Golden Week

Golden Week is a collection of national holidays here in Japan. For an extended time, all of Japan is on the move as people travel abroad or to other parts of the country to visit friends/family. I was very intrigued to experience such a rarity in Japan - a holiday that lasts for more than one day!






I decided to take a trip back to Osaka to join my friends Vivian, Ciaran and Reese. I love Osaka. It is grimy, seedy, hedonistic and laid back. I enjoyed the style in Osaka as it reminded me of my London - with the exception of the straw boater hats, which every female under the age of 25 was wearing, anything goes in Osaka and it wasn't so contrived as I find Tokyo sometimes can be.


Being back in a big city after a several weeks in the countryside felt wonderful. I enjoy so many things about life in Marugame but this trip really confirmed that I need to take the opportunity to travel as much as possible in these last few months. I fall into the comfort trap here in Marugame - life is easy and uncomplicated....but can also become very monotonous and frustrating. I still hate being so conspicuous in this little town. In Osaka, I felt a little more anonymous and it made me feel relaxed. I loved seeing new things for my eyes to be inspired by, to have those moments of frustration where I could not find a way out of Namba station (with it's 539575478574853 exits), to ride a busy subway like I did every day back in London town, to spend 40 minutes walking from one end of the shopping area to the other, being swept along in a sea of people.

I stayed in a really cute little hostel with equally cute staff in Namba. It was clean, lovely and I didn't feel the urge to get up and get out as soon as I woke up (as I have felt in other hostels I've stayed in). I wish I could be friends with the gesturing man and the girl with the bowl haircut.

I did lots of lovely things with my time in Osaka - drank by the Dotombori canal, went to the most amazing Mexican restaurant I have ever been to, met up with fellow Londoner Roland who took me to a cutesy Vietnamese cafe with colourful sweets and lovely art on the walls, ate Kansai okonomiyaki, satisfied my retail deprivation;I think my summer wardrobe is leaning towards red and stripes this year, stocked up on my Japanese fashion magazines (the spreads are so beautiful) went clubbing (which was fantastic - it was the first time I felt feminine and attractive here in Japan. Guys came up and chatted to us and it felt great, even if I couldn't understand!),ate green tea KitKat Chunkies, my new confectionary obsession, met some of Vivian's lovely Tokushima friends, who I would love to see again, and just enjoyed being in a bustling, noisy, dirty, inspiring place.






(These are the host boys we met. Note the claw hand on my bag after just having been asked about my passport and bank card by said hosts!)

Yesterday, Vivian and I took a trip to Nara 奈良市. Mine and Vivian's schedules here are quite different so it was lovely to spend time together. Our morning began with combini breakfasts, dropping bananas on escalators and a nice little train ride. We walked around in the sunshine, ate bento, saw a giant Buddha (apparently the biggest in the world), petted the deer and partook in the very Japanese custom of buying omiyage (souvenirs) for every single person we know back in Marugame - we are IMMERSED in Japanese culture Vivian! I was happy to see some deer again - I think I preferred the Nara deer to their Miyajima counterparts; they were prettier; more doe eyed and lovely.



(deer and girl with white, pasty legs ach :-/)












Last night, tired footed Vivian and I took the bus back to Osaka laden with our new purchases and a selection of dubious looking combini snacks to console ourselves. It was a fun bus journey home and both of us agreed that we were glad for the company.


Osaka is a different world, an entirely different Japan from the one I have become familiar with over the past eight months of day to day life here in Marugame. I felt flat coming back on the bus but after stepping off the little local train at Marugame, smelling the earthy smell of the rice fields, being greeted by the smiley ticket collector man (we don't need ticket barriers here in the countryside), cycling back home in the early summer warmth, and meeting my besty at the supermarket in ten minutes (we don't have ten billion train exits - you can be with your friends within seconds!) I realised that perhaps I am a lucky girl to be able to experience both sides of Japan.....perhaps.

My heart belongs in the city. Hearts for Osaka; see you soon <3



xo

Fashion show

Last weekend, I took part in a fashion show for Ichirou, a friend of mine who cuts my hair for free, a woo! Surprisingly, it was actually a very interesting cultural experience; around fifty or so girls modelled at the event, with myself and Tamara being the only Western girls.

The Japanese models were styled in a very demure kind of way; pastel shades, soft curls, ethereal looking dresses, whilst Tamara and I looked the complete opposite of the cutesies. My makeup was very bold and smokey (and incidentally, not really the right kind for my skin tone. Days later, my poor skin is still suffering, as a result of the make up being piled on like polyfiller gah!), my hair tightly pulled back with lots of back combing, and my clothes would have been almost provocative had it not been for my big feet which unintentionally saved me! None of the high heels would fit me so embarrassingly, I had to make do with a pair of MC Hammer style mens' shoes.

Lots of my students were there and it took them a little while to realise that it was me beneath the mask and witchy hair. Post realisation = the usual shrieking ensued.
I had a good time and it was really fun to have somebody as laid back as Tamara with me. I also had a really amusing experience afterwards when I popped into my local supermarket with said runway hair and makeup. The poor little cashier was mortified when he saw the witchy looking foreign girl with the MC Hammer trainers.









Things have been a bit shakey again lately, but a Wednesday night tea session and just a few minutes ago, being enthusiastically accosted by my rowdy Josei students in the supermarket and then seeing them being told off by the security guard for being too noisy (to whom they took no notice of whatsoever - I truly love that school) have cheered me up no end. Tomorrow, I will have dinner at a nice cafe here called Bubucane and pretend that I am dining at a chic city cafe for a couple of hours hehe. Oh countryside living...

xo

xo

Bicycle a-go-go.

Last Saturday, Ed, Yumi and I did a 70 kilometre bicycle ride across the Shimanami Kaido. The Shimanami Kaido is a bridge that begins in Imabari (on my little island of Shikoku) and stretches all the way to quaint little Onomichi city on Hiroshima prefecture over on Honshu, the mainland.



It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine...










fun company....













...good food....




...and plenty of these.













I would really love to do it again before I leave Japan.

xo




xo

Vietnam

Last week, I took a trip to Vietnam. It was a memorable trip as not only was it my first time in South East Asia, but I was doing it alone. It turned out to be unexpectedly nice travelling alone and I enjoyed having the freedom to be in the company of others (I met really lovely people - hello Nancy and Kendra!) and be alone when the mood took me.


Unfortunately, my camera was stolen on my very first night in Hanoi which was such a disappointment. I bought a couple of instant cameras and I think it will be kind of nice to see the pictures as they will all be surprises. I'm sorry that it might be a bit of a boring read without pictures :-(

There were loads of things I enjoyed about Vietnam:

- enjoying food is so important to me when visiting somewhere new and I ate so well in Vietnam, largely because of all the wonderful salads I ate. I realised how much I have missed a good salad since I've come to Japan. Mangoes are my favourite fruit and they were sold in abundance on the street for just a few pennies, which I took full advantage of. Every morning for breakfast, I ate a fruit salad full of fruits I had never tasted before, with natural yoghurt and honey, accompanied by a glass of Hanoi's celebrated thick, chocolatey iced coffee.
One of the best restaurants I visited was KOTO. KOTO began on the streets of Hanoi back in the 90s as a development project aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty amongst street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. All the waiters, waitresses and chefs are young people from the streets who complete a three year apprenticeship at KOTO. The food was beautiful and my bill was being channelled into a great cause (which made me feel good, especially given the incessant and often exhausting culture of bartering in Vietnam, which always made me feel uncomfortable)




I took a trip to Halong Bay, which is a UNESCO world heritage site about four hours outside of Hanoi. It was beautiful and eerie. The thing that intrigued me most were the floating villages. Our guide told us that there are even floating village schools!




I loved the museums in Hanoi so much and with a couple of rainy days, I managed to see them all. The fine art museum was a little devoid of creativity, as all work had to be party approved...


I saw Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body at the Mausoleum! It was one of the most morbidly interesting experiences I have ever had. He lies in a huge glass case surrounded by guards in white uniform. I queued for ages and had to be completely covered up before I was able to file past his body. It was especially fascinating to see the reaction of Vietnamese visitors; utmost reverence.

Hanoi's heart and soul is based in the Old Quarter; a district of about fifty narrow, winding streets. Each of the streets possess a unique character which is reflected in their names; Silk Street, Herb Street, Shoe Street etc. Fruit Shake Street (I suspect this is a contemporary addition) and Herb Street smelt so beautiful. It was fun to wander around the Old Quarter; it was full of cafes, curious little shops and people eating on the famous blue plastic chairs that spilled out onto the road. I also loved the tube houses that made up the Old Quarter; in the past shopkeepers were taxed according to the width of their shop front, so built houses that are very narrow in width but lengthwise, seem to go on forever.



The Old Quarter did get a bit hectic after a while; the fifty streets look so homogenous, the names looked and sounded extremely similar and I am an awful map reader...I spent a lot of time being lost. I had given up on the Old Quarter by my last two days in favour of sitting down by the lake with my book...


There were some cultural quirks that I noticed ;

Loads of men had uncomfortably long thumb nails. Generally men who drove taxis or worked as shop assistants in some of the nicer shops. I found out that it indicates wealth and status. These men are financially comfortable enough not have to resort to a life of manual labour. I kept staring at the long thumb nails for my entire trip.

The offerings that people leave at shrines. It was really bizarre to see Buddha surrounded by packets of crisps and cheap supermarket cakes. I just couldn't fathom it... Ed did the 88 Temple Walk here in Japan this Spring Holiday and said that the same happens here....

The first thing I saw upon arriving at Hanoi airport was a man defecating in the street. I saw it a couple of times....I can't be sure if it was cultural thing or if I just happened to come across several individuals who were just desperate to relieve themselves...

The culture of bartering also made me feel somewhat uncomfortable and was not something I could do. To me, the thought of bartering something down from a measly two dollars to an even measlier one, just because I was in South East Asia was kind of immoral.


I arrived back in Japan in perfect time for the cherry blossoms and had a lovely first day back with my friends under the cherry trees.





Ciaran being couth...






Shikoku chic - the man in the picture was one of Shikoku's finest; orange hair, awful tracksuit. He deserves to be featured!




This weekend, I'm cycling across the bridge with Yumi and Ed, in celebration of Yumi's 24th birthday. This morning, Ed, Yumi and I impulsively booked tickets to go to Seoul for four days in June :-)

xo

Weekend in March

Despite the fact that I did not venture very far this weekend, lots of things happened; I went cafe hopping and treasure hunting at the vintage shops with Ayako, I made marmalade, I went to an art market with Kentarou,I sat in a tree house at the art market, I ate lots of good food, I attended a premature Hanami party, my cold hands joined lots of others trying to get some warmth, I fell asleep at the kotatsu, I did a book swap,I went for a long bike ride to the beach, I played frisbee,I cried so much I wanted to go home, I laughed until my sides hurt, I hope you had a lovely weekend.



Ken and I at the art market.




Ken's friends made takoyaki (octopus dumplings). I had tried them once before in Osaka and didn't like them much. This time, they were amazing. Maybe even as good as okonomiyaki (my favourite Japanese food).



Isn't it beautiful?



xo

Goodbye lovelies :-)

The school year in Japan runs from April to March, and this week is the final week of the academic year. At Josei, with the exception of a second year Conversational English class, I only teach the first year. This week, I had my final classes with my six first year classes. My friends both here in Japan and back home know that at times, I have found this job difficult and it seems that when I think about all the classes I've taught since September, the unsuccessful/so-so classes far outnumber the ones that have been a success. It was therefore only when it came to saying goodbye to my students that I realised just how fond of them I have become.

When I look at these photos, I can name every single student. Not only that, I can recall a funny quirk or endearing little thing about each one of them. I am really sad to have to say goodbye to them. (You can click on these photos to make them bigger, they are just a sea of faces when they're little)




(some funny faces)

These two photographs are of class 1-3 (they are split into two for team teaching classes). Class 1-3 are my absolute favourite class. Their enthusiasm and happiness is infectious. I love their seasonal confusion syndrome; despite the fact that it is now March, the four boys to my right in the top photo, Ryosuke, Junta, Naohira and Sone continue to greet me with 'Happy New Year!' I will miss 1-3 so much.



This is my favourite student, Sachiko.



I love these two sweeties from 1-3 too. I will remember them most from the class we did on 'What do you want to be in future?' After a stream of the usual responses, I was really amused when these two chimed in with 'The only thing we want is to be rich girls.'



This is my smartest class, class 1-1. We always get through the material in each class really quickly so our classes were more conversational than team teaching ones. This was really nice as I got to know lots about them all. 1-1 were my final first year class today. I cried so much at the end. This set off not only all the girls but Shingo, the little guy directly above me too. Shingo is a magician and aspiring doctor who gives chocolates to girls (me!) for White Day :-)

I will never forget my first year students.

xo

Cycling a go-go

On Sunday, I visited the island of Shodoshima (小豆島)with Yumi, Ed and Sean. It was such a beautiful day, so we rented some bicycles and set off on the biggest bicycle ride I have ever been on. We cycled over thirty kilometres and a lot of it was uphill. It was all worth it for the not so gruelling return journey where we whizzed down hills without having to peddle at all. Cycling is the simplest of pleasures, I love it.



Shodoshima smelt beautiful.I couldn't quite pinpoint the smell but olives are grown there, so perhaps it was that. Whatever it was, it was lovely.


Little olive house, big olive trees

We cycled to Kankakei Ropeway where we took the cable car through the gorge. Ahh, it was lovely. My favourite part was when one of the elderly passengers in the cable car spotted a deer on the mountain. Within seconds, news of the deer had spread throughout the small cable car. Cameras were a-clicking and there were shrieks of excitment, with everyone clambering to the windows of the car. I never knew deer were so popular here...







Here we are at the top of the gorge.



The bicycle ride back to the port in the early evening sunshine was so beautiful. I liked feeling the wind blowing through my hair! We stopped off at the beach, missed the curfew for returning our bicycles (the owner of the shop was not so impressed but we said a quick sayonara and made a quick getaway before he could fine us) and fell asleep on the boat ride back to Takamatsu.






My name in hiragana, by Yumi.

It was such a lovely day. In April, we plan to cycle the Shimanami Kaido bridge - a forty kilometre bridge that connects Shikoku to Hiroshima.

I'm feeling both apprehensive and wildly excited about my solo jaunt to Vietnam in a couple of weeks time. I also feel a deep sense of relief after having made the decision to finish up here in Japan in August. I am enjoying myself, but I feel curious to see more of the world. Recently, I have been devoting less time to worrying about my classes, in favour of planning the next part of my adventure; my head has been stuck in various Lonely Planets for the past couple of weeks. Last week, I read loads about Angkor and the Khmer Empire in medieval Cambodia. Researchers have concluded that Angkor was the largest preindustrial city in the world. Its decline is both mysterious and fascinating - I want to go there so much.

Five months is not a lot of time, but it will force me to squeeze in all of the things left on my list that I want to see and do before I leave.

xo