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Published: March 8th 2007
The Royal Family
At the Imperial PalaceHey everyone,
I'm tired and quite busy, so I'm just going to summarize the third part of my Christmas vacation:
1/2- Imperial Palace, Shinkansen back to Kobe, Osaka Aquarium, dinner in Shinsaibashi
1/3- Nicole and I went to Kyoto, then had dinner with Aaron in Kobe
1/4- Nicole went home and Aaron and I explored Kobe
1/5- Aaron and I went to Himeji to check out the castle and gardens, then had dinner with Rich in Kobe (Kobe beef)
1/6- I worked and Aaron went to Nagoya to visit a friend, dinner at an
izakaya where he tried a bunch of interesting things.. hehe
1/7- Aaron and I had a movie marathon- we managed to only leave the couch for food or bathroom breaks! 😊
1/8- Shopping and relaxing.. followed by a mad dash to the bus station, which was one of the funniest moments I've had here!
So that was my holiday- certainly not long enough, but filled with good times and good people. What's been happening since then? Well, I'm glad you asked! Here's a basic update:
- I was teaching two classes a week at a junior college in Osaka. They liked me
and even asked me to teach another two on Fridays (normally my day off, but I needed the money so I agreed). Then they saw my resume and noticed that I majored in math... So now they want me to teach a college algebra/precalculus course. I get to design the class and even pick the textbook! It's a real challenge, but I'm actually quite excited about it. I've absolutely loved working there and am looking forward to next semester, which starts April 9th.
- I have recently picked up snowboarding. Actually, what's closer to the truth is that snowboarding has become my new obsession. I went once in mid-January- my friend Luke was kind enough to teach my friend Asuka and me one Sunday in a place called Hachi Kitta (northern Hyogo prefecture). I had so much fun that in February I joined Luke and Maya on a three-day trip to Nagano, or Nozawa Onsen to be more exact. It was fantastic! This past weekend I managed to sneak in another quick trip- this time to a place called Katsuyama in Fukui. It was a warm day, so the snow was starting to get a bit slushy, but I
still had a great time. I even went down a black trail AND did a couple of teeny jumps. Quite proud of myself, actually! hehe 😉 Unfortunately I picked the worst season to get into the sport- Japan is having an abnormally warm winter, so there hasn't been much snow. Unless I can manage a trip to Hokkaido, I don't think I'll get another chance to go this season. Maybe I'll give surfing a go now..
- My computer died, which was really hard to deal with! You have no idea how hard it is to get a Dell laptop repaired in Japan. If they fix Dells, they don't speak English, so they can't fix MY Dell... or they speak English, but don't work on Dells. I finally found a place in another town that not only repaired my computer, but made it even better than it was before! Thanks to Mom, Brenna, Yan, and Fuzz for all your help!
- I have been trying a lot of weird food recently, with mostly good outcomes: Chicken cartilage is in fact, not that bad... a little crunchier than I was hoping, but the taste is pretty good.
Natto (fermented
Empress Michiko with the Prince and Princess Akishino
I know the Princess is blocked by the beam.. I sort of got a better shot later. soy beans) is something that most foreigners (and even some Japanese) cannot stand. I guess you could say it's their equivalent to stinky cheese. But when you mix it with kimuchi (spicy Korean relish of sorts) and some rice, it makes for a pretty tasty dinner. My friend Kanako is going to take me out for some more culinary adventures, as she's the one who's inspired my recent bout of gastronomic courage.
So that's most of the news for now. I'll try to post again soon with pics from snowboarding and various other things. My friend Diana and I are going to check out some sumo this weekend! There's nothing quite like spending a Sunday with a good friend, watching fat men in thongs push each other around. 😉
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heidi
non-member comment
nihon ni modoritai ne!
you make me want to go back to Japan!!! Sounds like you're having a blast - if you get the chance try some whale and horse ; )