Perpetual Traveller

Raft-o-rama!

2007-07-03T00:27:00.000+09:00

This weekend a group of us (myself along with my friend Yuka, Michiko, who is one of my students, and her boyfriend and sister) went to Shikoku Island to go white water rafting. It was a pretty long trip to get there, we had to go over the big bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the world) to Awaji Island and then all the way across Awaji to another big bridge. This was quite an interesting one as on the way across it you can see several whirlpools in the water below.

Once we arrived on Shikoku we still had a fair way to drive so broke up the journey with a lunch stop near this bridge. As you can see it is constructed almost entirely of vines.It was extremely amusing watching women wearing high heels attempting to cross it. :D Here's me with Michiko and her sister Yukiko at one end of the bridge. We didn't bother to make the crossing ourselves, the prospect of rafting was a lot more thrilling.

After lunch we drove on, although not too much further, until we reached the Oboke river. We got geared up, wetsuits, helmets, PFDs (that's life jackets to the uninitiated) and fleeces for the wussy Japanese girls. Our guide was a fellow Aussie, Michael, and he and I got talking about our rafting experiences, I mentioned that I had done a guiding course several years ago and he immediately offered to let me take the boat on a couple of the smaller rapids, how could I refuse?

We got to the river and while the others had a safety talk in Japanese with the safety kayaker Michael grilled me to see what I could remember of my training, I must have done okay as he didn't retract his offer. And then we were off!

I am the one in the yellow helmet (my head was once again proved ridiculously small so I am easy to pick out).

Yee-ha!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
And there was also plenty of time to play some games, jump off a big rock (I went first, not sure if that makes me the bravest or stupidest) and just relax in the water. I love rivers so it felt great to get into one again.
As promised Michael let me take us down a couple of the rapids and by stacking the boat through one I succeeded in flipping the boat, it was a very proud moment. :D

And here we are after a triumphant finish.From the left that's Yukiko, Yuka, Michiko, me, two Japanese girls who joined us, Michael and Kazu. It was a fantastic day and we'd all like to do it again, maybe in Australia next time!

Indulge Me

2007-06-18T21:16:00.001+09:00

Well I haven't blogged in a while, as nothing much has been happening, just work and horse-riding mostly. I did go and see a movie with Yuka the other week and that was an interesting experience. The movie was in English with Japanese subtitles and I'm not sure if that was the reason I seemed to be the only person laughing out loud in some places or if it was just because I am a noisy foreigner. :P

This weekend however was something special. My colleagues and I went to Osaka to have a dessert buffet at the "Swissotel". This was paid for by AEON as we had reached a target set for us by the head office (have been doing well out of 'honbu' recently, I was named 'Teacher of the Month' for Kansai in April and so received an engraved pen, also have had my fair share of cookies for reaching other targets). Below you can see my first course...
Are you drooling yet? I most certainly was!

The presentation was also impressive, at either end of the buffet was a chocolate fountain, milk at one end...

White at the other...
Also to be seen were these impressive chocolate sculptures...

Personally I thought it was a bit of a waste of chocolate! ;)

Once back in the Kak, I had a 'cosgirl' (costume) sighting. This one was really decked out, unfortunately I couldn't get too close as I didn't want her to realise I was taking the pic, but you can get the idea.
Rainy season has well and truly arrived so I am getting wet a lot. This morning at riding I was given a free gift of a large umbrella (the other week I got a framed photo, seems to be the month for freebies), don't think I will follow the Japanese and carry it on my bike, safer to stick to a jacket, nor on my horse for that matter :)

I found Nemo

2007-05-11T00:31:00.000+09:00

I didn't have a whole lot of time on Miyako so I just did a lot of walking. This beach has a natural rock arch and is very beautiful. As you can see the water is crystal clear and the sand was very white and soft.Here's the view from inside the arch, you can just see some of the netting that was covering the roof, I guess to prevent anything falling on the heads of visitors!

I flew back to Naha on Friday afternoon and then took a bus north to Okinawa City. This area is mostly famous for its shopping and its proximity to the American air base. I think I can safely say that I have never seen so many crew cuts in one place.

My reason for visiting Okinawa city was so that I could go scuba diving with an English speaking company. The reefs around the outer islands are reputedly far more beautiful than the one near Okinawa city but as I had never tried scuba before I wanted the reassurance of knowing that I would have no communication difficulties with my instructor. My instructor, Hanako, was Japanese but she had spent many years in England. She was very competent and reassuring. We did some preparatory work in the shallows where she showed me how to recapture the mouthpiece if I should drop it, clear the mask if it filled with water and so on. Then it was time to explore the (unfortunately somewhat murky) depths. I never realised how much there is to remember when scuba diving, breathing, keeping your pressure equalised, body position (it's necessary to keep it flat), taking pictures! It was certainly pretty full on. We saw loads of fish and interesting corals but the highlight had to be seeing some clown fish (as made famous by the movie 'Finding Nemo') like the ones below.After the dive Hanako congratulated me on my breathing and body position, I guess all those years of snorkelling at Somers really paid off.

She dropped me off at the American Village. An area of shops and movie theatres and so forth, which is designed to look like it's in America, hence the name :P. To me it felt more like what Japanese people think America is like but it was interesting to have a wander around. I particularly enjoyed looking through the enormous army surplus store. I guess their proximity to the base gives them access to more equipment than your average shop. You could even buy a parachute, stetcher or a wide range of gas masks! Lots of the toys were very tempting but probably not legal in Australia so I just bought a cloth badge and left it at that.

My final day I spent back in Naha, getting some souvenirs and omiyage (presents for co-workers). This river is right near Kokusai street and was decorated with carp banners in honour of 'Children's Day'.
Something you don't see to often in Japan...
Got one final laugh on my way out of Okinawa. This sign was posted at the entrance of the Naha airport. I was particularly bemused by the second item at number 1...
What have puddings ever done to you!?!

Take me to Taketomi

2007-05-11T00:11:00.000+09:00

On Thursday I took another ferry, this time to Taketomi Island. This was probably my favourite, mostly because the other islands were all so big that they lost the 'island' feel somewhat. Taketomi was small enough that you could walk around it and see coastline in several directions at once. One of the things it's famous for is the 'star sand' beach where some of the sand grains are like tiny stars. I had a very pleasant surprise as I was walking along, I heard my name and when I turned around I found Yoshie, who I had gone canoeing with the day before. So we went and ate Okinawa Soba together and then went sightseeing. This house had a great example of a Shisa (lion dogs who act as guardian gods of houses and villages) on the roof. Unfortunately I have no zoom but you can get the idea. Here's a street scape, good place for cycling so Yoshie and I did so, only we just had one bike between the two of us... Lucky I've got horserider's legs!
Once we got back to Ishigaki, a slightly more major island, Yoshie hired a car and we went exploring. This bay is famous for its black pearls and its beauty, you can see why.
Heading back towards the airport (as I was flying to Miyako Island that evening) we passed this shop. Inside were many pairs of Shisa, most of which looked like they'd been designed by the folks at Mambo! It was certainly colourful.

I couldn't resist ;)

Tarzette, Queen of the jungle

2007-05-10T22:24:00.000+09:00

My third day I made my way to Iriomote Island. Iriomote had a much more island feel to it. This may have been because I had to take a ferry to get there but I am sure that the lack of tall buildings helped too. The youth hostel was up on a hill overlooking the sea so the view was really beautiful. It was nice to see some nature too, a fruit bat and some glow worms and fireflies. No sign of the elusive Iriomote lynx though.

I took a trip by riverboat (which was strangely reminiscent of the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland) to see the waterfall you can just about see pictured below.Once back at the landing area I did some canoeing. The guide took us all around the mangroves and explained about the different species (I was given a special card in English) and also showed us some wildlife such as this crab...
And its mother...
Then we headed even further into the wilds to see an area where there was once a coal mine. It looked like nothing so much as a piece of scenery from an Indiana Jones movie. In this area we also saw some tiny lizards and large butterflies.

Oki Ok

2007-05-09T15:07:00.000+09:00

Last week in Japan was 'Golden Week', when just about the entire country gets a week of holidays. Naturally this means that all prices rise, accommodations are full and tourist areas are heaving, makes perfect sense... Anyway, not one to let that deter me from further exploration I decided to visit the Okinawa Islands.

My first two days I spent on Okinawa-Honto (the main island). This garden was right near my hostel. The day was quite overcast as you can see, but it was very humid.

After visiting the garden I made my way to Kokusai-Dori, the main street of Naha city. This was a great place to be as it is closed to traffic on a Sunday afternoon and there are many street performances. I watched this drum troop for a while, and being a former percussionist started hankering after one of their drums... well maybe just a small one...
Just off Kokusai-Dori is a couple of market streets so I wandered down them to get to the Tsyboya pottery district. This actually just looked like a lot of shops, so not quite as atmospheric as I had been hoping. But the market lanes were a bit better and felt more 'typically Asian' than much of Japan.

On Monday I just about killed myself riding a very old bike up a very steep hill to Shuri-jo (it was also much hotter that day). This castle is unfortunately a reconstruction as the original was burnt down during WW2. However it was very different to the mainland castle style so I was glad that I made the effort to get there. As you can see there is a very obvious Chinese influence as is true of a lot of things found in the islands.In the courtyard of the castle this woman was demonstrating some traditional dance. She moved incredibly slowly and gracefully and had no facial expression. It was fascinating to watch. Although I have to admit that I didn't stick it out for long ;)

From the castle I made my way (somewhat roundaboutly as the Japanese don't seem to believe in street signs) to the Shikanaen Royal Garden. I had hoped to eat my lunch here but there was no food or drink allowed! So I ate outside the gate and then went in to look around. It was quite beautiful but I actually felt that the smaller garden I visited on Sunday was nicer.
Finally I rode along the river to look at the Manko Mangrove, which was disappointingly polluted, although I did see a couple of birds, and to get to the Underground Naval Headquarters. Now as most of you know I am a bit of a military history buff so I was a little disappointed here too as there wasn't a whole lot of information available and not really a lot to see, aside from this example of what sort of damage a hand grenade can do in a small concrete room.

Also the officers room was set up with a table and you could see some writing on the walls, but mostly it just felt like a cellar.

After that I decided to reward all my hard cycling efforts (did I mention that the Naval HQ was also up a steep hill?) with a steak dinner. I had hoped to try Ishigaki (another island I was going to on Tuesday) beef, but I think I actually ended up with Tasmanian! :P Was pleasantly surprised to learn that when the menu offered an accompaniment of soup, salad, rice or bread it actually meant soup and salad and rice or bread. :)

Kyushu Capering

2007-04-13T22:01:00.000+09:00

This weekend I took a day off so that I could go a little further afield. I went to Nagasaki at the very end of the main body of Japan. It is a very pleasant city on the water and has a nice tram system that you can take for just 100Y per ride. First I took it to the to the peace park. This fountain symbolises the dove of peace and in the background you can see the peace statue. The peace park was much smaller than the one in Hiroshima but I actually liked it a bit more.
After walking around the park I went to the Atomic Bomb Museum, again it was smaller than the one in Hiroshima, but very well done.

Then I went to the Suwa-Jinja, Nagasaki's major shrine. In the garden there are a pair of 'stop lions' you tie a piece of string around one of their legs if you want to quit doing something. Being perfect, I didn't need to bother...
From the shrine I walked along the river to the Megane-Bashi (spectacles bridge so named for the reflection it makes in the water), Japan's oldest stone bridge. It was a pleasant walk along the river with lots of spring flowers in bloom.
I visited the interesting old Chinese Zen temple, Sofuku-ji and then headed on to Fukuoka. This is another nice city, although I preferred Nagasaki. This is its most famous building, ACROS, which, as you can see, has a terraced garden built of the side of it.
Walking through a mall there I found this interesting parade float. It was absolutely huge.

Ate some ramen at a shop recommended by my co-worker Jason and then headed back to the Kak.

Fast Cars and Fertility

2007-04-06T16:47:00.000+09:00

This weekend I went to visit a fellow AEONite in Nagoya. Before meeting up with her I visited the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology and had a lovely time. There are loads of displays of engine and their components, complete with push buttons so you can set them all running. Possibly even more fun were the industrial robots and large machinery, also controlled by push buttons, so I had a wonderful time making lots of noise.
After the museum I met up with Joanne and we went up the brand new Midland Square building with its superfast double-decker elevators. Then in the evening we went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (before anyone comments, I have been in Japan EIGHT months, Japanese food has definitely lost its novelty factor, a blt on the other hand...) where I demolished this delicious brownie sundae.On the Monday we went to visit Joanne's local shrine in Komaki, which just happens to be a fertility shrine. Naturally much pointing and giggling ensued but I was very careful not to touch anything, just in case. :p
The other interesting thing that is happening right now in Japan is that the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom. Going to viewing parties is something of a national pastime. So I have seen many groups picnicking under the trees.

Bridges, Bells and Boats

2007-03-30T22:48:00.000+09:00

This weekend I took a trip to see the 'Bridge to Heaven' in Amanohashidate. It's not really a bridge but rather a strip of land which joins two sides a the bay. In order to appreciate the 'bridge' effect the prescribed viewing method is like so:Then it looks something like this.
I enjoyed walking along it, it's a pleasant sandy strip lined with pine trees. On reaching the far end I took a cute little chair lift up to the viewing area. After the blood finally returned to my head I climbed further up the hill to a nice old temple. Outside the temple is this bell. It has quite the history, when the bell was cast a baby fell into the molten metal. The first time the bell was rung those listening claimed to hear the baby calling for its mother. It hasn't been rung since!
I took a boat back across the water and was amused to watch the Japanese tourists feeding the seagulls (and one hawk) which were following the boat. The would throw chips in the air and the birds would catch them.

I then moved on to Matsue, which is an attractive city on a large lake. Spent the night there and then went to see the shrine at Izumo Taisha, one of the most important ones in Japan. The original supposedly built by the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Hanging outside is an enormous rope twist. If you throw a coin and it sticks you will have good luck. I got one on my second try. :)

Finally I visited the castle at Matsue. It is one of the few original ones left and is very interesting. I was lucky enough to be offered a free English tour and as there was only me I felt like quite the VIP.

More Mountain Musings

2007-03-22T22:39:00.000+09:00

Since Wednesday was a national holiday Yuka and I decided to do some exploring. We opted for Mt Koya, which is between Osaka and Wakayama. Koya-san is very famous as a holy mountain and it has many temples and shrines at the top, as well as a huge cemetery. The cemetery is fascinating as many companies have their corporate tombs there so that you can enjoy your eternal rest in the bosom of your company, how sweet! Many of them even have statuary to depict what it is that the company does, UCC Coffee has a coffee cup but this one was my favourite, you will never guess what they build... Also many of the tombs have little letter boxes so that you can post your business card in to let your former colleagues know that you dropped by! The mountain is naturally very popular with pilgrims and they take tours with guides in traditional pilgrim dress and are often dressed alike themselves.
Upon leaving the cemetery we went to the Kongobu-ji monastery. The main complex on the mountain. There I saw my first real zen garden...
And some amazing old screen paintings from the late sixteenth century.
Finally we visited the Garan which was garish to say the least. Some really love old buildings surrounding it though.

Haiku Holiday

2007-03-22T21:47:00.000+09:00

I spent the weekend on Shikoku Island, Japan's fourth largest. I visited the city of Matsuyama which is famous for two things, the Dogo Onsen, Japan's oldest, and as the birthplace of Masaoka Shiki a haiku poet. To commemorate him there are these cute little haiku post boxes all over the place. So if the spirit moves you you can compose your own and submit it. If it is deemed worthy you are sent a gift. Figured you probably have to do it in Japanese though. This is the Dogo Onsen. It is Japan's oldest. I decided that since it was such a special one I should get over my OC complex and give it a go. I went for the cheapest option, the "Hot Water of the Gods" bath. I was the only foreigner in there and I think I can safely say that I have never felt so enormous or so pale. The bath itself was quite enjoyable but very hot so I had to keep getting out to perch on the side for a few minutes. Also I have to say I got bored quite quickly so probably only stayed in around 15 minutes. Still it was an experience and I have done it now.
I also hiked up a short hill to see Matsuyama castle. I didn't bother going inside as there's not a whole lot in there but it was a nice walk and a reasonable view over the city.

Walking in a winter monkeyland

2007-03-13T12:08:00.000+09:00

As you can see by the snow, this past weekend I headed for the highlands. I went to visit the Japanese Alps and boy was I glad that I had my thermals. While the weather in Kak has not exactly got warm it is certainly a lot better than that in Nagano and Yudanaka. I was staying in Nagano in youth hostel that is connected to the big temple there. It was a really nice experience, I had a tatami room all to myself and in the morning I went to the morning service, which was brilliantly atmospheric. After I had had my fill of chanting, drum-beating monks, I went into the Okaidan, a pitch-black tunnel that runs under the alter. I managed to locate the 'key to paradise' down there so am now assured of my eternal reward.

Then I made my way to Yudanaka where there is a monkey onsen! It took about 30 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the monkey park and although it was a bit cold it was very beautiful walking through the snow. Here I am enjoying the sub-Arctic temperatures.

The biggest monkeys just sit around and let the smaller ones groom them but most of them behave like kids in a swimming pool, swimming and fighting and dunking one another.
This little fellow was particularly cute, think he was checking to see if the warm water had given him wrinkles!
Before leaving the area near the monkey park I went into the Roman Art Museum (mostly to get warm) where I got talking to the lady working behind the front desk. She was nice enough to drive me to the station in Yudanaka. March the 3rd is the Doll festival in Japan and after attempting to photograph several displays through glass finally there in the station there was a display set out in the entrance. The two dolls at the top are the emperor and empress and then those below are their ladies in waiting, knights etc.

I do love to be beside the sea

2007-02-28T12:05:00.000+09:00

Here's me clowning with one of my students in Ako last Sunday.
Ako park has a playground that is probably unsurpassed by any other in the whole country! It has a replica pirate ship that can be climbed all over and an obstacle course containing all sorts of fun challenges.

The park is also home to a salt museum (Ako is famous for its salt) which actually had some interesting buildings were they were harvesting salt the old fashioned way. And is right beside the sea. However a peek at the beach revealed it to be a bit on the dirty side so we stuck to the play equipment.

Back by the sea on Monday but for a different purpose. I went to the Porto Bazaar, which is a outlet mall near Kobe. It is designed to look like a Mediterranean town, I was hoping for some cheap laughs but actually came home converted after finding some bargain jeans. Then I took a visiting friend to see a love hotel,

Here's the menu board, anyone for today's special?

Inoshishi Delishy

2007-02-22T18:06:00.000+09:00

This past Sunday I took a trip to Sasayama, a small town to the north of the Kak. It is famous for it's Inoshishi (wild boar) Nabe (stew). So naturally after walking around to see its temples and samurai houses I had to warm myself up by ordering some. It was ridiculously huge but quite delicious.

The town itself was pretty small but quite lovely. I enjoyed wandering around the little streets. There is the ruins of a castle and a partial reconstruction of it, which houses a museum, but I didn't bother going in to that. The biggest drawback to the town is that it is miles from its station but it had a pleasantly untouched feeling to it.

On Monday I visited Awaji, an island off the coast near Kobe. I have been past it many times on the train but this was my first visit. I took the ferry over and it was quite a pleasant ride. On reaching the island I did some walking, saw an interesting temple and got to ring its big bell. Also climbed up a big hill to see the view, which was quite beautiful. Then wandered through the little town for a while before heading back to the mainland.

Happy Hikings

2007-02-14T15:45:00.000+09:00

Had a very active weekend this week as I hiked up two different mountains. The first was Mt Shosha, near Himeji on Sunday. I had visited it before when my 'rents were here but when we went we took the cable car, this time I did it the hard way. It was lovely and sunny so made a really nice day. On Monday it was Mt Rokko near Kobe. I had also been up a different part of the Mountain with dad and mum again by cable car but this was again all on foot. On the way up I was amused to see these toilets, cunningly disguised as tree stumps...

Here's me having an Indiana Jones moment. This bridge was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, still not quite sure what it lead to.
Further up was this dam. Was a really pretty spot and again the weather was cooperating beautifully.

At the top of the mountain was the Nunobiki Herb Garden. Unfortunately being winter there wasn't a whole lot to see but the views were nice. Tried to eat in the restaurant there but it was too crowded so instead headed back down into Kobe. There I ate in a restaurant that uses this ingenious ordering method. Decide what you want then select the button on the vending machine and pay and it will issue you a ticket. Go and sit down and someone will come and take the ticket and then being you your food.

Since there was still some daylight left after I'd eaten I went down to the earthquake memorial in the harbour.

Ninja

2007-01-10T13:29:00.000+09:00

On Sunday I did what was probably the most fun thing I will do during my stay here. I got to play Ninja! The Ninja village was a fair trek from the Kak but the journey was definitely worth it. A lot of the time the scenery was very beautiful too so that helped pass the time. When I woke up on Sunday it was actually snowing in Kak so I had my doubts about venturing out but in the end the weather at the village was ok. There is a ninja house where they displayed the many secret tricks the ninjas could use to hide themselves or their possessions. Then there was a museum and then we watched a demonstration of their weapons. Finally it was the part I had been waiting for, I got to try it out for myself.

Here's me throwing Shuriken, I actually managed to hit the bullseye!
And here I am with two of my students playing dress-up.
On Monday I used my final cheap ticket day to go to Kyoto. Although I had been before I hadn't really visited any of the more famous sites so this time I saw Kakurinji temple and was lucky enough to see two Geisha in the Gion district.
Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate when I got to the Golden Pavilion. Only a short time before the sky had been blue but as you can see it didn't stick around to give me a truly dazzling shot. Will maybe return in the summer in hopes of a better result, although I have to admit that I didn't find the complex to be particularly impressive.

More Monkey Business?

2007-01-05T23:27:00.000+09:00

On returning from Tokyo I still had a couple of free days before I needed to be back at work and the JR seishun kippu (cheap tickets) were available so I headed for Hiroshima and Miajima. The trip there took longer than I had expected, mostly because the change over stations were different to what I had found on the net so as soon as I arrived I headed for the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Park.

The A-Bomb Dome really needs no introduction but I have to say I found it a little less imposing than I had expected. I think whenever it is photographed the perspective used gives it a stronger impact than what it has in real life. Of course when the bomb was first detonated it was one of the only buildings left standing in the city so naturally it would have really stuck out. Now it is surrounded by much larger buildings so appears a little insignificant and really just like any other derelict building. Knowing the history makes all the difference in how you perceive it.

I had to hurry a little through the park as it was getting late and I wanted to visit the peace museum but I did stop to look at the children's monument, with all its paper cranes, and the eternal flame.

The museum was really fascinating as well as a bit disturbing. In particular the displays of the victims relics and the survivor accounts.

The next day was a lot more cheerful as I visited Miajima, the gate below has to be one of the most photographed sites in all of Japan.
The Island has a whole lot of wild deer around the ferry landing, somewhat less pushy than the ones I saw in Nara. The island has a cable car to the top of its main mountain, Misen. At the top there are supposed to be monkeys but they were all hiding that day. The walk down was very peaceful and picturesque and there were lots of little shrines and temples scattered around the place.

Tokyo Tidings

2007-01-02T12:54:00.000+09:00

Figuring that a western-style theme park would be the most likely place to find some Christmas spirit I headed for Universal Studios on Christmas day. As you can see from the picture they certainly celebrate it in grand style. It has to be said though that the tree, which is the biggest in Japan, was about the extent of the Christmas feel.

I enjoyed the few rides that I went on but was overall somewhat disappointed in the day. There are too few attractions at the park for the number of people who attend so I only managed three rides. The best was Jurassic Park, which has has a brilliant plunge into darkness. The new Spiderman ride was very technically impressive though.

Over New Year I finally had a reasonable chunk of time off and I put it to good use, travelling up to Tokyo for four days. Unfortunately most other people also had a reasonable chunk of time off over the same period so that meant that a lot of attractions were closed. Still with only four days I was able to fill the time quite easily just walking around the many different areas of the city.

This is about as close as you can get to the Imperial Palace, no matter what time of year you are there, but I think you'll agree it's most picturesque.

And here's the Kabuki Theatre in the Ginza district. Ginza is also a big area for shopping but I wasn't really interested in that, although I was pleased to find a little Bonsai shop. Of course I also stopped in the Akihabara electronics district but as I am not in the market for any gadgets right now it was a very quick stop.

Possibly one of the most exciting things I saw was a trainee sumo wrestler near the sumo stadium (closed of course). Unfortunately I didn't get a picture as he went into the McDonalds too quickly... guess the weight has to come from somewhere!

New Year's Eve on Odaiba had some pretty views back over towards the city but the celebrations were a little strange. Although there was a countdown once it was over nothing really happened. I realise of course that New Year isn't such a big party time in Japan but it seemed strange that so many people had gathered for something so anticlimactic.

New Year's Day was more special, although the queue outside the shrine had to be seen to be believed it was fun to get caught up in. Headed back to the Kak that night.

Christmas Time, No Mistletoe, No Twine.

2006-12-18T21:22:00.000+09:00

Here is my Christmas display, as you can see a tree is sadly lacking but my wonderful friend Claire has furnished me with my very own Christmas Stocking so I decided to make something of a feature.
This will be my first Christmas not spent in a predominantly Christian country and I am finding the fact glaringly obvious. It's not so much because of what there is going on but more for what there is a lack of. For example Christmas Carols: Having worked in retail over several Christmas periods I have to say that I got a little carolled-out so it actually makes a nice change not to be bombarded with them at every turn. I really only hear the occasional one on the radio at work and when I visit the department store over the road. And they seemed to have to dignity not to start in on them until pretty recently. Also Christmas lights, I have only seen two houses in Kak that have displays and they are very small. There are some decorations in the shops but I have only seen one boogying Santa... thank goodness...

Yesterday was the AEON Christmas Party. It was in a cafe/diner near the school and about 30 students attended. It was a really nice occasion, although perhaps not very Christmassy. We played bingo and ate far too much food, some Western and some Japanese. It was nice to spend some more time with the students outside of the class environment.

One thing that does happen in Kobe around Christmastime is this amazing light display. I went last night with my friend Yuka (that's her in the first picture) who, although she lives in Kobe, hadn't seen it yet as she has been working too late each evening. We were very lucky as although rain had been forecast it held off and the crowds were not too bad. One of my students visited on Saturday night and he told me that he had to wait one and a half hours just to get anywhere near the lights.

After we'd seen the lights we went to have dinner overlooking the harbour so that was a nice way to end the day. When I got back to Kak the temperature was down to 4.8c! OUCH!

Today I went to the bike shop to get my spare bike's tyres looked at. I had tried to pump them up myself but couldn't get the air into one and the other just went down again. Although that was the reason I took the bike into the shop the man working there did a real overhaul, checking the brakes, oiling the chain and making sure the light worked etc and all at no extra charge, they certainly know the meaning of customer service in this country!

A Date With Dumbo

2006-12-11T21:02:00.000+09:00

Some of you may remember my Disney addiction? Well yesterday I fulfilled a long-held ambition and visited my fourth park (just one to go). I went with Yukari, one of my fellow teachers at AEON. We left after work on Saturday night, first going into Osaka on the train and then from Osaka to Tokyo on the bus. It wasn’t a bad trip, although naturally I didn’t get quite as much sleep as I would have liked, and we arrived at the park at around 7.15am. We went and put our bags in a locker and then made our way around to the gate. We had to wait until the park opened at 8am and I was amazed at how many people were there already.

When the gates opened we made our way inside and it was nice to see all the Christmas decorations up.

There was even a special Dumbo one, so naturally I had to get a picture.

Then we started in on the rides. The first one we took was Pirates of the Caribbean, since it is the closest to the entrance and a favourite for both of us. I was interested to see that the ride was in reverse order to the ones in the other parks. For those who are familiar with the ride the town and battle scenes came after the dead pirates. Then we lined up for Fast-passes to Buzz Lightyear, which took about 15-20 mins, but was worth the wait as the queue for the ride itself was already around 2 hours! I was amazed at how long some of the lines were considering that it’s winter, the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain Railroad and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt were all over the two hour mark for most of the day.

We had some breakfast and then took a jungle cruise, and there were more elephants!

Then we went to a couple of the shows, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bears’ Playhouse. The Tiki room was pretty much all in Japanese but the Country Bears’ was a Christmas show so there were some English songs. In fact one was quite a humorous one but I did wonder if I was the only one in the audience who got it.

By then the sun had come out so we decided to go on Splash Mountain, however when we arrived at the ride I thought that my Splash Mountain Curse had come back into effect as it had broken down. So we decided to brave the line for the Thunder Mountain Railroad, we got on the ride in just about two hours, but luckily most of the time we were standing in the sunshine so it was quite pleasant.

Then we checked back at Splash Mountain, still no joy. So we lined up for Fast-passes to the Haunted Mansion. We were hungry again after that so had some lunch and then it was time to go on Buzz Lightyear. I managed what I thought was a pretty respectable number of laser hits but on reaching the end found out that I was only qualified as a trainee pilot… well I beat Yukari anyway!

Next we decided that the line for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt had gone down enough for us to join it and that was a very cute ride, complete with some Heffalumps, so that kept me happy. We then went on the Disney train, this was different again to the usual as it didn’t circle the park and make stops, it was almost like a ride in itself. While we were on it we went past Splash Mountain and discovered that it was working again so as soon as we got to the end we raced off to line up for it. We got some Fast-passes and then lined up to ride it as obviously not everyone had realised that it had reopened and so the line was quite short.

Once we’d ridden SM it was time for the Haunted Mansion. This was the only time that I really regretted not speaking any Japanese as the ride had been specially re-modelled just for Halloween and Christmas and although I could enjoy the décor the commentary was of course completely lost on me. The Tokyo Disney HM is different from the others both in appearance, as you can see it looks like a small castle but in the other parks like an old house, and in that the exterior is just a shell, you walk in underneath it whereas the others you enter through the front door.

We came out and it was time for our Splash Mountain Fast-pass, so off we went to ride it again and this time we were in the front seats (it sits two abreast unlike the one in CA) so I got a nice face-full of water, partially my own fault for throwing up my arms as we made the descent but really, that’s part of the fun!

Had another turn on Pirate’s as the queue was still very short and then it was definitely dinner time so we went and ate. After eating we were just around the corner from Buzz so we checked the line and since it was quite short decided to go on it again. We both improved our scores but I was still only ranked as a trainee. Obviously I don’t play enough computer games.

Did some quick shopping, and my self restraint was incredibly tested by the discovery of some Dumbo toys on sale, however I managed to resist and only came away with a Heffalump, and as you can see by the picture, he’s so small he barely counts!

Had one last go on Splash Mountain and then it was time to head for the bus. We were quite lucky in that the bus we came home on was a higher grade so we had more room. Got back to Kak at around 7.15am. Naturally went straight back to bed for a while. Overall it was great and we were very lucky with the weather, I never felt too cold and the sun was shining all day. Next time, Disney Sea!

Leaves Leaving

2006-12-04T19:39:00.000+09:00

This weekend I finally got out and about with my camera to try and capture some Autumn colour. Unfortunately I think I left it a little late as many of the trees are now bare, but last weekend the weather was so miserable that I didn't want to go out in it and this weekend there was blue sky and sunshine so I think I made the right choice regardless.

I decided that the best place to go would be Himeji where I could try and get some nice shots around the castle and as you can see below I had a reasonable level of success.

Not much else going on these last few weeks, I had my follow up training at the head office in Osaka. It was quite a good day but very very long. I left home at 10am and didn't get back until 11.15pm. Still it afforded a nice chance to catch up with John and Trish again and also some other fellow AEON teachers who I had met at some of the workshops and meetings.

Should have more to write after next weekend as my fellow Kak teacher Yukari and I are off to Disneyland. We'll take the overnight bus on Saturday night after work, spend all day Sunday at the park and then be on the overnight bus back to Kak that night. No doubt more news and photos when I am back.

Horses Of Courses

2006-11-11T21:37:00.000+09:00

On Sunday the 'rents and I went to the temples on Mt Shosha near Himeji. In order to get to them we took a ropeway up the Mountain.

Below is the Bell of Benevolence which you ring in the hope of world peace. We all had a turn 'cause it sounded cool!

This is the main temple, as you can see it is pretty dramatic but I was surprised to find that the view from it was really nothing special. You would think that if you went to all that trouble to build something in such a position you would give it a matching outlook!

Here's the entrance of the main temple and some shots of the interior. The Buddha statue you can rub with the big drumstick-like things for luck or you can touch a part on his body that is injured on yours and then touch your own injured body part to promote healing.

Then we had a walk around the rest of the temple complex before taking the cable car back down.

After we returned to Himeji we visited the gardens next to the castle. Inside we explored the themed gardens and then stopped to have a mini tea ceremony performed for us. The pictures below are of dad and mum at the ceremony, me in one of the gardens with gardeners in the background and the castle in the background of one of the gardens. As you can see the Autumn leaves are just starting to turn so I am hoping for some good shots of them in the coming weeks.

After the gardens we found a big pottery market that we wandered around for a little while and then we headed back to Kakogawa. We tried to find somewhere for dinner but many places were closed so we kept going back towards my apartment and in the end we ate at the restaurant across the street from my building! Luckily it turned out to be a new experience anyway, we ate at a table with a mini barbecue set in the middle of it and grilled our own meat. It was very tasty but made us all rather warm!

On Monday I had my first riding lesson and the 'rents came along to watch. I really enjoyed it and it was great to be back on a horse. I felt a bit of a novelty as many staff members and students came to say hello, in English, I really don't think I need to worry too much about not speaking Japanese. I also discovered that one of my students also rides there, as I was taking my lesson a voice suddenly called out hello, so I asked her to please introduce herself to my parents, it was nice that they got to meet one of my students, even if it was on strange territory!

Here's a picture of some of the facilities, certainly leaves my previous riding clubs in the dust and that's just for the horses! In the clubhouse there is a locker room with several showers, a cafe and an equipment shop.

After my lesson we went back over the bridge into the main part of Kak and had lunch and then it was time for mum and dad to head back to Kobe :( and then the airport :( :(, while I made my lonely way home. Awwwwww.

Weddings, Temples, Anything

2006-11-08T11:55:00.000+09:00

Dad and mum came back to the Kak on Thursday evening and of course I was very happy to see them again. On Friday morning we went to the local temple that I mentioned visiting a few weeks ago. I didn't go in with them but returned home as I had my manager's wedding to get ready for. The three of us went to the station together and met my fellow teacher Yukari there. We all went into Kobe together and then mum and dad went back off to Steven and Nabuko's and Yukari and I headed for the wedding. When we arrived we immediately saw Jason and Keisuke, our fellow AEON Kak workers and also our Shibucho, or regional manager.

This is me with my Shibucho, and the second is of Shibucho with two other AEON managers.

Here's a picture of the inside of the chapel, as you can see the minister was very Japanese! :P But the service and all the hymns were in Japanese. It was a relatively short service, maybe half an hour tops, just the way they should be. :D

We all lined up to throw rose petals and blow bubbles on the newly-weds and then they took some pictures but no where near as many as at most od the weddings I've been to, it was really quite quick.

We made our way inside after the photos. I was sitting with Yukari and Eisaku, one of my high level students, so they kept me posted on what was going on through the many speeches. I even participated in one of them, a short English lesson hosted by Yukari, I provided the pronunciation. The food was French and delicious. Although one course was a champagne flavoured sorbet that Yukari and I and one of our fellow tablemates didn't fancy so since Eisaku was out of the room we donated them to him. When he got back to the table he was a man about it and got through them all, picture below.

Once the meal was almost done Yoshiko and Satoshi disappeared to get changed. When they returned Yoshiko was wearing a pink ball gown. They went around the room lighting all the table candles from one long lighter as you can see in the picture underneath. Then we all made our way back outside for dessert.

The evening ended with Yoshiko and Satoshi and their parents giving thank you speeches to each other, which I naturally again didn't understand. However it was amusing watching Yoshiko and various friends and relatives getting all teary, as pictured below.

Then it was time to do a farewell line, handshaking in the west, bowing here, and then head home for home. Yukari and I went together and I was very glad that I was with her because when we were just a few stops from Kakogawa the train stopped at an unscheduled station and didn't start again for over an hour. Had I been alone I would have had no idea what was going on. It turns out that it was a suicide, apparently there are around two per day in Japan, it's hard to comprehend, but it's even harder to comprehend why they choose to do it by train, their family is then expected to pay the rail company compensation!

More To Explore

2006-11-07T11:37:00.000+09:00

The above and below images are from Nara where we spent last Sunday. We met again at Sannomiya on Saturday night, after I finished work and then went back to Steven and Nabuko's, where Nabuuko had prepared a delicious Japanese style curry for us. We were up early on Sunday to go to Nara and we headed straight for the Todai-Ji Temple(above) with it's enormous Buddha. On the way we stopped to feed the deer, which are all over the place, they are the symbol of Nara so are protected and spoiled! The temple is amazing, it's absolutely huge and the statue is equally impressive.

After we had seen it we walked around some more of the area and admired the stone lanterns and some other temple buildings.

On Monday we took the cable car up Mt Rokko near Kobe. At the top we took the ropeway across to Arima which is a hotspring resort. We used the free footbath outside the main onsen and had a wander around the town which was quite picturesque. I particularly enjoyed the biscuit makers. The smells coming out were great and so were the samples! :)

After we left Arima we went to Minoh where there is a waterfall. On the way up there were also some monkeys running around so that was cool. The funniest coincidence happened on the way up to the waterfall. I was walking along and I saw a tall western guy walking towards me and low and behold it was my training buddy John! I must know all of five people in the whole of Japan and I bump into one of them in the middle of nowhere. Small world! Here's a pic of the 'rents by the waterfall.

On our way back down from the waterfall we again encountered the monkeys but this time there were loads of them and they allowed us to get up pretty close to them, especially this little guy.

Unfortunately the ones with babies stayed a little further away so I tried to get some shots with my big camera but I won't know if they worked until I get those rolls developed.

Off to work now, will write about this most recent weekend tonight I hope.

Rambling with the 'rents

2006-10-26T16:28:00.000+09:00

Well I just waved goodbye to my parents after a lovely couple of weeks with them. Naturally with them in town I have been neglecting this blog a bit but I hope to remedy that over the next few days.

The first weekend that they arrived I went to meet them and their friends Steve and Nabuko in Kobe after work on Saturday. We ate dinner in Sannomiya, Kobe's shopping district, and then went back to Steve and Nabuko's for the night. On Sunday Nabuko had to work so the rest of us went off to Kyoto where we watched a festival of costumes. This is a 'new' festival as it was only started in 1895. The pictures above are of some of the participants.

Then we went up in the hills to a place called Kurama for a fire festival. This is performed every year to commemorate the moving of the local shrine to the area from Kyoto. As it was performed by torchlight the locals now build huge torches (up to 50kgs!)and carry them around the town. It was an interesting and beautiful thing to see but was somewhat marred by the behaviour of the police. They were completely disorganised and rude and kept pushing and shoving the crowds. Next time someone tells me that Japan is an efficient country I will laugh, this festival has been running for years but the organisation was a complete shambles. The pictures below are of someone in traditional dress with his son carrying one of the medium sized torches and one of the large torches on display before the festival began.

On Monday the 'rents came to the Kak. I showed them around AEON and the station area and then we went to Himeji to visit the castle. The picture below is of me outside it (James Bond fans may recognise it from 'You Only Live Twice'). The castle is one of the oldest (from the 1700s) and best preserved in Japan and we really enjoyed walking around and up (sooo many stairs) it. There is no furniture or anything in the interior which was a bit disappointing but there were lots of plaques to explain the various defensive features and some great views from the top floor. We were required to take off our shoes before entering to explored the whole thing in our socks, which felt a little strange.

More soon!

Do The Hobe Kobe

2006-10-16T23:39:00.000+09:00

Last weekend was quite a busy one. On Saturday night we had a goodbye/welcome party for our Head Teachers. The old one is going off to Australia (lucky girl) to be married and the new one is coming from a school just a few JR stops away. It was a really fun night at a local Italian restaurant and it was nice to eat some instantly recognisable food.

On Sunday I woke up to find the whole room shaking. At first I wondered if perhaps my downstairs neighbour was using a sledgehammer but then I realised that I was experiencing my first ever earth tremor, I was ridiculously excited. Probably the only person who felt it that actually got a smile on my face because of it!

In the afternoon I went to Kobe to meet up with Trish, the above photo was taken at the harbour. Kobe has a really beautiful setting, in between the mountains and the sea but the city itself is typically Japanese, functional rather than attractive. It's not particularly ugly just not gorgeous either. However it's certainly vibrant when compared with the Kak and getting off the train at Sannomiya station (one of the main Kobe hubs) was a bit of a shock for me there were so many people around.We had a really nice time wandering around, first down to the water and then up into the hills a little way. By the time we got as high up as we could go on that particular road it was pretty dark and we saw some shapes just up ahead of us. They appeared a bit menacing and we assumed that they were dogs but then as we got a little closer they ran off grunting and we realised that they were actually pigs!

On Monday I went back to Kobe, this time to meet up with John (originally the three of us were all to meet that day but Trish accidentally double booked herself Not speaking the lingo certainly complicates matters). We went for Mexican for lunch as John is from Texas and craves Tex-Mex and I had a recommendation from a Mexican I had met the week before. It was really good and we hung out at the restaurant for quite some time just talking about how things were going for us. Then we too walked down to the water but this time also along the waterfront. We ate dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, I think the novelty factor of Japanese food has now been surpassed by the novelty factor of western food, and had such a nice waiter who spoke some English. He apologised for the fact that it wasn't better and John and I both assured him it was great, it never ceases to amaze me how people can apologise for their English when you are in their country and butchering their language. We made sure we thanked him in Japanese! :)

This weekend was a bit quieter but still very nice. On Sunday my friend Yuka came to visit. We met in Texas in 2000 and haven't seen each other since but have emailed etc. She told me that she had been very nervous about speaking English as she reads and writes it at work but doesn't speak it. Again she had no reason to be ashamed of it, it was fantastic. We had a really nice time, she was my first visitor and I enjoyed showing off my place. Of course this Friday my parents fly in so I will have the opportunity to do so again, I am really excited!

Kak Attack II

2006-09-25T16:26:00.000+09:00

And yet more photos, I went for another bike ride yesterday and let me tell you I am sorely missing owning a bike with gears. This time I went in the opposite direction, away from the town and towards the ocean. Went through some quite industrial areas and in places the footpath was pretty badly maintained but the area near the water was quite nice. On the way back I took a path along the river and that was much nicer. On the waterfront there is a Marine Research Centre with a grassy area that stretches out into the water and of course lots of big boats to look at. Nothing in the way of a beach though.

Looking back towards the Research Centre.

Looking forwards from the Research Centre.

Just thought this was amusing, till the wind started to get stronger :-O

I think this house belongs to a pirate! The security fencing around it was quite impressive and on each wall there was a crest of two crossed swords! I also thought it looked interesting being clad all in what I think must be copper or bronze due to the tarnish.

Here's part of the path along the river, I saw a few signs saying that there are otters living in it but wasn't lucky enough to see one. I did see lots of fish, a turtle and a big heron though.

Another one taken from the river path, this time I thought the sunset looked good.

Kak Attack

2006-09-24T13:57:00.000+09:00

I decided to do some exploring in the Kak yesterday since I had a day off and no money to go anywhere else! :P

A cemetary quite near my house, I'm afraid I don't know what the significance of the red blankets is but I thought it looked cool!

A view of the river and surrounding hills. It's a really attractive area and just across the river is a riding stable. I went to visit and met a really nice Canadian woman who rides there, unfortunately she confirmed what I had suspected, riding here is beyond my budget. :(

I can safely say that cycling is most unpopular here... :P The guy on the left is one of the 'parking officers' but a good kind, they don't hand out parking fines they are there purely to organise the bikes. Once you've parked your bike and walked away they come and make sure that it is using the minimum of space and perfectly aligned with all the others. You can just see the rear mud-guard of Big Red poking out in front of the lady's bike.

And speaking of bikes, this is a picture of what I have been terming 'Granny Bikes', this is not the best one I have seen but it's not a bad example, note well the gauntlets and knitted seat cover! Some even have an umbrella attached!

My local temple, Kakurinji, I have seen the signs to it but this was the first time that I had gone to find it (didn't bother before as I never had my camera with me). It's really impressive, lots of buildings and a nice park next to it.

Acquisitions

2006-09-10T21:58:00.000+09:00

As requested here is a photo of something blue, my super-cool elephant clock!

I am now the proud owner of furniture, a bike and a mobile phone so it's been an exciting week all told.

Of course the bike is built by Japanese standards so when my co-worker Jason tried to help me make it tall enough he ended up taking the seat right off! :p Easily enough fixed but we had to accept that tall enough wasn't going to happen and we should opt for as tall as possible! The other thing I have noticed about almost all the bikes here are that they are 'girly' (no crossbar) bikes. Having been used to having one with a cross bar (and possibly also influenced by horse riding) I continue to swing my leg out behind in order to mount, I'm sure this looks most peculiar to anyone watching as stepping through the middle is obvioulsy far less effort. And speaking of bikes one of the things I find very quaint here is the parking attendants in the centre of Kakogawa who are there purely for the bicycles! They make sure that they are all lined up neatly and will help people to get their bikes in and out. Still on bicycles, one of the strangest things I have noticed now that I am riding is that although the cars here drive on the correct side of the road (the left) the cyclists all seem to try to pass on the right.

My apartment is now feeling much less like a hotel and more like a home, I have bookshelves and they have books on them! That would probably be enough for me to be perfectly happy with my surroundings but to cap it off I now have a sofa, coffee table and various other furnishings. The built by Japanese standard comes into play here too, the sofa is really quite low to the ground, but then again many things here are, even the toilets seem to require extra lowering... But I won't complain too much about that since I am always grateful of finding a western style one!

My mobile is another exciting development, or at least it will be when I can figure out how to use it! It has a very cool camera, which I quickly came to grips with, and I am pretty sure I can handle making and receiving calls, however all the other funky features such as music require using an installation cd on my pc and naturally enough they are all in Japanese. Will no doubt have to appeal to a friendly native :)

Classes continue to go well and my nerves have eased off a lot. I still have moments where I can't for the life of me remember what is supposed to happen next but I get through them by bluffing and I think I am the only one who can tell. Had my first ever student counselling session on Saturday and managed to get the student to sign up for extra classes so the manager was pleased, apparently that doesn't usually happen on the first try... Hope I haven't set myself an impossible standard to live up to.

As to the students, I really like them, some are naturally more talkative than others and some classes run more smoothly than others but on the whole they seem to be a good bunch. One of my duties is to collect and mark homework books every second week so this was the week for them. Couldn't help but laugh out loud when I came across a dictation passage about homewares in American houses. The student had to write down the description and then guess what the item was and for oven they had written 'We use it to bake things like turkey, bread and KIDS' (cakes)!!! I think it's safe to say some people have a slightly warped perception of other countries' cultures! ;)

Settled in the Kak

2006-09-04T12:42:00.000+09:00

Well here it is, my home town for the next year. Yes it's small but it's fully equipped (it has a Mr Donut). My first week was naturally very hectic and I was very glad to reach my weekend (Sunday-Monday) but I did enjoy myself and think I am going to be very happy here.

I taught my first lesson (observed) on Tuesday after observing a couple of the departing teacher's. I thought it went quite well although naturally I was pretty nervous. Apparently I managed to hide it pretty well and I think the students had fun but I was definitely glad to have it over with! I taught another observed lesson on Wednesday, which unfortunately I felt wasn't as good as the one on Tuesday but was assured that I come across as confident so I guess the appearance of confidence is probably more important than actually feeling it. I also observed quite a few more classes.

On Thursday I observed a few more classes and taught two, still with the departing teacher observing. Then on Friday it was my time to fly solo. I actually felt pretty good about the two classes I taught that day and was told that the students had had fun so that was a relief. Saturday was by far the busiest day and I taught five classes. Some ran more smoothly than others but I think they all went off ok. My biggest problem at the moment seems to be time management, they are either going far too quickly and I wonder how I will ever manage to fill the fifty minutes or they are far too slow and I am at a loss to think how I will get through everything, still I am sure I will get better at that with practise.

Of course I have also been busy with getting myself organised, I now have a bank account, which is sadly quite empty till payday at the end of the month, and this week I will try to get a mobile phone. I'm not sure I will be able to as I don't have my Alien Registration Card (ARC) yet and they have apparently been getting tougher on regulations but I will try. I am also trying to get my apartment organised and tonight I will go over to the departing teacher's apartment to see what I want to keep. Ordinarily I would have moved in there but the building is kind of old so I was lucky enough to be put somewhere new. I will also be taking over her bicycle so I am looking forward to being a little more mobile and to having a slightly shorter commute (specially while it's so humid or raining).

I just like looking at this!

2006-09-01T02:48:00.000+09:00

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40 Countries! That's 17%!!! :D

I'm an Alien!

2006-08-30T00:41:00.000+09:00

Well here I am in Japan at last! My last few days in England were naturally very hectic and I had many packing related panic attacks but finally I was able to get most of what I would need down to a small enough pile. Ended up having to carry my winter coat with its pocket full of bits and pieces through security so that my carry on bag was small enough to pass muster but I was able to transfer it to my checked bag once I arrived so that it was sent on to Kakogawa with all the other things I wouldn't need during the training week.

I spent all of last week in training in Osaka (the picture was taken at Osaka Castle on our only day off) and having heard some horror stories about it I was prepared for the worst. However I actually ended up really enjoying it. I'm sure it helped that our group (just three of us) got along really well and had a good time together. I arrived in Kakogawa on Saturday. Everyone at the school is really nice and we had a big party that night to say hello to me and goodbye to the departing teacher. There was of course, much food, laughter and karaoke!

I'm finding the weather pretty humid but it's not unbearable and of course most places are airconditioned. Actually I am not sure that I think that makes it better, every time you have to step back outside the weather feels twice as bad!

I've done quite a bit of necessity shopping, well I consider an elephant clock a necessity even if no one else does... and have had great fun shopping by picture. The only time this totally failed was when it came to buying a new toothbrush, I could see that they were all toothbrushes, what I couldn't tell was whether they were soft or not. Luckily I have a nice head teacher who went to the shops with me today after we'd finished registering for my Alien Registration Card, that's right, it's now official!

Anyway the aforementioned clock is telling me it's bedtime!

The Coolest Place

2006-08-07T21:54:00.000+09:00

This picture is actually from before the big trip but I didn't have a chance to put it up before now. Obviously from one of the most fabulous places on earth! There are actually three little villages on the Yvette River, just to the South of Paris but Anna and I chose to visit only the closest one where we ran around taking silly pictures.

I'm back in England now for two weeks. Just spent a lovely weekend visiting friends in Bristol and will now attempt to sort out my life into a suitcase or two. Also hoping to catch up with some more friends and family, should be hectic but fun.

Suppose I should go and get on with it... oh joy.

Final Chorus

2006-07-31T08:43:00.000+09:00

In four weeks of travelling, experienced by we:
12 brand new countries
11 markets and bazaars
10 different hostels
9 overnight trains
8 palaces and castles
7 illegal immigrants
6 final train changes
5 hours canoeing
4 extra euros train fare
3 pizza slices
2 upset stomachs :(
And so much ice cream we lost count!

Well it's all over and I am back in Paris for a few days.

The trip from Belgrade to Sarajevo was pretty uneventful but Anna and I were really surprised to see a shantytown on the outskirts of Belgrade. Sarajevo was great except that Anna and I both got a touch of Belgrade Belly and so spent most of our first day there in our hostel room. I was recovered sufficiently on the second day to take the hostels tour and I'm really glad that I did, it was led by a guy who lived in Sarajevo during the seige and so he was able to illustrate quite well what it was like. We visited the tunnel museum where we saw the remains of the tunnel under the airport and a video on Sarajevo during the seige and how the tunnel was used. Then we went to the Jewish cemetary overlooking sniper alley, which was one of the places the serbian snipers particularly liked to be based, and he talked to us about life during the seige. Sarajevo is still very obviously recovering from the seige and there are still lots of buildings that were badly damaged but I really liked it and would definitely return given the chance.

We only had short visits in Zagreb and Ljubljana but we enjoyed both cities. Zagreb was a bit disappointing in that much of what we wanted to see was covered in scaffolding but there was some kind of folk danicng festival on so there were lots of people walking around in interesting costumes so that went some way to making it up to us. Ljubljana was really prettily situated with the main square on the river. the castle there was a bit too modernised for our taste but we enjoyed the bric a brack market along the river.

We had a coupleof hours in Venice on the way back to France and naturally we put them to good use finding some pizza and gelati and St Marks square. We were very happy to arrive in Beziers as we'd had another confrontation with a railway official, although this time the man was far more reasonable. We were really interested to see about seven men escorted from the train for having no passports once we crossed the French border.

The south of France was lovely, a really nice way to end the trip, although we didn't exactly take it easy all the time, on Wednesday we did a 9km canoe trip. It was great fun and I was really happy to be back on a river again.

Better finish there, off to the Japanese embassy tomorrow to get my visa organised.

Serbia Sightings

2006-07-19T03:26:00.001+09:00

Ten passport stamps
Nine brand new countries
Eight overnight trains
Seven cookie packets
Six haribo wummies
Five kebab variations
Four ethnographic museums
Three more nights in hostels
Two bombed out buildings
And one more week on the road

Well we had quite the night when we tried to leave Bulgaria, the train inspectors decided that my ticket was fine but that there was a problem with Anna's, which is of course exactly the same. After about an hour of them telling us to pay five euros and us telling them we had no money the people in the next compartment got involved, as they spoke some English, and it was quickly resolved that we ad nothing to pay, the originial inspector took this with very bad grace but did leave us alone after that. We then got in about three hours late which meant that we missed our connection to Macedonia but luckily there was another one not too much later.

We're in Serbia now and spent the afternoon at a military museum, it was pretty interesting but I am sure that we missed quite a lot with our lack of Serbian, the English signs were about 1/4 of the size of the Serbian ones! Tomorrow we'll go the the Ethnographic museum and maybe the car museum, depending on time. Then it's off to Sarajevo.

Turkey Lurkey

2006-07-15T02:01:00.000+09:00

Eight tasty pastries
Seven attempted carpet sales
Six scoops of icecream
Five passport stamps
Four Bazaar bargains
Three chicken kebabs
Two mosque visits
And a couchette all to ourselves!

Bucherest was interesting, so much recent history, but it has to be said that it was a bit dour. Most interesting thing learned there: the toilet paper is just like streamers, you know those pretty coloured crepe paper rolls you use to decorate the house at Christmas, just like that... but without the pretty colours!

Istanbul was fantastic and felt so friendly after Romania, I think Anna and I could be married several times over by now had we so wished it. I was almost tempted, the ice cream man seemed like a pretty good proposition! ;)

In Sofia now and have seen the Cathedral and a big communist monument... I think it must be abou time for an icecream...

BudaBest!

2006-07-07T02:13:00.000+09:00

Five ice creams
Four brand new countries
Three rolls of film
Two weary travellers
And one more night in a real bed

Have had another few eventful days, after Krakow we spent a day at Auschwitz, which was really interesting, although naturally not at all cheerful. We both felt that actually Birkenau had more impact as the site at Auschwitz itself is quite museum-like.

We spent yesterday in Bratislava, which was a really nice, chilled out, attractive,though small, city.

Came on to Budapest in the evening in time for dinner, delicious paprika chicken, and then both crashed out, the nights on the train are starting to catch up with us I suppose. Today we looked around Pest and saw the Citadella, the Palace and the Market hall. I really like it here and of all the places that we have visited so far I think it the one that I would most like to come back to and spend more time in.

It has good ice cream too.

Praha, AHA!

2006-07-03T22:07:00.001+09:00

Three days a-travelling,
Two brand new countries,
And a roll of film already!

Well a day and a half in Prague was plenty for us, it is a really nice city but I can't see why it is quite so popular as it is. We enjoyed a walk around the city, over the famous Charles Bridge and up to the castle. We then found that we didn't have an awful lot left to do! I guess that in general people head there for the cheap beer and that really wasn't what we were after. We did have a nice meal in a restaurant that had a live jazz group playing though and that was really nice.

Spent last night on the train and arrived in Krakow at some horrible hour of the morning. Still this meant that got an early start on the sight seeing here and have already managed to go through the old town and the State Rooms at the castle. Have also eaten perogies (sp?) and will be heading out for some icecream soon, as recommnded by the native Krakowian we shared a train compartment with last night.

So yeah, so far it's been tough!

What accent is that?!?

2006-06-24T00:16:00.000+09:00

Had a very horsey morning, came out of the apartment building and found myself following... ahem... going in the same direction as three strapping young gendarmes on horseback. Then as I sat waiting for my bus I was passed by at least twenty-five horses, I kid you not.

Had my last-but-two French class this morning and it was rather fun, we did a ridiculously easy quiz (one of the questions was putting a name to the Eiffel Tower) and then got sidetracked during the correction discussing how our various countries name animal noises. Things like bark rather than woof for dogs or crow rather than cock-a-doodle-do for a cockerel (it all came about because another of the questions was to identify how the French say the cockerel's noise, incidentally its cocorico). Just so you know English and German have by the far the most alternatives.

After class Anna and I went to book the last couple of train tickets for our trip next month and the deutchbahn office (the German rail company because the French one is incapable of booking any journey outside France) was positively inundated by Australians who were very easily identified by their bright yellow and green t'shirts and caps. Listening to them I confessed to Anna that I had forgotten just how broad the Aussie accent can get, at times I was almost convinced that they were speaking a language other than English!

One final thing, Anna and I must really have improved in our endeavours to speak French as we conducted the whole rail transaction in French and not once did the saleswoman offer to continue in English, something which formerly happened every time we attempted to use French in such a situation, yay for us!

It's France...

2006-06-22T02:48:00.000+09:00

Here's a lovely picture from my birthday party on the weekend, look what a good job I did of blowing out the candle, just one in keeping with my mental age!

One of my French friends who came to the party hadn't visited my apartment before so I sent him my address. Unfortunately when he tried to find directions the internet told him that my street didn't exist! I had a hunch that I knew what the problem was so I suggested that he try splitting the street name, Lekain, into two parts, Le Kain, and of course it worked. At the party we got talking about the problem and I told him that I had noticed that although the signs up my end of the street say 'Lekain' at the other end they do indeed say 'Le Kain'! His answer was a very gallic shrug and the answer 'This is France'. Hahahaha I'm glad it's not just me!

Tourism

2006-06-05T06:52:00.000+09:00

Had a visitor last week, which led to me playing tourist for a few days. Mostly we went to see things that I had already been to, such as the Louvre, Montmarte, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame. But we also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (I have been up it previously but only as far as the second stage) and we were very lucky with the weather (because for the most part it is still being pretty rotten) as the sun shone the whole time we were up there (in fact I ended the day rather pink), to the Chateaus Versailles (really enjoyed it) and Vincennes (the interior is being renovated so we couldn't go inside but the exterior was still worth a look) and to the hippodrome at Atueil to see a steeple chase, which was great fun.

Today was 'Free Sunday' in Paris, which means that all the museums open their permanant exhibitions to the public for free. Having been to the major ones like Orsay and the Louvre we chose to visit Guimet and Cluny and enjoyed both of them. The cluny had a great collection of stonework and the Guimet specialises in Asian artworks so both were very interesting. We finishe off the day with an icecream, whichin my opinion is really the only proper way to end a day out!

What's with this weather???

2006-05-22T07:05:00.000+09:00

If there's one thing that the Northern Hemisphere does not do well it is ending winter. Granted it has been a while since I wouldn't leave the apartment without my thermals on, but the weather just can't seem to make it's mind up to get warm. Here we are in May, just a month from the beginning of summer and the mercury is still dipping down below ten degrees. Now maybe I was spoilt growing up in Australia's climate but this just seems ridiculous. I think yesterday it must have rained on at least ten seperate occasions, and that was just in the afternoon. My friend and I had intended to go the the Fete De Courses (race day) being held here in Maisons-Laffitte but in the end we decided that we weren't so excited by the prospect of it that we were willing to be showered every ten minutes, so we stayed in and watched a terrible movie (Slither, Nathan Fillion did much to redeem it, but not enough... he stayed dressed that whole time!) instead.

In the evening we headed in to Paris. First for a visit to Les Invalides (where Napoleans tomb is located) since it was a free night at the Parisian museums. If there is one thing this city does well it is free cultural activities. The first Sunday of every month all the major museums and galleries have free entry and on occasion they do evenings such as that one. The dome of the Church were the Tomb is was specially lit up for the occasion and it was a really nice atmosphere to visit in. Then we went on to a friends birthday party which was being held on the Bridge Des Beaux Arts. It's a lovely place to go with gorgeous views but again the less than temperate weather meant that it was a rather chilly gathering. The highlight had to be the group next to us being thouroughly searched by the police, we assume for drugs, "Look kids, street crime!" (Homer Simpson)

Today we had some people over for a French Brunch, this is exactly the same as an Australian/English/American/wherever Brunch except that it is held at about 2pm! Personally I am all in favour of this because really, I don't much care to get up too much earlier than that (especially after a late night, which let's face it is pretty standard on a Saturday) and it makes dessert seem a little less decadent (naturally I would eat it anyway, but it's good to feel it's an acceptable addition to the meal rather than a naughty indulgence).

Lemming

2006-05-18T20:54:00.000+09:00

I have a blog!!! It's probably about time, everyone else has one it seems and I don't mind being a lemming if it's for something good. We'll have to wait and see how I do at actually keeping this anything like up to date, I have enough trouble doing so with emails and my paper journal, but perhaps the novelty will be enough to spur me on.

This is just going to be a way to share my adventures (?), photos, thoughts and feelings. I can't promise they will be of interest to anyone but me, but since I am the most important person in the world that hardly matters does it! ;)