Miyajima - Itsukushima Shrine

Miyajima - Itsukushima Shrine, 17th March 2007

宮島ー厳島神社

This morning I met an old friend Yuka, from when I was living in Osaka. We hadn't seen eachother in over a year so we had a lot to talk about. As the weather was nice we headed to Miyajima which is quite close to where I am living. The deers were all out and about and saw a tourists map being eaten by one! I hope he managed to find his way home! We had lunch at a small Japanese style restaurant and ate some local fish. Afterwards we had a walk around the various temples and pagodas. On the way back we stopped at a traditional Japanese tea house for some Macha and Chikara-mochi. The wind picked up in the afternoon which made the short ferry trip back to the mainland a tad rough. Since Yuka was in Hiroshima there was no better way to taste the local food than having Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki which has noodles rather than cabbage. Personally I prefer Kansai-style so we went to Tokugawa where they have both and the best thing is that you can make it yourself! A great day!

My Last Day At Yoshiwa Primary School

Yoshiwa, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan - 14th March 2007

After two years teaching the children at Yoshiwa Primary School, it was time to say farewell to them. We had our last English lessons together and seeing how they have progressed since I first started teaching them, I was so glad that I could leave knowing that all the kids had got something out of the lessons.

After lunch, I played a game with the year 5 and 6 students outside which really got me running on my feet! In the afternoon, the school gathering in the gym for graduation practise but beforehand they held a small farewell ceremony for me. I was seated at the very front while the principal gave a speech about the last 2 years I had been there which followed by a short speech by one of the year 4 students which had sweet words about how much she had learnt about English. Finally I gave a short speech encouraging the students to take every chance they can to learn another language and perhaps one day, do what I have, and head overseas to another country and emerge yourself in the country's history and culture.

The record breaking snowfalls of 2005/2006, driving on iced-up roads 500m above sea-level, walking through the playground with snow up to my knees in minus degree temperatures and playing games such as onigoko(chasy) with the kids on hot and humid summer days will remain some of the most memorable experiences and times of my life in Japan.

Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture

Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 10th February 2007

It was a very early start this morning having to board a ferry from Ujina Port with the car on a 2 hour and 40 minute cruise to Matsuyama. We arrived just after 9am and made our way to the Ryokan but we got lost along the way as the place was hard to find! After dropping our bags off, we parked the car and boarding the tram to a station close to Matsuyama Castle. Matsuyama in located high up on on a hill in the city. The hill itself is pretty wide and has the remains of various structures that were built along with the castle. The castle itself is very impressive and is said to be one of the few remaining castles in Japan that hasn't been destroyed by fire in the past. You can enter the castle and go all the way up to the top floor and look out far into the distance on a clear day however, unfortunately the weather wasn't very good and with the visibility being around 2-3km, we didn't get to see how the surroundings of Matsuyama look! After having some ebifry-don for lunch, we headed into the town centre for a look. On our way back to Dogo Onsen we boarded the Bo-chan train which you can see in the photo. It gets a lot of looks from passing cars and is a pleasure to ride if you have the chance! The rest of the day was spent in the Spa of the Gods at the famous Dogo onsen which is said to have special healing powers for all sorts of diseases! The crowds are amazing and we had a one hour ticket that let us have a place on the 2nd floor and bathe in a more exclusive bath and enjoy some green tea and sembei sweets until our time was up! It would have been nice to relax more but unless your the emperor himself, you don't get the luxury of time!

Matsuyama Castle
松山城


Dogo Onsen
道後温泉

Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture

Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 11th February 2007

We departed early on Sunday morning and headed south on Route 56 towards Uwajima. On the way we stopped at a nice little town called Uchiko where all the old traditional buildings dating back from the Edo period on the main street Yokaichi stand. It is a nice walk through the town and we walked all the way to Uchiko Train Station and also had a look at the old Theatre on the way back. We stopped at a local bakery to pick up some lunch and ate outside in a small park.
After spending a coulple hours in Uchiko we continued down south to our final destination, Uwajima.

Yokaichi - main street
八日市-道路


Lunch at a small corner park
広場での昼御飯


Old Steam Locomotive
汽車

Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture

Uwajima Castle, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan - 12th February 2007

It was a fairly early start this morning so we could get as much sightseeing done as possible before heading back up to Matsuyama and boarding the ferry back to Hiroshima. Unlike Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture the castle isn't surrounded by a moat but is located high up on the top of the hill in the city centre. Walking up some steep steps will get you up there quickly if you are fit! The castle itself is rather small but the inside is very accomodating. The view from the castle itself is spectacular and you can get your bearings of Uwajima quickly.

Uwajima - from Uwajima Castle
宇和島城から宇和島市の風景

Waterfall
滝


Mandarin Farm
みかん畑

Shukkei Gardens, Hiroshima

Shukkei Gardens, Hiroshima, Japan - 5th January 2007
縮景園

It was a fairly cold winters day but I was bored of staying indoors so I decided to hop on the tram and head into Hiroshima. I went to the Prefectural Art Museum where they had a special exhibition on childrens picture books which had some marvellous exhibits on display from Europe, Asia and Africa. After spending a couple hours looking around I entered the Shukkei Gardens which is attached to the museum itself. The gardens are very well kept and you can walk around the entire garden as well as through it. The garden itself contains bridges, lakes, mountains, walk ways, tea houses all in miniature scale giving the impression that it covers a lot of area. There are various spots where you can sit down, relax and forget that you are in the middle of Hiroshima! I am sure that the gardens look beautiful in Summer and will try to go back during the year.

New Year's Eve 2006 - Osa Ski Resort

Osa Ski Resort, Geihoku, Hiroshima, Japan - 31st December 2006
大佐スキー場

Since I have been in Japan I have spent New Years Eve/New Years Day watching the NHK kohaku 紅白 music show, drinking sake at a shrine as it turns midnight and climbed a mountain in Mie Prefecture in the early hours of the morning to see the first sun rise of the year but I hadn't experienced a new years eve at a ski resort! So after Naomi finished work on New Year's Eve we ate dinner, jumped in the car with the snow boards and drove 100km into the moutains to Osa Ski Resort where they held a Reggae Countdown Party! We arrived just before 11pm and got onto the slopes as quick as we could snowboarding up and down in the cold dark night. The Reggae band at the bottom of the slope was drawing a crowd and people seemed to be enjoying drinking beer and dancing on the snow. Just before midnight they closed the lifts and turned the lights off temporarily and had only the moon and star light to see through the last minutes of 2006. The crowd gathered around the band and we all counted down the remaining seconds and were treated to a small but spectacular fireworks display to mark the beginning of 2007! The lifts and lights restarted and we were back on the slopes in -8 degree temperatures! With the line for getting on the lift getting longer and the wind chill becoming unbearable we decided it was time to go home around 3am. Luckily, except for some sections on ice, there was no snow on the roads which made the 100km trip back home easy. It was an amazing way to spend New Year and am keen to do it all over again!

Happy New 2007!