Blogs from Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan, Asia
April 3rd 2009
Having decided not to go on a photo-fest in Osaka due to unsuitable weather, it subsequently cleared up. I met my friend Pete for an impromptu and informal photography lesson at Shukugawa, then unleashed what I had/hadn't gleaned from him while I tried to find my way home. Arrived back several hours later with a greater understanding of the route between here and there, slightly sore feet and quite a few photos. It's the beginning of the sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan, and this is the nth blog blossom blog. I'll probably never get bored of taking photos of them- the whole country suddenly erupts in fountains of pink and white. It's not quite peak season yet, but enough to make a photographic perambulation worth while. It's unlikely to be the last one this year, ... read more
January 25th 2008
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Another day working in the freezing cold. No, I'm not a road or construction worker. I teach in a Junior High and as most public schools here in Japan, classrooms dont have heaters, and our superficially heated faculty room offers no relief at all However my day was made special when my school lunch was served. For today we had the usual bread, soup, cheese, yougurt drink and for the very first time in my life............ WHALE, cooked with tomato sauce, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and potatoes. It tasted really good, its like eating beef, only its not very tender nor very firm. It also had a very mild taste that makes it, I guess more palatable to the Japanese taste buds in comparison to the strong taste of beef. Well should I eat WHALE ... read more
October 11th 2007
One of the must-dos in Kansai is to go to a Hanshin Tigers baseball game at home (Koshien Stadium). The fans have a reputation for being louder than any other team's, and are considered a little uncouth by their rivals. (Although they would be considered very polite in Australia). All the more reason to go! And now you can add a few more exciters into the mix: - it's getting towards the end of the season, and the Tigers are top of the table. - they're playing their arch-rivals, the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants, who are second on the table. - your mother-in-law is a crazed Tigers fan, and tells you you're handsome because you managed to get hold of tickets. I don't know much about baseball, it seems like a game of "Almost, almost, oh. Never ... read more
July 15th 2006
As I mentioned before, I have joined a volleyball circle here in Japan. For the longest time I did not post any photos of the group, but finally I got around to taking some pictures. We had a tournament the other week and actually did very well. It was a 16 team tournament and we entered two teams - a girl's team and a boy's team. It was an unfair tournament style system that immediately eliminated teams if they were to lose. Simply put, if you lose, you're out... that's it. Our girl's team was extremely strong and we had high hopes for them but since the girl's teams also played the boy's teams, they were elminated in the first round. This is because they played an extrremely strong boy's team. If the seeding were different, ... read more
June 19th 2006
Well everyone, I'm terribly sorry that this post has come so late. I have been constantly busy with school work and the little time I have when I'm not doing homework is devoted to volleyball. I have neglected my duties to report back to you, but I will give it my best shot now. The last time that I wrote in this blog was during midterms. Those went well and I have scored high marks on all the ones that I took. Japanese language, Japanese Art, and Japanese Society were the classes I've had them in so far. The rest will either have one large cumulative test or project at the end of the semester. Class has not been limited to only indoor work however and I have gotten the chance to travel to a ... read more
