Sorry it's been so quiet on the blog front. I'm waiting for our pictures to be uploaded so I can write some more detailed blogs... and they'll be coming soon I promise!
Things have been dandy here in Kushiro. We've been on lots of roadtrips and daytrips and got up to all sorts of antics around town. Details will come very soon.
We have big plans for the coming months... Off to Korea for a few days in 2 weeks time, then 3 weeks off over Christmas/New Year when we'll be in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Kinosaki and Tokyo! It's very exciting and we're busy planning for everything.
More news coming shortly - with photos!
xx
Friday, 6 November 2009
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Sunday Driving
On Sunday we decided to go for a country drive. We hopped in the toyota and picked up Lucy and Dana, and drove north towards Akan. Our first stop was a soba festival in Teshikaga, with loads of stalls selling lots of yummy (and/or quite bizzare) treats, with about half dedicated just to soba noodles. This was one of my favourites - panda-shaped cakey things filled with sweet red beans.
A local dairy was selling icecream and other things, and Joe had a go at milking the 'cow.'
We then drove on to Lake Mashu, an absolutely beautiful place which we admired from a lookout off the side of the road. We didn't stay up there for very long, as we weren't prepared for how cold and windy it was! It really is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Next stop was an active sulfur volcano with lots of little natural hot springs. The smell hit us before we saw it, like a thousand rotten eggs, but it was well worth putting up with. There was a little old lady selling eggs that she'd boiled in the springs, I suppose she thought you may as well be eating eggs if you have to smell them anyway...
After our fair share of apparently very healthy sulfur fumes, our next stop was a delightful little treat - a foot onsen (natural spa from hot springs). It was far enough away from the source that there were no delicious eggy smells, but the water was still very, very hot! It took us a while to be brave enough to leave our feet in for longer than about 3 seconds, but when we got used to it it was really quite lovely. I felt so refreshed and tingly for the rest of the afternoon!
Obviously, I am the braver one...
The surrounding woods were also very pretty...
All in all, an amazing Sunday drive! Hokkaido is a beautiful place.
Love love. xx
A local dairy was selling icecream and other things, and Joe had a go at milking the 'cow.'
We then drove on to Lake Mashu, an absolutely beautiful place which we admired from a lookout off the side of the road. We didn't stay up there for very long, as we weren't prepared for how cold and windy it was! It really is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Next stop was an active sulfur volcano with lots of little natural hot springs. The smell hit us before we saw it, like a thousand rotten eggs, but it was well worth putting up with. There was a little old lady selling eggs that she'd boiled in the springs, I suppose she thought you may as well be eating eggs if you have to smell them anyway...
After our fair share of apparently very healthy sulfur fumes, our next stop was a delightful little treat - a foot onsen (natural spa from hot springs). It was far enough away from the source that there were no delicious eggy smells, but the water was still very, very hot! It took us a while to be brave enough to leave our feet in for longer than about 3 seconds, but when we got used to it it was really quite lovely. I felt so refreshed and tingly for the rest of the afternoon!
Obviously, I am the braver one...
The surrounding woods were also very pretty...
All in all, an amazing Sunday drive! Hokkaido is a beautiful place.
Love love. xx
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Over Stimulation
Japan is amazing. Everything is so different... everything! And I love it!
I flew out of Sydney last Friday night and landed in Tokyo early on Saturday morning. After about a 3 hour wait I boarded my connecting flight to Sapporo, with nearly twice the baggage allowance limit... and my bag didn't even get weighed! Woop!
The domestic flight was lovely, with not many passengers at all. One of the flight attendants came and sat with me to talk about Hokkaido and suggested some places to go and see. We flew over the sea between Honshu and Hokkaido and the scenery was magical.
After landing in Sapporo I had a 4 hour train trip to Kushiro. I risked not getting a seat by buying the cheapest ticket but luckily I had 2 seats to myself! I got about an hour's sleep which was very welcome, seeing as I hardly slept at all on the plane.
I was so excited when we arrived at Kushiro station that I almost couldn't get off the train. It was so wonderful to see Joe's smiling face and I stopped so abrubtly coming out of the barriers that I almost flattened the tiny Japanese lady behind me. The sun was just starting to set as we drove across Kushiro to the apartment. The city was busying itself for the start of the evening, with people milling outside bars and restaurants and the pretty street lanterns beggining to glow.
We arrived at the apartment and lugged my bags up to the top floor. It is a big place by Japanese standards, with 3 bedrooms (one converted into an office),a living area with attached (tiny) kitchen, and a laundry/bathroom area behind that. Joe had bought and acquired most necessary furniture already, and we'll slowly collect enough to make it perfect.
After settling in we headed out again for dinner. The apartment is about a 20 minute walk from the bar and restaurant area, and there are literally hundereds and hundereds of places to eat and drink. Joe decided on a place he'd been once before, a traditional Japanese restaurant serving some really unusual dishes. We were greeted at the door, removed our shoes and were shown to a private sunken table with curtains around it like our own little private harem. Somehow we managed to order some food... struggling with gestures and Joe's little bit of Japanese. I was delighted to find one of my favourite things, lotus root, on the menu (there was a picture next to it!) and Joe ordered some mystery sashimi. We also had some delicious sesame noodles, tempura vegetables and rice balls. Joe asked what sort of meat the sahimi was made from, only to discover it was raw horse! It didn't seem to upset him too much. After a few chu-hais (this is probably not the correct spelling but as far as I know it is a Korean drink made from a clear liquer and citrus fruits) we paid, collected our shoes, and left - with the lady who welcomed us following us out the door and halfway down the street, thanking us and bowing over and over again. On we went to a sort or late-night bar/cafe (I forget what they're called) to meet some of Joe's friends, other teachers and the only other westerners in town. By this stage I was on sensory-overload and ready for either a good sleep or a long stint of staring at a white wall.
I flew out of Sydney last Friday night and landed in Tokyo early on Saturday morning. After about a 3 hour wait I boarded my connecting flight to Sapporo, with nearly twice the baggage allowance limit... and my bag didn't even get weighed! Woop!
The domestic flight was lovely, with not many passengers at all. One of the flight attendants came and sat with me to talk about Hokkaido and suggested some places to go and see. We flew over the sea between Honshu and Hokkaido and the scenery was magical.
After landing in Sapporo I had a 4 hour train trip to Kushiro. I risked not getting a seat by buying the cheapest ticket but luckily I had 2 seats to myself! I got about an hour's sleep which was very welcome, seeing as I hardly slept at all on the plane.
I was so excited when we arrived at Kushiro station that I almost couldn't get off the train. It was so wonderful to see Joe's smiling face and I stopped so abrubtly coming out of the barriers that I almost flattened the tiny Japanese lady behind me. The sun was just starting to set as we drove across Kushiro to the apartment. The city was busying itself for the start of the evening, with people milling outside bars and restaurants and the pretty street lanterns beggining to glow.
We arrived at the apartment and lugged my bags up to the top floor. It is a big place by Japanese standards, with 3 bedrooms (one converted into an office),a living area with attached (tiny) kitchen, and a laundry/bathroom area behind that. Joe had bought and acquired most necessary furniture already, and we'll slowly collect enough to make it perfect.
After settling in we headed out again for dinner. The apartment is about a 20 minute walk from the bar and restaurant area, and there are literally hundereds and hundereds of places to eat and drink. Joe decided on a place he'd been once before, a traditional Japanese restaurant serving some really unusual dishes. We were greeted at the door, removed our shoes and were shown to a private sunken table with curtains around it like our own little private harem. Somehow we managed to order some food... struggling with gestures and Joe's little bit of Japanese. I was delighted to find one of my favourite things, lotus root, on the menu (there was a picture next to it!) and Joe ordered some mystery sashimi. We also had some delicious sesame noodles, tempura vegetables and rice balls. Joe asked what sort of meat the sahimi was made from, only to discover it was raw horse! It didn't seem to upset him too much. After a few chu-hais (this is probably not the correct spelling but as far as I know it is a Korean drink made from a clear liquer and citrus fruits) we paid, collected our shoes, and left - with the lady who welcomed us following us out the door and halfway down the street, thanking us and bowing over and over again. On we went to a sort or late-night bar/cafe (I forget what they're called) to meet some of Joe's friends, other teachers and the only other westerners in town. By this stage I was on sensory-overload and ready for either a good sleep or a long stint of staring at a white wall.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
I promised I'd write...
Well. It's been a while. Almost 2 years in fact. I've decided to start writing again throughout my next big journey - moving to Japan. I'm staying with Mum and Dad at the moment, waiting for Joe to get settled in the appartment and town where we'll be living - in Kushiro, on the east coast of Hokkaido - Japan's northern island. It's been a strange week... I haven't spoken to Joe since he left England as he's not had a phone or access to the internet for more than 2 minutes so I'm just hoping everything is ok and Joe finds a way to convince his landlord/boss that me coming to live with him is acceptable!
I'm aiming to leave in about 2 or 3 weeks. Until then, I'll be catching up with friends, spending time with family- especially my grandma in hospital, taking the dogs for walks and reading books about Japan.
I'm aiming to leave in about 2 or 3 weeks. Until then, I'll be catching up with friends, spending time with family- especially my grandma in hospital, taking the dogs for walks and reading books about Japan.
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