ROYALTY?!?!?!

In 5 days, the biggest holiday of the year hits northern Japan. 3 cities in Aomori hold special festivals - but the longest and grandest of them all is in Aomori City and it's called Nebuta. It's really a smack in the face that I have to work at night during nearly ALL NIGHTS of Nebuta (except Saturday - I took that day OFF) so I kind of asked my last class tonight if they would mind holding class outside next week and we could watch the parade. They LOVED that idea. I mean, the one woman's hand shot straight up and she was hollering "yes yes I vote YESSS!"
As long as we speak English for the most part, it won't be any different than any lesson in class. Tonight we discussed slang words. I told them about a dictionary online that helps with slang... and we discussed Family Guy and Desperate Housewives (Is there any show that isn't a cartoon that's popular in America? My students asked me that tonight. Ha haa.)

In honor of such a huge festival gearing up to start - Japanese royalty came for a visit. Yep, one of Japan's princes (he's like 45 or 50 Mom, so don't freak out like it's Prince William or whoever) came to Aomori City today and I could totally lie and say HE IS SOMEWHERE IN THIS PICTURE:

But that would be lying and as far as I know, he isn't in this picture. Although the car with the flag? HIS CAR!!! SCORE!!!! This is actually right behind my work building. The building on the right... you can only see a hint of brown, is the Nebuta Museum which he visited today. In the background of this picture is the great ship - Hakkoda Maru. And the gray building on the left is a staircase leading to the massive bay bridge. While we're at it - enjoy a picture out my office window:

All the taxi's in the city like to park and wait over to the right. Behind them is the tourist building - where students SWEAR there is an English map - but I've never seen it. Behind THAT is the bus station and on the left is a hotel and some stores as you go further and further away. I should take a picture of Family Mart next!! :)
PS - We had an earthquake tonight and I felt so sea-sick until I got home. I don't like that feeling of swaying... it makes you really dizzy.