Latest photos from a night out with Quinn, who was with me and Basim at the very beggining, dropping in from New York and also photos from Tristan's birthday / the England - America night. Messy.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248573&id=223608364&l=6228f63718

A Note to the Reader

For anyone still checking for updates, I have decided to switch my focus to facebook, annotating the photos in the albums there. For those still interested and without facebook, I will post the public links to the albums when they are up.

May + Hiroshima Trip

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245331&id=223608364&l=54a9a02f1c


This album includes photos from a big night out in Kyoto, followed by my trip to Hiroshima, which includes hitchhiking, mountain climbing, and A-bomb mourning. Enjoy x

Golden Week: The Tottori-Kinosaki Adventure

Apologies for the lack of updates, but here is a gem. Golden week, evidently the envy of office workers all around the world is a collection of national holidays that flanks a weekend resulting in a whole 7 days that most Japanese have off. As the last bastion of leisure time until after the final exams in August, we decided to go on a road trip. Despite Lilly and my efforts, we couldn`t quite engineer it. However thumbing through our guide we soon had two targets, a few tents and a couple of bottles of spirits. Also known as a plan. Basim, Lilly, Sophie, Sabine and I departed Kobe at 1pm on Thursday 29th.

Tottori

After a little guess work we arrived at the campsite on the Western edge of the towns famous sand dunes and beach. In Tottori we enjoyed long walks, bike rides, wrestling in the sand, BBQs, and vastly mind-boggling conversations, most of them revolving around peanuts. The weather was absolutely stunning for the whole trip, and lazy afternoons on the beach was just what the doctor ordered.

The surf and my disproportionate toes.

The sand dunes of Tottori, weather looks bad but its just a dirty lens.

These fish, hung all over the country on "kodomo no hi" (Children`s day), symbolise the upstream struggle of young people.

A fine selection of BBQ which included enough meat to feed the whole campsite.

Basim and the girls outside our tents.

Me attempting to keep us with a Japanese salary man singing a random Japanese song.

The troops and I down by a lake we cycled too.

We met some factory workers from Osaka, who not only helped us with our fire, but proceeded to supply beer and entertainment all night.

By the end of the night I wanted to take him home and put him on my shelf.

The whole troop.

The wrestling match that cost 2 cameras and a set of keys. Oh, and some dignity.

The view from some temple steps at the end of the coastal road.

An example of the view on the train on the way to Kinosaki.

Brilliant poem on the side of an ashtray in the station halfway to Kinosaki.

Kinosaki

After 4 days in Tottori, we headed by train East along to coast to a small but famous onsen town known as Kinosaki. Onsen are Japanese traditional baths, often constructed around natural springs. These were accompanies by traditional Japanese hotels which has most people walking around in traditional gowns and shoes, especially as it was so warm. We only had 1 whole day there and it was spent walking around town and going up and down the mountain at the end of the main street. Camping again was the plan, this time on a beach a frustratingly long way from the town itself. Still, it was a good change of pace and the town itself was both different and stunning.

The roundabout and street opposite the station.

Our new pitch just off the beach.

One of the main streets of Kinosaki.

Glad to see that "kawaii" (cute) culture knows no bounds.

Me, halfway up the mountain above Kinosaki.

And at the top with the ladies.

Marc and I, always with an eye for a good British pub

What sounded like a ice-cream van, which turned out to be a ramen van. Just as welcome mind.

Sabine, Sophie, Yume and I along the riverbank of central Kinosaki.

As per usual, more photos on the book of face.

Edit: Marc and Yume did some hitchhiking, sounded fun and that.

Suit Up

So, as well as school starting up I had an interview for a position at an English school. My parents, school teachers and this blog's grammar/spelling Nazis will all find this rather amusing. Barely able to speak the language myself, I would be teaching a group of 2-12 Japanese and orchestrate the conversation making sure everyone has a say etc. I have a trial lesson next week and if I pass the job is mine. Plus, I have to wear my suit which I miss doing since I left Suits You in Cardiff.

Not really an interesting update, but something different then "Japanese is hard" or "I was drinking when..."

O-hanami, O-What A Hangover

Quite a phenomenon in Japan, the Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) apparently validates meeting in large groups in the park for a big drinking session. Now as this was a cultural endeavour I feel it gives moral levity to the binge. Not much out of the ordinary happened, but it was a good night to get to know the noobies a bit better, and catch up with friends who were scarce during the holidays. Also a good way to bring the break to an end. But perhaps dragging Lilly around the floor of a McDonald's at 6.30am isn't what the Japanese had in mind. It is getting tough avoiding turning this blog into a "look at me I drink I'm so w1n" mess, most probably because it already has.

Here is a photo to validate the preceding paragraph!

D-Day + 202

So, well past the halfway mark now with the first term and spring break over, its back to classes starting the day after tomorrow. My results for last term were a mixed bag, with a disappointing C in intermediate speaking/listening the low point, and a B in advanced writing the high. As well as this, my placement test went well and has me in the highest intensive classes next term which will be a great platform for the final year in Cardiff.

On another front, I have an interview for a local English school for a part time teaching post, most likely on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. Won't solve the money problem but its another notch on the CV and will subsidise my Whiskey habit. The amount of spelling mistakes made before I realised this website has a spellchecker does not dent the definition of a "native English speaker". Would like to see the look on my primary school teacher's faces, but it does feel a bit deserved when Georgians, French and the like take the English tutoring jobs at the university!

Finally, we have met a　lot of the "noobies" who will be replacing some of the veterans who left last month. Seem pretty cool in the main part, but most importantly some are quite good looking :D

Until next time Pilgrims, 　さようならです。

March in Pictures

Some leftover snaps from the various activities and nights when various people from Britain and across Japan came to Kobe.

Team Cardiff after bowling.

A covert snap of some Geisha in Kyoto

Lovely photo of a traditional Japanese graveyard with Kyoto in the background.

A photo of me at the foot at the largest temple gate in Japan, Chuo-in - Kyoto

Details found on the gates at Inari-Taisha, where hundreds of gates line a mountain path.

Eiji, who as well as being great at Japanese and victim of my man crush... turns out he can play guitar and sing pretty damn well too.

For a whole week my apartment floor was make-shift beds

Tuomas, Tristain and Lilly in the foreground with Lilly's French friends in the back at Torikizoku

More Frenchies at HUB

A Japanese artist painting with his guitar whilst playing outside a Brazilian restaurant in Harbourland.

The Hanshin/Kobe 1996 earthquake memorial preserving some of the aftermath.

Joss, Claudia and I at the famous rock.. hole.. thing.

The worlds campest boat.

Diana, Basim, Joss and I inside a photo booth responsible for all the stupid stickers on my phone.

My Birthing Anniversary

On Friday 27th, along with Robin who is soon to return to Germany, had a few drinks with everyone for my birthday. It was good to get a large group together again before the pain of placement exams and uni starts up again. Unfortunatley the plan to head to Osaka fell through but a good night was had regardless. Many thanks too everyone who came and who sent thier wishes via Facebook/cards. And also to Duncan who treated me to a few drinks on my actual birthday, even if it ended up costing us the next day...

Obviously big thanks to my parents as well for everything, and too my bank for the financial support... Cheers Dad.

Cherry Blossoms: Nara and Kyoto Revisited

During the last 10 days or so I have been enjoying the company of various Cardiff course mates from around Japan and fresh of the plane from Blighty. Claudia, just arriving after 6 months in Italy, wanted to see some sights. Being the gentleman I am I escorted her and Eiji's (Cardiff course mate) friend Tuomas (Finnish, studying in Tokyo) to Nara and Kyoto, which I visited way back in September upon arrival myself.

Cherry blossoms are near worshiped in Japan, as it sweeps south up towards the capital and beyond, and they do indeed increase the beauty of some already inspiring locals. I suppose I should let the photos do the talking...

The entrance to a trail of hundreds if not thousands of red "Toji" leading up a mountain side, a sight I missed first time round.

A close-up of the cherry blossoms.

Claudia squeezing through a hole the size of the Bhudda's ear hole, apparently. Located inside the temple pictured below, people que to squeeze through, proving their wisdom... apparently.

The Aforementioned temple complete with friends and cherry blossom.

Bad fortunes are tied and left at the temple, often on trees. Quite what the trees did to deserve this is beyond me.

Way of the Pachinko

Pachinko is a strange gambling machine involving the collection (if your doing well) of hundreds of small metallic balls in a tray which are long-windedly exchanged for money. The halls where these machines are housed are so loud and colourful that I could barely handle it, despite this at any time of the day it will be full of young, old and the ancient smashing buttons and turning knobs. The concept is the balls will fall down the screen, like pin ball, but there is no control over where they fall. Depending on where they fall, mini-games are triggered, usually played by the bashing of a button to win a cartoon animated battle. This then only increases your chance of a positive outcome, but if that happens, you win more balls, eventually enough to begin syphoning them off into provided trays.

If that sounds complicated, converting your winnings is even stranger. As it is illegal to gamble in Japan, you exchange the balls for chips. You then must leave the building, usually to across the street to a hole in the wall, where a hand will take the chips and present the money. Sounds dodgey but these places are EVERYWHERE. Just another example of confusing Japanese practice.

My friend Joss is well seasoned in the art, and gambled 3000 yen, £20, in a couple of hours and walked away with 12,000, £90. I believe his overall total is a profit of nearly £200. This tempts me, but I think I should wait until I have money other then scholarships, loans and Dad's money to risk.

Finding Nemo... On My Plate

Obviously Sushi is rather famous worldwide, and although not an original product of Japan, no-one does it quite like the Japanese. As fish is also so plentiful (in theory), and there is plenty of competition, its one of the cheaper aspects to Japanese life. Each plate has two "sushis" on it, and each one costs around £1... not bad when you consider M&S sell a couple of tuna rolls for £4. The presentation is pretty epic and warranted a small blog and some photos... so here you go!

Salmon, Raw Onion and Red Stuff (Fish Eggs?)

Squid/ Octopus

An 800 Yen, £5, set