The temperature heats up, the humidity is on overdrive, and all the students are off for the summer. As for me, what summer vacation? Although no students are at school and there is nothing for me to do, I have to be there! I could be traversing the many incredible destinations in Asia, yet I guess instead it has been a summer of saving money, and relaxing in Hiroshima. So, what did I do to fill the rest of my time in July and August? Well, tons! In fact, it was a great summer relaxing, doing fun things, meeting all the [View Full Entry]

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July 31, 2005: I arrived in Tokyo Japan wandering the streets in amazement, excited about the life I was about to embark on. I will never forget how scared I was too, nor the look on our faces when we had our first glance at a train schedule written in kanji. A year later, July 31,2006, I found myself again wandering the streets of Tokyo, yet I was no longer like a fish out of water. Walking the same streets that I walked exactly a year before in Shibuya, I couldn't help but be nostalgic over the past year and what [View Full Entry]

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Quite possibly the most overrused title for visitors to Seoul, yet I feel this title perfectly describes my experience in Korea. My 'soul' was rejuvenated a) because I got a break from the monotony of my job (all July and August I sit at my desk and do NOTHING- good way to spend my time...thank god for sudoku!) and b) I met up with some old friends from Berkeley, which was a nice slice of home. Given the short time I was alloted for summer vacation, it was a quick trip into Seoul and the DMZ, then back to Japan. The [View Full Entry]

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This entry is not terribly important, but I wanted to show you a high school festival because they are very important in Japan, and something we don't have in America. This weekend was Kabe Koko's Bunkasai, or in English, culture festival. Pronounced boon-ka-sai. Now, this seriously has to be the best day of high school for these students- it definitely was my favorite day of work! So much time and effort goes into the bunkasai, and the results are phenomenal. Each homeroom is responsible for something. All the third year homerooms make food booths and each booth has a different theme. [View Full Entry]

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I have had a bit of "blog lag" so pardon for not writing the past 2 months. I have been thoroughly enjoying my summer thus far...only now is it becoming extremely humid and hot! This weekend adventure (back in June!) took us to Tottori. Every year there is a beach party in Tottori Prefecture. Tottori prefecture (guess its not a major tourist spot, not even listed on the blog location list above!) is northeast of Hiroshima. Japan is roughly the same size as California. Knowing this, it shouldn't talk too long to go anywhere in Japan. On the contrary- due to [View Full Entry]

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May has been full of all sorts of fun events- I have traveled to the Philippines, watched the Hiroshima Carps WIN a baseball game, played rice patty mud volleyball, dropped my cell in the river, went to the recontracting conference in Kobe (I ate Kobe beef!), danced till dawn at a club in Osaka with a Japanese man named Yoda, and even got to see my friend Brian perform in a German Opera in Japan. The last weekend in May I felt like I was transported back in time. I spent the last Sunday participating in Taue, or in English, Rice [View Full Entry]

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This weekend I participated in one of the funnest things I have done since coming to Japan. Yeah its not cultural and yeah there are a lot of gaijin-still it was soooo much fun! It was the 10th Annual Rice Patty Mud Volleyball Tournament held up in the countryside of Hiroshima-Ken. For more info see the website www.mudvollyeballjapan.com. There were numerous teams composed of foreigners, Japanese kids, families...anyone who wanted to play and brave the mud. Clearly the point of the event was not to necessarily play volleyball, but to throw each other in the mud AFTER the game. I en [View Full Entry]

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The Philippines is such an amazing country because it has so much to offer. We went from lounging on incredible beaches to hiking among lush green mountains. Next stops on our trip: Cebu, Manila, Banaue, and then out of Manila. Like the first half of our trip, the adventure never stops. Cebu We left Bohol early to get into Cebu at a decent hour so we could sightsee around town. We found Magellan's cross. On Magellan's trek around the world he was stopped dead in his tracks (literally) in the Philippines so he himself did not make it all the way [View Full Entry]

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Philippines: Definitely the most underrated Southeast Asian country. I myself did not have a burning desire to go to the Philippines. But last January Lisa said "Let's go to the Philippines for Golden Week." I thought, sure...beach, sand, fun....let's book it! So for Golden Week this year (I guess you could say the Japanese Spring Break. There are three national holidays in one week so many people take the time to travel travel travel = expensive prices!) Lisa and I, with two late additions Misha and Ryan, headed out to the Philippines! What an incredible, beautiful, and wonderful countr [View Full Entry]

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So just about a year ago from this time I received my acceptance onto the JET program. I remember shaking as I unfolded the paper, then went screaming through my sorority house that I was indeed moving to Japan in July. Then I called my parents. Before saying congratulations, my dad said "Oh we are coming to visit you during Cherry Blossom (aka Hanami) Season!!!" Hard to believe that a year has gone by since that time, and even harder to think that my parents were on my stomping ground. I was very excited for them to see "my" country, indulge [View Full Entry]

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