Lanz - Alana Martin

I'm a 23 year old from the Central Coast, Australia who has just graduated from university and I plan to get out and see the world before I return to the good old land of Oz. I am currently living and working in Japan, a country that has become my home away from home, and saving up money to keep travelling!! The purpose of this blog is to keep all my friends/family up to date with my wherabouts, although I haven't actually started to travel anywhere other than Japan yet, but I still consider this the beginning!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined" -Henry David Thoreau

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Joined on: March 11th 2007
Last Login: December 11th 2009

Blog Entries: 23
Photos: 298

TB Code: [blogger=33990]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Lanz, order by Date newest first.

By Lanz
May 12th 2009

The first step of the next stage Asia » Japan » Tokyo

Kenrokuen, Kanazawa

So much time has passed, and so many things in my life are different that I feel like I need to start afresh. For starters, it's now 2009, yes a whole year since the events of my last entry and I won't even begin to try to fill you in on everything that's transpired in between, but a few things need to be noted. Yes I am still in Japan. That I suppose is the biggest news of all, and believe me it still even surprises me at times. I finished up my second year of teaching with Aeon on April [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
August 4th 2008

Adding a little bit of Seoul to my life Asia » South Korea » Seoul

Gyeonbokgung

It's funny how easily you forget you're in a foreign country, especially after you've lived there for a while. When I first moved to Japan (wow, over 3 years ago now!!) everything was new and I would find the smallest things amusing, just because it was different to what I was used to. I suppose the longer you are surrounded by these things the more natural they become, and the less new experiences you have. My daily life here is so comfortable and familiar that sometimes I remember "Oh, thats right! I'm living in Japan". Sometimes I even find myself looking [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
February 1st 2008

What's your dream? Asia » Japan » Aichi » Anjo

Eating squid

I love reading. Books have to be one of my passions in life. People always say that there is nothing better than a book which you can't put down, one that captures you and you simply have to know what happens next. I agree that these books are great, but even better are those books which you can put down, those that you must put down. The books where the situation or character relates to you so much or something so profound is said that you need time to think about it and so you set your book down and simply [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
October 1st 2007

Dancing in Japan Asia » Japan » Aichi » Anjo

Harajuku craziness

Do you ever just turn up the volume of one of your favourite songs and dance like a crazy person alone? I do, it's really refreshing and up-lifting. Sometimes I have days where I feel alone and really miss everyone back home but I've found that a good dance session really makes me see clearly...I mean I have a dream: travel the world; and to start this travel off with living in Japan for a time, and here I am living my dream, dancing uncontrollably for some reason always puts this into perspective for me. So I know its been forever [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
June 28th 2007

Did you ever wonder...why? Asia » Japan » Aichi

Inuyama Castle

Did you ever wonder why…people shake hands to show friendship?…we nod our heads for yes and shake it for no?...zero scores in tennis are called “love”?...the square place where boxers fight is called a “ring”? I have. The world is full of questions, and why questions are always the hardest ones to answer. Sometimes there is no answer, sometimes it just requires a little bit of digging. I swear that if the entire collection of why questions in the world equaled 100%, then the ones that people (well, namely foreigners) ask in Japan must equal at least 50%. [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
May 7th 2007

The exhilarating experience of life Asia » Japan » Aichi

My town-Anjo

I’ve been part of the Aeon team for about a month now, and I’ve already had a 10 day paid holiday. “Golden Week”, oh how I love you. Japan has an unbelievable amount of public holidays, a lot more than Australia that’s for sure. And 4 of those public holidays happen to fall around the first week of May, therefore most companies give their employees the days off in between too, and Aeon is one of those wonderful companies. So I’ve just had since the 29th April off work, but I have to go back tomorrow. I’ll give you more [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
April 15th 2007

Alana Sensei- Qualified Aeon Teacher Asia » Japan » Aichi

Nagoya TV tower

One week back in Japan and it has flown by. It's wierd to think that going back home was actually only a holiday, as Japan is my home at the moment. But as I said it was great to be back if only for a little while. I've been so unbelievably busy in the last week, it feels like I've been here for ages. I arrived back in Japan on Sunday night, and what with the time it took me to clear customs, get my luggage and catch the bullet train to Nagoya, I didn't get into the hotel until [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
April 4th 2007

Home Sweet Home Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Terrigal

Terrigal_1

There's no place like home. Contrary to what some of you may think, I do love my home, I mean I love Japan, but I love Australia even more. How could you not? When I flew into Sydney on Monday morning, it took my breath away. It was 7.30am and the sky was a brilliant blue, the sun was shining and flying over Sydney Harbour, seeing the bridge and Opera House, the boats in the water, it was spectacular, I will never get used to that. Sydney really is a beautiful city from the air. And I really felt good [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
March 21st 2007

Niseko days coming to an end... Asia » Japan » Hokkaido

Annupuri 1

Hey guys! Since I've now decided that I'm going to be overseas and away from you all for a while longer yet, I decided to start a blog so you can all keep up with where I'm at and what I'm doing. And so that I can use the same blog for when I do eventually start to travel, I thought a travel blog with all the extra added thingamybobs would be the way to go. And besides you could argue that I have already started my travels, I just decided to stop off here in Japan for a while on [View Full Entry]

By Lanz
August 23rd 2005

Ishigaki- A tropical paradise Asia » Japan » Okinawa » Ishigaki Island

The ox

So I'm in Ishigaki now and this place is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I spent the rest of the afternoon on monday walking around the shops in Naha again and even though my boat didn't leave til 8pm I planned to get there around 7pm just to be on the safe side, so i started to make my way back to the ferry terminal around 6.30pm that evening, knowing it may take me a while to walk back with my backpack, and it probably sounds silly that I went that early but I used every minute of [View Full Entry]

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