O hanami!!

Hello ya'll. I just thought I'd post some overdue pictures. These were taken in the middle of April in a small town called Funaoka, which is 30 minutes south by train from Sendai. My co-workers, some students and I went to see the cherry blossoms and have our annual party. Funaoka has a hill and a riverfront which are both covered with cherry trees (there are 1000 trees along the river). We chose to have the party on the hill because there are lots of food vendors half way up the hill. Unfortunately, the weather was some of the worst in a long time for April, so it was cold and raining a little. So we packed up the party after about 2 hours and went back to Sendai to have an indoor second party.

If you ever plan to come to Japan, I highly recommend coming in early to mid April so you can see the cherry trees in full bloom.

As for present events, I'm back to work this week after having had 9 days off for Golden Week, the series of holidays in late April/early May in Japan. It's been another fast week at GEOS (and fun). I'll post some pics from GW next time (^_^).

Kansai Part 3

A very speedy third installment. I figured I'd finish off my trip to se Sean in one day because I have a lot of other things I'd like to post.

On my third day in the Kansai area went to Nara, the first capital of Japan long before Tokyo or Kyoto. Sean used to live here, but he had to move in late January/early February, so it was about 45 minutes away by train from his new apartment. We went to Nara park, which is home to several hundred deer that are allowed to roam around freely. They can be a bit dangerous for young children (r if you're trying to feed them), but mostly they're docile and sit there watching you or looking for something to eat.

Also located in the park is Todaiji, the world's largest wooden structure, which houses the largest statue of Buddha in Japan. It was really impressive, and a model inside the building showed what the site looked 500 years ago when there was an even larger building and two 7-storey pagodas flanking the site. There are 2 large statues of Buddha in Japan (both are called daibutsu). The smaller statue is south of Tokyo in the city of Kamakura and I was able to see it in December 2005. Both statues have different peaceful poses, but I actually prefer the Kamakura daibutsu; it's not inside a building, and I saw it on a clear and quiet day, which made it more enjoyable to gaze at. It's hard to describe the difference, so you'll just have to come to Japan to see them both (^_^). If I remember then I'll post a picture of the other statue soon.

After the park, Sean and I had a nice lunch and then had to make the long train ride back to the Osaka airport. We played 2 games of chess on the train to pass the time, and to the amusement of the many people around us. Foreigners usually get stared at in Japan, but I'd never felt so many eyes on us as during our games. The couple sitting across from us were watching the game's progress more than us, and I regret that I disappointed them with my poor playing. Sean beat me easily. We started a second game, which was turning out to be one of the best that I've ever played (I was finally warmed up), but we had to change trains, so we had to abandon it.

I still have the picture of the board layout Sean, so I'd be up for continuing it i we get a chance.

So that's the end of my trip. I got back to Sendai just after 8pm and I had the next day to rest up. I love the Kansai area and the people. They're sooo friendly and I wish I could've met more. Hopefully I'll be able to visit again this year......Christmas perhaps???

Kansai Part 2

Ok, so it's really really overdue, but here's some pictures from the 2nd day of my trip to visit Sean in the Kansai area of Japan.

Day 2 was a trip to Kyoto and to Mount Kurama, which is close to the city. We went with three of Sean's friends to climb the mountain and visit the temple at the top. Sean's friend Mari brought her video camera with her, so we made a silly samurai movie near the summit, which involved sword fighting with sticks and throwing snow balls like they were ninja stars. I hope they didn't put it on youtube (>_<). The temple was very nice and peaceful (thanks to it being a Monday). The most interesting feature was the basement of the temple, which is a mausoleum for followers of the Buddhist religion (I think the temple at Mt. Kurama was for a smaller Buddhist sect). The room was darkly lit and was full of corridors of urns that we walked down. It was a bit eerie, but I don't think I'll ever forget the experience.

Sean and I then headed off to Kyoto to see Kiyomizudera, one of Kyotos most famous temples (and currently on the list of nominees for the "new 7 wonders of the world"). There was an excellent view of the city from the main temple and lots of shops where I bought some souvenirs for my co-workers in Sendai. I felt like a tourist again when I visited Kiyomizudera; Sean too. We saw many foreigners taking pictures and it was a bit strange being able to understand what they were saying. I've gotten used to not being able to understand the background conversations in restaurants and shops. It's nice not having to hear all the strange things that people say to each other in public (I heard enough of that at Christmas when I went home for 2 weeks).

After the temple we met up with Sean's friend again for dinner in Kyoto. We went to an izakaya that was like an amusement park dungeon. The staff wre wearing prison style costumes and at one point some "monsters" broke loose, so we had to stay put in our cells (table) and watch as the monsters ran around making noise and scaring the other customers. Only in Japan....

Sean and I then went back to Hirakata to watch a movie and have some snacks at his apartment. I bought a 1-litre can of beer because Sean had always wanted to collect the can. I couldn't finish it, but he got his souvenir. And it came from a vending machine!!! No lousy LCBO or Beer Store here, haha! (^_^).