http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Japan , Shiga en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:20:33 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:20:33 +0000 Hi there individuals with too much free time Today is going to be special since I39ve had a request from a certain panda to write in swedish because it adds more character apparently. Klart som fan att jag ska uppfylla ett sdant attraktivt nskeml. Mitt huvud knns fr tillfllet ganska verbelastat med hiragana och katakana tv av tre japanska alfabet som ocks r fonetiska. S http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Otsu/blog-654948.html Good day Although it kind of feels like morning since I didn39t get up until 12 due to some intoxication last night at the Omiyaso dormitories. I also managed the biggest failure of the year by mixing what I thought was a white russian but was really kahlua vodka and yoghurt not the kind that tastes good. I only realised my mistake after several attempts to neutralize what I thought was jus http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Otsu/blog-653830.html Today I spent a lot of money. On rent and the deposit. It was boring. But at least I got to see a bit of the campus and the parts that I have seen are impressive. There39s just something about universities that make me feel at home kind of like the smell of freshly made coffee. Anywho thought I39d publish one or two pictures to give some more visual entertainment. There will be more but I http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Otsu/blog-649886.html Scarcely had I arrived back from my own snow adventure when I had to go and collect two bodies from the train station after theirs. I had offered my place up to Mr and Mrs Merritt parents of one of my closest friends and one of them an ex sensei of my own. Linda and Peter Merritt have to be two of the most fun and happy people you could hang around with. It has been almost 10 years since I left http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-381320.html So I ate some vegemite yesterday...I'm not sure if that means I am homesick or that I was just hungry for something salty but it was nice. That in itself is scary as I was never a great fan of the spread. For those of you who don't know vegemite is a concentrated yeast extract that Aussies eat on toast and was probably dreamed up during a massive beer bender. It's strong and salty and not n http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-375017.html Leaving Australia again was harder this time than it was the first time. It seems illogical I know seeing as this would be a much shorter visit a clear deadline set for my return. Then again for those of you who know me well when have I ever listened to reason and logicIt didn't help that I was leaving summer behind. Australian summer. With family and friends and fun in the sun. I think m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-375014.html Having my trip booked is a nice feeling.I've been content to just go to work do my thing go out on the weekend sometimes and generally enjoy every day life. Now it seems my thoughts turn to home with more frequency.Some of the people i'll see I haven't seen for eight months. I was lucky enough to have a few visitors from home like Danilo and my parents but I haven't seen my brother or my fri http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-375010.html I joined a dancing group here in June called Bounce Back. I'm not sure if i've already mentioned it or not but there is news here if I have. We had a PERFORMANCE Scary stuff. I'm not new to dancing by any means...I have danced for most of my life and have experience in ballet contemporary jazz tap ballroom salsa merengue cha cha tango...the list goes on. None of that really prepared me http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-348618.html I'm not sure what I expected when I went to the Otsu matsuri but I was impressed and surprised at varying moments. Head Teacher invited me out with his mother to wander around the city but first I was treated to a sumptuous lunch of sushi train by his mother where i ate raw wasabi...Have you ever felt like your brain was crying I have The name of the sushi actually includes the word cry in it http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/blog-348617.html Having 6 weeks of holidays is all well and good but getting back into the daily grind can be a bit of a challenge.I've been back at work for just over a month now and have only recently felt the resentment begin to fade. Once you get into the habit settle into the rhythm it's not so bad but until you reach that point there are those Monday mornings when you wake up thinking it's still holida http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-329242.html Today marks a special milestone in this journey we call life. Well my journey anyway.Six months ago I boarded a plane leaving relatives friends and loved ones behind. I journeyed to the land of the rising sun and started a new chaper of my life on the largest of four islands the world knows as Japan. Both my heart and my head were full of questions doubts and a slight fear of the unknown y http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-320088.html ...peaches for me.Head teacher from school called me up one day saying he wanted to take danilo and I peach picking. We settled on a day and that morning Danilo and I got ready and were picked up on the way to the Orchard. I thought this would be like fruit picking back home but it has a little twist. Instead of going to a particular farmorchard and buying a box to fillpaying for your fruit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/blog-313739.html Danilo's trip to Japan would not have been complete without coming to see this little beauty. In a neighbouring city you can visit a ninja village and a ninja estate. They are the remnants of what used to be one of the largest schools of ninjutsu in Japan. Who said living in the countryside didn't have it's meritsWe hopped along to the Ninja estate and had a good explore around the place even http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-312634.html Playing with fireThe day finally came though there were many preparations to be made. Firstly we had to make the torches covered in a previous blog but this time I went to help Rumi clean up the house we were going to stay in that night. We dusted and tidied and got to play with her sister's daughter Mihane. I think I enjoy playing with her soooo much because I don't have my little goddaugh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-308668.html Late Birthday Celebrations and a really amazing present.Nikky had recently turned 24 a turning point in her life. When people had asked her age in the past she had always replied with a proud '23' only to be met eith the response 'Aww that's so young' which she was sick of hearing. 24 was a new number one that meant she had crossed over from that no mans land between being a teenager and was http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/blog-302621.html I want to give you a general idea of a day in the life of Nikky.Summer has hit big time and it is a very different kind of summer than Australians or Canadians for that matter are used to. Although temperatures are the same as back home Ranging from 2835 degrees Celcius the humidity level is astounding. Very unexpected too though if I had paid more attention in Geography I might have real http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-300840.html What did you do on your birthday Nikky......NikkyManual labour.After a 2 hour nap directly under the air conditioning machine I woke up got dressed and was picked up in searing hot 35 degree weather to go to Shigaraki and make a torch. On the 26th there is a fire festival. People trek up a small mountain carrying large torches on their shoulders and take them to the fire shrine http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-298210.html What has the world come to when playing Janken Rock Paper Scissors with a 5th grader is the highlight of your dayThoughts from earlierI came to a lesson observation today thinking it would be an informal affair watch a lesson have a chat go to school plan lessons....but it was not so. Instead I am now seated in a room with 50 other people all of whom myself included are wearing iden http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-292445.html A glance at my Junk Mail Inbox is enough to convince me that ESL teachers everywhere are slacking offWith suggestions to Grow Bigger in her Eye advice for Male Enhance information on Blue pilules that supposedly have an excelent improving effect and good potence and advice about 8 thmgs evry woman makes in her intimate life clogging the web waves I'm surpri http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-290635.html In which Nikky has her official welcome party discovers the delights of 'daiko saabisu' goes for a midnight amble does some origami and some sunrise shrining and misses the sunrise altogether.Well I don't really need to blog about it anymore now do I I've told you what happened....Ok here we go... Suffice it to say I had an interesting and fun evening at myWelcome PartyMy school organized a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Shiga/Koka/blog-289687.html