Today was my last day in Handa, I had to do so much last-minute packing. Must have left about 5 bags of garbage in my apartment! gomen to my supervisor who will have to get the apartment ready for the landlord and throw all my trash out...
This entire week has been difficult, lots of sayonaras. Just said bye to Dwayne at the station tonite...that was difficult. It makes it a little easier knowing that I will be back in Japan in about 4 months and we will have lots to catch up on! On Tuesday I completely fell apart and bawled like a baby at my last ikebana class. Things seemed normal until the end when my ikebana teacher gave me a hug and started crying. Even though we can't really communicate well, she kept saying good luck, take care of yourself in japanese. All I could blubber out through my tears was, arigato-gozaimashita, over and over again. It was so difficult, I didn't realise how attached I had grown to our weekly classes and how I looked forward to seeing her and my classmate Satomi.
So tomorrow Fiona and I will be catching our flight to Shanghai. Just our luck there is a typhoon happening in Japan right now, a very sssllloooowww typhoon as the weather forecasters keep reiterating. Apparently it won't hit Aichi though so we shouldn't be affected. We are at Kuz's place right now, really nice of him to let us leave our luggage here and crash in between countries...thanks Kuz!
Friday, July 30, 2004
Sunday, July 25, 2004
5 Days left on the JET program - A look back
The same theme kept recurring in my journal entries here in Japan; time is flying by, I have to go out and experience everything, I have to do it all. Looking back on my time now, I did as much as I could within a year and because of that it has been the most amazing year of my life. I managed to travel a lot, met lots of incredible people, picked up a couple of fun hobbies, I chilled and partied, did my own independent thing, socialised...basically it's been a great year and I would not trade anything in it for the world. Oh...I also fit in some teaching as well, I keep forgetting to mention that.
diary entry: Tues Aug 5th, 2003. 9.41pm
I feel very at home here. I know that it hasn't been a week yet but I feel v.comfortable in my apartmt; the freedom + independence is intoxicating. I really love it. I've been cooking for myself, exploring on my own. I am a country bumpkin - suntanned brown + riding on a bike to get to work :)
diary entry: Mon Sep 1st, 2003. 10pm
How can it be Sep already? Time is just flying by here. I have hardly done anything. I have to get my act together and start traveling. Start learning the language. Start making new friends. Start living instead of constantly buying!
My experience really started in September after I settled into life in Handa. The weather had cooled down, I had picked up some survival Japanese, Nagoya had been explored and all the shopping hot spots were duly noted, I was ready to experience the rest of Japan!
September
September 15, 2003 Osaka
Gotta love the three-day weekends here! First big trip sounds really trite as I write about it now but at the time it was so exciting. I went to Osaka with Fiona and Eva, we caught the shinkansen for the first time on our own and it was so nerve-wracking trying to work out how to say "non-reserved seats please" in Japanese...! We sure did cram a lot into that weekend, did the obligatory sights in Osaka city but also checked out the National Judo Championships and also a huge festival in a town (can't remember the name now...) http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF93DC381E6&cb=PA
September 20, 2003 Inuyama, Tagata Jinja and surrounds
Traipsed off to the town of Inuyama on my own, about an hour or so from Nagoya. Checked out Inuyama castle and a couple of strange temples. There was the Penis temple with phalluses of all sizes left there by grateful worshippers. A few train stations down, there was the temple for women with rock formations of vaginas. Very eye-opening experience that weekend...
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A7D73F28273&cb=PA
September 21, 2003 Gifu
Came to the conclusion that this city must contain the highest number of senior citizens...never seen so many old ppl in one city in my life.
October
It takes a little while to get used to the primping and preening, women pulling out huge carry-on bags full of make-up and proceeding to do their face during the train ride. This one time I did a double-take after waking up to a completely new woman at the end of the train ride, her transformation was amazing. For the first month I would walk around marvelling at the men who plucked their eyebrows, couldn't help thinking how much better they would look as women. Now I barely even notice the well-manicured brows or the women who take out razors on the train and proceed to shave their face.
diary entry: Wed Oct 15, 2003. 8:57amI think I am in the midst of culture shock. I have felt annoyed at frequent intervals whenever I see the young japanese people constantly primping and preening....it is such a self-absorbed culture.
This month was memorable because I got a horrific haircut and kindly took myself off the social scene...great opportunity to travel around on my own though which was fun. Learnt how to be more independent and experience things on my own.
Oct 5, 2003. Norikura Mountains, Gifu
Tanaka-sensei invited me to go hiking with her up in the mountains of Gifu. Nice trip, my first experience of an onsen! It's hard to explain how any stress over being naked just dissipates in the presence of so many other naked bodies. Hot baths are amazing, I really look forward to trying out onsens now and will definitely miss it once back in aus.
Oct 13, 2003. Three day weekend in Kyoto
Travelled to Kyoto on my own for three days, absolutely fell in love with the city. It was a fantastic experience seeing the temples, doing the Path of Philosophy, checking out geishas. http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A8FF0F18711&cb=PA
Oct 25, 2003. JET soccer tournament in Nagano
I couldn't keep hiding and managed to make it for the bi-annual JET soccer tournament in Nagano. http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AE405828861&cb=PA
Mon 27th Oct, 2003 (2:47pm) - Nagano was a crazy w/e, it was so incredibly cold, but the soccer playing was fun to watch and the party on sat nite was gd, though it seemed more of a place to hook up w/random ppl and make out.
Oct 31, 2003. Halloween Party @ ID
Pretty crazy fun nite. Made some dinky little animal ears for the girls and we managed to get into ID for free.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=ABA09328951&cb=PA
November
Mon 17 Nov, 2003 (9:55am) - Here I am sitting in school, feeling fat + introspective, eating a cake. I can't stop eating or shopping.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A383F528CDE&cb=PA
December
This month was nuts, my family came to visit for three weeks....! Did lots of exploring with them, went back to Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Tokyo. New places that I saw with my family - Kobe, Himeji, Yokohama.
Also attended a Japanese friend's wedding! interesting.
January 2004
Mon 12 Jan, 2004 (1:35am) - Family went home on friday + even though i was looking forward to some solitude, I was very surprised to find that I missed all the energy + noise that we made.
Sat 17 Jan, 2004 (10:41am) - I am happy. Right this very moment. I ate a huge bfast, a lot of oreo cookies, did some pilates. I am in my warm loft bed, looking out my balcony to a snow-covered town, snowflakes falling, listening to music, reading an interesting book, feeling at peace in my own apartment. Does it get better than this?
This month was just too cold to even leave my apartment! I have never felt such coldness in my life...chilled constantly to the bones. All I remember doing this month was sitting by my heater, being on Instant Messenger with people complaining about the weather. I ate a lot, sat around amusing myself on the internet and consequently gained lots of weight.
February
Feb 27, 2004 - long weekend in Hokkaido (Sapporo)
Let me clarify, there was no long weekend during this month but being female allowed me to use menstrual leave (according to my contract)...it just so happened I had to recuperate from severe period pain...in Hokkaido...! This was a fun weekend with Fiona, Sarah and Eva. Did lots of shivering, walking, getting lost from our hotel to the Sapporo Beer Garden, partying...Sapporo city itself had a great vibe.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A85D6829A46&cb=PA
March
Wed 24 Mar, 2004 (7:56pm) - A lot has happened this March, all w/some very strange themes. Ok I'll list it, you tell me if this doesn't sound strange to you. I planned a party at a love hotel (with Matt), attended a penis festival and visited a sex museum (hihokan).
Mar 6, 2004 - Love Hotel Party
Matt and I planned a party at a love hotel for Sarah's birthday. It was a crazy night of drinking, j-porn, basketball games, hog-tying contests and karaoke. Lots of karaoke.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A9647A29B32&cb=PA
Mar 14, 2004 - Mie Ninja Museum
One of the teachers from Aoyama JHS took Dwayne and I to Mie prefecture to check out the Ninja town. I can't remember the name of the town, or much of that trip for that matter, I think we had partied it up the night before so it was definitely a struggle staying awake during the day.
Mar 15, 2004 - Penis Festival (Inuyama)
The annual penis festival held at the same temple I visited last year. It was pretty funny, touches of solemnity with the ridiculous. There were maiden women each carrying a wooden penis that ppl would try to touch as they walk by (for good luck...!). The climax was the huge 2m wooden penis hoisted by about 6 men entering the temple. It took a few tries before they could stagger through the door (sorry for the inadvertent puns!)
This was then followed by people throwing mochi rocks at the spectators from the first storey balcony of the temple. The projectile mochi were dangerous stuff!
Mar 20, 2004 - Hihokan (Mie)
Thanks to Fiona's great research skills, she found a sex museum that was still open in Mie. We couldn't find much about the museum itself but a well-placed call by Dwayne to the museum confirmed that it was in fact still open to the public. So after some quick directions, Fiona and I set off to Mie thinking it was the funniest thing we could possibly do on an otherwise normal Saturday morning.
Fast-forward to Sat afternoon upon leaving the hihokan, with us both traumatised beyond imagination wanting desperately to get out of the very freaky town that housed the equally freaky hihokan. Ok so it sounds very melodramatic but we were both really traumatised by the experience. The hihokan wasn't some simple porn exhibition that we were expecting, it had horribly gruesome exhibits of beheadings, torture, bestiality, motion-sensored exhibits that sent us both screaming and the final straw, a lone pony in her stall standing around waiting for her nightly 8pm rape session with a stallion. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We can laugh about it now...but it took a good week before I felt normal again.
Mar 25 to Apr 5 - Thailand
Mar 24, 2004 7.56pm - Am heading off to Thailand tomorrow + am feeling SO sick! Never felt my entire body ache like this, how on earth am I going to do a jungle trek for 2 days? I hope I recover soon because this feels awful!
The trip itself was amazing but no, I didn't recover in time and ended up nearly hospitalised at the end of the trip! Did the 2 day jungle trek, through burning logs no less! Also rode an elephant through the Maetang River which was an amazing experience, did bamboo rafting for 4 hours. Went to Krabi and at Tonsai island did snorkeling, swimming, rock climbing. Visited Ayuthaya which was awesome. The entire trip was great though on the final day, Fiona got food poisoning and by that time I had run up a fever. We both ended up at the hospital, I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. It was an eventful trip that's for sure and I am glad I didn't let my bad health get in the way of doing all that amazing stuff in Thailand.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A5718239F5C&cb=PA
April
Apr 11, 2004 - Onbashira Festival (Nagano)
This festival is only held once every 7 years so that was the selling point for a group of us (including my friend Pommy from Aus) to get up at 5.30am in the morning to board a train for Nagano to check it out. I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea why a bunch of otherwise sane men would all jump on a huge log as it rolls down a hill. I am sure there is some historical story about it, I think it involves building some temples in that area. Interesting trip up, was pretty exhausted though so apparently (allegedly) I threw a tantrum that would do a 2 yr old proud. Like I said; apparently, allegedly. I can't remember any of it. I deny all knowledge.
Apr 25 - May 9 2004 - China
Mon 10th May, 2004 (9.30am) - I came back yesterday from a 2 week trip to China. What an eye-opening experience; I was simultaneously in awe and repulsed. Awe due to the relics and the knowledge that I was facing a part of my heritage for the first time; and repulsion from the filth and crudeness of the Chinese locals for which I felt an affinity to. I was rather confused by my identity while I was there. I felt like I belonged b/c I could speak the language and understand the culture, but the deeper I delved, the more I realised that simply being able to speak the language did not make me an insider.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AD4CA22A4EF&cb=PA
May
Friday 14 May 2004 (8:30am) - Last night I went out to Nagoya to Elephant's Nest, the regular hang-out for JETs. It's a cool, relaxed, low-key place. I'm still in awe over how many great ppl I've met on this program. Even though I have a close-knit of friends that I hang out w/, there are a lot of others whom I get along well with. So my closest friend here + w/whom I share most of my experiences would be Dwayne. I can't imagine this year w/o him. He's been my greatest support here and has made life here a lot more comfortable and enjoyable. We treat each other like brother + sister + he is genuinely the nicest guy I have ever met. Next would be Fiona, after Thailand I think we have really bonded. She is the person I can plan activities w/, the flamboyant one who is wise beyond her years.
May 14, 2004 - Weekend at Okayama
My cousin Vicki came to visit me from Colorado. We hadn't seen each other for 14 years so I was glad we were able to spend time together that weekend in Okayama. Fiona found a great little villa in Hattoji that was still in its original condition, with a thatched roof and one of those iron bath tubs. We also went and stayed in Ushimado (also in Okayama prefecture). It was such a chill weekend and a welcome return back to nature. I realise now that I really love inaka...! The cities like Tokyo and Osaka just leave me cold.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AD303D2A4F0&cb=PA
diary entry: Just came back fr the computer room after researching into the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It sounds absolutely incredible + I really think it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Fiona suggested we bike the trail which will take approx. 3 wks to do, whilst we camp outdoors....I also want to do Tibet + Nepal. How else will I ever have the time or the ability to do this? I must seize the opportunities + make the most of it. I believe this may well ease the restlessness I feel and allow me to return home w/ a greater sense of well-being. Of course I don't want to place too many expectations on this. After all, it's just another way for me to delay my return home...I have an escape complex!
This was the weekend Fiona and I talked about the Shikoku pigrimage. Our original plans were to bike the trail which would take 3 weeks and then head back to our respective countries. I have no idea how it ballooned to include other parts of Asia. The itin then evolved into 6 weeks in China, Tibet and Nepal (total). Of course now that it has been finalised, the Shikoku pilgrimage is now 6 weeks long bc we plan to hike the entire trail rather than bike it. The 6 weeks in all three of those countries? Well, there are landslide warnings in the Nepalese region right now, so we substituted Mongolia in its stead. From 1.5 weeks in China, 1.5 weeks in Tibet, 10 days in Mongolia...it has somehow stretched to a month in each of those places. And of course since we are traveling back to Japan anyway, we might as well stop over in Korea for about a week...
Here is an essay that a past JET wrote about the Shikoku pilgrimage that was really inspiring:
http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/new/essay03/02_2.html
May 28, 2004 - Tokyo Disneyland
An all-round disappointment really. Being able to compare it to the Anaheim and Orlando disneylands brought up lots of shortcomings in the Tokyo one. Oh well, am glad I did it though, it was on my to-do list and I really wouldn't have known if I had never checked it out.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF80023A6CB&cb=PA
June
Wed 9 Jun, 2004 (12:11pm) - I know I keep saying this but I can't believe how fast time is flying. I guess the more I try to hold on, the more I feel it slipping away.
Jun 17, 2004. Nara
The one month with no 3 day weekends! Luckily the school I was at had scheduled school trips for all the grades on this day so I unexpectedly found myself with a day off. Took myself off to Nara as I had been itching to go for a while. Checked out the temple housing the famous big daibutsu (buddha). At the back of this temple there is a pillar that has a hole at the bottom the size of one of the the daibutsu's nostril. The popular belief is that if you can crawl through this hole, you will be blessed with good luck. So I saw lots of little kids scrambling through the hole quite easily. Seeing adults trying to do it was hilarious. I wasn't sure if the minuscule weight I had lost from sweating it out in the gym for the past few months would mean I could fit through the hole or not...but thought I would try anyway, no harm in making a fool of myself in front of a group of strangers, right? I had asked one of the school girls that was standing around to capture me trying to go through the hole on my digicam. She agreed, looking dubiously at me. Anyway, the trick is to wiggle through positioning your body at an angle with your arms above your head. So I did it and was hoping it was all captured on film, unfortunately the girl was so busy screaming "sugoii, sugoii!!" she forgot to take any photos. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Mon 21st Jun, 2004 (8:36am) - There's a typhoon happening in Japan right now! So I naively rode the bike to school thinking the typhoon seemed fairly mild, in actual fact the typhoon hasn't even hit yet. These Japanese take these weather extremes rather seriously...it just seems like a more windy day than usual.
Jun 25, 2004 - Weekend climbing Mt. Fuji
See previous post
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF9A933AC28&cb=PA
July
Mon July 5th, 2004 (8:18am) - My final 2 weeks of teaching in Japan. It really is true that the older you get, the faster time flies, that should be the theme for my year here. I'm pretty sure I won't miss the act of teaching but I will miss the life here. The simplicity of it all; I wake up, go to school by bike or train, last through the day til 3.30 sometimes doing something fruitful, more often not. I come home, depending on the day of the week I grocery shop (mon), do ikebana (tues), aikido (sometimes! wed), chill (thurs), chill/socialise (fri), travel (sat + sun).
Aikido -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A5AD463AD6B&cb=PA
Ikebana Sayonara -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A83B1E2AC28&cb=PA
Last English Club @ Handa Junior High School -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A3250B2AFFB&cb=PA
Jul 03, 2004 - Nagoya Sumo Tournament
Great tournament. Woke up on Sunday and decided to wing it and turn up at the gym to see if I could get tickets. Worked out well, I got there at midday, there were some seats left. Went in and was entertained for the entire day. I didn't realise that the sport requires so much skill -watching the higher ranked players compete was really gripping.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF97B93AD6D&cb=PA
Jul 10, 2004 - Weekend at Takayama
Monday 12th July 2004 (8:22am) - I love the freedom of getting up in a messy apartmt, eating bfast as an afterthought, throwing a few essentials into a bag + just taking off on the w/e. I went to Takayama + really enjoyed the independence of strolling the temple grounds, buying knick-knacks, taking photos of random statues. It was relaxg and exactly what I needed.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF11193AFDD&cb=PA
Jul 17, 2004 - Weekend at Amanohashidate
Took off for the weekend again, didn't realise how long it would take me to get down to Amanohashidate though! The month before I had resolved to see all 3 of the great views of Japan, so Amanohashidate (Bridge to Heaven) was the 2nd view on my list.
Had worked out how to scam my way around on the trains but requires sitting on local trains the entire way. Took from 10am to 5pm to get there but wasn't that bad since the view on the train ride was so pretty. Kinda went there blind having lost my photocopies from the LP guide, so just winged it and worked out really well. Good weekend just to chill and sort through my thoughts and feelings about leaving Japan.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A08A7D2AFDF&cb=PA
July 24, 2004 - Day trip to Matsushima
The 3rd great view of Japan. So lucky that Fiona's family left their JR railpasses with her. There was 1 day left on the pass so we went up to Matsushima on the shinkansen. Matsushima is about 30mins express train ride from Sendai, which is 2 hours shinkansen north from Tokyo.
It was a great day trip, unfortunately I missed the last train back to Handa. Good thing there were a bunch of JETs partying at ID that night so I went clubbing after a tiring day at Matsushima... which brings everything up to date now since I woke up at 2pm today after getting back to my apartment at 7.30 this morning from ID and chilling at 59's.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AFCD723AFE0&cb=PA
diary entry: Tues Aug 5th, 2003. 9.41pm
I feel very at home here. I know that it hasn't been a week yet but I feel v.comfortable in my apartmt; the freedom + independence is intoxicating. I really love it. I've been cooking for myself, exploring on my own. I am a country bumpkin - suntanned brown + riding on a bike to get to work :)
diary entry: Mon Sep 1st, 2003. 10pm
How can it be Sep already? Time is just flying by here. I have hardly done anything. I have to get my act together and start traveling. Start learning the language. Start making new friends. Start living instead of constantly buying!
My experience really started in September after I settled into life in Handa. The weather had cooled down, I had picked up some survival Japanese, Nagoya had been explored and all the shopping hot spots were duly noted, I was ready to experience the rest of Japan!
September
September 15, 2003 Osaka
Gotta love the three-day weekends here! First big trip sounds really trite as I write about it now but at the time it was so exciting. I went to Osaka with Fiona and Eva, we caught the shinkansen for the first time on our own and it was so nerve-wracking trying to work out how to say "non-reserved seats please" in Japanese...! We sure did cram a lot into that weekend, did the obligatory sights in Osaka city but also checked out the National Judo Championships and also a huge festival in a town (can't remember the name now...) http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF93DC381E6&cb=PA
September 20, 2003 Inuyama, Tagata Jinja and surrounds
Traipsed off to the town of Inuyama on my own, about an hour or so from Nagoya. Checked out Inuyama castle and a couple of strange temples. There was the Penis temple with phalluses of all sizes left there by grateful worshippers. A few train stations down, there was the temple for women with rock formations of vaginas. Very eye-opening experience that weekend...
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A7D73F28273&cb=PA
September 21, 2003 Gifu
Came to the conclusion that this city must contain the highest number of senior citizens...never seen so many old ppl in one city in my life.
October
It takes a little while to get used to the primping and preening, women pulling out huge carry-on bags full of make-up and proceeding to do their face during the train ride. This one time I did a double-take after waking up to a completely new woman at the end of the train ride, her transformation was amazing. For the first month I would walk around marvelling at the men who plucked their eyebrows, couldn't help thinking how much better they would look as women. Now I barely even notice the well-manicured brows or the women who take out razors on the train and proceed to shave their face.
diary entry: Wed Oct 15, 2003. 8:57amI think I am in the midst of culture shock. I have felt annoyed at frequent intervals whenever I see the young japanese people constantly primping and preening....it is such a self-absorbed culture.
This month was memorable because I got a horrific haircut and kindly took myself off the social scene...great opportunity to travel around on my own though which was fun. Learnt how to be more independent and experience things on my own.
Oct 5, 2003. Norikura Mountains, Gifu
Tanaka-sensei invited me to go hiking with her up in the mountains of Gifu. Nice trip, my first experience of an onsen! It's hard to explain how any stress over being naked just dissipates in the presence of so many other naked bodies. Hot baths are amazing, I really look forward to trying out onsens now and will definitely miss it once back in aus.
Oct 13, 2003. Three day weekend in Kyoto
Travelled to Kyoto on my own for three days, absolutely fell in love with the city. It was a fantastic experience seeing the temples, doing the Path of Philosophy, checking out geishas. http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A8FF0F18711&cb=PA
Oct 25, 2003. JET soccer tournament in Nagano
I couldn't keep hiding and managed to make it for the bi-annual JET soccer tournament in Nagano. http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AE405828861&cb=PA
Mon 27th Oct, 2003 (2:47pm) - Nagano was a crazy w/e, it was so incredibly cold, but the soccer playing was fun to watch and the party on sat nite was gd, though it seemed more of a place to hook up w/random ppl and make out.
Oct 31, 2003. Halloween Party @ ID
Pretty crazy fun nite. Made some dinky little animal ears for the girls and we managed to get into ID for free.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=ABA09328951&cb=PA
November
Mon 17 Nov, 2003 (9:55am) - Here I am sitting in school, feeling fat + introspective, eating a cake. I can't stop eating or shopping.
Nov 23, 2003. 3 Day weekend - Hiroshima & Miyajima
Definitely one of my favourite cities in all of Japan. Miyajima is really beautiful, definitely well-deserved as one of the three best views of Japan.http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A383F528CDE&cb=PA
December
This month was nuts, my family came to visit for three weeks....! Did lots of exploring with them, went back to Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Tokyo. New places that I saw with my family - Kobe, Himeji, Yokohama.
Also attended a Japanese friend's wedding! interesting.
January 2004
Mon 12 Jan, 2004 (1:35am) - Family went home on friday + even though i was looking forward to some solitude, I was very surprised to find that I missed all the energy + noise that we made.
Sat 17 Jan, 2004 (10:41am) - I am happy. Right this very moment. I ate a huge bfast, a lot of oreo cookies, did some pilates. I am in my warm loft bed, looking out my balcony to a snow-covered town, snowflakes falling, listening to music, reading an interesting book, feeling at peace in my own apartment. Does it get better than this?
This month was just too cold to even leave my apartment! I have never felt such coldness in my life...chilled constantly to the bones. All I remember doing this month was sitting by my heater, being on Instant Messenger with people complaining about the weather. I ate a lot, sat around amusing myself on the internet and consequently gained lots of weight.
February
Feb 27, 2004 - long weekend in Hokkaido (Sapporo)
Let me clarify, there was no long weekend during this month but being female allowed me to use menstrual leave (according to my contract)...it just so happened I had to recuperate from severe period pain...in Hokkaido...! This was a fun weekend with Fiona, Sarah and Eva. Did lots of shivering, walking, getting lost from our hotel to the Sapporo Beer Garden, partying...Sapporo city itself had a great vibe.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A85D6829A46&cb=PA
March
Wed 24 Mar, 2004 (7:56pm) - A lot has happened this March, all w/some very strange themes. Ok I'll list it, you tell me if this doesn't sound strange to you. I planned a party at a love hotel (with Matt), attended a penis festival and visited a sex museum (hihokan).
Mar 6, 2004 - Love Hotel Party
Matt and I planned a party at a love hotel for Sarah's birthday. It was a crazy night of drinking, j-porn, basketball games, hog-tying contests and karaoke. Lots of karaoke.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A9647A29B32&cb=PA
Mar 14, 2004 - Mie Ninja Museum
One of the teachers from Aoyama JHS took Dwayne and I to Mie prefecture to check out the Ninja town. I can't remember the name of the town, or much of that trip for that matter, I think we had partied it up the night before so it was definitely a struggle staying awake during the day.
Mar 15, 2004 - Penis Festival (Inuyama)
The annual penis festival held at the same temple I visited last year. It was pretty funny, touches of solemnity with the ridiculous. There were maiden women each carrying a wooden penis that ppl would try to touch as they walk by (for good luck...!). The climax was the huge 2m wooden penis hoisted by about 6 men entering the temple. It took a few tries before they could stagger through the door (sorry for the inadvertent puns!)
This was then followed by people throwing mochi rocks at the spectators from the first storey balcony of the temple. The projectile mochi were dangerous stuff!
Mar 20, 2004 - Hihokan (Mie)
Thanks to Fiona's great research skills, she found a sex museum that was still open in Mie. We couldn't find much about the museum itself but a well-placed call by Dwayne to the museum confirmed that it was in fact still open to the public. So after some quick directions, Fiona and I set off to Mie thinking it was the funniest thing we could possibly do on an otherwise normal Saturday morning.
Fast-forward to Sat afternoon upon leaving the hihokan, with us both traumatised beyond imagination wanting desperately to get out of the very freaky town that housed the equally freaky hihokan. Ok so it sounds very melodramatic but we were both really traumatised by the experience. The hihokan wasn't some simple porn exhibition that we were expecting, it had horribly gruesome exhibits of beheadings, torture, bestiality, motion-sensored exhibits that sent us both screaming and the final straw, a lone pony in her stall standing around waiting for her nightly 8pm rape session with a stallion. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We can laugh about it now...but it took a good week before I felt normal again.
Mar 25 to Apr 5 - Thailand
Mar 24, 2004 7.56pm - Am heading off to Thailand tomorrow + am feeling SO sick! Never felt my entire body ache like this, how on earth am I going to do a jungle trek for 2 days? I hope I recover soon because this feels awful!
The trip itself was amazing but no, I didn't recover in time and ended up nearly hospitalised at the end of the trip! Did the 2 day jungle trek, through burning logs no less! Also rode an elephant through the Maetang River which was an amazing experience, did bamboo rafting for 4 hours. Went to Krabi and at Tonsai island did snorkeling, swimming, rock climbing. Visited Ayuthaya which was awesome. The entire trip was great though on the final day, Fiona got food poisoning and by that time I had run up a fever. We both ended up at the hospital, I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. It was an eventful trip that's for sure and I am glad I didn't let my bad health get in the way of doing all that amazing stuff in Thailand.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A5718239F5C&cb=PA
April
Apr 11, 2004 - Onbashira Festival (Nagano)
This festival is only held once every 7 years so that was the selling point for a group of us (including my friend Pommy from Aus) to get up at 5.30am in the morning to board a train for Nagano to check it out. I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea why a bunch of otherwise sane men would all jump on a huge log as it rolls down a hill. I am sure there is some historical story about it, I think it involves building some temples in that area. Interesting trip up, was pretty exhausted though so apparently (allegedly) I threw a tantrum that would do a 2 yr old proud. Like I said; apparently, allegedly. I can't remember any of it. I deny all knowledge.
Apr 25 - May 9 2004 - China
Mon 10th May, 2004 (9.30am) - I came back yesterday from a 2 week trip to China. What an eye-opening experience; I was simultaneously in awe and repulsed. Awe due to the relics and the knowledge that I was facing a part of my heritage for the first time; and repulsion from the filth and crudeness of the Chinese locals for which I felt an affinity to. I was rather confused by my identity while I was there. I felt like I belonged b/c I could speak the language and understand the culture, but the deeper I delved, the more I realised that simply being able to speak the language did not make me an insider.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AD4CA22A4EF&cb=PA
May
Friday 14 May 2004 (8:30am) - Last night I went out to Nagoya to Elephant's Nest, the regular hang-out for JETs. It's a cool, relaxed, low-key place. I'm still in awe over how many great ppl I've met on this program. Even though I have a close-knit of friends that I hang out w/, there are a lot of others whom I get along well with. So my closest friend here + w/whom I share most of my experiences would be Dwayne. I can't imagine this year w/o him. He's been my greatest support here and has made life here a lot more comfortable and enjoyable. We treat each other like brother + sister + he is genuinely the nicest guy I have ever met. Next would be Fiona, after Thailand I think we have really bonded. She is the person I can plan activities w/, the flamboyant one who is wise beyond her years.
May 14, 2004 - Weekend at Okayama
My cousin Vicki came to visit me from Colorado. We hadn't seen each other for 14 years so I was glad we were able to spend time together that weekend in Okayama. Fiona found a great little villa in Hattoji that was still in its original condition, with a thatched roof and one of those iron bath tubs. We also went and stayed in Ushimado (also in Okayama prefecture). It was such a chill weekend and a welcome return back to nature. I realise now that I really love inaka...! The cities like Tokyo and Osaka just leave me cold.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AD303D2A4F0&cb=PA
diary entry: Just came back fr the computer room after researching into the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It sounds absolutely incredible + I really think it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Fiona suggested we bike the trail which will take approx. 3 wks to do, whilst we camp outdoors....I also want to do Tibet + Nepal. How else will I ever have the time or the ability to do this? I must seize the opportunities + make the most of it. I believe this may well ease the restlessness I feel and allow me to return home w/ a greater sense of well-being. Of course I don't want to place too many expectations on this. After all, it's just another way for me to delay my return home...I have an escape complex!
This was the weekend Fiona and I talked about the Shikoku pigrimage. Our original plans were to bike the trail which would take 3 weeks and then head back to our respective countries. I have no idea how it ballooned to include other parts of Asia. The itin then evolved into 6 weeks in China, Tibet and Nepal (total). Of course now that it has been finalised, the Shikoku pilgrimage is now 6 weeks long bc we plan to hike the entire trail rather than bike it. The 6 weeks in all three of those countries? Well, there are landslide warnings in the Nepalese region right now, so we substituted Mongolia in its stead. From 1.5 weeks in China, 1.5 weeks in Tibet, 10 days in Mongolia...it has somehow stretched to a month in each of those places. And of course since we are traveling back to Japan anyway, we might as well stop over in Korea for about a week...
Here is an essay that a past JET wrote about the Shikoku pilgrimage that was really inspiring:
http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/new/essay03/02_2.html
May 28, 2004 - Tokyo Disneyland
An all-round disappointment really. Being able to compare it to the Anaheim and Orlando disneylands brought up lots of shortcomings in the Tokyo one. Oh well, am glad I did it though, it was on my to-do list and I really wouldn't have known if I had never checked it out.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF80023A6CB&cb=PA
June
Wed 9 Jun, 2004 (12:11pm) - I know I keep saying this but I can't believe how fast time is flying. I guess the more I try to hold on, the more I feel it slipping away.
Jun 17, 2004. Nara
The one month with no 3 day weekends! Luckily the school I was at had scheduled school trips for all the grades on this day so I unexpectedly found myself with a day off. Took myself off to Nara as I had been itching to go for a while. Checked out the temple housing the famous big daibutsu (buddha). At the back of this temple there is a pillar that has a hole at the bottom the size of one of the the daibutsu's nostril. The popular belief is that if you can crawl through this hole, you will be blessed with good luck. So I saw lots of little kids scrambling through the hole quite easily. Seeing adults trying to do it was hilarious. I wasn't sure if the minuscule weight I had lost from sweating it out in the gym for the past few months would mean I could fit through the hole or not...but thought I would try anyway, no harm in making a fool of myself in front of a group of strangers, right? I had asked one of the school girls that was standing around to capture me trying to go through the hole on my digicam. She agreed, looking dubiously at me. Anyway, the trick is to wiggle through positioning your body at an angle with your arms above your head. So I did it and was hoping it was all captured on film, unfortunately the girl was so busy screaming "sugoii, sugoii!!" she forgot to take any photos. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Mon 21st Jun, 2004 (8:36am) - There's a typhoon happening in Japan right now! So I naively rode the bike to school thinking the typhoon seemed fairly mild, in actual fact the typhoon hasn't even hit yet. These Japanese take these weather extremes rather seriously...it just seems like a more windy day than usual.
Jun 25, 2004 - Weekend climbing Mt. Fuji
See previous post
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF9A933AC28&cb=PA
July
Mon July 5th, 2004 (8:18am) - My final 2 weeks of teaching in Japan. It really is true that the older you get, the faster time flies, that should be the theme for my year here. I'm pretty sure I won't miss the act of teaching but I will miss the life here. The simplicity of it all; I wake up, go to school by bike or train, last through the day til 3.30 sometimes doing something fruitful, more often not. I come home, depending on the day of the week I grocery shop (mon), do ikebana (tues), aikido (sometimes! wed), chill (thurs), chill/socialise (fri), travel (sat + sun).
Aikido -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A5AD463AD6B&cb=PA
Ikebana Sayonara -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A83B1E2AC28&cb=PA
Last English Club @ Handa Junior High School -
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A3250B2AFFB&cb=PA
Jul 03, 2004 - Nagoya Sumo Tournament
Great tournament. Woke up on Sunday and decided to wing it and turn up at the gym to see if I could get tickets. Worked out well, I got there at midday, there were some seats left. Went in and was entertained for the entire day. I didn't realise that the sport requires so much skill -watching the higher ranked players compete was really gripping.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF97B93AD6D&cb=PA
Jul 10, 2004 - Weekend at Takayama
Monday 12th July 2004 (8:22am) - I love the freedom of getting up in a messy apartmt, eating bfast as an afterthought, throwing a few essentials into a bag + just taking off on the w/e. I went to Takayama + really enjoyed the independence of strolling the temple grounds, buying knick-knacks, taking photos of random statues. It was relaxg and exactly what I needed.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF11193AFDD&cb=PA
Jul 17, 2004 - Weekend at Amanohashidate
Took off for the weekend again, didn't realise how long it would take me to get down to Amanohashidate though! The month before I had resolved to see all 3 of the great views of Japan, so Amanohashidate (Bridge to Heaven) was the 2nd view on my list.
Had worked out how to scam my way around on the trains but requires sitting on local trains the entire way. Took from 10am to 5pm to get there but wasn't that bad since the view on the train ride was so pretty. Kinda went there blind having lost my photocopies from the LP guide, so just winged it and worked out really well. Good weekend just to chill and sort through my thoughts and feelings about leaving Japan.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A08A7D2AFDF&cb=PA
July 24, 2004 - Day trip to Matsushima
The 3rd great view of Japan. So lucky that Fiona's family left their JR railpasses with her. There was 1 day left on the pass so we went up to Matsushima on the shinkansen. Matsushima is about 30mins express train ride from Sendai, which is 2 hours shinkansen north from Tokyo.
It was a great day trip, unfortunately I missed the last train back to Handa. Good thing there were a bunch of JETs partying at ID that night so I went clubbing after a tiring day at Matsushima... which brings everything up to date now since I woke up at 2pm today after getting back to my apartment at 7.30 this morning from ID and chilling at 59's.
http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AFCD723AFE0&cb=PA
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
My itinerary
This is a rough flight itinerary, it will most probably change!
July 30 - Nagoya to Shanghai (Pu dong airport) CA442 -- 14:30 - 16:00
Sep 16 - Beijing to Ulan Bator (Buyant Uhaa airport) OM224 -- 09:30 - 12:45
Oct 1 - Ulan Bator to Seoul (Incheon) OM301 -- 6:45 - 10:50
Oct 14 - Busan to Nagoya JL988 -- 14:20 - 15:45
July 30 - Nagoya to Shanghai (Pu dong airport) CA442 -- 14:30 - 16:00
Sep 16 - Beijing to Ulan Bator (Buyant Uhaa airport) OM224 -- 09:30 - 12:45
Oct 1 - Ulan Bator to Seoul (Incheon) OM301 -- 6:45 - 10:50
Oct 14 - Busan to Nagoya JL988 -- 14:20 - 15:45
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Mt Fuji
Last weekend I climbed Mt.Fuji.
How banal does that sound written like that? I feel like it should be shouted from the rooftops - "LAST WEEKEND I CLIMBED MT FUJI!"
I realise now that I never accorded Mt. Fuji with the respect it deserves. Seen from afar it looks like a pretty mountain, simple in its symmetry, easily seen from the shink ride to Tokyo, perhaps due to its fame, I found it slightly over-rated. Climbing Mt. Fuji was high up on my to-do list before coming to Japan though, seeing the sunrise on the summit was something I wrote about in my diary pre-Japan, it was something I had to do. *mental note: must post to-do list for reference* I always knew I was going to do it but I never really thought about the logistics of the climb.
So that was my state of mind, catching the 6.30AM train on Saturday with Fiona after staying at her place the night before. It took about 5 hours to get there by local train and bus. We got there at noon and proceeded our climb without too much thought. Saturday was a perfect day, we were absolutely blessed with one of those rare clear days where we could see right to the bottom. Apparently these perfect days happen about twice a year (on our way down on Sunday everything was obscured by low hanging clouds and fog, at times I could barely see 10m ahead). Ascending on the Yamanashi trail (5th station), I kept looking back in awe at the view below me. I could see the lakes, the tiny sprawling city spread before me, in the distance there were other mountain ranges blurred into each other. It was breathtaking. I looked to the top and thought to myself, that doesn't look too far....
The high altitude was a struggle for me from the very beginning though. Carrying a backpack containing a tent, sleeping bag, food and water didn't help. We had carelessly disregarded the warnings on websites and at the entrance that read, 'No Camping'. The rough plan was, we would pitch our tents before dark away from prying eyes, sleep for about 5 hours and begin climbing again at midnight in order to make it to the summit. In theory, this was what happened. In practice...well try pitching a tent on spiky lava rocks (Mt. Fuji is after all, a dormant volcano), at an incline, while (what felt like) gale-force winds were blowing at an altitude of approximately 3000m. It didn't help that this was the first time I had ever pitched a tent in my life and guess where I left the instructions on how to pitch my new tent? Yep on my coffee table at home. Somehow...the tent was pitched after about 45 mins (during which some Japanese tourists on the trail decided to take some happy snaps of our struggle, so much for getting away from prying eyes). At about 7pm and Fiona and I settled into our respective tents for a much needed rest after our 6 hour climb. Umm...yeah, easier said than done. Everytime I moved, the rocks felt like they were stabbing me, I was sleeping on an incline and was only held back from rolling down by one of the rocks I used to anchor down my tent. The wind was blowing so hard I had visions of being lifted off the mountain and blown off the cliff. So that's why warnings abound about not camping on Mt.Fuji...lol
After hardly any sleep, we decided to get packing at about 11.30pm and resume our climb to the summit. Luckily we decided to peg our backpacks somewhere and do the climb without the added weight, you have no idea how many times I said a prayer of thanks that the backpack was not on my back! It was hard enough climbing in freezing temperatures, in the dark, with only a torchlight as a guide. The higher we ascended, the more affected I was by the altitude. It felt like we needed to rest after every 10 steps, the climb was very slow going. More than once we thought we would not make it before sunrise.
The final hurdle was having to crawl on my hands and knees over some huge rocks to get to the summit. The sky was lightening, I was considering quitting due to sheer exhaustion, lack of oxygen and I thought, I was never going to make it, all I could see before me were rocks and more rocks. BUT just as I was rounding a corner, this guy overtakes me, literally running up the rocks! As he passed, he patted me on the back, told me I was nearly there and to keep going. I muttered a, "yeah right" and some other not-very-nice thoughts about how fit some ppl were, when I suddenly realised that as I was distracted by my thoughts...I had reached the summit!
We were there 15mins before the sun rose, sitting in freezing temperatures and high winds which wasn't all that pleasant after working up a sweat, all the while in awe and puzzlement over how far we came and that we had actually made it to the SUMMIT! The sunrise was beautiful and was over all too soon, the low temperatures sent us clamouring back down the mountain. The descent was just as difficult as the ascent, especially with a backpack that felt like would topple me at any moment. Didn't help that the rocks and dirt kept shifting beneath me. It was a hard slog down, all up on Sunday we had scrambled around on Mt.Fuji for almost 10hours straight, including times when we had lost our trail and had to trudge on even further. In sheer exhaustion we collapsed at the first restaurant we saw and ate the first hot meal we had for the last 2 days.
Thinking back on it now, the climb was ultimately worth it. We were truly blessed with such perfect weather on the climb up on the first day. The sunrise was absolutely beautiful. Despite the hellish experience I described here, I am so glad I did it - BUT as they say (and I rather badly paraphrase) - you should climb Mt.Fuji once, but you would be a fool to climb Mt.Fuji twice.
How banal does that sound written like that? I feel like it should be shouted from the rooftops - "LAST WEEKEND I CLIMBED MT FUJI!"
I realise now that I never accorded Mt. Fuji with the respect it deserves. Seen from afar it looks like a pretty mountain, simple in its symmetry, easily seen from the shink ride to Tokyo, perhaps due to its fame, I found it slightly over-rated. Climbing Mt. Fuji was high up on my to-do list before coming to Japan though, seeing the sunrise on the summit was something I wrote about in my diary pre-Japan, it was something I had to do. *mental note: must post to-do list for reference* I always knew I was going to do it but I never really thought about the logistics of the climb.
So that was my state of mind, catching the 6.30AM train on Saturday with Fiona after staying at her place the night before. It took about 5 hours to get there by local train and bus. We got there at noon and proceeded our climb without too much thought. Saturday was a perfect day, we were absolutely blessed with one of those rare clear days where we could see right to the bottom. Apparently these perfect days happen about twice a year (on our way down on Sunday everything was obscured by low hanging clouds and fog, at times I could barely see 10m ahead). Ascending on the Yamanashi trail (5th station), I kept looking back in awe at the view below me. I could see the lakes, the tiny sprawling city spread before me, in the distance there were other mountain ranges blurred into each other. It was breathtaking. I looked to the top and thought to myself, that doesn't look too far....
The high altitude was a struggle for me from the very beginning though. Carrying a backpack containing a tent, sleeping bag, food and water didn't help. We had carelessly disregarded the warnings on websites and at the entrance that read, 'No Camping'. The rough plan was, we would pitch our tents before dark away from prying eyes, sleep for about 5 hours and begin climbing again at midnight in order to make it to the summit. In theory, this was what happened. In practice...well try pitching a tent on spiky lava rocks (Mt. Fuji is after all, a dormant volcano), at an incline, while (what felt like) gale-force winds were blowing at an altitude of approximately 3000m. It didn't help that this was the first time I had ever pitched a tent in my life and guess where I left the instructions on how to pitch my new tent? Yep on my coffee table at home. Somehow...the tent was pitched after about 45 mins (during which some Japanese tourists on the trail decided to take some happy snaps of our struggle, so much for getting away from prying eyes). At about 7pm and Fiona and I settled into our respective tents for a much needed rest after our 6 hour climb. Umm...yeah, easier said than done. Everytime I moved, the rocks felt like they were stabbing me, I was sleeping on an incline and was only held back from rolling down by one of the rocks I used to anchor down my tent. The wind was blowing so hard I had visions of being lifted off the mountain and blown off the cliff. So that's why warnings abound about not camping on Mt.Fuji...lol
After hardly any sleep, we decided to get packing at about 11.30pm and resume our climb to the summit. Luckily we decided to peg our backpacks somewhere and do the climb without the added weight, you have no idea how many times I said a prayer of thanks that the backpack was not on my back! It was hard enough climbing in freezing temperatures, in the dark, with only a torchlight as a guide. The higher we ascended, the more affected I was by the altitude. It felt like we needed to rest after every 10 steps, the climb was very slow going. More than once we thought we would not make it before sunrise.
The final hurdle was having to crawl on my hands and knees over some huge rocks to get to the summit. The sky was lightening, I was considering quitting due to sheer exhaustion, lack of oxygen and I thought, I was never going to make it, all I could see before me were rocks and more rocks. BUT just as I was rounding a corner, this guy overtakes me, literally running up the rocks! As he passed, he patted me on the back, told me I was nearly there and to keep going. I muttered a, "yeah right" and some other not-very-nice thoughts about how fit some ppl were, when I suddenly realised that as I was distracted by my thoughts...I had reached the summit!
We were there 15mins before the sun rose, sitting in freezing temperatures and high winds which wasn't all that pleasant after working up a sweat, all the while in awe and puzzlement over how far we came and that we had actually made it to the SUMMIT! The sunrise was beautiful and was over all too soon, the low temperatures sent us clamouring back down the mountain. The descent was just as difficult as the ascent, especially with a backpack that felt like would topple me at any moment. Didn't help that the rocks and dirt kept shifting beneath me. It was a hard slog down, all up on Sunday we had scrambled around on Mt.Fuji for almost 10hours straight, including times when we had lost our trail and had to trudge on even further. In sheer exhaustion we collapsed at the first restaurant we saw and ate the first hot meal we had for the last 2 days.
Thinking back on it now, the climb was ultimately worth it. We were truly blessed with such perfect weather on the climb up on the first day. The sunrise was absolutely beautiful. Despite the hellish experience I described here, I am so glad I did it - BUT as they say (and I rather badly paraphrase) - you should climb Mt.Fuji once, but you would be a fool to climb Mt.Fuji twice.
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