Blogs from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, Asia - page 11

The accommodation in Hakodate was great, the service was very good also and the amenities were brand new and clean as a whistle. I awoke in the middle of the night as the heater was on too hot only to find it was snowing and raining at the same time. The rain was melting the snow which was disappointing but still great to see snow none the less. After I showered the hostess was kind enough to give me some sweets and a can of coffee for my journey. Upon leaving Hakodate no more than 5 minutes into the trip we entered tons of snow fields, it appeared to be new snow but only a fairly light covering. After leaving Sapporo station I set out to find accommodation and the cheapest place I could find was ... read more

I can't believe I've been here in Japan for exactly four months now. I can't believe I haven't written anything about it! Perhaps because there are far too many stories to tell. Practically everyday something happens here. And the weekends? Oh my god. I can't even begin to describe them. Last Friday I was out until 6am. The next night I was out until 10am! I am constantly meeting new people. Here in Sapporo I know pretty much all the bartenders, gaijin, and many Japanese girls. This city is very small so you get to know everywhere and everyone pretty quick. I can go out by myself anytime and can be pretty much guarenteed to run into someone I know to hangout with. My keitai, cellphone, is bulging with phone numbers and memories of crazy nights ... read more

Twelfth and Thirteenth Weeks - Nov. 18 - Dec. 1 Nov. 19: Mama, her cousin, and I went to an Onsen close to our house. I love them; they make me really relaxed it’s nice. The best part about this Onsen was the three individual tubs that reminded me of old fashioned wash basins (they were cast iron). Nov. 22: I went to another elementary school and this time the 6th graders showed us their talents. They showed us several traditional games of Japan. It was a lot of fun. There is also a marble game, but the interesting thing is that the marbles are flat. Not round like I think of a marble. I go back next Wednesday again. It should be fun. We also get to eat lunch with the students, which is fun. ... read more

Sept. 25: I learned how to do Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. It took about half an hour to complete the arrangement. It was fun to learn. Oct 1: Mama, Grandma, Mama’s Aunt and I went to Okurayama. It is the Olympic ski jump for the Sapporo winter games in 2007. We got to go to the top of the jump and watch skiers as they practiced for the upcoming winter games. There isn’t any snow there yet so it was very interesting watching them practice. At the bottom of the jump is a museum with every winter Olympic game that there is. The museum was a lot of fun and since I could take pictures I took a ton. In the museum there were several interactive exhibits which we all took advantage of. They also had ... read more

I haven't had time to write since I've been so busy with my Japanese Class and hanging out with my host family. I'll try to cover everything, so it might take a couple postings. I'll start with last Saturday Sept. 9 when I met my host family. My host mom (Mama) and host father (Papa) took me to the store after picking me up from the Kirari; which is where international students stay for a short period of time on campus. At the store I got to pick out my very own set of chopsticks, a miso soup bowl and a rice bowl. I love them. When we arrived home I met ‚Ü‚Ý(Mami; pronounced Mommy) who is their oldest daughter. Their other daughter is ‚³‚â‚©(Sayaka; pronounced Sigh-aw-kaw). I also met ‚¨‚΂¿‚á‚ñ and ‚¨‚¶‚¿‚á‚ñ(Obaachan and Ojiichan; Grandma ... read more