The first day... I felt like a very important person when we were picked up at our hotel in Hakone by a tour guide and a cab. We were driven for about 35 minutes through picture perfect rolling hills on a beautiful sunny morning, and led straight to our seats on the Shinkansen. Normally I travel on an extreme budget, so I really enjoyed the preferential treatment! We traveled through the most bizarre weather changes...sunshine, light rain, heavy rain, light snow, heavy snow...we hit it all! Our next two days were spent in the cultural capitals of Japan, Kyoto and Nara. [View Full Entry]

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The second leg of our trip took us to Mt. Fuji and the Hakone region. It was day filled with breaktaking scenary. Our bus was only allowed to Station 1, pretty much at the base of Mt. Fuji. There was a snow storm in the morning, and the roads were too icy to travel. So we had to look at the cloud-covered peak from afar. The clouds started to clear during our lunch at a nearby hotel, and our tour guide rushed us outside to get pictures. Usually the tour stops at the Mt. Fuji Visitors' Centre, but it was closed, [View Full Entry]

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My family (Dad, Mom, Gramma and Aunt Sue) visited Japan for a week....and it was a great vacation! It was a first visit to Japan for all of them, so we had ambitious plans of what to accomplish in such a short time. We started in Tokyo and traveled to the Mt. Fuji/Hakone region, Nara and Kyoto, and finished in Hiroshima. We saw and did so many things that there is too much to mention in one blog entry....so I've divided it into four. Enjoy the pictures, and have a read of our family vacation. Tokyo Our first day in Tokyo [View Full Entry]

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This last couple of weeks have been farely low-key for me. I've been relaxing, enjoying life, and getting ready for when my Mom, Dad, Gramma and Aunt Sue come next week. (I'M SO EXCITED!) Some highlights have been girl shaped sushi, visits with teachers, and a day at the Glass Museum....oh, and work :) On March 3rd it was the "Girls Festival Day" in Japan. It's a special day for girls, and families celebrate with parties, special food and gifts at home. Girls get these really elaborate dolls as gifts, usually from their grandmothers. Some of them come with stages that [View Full Entry]

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Thousands of naked men romping around the streets near Okayama, Japan. Have I caught your attention yet?!? The Hadaka Matsuri hands down wins the spot of 'most bizarre festival'....based on what I've visited so far! The Saidaiji Naked Man Festival is one of Okayama prefecture's biggest claim to fame. The gist of the festival goes like this: ***Thousands of men run through the city streets, dressed in white nappies and cotton slippers, and enter a temple's courtyard area. They wait their for a few hours, nearly naked, in temperatures just above 0. At midnight the lights go out, and some [View Full Entry]

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I just had one of my greatest weekends in Japan at the Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) in Sapporo, Hokkaido! The festival started 57 years ago, when a group of students assembled an exhibition of ice sculptures in Odori Park. This little project of theirs developed into Hokkaido’s most internationally acclaimed festival! On Friday morning, a group of seven English teachers (me, Stacey, Jennifer, Dana, Alexis, Marc, and Nikki) from Hiroshima prefecture all flew two hours to Sapporo to see a very different part of Japan. We have been spoiled in Hiroshima with little snow this winter (or no sn [View Full Entry]

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I can’t believe that I’ve been in Japan for six months already. It’s crazy how fast the time flies sometimes! I spent a lot of my free time in January at work related functions….here’s a little catch-up. When I was in Thailand for the winter break, Innoshima and Setoda islands merged with the city of Onomichi….so now we are all considered Onomichi City. This changed only a few things for me: my address, my Board of Education and a few additional schools in my schedule. There are now over 100 people that work for the Onomichi Board of Education, which ma [View Full Entry]

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The two islands Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don are collectively known as Koh Phi Phi. They are located in the centre of the Sea of Phuket,. Oh, it’s pronounced ‘Pee Pee’ by the way! It was a 34 km boat ride from Phuket on very choppy waters, but we ended up in a tropical paradise! Powdery sand, coral reefs, and warm, crystal-clear, aquamarine water….who could ask for more! Our first stop was Maya Bay, on the western shore of Phi Phi Leh. It has been named one of the most beautiful bays in the world….and they get no argument [View Full Entry]

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To end 2005, Iona an I took a day trip to Phang Nga Bay…and what a beautiful day it was! The tour company picked us up from our Guest House at the crack of dawn (a poor reoccurring trend for our holiday). We drove for a while in a mini-bus…I’m not really sure how long, because I was fast asleep! Our first stop was an elephant camp. Iona and I were “elephant camp pros” at this point, but it was the first time for the other 4 people in our group. We hung out with the baby elephant and his mama, [View Full Entry]

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Sand, sun, water and friends just about sums up my time spent in Phuket! Phuket has turned into a major tourist destination, and I now understand why. There are powder soft beaches, blue-green water, beautiful weather and tons activities day and night. Depending on what kind of holiday you are looking for, Phuket may or may not be the place for you. I wanted quiet days and exciting nights, and I found just that. Our original plan was to move from island to island, but due to lack of flights and hotels during high season, we decided to make Phuket our [View Full Entry]

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