM

Sayonara Japan. Konnichiwa future!

So long Japan! Thanks for treating me nice, and making me feel like a part of your family! You changed my life, again!

My two semesters at Waseda University have come to an end, and I have moved back to California to finish school next semester at San Francisco State University. My last week in Japan was spent in Chiba with Miho. We had a great time playing Nintendo Wii, cooking, eating, playing tennis, throwing water balloons, ETC. I flew out of Narita International Airport on July 29th.

After a layover in San Francisco, I flew up to Humboldt via a propeller driven aircraft. The pilot pointed out numerous fires burning in the Northern Californian mountains as we flew.

I stayed in Humboldt for a little over a week. I was hired to film at Reggae Rising music festival again so I spend 5 days working there. I had a good time and got to meet one of the musicians that I have been listening to the most the last 5 years, Gentleman, from Germany. He was really polite and full of personality in person. I have been around many celebrities in my life but this is probably the first time I have been star struck.

With Gentleman, and Gentleman performing

I turned 23 on August 6th, and spent the day working in the yard at my Dad's house. I am honored to have lived this long and hope that I will live to quadruple this age!

Right before leaving Humboldt I went on a hike with long time friends Robert, Kenny, and Morgan. We drove to Bear Harbor State Park and hiked the Lost Coast Trail to Wheeler Beach.

When we first arrived I was excited to see elk for the first time in a long time. However, by the end of the trip I was wishing they were nowhere near me! It was around dusk when the hike ended and as we were approaching the parking lot we realized that we were surrounded by elk who were hidden in the tall grass. They were also in the trail, and in the parking lot as well. The one in the trail was the one with the biggest antlers so we were really nervous getting around him.

Bear claw marks all over this tree

Check out the video from the hike. If you go to YouTube to watch it, I believe you can see it in high quality.

I am currently in Ukiah where I am staying as I get ready for the Fall semester to begin. Saturday was my sister's bridal shower so I got to hang out with my whole family in one place. The next day some of us had a barbecue and took some fun pool shots with the camera's timer feature. It took a while before we got the timing right, as you will see.

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Saturday, July 26, 2008 10:52 PM

I climbed the Fooj! (Mount Fuji)

Mount Fuji from Tokyo during the snowy season

Climbing Mount Fuji was never really a desire of mine, but when asked to go as a group I couldn't turn down the offer. I really had no idea what I was getting into, and I didn't research anything before going. My friend Davida and I ended up being the only two going on the trip, and luckily for me she did all of the planning.

Mount Fuji is an active volcano that last erupted in the 1700s. It is one of the most recognized mountains in the world, and is the highest point in Japan.

We took off on Monday, a national holiday called Ocean Day. We caught a bus from Shinjuku at 10:55AM which took us to the 5th checkpoint on Mount Fuji (around a 2.5 hour drive away). Our plan was to hike to around the 9th checkpoint (near the 12,388 foot summit), sleep on the ground at around dusk, then wake up around 1AM and hike to the top to see the sunrise.

In the waiting room at the bus terminal

The sign on the right was at the beginning of the trail and has probably left many foreigners concerned for the safety

Arrival at the 6th checkpoint, and continuing up the mountain

It was very steep and uneven terrain

Nearing dusk we found a good place to take pictures that showed the steepness of the mountain

As it got dark, we were exhausted and really thought that we would be able to sleep on the ground. We were prepared with winter clothes, even though the walk up had been extremely hot. At first it was very comforting as we lied down. We could see a full sky of stars, which is a sight that is impossible to see in Tokyo. I saw at least 13 shooting stars, but the coolest thing was how we were above the clouds and we got to see the moon rise above them. As the moon rose, it illuminated the solid blanket of clouds under it making for one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen in my life. Some of my other pictures in this blog will illustrate what I mean by there being a solid bed of clouds.

Anyway, it started to get VERY cold, and slightly breezy. I nodded off for around 30 minutes and woke up extremely cold, and somewhat distraught. I had completely forgotten where I was, and as I sat up all I saw as I looked off the cliff I was on was the starry sky and the beautifully lit-up clouds. My eyes were still blurry and it was such a surreal sight that my heart jumped because for a second I didn't know which way was up and I thought I may be falling through space or something. I finally got it together and noticed that Davida was gone. I knew exactly where she must be because I had heard from other people who had gone up unprepared that they ended up taking shelter in the bathroom. I found her in there and we just decided to start going up the mountain even though it was just 11:30PM. We turned on our flashlights and headed up.

Our beds

We got to the top around 1:30 AM and were some of the first people up there. It was very cold and somewhat windy. I was so exhausted and cold that I really thought that I was going to be sick. We ran into some guys that took our picture for us by a building that is used in the summer.

Seeing the sunrise on Mount Fuji is a tradition that is apparently celebrated every morning with a gathering of people who have made the middle of the night trip. All of my friends here seemed to understand this sacred tradition except for me, but I am very happy I was able to participate before going home.

The wait from 1:30AM to the 4:30AM sunrise was torture. We were so cold and exhausted. I was not having fun at that point. Around 3:40 we saw the sky start to light up. The hikers coming up the mountain with their headlamps make for a very scenic view. This trail of hikers you see is over a mile long and is a grueling amount of vertical feet.

This is how the rest unfolded in chronological order

This is as zoomed out of a picture I could get of me in the position we were in

Others who made the trip

The crater

The view off the other side was spectacular

After climbing another small hill you reach the nation's highest point

The route down was along a cat-track accessible in the summer months. It was very steep, rocky, and dusty. The decent was so rough on my legs, and the dust killed my nose. I am not sure I ever want to climb a volcano again, as it was very grueling being on rocks the entire time. However, I saw some of the most beautiful, and unforgettable sights of my life, so I am so happy I blindly jumped into this adventure.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:35 PM

Sayonara party cruise & Closing Ceremony

Last weekend the California State University group I came here with had its farewell dinner in the form of a dining cruise of Tokyo Bay. We had delicious tempura and sushi and all you can drink beverages.

Our Boat

Going around the bay really made me realize how much I will miss this city. We saw many places of the city that I have so many memories in. Check out some of the pictures.

Tokyo Tower, TV station at Odaiba, and Rainbow Bridge

With Chris from CSU Long Beach (2nd from left) and her friends

I highly recommend one of these cruises, however I hear that they cost $100 a person. The fee for our sayonara party was included in our tuition.

Closing Ceremony

Watching how to put on a tie on YouTube

The dean of my department making a speech
He is a very cool guy

Getting my diploma

The Valedictorian of the exchange students was this German boy

Afterparty with Miho and Bora

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:03 PM

The school year is over

Friday I completed my final classes here at Waseda University. I really enjoyed my Japanese language courses here and deninately feel I will return to San Francisco State University with the ability to pass my remaining one semester of Japanese classes with ease.

Our Japanese class was filled with students from all over the world. We had people from the USA, Australia, Germany, Peru, and England. We went on a few field trips and our professors often took pictures of us. On the last day of class we were given this slideshow of the various activities we did. I am too lazy to translate it, but prior to the picture of me pulling out my hair says "we had tough tests".

Slideshow from Japanese class at Waseda University 2007/8

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Monday, July 07, 2008 5:27 AM

Tokyo pet shop

This was one of the cutest sights I have ever seen. This caged pig was massaging the shaggy dog with its nose.

There were lots of other unique pets available including owls, wild reptiles, and even monkey-like creatures. There were some really cute puppies and kittens that cost more than $1000!

Another thing I wanted to mention is that I ate abalone here at a Chinese restaurant. It wasn't that great because the dish it was prepared in wasn't worth enough to host such a delicacy of a meat. I am happy I got the chance to eat it though.

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Saturday, June 28, 2008 12:33 AM

More Humboldt visitors, a pigeon egg, and BLUE MAN GROUP!

It has been a long time since I have blogged and the primary reason for this is that I had friends visiting from California for over a week. I had a good time showing them around and seeing new places with them.

One of the coolest things we did was hike Mt Takao on Tuesday. The weather was great, and the scenery was nice. The trail was steep at parts with stairs built into the mountain to help you with your climb. Sometimes the roots from the trees worked as stairs as well. On the top of the mountain there is a visitors center where you can buy food and water. We took a different route back down to the bottom and got to pass through some more scenic areas and beautiful shrines.

Steep Stairs, Roots, and a Lizard

The Top, A Toast, and a different angle

This guy told us about the shrine

Three days ago my neighbors with the disgustingly filthy balcony finally cleaned it up. I am assuming that they were forced to. There were tons of cockroaches and pigeons living there and the worst part is that my balcony is connected to theirs! Anyway, within hours of their balcony being cleaned I noticed a pigeon egg in a very peculiar spot on the railing of my balcony. There is no way that anyone would have been able to set it there. I am either thinking a pigeon somehow carried it over there when its nest was being disturbed, or a pigeon which was heading home to lay an egg had to quickly find another place to leave it. Check out the pictures.

Yesterday marked a year since Miho and I met at Dolores Park in San Francisco so I surprised her with Blue Man Group tickets. The show was very good and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I know they tour the USA and are always in Vegas to keep an eye out!

After the show we got a picture with one of the Blue Men.
I tried, and failed, to make a Blue Man face.

Currently listening:
How to Be a Megastar Live!
By Blue Man Group
Release date: 2008-04-01

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Sunday, June 15, 2008 11:14 PM

JapaRen

I ran into this place around 12AM on Monday morning (about an hour ago) while hanging out with a buddy of mine from high school. He was a senior when I was a freshman and we played soccer and tennis together. His name is Caleb and he is here with his fiance to visit her parents who were transfered here for work. He has been traveling the world but currently calls Salmon Creek his home. I have friends that I have known since kindergarten, Leif and Jerrell, coming to visit for 8 days. They arrive tomorrow.

Caleb

Currently listening:
Rising Down
By The Roots
Release date: 2008-04-29

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Saturday, June 14, 2008 7:06 PM

Rowing in Yamanashi

Around a month ago I ran into some friends on the street who invited me to go with them somewhere in the mountains for the weekend. They told me who to talk to to get the rest of the info so I gave him an email. He told me something about entering a boat race, and the total for the two day trip would be 8,000 yen, but I wasn't given any more info. Since 8,000 yen is less than 3 hours of teaching English conversation I paid, and committed to going.

The day came to go and I still had no idea what we were doing except for it involving a boat race. I met up with everyone going, three Japanese guys and a group of Californians, and we made our way to Yamanashi by way of electric trains, and a taxi to get to our cabin.

We were pleasantly surprised that we were in a cabin that overlooked Lake Kawaguchi, which sits near the base of Mt. Fuji. We had a fish dinner that came with our room and then finished the night with drinks and watching the 2008 European soccer championships. We watched World Champions Italy get held to a draw against Romania 1-1 in one of the best games I have ever watched. I even won some money on that but I chose not to collect it in the end. The game started around 12:45AM Japan time and ended around 3AM. The intensity of the game had us screaming at the top of our lungs at all the close calls!

Sucking up a GIANT spider in our kitchen

Jun turns red when he drinks

The chill-spot / soccer party
Ren, Jun, Noburo, Chelsea, Bora, Usagi, Davida, Justin, Kelsey

Looking at the lobby from a parking spot by our cabin

After turning 90 degrees to the right

Breakfast

I went to bed at 4AM, as the sky began turning from black to blue, and the stars started to fade. We woke up at 8 and ate our fish breakfast. I took a 15 minute nap, packed my stuff, and we all walked across the street to the lake for the apparent "rowing competition" we were about to partake in.

We were divided into two groups and went out on the lake with someone who had the skills to lead us. I am not sure who the people who owned the boats we used, or the people who led us out on the water, but they were very kind and also served us lunch.

Rowing was difficult and I didn't fit well in the special, sliding seats in the boats. After around 20 minutes of training, we entered a race with others who weren't that great at rowing, but also weren't beginners like us so we were the total underdogs. However, my group came in third our of four boats so I was very satisfied! Overall, it was an awesome experience and I had a blast!

Ready for some rowing!

A big bird with a fish

There was some priceless "Engrish" spotted on the way home

(Caption needed)

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008 12:02 PM

The 2008 Japan Sake Fair

Tonight I went to the 2008 Japanese Sake Fair. Sake from all over the nation was available for sample. Customers were able to have as much of any of the 600 or so varieties there were to chose from. The entrance fee was around thirty dollars, but some of the Sake available is sold in the hundreds of dollars. It was held in the Ikebukuro district of the city which I realized I can walk to in just 35 minutes.

Currently listening:
Collection
By Men Without Hats
Release date: 1996-02-20

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Monday, June 09, 2008 12:01 AM

The cowardly mass-murder on the streets of one of Tokyo’s best places.

"I'm going to rent a car, go to Akihabara, and kill people. Once the car is totaled, I will start killing people with a knife." That is what the suspect of the massacre on the streets of Tokyo wrote on the internet yesterday morning in the five o'clock hour. By noon he had driven his rented miniature semi truck into a pedestrian mall, ironically called a "pedestrian heaven" in Japanese. He had done exactly what he said he would, and in the end seven died, including teens, seniors, and those in-between.

This happened on the streets of one of the best places to be in Tokyo on a Sunday. A main street comprised of many lanes is closed off and people are able to walk freely. This is an area of the city known for electronics shops, and lots of video-game and computer nerds. Some of them dress up as their favorite anime or video game character which adds to the atmosphere. There are also street performers, and great places to eat. I recently went out for lunch with some American and Japanese friends on a Sunday in Akihabara.

Pictures from a Sunday in Akihabara

After running people down with his truck, the man then ran around screaming and grunting as he stabbed at random. He used a knife known as a "survival knife" in Japanese, and the one he used had a blade over one foot long. Yesterday happened to be the around the seventh anniversary of a knife rampage at an elementary school that killed a similar amount. One could only imagine how much worse such violent outbursts in Japan could become if there wasn't gun control here. I can't help but recollect the shooting at the halloween block party I was at in San Francisco and the pandemonium that followed.

Speaking of guns, I was watching an interview on the news of a witness who said when a cop got to the suspect he pulled out his baton and started dueling with the man in what sounded like it looked like a sword fight. I wonder why the cop didn't shoot him. I don't think anyone else was at risk of being shot.

The news reports have been covering this story intensely since it happened. It is really hard to watch as fast-acting reporters have video of unresponsive bodies receiving CPR, and being put into ambulances. One bizarre newscast ended their show with scenes from yesterday's tragedy, including the truck all dented from barricading through people, and the upbeat music to "We Built This City on Rock and Roll."

The night before last, I was in the Shibuya district all night (until around 4:40AM) and it crossed my mind numerous times how safe this city is. One of my American friends was asked "are there parts of Los Angeles as dangerous as Kabuki-Cho?" (a place with a tame sex-industry, and occasional very minor drug arrests, and next to no voilence). My friend couldn't help but laugh. In Kabuki-Cho, which is known to be Tokyo's most "dangerous place" it is fashion for guys to use huge, stylish wallets that stick like four inches out of their back pocket! Needless to say I still feel safe here.

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Sunday, June 01, 2008 5:04 PM

Our last field trip: Hakone

Last Saturday my group of Californians and I departed on the last field trip included in our tuition. We were off to the resort area known as Hakone, which is a beautiful mountainous area around a two hour train ride from Tokyo.

Dustin and Duffy wore the headbands they bought in the city of Obama

Upon arriving on our train from Tokyo we all had to board a public bus over a mountain to a lakeside village. I didn't have a seat for most of the bus ride and with the steep hills and switchbacks I wasn't having a lot of fun. There was also a baby crying so loudly that all we really could do was laugh at how impressive it was.

The lakeside village was very touristy but Justin and I left it and went to the shore and got some nice pictures. While taking pictures of the boat that we were going to depart on we were asked by some Chinese tourists to "please take picture". I said ok and tried to grab their camera but it turned out they wanted to include us in their shot! That was fun and felt good. It seemed that at least 80% of the tourists there were Chinese and our group leader said she had never seen Hakone with so many tourists ever. According to news reports I have seen, Chinese tourists have been coming to Japan in larger numbers recently.

Justin opened his salad upsidedown

Gas is about $5.85 a gallon

We all boarded the pirate-ship looking ferry and rode it to the other side of the lake. It was raining pretty hard at that time so I stayed inside with some others until we got off. We then boarded a gondola which took us to our hotel.

The hotel was pleasant and served us all wine and juice as we entered the lobby. It had a large indoor and outdoor spa (onsen) that used water from the underground hot springs in this volcanic area. From the spa and some rooms there are views of Mt. Fuji. For those of you who don't know, Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan. It is a dormant volcano and is one of the primary symbols of Japan as it is often depicted in art and the media. Some friends and I have plans to hike Mt Fuji in July.

That night we had dinner, then had a birthday party for Duffy in one of our rooms. The hotel staff recommended we wake up at 5AM to be able to see Mt Fuji from the outdoor spa but my inhibition told me to not set my alarm and I would be fine. I woke up the next morning around 6:20 and not ready to be out of bed at all. I peeked out the window and couldn't even see a sign of Fuji so I went back to bed. I then awoke around 7:30 to my roommate Mikie on our room phone talking to our group leader because Fuji had become visible! He peeked out the window and said with enthusiasm, "It's the 'fooge'!" It was very beautiful but was only clearly visible for around twenty minutes and therefore not everyone was able to see it. I took some pictures and quickly went down to the large outdoor spa and enjoyed the view from there.

These were shot from the window

This bird was singing all morning

Views from the garden

These older ladies had me take a picture with them then insisted that I take one with my own camera too

We checked out at 11AM and jumped back on the gondola and went up higher to a sulfurous area. Here you could buy these hard boiled eggs called "100 year eggs" that, according to legend, are buried for 100 years, dug up, then eaten for longevity. These black, hardboiled eggs were sold by the thousands to tourists up by the sulfur but the last thing I wanted to eat while smelling sulfur was a hardboiled egg. Besides, the seven years of life it promised wasn't exactly the answer to my wish of seven more years of youth!

We then took a different gondola to a cable car station, which we rode to a train station where we transferred to one of only two trains in the world with switchbacks! The train would change direction and switch tracks on order to complete this rare maneuver. It was really cool. The only other country with a train with switchbacks is in Switzerland.
Once off that train we went and got lunch at a great soba-noodle place. This is actually the place that our group leader had her first date with her husband. I had the tempura and really enjoyed it. We had to rush back to the the train station after that to get on our express to Tokyo where I taught three hours of English conversation as soon as I arrived.

I usually don't take pictures of my food

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008 1:55 PM

Miho is 22!

Friday was Miho's 22nd birthday and, in her words, her last birthday as a student. We went out to lunch in the Meguro district of town to a Korean restaurant very near the offices I worked at. I had been to this place with coworkers and really loved it, however, this time I had them give me the maximum level of spiciness and it ruined my meal. It was so hot that when Miho took a small bite she began coughing! My tongue burned so bad and became very tender. I ended up mixing it with a lot of rice to tone down the spice but it was still almost unbearable.
I tried to eat it as it was served

...It made me cry...

So I had to mix it with my rice

We then walked over to Tokyo Tower and had dessert at the top! I also gave Miho the watch I bought for her.

Tokyo Tower

A view from the top

Tokyo Tower Cheesecake is good!

That night her volleyball team was celebrating winning a small tournament so I tagged along and partied with them. (I almost didn't go because the spicy food in my stomach made me feel sick) Of course it was a "nomihoudai" (all you can drink). Her teammates even surprised her with a cake!