May 2011

Umegashima camping

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:03:03 +0900

These days we’re seriously into camping. For one, it’s cheap. The tent was just about 15,000 yen, and the copule of extras perhaps another 10,000. That’s about $250 for everything. Campgrounds in Japan are often expensive - about 3,000 yen per night, but there are many campgrounds that are much cheaper, perhaps just 300 - 1,000 yen. That’s about $5. Included in that is usually a kitchen area to wash dishes, clean toilets, clean coin showers.

It’s a cloudy day today

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:39:48 +0900

And quite breezy, too. The air is cool but not cold, which makes this one of my favourite weather conditions. The wind is just cool enough to wake up your sleepy face when you open your apartment door. But it’s warm enough for you not to have to wear a jacket even though it’s cloudy. I think it’s about 20 degrees now.

It’s exam time at work, which means that I am not teaching and have the entire day off. I’ll have to catch up planning lessons as I haven’t planned the lessons for even next week. An hour of teaching takes about 2-3 hours to plan, for me at least, and so I have to get started ASAP. I have just made a coffee and am sitting at my desk with a blank sheet in front of me - let those creative juices flow!!

Fall is here

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:03:08 +0900

The trees are losing their leaves, and it’s getting nice and chilly during the day and at night.

What surprises more this year than it did last year is that it’s November 30th, and I have not worn my winter jacket. Actually, today is the first day I wore a down jacket to bike to work. It’s the end of November! Unimaginable for Toronto weather.

Somehow this is a nice thing, but somehow I also really miss cold fall nights, and the cold winter. Actually it’s not the cold I miss so much, but the feeling of being warm inside the house while it’s cold outside.

This season, especially, has a very warm feeling for me, one that is virtually non-existent here. Yes, we turn on the heater in the living room to make it nice and toasty, but something is missing.

Perhaps it’s the smell of the season? Right around this time we usually put up a tree, filling the house with a sweet smell. Of course, with that comes the baking and eating of all kinds of sweets and cookies. Hmm perhaps it’s “the smell of Christmas coming closer” which I seem to miss this year? Tomorrow is the first of December, and somehow I don’t feel Christmas approaching... it will be up to us to make this season what I remember it should feel like! Time to get to work.

Last days in Kakamigahara

Tue, 3 Aug 2010 23:42:12 +0900

Actually, we have already moved. We arrived in Shizuoka yesterday. But I was going through some pictures and saw photos I took on the second last day in Gifu... the sunset was especially spectacular.

Actually, in Japan, there are many bats everywhere - at least out in the countryside. They come out around sunset and scoop up the insects. I see them coming out every night, so I brought my video camera to catch them feeding over the rice fields. I got some really great shots, so when I have time I will post them here on YouTube and on this website..!

We’re both really sad to be leaving Gifu so fast, but I do look forward to experiencing a different prefecture and all it has to offer...

Rainy season’s for real!

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:20:28 +0900

I read all about Japan before I came here. I read things that I just couldn’t believe.

Like... “Yeah, it was so humid, I was wet within minutes after taking a shower” , or, “During rainy season it rained for a month straight” , or, “I washed the dishes last night, and more than 24 hours later, they are still on the dish rack, wet” , or, “I can only use each bath towel once, because things don’t get dry here and they start smelling”.

I didn’t believe any of it. I was wrong.

Yes it is so humid that, literally, after I take a shower and dry off, I start sweating while getting dressed. And yes, it has been raining for a month straight (with just a handful exceptions). And yes, humidity is about 80%, and it’s usually warmer than 30 degrees, including night. Yes, I have witnessed 37 degrees (104 degrees F) in my apartment. Yes, I did the dishes last night, and 24 hours later everything is still wet. And yes, my bath towel is permanently soaked so I can only use it once before it starts smelling moldy and I have to wash it again.

This is rainy season, and somehow I didn’t really believe it would be like this, even I had heard and read all about it. I love Japan, but man, I hope it will stop raining soon. I want dry dishes, dry towels, and I don’t want to sweat while I’m teaching my students!

There are some positive things though. For example, it smells amazing - wet grass and soil, plants, and green - the smell of nature is abundant at all times of the day. This is also allergy time for me (I’m allergic to grass and some types of tree), and the rainy season washes all that dreaded pollen to the ground and away, resulting in a shorter than usual allergy season. I get to bike in the rain, which I love, wearing a full-body rain coat which I haven’t done since I was a kid. But everyone here does it, and I feel a bit nostalgic.

Weekend Trip to Fuji

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:24:32 +0900

Some photos from my recent trip to Fuji: Fuji with Satoshi and Johnny

Cherry Blossoms

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:32:02 +0900

All of Japan gets massively excited every year, when the Cherry Blossoms arrive. By now , they are gone around our neighbourhood, but still just beginning to bloom further north.

We went to festivals in our neighbourhood, had a Sakura party in the park, drove through the mountains, and did a 5-day trip through southern Honshu. March-April have been one of my best and by far the busiest months in Japan...

Here are some pictures: Cherry Blossom Time

It’s almost time for cherry blossoms

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:17:25 +0900

The cherry blossoms are already peeking out... and on April 3/4th are the spring festivals here in Kakamigahara. I want to organize a BBQ to get together and celebrate the arrival of spring, Japanese style.

Burning the mountain

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:20:30 +0900

It is said that the burning of the mountain is in memory of the wars that ravaged these regions in the past. Back then, the people decided to set an entire mountain on fire to remember these wars.

For this purpose, a large section of a rather small mountain is tended to all-year round to produce a dry yield that can be set on fire during the cold winter month of February.

We left Gifu around 11 in the morning and boarded our bus at the train station. This is our first bus tour in Japan!

We arrived three hours later in Nara, a city near Kyoto, which is very famous for its temples. We already visited ‘the world’s largest wooden structure’ and the ‘big buddah’ it contains two years ago, so we opted to explore the surrounding temples.

Nara is also famous for the deers which live on the temple grounds. There were monks praying to the deer - we weren’t sure what they were doing. Perhaps thanking the deer and wishing them a happy new year.

We also came across this bell - Ayano read that it weights 60,000 tons, although she may have not translated correctly. 6,000 sounds more likely. Either way, it’s friggin enormous.

I bought Ayano a mini-lantern from the temple store - it represents good luck.

Some nice roof shingles...

After going to a restaurant with many, many, many, MANY other people from what seemed to be many, many, MANY bus tours, we walked to the park to watch the mountain light up. It was freezing, and we were hoping the fire would help warm us up, but we were way too far away. The plum wine did help a bit, though.

I love Cash

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:33:50 +0900

Cash is most definitely one of the reasons I love Japan. Not because I have lots of it, but because paying for things using paper is soooo easy.

I usually carry 40,000 in my pocket most days. That’s about $400. Crazy? No... it’s really normal. People in Japan don use credit cards, and even if they use credit cards these are set up to withdraw from your bank account immediately. So, everyone has a certain amount of cash in their pockets all the time to pay for things unexpected. You wouldn’t want to be caught with too little money in your pocket when your boss asks you to go drinking after work. Most banks close at 5pm here, and usually bank machines close when the bank closes. That would be 5pm also.

Anyway, back to why I love cash in Japan. It is because cash is so widely used, that I can use my 10,000 yen bills ($100 bills) to pay for anything. Today was my payday, and I went to get some cash from the machine - of course the machine dispensed all 10,000 yen bills. On the way home I dropped by the Convenience store to buy a coke - about 120 yen ($1.20) and paid with the large bill straight up. It’s perfectly normal here - no weird looks, no confused sales clerk, no sign saying “We do not accept 10,000 yen bills. Sorry for the inconvenience”.

Can you imagine paying with a $100 bill in Canada? I cannot remember the last time I’ve seen a $100 bill. Not even Futureshop will accept $100 bills to pay for products worth hundreds of dollars. Sure, counterfeit bills exist here, but it’s still a cash society.

Cash is so... easy and uncomplicated. That’s why I love cash here.