Two years ago, when I was living in Hirakata City, I was convieniently located 35 minutes south of Kyoto. I can't count the number of weekends I spent wandering the tourist oriented streets taking in the sights of ancient Kyoto... I loved those weekends, and travelling back there this past weekend has reminded me why. Kyoto is currently Japan's seventh largest city with a population of about 1.4 million, and although the downtown sector is quite modern, it is still home to many priceless structures. Actually, Kyoto is home to some of Japan's oldest shrines and temples, and it was Japan's capital city (and the emperor's residence) from 794 until 1868. Due to the significance/value of its historical structures, Kyoto was not targeted during the air raids of World War II. Friday afternoon Logan and ... read more

"Nihon ni itsumade itemo narenai koto wa natto desu. Ooku no hito mo onaji da to omoimasu. dakara, kyowa, natto no kotodewa naku, supu no nomikatta ni tsuite hanashimasu. Ramon o taberu toki, ooki na oto o tatemasu. Kanada dewa, sorewa manaa ga waruii to iwaremasu. Dakara, ramon o taberu toki wa, itsumo oto o tatenaiyou ni tabemasu. Demo, ramon o taberu to, supu ga kaojuu ni chirimasu. Bunka no chigaii to omoimasu!" And that is how it all started! This last weekend I went to an island called Etajima (which is just south of Hiroshima City), and took place in an Ogiri. Basically, I sat on a stage with 4 other foreigners and had a room full of 70-100 Japanese people listen to what we thought about Japan. I was pretty nervous walking onto that ... read more

http://www.travelblog.org/gmaps/map_Ih.html DAY 1: Saturday, February 4th The adventure started bright and early (6am!) when I rolled off my futon at Ryokan Casey (a.k.a Casey Hotel... a.k.a Casey's apartment where I spend every weekend). Out of excitement I jumped up and shouted "We're going to Hokkaidooooo!!!" only to be shot down by Casey who quickly reminded me that it was still only 6am, and far too early to be genki. Man.. I was soooo excited! After a quick breakfast we headed out to meet the guys before busing it to Hiroshima Airport. Well, upon check-in we were given a strange warning that "if you can't land in Sapporo than the plane will have to fly back." I think everyone was just kinda thinking 'strange, never had a warning like that before.' So, we checked-in and began our ... read more

This past Saturday Hiroshima's weather consisted of a tonne of rain, and far too many clouds! Actually, it was the kind of day where there are limited options when deciding what to do. After realizing that there was no point in sightseeing anywhere, my friend Casey and I discussed our options: go to the movies (and pay the ridiculous price of $18 AMER. to see one movie!), go shopping (even though we find it difficult fitting into the small Japanese sizes), OR be Japanese and spend the day playing Pachinko! Yep, Pachinko was by far our best bet! The best way to describe Pachiko is to think of slot machines... because that is basically what they are. But for some reason or another, Japanese people are OBSESSED with Pachinko! I have driven through towns in ... read more

Just like any other kid, the best part of Christmas for me when I was a child was by far the presents... anyone who says their childhood preferences were different is a liar! However, as I have gotten older (maybe not really matured) I have come to love other things about Christmas... particularly the food! ... haha, and the family. So the fact that I was at home with my family for Christmas this year meant a lot to me. Here are some things I liked best about going home for Christmas (in no order because that would take too long): 1. The Christmas sweets (4 nanaimo bars a day!) 2. Christmas dinner at Aunt Mary's 3. Having the "guest" treatment at home since my parents hadn't seen me in 5 months. 4. Canadian food! ... read more