Random Photos

Going for the postcard effect. Didn't work. :(


Ahh~ How I long for summer..


"I think I can see Korea from here!"

Another Boring Weekend Update

Friday marked the last day of school in Japan. おつかれさまでした！ The school year in Japan begins in April and ends in March. Unfortunately, that means that most JETs begin half-way and end half-way through the [new] school year (well, if one stays only for a year). Kind of awkward in my opinion but that's just how it is.

After the closing ceremonies (which I missed because nobody tells me anything), a few teachers and myself headed off to the annual year-end, overnight 宴会 (party) in an 温泉 (hot spring)-hotel in 佐賀県 (Saga-prefecture). I was a little bit apprehensive at first because I wasn't sure if I would enjoy myself but, after paying the ridiculous price (15000 yen), I decided I might as well go in with a positive attitude. It turned out to be quite an interesting evening (my first time at an onsen, extravagant food and decor .. oh yea, and all-you-can drink alcohol!). It was also nice to see some of the teachers loosen up and act like regular adults around me. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

Saturday evening was Shannon's birthday so, we headed to a salsa-club and danced the night away! It was quite embarrassing and I am 100% sure I can't dance salsa (among others) but then again, neither could half the people there. It was a lot of fun (quite the workout as well!) but my stomach was still recovering from the night before and I had stuff to do the next day so I headed home early. On the way we passed by a bunch of street-performers and right then and there (in my half-drunk, half-sick state) decided I would plan a Street Music Night in Tenjin Pub Crawl! I think I will need a lot of alcohol to enjoy some of the music I heard that night. Yes, I'm sure of it.


On Sunday, my Japanese language teacher took a friend (who is also his student) and myself on a little road trip. We first went to a fishing village in 福吉町 (Fukuyoshi-machi) with a population of probably 10 (okay, I'm exaggerating but it was definitely 田舎). This fishing village is famous for fresh oysters (牡蠣). Basically you just buy oysters by the kilogram and grill them yourselves. It was a VERY messy procedure but it was probably some of the freshest and most delicious seafood I've eaten in awhile. The snails pictured above were still alive when we put them on the grill.


Here's a close up shot to scare some of you.


After the feast, we headed to 唐津 / Karatsu to check out 唐津城 / Karatsu-castle. Like most Japanese castles, this one burned down and is partially reconstructed. Inside the castle were tons of artifacts. However, probably the most enjoyable part of the castle was just outside. Some sakura had started to blossom (although not quite) and it made for a nice, relaxing time. The weather was great and we spent the majority of the afternoon just taking pictures, enjoying the sunshine and talking. There were quite a few 花見 / Hanami parties going on as well (花見 essentially translates as "Flower Viewing" but I think it's just an excuse to drink! haha.). I am looking forward to my first hanami party -- it should be a great time.


The flower pictured above is NOT sakura (at least I'm pretty sure it isn't). It's just regular ume but I couldn't figure out which ones were sakura or ume from the photos I had taken. haha .. my apologies.

Whew, long post .. I'll shut up for a bit and the next few posts will be just pictures.

ハウステンボス / Huis Ten Bosch

I'm just going to say it, this place is weird. I always knew the Japanese market for theme parks was huge (e.g., Tokyo Disneyland is one of Disney Inc.'s most profitable assets) but I didn't realize just how far they could go. Huis Ten Bosch is a Dutch/Holland-based theme-park in Nagasaki prefecture. The entire park is a recreation of .. err, the Netherlands and some other parts of Europe. I must admit, I was surprised at just how much effort and detail went into the creation of the park. From the two-story red-brick houses, huge clock-tower and cathedrals, to the cobble-stone walkways and French-inspired Palace-Museums, everything was carefully constructed so as to actually represent what one would see in the Netherlands and Europe (I think .. I haven't been so, I can't say for sure..).


Did you know the national flower of the Netherlands is the Tulip? Well, it is.


Littered throughout the park were these little plaques letting visitors know that this spot -- and this spot only -- would be a good spot to take a picture. Seeing as most people take terrible pictures (myself included of course!), I thought I would take a picture of it.

How do you guys think I did? The photo on the left is the Fujifilm-sponsored picture and the one on the right is my attempt to copy it. Aside from the weather (something I had no control over), I think I did a pretty good job! The sign works!

Anyhow, as unusual as I thought this place was, this just goes to show just how amazing the Japanese people are at construction and imitation. The attention to detail and, the fact a place like this even exists, boggles the mind. It really felt like I left Japan for the day. Simply astounding.



P.S. Sakura should be ready to bloom in about a week so, expect lots of Sakura flower pictures in the next couple of updates!

Past Due

Well, it's been "spring" for quite some time but the weather here would have indicated otherwise. It even snowed last week! Well, aside from the freak snowstorm, it finally looks like it'll be another great season to head outside, grab some fresh air, take a couple of photos and explore the world (okay, the last one might be a little bit too ambitious). On Friday, seeing as I had a whole bunch of time to waste (err hum), I decided to head outside after lunch and take some shots of my JHS.

I apologize in advance for getting too artsy for some of you.


Yes, you're seeing that image correctly. My school has solar panels. And because there are no heaters or air-conditioners in any of the rooms except the teacher's office and principal room, I think the school consumes zero or very little electricity during the spring, summer and early fall months. Now that's high tech!


I couldn't tell if that's a electricity-generating windmill or a one of those devices to measure the speed and direction of the wind. But I will assume, based on the overall construction of my school, it more than likely can do both. haha.


In other news, I also went to see my first, completely-in-Japanese-with-no-English-subs, movie. It was a new movie called 県庁の星 (literally, "The star of the prefectual government") . I understood almost none of it but could figure out what was going on by following what was happening on screen and the few words/phrases I picked up here and there. Oh yea, movie-going in Japan is expensive. I paid 1800 yen for a regular-theatre seat. Back in Canada (well, at least in Toronto), most theatres have moved to stadium-style seating with enormous screens and THX sound. This was pretty mediocre compared to the theatres back home. On the plus-side, people are actually QUIET in theatres here. It was silent even during the many humourous parts of the movie that, despite my best efforts, required a slight laugh.

Transportation in Japan

The transportation in Japan is definitely one of the world's most sophisticated and advanced (if not THE most). Everything in Japan runs on a schedule. Trains, buses, planes, boats, etc. All public transportation in Japan is set to a schedule and it is _always_ on-time (if it isn't then something major must've happened). That being said, it is also probably one of the world's most expensive and complex.

For example, on my last trip to Mt. Aso, I had to take approximately 6 types of transport methods for a one-way journey to the destination. First, I had to bike (5 mins) to the station; then, I took the JR Rail Train (15 mins) which connects my bedtown (suburb for you folks back in North America) to Fukuoka city; the Train then "transforms" (well, not really but its hard to explain .. lol) into the Fukuoka Subway (20 mins) which I had to ride to the main train terminal in Fukuoka City (Hakata); after that, I had to take the Relay Tsubame (1 hr. 30 mins) which is like the shinkansen but a little bit slower to Kumamoto; after that, I had to ride a local train (1 hr. 15 mins) from Kumamoto train terminal to Mt. Aso train station; then, I had to hop on a bus (1 hr) to reach Mt. Aso; and lastly, I had to take a cable car (10 mins) to reach the top. Whew! And that was all just for a one-way trip! I had to do it all over again on my way home!

This isn't a rant thread or anything, I'm just trying to give you an idea of just how complex and interconnected the transport system in Japan is. It really is second-to-none. Mind you, the entire trip probably cost around 8000 yen which, when I compare it to a similar trip back home, is pretty expensive. Ahh well, it beats just staying home, right?

Anyhow, that's it. I decided to start posting a little bit more about some of the day-to-day stuff I do here for those interested. It's not always fun -- but is it worth it? Absolutely..

The picture above is an example of the many types of transport cards used in Japan. I can use the card on the JR system and the subway. I go through a 10000 yen card in about 2 weeks (which roughly translates into about $50 CDN every week in transportation alone!). Yeesh, now I know where my money goes!

The picture below is an example of some of the more interesting foodstuff I get to eat in Japan. Mind you, they're only mints but they're pretty darn good!

熊本 / Kumamoto

In continuing my quest to see as much as Japan as possible, I took the opportunity this weekend to check out Kumamoto. Perhaps the most famous attraction in Kumamoto is Mt. Aso. It is one of Japan's most active volcanos and, according to my friend, from which the entire island of Kyushu was formed. This was also my first visit to an actual volcano so, I was really looking forward to some spewing, red-hot lava and whatnot but instead, only saw this...


... why on Earth is it green?! Neither my friend nor myself had any ideas. My best guess is that it is just rainwater that has accumulated in the bowl of the volcano. Underneath the water is a layer of rock that is super-heated by the volcanic lava lying just underneath it. So, what we are in fact seeing is just really hot water. Talk about a disappointment.


Built around the crater were these little stone huts. I saw a couple of them with electronic equipment inside but most were empty. I can only assume their purpose is to protect visitors during a surprise volcanic eruption when the volcano would start spewing its hot water.
（ー＿＿＿ー；）


Aside from just the volcano mouth itself, there was tons of stuff to explore. Unfortunately, not a lot of it was worth seeing. There was rock -- lots and lots of rock. It felt like we were on a different planet or something. A lot of the pictures I took look pretty similar and, given what I had to photograph, I did the best I could. I thought the picture above reminded me of photos taken by the Mars Rover a few years back.


And lastly, I couldn't leave Kumamoto without first eating this famous dish. You see, in Japan, ever prefecture has a local specialty. In Fukuoka it's Hakata Ramen; in Nagasaki it's Nagasaki Chanpon. Well, in Kumamoto, it's horse meat -- especially the raw variety. Again, most people would probably cringe at eating horse meat but what's weird to one person is perfectly natural to another. i.e., get over yourself and try something different. If you don't like it, that's fine -- as long as there is no significant risk of death or disease from eating something it shouldn't be a big deal. I mean, it'd be a pretty disgusting and obese world if all we had to eat was KFC and McDonalds. Okay, enough of my food rant.. onto the results!

Two thumbs up! We ordered the raw horse meat and the horse steak filet. The raw horse meat was a little bit tougher than regular raw beef (not the Kobe variety .. I haven't tried that yet but will when I go to Kobe in June) but aside from that, I didn't taste anything extraordinary. The horse steak was awesome though. I don't really know how to describe the difference between horse steak and regular beef steak but it definitely had an interesting, yet subtle, flavour. As I told my friend, I highly recommend it!

Oh yea, the white pieces of meat on the dish is fat. 100% pure horse fat. It was disgusting and delicious at the same time. Okay, I'm done.

三年生へ。。

卒業おめでとう！今年はとても楽しく面白かったです。本当にありがとうございました。生活では、良くも、悪くも、いつも頑張って下さい。ちがうと思うよ！

一期一会。

みなさん、サヨナラ！

（＾ー＾）／｀｀｀

大掃除！

前に。。

This Saturday I "volunteered" to help my language class with some internationalization speech panel they were hosting. At first I was a little bit hesitant to make a speech in Japanese to a bunch of people I didn't know but, after some thought, I figured it was a good way to practice my Japanese -- among other things. I spent about a week working on my speech. I didn't have to memorize it (thank goodness) but the whole process was pretty intensive. I wouldn't say I was stressed or nervous or anything (I mean, it's just writing and talking .. just in another language .. and in front of other people .. ) but my Japanese language-sensei commented that during my speech, I spoke pretty fast and that probably most of the foreigners present wouldn't be able to catch what I was saying. Haha, I thought that was funny.

In the end, though it was "extra work", I thought it was a good experience and am glad that I did it. Though I definitely felt "out of my league" compared to some of the other ペラペラ日本語 speakers, "no pain, no gain!" (okay, I'm done with the corny cliches for a month .. I promise).

In other news, I also found some time to clean my jutaku .. although I am sure it will end up just as messy in a month. *sigh*

。。後で

Happy March!

うしゅ〜　It's been a busy week at work. With the 3rd years graduating next week, and the school year coming to a close, the school has been in a mad scramble to get things all ready. As with most things in Japan, I don't really know what's going on but from what I gather, there have been a few staff meetings and graduation ceremony rehearsals. I've been fairly busy writing, editing, and practicing my speech for this Saturday so, I guess it works out in the end.

The picture featured above was taken at the top of a ski hill during my weekend in Hiroshima. ^_^v