Blogs from Kumamoto, Japan, Asia - page 4

Konnichiwa from Japan! Docked into a new world or that's how it feels being in Japan so far. We almost don't want to go into too much detail we think everyone should come and experience this country for themselves and part of the excitement is experiencing everything that's different. However, for those who will not be visiting in the near future here is some more info (skip to next paragraph if planning a future trip!). Everywhere is spotlessly clean and we mean clean, they have the shiniest fire engines, lorries and white vans ever to be seen; people are courteous and polite even when getting on/off the metro, everyone waits until the last person has stepped off before getting on and queues merge in an orderly manner when boarding; any techno geeks would love it here, ... read more

The dorm had its kangei (welcome) party today for all the new ryuugakusei. It was pretty cool. A lot of people showed up, and for some reason I got peer pressured into wearing my "looking for a Japanese girlfriend" shirt again. The funny thing about this is that about 95% of the people that came were Japanese girls. I was told by at least two girls that they were "hunting" for a boyfriend. Maybe I'm being to forward... But to the main point, and this is dedicated to Vince Arnone, the only person I know who will understand fully what I'm talking about. Or at least understand most of what I'm talking about. First, I think it is very necessary to have music in your life if you want to live a full, happy life. Music ... read more

After an interesting day and night chasing my lost yoofuku and strange men about the Aso Youth Hostel, a group of us decided to get physical and hike around Aso national park. This area is at elevation 1200-1600m, actvely volcanic, and very prone to closures due to gas vapours, much like say White island in NZ, or the case where Ruapehu erupted. Someone I met, Marcelle, a brazilian who was travelling with Donelo his partner, is making this a research trip for his journalism work in Brazil, writing of adventure tourism. Part of this involved interviewing Shinotani san the elderly owner, with a japanese guy from yokohama to　help. A question was posed about does she mind living under a volcano - not a problem, as it is very common in Japan! Makes for some rich onsen ... read more

The hotel had a fairly early check-out time at 10 am, but it suited me fine anyway, as it would put me on the road to Kumamoto without delay. Through the last days I had seen more and more people walk around town with face masks, and unlike a common belief that this is due to protect themselves from heavy pollution there is another important reason as well, they are not wearing it to protect themselves, but out of courtesy to other people. Yes... it is because they are ill, infectious, contagious, impure, dangerous to the productive society. But in a country with a high population density it is of course impossible to survive without becoming affected by any virus doing the rounds, and I was to be no exception. When I woke up I could ... read more

Well unfortunately the last farm, TAO, didn't work out for me. I got frustrated by the lack of communication and not knowing what I was expected to do next. I'm sure it wasn't intended to be malicious, but I did rather feel like a slave at their beck and call. So I decided to move on one week early. With time on my hands until I'm expected at my third farm, I decided to spend a couple of days in Kumamoto. This town boasts the third largest (or best?) castle in Japan and one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, so it's definitely worth some time here. Unfortunately the rainy season is here with avengence so although I managed to get to see the sights it was mainly from underneath an umbrella. So there'll be ... read more