http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Japan , Hokkaido en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:22:22 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:22:22 +0000 In preparation for our trip Glenn and I went to the Japan National Tourist Office in Toronto for some information. When we mentioned we were going to Hokkaido the lady said ldquoWhy Itrsquos just like Canadardquo. Hokkaido is considered one of the last frontiers of Japan. There are no less than 5 National Parks on that one island so there is a lot of nature and not a very many pe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-447395.html As of tomorrow there are only four more days of school left until I leave for home. And sad as I am to be leaving Japan I will be so very very happy to be on my house with my oven again. Ecstatically happy to be reunited with my oven again. Sorry everyone. gtltAlso as a result of of the short time span I have left here Naganumasensei has been planning my days like mad to include vario http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-441244.html Mioka and her family love karaoke. Like really really love it. Mioka and I had to be at school on Saturday due to it being the 60th anniversary but Mioka's mother and brother went to sing at the local karaoke joint. The 60th anniversary celebration took place in a concert hall by Odori Station and consisted of speeches and a concert. Many of the previous principles and staff were there to m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-440409.html Wednesday 16th September to Wednesday 23rd SeptemberThe home of indigenous peoples. The land of the gods. A geological textbook of volcanic landforms. The brewery of Japan. Home to it's last wilderness. Hokkaido can be described in many terms but all of them identify it's unique nature both in Japan and in this part of the world. The northernmost island of 'mainland' Japan it's climate is that http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Abashiri/blog-440287.html YAYYYYY I got to skip school and thusly Sports Days on Friday and Thursday. The occasion you ask Mioka's mother planned a trip to take Mioka and I sightseeing in Hakodate. Hakodate is a small port town about 4 hours away from Sapporo. While we were in Hakodate otoosan would stay at home because of work and Mihiro would spend the next three days at his grandmother's. As I mentioned before Ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Hakodate/blog-438358.html Today was the echange student meeting where all the students travelled back to Sapporo to chat with eachother as well as to inform the Japanese students on the details of their flights to Alberta. And Mioka and I tried to skip. Her mom was willing to let us as Mihiro has caught the new influenza but unfotunately Naganumasensei made sure we attended by offerering us a ride. Darn. It was a thr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-436419.html Mioka's finals started on Thursday and while this isn't neccessarily the best thing for her it does make me a bit happy for school ends at 1145. And of course I do not need to take the finals and just get a two hour spare and 1 hour kanji lesson. Of course being the slacker that I am I've been napping through my spare or reading the magazines in the library. I cannot bring myself to stare http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-436142.html Woke up from nakafurano hostel. Took train to Biei. Saw sweet trees and farmland. Later we took a train to Hakodate to visit the boss http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-435190.html Left Obihiro for Furano. Checked it out took train the nakafurano. Found location via map with phone number. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Furano/blog-435188.html Arrived at Obihiro from Sapporo. Found Haruko's home by reading the address and being cool. Went to Happy Station Kofuku. Ate at buffet. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-435186.html We went to Sapporo. Jun found us. Sean complained about a bag of food. I got crunk.While sitting outside the Sapporo Terminal we heard a very familiar Seeon San he says my name differently every time he tries to get my attention coming from a small scurrying creature off in the distance obviously it was Jun. He was happy to see us and as always moved around very frantically and hurried app http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-435185.html Mt. Hakodateyama. Ring girl's house. Beach. Uh.. cool stuff. SNAKE http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Hakodate/blog-435183.html Took trains to Hakodate. Sean died. Met boss man McCool. Impressed with hotel and price. Christopher went to work on the train schedule today. He earned how to read the japanese rail schedule which is crazy confusing and got us all the way to Hakodate without any issues. I was getting dominated by a migraine for the majority of the trip so it really was all him. It was pretty awesome to ride o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Hakodate/blog-435182.html Ok the title lies a bit. But here's yesterday's story. During lunch because this is obviously the time that weird boys come to visit me I met another odd boy. He was just passing our classroom in the hall and noticed me sitting by the door for this is where my seat is which doesn't make for a quick get away from weird guys most times gtlt. Anyways he started off just remarking to hi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-434836.html Not much has happened lately. For the most part I've just been really REALLY tired. However I do find it kind of odd how everyone is asking if I've adjusted to daily Japanese life. It's been little more than a month and I've been going to school for three weeks so yes I have adjusted. It doesn't take that long really especially when you consider the differences between daily life in two indu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-434246.html So first of all I tried rice and tororo... basically a mixture of sticky gooey foods such as okra and ground yagaimo. Definately not my favourite. Yagaimo just tastes like starch and raw okra is icky tasting but I don't mind it cooked. That was pretty much the only intersting thing which happened Friday as well as the rest of the weekend.Two days ago Monday was also uneventful except per http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-433239.html Apparently I my pronounciation of English words is wrong. This is of course from the school's English teacher and my liason teacher NaganumaSensei. I know I speak fast but still my pronounciation is not that bad. Apparently the problem is that I don't pronounce words exactly as the dictionary says to. Okaaaayyyy. I don't think many native speakers do. And if we did wouldn't we sound like rob http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-431540.html So I went to the nurse's office today... again. I went yesterday to grab a bandaid remember those scraped up elbows This time Mioka insisted on going when she noticed I had a headache during P.E. Haha the minute she feels unwell at home we aren't going to go to school My headache was really only because of my sleep patterns or lack thereof in this case over the past weeks it adds up http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-431272.html It's official. I'm a human cassette tape for my teachers. Especially the English teachers. gtgt Not that I really mind but I need to read slow and repeat everything two or three times. By the end of it I sound pretty drone like which is the part I hate. Other than that school is still quite fun. Mioka's class had physics today. They have it once a week and from the looks of it they only http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-431268.html Today was a rather interesting day. I spent the majority of my free time at school practicing the 30 or so new kanji from my cookbook. The same as during the weekend. NaganumaSensei was quite impressed and believes that it will be a good way to learn Japanese and kanji. I also participated in a new elective today. 2nd year music 1236212435123641236712290Thinking about joining http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-430743.html