Ise Jingu

the short story is walled off temple and shrine buildings that you try to see through trees and over fences, unless you happen to be part of the imperial family, or a priest, or a small group of those holy types. needless to say, we looked in from afar



the highlights were the lack of crowds and cool refuge from the hot sun, oh and the wildlife



for anymore information please click here

http://jogoestojapan.blogspot.com/

and just to prove i was there

so it's 0:13 monday morning, tomorrow Jo and I will be heading to Ise to visit the very popular Ise-jingu and the neighboring small town, maybe have some lobster and maybe have some beef, Ise beef is the second best in Japan, so take that to the bank.

a spoon full of sugar

helps the absynthe go down! Step one, pour your absynthe, step two put sugar on a spoon and heat it till it melts, then dump stir and enjoy.

Oh, did i mention i had some of this too



that's right! there's a snake in that jar o whiskey. Also a ginger root and some seeds. HIs mouth has been pried open so the venom would get into the mix. Tasted like a strong almond whiskey.

Lets just say the night included drinking, fireworks and an 8am bedtime.
A local bar was closing so it was the closing festivities.

rainy days

It's Friday today, and I'm pretty sure its been raining since Saturday. On the up side, its been nice and cool.  Forecast looks like more rain at least through tuesday, and  I thought the rainy season was over, oh well.  I was supposed to get up early and go hand out pamphlets at a local high school, but thanks to the rain no dice. So i've just been relaxing in bed, looking at the news and staring into space. Jo and I are trying t othink of somewhere to go for the weekend.  If I didnt have class on Sunday we'd probably go to Hiroshima, but it's a 2hr trek on the shinkansen, which kills a large chunk of time and there are closer options, just have to figure them out.  At some point i hope we'll get out to do a hike near kyoto, its a 5 to 7 hour hike over rivers, past 8 waterfalls and through some rocky terrain, it sounds pretty fun. well, i guess i should get up and head into work, its my day to do the cleaning.  Somehow i've managed to get ahead with my prepwork for Tomorrow and tuesday, so im not feeling too rushed, maybe ill go in and clean then come back home for a while.  anyway, have a good day

days off

So Jo and I got our days in december approved. That means we'll have a good chunk of time off, i think its from the 24th to the 4th of jan, which means we will most likely be travelling. So far there are a couple of places on the table, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Thailand, Korea maybe China. Who knows. And its almost August, which means the family is getting ready to head out.

time to iron and goto work.

Knuckles?

Did liz nichols post a comment?

Did she pass her Div3?
Was she holed up for the past 8 months catching up on the past four years of slacking?

What is she doing now?

its hot

that's right, its really hot here, and humid, its crazy, stays around 83 even at midnight

i have a feeling the air conditioner may be put into effect soon

so heres a picture of one of my friends who lives outside my apartment



he's about the size of your head, honest

and there are a few of him kicking around, lots of turtles too

so

do you like frogs?

house arrest

catchy title huh?

here's a quick note to give ya'll the heads up that i now have the internet at my apartment
go me!

and my nifty airport express is doing its job quite nicely, although, if anyone has any pointers on how

i can have a password on the signal, AND use my DS to connect to nintendo WIFI,

id greatly appreciate any ideas

anyway, laundry calls,

and i should prep breakfast and lunch

any questions

wow eeee

so i thought id be getting internet access at my apartment around the 5th, guess i was dreaming cuz its not until the 7th, rats

once i have it at home ill be messing with everyone trying to convince you to download gizmo and have a talky talk with good old dave-o-mate as my aussie friend germaine likes to call me.

i'm kind of in the mood for questions, doesn't anyone have any questions about Japan????? Not that i have all the answers, but hey i am living here, i'm still alive and not doing too bad.

so please ask.

Christina, i asked my students if they were interested in an email buddy and one has a few already, in and out of japan, she used to live in Kentucky so eh. but the other girl in the class seemed interested so ill give her your email and hopefully get hers. I would imagine that she'll be scared/shy to initiate contact. cool.

does branden (brandon?) read this how about your parents??

so from the topic of my little cousins

he has the xbox 360 (yes i know incorrect use of the article the, deal)
and a PSP

and its too bad, because NINTENDO owns the future of gaming end of story

DS is way way way better than the PSP
and the WIi will put the 360 to shame,

ok you still get halo 3 (and yes ill probably partake in such madness when it happens).


=================================
=================================

any way, back to the idea of QUESTIONS...

please ask, I work for an international "the man"
i teach English,
I live in a country where i dont speak most of the language
i eat crazy things

I want you to visit, but maybe you dont have the time / money

so ask me things, it'll be fun

and where's the Dolan contingent ?????

is it because i'm american???

watch it cuz the Thomson etc clan is like the yakuza,
hahahahahahaha

ok, so that is a total lie, had you for a second though

Yarrrrrr!

so the other weekend jo some japanese peeps and a trainer went to see da vinci code

its decent, as in sub par decent, but they could have made it worse.


i suppose this it me being out.
have to try to configure my airport express to work with my ds

its digital getdown time!

shane you better be reading and then you better get that reference

new toys

id post something substantial, but im too busy trying to get this wireless router to work with my ds

computers are fun.

another day

I know you all miss me!

Not that much has been going on. thank you for the comments and mails and everything, always appreciated.

i dont remember what i was going to write

whatever, there were a couple of new photos, so that's cool right.

things are same old same old here in good ol japan.

wah hoo!

oh yeah, flick, they do have western style hotels, everywhere really, just thought the tatami style would be interesting and it was about $60 a night

Kyoto 2

Little bit more time between posts than i had originally planned, but oh well.

so, day two, got up out of the hotel, found an atm in the subway and took for a stroll through a narrow strret market called nishiki. Lots of fresh eel fish and fried things on display, there was also a ver interesting knife shop that sold knives for anything you could ever want a knife for.

breakfast was at a fun little bakery place and then we were off for more sights

our fist stop was Kinkakuji Temple (Golden temple) Yes folks its actually gold, and i guess the floor on the top floor is made of mirror.

there was the main pond temple are and then there wer some smaller water spots with mini islands and statues. It was a very impressive sight. You get your ticket alk for about 10 secs turn the cornere and boom, there it is.



it was very peaceful, a very different atmosphere from Kinkakuji.

Next we walked up a hill and down a hill, met a very nice Finnish woman who was really lost, we helped point her in the right direction.

Then we went to Ryoanji temple, known for its zen rock garden and surrounding garden area



next it was on the bus, to a bus station to another bus to Ginkakuji Temple (Silver temple) not actually silver but the temple grounds were much more vast than the golden temple area

Kyoto - the run down 1 of X

I think i will split this into 2 separate posts, im not really sure why. I guess i have a fairly short attention span and its easier to concentrate one two smaller things than one massive chunk... right? And i guess Jo and i also spent 2 days there.

right now my camera is importing, and i now see that i took 124 pictures, bless digital.. right?

So a quick intro, Kyoto has many effects on you, and i would definitely put the idea that it makes you feel like you are IN Japan. At least the Japan a lot of people think about, quiet gardens, impressive temples and zen.

Day one began around 9:30 / 10:00 am, after a fun fulled night of evil dead 1 and a bit of evil dead 2! The original plan was for Jo to go early and for me to follow after my class. We were also originally going to take a JR train that would take us about 2.5 hours Nagoya to Kyoto with one transfer.

Instead i decided to skip class, it didnt look like it was anything i couldnt just drill and learn on my own. And then we decided to hit the shinkansen! Which takes about 40 min Nagoya to Kyoto, direct. It's fast, and it's awesome!

After we found the Shinkansen vending machines we got our tickets (go english friendly machines!) we found our way to the platform. Neither of us had eaten yet so i bought some Pretz sticks (kinda like the non-pretzl combo coating) and some chili flavored odd crisp things (very tasty). Then we found a little booth that did soups etc, i decided to get a quick something before the train. So again with the vending machines!

so, funny story, i can semi-read katakana, the character set for foreign words, and Jo is pretty good at it too. Both of us work out it says something like topoungu -> topping. but i still proceed to get the ticket from the machine and then i hand it to the woman working and she shows the other woman and then tell me no. well more they mightve said something iie (no) and then we realized that i actually didnt order anything except a topping, kinda like going into pizza hut and ordering pepperoni but no pizza! good times
the soup was delicious though, and i finally figured out what those odd little shaving are that go on so many things, dried fish shavings!

ok so the shinkansen trip was spent planning the day, looking through the Lonely Planet Japan etc.

We got in and, wow, Kyoto station is really really cool, i shouldve taken more pictures. just super cool.

imagine 1.5 lambeau fields in size, and the escalators are so cool, instead of the usual go up, turn and go up again
you just go up walk forward and go up, it might sound lame but its cool when you do it, and you can see so far into the station


anyway, we hit the kyoto international center area for non japanese speakers, which is conveniently located way behind everything and on the somethingth floor. they help us out with hotel, give us directions, and we're off, we get to the bus area and buy some day passes.
the busses in kyoto are 220 yen per ride, but you can buy a day pass for 500 yen that's unlimited, a very good deal.

we went to the hotel, paid and dropped off a bag, check in wasnt for another hour or so. and we were off, at least to the hotel lobby area where we finalised our plans. oh no, did anyone catch the s in finalized, the British english is taking over, damn.

our first destination was
============================
Sanjuusangendou Temple:

features include 1000 statues of Buddha, full human size each having like 30 arms and hands
1 statue of buddha, massive size also having 30 arms
all of them are made of Japanese cyprus
I think i read that it took 70 people over a hundred years to finish, yeah

Powerful and dynamic statues of the Thunder God and Wind God at each end. Dynamic meaning crazy facial expressions, bulging muscles with veins and craziness

28 life size statues of divine generals and other deities, some borrowed from hindu faiths, some just plain awesome.

one interesting point is that they were all made in parts and tehn assembled coated and colored, when you see them you'll understand
its awesome, and no its not hot dog awesome, its truly AWESOME

you should check out the pictures on flickr, the outer area was very nice
very quiet, despite the roads just outside the gates, there was a little pond and an interesting bell tower. And who can forget the nifty fish in the water!
next->
-------------------------------
Kiyomizu Temple via a mosoleum

we then took a bus to a stop near Kiyomizu temple and wandered into something else, some sorta shrine or temple, who knows there everywhere in Kyoto. We realized we were not where we thought we were and started climbing up a road. We took the road less travelled and walked up a narrow road surrounded by graves, i think. Im not sure on the burial practices here, but look at the pics



my better photos were corrupted for some reason... go digital!
ill try to get some from Jo, but the scope of this area was intense, if you've ever been to or heard about Arlington cemetery in VA. kinda like that. I doubt it has the same historical significane, but it was massive.

We arrived at Kiyomizu and it was very strange after having been so secluded on the way up, foreigners everywhere, japanese school kids everywhere, crazy.

We went in and it was a nice change from Sanjusangendo. Kiyomizu is spread over a large area, many structures and some nice scenery and views from the hillside,


japanese architecture is fun to look at and wander through. Kiyomizu has this area that is devoted to matchmaking,

theres a crazy rabbit and guy and then there are these two rocks that you are supposed to walk from one to another with your eyes closed, if you do it and dont die you're supposed to find that special someone.



there were some nice flowers

and a little water fall/fountain thing that you got to drink from. it tasted a little funny, but maybe it was the ultraviolet



=========================

after Kiyomizu we wandered down some streets, and one of the cart carrying guys asked us if we were lost. Which was funny, cuz we didnt know where we were going, but didnt care, so it was hard to answer.

we decided to goto Gion, an area famous for nightlife maybe and geishsa, i think.

we wanted to goto a restaurant that was supposed to have good tenpura, and they wake it right there while you eat/chat.

The place is called Ozawa, and it took us a while but w found it, when in doubt, just go up and down every crossroad till you find it!

so the set cost 3800 yen and you got a small pickle appetizer, tenpura (we got shrimp sandwich, quail egg, shiitake, prawn, fish, asparagus, eggplant, i think squid wrapped in something [tasted like soap], corn, some other things too) a very dark and tasty miso soup, and then fish/prawn tenpura over rice. it was very tasty.

Then we wandered to find an atm, which was largely unsuccessful, went to an irish pub, apparently the first in japan, or maybe kyoto. i wasnt impressed.

then it was back to the hotel, a japanese tatami mat room,
[pi
shoes off right after entering the room, they had a public bath on the first floor, we didnt try it though

they had our shower area locked too, who knows, the guy was very nice and unlocked when jo went to ask, she lost the rock paper scissors round!

and then it was bed time.

and now it is bed time, hopefully ill post this in the morning before work.
hope you had fun
and ill do the next installment soon

out

and theyre back

we made it, kyoto, temples and now we're back

and i will deal with photos and a writeup later

as they say in british english world

im knackered

dave who?

yeah,

it's been a while, meaning there has been a lack of posting that is now being interrupted by this post, hence "has been"
english grammar, for those of you who realize its there (i never really cared much before) is a pain. One of my toughest questions, that neither myself, my grammar book, joanne, the trainer another FT and 4 Japanese teachers have been bale to answer.......

whay do you ask for something "in" black or "in" a bigger size what is in, why do we need it, admit it

we can't say "do you have it black?"

no, no you cant, but thats a weak explanation, at least i think so
im open to suggestions and answers

anyway,

joanne and i are going t oKyoto this weekend, should be cool, the thousand buddha statue temple, temples everywhere shrined out. itll be good to get away, and i think ill be taking the shinkansen, sweet

more later

oh yeah, my family are coming out to japan, thats right parents sister and brother, at least i think so
cant wait

out

let's play a game

OK!

if you send me something in Japan...
anything legal really, i heard a story of an Aeon guy getting deported because his friends though it would be fun to send him some illegal substances, yeah, he didnt know, but it didnt matter to the japanese customs, he got kicked out
pictures of the states are nice, perhaps of events, like Wildwood, or Alaska
or anything really, maybe certain food items, postcards, a letter?

if/when you send something, I'll return the favor with a little goodie from over here, maybe a trinket, maybe a tasty treat, who knows

but thats the new game, send dave pictures

Iris Tsunoda 203
130 Honmachi 8-chome
Kanie cho, Amagun Aichi ken
JAPAN 497-0033

ps - i will also take volunteers to ship me the Nintendo Wii when it comes out!

How was your weekend dave?

Despite having to put up with joanne and all of her gloating about her brand spanking new macBook, my weekend was pretty good. I really got up to just about nothing when it comes down to it. A few things that did happen:
I went to a party saturday night after work, a restaurant called Asunaro holds aparty on the last sat of each month and the owners are really really nice. they went to okinawa last week and brought me back a bottle os aomori (strong okinawan alcohol, kinda like whiskey i guess) a can of okinawan beer and some little charm things. People here are huge into gifts, luckily i had gotten them something when i went to inuyama castle, i also gave them a box of seroogies chocolates. either way it was a fun night eating and drinking with locals and another foreigner who started his own school, his names Tos and hes from tansinia, very cool guy.
I bought a bike! it's awesome, had my second class at the international center, oh, did i mention im taking japanese classes? This week we worked on numbers and counting, sounds like a simple thing, think again. The japanese have numbers from 0-10, for example, 10 is juu, one is ichi, 11 is juu ichi, two is ni, twenty is ni juu, (2 10's)
so thats all fine. but then if you want to say order a burger at mcdonalds you say,
hambuga, hitotsu, hitotsu = 1 when refering to certain objects. Then lets say you are at the post office and you want one one stamp, then you would use ichimai.
for one glass or bottle i think its ipon. so something as simple as 1 or 2 gets to be a pain.
after class i met joanne at the station and we grabbed some lunch and then wandered around trying to find a movie theatre, we did, but didnt want to see anything, we ended up going back to inuyama. then on monday i came back to kanie and went inot work for 32.4 mins and then came home did laundry, cleaned and then jo showed up (with presents
she went to the huge department store 10 floors i think, in nagoya station and found Unibroue, a wondeful beer brewed in canada, so she bought me a bottle, she also got me a thing of super hot spice powder.
ok, break time, and by break time i mean time for work.

if you are reading this then i actually made it to the internet cafe to post it
still havent gotten internet at the apartment

the typical day

i've been meaning to do this for a while now:

I suppose my typical work day begins anywhere from 9-1030 when i get out of bed
(it depends how many times i hit snooze and how much work i have to do before i have my first class)

the usual: shower, breakfast, iron the shirt of the day

then its off to AEON, about a 7 min walk from the apartment

I'm normally the first one to arrive at the school.
My official start time is 12:45p.
I usually arrive anywhere between 10 and 1230

then its time to prepare for lessons, either that day's lessons or the next
depending on the day i have anywhere from 3-7 classes, ranging from 30 min to 50min
usually a healthy mix of kid's lessons and adult's lessons, and it can take up to 40min to prep for a class

then i will either have a class or if i have time i run out to the little market that is about a minute from
work and ill pick up somehting for dinner, or maybe head to Toraya for a little mitarashe dango (sweet rice balls on a skewer)
then its on for the day!

most of my classes go without a hitch, but some of them can be a little rocky
children crying, breaking things, running out of the room, almost wetting themselves... you know, the usual

i usually have a little bit of time between classes to eat, some days more than others
lunch is normally some leftovers from the previous night: egg,onion, garlic sushi rolls, various fish with veg and rice, pasta and tomato sauce, curry rice, maybe some sashimi (thats the raw fish) from the market to go with my rice

then its either start prepping for the next day or another class,

this goes on until about 9 when classes end, then i clean up, take care of attendance files, sometimes help out with random tasks, and i usually leave around 945 and 1030.

then it's home and dinner, typically i dont do work after work, but sometimes ill prep for something
maybe watch a movie, go for a run to the internet cafe, clean, play my ds or study japanese maybe laundry

bedtime is roughly 1-2a
and then i go all over again

right now i spend most of my waking hours doing AEon related tasks, i've also been in every monday so far, which is my day off (i work tues-sat) but that should get better as i settle into things

hope you liked it

knackered

apartment pics



by the way:
if you are going to send me mail, like a letter, i guess anything really

send it here

Iris Tsunoda 203
130 Honmachi 8-chome
Kanie cho, Amagun, Aichi ken
Japan 4970033

te ri ya ki

another thursday draws to a close,
in case you don't know, thursday is my hell day
even though i only teach 3 classes (sometimes 4)
two of them are crazy, and by crazy i mean the longest 30 mins of my life
again, and again, and again

and i just saw these

Get a Mac

pretty neat

and have i mentioned the Wii

I had planned on writing more, but i have rice cooking at home, lessons to plan, and im getting sick again

so i think its home, eat work bed for me

till net time