I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but it really is the easiest solution. After explaining to the dinner lady at one of my schools that bacon is meat EVERY VISIT for the last year (that's 3 times a month). yesterday she presented me with a tray of food, declaring it was all OK. One of the day's selections was the most un-Spanish Spanish omelette I have seen in many a year, and there were maybe 8 little nubs of sausage sticking out of the top. I asked her, in Japanese, "what is that?", knowing full well that the answer would be bollocks. "Oh, it's wiener, that's not meat. It's OK". Bollocks. "Wiener comes from pig. It is meat", I continued, "and the soup?" "Oh, that's OK." "What's in it?" "Onion, potato, bacon, garlic..." "Bacon comes from pig. It is meat." "No it's not." "Yes it is. I cannot eat it." Then one of the other dinner ladies says that I am a vegetarian and that I cannot eat meat and that bacon and wiener are meat and the woman who I have explained it to maybe 3000 times says, "I don't understand." To quote Bridget Jones, "GAAAAAH!"
So I did the usual, ate lunch with the kids and picked out the meat, ate a little bit and then this time I started to feel rather unwell. 20 minutes later I was in the loo vomiting, not that anyone would have noticed. If I'd cut off my arm they'd probably still have sent the kids to get me for the next lesson.
So I told them I vomited and one lady was concerned. Another teacher I liked told me in English that to her it was funny. Ha ha. Not. The splashback alone from the Japanese style loo was more than horrible.
Anyway, no more school lunches at 3 of my schools, just 2 more to tackle, but I think that'll be problem free.
Vomiting is such a useful skill...
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
Non-stop, nonstop, non-stop to TOKYO!!!
After a decidedly underwhelming three days which featured dinner at a fancy restaurant for Christine's birthday, possibly the worst lessons known to man at school and being patronised by people who who I thought knew better, my sanity was restored by a whirlwind visit to Tokyo. Having planned to spend time with Eugene I was looking forward to the change of scenery, the buzz of the city and the opportunities for excitement.
And it was pretty much like this all the way. Last Thursday at 10pm in Tsuyama I boarded the cocoon-like nightbus (all grey and brown curtains with subdued lighting and more curtains to make your seat feel like an enclosed space- a mobile capsule hotel perhaps) where I was soon falling in and out of sleep and wondering what the other passengers were going to get up to in Tokyo. The best thing about the bus is that it drives through much of Tokyo before it gets to it's drop off point, so on Friday morning, albeit at 6:20 am, I was able to start enjoying the Tokyo scenery (tall buildings, blue skies, tall buildings, ginkgo trees, even taller buildings) and get excited about being a real city...
I made my way to Eugene's via a real bakery in Shinagawa station which sold beautifully crisp crusty bread (it's been a long time) and we caught up and discussed our plans and options for the weekend ahead. The first stop for me was predestined as I had arranged to meet friends from London, Paul and Kasumi, in Harajuku, so after a quick shower and change of clothes I headed back onto the trains.
Now, although we only saw a few people who looked like escapees from a time machine accident where some 80's goths had been sent to 2005 via the 1800s, Harajuku was still fun and cool and trendy. With unfathomable shops and strange architecture and bizarre shop signs and posters it is certainly unique. We talked and walked and walked and talked and headed to Shibuya via a wild toy shop, a sophisticated cafe and a lunch stop at a trendy cafe (where I got confused over cutlery- where are my chopsticks?) and the condomania shop which was obviously hilarious but was also had the best soundtrack of any place we'd been in (a healthy dose of SalSoul and a Loleatta Holloway sound-alike. Maybe it was her?) Paul and Kasumi are great company and it was a treat to be able to spend time with them having not seen them for over a year, but with them being on a two week holiday they had lots of other people to meet, so they trundled off to see a friend of Kasumi's perform in an all Japanese Gospel chorus. I would have loved to have seen that.
Back to Eugene's with a stop on the way to buy some more bread, and at the stop I almost fell over myself. Eugene told me which bakers to go to- a 3 minute walk from his house ("it's called 'Paul'", he said) and my mouth fell open when I saw it. Paul's, the same as the French patisserie in Covent Garden and probably in France and elsewhere and with beautiful, glowingly tasty cakes. Once I'd picked up my jaw and wiped away the drool, I bought bread and headed off, making plans to have at least one of their lemon meringue pies before I left Tokyo.
I'd told Eugene I wanted to eat Turkish food and he found us a restaurant for dinner. We cycled from his place to the centre of Shinjuku, largely on the roads which was slightly dangerous as I was soon becoming mesmerised by the lights of the shops and buildings. But the restaurant was gorgeous. It was 'Bosphorus Hasan' in Shinjuku's sanchome area and we missed the belly dancing but didn't care because the food was so good. Yuko has recently been to Turkey and thought the food was better at this restaurant. And after filling ourselves on Meze, grilled fish, bread and with lamb for Eugene and Yuko, Eugene and I headed out to the next part of our night, Club Loose in Kabuki cho.
We were a bit stupid for not understanding the clue in the title, but fortunately due to dilly-dallying on the door we were let in without cover charge. The club was a bit rubbish. It became clear we'd come to a gaijin bar, and it also became clear that it would turn into a meat market (if any "meat" would have bothered to show up- they all had more sense). So we had a few drinks, waited until we realised it clearly couldn't get better and went home.
Saturday started slowly with a trip to Paul's where I gorged on a lemon meringue pie, and from there the three of us went on a walk around the imperial palace gardens, through the craft museum, around Tokyo station and the Central Post Office (at my request, although I don't think anyone understood why I was so adamant about going to the central post office. I'm not sure I understood either...) and then to Ginza where Yuko took us to the best food hall and we tasted lots of cakes and I bought 4 Godiva chocolates for 1,200 yen (6 British pounds! And I wonder where my money's going...) Well, we tasted them over a coffee at Starbucks and then headed further into Ginza to a tea shop called Mariage Freres where we sniffed and oohed and aahed at many different teas. Then onto Shinokubo, Tokyo's Korea town. Now, having been told that Korean's are louder and more brash than Japanese, I was expecting a night of harsh service from waiters and people shouting in the street, but it was nothing of the sort. The restaurant was recommended by a Korean friend of Yuko's, and the company was great. Lot's of Yuko's friends came and I'd met some of them before at Yuko and Eugene's weddings. I was especially pleased to see Nao who is such a funny and warm person, but everyone was friendly and talked to me, and I'm not sure what happened, but my Japanese ability suddenly increased because I was able to talk right back to them (albeit with the wrong verb forms and lots of gestures). It was a really fun night with some memorably spicy food and strong drink, and as all good nights do, it ended with Karaoke! Yoshi, his girlfriend Kiyone, Eugene and I ended up in Karaoke until maybe 4am and had a great time. Yoshi and Kiyone love all the Japanese music I love and introduced me to loads more stuff- they even offered to take me on a Shibuya-kei tour of Tokyo on my next visit (Shibuya-kei is a style of music made famous by Pizzicato Five, Flipper's Guitar, Cornelius, Round Table, Capsule and FPM). Such good people!
Sunday was a quieter day but again a good one. Eugene and I headed off to Asakusa to see the famous temple (I've been before and I LOVE it!) via Paul's as I was demanding to eat more lemon meringue... Asakusa was busy as always, but our first stop was a paper goods shop where Eugene bought some gorgeous printed paper as presents for people and I bought some beautiful writing paper. We were walking around the temple, taking in the hustle and bustle and wafting ourselves with incense for good luck when we spied a couple on a rickshaw (or whatever they call them in Japan) who had just gotten married. So we joined the crowds and I took photos and we clapped when we were supposed to and then one of the wedding party started talking to Eugene thanking him for clapping and was very polite. They continued talking for a while and then she handed him some photos as a present. This seemed rather nice, if odd, as the pictures appeared to be of a family. It must be the newlywed's family I thought. I was wrong. Eugene pointed out to me that it was the Imperial family. This seemed even more strange. Why would a woman have an envelope full of pictures of the Imperial family? And why would she give themout like that? Still, it was friendly gesture and she was very polite and pleasant.
We headed to Shinjuku for a late lunch in a rooftop cafe whose name I can't remember and then we parted ways as I headed off for a skulk around the gay district of Tokyo, and then headed back to Shinjuku for a skulk around the bright lights of the city after dark.
Dinner at Eugene and Yuko's was a home made extravaganza of Japanese and Italian dishes and was finished with a taste and compare session on Japanese chocolate where Eugene suggested the Cho-Pan chocolate was boat like and would float and I agreed. Until I put it in my cup of tea and it sank. D'oh. But fortunately Yuko was on the ball and noticed the time was getting late so I had to rush and get to the station to catch the night bus back.
And what a nice way to start the journey. I love the Tokyo tower, especially at night, and we seemed to be driving past it again and again, getting closer then further, then closer. And after an hour of this (which saw me trying to take pictures unsuccessfully from my bus seat) we finally headed out of Tokyo. We arrived in Tsuyama at 5:45 just in time for my train back to Katsuyama and I started my new school at 8:20. It was a perfect, if tiring way to end the momentum of a big city break.
And it was pretty much like this all the way. Last Thursday at 10pm in Tsuyama I boarded the cocoon-like nightbus (all grey and brown curtains with subdued lighting and more curtains to make your seat feel like an enclosed space- a mobile capsule hotel perhaps) where I was soon falling in and out of sleep and wondering what the other passengers were going to get up to in Tokyo. The best thing about the bus is that it drives through much of Tokyo before it gets to it's drop off point, so on Friday morning, albeit at 6:20 am, I was able to start enjoying the Tokyo scenery (tall buildings, blue skies, tall buildings, ginkgo trees, even taller buildings) and get excited about being a real city...
I made my way to Eugene's via a real bakery in Shinagawa station which sold beautifully crisp crusty bread (it's been a long time) and we caught up and discussed our plans and options for the weekend ahead. The first stop for me was predestined as I had arranged to meet friends from London, Paul and Kasumi, in Harajuku, so after a quick shower and change of clothes I headed back onto the trains.
Now, although we only saw a few people who looked like escapees from a time machine accident where some 80's goths had been sent to 2005 via the 1800s, Harajuku was still fun and cool and trendy. With unfathomable shops and strange architecture and bizarre shop signs and posters it is certainly unique. We talked and walked and walked and talked and headed to Shibuya via a wild toy shop, a sophisticated cafe and a lunch stop at a trendy cafe (where I got confused over cutlery- where are my chopsticks?) and the condomania shop which was obviously hilarious but was also had the best soundtrack of any place we'd been in (a healthy dose of SalSoul and a Loleatta Holloway sound-alike. Maybe it was her?) Paul and Kasumi are great company and it was a treat to be able to spend time with them having not seen them for over a year, but with them being on a two week holiday they had lots of other people to meet, so they trundled off to see a friend of Kasumi's perform in an all Japanese Gospel chorus. I would have loved to have seen that.
Back to Eugene's with a stop on the way to buy some more bread, and at the stop I almost fell over myself. Eugene told me which bakers to go to- a 3 minute walk from his house ("it's called 'Paul'", he said) and my mouth fell open when I saw it. Paul's, the same as the French patisserie in Covent Garden and probably in France and elsewhere and with beautiful, glowingly tasty cakes. Once I'd picked up my jaw and wiped away the drool, I bought bread and headed off, making plans to have at least one of their lemon meringue pies before I left Tokyo.
I'd told Eugene I wanted to eat Turkish food and he found us a restaurant for dinner. We cycled from his place to the centre of Shinjuku, largely on the roads which was slightly dangerous as I was soon becoming mesmerised by the lights of the shops and buildings. But the restaurant was gorgeous. It was 'Bosphorus Hasan' in Shinjuku's sanchome area and we missed the belly dancing but didn't care because the food was so good. Yuko has recently been to Turkey and thought the food was better at this restaurant. And after filling ourselves on Meze, grilled fish, bread and with lamb for Eugene and Yuko, Eugene and I headed out to the next part of our night, Club Loose in Kabuki cho.
We were a bit stupid for not understanding the clue in the title, but fortunately due to dilly-dallying on the door we were let in without cover charge. The club was a bit rubbish. It became clear we'd come to a gaijin bar, and it also became clear that it would turn into a meat market (if any "meat" would have bothered to show up- they all had more sense). So we had a few drinks, waited until we realised it clearly couldn't get better and went home.
Saturday started slowly with a trip to Paul's where I gorged on a lemon meringue pie, and from there the three of us went on a walk around the imperial palace gardens, through the craft museum, around Tokyo station and the Central Post Office (at my request, although I don't think anyone understood why I was so adamant about going to the central post office. I'm not sure I understood either...) and then to Ginza where Yuko took us to the best food hall and we tasted lots of cakes and I bought 4 Godiva chocolates for 1,200 yen (6 British pounds! And I wonder where my money's going...) Well, we tasted them over a coffee at Starbucks and then headed further into Ginza to a tea shop called Mariage Freres where we sniffed and oohed and aahed at many different teas. Then onto Shinokubo, Tokyo's Korea town. Now, having been told that Korean's are louder and more brash than Japanese, I was expecting a night of harsh service from waiters and people shouting in the street, but it was nothing of the sort. The restaurant was recommended by a Korean friend of Yuko's, and the company was great. Lot's of Yuko's friends came and I'd met some of them before at Yuko and Eugene's weddings. I was especially pleased to see Nao who is such a funny and warm person, but everyone was friendly and talked to me, and I'm not sure what happened, but my Japanese ability suddenly increased because I was able to talk right back to them (albeit with the wrong verb forms and lots of gestures). It was a really fun night with some memorably spicy food and strong drink, and as all good nights do, it ended with Karaoke! Yoshi, his girlfriend Kiyone, Eugene and I ended up in Karaoke until maybe 4am and had a great time. Yoshi and Kiyone love all the Japanese music I love and introduced me to loads more stuff- they even offered to take me on a Shibuya-kei tour of Tokyo on my next visit (Shibuya-kei is a style of music made famous by Pizzicato Five, Flipper's Guitar, Cornelius, Round Table, Capsule and FPM). Such good people!
Sunday was a quieter day but again a good one. Eugene and I headed off to Asakusa to see the famous temple (I've been before and I LOVE it!) via Paul's as I was demanding to eat more lemon meringue... Asakusa was busy as always, but our first stop was a paper goods shop where Eugene bought some gorgeous printed paper as presents for people and I bought some beautiful writing paper. We were walking around the temple, taking in the hustle and bustle and wafting ourselves with incense for good luck when we spied a couple on a rickshaw (or whatever they call them in Japan) who had just gotten married. So we joined the crowds and I took photos and we clapped when we were supposed to and then one of the wedding party started talking to Eugene thanking him for clapping and was very polite. They continued talking for a while and then she handed him some photos as a present. This seemed rather nice, if odd, as the pictures appeared to be of a family. It must be the newlywed's family I thought. I was wrong. Eugene pointed out to me that it was the Imperial family. This seemed even more strange. Why would a woman have an envelope full of pictures of the Imperial family? And why would she give themout like that? Still, it was friendly gesture and she was very polite and pleasant.
We headed to Shinjuku for a late lunch in a rooftop cafe whose name I can't remember and then we parted ways as I headed off for a skulk around the gay district of Tokyo, and then headed back to Shinjuku for a skulk around the bright lights of the city after dark.
Dinner at Eugene and Yuko's was a home made extravaganza of Japanese and Italian dishes and was finished with a taste and compare session on Japanese chocolate where Eugene suggested the Cho-Pan chocolate was boat like and would float and I agreed. Until I put it in my cup of tea and it sank. D'oh. But fortunately Yuko was on the ball and noticed the time was getting late so I had to rush and get to the station to catch the night bus back.
And what a nice way to start the journey. I love the Tokyo tower, especially at night, and we seemed to be driving past it again and again, getting closer then further, then closer. And after an hour of this (which saw me trying to take pictures unsuccessfully from my bus seat) we finally headed out of Tokyo. We arrived in Tsuyama at 5:45 just in time for my train back to Katsuyama and I started my new school at 8:20. It was a perfect, if tiring way to end the momentum of a big city break.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Fuji Rocks!
I'M ALIVE! I'M ALIVE! That in itself is a surprise to me. As is my state of general wellbeing- no aches or pains, just tiredness and a great sense of achievement. Fuji rocks. The trip went very well despite a hiccup or two, and we all had a great time.
Thiings started off well on Friday night when we all met at Okayama station to board the bus to Fuji. Everyone was anticipating what was to come and pretty soon the bus turned into a big party zone courtesy of alcohol, music and Jaco's quiz (despite the fact that everyone was questioning the answers). The supposed curfew passed and the lights remained on and the music continued to play and while some slept and some became more and more drowsy, others partied on until past 3. I wasn't one of them, instead sleeping intermittently from two am. But as the bus stopped every few hours, most of us experienced broken sleep anyway, but it was a good chance to have bizarre conversations with other people. It also provided an opportunity to eat my first sandwich in Japan, which despite not being very good in a real world sense was actually quite amazing for Japan (they really don't do meat free sandwiches very well). This breakfast stop also provided our first view of the mountain itself. Argh! It's SOOO big!
Our next stop was a small town in Hakone where we walked through a tiny shopping street (contents: 6 souvenir shops, 2 restaurants) and viewed Fuji from across a lake. Again, a very beautiful scene and an opportunity to eat green tea ice-cream and bitch about the amount of make-up shop assistants were wearing.
Then it was the outlet mall. We spent three hours at a shopping mall which mainly carried western brands and wasn't as cheap as outlets at home but was cheap for Japan. Claire, Neil and I ate a lovely Italian meal for lunch and I made only two purchases- trousers at French Connection (for work, but they're too nice really) and Neil and I each purchased a small box of Lego from the Lego shop which was quite amazing...
Back on the bus for an hour and next thing we were at the hostel where we showered and washed, some slept and our group split. Neil was leading a group up the mountain at night to see sunrise from the top, and I was joining his group, so at 5:30 we all headed off in the coach to the fifth station where our journey began.
Having taken photos of the scene and buying climbing sticks and oxygen we started to make our way up the mountain at about 7:30, stopping to take pictures along the way. And it was hard going. We all paired up and some forged ahead with others lagging behind. I was with Tara who was finding it very hard going and developed altitude sickness very early on, so we had to take things very slowly. This also meant that I began to get very cold (I had started the climb in just a polo shirt proclaiming how lucky I was to be British- ie used to the cold) and then I started coughing again. Neil came back down to join us and make sure things were ok, and then had to go back up and check on the others.
As we reached the first part of the seventh station (there were about 7 parts), Tara was really not feeling well and so we stopped and waited to be met by Maricar (who was also not doing well) and Liza (a veteran, having climbed in the day last year). Neil and Adam came back down to give us a hand and carried bags to the next stop for Tara and Maricar, letting Liza and I go ahead so we could warm up. At the next stop, after a lot of talking and debating, Tara didn't feel she could go on, and Maricar was going to wait with her and then climb up slowly, so at about midnight with Neil and Adam going ahead, Liza and I carried on together assisting each other with a hugely positive attitude along the way. We were both determined to make it, although the last stretch was quite slow. We made a couple of stops on the way at the eighth station for a hot cocoa (which really hit the spot) and then at another part of the eighth station where we had miso soup (mmm, warm liquids), and we experienced rude Japanese service staff at every stop. It was quite hilarious and entirely the opposite of what I've experienced at other tourist sites. Other climbers reported paying 1000yen to sit in a rest stop for an hour, and when they were nodding off through lack of sleep, the Japanese staff would come and shout at them and wake them up, or turn off the fire when other climbers sat next to it to warm up. It was shocking!
Anyway, Liza and I followed on seemingly in tandem with a tour group from Kyoto- when we rested they climbed past us and when they rested we climbed past them. And it worked well for the last two hours was a real struggle. We had to scale the hardest rocks yet and climb up paths of volcanic dust where you would take a step and slide back downwards with rocks slipping under your feet. I was very glad of the new hiking shoes I'd purchased.
We finally made it to the top at around 4:25am. If it had been further I'm not sure we'd have made it, but we were both so relieved. We arrived in time for daybreak and we sat in a good spot to see the sunrise. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have a heater nearby- it was freezing! By the time we got to the top I was wearing three layers, but as we'd stopped climbing the cold really hit us and we shook and shivered throughout the sunrise. After a quick peek at the crater we bumped into others from our group and started the descent. I was feeling great- no aches and pains and suddenly not tired, probably due to the exhilaration of having reached the summit. Only after half an hour of going down I was decidedly going off the whole thing. Again the comany kept us going- our group of Ashley, Martin, Liza, Whyvon, Emilie and Taro talked rubbish all the way down and laughed and joked and swore at the downward paths, especially when the signs stating the distance showed the distance as the crow flew rather than by how far you walked. But after two breaks, my falling over 5 times, and Whyvon and I slipping and almost pushing each other over the edge 3 times we made it back down, and Liza, Whyvon and I did our best homeless impression by finding a park bench to sleep on until the bus came. Except unbeknown to us, it was already there. After the day climbers got back we headed off to an onsen (basically a communal Japanese bath where the water has healing properties) and recharged before the bus journey home.
The bus journey home was also good fun thanks to Richard and Karen from Ehime and Adam. The four of us played silly games for hours, culminating in many rounds of Mallet's Mallet, which became increasingly bizarre as we all became tired and delirious. After lights went out, Adam and I talked until one, then fell asleep only to wake up a 3 for a stop at a service station. We finally arrived in Okayama at 4:45, and rushed to get a train which wasn't coming because it was a holiday. D'oh.
Managing to chat all the way back with Vicky, we detrained (well, you can deplane, so why not detrain?) and Jaco drove us the rest of the way home. Thank you sir! After a slightly delirious call to Leejay I finally went to bed at 9am, waking at 5pm and returning at 11:30. I am at school in one piece, still not aching, but thinking bed would definitely be a good idea.
Once again, Fuji rocks!
Thiings started off well on Friday night when we all met at Okayama station to board the bus to Fuji. Everyone was anticipating what was to come and pretty soon the bus turned into a big party zone courtesy of alcohol, music and Jaco's quiz (despite the fact that everyone was questioning the answers). The supposed curfew passed and the lights remained on and the music continued to play and while some slept and some became more and more drowsy, others partied on until past 3. I wasn't one of them, instead sleeping intermittently from two am. But as the bus stopped every few hours, most of us experienced broken sleep anyway, but it was a good chance to have bizarre conversations with other people. It also provided an opportunity to eat my first sandwich in Japan, which despite not being very good in a real world sense was actually quite amazing for Japan (they really don't do meat free sandwiches very well). This breakfast stop also provided our first view of the mountain itself. Argh! It's SOOO big!
Our next stop was a small town in Hakone where we walked through a tiny shopping street (contents: 6 souvenir shops, 2 restaurants) and viewed Fuji from across a lake. Again, a very beautiful scene and an opportunity to eat green tea ice-cream and bitch about the amount of make-up shop assistants were wearing.
Then it was the outlet mall. We spent three hours at a shopping mall which mainly carried western brands and wasn't as cheap as outlets at home but was cheap for Japan. Claire, Neil and I ate a lovely Italian meal for lunch and I made only two purchases- trousers at French Connection (for work, but they're too nice really) and Neil and I each purchased a small box of Lego from the Lego shop which was quite amazing...
Back on the bus for an hour and next thing we were at the hostel where we showered and washed, some slept and our group split. Neil was leading a group up the mountain at night to see sunrise from the top, and I was joining his group, so at 5:30 we all headed off in the coach to the fifth station where our journey began.
Having taken photos of the scene and buying climbing sticks and oxygen we started to make our way up the mountain at about 7:30, stopping to take pictures along the way. And it was hard going. We all paired up and some forged ahead with others lagging behind. I was with Tara who was finding it very hard going and developed altitude sickness very early on, so we had to take things very slowly. This also meant that I began to get very cold (I had started the climb in just a polo shirt proclaiming how lucky I was to be British- ie used to the cold) and then I started coughing again. Neil came back down to join us and make sure things were ok, and then had to go back up and check on the others.
As we reached the first part of the seventh station (there were about 7 parts), Tara was really not feeling well and so we stopped and waited to be met by Maricar (who was also not doing well) and Liza (a veteran, having climbed in the day last year). Neil and Adam came back down to give us a hand and carried bags to the next stop for Tara and Maricar, letting Liza and I go ahead so we could warm up. At the next stop, after a lot of talking and debating, Tara didn't feel she could go on, and Maricar was going to wait with her and then climb up slowly, so at about midnight with Neil and Adam going ahead, Liza and I carried on together assisting each other with a hugely positive attitude along the way. We were both determined to make it, although the last stretch was quite slow. We made a couple of stops on the way at the eighth station for a hot cocoa (which really hit the spot) and then at another part of the eighth station where we had miso soup (mmm, warm liquids), and we experienced rude Japanese service staff at every stop. It was quite hilarious and entirely the opposite of what I've experienced at other tourist sites. Other climbers reported paying 1000yen to sit in a rest stop for an hour, and when they were nodding off through lack of sleep, the Japanese staff would come and shout at them and wake them up, or turn off the fire when other climbers sat next to it to warm up. It was shocking!
Anyway, Liza and I followed on seemingly in tandem with a tour group from Kyoto- when we rested they climbed past us and when they rested we climbed past them. And it worked well for the last two hours was a real struggle. We had to scale the hardest rocks yet and climb up paths of volcanic dust where you would take a step and slide back downwards with rocks slipping under your feet. I was very glad of the new hiking shoes I'd purchased.
We finally made it to the top at around 4:25am. If it had been further I'm not sure we'd have made it, but we were both so relieved. We arrived in time for daybreak and we sat in a good spot to see the sunrise. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have a heater nearby- it was freezing! By the time we got to the top I was wearing three layers, but as we'd stopped climbing the cold really hit us and we shook and shivered throughout the sunrise. After a quick peek at the crater we bumped into others from our group and started the descent. I was feeling great- no aches and pains and suddenly not tired, probably due to the exhilaration of having reached the summit. Only after half an hour of going down I was decidedly going off the whole thing. Again the comany kept us going- our group of Ashley, Martin, Liza, Whyvon, Emilie and Taro talked rubbish all the way down and laughed and joked and swore at the downward paths, especially when the signs stating the distance showed the distance as the crow flew rather than by how far you walked. But after two breaks, my falling over 5 times, and Whyvon and I slipping and almost pushing each other over the edge 3 times we made it back down, and Liza, Whyvon and I did our best homeless impression by finding a park bench to sleep on until the bus came. Except unbeknown to us, it was already there. After the day climbers got back we headed off to an onsen (basically a communal Japanese bath where the water has healing properties) and recharged before the bus journey home.
The bus journey home was also good fun thanks to Richard and Karen from Ehime and Adam. The four of us played silly games for hours, culminating in many rounds of Mallet's Mallet, which became increasingly bizarre as we all became tired and delirious. After lights went out, Adam and I talked until one, then fell asleep only to wake up a 3 for a stop at a service station. We finally arrived in Okayama at 4:45, and rushed to get a train which wasn't coming because it was a holiday. D'oh.
Managing to chat all the way back with Vicky, we detrained (well, you can deplane, so why not detrain?) and Jaco drove us the rest of the way home. Thank you sir! After a slightly delirious call to Leejay I finally went to bed at 9am, waking at 5pm and returning at 11:30. I am at school in one piece, still not aching, but thinking bed would definitely be a good idea.
Once again, Fuji rocks!
Friday, September 16, 2005
Cough step cough, cough step cough...
Above is a prediction of how the forthcoming weekend will be. This is the weekend we have been anticipating for a long time- a trip to climb mount Fuji. So we only climb the top half- that's the steep bit! Having avoided it last year having gone shopping with RayVon and Fiona in Osaka instead, I feel it is my duty to do it this year. Plus it sounds bloody good- "What did you do last weekend?", "oh, nothing much, just climbed the TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN JAPAN." But anyway, that's what the plan was. It's all a bit rocky right now (no pun intended). I was off work yesterday with a "heavy cold" (read: I went to bed coughing on Wednesday night, and spent time waking up coughing, and this has been going on for almost a week now- summer colds are rubbish). So now I'm wondering what to do. I had planned to start climbing a group at 9pm and get to the top to see the sun rise. I may still do this, as last night the coughing only started when I lay down, so if I don't lie down at all I should be fine. I think...
Anyway, time will tell.
The only other highlight of the week has been going to dinner with Nao chan (kaiten sushi again- mmm) and her giving me tonnes of omiyage from their trip to Hokkaido. They obviously know me well by now. Two of the boxes were chocolate, and one of them was a special combintaion- cheese, potato and chocolate. three of my favourite foods. Sounds odd but tasted great. Now if there was some tuna in there it would have been perfect.
Thank you Nao chan!
Anyway, time will tell.
The only other highlight of the week has been going to dinner with Nao chan (kaiten sushi again- mmm) and her giving me tonnes of omiyage from their trip to Hokkaido. They obviously know me well by now. Two of the boxes were chocolate, and one of them was a special combintaion- cheese, potato and chocolate. three of my favourite foods. Sounds odd but tasted great. Now if there was some tuna in there it would have been perfect.
Thank you Nao chan!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Run! Run! Run!
This weekend marked the most important event of the school year for many schools in Japan- the sports festival. The students and the teachers take part in a wide range of events that showcase no particular talent but that are huge fun for the students and their families, many of whom come to watch. Given my sports phobia I was expecting a long, long day (my memories of last year's are that it was looooong with some enjoyable moments- maybe this year knowing the kids made a difference). Anyway, I started the day the same was I start most weekends. With a hangover.
At our Japanese lesson on Thursday, Kapo-chan and I had decided to go for dinner and drinks on Friday and asked Christine along, so on Friday night we found Jeremy and Christine in Wakaba, had a tasty meal and headed off to Uenodan, Kapo-chan's sister's cafe which has just started opening late and serving alcohol. So we took advantage of this, Kapo-chan and I staying there until 1am (oops) and me cycling home in a rather wayward fashion. Via Lawson's of course...
Waking up on Saturday with a headache I decided it was best to view it as part of the cold I've had all week and headed off to school for 8:15 to join in with the sports day. Due to the threat of rain they seemed to speed through the races, and by 11 am it was time for lunch, of which we had the obligatory special bento box. Each time we have this it seems to get tastier even though it's always exactly the same- perhaps I am changing after all... All the teachers took part in a race, and many of us did 2- one was a race were 2 people ran together each with a tennis racket (with a hand shaped cover), between the rackets carrying a football. Very hard. And then there was the relay race. To my surprise (and I think to the student's surprise too) the teacher's teams came first in both their races. The day ended with closing ceremony where the flags that were raised in the morning (Japanese flag and school flag) to the sound of the Japanese national anthem were lowered to the same piece of music.
After this it was onto the enkai which was held in a traditional ryokan in Kuse (like a boarding house, but this had a massive dining area where all of us teachers ate). A delicious feast was laid before us and one by one all the teachers who started in April were asked to make a speech. And then to my surprise, so was I. In Japanese. D'oh. I blundered through and managed to say the correct greeting at the end and managed not to make the usual mistakes (2 weeks ago I asked for usagi instead of unagi at the revolving sushi restaurant. Which means I asked for rabbit instead of eel. A mistake I'll never make again...) The second enkai was held at the usual bar in Kuse and amazingly the bar owner remembered that I liked gin and tonic- I haven't been there since maybe April! And with my cold I croaked my way through a few songs on karaoke, only to be hugely impressed with the singing of my school nurse and the domestic science teacher, who also was very good at English (to my surprise).
Sunday was as the Lord intended- a day of rest. I went cycling for a while and then came home to make some bread. Not a bad attempt- tasted great hot, but definitely room for improvement. Oh what I'd give for an oven. And a live-in baker.
Today was adventure day- it was a holiday as the sports day fell on a saturday- so I undertook a very important mission. I got my Japanese driving license, thanks largely to Kapo-chan who drove me there and helped with a lot of translation (many questions such as what was the name of the centre where you got your license, how many lessons did you have, how much did you spend in total on lessons etc...) . I was very nervous about it all, but still was thanking God that being British I don't have to do a driving test. Anyway, I'm now at home planning trips with an old road atlas and thinking a new one might be better and maybe a car would be even better. Janice mark II, I'm coming to find you. Although I may have to call you Janisu maaku too because that would sound more Japanese.
At our Japanese lesson on Thursday, Kapo-chan and I had decided to go for dinner and drinks on Friday and asked Christine along, so on Friday night we found Jeremy and Christine in Wakaba, had a tasty meal and headed off to Uenodan, Kapo-chan's sister's cafe which has just started opening late and serving alcohol. So we took advantage of this, Kapo-chan and I staying there until 1am (oops) and me cycling home in a rather wayward fashion. Via Lawson's of course...
Waking up on Saturday with a headache I decided it was best to view it as part of the cold I've had all week and headed off to school for 8:15 to join in with the sports day. Due to the threat of rain they seemed to speed through the races, and by 11 am it was time for lunch, of which we had the obligatory special bento box. Each time we have this it seems to get tastier even though it's always exactly the same- perhaps I am changing after all... All the teachers took part in a race, and many of us did 2- one was a race were 2 people ran together each with a tennis racket (with a hand shaped cover), between the rackets carrying a football. Very hard. And then there was the relay race. To my surprise (and I think to the student's surprise too) the teacher's teams came first in both their races. The day ended with closing ceremony where the flags that were raised in the morning (Japanese flag and school flag) to the sound of the Japanese national anthem were lowered to the same piece of music.
After this it was onto the enkai which was held in a traditional ryokan in Kuse (like a boarding house, but this had a massive dining area where all of us teachers ate). A delicious feast was laid before us and one by one all the teachers who started in April were asked to make a speech. And then to my surprise, so was I. In Japanese. D'oh. I blundered through and managed to say the correct greeting at the end and managed not to make the usual mistakes (2 weeks ago I asked for usagi instead of unagi at the revolving sushi restaurant. Which means I asked for rabbit instead of eel. A mistake I'll never make again...) The second enkai was held at the usual bar in Kuse and amazingly the bar owner remembered that I liked gin and tonic- I haven't been there since maybe April! And with my cold I croaked my way through a few songs on karaoke, only to be hugely impressed with the singing of my school nurse and the domestic science teacher, who also was very good at English (to my surprise).
Sunday was as the Lord intended- a day of rest. I went cycling for a while and then came home to make some bread. Not a bad attempt- tasted great hot, but definitely room for improvement. Oh what I'd give for an oven. And a live-in baker.
Today was adventure day- it was a holiday as the sports day fell on a saturday- so I undertook a very important mission. I got my Japanese driving license, thanks largely to Kapo-chan who drove me there and helped with a lot of translation (many questions such as what was the name of the centre where you got your license, how many lessons did you have, how much did you spend in total on lessons etc...) . I was very nervous about it all, but still was thanking God that being British I don't have to do a driving test. Anyway, I'm now at home planning trips with an old road atlas and thinking a new one might be better and maybe a car would be even better. Janice mark II, I'm coming to find you. Although I may have to call you Janisu maaku too because that would sound more Japanese.
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