Life in Kanazawa: Musings from the Far East

GOOD BYE!!

2007-08-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hello!
We have left Japan now. It has been a great two years, but we are back in Canada, about to leave for New York! To read about our latest adventures, check out our new blog at www.zachandjane.blogspot.com

There probably won't be any updates for another week or so, until we arrive in Ithaca and have internet set up. If you check back here then we may have the final pictures from Japan up!

Thanks for reading!!

Lunch!

2007-07-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went for a goodbye lunch with Zach's supervisor, her husband and her son. First we went to a gallery to see an exhibiion of her husband's, and then to a very traditional Japanese restaurant. It was so beautiful, because we had a private room to ourselves which opened up to a garden on both sides! Plus, the food was really, really delicious! Zach's supervisor has been so wonderful to us, and so helpful, so it was a really special lunch for us! And, her son is so ridiculously cute!!

Abare- From Above!

2007-07-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

One of the teachers at Zach's school is from Ushitsu, the town where the festival was held. She very nicely invited us to join her family at her family home to celebrate- which of course meant great sushi! But, in addition, her family lives right on the corner where all the action happens, so we had a great view from above! It felt very voyeuristic though, as we could watch our friends below us the whole time!

"Bathing" the mikoshi!

Watching the action...

On its way to the shrine and the bonfire!

Watching the hooligans!

Zach and his teacher

Alexis and I!

Abare- Fire & Violence Festival

2007-07-10T02:49:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Zach and I headed up north with some friends to the tiny town of Ushitsu for a fire and violence festival. The festival is about 330 years old, and occurs to thank the gods for removing a plague from the town. 40 different floats, or kirikos, are carried throughout the town from one shrine to another. These things are huge! There are also two mikoshi, or smaller floats, which are carried through town, bathed in the river, beaten, and then burned in a huge bonfire before being given as an offering at the shrine. Hence, the violence. We had long heard that it was one of the best festivals in Japan, so we were very excited!! We certainly had a lot of fun!!

Perhaps the greatest taxi driver ever! Not only did he originally agree to take seven of us in the taxi (before the policeman's wife who was manning the police station on her own agreed to drive the others on her birthday the half hour to the festival- love small towns!), but when he was stopped by the police for driving on streets that were closed off, he explained to the police officer he had to get the foreigners to the festival! And the police officer waved him through!!! Almost as funny as in the taxi on the way home when the police officer told our driver we couldn't go through when a very drunk old man walked up to the police officer and told him to let us through, and the police officer said okay! Gotta get the foreigners out!

The BEST meat-on-a-stick of my life!

The mikoshi gets ready to burn!

The kiriko lined up ready for parading! They were so big and heavy! Zach carried one for half an hour, and his shoulder is all scratched up and bruised!

The crowd watching the bonfire.

Sayonara!!!

2007-07-03T01:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the farewell party for all of the JETs. We started out the night at an izakaya (pub), before heading out for karaoke, and then onto a final bar! It was perhaps the last time we will ever do karaoke, so we had to make sure to make the most of it! We had a lot of fun, although it doesn't really feel like we are leaving in three weeks!

At dinner-- a special picture just for Panda. We know you're watching!

Bart & Alexis are having a good time!

Aaaah, love.

Katie and Heather enjoying the music!

Zach & Roman

Hey! Who invited her?

Everybody Now!

And the obligatory McDonald's run! Now open 24 hours!

Yokohama- View From the Top

2007-06-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend Zach and I went on a farewell tour of Tokyo. Saturday we went to Yokohama, as we had never been there, and Sunday we visited all of our favourite places in Tokyo. We arrived in Yokohama bright and early and headed straight to the Landmark Tour- the tallest building in all of Japan! Also, the fastest elevator in the world takes you to the 69th floor observatory at a rate of 45 km/hour! Needless to say, I waited in Starbucks while Zach ventured to the world above. However, I did go on the moving sky highway afterwards! (Also, a picture of the tower from the ground).

Yokohama- Chinatown

2007-06-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

After walking around the harbour we headed to Chinatown. Yokohama's Chinatown is very famous, because there are only two Chinatowns in Japan- in Yokohama and Kobe. This is very surprising to me, but, as a result, Chinatown is a big deal. It was really fun, and it definitely felt very un-Japanese! I especially liked the giant panda!

Happy (early) Birthday To Me!

2007-06-22T02:03:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Alexis had a surprise birthday party for me! I say surprise, because while I knew that we were going over for dinner, I didn't know that it was a birthday party! It was excellent timing, as her 4th of July parcel arrived that day, so it was all-American themed dinner, which I felt was quite appropriate for my upcoming move! It is hard to say what the best part was- either the New York Yankees shirt, or the chocolate-pancake cake, but either was it was really sweet! I had a lot of fun!!

Barbeque

2007-06-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

Following tennis we did something I am much more experienced at: eating! We had a huge BBQ with so much meat, veggies and yakisoba! It was great!! Plus, it is always lots of fun to run around and play with the kiddies! It was a perfect summer day, and a great way to say goodbye to these people who have meant so much to us while we have been here!

The Challenge: The Sign of a Good BBQ

More Food!

Roasting marshmallows!

With Hiroki and Tomoharu

The Whole Gang

Tennis

2007-06-22T01:43:00.001-07:00

My Moms and Kiddies took Zach and I to play tennis this weekend. This is kind of amazing for two reasons: 1) I have never played tennis before EVER. I have NEVER held a racket. I have NEVER swung at a tennis ball. The closest I have ever come is using tennis balls in socks to practice for rhythmic. NEVER. 2) I have never played tennis before. How does one become 24 without ever playing tennis? So, off we went to Uchinada for my first tennis experience! Unfortunately my opponents are all exceptional players who play for several hours everyday, including the 10-year old kiddies. The good news is that Zach and I beat (I think- it was very, very close) the two 10-year olds- one with a broken shoulder! Still, it was a lot of fun! I think I may try tennis again within the next 24 years.

Yuuta and I

Zach showing his natural tennis ability

I'm actually playing here. I am the player in pink. I learned to serve (sort of).

The formidable opponents- broken shoulder and all!

Mizukami san shows far greater skill than I could!

Kobe- Chinatown

2007-06-12T02:27:00.000-07:00

After finishing the GRE this weekend Zach and I headed to Kobe-- officially the last place on my "MUST SEE IN JAPAN" list. We arrived in Kobe just as it started pouring rain! I mean, POURING!! It was the hardest rain I have seen in a long time- and I live in Kanazawa However, having waited two years to see Kobe we just had to "gambaru," buy a couple of umbrellas and get wet! Our first stop was lunch in Chinatown. We went to this little family-run gyoza restaurant. We knew we were in good for a good meal when there was a line-up outside, even in the pouring rain, but we weren't prepared for how good it was! Some people rave about Kobe beef, but I love Kobe gyoza!! When we finished lunch there was still a huge line-up, and the rain had stopped!!! So we walked around Chinatown some more!

At the gyoza restaurant. The gyoza (Chinese dumplings) were made completely by hand in the little kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. When I asked if I could take a picture several members of the family were making gyoza; however, they quickly left telling the poor 15 year old son that I wanted a picture of only him and made him stay. He pretended to be embarrassed, but gave me a big smile when we left so he didn't really mind!

This is Chinese liquor that we found for sale. You have probably heard of a worm in a bottle of tequila, but an iguana? There were huge iguanas inside the liquor! Had it not been so disgusting we probably would have bought a lot of it!

Kobe- the Harbour

2007-06-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

Once the sun came out we walked to Kobe Harbour. The harbour was more or less entirely destroyed in the earthquake, so it is now very modern. There is an earthquake memorial where part of the harbour has been maintained as it was after the earthquake, as well as the famous Kobe Tower. It was a nice walk around the harbour- especially as the weather was almost hot!

The lampposts after the earthquake hit.

I love palm trees!!

Kobe Tower

The area around the harbour is named Meriken Park, because the American Consulate used to be located there. We found this weird tribute to old American entertainers. On the other side of the TV are many stones with American actors names and dates on them.

A random taiko show that we found.

Zach in front of the Santa Maria. I wonder if West Ed is missing it...

I wish we were staying in this hotel...

School Picnic

2007-06-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

This Thursday was the school excursion, so I headed out with the first-year students for a long hike and then a picnic in a beautiful park! By long hike, I mean a LONG HIKE!!! It was a 14 km hike, it was 30 degrees out, and it was up and down mountains. BOTH WAYS. I was so sore the next day, and so tired when we finished, but it was all worth it! I had a really great time hiking with the students, playing volleyball and soccer, and eating a great lunch!

Ladybug rollercoaster at the park!

Cooling down in the lake when we arrived!

My adorable students.

320 students, plus teachers, stretches on for a long way!

Stopping to Smell the Roses

2007-06-05T03:31:00.001-07:00

Today was a very rare event for Zach and I- we both had nothing to do after school! We enjoyed our newfound freedom by going for a nice, long walk around the neighbourhood. On our adventures we came to visit this rose garden near our house. The roses were in full bloom and they were beautiful! My favourite part were all the names of the roses! Every type of rose was labelled- but, alas, no Jane's!

Nagano- The Final Tour

2007-06-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our final trip to Nagano for the twice-yearly JET soccer tournament. This was quite an emotional trip, as I think that soccer has been the one theme dominating our lives here in Japan- and apparently the obsessing was worth it! This weekend saw Ishikawa with its best finish ever! It started out intense, with a 1-0 loss to Tochigi, despite serious Ishikawa dominance. We had a quick comeback, however, with a 3-0 victory of Saitama, followed by an extremely close game (and some dogdy reffing) against Yamanashi, maintaining a 3-2 lead for the victory. The day ended facing our new found rivals Tochigi, against losing a close 1-0 match. This is the first time that Ishikawa has managed to win two games in one day- and actually ended up in the top half of the rankings! The party was, as always, a challenge that Ishikawa was determined to meet. Saitama put up a good fight, but I think the victory remained ours. Sunday was only elimination games, and we were up against Shonai- the team that had eliminated us last June. Out for a taste of revenge, it was a very close game! Shonai had an early 2-0 lead when a handball in the box gave us a penalty and a goal!! But, with time running out, would it be enough? Yes! Zach came through to save the day and scored the equalizing goal!!! Game Over! It's time for penalty kicks. We missed our first one, and Shonai scored. But, we scored our next- and Shonai was up to the plate. The goalkeeper made an absolutely beautiful save-- only to have the ref call it back! We ended up losing on penalty kicks- but definitely won a moral victory! Plus, the curry rice was yummy.

It is very sad that we won't be back to Nagano, but it was a great way to leave it! And, of course, the mountains were goregous!

Warming up for the first game!

The strike force.

The cheer squad. Perhaps most responsible for the great results.

The whole team.

SUMO!

2007-05-31T06:49:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we went to the 91st Annual National High School Sumo Championship, held every year in Kanazawa by Blair's school. We were quite excited, because we had never actually seen sumo before! It was insane to see how huge some of these guys are!! Especially considering that they are only sixteen years old!!! However, what was more depressing is that some of the sumo were not that big. They were pretty small. It is sad when you are fatter than a sumo wrestler. Very sad. But, in other news, as what always happens when a group of foreigners are together when they are not expected we cause quite a stir, and we were in the newspaper! Unfortunately, thanks to a smart-ass comment by our friend, the headline read "Sumo is Sexy!"

Fushimi Inari

2007-05-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dan and I purifying ourselves before entering the shrine.

We first came to Fushimi Inari for New Years last year, and haven't been back until this past weekend with Dan and Sarah. It was really great to see it in the daylight, and it almost feels as though the trip has come first circle- our first and last trip to Kyoto began and ended here. Fushimi Inari is a shrine famous for its red torii that line several kilometres of hiking trails up the mountain. This is the shrine that is shown in Memoirs of a Geisha. It was absolutely beautiful!

Monkeying Around!

2007-05-31T04:51:00.000-07:00

We took Dan and Sarah to the monkey park in Arashiyama last weekend as well. The monkeys were ridiculously cute as always!!

Arashiyama

2007-05-31T04:40:00.000-07:00

In our old Japan guidebook there was a picture of these bamboo forests in Arashiyama, just outside of Kyoto. I fell in love with the picture, and even before we arrived in Japan I knew that I had to come here! So, with Dan and Sarah we finally made the trek last weekend. I must say that in all honesty, it was probably built up a little bit in my head, but I would have always regretted it had we not gone. It was also still very beautiful!!!

Cruisin' Nanao

2007-05-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

Today Dan, Sarah, Zach and I left Kanazawa and headed up North to the Noto and Nanao for a boat cruise through Nanao harbour, and around Notojima. We were the only ones on the boat, so we had a great time! It was lots of fun feeding the seagulls, and trying to stand in the rocky water!

Beach Party

2007-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon we headed up to Takamatsu beach for a BBQ/bonfire with our friends. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time playing cricket, sitting around the bonfire and eating!

Waiting at the train station

Miya Arrives!

Building the fire.

Yummy!

Roasting hot dogs!

Zach's first swim of the year!

The Boys

The Girls

Golden Week- The First Half

2007-05-01T02:22:00.000-07:00

This week is "Golden Week," named so because there are three national holidays in one week, and for Japanese people a rare event where they do not have to work, and can travel. As a result, the entire country goes on holiday, so we stay home, avoid the crowds, and enjoy the sunshine! Unfortunately, there are two days of work dividing Golden Week, so we were back at work today, but these pictures are from yesterday. Zach and I went swimming in the morning, and then walked downtown for a dance festival. Unfortunately, there was no dancing, only really bad bands and a University trampline team, but we had a great time anyway. Then, Chris joined us for more bad bands, and some even worse street dancing, plus some catch with the football! Then we walked to Chris' house, and on the way found some really neat backstreets we hadn't been down before. All in all it was a great summer day, and I even have the nasty sunburn to prove it!

Zach learns to trampoline!

Enjoying the sunshine!!

Zach and Chris play catch in the park.

The Street Dancers

An alleyway

Congratulations Kyle and Yuko!

2007-04-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the wedding of our friend Kyle. Here are some pictures from the dinner.

Kyle signs the papers.

Yuko signs the papers.

...and they are married!

At the afterparty. This picture is to show my new haircut. It is not so new now, but is the first picture of me!

Hungry?

2007-04-22T01:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my ikebana arrangements from class this week and last week. This week was exciting as I moved into the foray of including food in my arrangements. That's right- food. You'll notice that the arrangements from this week focus on using a carrot!! This way, if you get hungry because your arrangement is taking too long you don't need to go to the kitchen!

Summer's Here!!

2007-04-22T01:18:00.000-07:00

Friday night Zach had an enkai (work party) so I went up north to Takamatsu for a bonfire on the beach. This can only mean one thing-- the start of summer!! Some days you are so happy to be in Japan, and I think spending the night at the beach guarantees this!

The first step into the ocean this year!! Notice the phosphorus things that glow, making the water sparkle. The waves were full of them, so they looked like they were glowing. It was so neat!

Cornell University

2007-04-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Cornell sits high atop East Hill in Ithaca, NY looking down on Cayuga Lake, the largest of New York's Finger Lakes. Surrounded by gorges and creeks, many reckon the campus is among America's most beautiful. As an Ivy League university, it has an academic reputation to match.

It is here that we will be from this coming August. I am beginning work on my PhD. We considered many universities but in the end decided that Cornell was the best match for Jane and for me. We are excited for the move, and Ithaca promises to be a great place to live. Lots of wilderness (and great cycling!) plus a decent bit of culture. It's still a small town though 30,000 (or 100,000 if you include all its suburbs). Luckily a trip to New York City is only a few hours' drive (if I can ever pull myself out the mountains of reading I expect to deal with).

Here are a few pictures of the campus. They are all (but one) from the "Cornell University Pool" on flickr.com. Check it out if you want to see more.

McGraw Tower, the scene of thrice-daily chimes concerts

The Arts Quad, at the center of campus (from Cornell's website)

Ivy on the walls of Uris Library

Far above Cayuga's waters

Cascadilla Gorge, running through campus

Taughannock Falls, just north of Ithaca and taller than Niagra Falls

Yashima

2007-04-16T03:36:00.000-07:00

Yashima is the site of Temple #84. It is located at the top of that plateau! "Unfortunately" we arrived too late in the day to go to the top, but we did visit the shrine at its base. We rode bikes that we rented the 7km out of the city (and 7km back), so we had a trip nice there.

My cool bike.

We rode our bikes up here!

And this officially conclues our trip to Shikoku!!

Ritsurin Koen-Daytime!

2007-04-16T03:11:00.000-07:00

I have only one word to describe Ritsurin Koen, "wow!" I wouldn't want to be disloyal to Kenrokuen so I can't say that Ritsurin Koen is better, but I would be strongly tempted to. The park is the largest in Japan at 75 hecatres, and is absolutely beautiful! It took us over four hours to see the garden, and we could have easily stayed much longer.

An old man was feeding the turtles and carp in the lake (one of thirteen). I was so excited when he gave me a piece of bread and invited me to join him. It was lots of fun!

The men cleaning the lakes.

The biggest carp I have ever seen! (And I have seen quite a few now). There were some that were so big, they may have been my size!

Zach and I enjoying a cup of tea inside one of the teahouses. The teahouse is so famous that the Emperor even stayed here for five days once!

The view of our teahouse.

Enjoying the cherry blossoms...

a little too much.

This waterfall is a man-made waterfall. Man-made in the sense that men stood on top of the mountain with water waiting. When the feudal lord walked by they poured the water down the mountain to create this waterfall. I think that now technology helps, but the waterfall is still turned off at certain times of the day.

Tamamo Park

2007-04-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from Tamamo Park, the old remains of Yuzukijo- Takamatsu's castle. We had a nice time wandering around. The most important part, however, is the moat. This is where the feudal lord forced his samurai to train in the martial art of... swimming!! That's right- swimming is considered a martial art! But, it doesn't stop there. The feudal lord was not satisfied with traditional swimming. No, that wouldn't do at all. So, the feudal lord invented his own swimming stroke! Every year in early January there is a festival honouring the swimming stroke. During this festival people re-enact the swimming stroke to pay hommage to it. It is almost worth staying another year just to be able to return to see this famous stroke!

The moat- where it all began.

Zach enjoys the garden.

All I wanted on the trip was palm trees, and we found palm trees!

The castle- one of the gates.

Sunset in Shikoku

2007-04-16T02:44:00.000-07:00

After our day exploring shrines and temples, we came to the sea to watch the sunset. The sunset was absolutely beautiful. We watched the second half from a restaurant, where we had a delicious, fresh lobster dinner. It turned into a surprisingly romantic night!

View from our table.

Zentsuji

2007-04-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

Shikoku is famous for its 88 temple pilgrimage, so of course we had to visit at least one. This is temple #75, the most famous of the temples because this is the birthplace and boyhood home of Kobo Daishi, the enlightened monk who first walked the 88 temples and then gained enlightenment (ie. the reason for the pilgrimage). It is believed that if you follow his route, you will also achieve enlightenment. Many of the pilgrims now come by car (or large tour buses), but we did occassionally see pilgrims still walking to the temples.
This temple was especially amazing because there is a passageway in the basement of the temple. You enter into the basement and are quickly submerged in complete darkness. Absolute, complete darkness where it is lighter with your eyes closed than open. You place your left hand on the wall, which is inscribed with various murals, and while reciting a chant you follow the tunnel as it twists and turns, having only the wall and murals to lead you. It was an amazing experience, as you really had to simply trust, absolutely and completely, what was ahead, as there is no way for you to know. A really amazing feeling.

We made it!!!! This is the sign that announces you have reached temple #75.

Pagoda with a camphor tree in front. The pagoda was built to mark the 1,050 year anniversary of Kobo Daishi's pilgrimage.

Kobo Daishi

This camphor tree is 1,500 years old, and was here when Kobo Daishi was a little boy. He wrote in his memoirs about playing under this tree as a little boy. Remember of course that he finished his trek in the very early 9th century (808 AD).

Two pilgrims arrive at temple #75.

The bridge to enlightenment

Also of interest, at the train station to Zentsuji, on an island that has almost no tourists, in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, we ran into our friend!

Kotohira

2007-04-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Zach and I set out from Takamastu to visit the Shrine of Kotohira. It is famous for a 2,000 step climb to the top, resulting in beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. We are an hour trainride inland from the Inland Sea, but from the top you can still see the sea. It was especially beautiful because of the plethora of cherry blossoms!

A view at the top! Look how close to the edge I am!!

From the top

Just a few stairs...

Finished!!

I'm pretending to pose for a picture so that Zach lets me take a break! He seemed to think it was a race to get to the top! This is a trick I have learned.

At the entrance to the shrine.

More stairs...

At the top!!!!

Ritsurin Koen

2007-04-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

From Matsuyama we took the train across Shikoku to Takamatsu. Takamatsu is famous for Ritsurin Koen (Garden). We luckily arrived during the Spring Light-Up, so we were able to see the garden in all its nighttime splendour. Ritsurin Koen is absolutely HUGE (think three or four Kenrokuens), and even though only part was open at night, it was still huge. We had a great time wandering around watching the people watching the cherry blossoms.

Dogo Koen

2007-04-13T02:05:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time walking around Dogo Koen, a park near our hotel. The park was full of so many cherry blossoms, and many people enjoying their "hanami." Zach and I sat beside the river under a giant sakura tree and had our own little hanami. We had never appreciated why people loved cherry blossoms so much, but after our week in Shikoku we understand a little better. Around the cherry blossoms everybody was just so HAPPY!

People enjoying their "hanami" party!

Stopping to smell the roses, um, cherry blossoms.

Zach enjoys the sunshine.

And, finally, The Castle!

2007-04-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

View From the Top

2007-04-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

Matsuyamajo is on top of a huge hill, and then is up another three stories, so the views from the top were absolutely beautiful!

This is me being very proud of myself for being so high up and not even being afraid! Look how close to the edge I am standing!!

Matsuyama Jo- The Walk There

2007-04-12T03:38:00.000-07:00

One of the famous sights on Shikoku is Matsuyamajo (castle). It is one of Japan's few original castles. Now, because of my terrible fear of heights I refused to ride this:

the normal route to the castle, so instead Zach and I hiked to the castle. It turned out to be a beautiful (and surprisingly short) hike up. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom while we were in Shikoku, which made everything exceptionally beautiful.
Also, by walking it meant that we were able to find this, so that Zach could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an English teacher!

Dogo Onsen

2007-04-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

We stayed in the area around Dogo Onsen- Japan's very first onsen. Our guide describes the area as "atmospheric," which I interpreted as "extremely dodgy." Imagine our suprise when we show up at 6am to discover this really did mean atmospheric- nothing dodgy about the area at all! (Plus, lovely foot baths!). Dogo Onsen is over 1,300 years old! It was also immortalised in a book by Botchan, a writer who frequented the onsen. As a result, there is this old train from a long time ago that is featured in the book that actually still carries passengers around town, as well as a clock that features scenes from the novels several times a day. It is not very exciting, but it is entertaining to watch all the tour groups gather round at the appointed time.

Me in the foot bath!

The famous train, also called "Botchan" (many things in Mastuyama are called Botchan)

The famous Dogo Onsen- Japan's first! We went to a special package here involving a more private bath and relaxing in a special room with a snack. I had the bath entirely to myself!! It was wonderful. We also visited the Royal Family's personal bath (and toilet), reserved just for them. It was awkward when Zach jumped in. (Just joking!)

The Dogo Onsen Train Station

The famous clock

Good Morning Shikoku!

2007-04-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

Last week for spring break Zach and I headed to the island of Shikoku. Shikoku is Japan's fourth largest island, and is famous for a pilgrimage route (The 88 Temples of Shikoku) that covers the entire island. We did a shorter version- the "two temples, a shrine, and a lot of onsen" tour of Shikoku. Since arriving in Japan I have wanted to take a ferry somewhere, so this was my chance! We took the overnight ferry from Osaka to Matsuyama. It was actually really fun (especially using the onsen on the ferry!) These pictures are of the few minutes of dawn before our 6 am arrival, and our first sighting of Shikoku.

The DMZ

2007-03-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

Our one daytrip outside of Seoul was to the DMZ, or the De-Militarized Zone, separating North and South Korea. It is a bit of an ironic name, I think, as there are more military personnel surrounding the DMZ than anywhere else in Korea, I suspect, but within the four km wide, 260 km long section there are none. The tour started out by visiting Memorial Altar, the furthest north point that Korean citizens are allowed to go to. This is a memorial for people to honour and pray for their family members that are on the other side of the border. The prayers are symbolised by yellow ribbons which are tied to trees around the area. Next we passed through the military checkpoint, as Korean citizens can not go this far, and visited the Third Tunnel, a tunnel the North Koreans began digging towards Seoul. The tunnel is actually 400m past the DMZ, but we were only able to go through about 250m of it. We then proceeded to an observatory where we could watch North Korea. From what we could see the two km of North Korean DMZ looked identical to the 2 km of South Korean DMZ, but apparently they have a bigger flag. From here it was onto Dora Station, famous because it was visited by George Bush when it was opened. This is a train station for the train that will "soon" be running between North and South Korea. All in all, it was a pretty interesting trip. On the drive up, upon leaving Seoul, the highway was surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers in watch towers. Soldiers were on guard everywhere, and most places we were not allowed to take pictures (so you must excuse the scarcity of them here). There seems to be high hopes of re-unification in Korea, but with the knowledge that the likelihood of it happenning may be the same as of it not happenning anytime soon.

The Observatory.

Memorial Altar

The Yellow Ribbons

The Barbed Wire

Zach and I on the Bridge of Freedom, the route home for hundreds of POWs following the Korean War, that has now been closed.

More from Gyeongbokgeung

2007-03-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of us from Gyeongbokgeung.

In an archway on the palace grounds.

Jane.

A classic "long-arm" shot in front of the main hall and throne room.

Jane at the National Folk Museum. Why is she so excited? That's an ancient potato storage vessel, who wouldn't be?

Gyeongbokgung

2007-03-29T02:53:00.000-07:00

Gyeongbokgung is the largest palace in Seoul and served as the primary palace of the Joseon dynasty until it was burned down in 1592. Eventually rebuilt, it has some impressive sights. Two-storied Gyeonghoeru pavillion, with its 48 columns, overlooks a pond on the palace grounds. The palace itself is surrounded by forested mountains, right in the middle of the city.

The palace's main gate with mountains in the background.

A building on the palace grounds.

Gyeonghoeru pavilion overlooking a pond.

Rows upon rows of columns surround the main courtyard.

A detail of the palace's main gate.

Also in the palace grounds is the National Folk Museum of Korea, which has an impressive display of the material culture of Korea dating from before the Joseon dynasty to modern times.

A pavilion which sits atop the museum.

Replicas of pre-Joseon era statues on the museum's grounds.

More from Changdeokgung

2007-03-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of us from Changdeokgung.

Jane and I in Biwon (the Secret Garden)

In the palace grounds.

Another one in the palace grounds.

In the garden, standing by an arch. Those who pass under it are supposed to live forever. It was built to bless the Joseon kings.

Changdeokgung and Biwon

2007-03-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

We made a visit to Changdeokgung, another of Seoul's palaces and probably its best-preserved. It was originally built in the 15th century and served as the primary Joseon palace from 1618 to 1896. Many of the buildings are reconstructions, but it does have Seoul's oldest stone bridge, built in 1411. On its extensive grounds is an impressive garden called Biwon (Secret Garden), with a number of pavilions, ponds and even a royal library.

Seoul's oldest stone bridge.

The main hall and throne room of Changdeokgung.

A detail of the palace roof. These designs are seen only on palaces and temples.

A sundial in the palace grounds.

Doorway with light shining through.

In the garden. You can see the royal library in the back right.

A thousand-year old Juniper tree in the garden, older than the Joseon dynasty itself.

Korean Food

2007-03-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

Before we left, one of the things for which we were most excited was Korean food. Not to say that the culinary selection in Japan is lacking (you all know how much we love Japanese food); however, to find something even a little spicy is a bit of an ordeal here in Kanazawa. This was certainly not the case in Korea. Mounds of kimchi are served with every meal, and red pepper paste is always in abundance. What is more, food was everywhere. Markets had stall after stall selling green onion cakes, skewered meat of all kinds (see the corn dog below), fresh fruit juice and silk worm larvae (!). Needless to say, it was great!

Jane with her bibimba...

...and Zach with his.

Check out this monstrosity. Imagine a corn dog. Now take that corn dog and add another layer of batter. Then dip that batter in a bunch of french fries and deep fry the whole thing. Add ketchup and voila! Heart attack on a stick.

Last but not least... a steaming vat of silkworm larvae. Delicious!

Deoksugung

2007-03-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

As I said in the previous post, Seoul is teeming with people. It turns out the city is also teeming with old palaces. Before it became the capital of the Republic of Korea, Seoul was the capital of the Joseon dynasty, which ruled the Korean peninsula for more than five hundred years (1392-1910). Even before that, it had been the capital of other states on the peninsula and has a history stretching back to at least 18 BCE. WIth such an ancient history, the city is full of wonderful old sites, so many of which have survived the passage of time. However, being that Korea is set neatly between two rather imperialistic nations (Japan and China) a number of buildings from the Joseon dynasty have been burned down and reconstructed (some more than once). The following pictures are from Deoksugung, which was originally the residence of a Joseon prince but became Seoul's primary palace in 1593 after the Japanese destroyed all the others in the city during their 1592 invasion. Not all the buildings on this site date from that time, of course (many were reconstructed or restored in the early 1900s).

Guards in traditional dress standing in front of the main gate at Deoksugung.

The main hall at Deoksugung.

In the palace garden.

A statue of King Sejong, one of the greatest kings of the Joseon dynasty. He is credited with the invention of the Hangeul script, an almost perfect description of Korean phonetics. Quite an impressive feat!

The Two Wise Men of Korea (or so says Jane).

Bright Lights, Big City!

2007-03-28T03:06:00.000-07:00

With a population of over 10 million, Seoul is among the world's largest cities. This means lots of crowding and lots of buildings. As in Tokyo, most of the urban architecture is functionalist. It is not the prettiest city when viewed from a distance, but, as you will see, beauty can be found. For now, though, here are some pictures of Seoul looking the part of a teeming metropolis.

The Samsung building.

Seoul City Hall

A small alleyway looking onto a building in the distance.

The 63 Building, Seoul's tallest. The picture was taken during our cruise down the Han River.

From a park right near our hotel, another impressive tower.

Korea

2007-03-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

This past week, we took a brief trip to Korea. We only had a few days, so we spent most of our time in Seoul. The next few posts will have pictures from all the places we visited.

A view from the plane.

Our first glimpse of Korean soil.

Touchdown!

Bright lights, big city! Our first view of Seoul.

Our first true Korean food: unidentified meat on a stick.

Ikebana Show!!!!!

2007-03-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

This week Alexis and I had an arrangement in my first ever ikebana show!! We made one arrangement that consisted of two parts. Alexis' is the flowery part, and mine is the leafy part (thus, none of the fear of making it alone, but all the glory of still having our own parts!) Yesterday we went to see it, and it was really great as a lot of our friends came with us, which was really, really sweet of them (because who really wants to spend their holiday looking at lots of flowers?) I think the show was a success!!

Let's Go Taiko!

2007-03-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we woke up and headed down south to the town of Terai for Chris' taiko concert. It is always so nice when you get to see Japanese cultural things, such as taiko (traditional drumming), as it reminds us of why we love Japan and what is so special about it. (Even though the people beside Zach who debated for a long time whether or not they could sit beside the foreigner before deciding that they couldn't reminded us of why we don't always love Japan). The little kids were so cute, especially one little girl who just cried throughout her entire ten minute performance. Also, Chris was really good-- we were very impressed by his performance!

Katie's Birthday

2007-03-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next, it was off for Katie's birthday!! It was a really fun, relaxed night with a nice dinner and then off to karaoke! Finally we ended up at the St. Patrick's Day Party, where we met up with Zach and the others that were out for the stag night.

Miya's Stagette

2007-03-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

We had a super jam-packed couple of days this past weekend. To start it off we had a "hen's day" for our friend Miya, who is getting married in two weeks. It was a really nice day, starting out with lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in Kanazawa, and then off to the onsen for a relaxing afternoon. It was super fun!

Sports Day

2007-03-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was "Sports Day" at school, which meant that the entire school participated in a giant soccer and basketball tournament. Every student played on either a soccer or basketball team, and each home room competed against each other for schoolwide glory. Not being a very big fan of basketball, I spent all day outside watching soccer. It was very cold, but it was nice to be outside anyway. You'll notice all the students are in shorts-- I was in my winter jacket, scarf and gloves and was still cold! They were freezing though at least, and many a student borrowed my gloves. Two students were especially excited to learn that they looked like Michael Jackson while they each wore one glove!

Also, you should note the picture taken at the opening ceremony. The students all sit in perfectly straight lines (except for the hooligans in the back) for every assembly, without ever moving- AND they are completely silent the whole time, no matter how long the assembly! I am constantly in awe of the discipline of the students in these situations. One of the teachers explained it to me, "we asked them to be quiet." If only we could do this in Canada!

Snow Day

2007-03-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

A view of the construction at my school today. Do you notice the huge amount of snow that fell today? Mostly a worry for people who had already changed out of their snow tires, and thus couldn't drive! The most snow we have had all year...

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2007-03-07T04:45:00.000-08:00

The reason we didn't get to the bamboo was because we found these guys! This is the "monkey park" where these monkeys run wild! You can feed them from inside a rest area, but other than that they ignore you and play amongst themselves. Once I was finished being scared, it was a lot of fun to watch the monkeys!

Arashiyama

2007-03-07T04:30:00.000-08:00

Even before we came to Japan I wanted to go to see the bamboo forests in Arashiyama, in Kyoto, so we decided this was the trip! We headed out by train, and didn't get to the forests, but we did find this cool temple with a beautiful garden! The weather was great- it was even hot!!

Kyoto

2007-03-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

Of course, no trip to Japan would be complete without a trip to Kyoto and Kiyomizudera. We saw many, many, many geisha, until realizing that they were all girls dressed up as geisha. We should have clued in that the real geisha don't carry around cameras taking pictures of the tourists posing with them. Nor do they pose with tourists for that matter...

Miyajima

2007-03-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

Miyajima is said to be one of the three best views in Japan, and it certainly was beautiful. The island is located just outside of Hiroshima and is famous for three things: the floating shrine and its red torii that is in the ocean, the many deer that harass/entertain the visitors, and the rice paddle. That's right- we were visiting the home of the rice paddle! If that doesn't merit a trip to Miyajima I don't know what does! We did have a wonderful time there, and it really was beautiful.

Hiroshima

2007-03-07T00:21:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from our trip to Hiroshima. We loved Hiroshima a lot, and had so much fun there!

Hiroshima- the A Dome

2007-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Of course, Hiroshima is famous, or infamous, for the atomic bomb which exploded there. These pictures are of the A-Dome, the building directly underneath where the bomb exploded. Because of the direction, the building was not completely destroyed, although everyone was instantly killed, and has been restored as a reminder of the bomb. The peace park where the Dome is located is a beautiful place now. I wasn't sure while we were there whether we were supposed to feel horror at the atrocity, or amazement at the strength of the human spirit to continue. As you stand on the t-intersection of the bridge that was the designated target, it is pretty overwhelming.

Views from the Train

2007-03-06T05:33:00.000-08:00

On the Shinkansen trip down to Hiroshima we spent maybe half an hour beside Mt. Fuji. I had seen Mt. Fuji before, but never so close, so clearly, or for so long. (Helene and I were on Mt. Fuji and still could not see it!). Before this trip, I thought the excited was overrated, but I was wrong. The other picture Zach took of Osaka.

Tokyo- Harajuku and Shibuya (and Ginza too!)

2007-03-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

For our second day in Tokyo we started off in Ginza for some expensive shopping- although for some reason Shelley refused to buy me new Burberry rainboots! Then it was off to the madness that is Sunday in Harajuku where we explored the temple, watched many weddings, and made our way through the crowds of people. We also visited the new Omotesando Hills, a new upscale shopping mall (it is in Omotesando, after all) where the floors are all angled so that you never have to take the stairs or escalator to go up or down a level! Then, of course, off to Shibuya for dinner and to watch thousands of people cross the street! Without a doubt, this is my favourite intersection in Japan- maybe even the world.

Tokyo- Asakusa and Odaiba

2007-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

For Dan and Shelley's first day in Tokyo we started off in Asakusa- the old pleasure quarters. We visited the famous temple and enjoyed festival food lunch before heading off for a boat cruise of Tokyo Harbour and then over to Odaiba, the harbour front of Tokyo famous for its stolen buildings, such as the Statue of Liberty (if the real Statue is the same size, I am going to be very, very disappointed!) Then, what day in Tokyo would be complete without a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe, and my first adventure into Roppongi- not as scandalous as I might have hoped, but we did have really yummy nachos! (At least, yummy for a Canadian girl like me!)

Kenroku-en: Day 2

2007-02-22T05:12:00.000-08:00

For the second day we were off to the other top three garden, Kenroku-en. We were surprised, because the plus trees were starting to bloom already, which tells you just how warm the weather is here this year!

The Samurai District

2007-02-22T05:05:00.000-08:00

For Dan and Shelley's first day in Kanazawa we came to explore the Samurai district. We even went to visit Nomura House, the house of a former Samurai leader. The house is particularly famous as having one of the top three house gardens in Japan (we just can't crack the top three here in KZ!). As you can see from the pictures, the garden was beautiful!

Eiheiji- Part III (The Dam)

2007-02-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

The purpose of our hike was to reach a dam. Of couse, immediately upon our arrival at the dam, Zach decided that he had to climb to the top, so the pictures from the top are his. Of course, this made me really wonder what would happen if a bear came! I am the tiny white speck at the bottom of the dam.

Eiheiji- Part II

2007-02-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

After our tour of the temple, Zach and I went for a hike up the mountain behind the temple. It was beautiful, as the first part was through a graveyard, and we walked along a little river the whole way, with many waterfalls. It was especially nice, as we were the only people around- which made me wonder what would we do if a bear came! Luckily, no bears, only beautiful moss covered gravestones and rocks.

Eiheiji

2007-02-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Zach and I went on a day trip down to Fukui to the town of Eiheiji. Eiheiji is famous because it is the head temple for the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism. You can tour the temple complex where the monks and priests live, eat and meditate. We even saw a special meditation ceremony-or it seemed to me. It was a rainy day, so it was very mystical!

And Winter has left!

2007-02-06T04:43:00.000-08:00

After two days of gross snow, crazy thunderstorms and cold, winter has apparently left Ishikawa!! Hopefully never to return (at least until we have left), but we are not quite so optimistic. Zach and I took advantage of the warm weather to go for a couple of walks this weekend, and here are some pictures we took. I promise there really was snow only a few days ago!

Winter Has Arrived!

2007-02-02T01:11:00.000-08:00

Well, winter finally arrived yesterday. We really can't complain as it has been nice for three months longer than it should have been, but I will complain anyway! The wind broke my brand new umbrella yesterday! So, in honour of the snow and cold weather, here are some pictures of warmer days gone by.

Okonomiyaki Party!

2007-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Last week "The Mothers" had an okonomiyaki and takouyaki "Welcome Home" party for Zach and I. Which actually meant that I learned how to make octopus dough balls, and Zach wrestled with four crazy boys for four hours! (Plus, I was banished from helping with dishes to play a sumo attack game with girls). The kids are perhaps the cutest children ever, and the Mothers are so incredibly sweet to both Zach and I. We had so much fun with them, and we are so happy that we met them!!

And the party...

2007-01-13T00:06:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the reception

My Family

2007-01-12T23:44:00.000-08:00

Pictures of my family from the wedding.

The Wedding

2007-01-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Dan and Sarah's wedding

The Wedding- Beforehand

2007-01-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

Pictures of preparing for the big day.

The Rehearsal Party

2007-01-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from the rehearsal party. The important thing to note is the flower arrangements that I made! I was very nervous, but I think that they turned out all right in the end.

Christmas

2007-01-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

Some pictures of Christmas. Note the matching housecoats-- they are so cozy!

Cameroon!!

2007-01-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

The first-of many I'm sure- pictures of Cameron from our trip home. Cameron is possibly the cutest baby to have ever existed, and is so happy all the time too!

Bon Enkai

2006-12-17T23:58:00.000-08:00

Every year offices and companies have a big party, or bon enkai (literally:forget the year), where all the staff go away for a night at a ryokan. These parties are infamous for their shenanigans and the amount of liquor consumed. Schools, apparently, are no different. Last weekend Zach was off to his bonenkai, and this weekend was mine. It was a lot of fun-- who knew that Bingo could be so exciting!! Some highlights include the Kyoto Sensei (Vice-Prinicipal) riding the mechanical bull- after Santa of course, and discovering "Strip Rock Paper Scissors." Apparently this is so common that it even has a name! (I didn't participate- it was actually performed on stage for us to watch). It was a really great time, and I had so much fun with all of my teachers!! Also, there was an amazing crab dinner!

Goodbye Pete!!

2006-12-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Our friend Pete is leaving next week to go to Med School in Australia, so last night was his going away party. It is going to be sad when he leaves, but last night was all about happiness!! The whole night was a lot of fun, but, then again, what night that ends with an accordian wouldn't be?

English Days

2006-11-26T02:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend Zach and I, along with six other ALTs, 30 students, and almost as many teachers, went to a retreat about 30 minutes outside of the city into the mountains for "English Days,"a weekend of English activities and games, and for the students to have a chance to speak only English for two days-- which many of them actually do! It was so much fun, but I am so exhausted!!!

A Tribute to Bart

2006-11-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

Our friend Bart has abandoned us for turkey and pumpkin pie, so in honour of him I present to you Mid-Year Conference as he would have seen it.

Mid-Year Conference

2006-11-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

This week we were off for a business conference to Shika-machi. It was fun, and at night we had special cultural activities. I, surprisingly, went to the martial arts session! It was great fun, as I even learned to throw people!!! These pictures are from there, and also the banquet that we had.

Okonomiyaki, Karaoke and a Haircut

2006-11-23T04:48:00.001-08:00

Saturday night we went to Blair's school's high school band concert. They recently won the gold medal in the Japanese National Brass Band competition (apparently Nishikigaoka was too good to enter). The concert was excellent, with lots of fun dancing. Afterwards we headed out for okonomiyaki and then for karaoke. In Japan there are always many highs and lows, but at karaoke it is always a high, so it was a really fun night! Plus, Zach and I both had our haircut that day. It was excellent, as it involved multiple head messages!!! I am in love with Japanese hair cuts, and I want to have it cut every week (so I may be bald before we leave the country!)

Drama Festival

2006-11-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Friday was the annual English Drama Festival. School spend months preparing a half hour play entirely in English for this competition, and Zach and I have therefore had months of late nights at school helping our students prepare. I think it was quite a success. My girls performed perfectly, but were then robbed of their fame and glory. Zach's school also did really well, and won third place, as well as best actress. These pictures, however, are of my girls.

Scenes From Nara

2006-11-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, Deer!

2006-11-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Nara

2006-11-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday Zach and I went to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Nara is famous for two things: deer and a huge Buddha! And there were plenty of deer, and the Buddha was huge!! We had a great time in Nara-- the temples and shrines were so beautiful, and the leaves were starting to change colour!! It was a really great day! Plus, I wasn't as scared of the deer as I thought I would be!!

New Forus!!!

2006-11-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend the new Forus shopping mall opened in Kanazawa!! It is sadly one of the most exciting things to happen to Kanazawa since we've been here. Warning- the following makes me sound like such a hick, and it is difficult to remember I actually do come from a big city, but there is a GAP!!! and a LEVI'S!!!! and Yogun Fruz!!!!!!! AND---- A MOVIE THEATRE!!!!!! Who would have though a city could have a Gucci store, but not GAP? The highlight for many is a new Mexican restaurant!! (Not for me-- that would be the GAP, because I have yet to grow up). I have learned that Americans are ridiculously obsessed with Mexican food, and we have a very short supply of it in Japan, so this is the main theme of almost every conversation now! So, Friday Chris and I went to check out the excitement, and it definately lives up to the hype, I think!

Cricketeers

2006-10-30T00:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday was our annual Cricket adventure at the park. While I don't really understand the point of Cricket much more than last year, nor the need for games that last five days, I think we are getting a little better. Well, maybe Zach is getting better at cricket, I am getting better at wearing my whites. The day was absolutely beautiful-- I think it was in the 20s this weekend. Zach and I went on a three hour walk before cricket, walking the length of the river, and it was a great way to spend the day!! Let's just hope it lasts a little longer...

Wanderings around Kanazawa

2006-10-28T17:54:00.001-07:00

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here, so yesterday Zach and I went for a long walk through Kanazawa. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Soccer Tournament

2006-10-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the Ishikawa team participated in a tournament against other Japanese soccer teams. It was very exciting because we came in second place, and Zach even scored a goal!!! Two important things to notice in the pictures are that the weather is still beautiful, because I hear it is snowing in Edmonton, and how beautiful the scenery is, that we are surrounded by mountains in Kanazawa and it is very beautiful!!! My favourite time is when the mountains have snow on them though, and then they look like real mountains.

Recent Ikebana Pictures

2006-10-24T03:34:00.000-07:00

This past week I started my first week in the advanced level at ikebana. This is very exciting for two reasons: 1) it means that I will be able to earn my teaching license before I leave, and 2) it means that I have a new artist name that I use in exhibitions and things. My flower name is: "Kouka", which means "happy flower." These are my first few arrangements from the advanced level.

Up the Mountain

2006-10-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

With of a mission of "heading to a park on top of a mountain," Monday we drove to Tsurugi, not really sure where we were going, but we knew that is where the mountains are. We ended up in a beautiful park on Mt. Hakusan. The weather was gorgeous, and we had a wonderful day playing football and frisbee on the mountainside. Every time we have such a beautiful day, we are a little worried that it may be the last one, but so far we have been lucky!

Canadian Thanksgiving

2006-10-13T02:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in true Japanese style... well at least Jane and Zach style, with spaghetti (for Jane!) and a ton of wine (for Zach!). It was hard for us to believe that we could fit 20 people into our tiny apartment, let alone feed them, but 13 bottles of wine, one flat of beer and two angry neighbours later we were competely thankful. It was a lot of fun-- even if Canadians were definately in the minority!

Rope

2006-10-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

For a year we had been hearing about this place in Hakui that we had to go to, so this Friday we piled into Chris' car and headed up to Rope. It was definately a great time! It is a karaoke bar, so of course we spent most of the night singing, although Chris spent most of the night with the cheese.

Welcome Lunch

2006-10-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

This week we went out for a Welcome Lunch with the English teachers for all of the new ALTs-- yes, including me! It was a really fun time, plus I was very excited because the teacher I was sitting beside doesn't like sashimi-- more for me!!!!!!

Back to Nagano

2006-10-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

We were back to Nagano this past weekend for our semi-annual soccer tournament. Every year team Ishikawa comes with high hopes and this year was no different. Zach played a combination of goalie and striker, and was great at both! I was guilted into playing, on the condition I be Sub #2 (of 2). However, due to several injuries to both of our goalies, I ended also playing goalie! I can't report on Zach's games, as we played at the same time, but I can tell you the girls' games were filled with lots of drama! In the first game, I didn't let in any goals, much to my surprise- although we still lost 1-0. The second game did not go so well, as we lost 4-0. The highlight of the day was the third game, which we tied 1-1, meaning the game went to penalty kicks. I was very excited as I even stopped one of the shots!!!!! The Saturday night party was great of course, with lots of dancing from the Ishikawa representatives. Sunday morning started out not so great, as the guys were eliminated in their first game, although it was quite close, but things turned around as we managed to win our first game!!!!! (And I had my first real shut-out, with a 1-0 victory!). While we lost the next game, it was perhaps the most fun of the games. Then, off to our curry rice lunch and home-- very sore and very sleepy!!
In the picture of Zach, the writing says "Zach"-- the name of the restaurant at our hotel. We had never noticed the name until this time!!
The weather and mountains were of course again beautiful! We love going to Nagano!!!

Belly Dancing

2006-09-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I took my first belly dancing class with some of my friends. It was so much fun, although I am so sore today!! It is fun to be doing something active, plus we actually talk to Japanese people! I am excited for the next class!!

Osaka-jo

2006-09-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

We spent Sunday afternoon wandering around Osaka Castle and the surrounding park. Osaka castle is beautiful, and the park was really great! It was a beautiful day, so it was full of people relaxing. Also, there was a music festival happening at the same time, so we got to hear some Japanese bands for the first time! One lead singer started waving to us as he was singing, which was exciting! We also saw lots of crazy things, including girls on unicycles, people playing hockey, a dog that could jump from post to post, and a clown that was busking for money!!!