Japan!!!!

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Claud helped me find my way to the airport the next day and I got on the
plane to Narita airport in tokyo. I got to watch harry potter the whole
way there so it wasn't so bad. Also the girl sitting next to me was a
japanese girl who was just coming home from travelling in Australia. She
was really lovely. Getting off in Narita and navigating my way to Hanade
airport was fairly straight forward too (despite the help from a
wonderfully friendly young man who pointed me in the completely wrong
direction).

On the bus on the way to Hanade airport the loudspeaker informed us all to fasten our seat belts (what seat belts?) and 'switch off you mobile phone as they annoy the neighbours'.

I had 3 hours to kill at Hanade airport before catching my
flight to Toyama. Hanade is a great airport with the most awesome
veiwing platform for watching the planes land. And also watching the
cargo ships sailling by. I was caught up with enjoying the wonderfully
simple things of a new culture such as money, buying food, vending
machines, the automatic ticketing machine (everything written in
japanese - am so proud that my plane tickets actually appeared after a
number of ramdom button pushing), trying to understand what people and
signs are saying - Everything was SO interesting! I resigned my self to
sticking out like blonde tourist and basically just wandered around
enjoying myself trying new things.

Now either the japenese are REALLY friendly people or japanese boys like blonde girls. Another theory is that they like to practise their english (but I prefer the first scenario!) I had two random guys (at different times) come and sit with me in the airport and chat to me about where I was going, what I was doing etc etc. Very lovely and kind of heartening when you are alone in such a different culture. However both times people did ask me why was I going to toyama for? 😊

Catching my flight to toyama was simple enough though I REALLY did stick
out as it's not a tourist destination in the slightest. Even the lonely
planet says basically there is no reason to come here. Getting on the
plane and I am told that we may get turned back to tokyo due to snow!
Fortunatly we landed safe and sound but yes, the tempurature was -1C and
they'd just had 25cm of snow. So it was quite cold and I was a little
unprepared but quite excited to see the town covered in snow!

Andy has been REALLY busy making lots and lots of work. I am still
currently helping him finish pieces in the coldshop at the studio. On my
first night here we went out for sushi with rhu-hei and on of the
students. Very different to australian sushi as there are so many more
types of fish to choose from. Me and Andy are living at the studio in
one room that is basically a big cupboard. We have bed, fridge,
microwave, chair, table, shelves, and camping stove. So its like camping
indoors. Except we have climate control and its always a balmy 25C. The
toliets and showers are downstairs.

Yesterday for lunch we went to a traditional japanese inn (but not a
formal one - more casual) for what they call here 'mother's taste' food.
Which is like mum's home style cooking. Its a set menu of fairly
traditional japanese food and it was oishi (delicious!) .

Andy's exhibtions open on saturday and we are working hard to meet the set up deadline on friday. Its for me to come here and have something to do so I can get involved with the people in the studio a bit more. There are not many people who speak english, so a lot of signlanguage smiles and guessing games go a long way.

I'll write more after the show is up!

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Comments

[Tereza J]

Oochie Boo
It is so awesome to see that you are having a total blast. you make me very envious little one! keep on rocking girl xox

[Dede]

Sounds awesome
You sound like you are having a great time. No doubt you are getting tired from having to concentrate so hard on all the new things in the Japanese culture. Hope Andy's show goes well and you both come home inspired for more creative glass making. I've been busy making some of my silk books for a shop in Canterbury. Tim is due home for his birthday next weekend. His mates are flying him down for a joint party with some of his other mates. We are looking forward to seeing him again. Last time he was down he had shaved off his beard. I wonder what he will look like this time. Zoe has dyed her hair purple at the moment and Renee looks like an Africian with a full hair of braided extensions. I'll just have to outdo them and go bald. Cheers.