Shikoku Weekend: Day 1 Tokushima

My friend Meredith and I decided that we needed to get away and we saw the perfect opportunity arise as a three day weekend was fast approaching. We decided to go somewhere 'off the beaten path' that we hadn't been before. I have decided that I really can't come home until I visit the five main islands of Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido, and Okinawa). So far, I have managed to get myself to only two of those; Kyushu and Honshu ((where I live)). Upon this realization, we looked into going to Shikoku and seeing some of the beautiful natural things we had heard about.

We headed off early in the morning (well about 10 am due to the fact that the previous night was Halloween night). We caught the bus from Maiko station and took the Awaji bridge over across Awaji Island to Shikoku. On the bridge over the Naruto straight we were able to catch a quick glimpse of the famous Naruto whirlpools. Upon this, we decided that we would have to return to this location to get a closer look.

We arrived at Tokushima around 12pm and decided it would be best if we tried to find our hotel first so we could at least check in and have them hold our bags for us. After trying to check into the wrong hotel once (there are two hotels of the same chain within 1 km of each other) we finally found our new temporary place of residence very close to the ropeway. We left our bags and headed out to find something to eat. While we were walking, we noticed a bunch of street stalls selling food set up along the river. There were many children with balloons and raccoon hats, so we decided that this would be a perfect place for us. What is a better combination than funny hats, toys, and food?!

We still haven't quite figured out what this was, but we are thinking it was something to do with the environment. It was a festival complete with a stage where Power Ranger-esq super heros were battling it out on stage with an incredibly annoying woman with a high-pitched voice continuously yelling the equivalent of "fight fight..." wow. It was beyond annoying and the cringing on our faces carried over to the faces of all of the Japanese people around us. It was nice to know we were not alone.

We decided that we were going to try many different kinds of food, so first we headed to a local favorite, Pizza Hut. Haha. They had a stand set up and as a snack, mere and I decided that Pizza Hut would surely be the most delicious choice. There were no choices in toppings...and upon opening the box in hopes of having cheesy meaty deliciousness we were in complete shock-and-awe to see that our toppings were none other than potato, ham, corn, mayonnaise, and cheese. WHAT!? We managed to force this slice down and then hastily set off in search of something more gourmet. :(

After we got our raccoon hats, took some photos, got some balloons, and were given a giant bag of miso that the man insisted was "VERY EASY" to make, we headed to a local shopping center to get something warm to wear. You see, I had packed without checking the weather and I didn't realized that a cold front was going to be coming through. It was definitely one of those moments where you remember, just before walking out the door, you thought "hmm... should I bring my sweatshirt or a scarf? Nah...". I was kicking myself as I shelled out a few thousand yen for a new scarf and sweater. BOOOO. But the next day would prove to be much colder, so it was unavoidable.

We walked around a bit more and went back to the hotel to try to make plans for the next day. We were going to head out to the countryside and the middle of Shikoku Island. We knew we would have to get up early so we got all the information we would need, had sushi at a rotating sushi joint, and headed back to get our beauty sleep....

To be continued....

Wow...

So I realized, thanks to my mom's mention, that I haven't blogged in far too long. I am going to give you all a brief rundown of what I have been up to recently first, and then I will proceed in my blog tonight with some more specific things. Possibly tales of Dragons, Lions, and Castles. You know, the normal things.

Recently I have been really busy. It feels like my weekends fly by and I don't really accomplish much but to spend more money. The weather has been changing very rapidly and it is now sweater weather, soon to be warm coat weather. All of the Japanese people switched their wardrobe over a few weeks ago.

They literally spend a weekend pulling out boxes of winter clothes and packaging up their summer things. This means on the random warm days around here we still see many women in sweaters with jeans and boots. The must be so hot. Also, I went to the movies two weeks ago and saw the newest installment of The Fast and the Furious series. It was not bad, about the best movie we have in the theatres here right now anyway.

Soon we will get Where the Wild Things Are and FINALLY Inglorious Basterds. I have been waiting quite a long time and I refrained from downloading the aforementioned movie because I felt it was something that I should only enjoy with a full theatre, surround sound, and movie snack experience.

Also, I will have a three day weekend this week (WHOOOO HOOOO) which I will spend backpacking around the island of Shikoku with my friend meredith. The place looks amazing and there are even bridges made of vines from 800 years ago that you can walk over between mountains. I can't wait. The weekend couldn't come soon enough.

My contract is ending on January 22nd, and from there I am not quite decided on what I want to do. I do know that I have reservations for the Snow Festival in Sapporro in Feb. so I will be here at least until then. My friend Dave, who is teaching in Korea, wants me to hop over there and teach for a bit, but I don't know how long I want to take to get back to the states. I am really craving some TACO BELL as strange as that sounds. Sometimes I fear that I won't like the food when I get back. Japanese food tends to be very mild and bland at times and with all of the flavors back in the states with all of the international foods I am worried how my taste buds (and my stomach) will react. I guess there is only one way to find out.

Well, for now it is off to work. Today I will be dressed up as a ballerina for school. Halloween for kids classes. Tomorrow is the real thing. Such a shame no one here really likes or celebrates it. These kids would look so cute as Power Rangers... (haha)

New Post Tonight.

Adventure Weekend: Day 1 Osaka

Last weekend I finally caved in and realized that it was just about time for a haircut. I was apprehensive about getting my haircut in a foreign country due to the language barrier and the fact that I have never had my hair shorter than shoulder length. My friend Lamika had found a small salon in Osaka with a hairdresser that had lived in New York for many years and had been a regular stylist for Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as working at a salon on Madison.

I got an appointment at 4pm, so I decided to wake up really early and go to Osaka to try to find

English mass at a church. I woke up at 6 am and left my apartment by 7 for the long train ride into Osaka. It was a great morning and the sun was shining just enough to have the perfect light. I followed my directions to find this church, which to me is still a mystery. I got to the location at about 8am and searched for the church until 930 before giving up. I then decided that I needed to head out and explore something new in Osaka. In the distance I saw the Umeda Sky Building. I had never been to the top and I had also heard good things about the basement, where there was apparently a mock Edo Era street with food shops and such.

I started my walk in the direction of the building. The air felt fresh and because it was morning nothing was crowded and the only people on the streets were police, construction workers, and a few morning walkers. A policeman said good morning to me in English which made me smile, and him as well. The smallest things can make a person's day.

Then I reached the building. It was just as grand up close and personal as it was from the JR and from far away. I noticed that on the second and third floor there were two movie theatres that were just about to open so I headed up the stairs to check them out. I decided that I haven't done enough research on any movie that is out in Japan right now to warrant buying an 1800 yen ticket to a movie, so I headed to the basement floor to check out the Edo street.

As I came down the stairs to the first basement level I was surprised at the dark lighting, almost like night, and the narrow streets. It was not very large, only about 3 or 4 streets, but was very interesting and quiet due to the fact that nothing was open yet. I walked through it all and couldn't help but smile because I felt that I had found something special (even though I know many people know this exists).

After this, I saw a shop outside that had something in the window I wanted to buy for my mom, but the shop didn't open until 11am, so I needed to waste another forty minutes. (I still haven't given it to her, so I will refrain from talking about it because she reads this blog). I decided I wanted to go to the top.

At first, I didn't see any sign postings that were telling me how I could reach the top. I headed up the nearest elevator and ended up on the 39th floor of a 40 floor building. From here I noticed many restaurants and a sky bar. The bar had these amazingly large circular, space age type windows. The morning sun was shining in at just the right angle to snap a few photos. I finally figured out how to reach the top observatory and headed up for 700 yen.

It wasn't really worth the 700 yen, but the view was nice and a man insisted to take my photo for me with my camera. It is funny how much some people want you to remember the things you see in Japan and have nice photos of yourself here. They really go out of the way sometimes to insist you have a photo with you in it.

The roof is apparently a good place for romantic couples. You can get a lock engraved with you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife 's name on it and you lock it to a rope that goes around the top of the building. After this, you should sit together on a couch that has two place to touch, one for each member of the couple, and when you both touch the special light up floor says LOVE. It looks like a cute place for photos.

I got a message from Meredith that said we should meet at 1pm at Osaka station to go to the hair salon. I agreed to meet up with them and headed down from the building to get some more exploring in. I bought my gift and had an interesting conversation with the nice man in the shop. He told me that he likes to study English but it is difficult, and I said the same about Japanese. I have been studying a lot recently, and have gotten much better... although, still dreadful in all honesty. He wrapped the gift extra special for me, which was very sweet.

From here I walked to the station and saw a bunch of hiking stores in a row. I went in to check out some gear and some camping equipment as well. Next to this store was another shop with some smaller things, you know, just odds and ends that you don't really need but like to look at and consider what you would do with it. Novelty items really. But here, I found the best thing that I have been looking for for a long time. It was a small flat tin that, inside, had 20 small containers with clear lids. I was seeking something like this because I have decided to collect small soil/sand/dirt samples from the places around the world that I go. I kept some Fuji dirt (ash) and that is my first container. I am so excited to see it full someday soon. 20 countries. :)

After this I met up with the girls. We went to the salon where we met a very interesting Salon Owner. He was flamboyant and wonderful. He pulled out his portfolio, which consisted of magazine clippings and professional photos, a lot of celebrities and some interesting photos in the Meat Packing District of New York. He went on to tell me I have lovely long hair and how he wouldn't cut it short because it was so amazing. haha. It was quite entertaining. When my turn came I got a nice shampoo and head massage (standard in Japan) for about 30 minutes by a very attractive 18 year old shampoo man. The Owner kept making jokes about how he is cute and would be good for me but I would have to change his diapers. I don't know where all that came from, when I told the owner he was being harsh he said, oh it's okay he doesn't understand what I am saying (mind you, they are both Japanese). He cut my hair, quite short compared to how he was talking, but the most entertaining part is that he was cutting out my knots. If he met a knot while combing my hair he just cut it out...which made my hair very short very quickly. AHH!

We paid only 3,300 yen...which is super cheap for a salon here. Then we headed to Namba to shop and explore some more. After that we hit up the cheap 280 yen Izakaya we like we headed back to home to rest up for Day 2 of our adventure, Kyoto, Blog to Follow....

OO we also saw a giant cannibal octopus eating a takoyaki, which is made with octopus...

We're going to the Zoo...

Hello everyone! Long time no type. Sorry...yet again, for my utter lack of commitment towards this blog. I need to stop being so lazy and actually write more. I am on my computer enough... I should just type.

So, I went to Tokyo, yet again, because it was my friend Meredith's birthday recently and as a present, Miho and I told her we were going to take her to Disney Sea. It was a girls trip with only three of us going. We decided it would be a good time to go to Tokyo during what they are calling "silver week" this year because a couple of National holidays fall on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I already have Mondays off, but two extra days gave me a nice 4 day weekend.

We wanted to fly to Tokyo, to be more convenient, but the flight times were making it so we would lose a whole day just in flying. We decided that due to cost, we were going to take the overnight bus one way, and take the Shinkansen back. It is such a wonderfully convenient train, but way too expensive, so we could only afford it one way. While we were waiting for the bus on Saturday night after work, there were two very cute children that we were playing with for over an hour, or so it seemed. Their young parents didn't seem to really care, but the mother did look a little annoyed with us. They got on a bus about thirty minutes before us, and we waved goodbye.

We got to Tokyo Sunday morning on the overnight bus into Shinjuku. Here we got coffee at a Starbucks, where, ironically enough, there the family was from the night before. The shocked looks on their faces followed by huge grins matched ours perfectly, and even their father started to laugh. We got our coffee (short size...which we don't have in America...its SUUUPER SMALL) and sat in Starbucks to waste some time because nothing in Tokyo is open at 720 in the morning. McDonald's is, unfortunately, the only place you can get eggs and such (Western Breakfast) in Japan, so off we headed for Egg McMuffins.

Next, we headed to our hotel. Here was the next dilemma. We couldn't find a room in Tokyo. All of the hostels were full, all of the hotels with easy access were full. I found a place near Haneda Airport, but they said they would only take two people in a double room and we had three. We decided that we were just going to have to sneak three people into the room, because it was the only way. I went to check us in with Meredith and we left our bags with the counter. Now we were free to roam the city streets as it was nearing 10 am and things were starting to open!

We took our train, then connected to the Yamanote line to head to Harajuku. Here we wanted to go shopping since they put in an H&M and a Forever 21. It was just like it always is, full of people. Forever 21 had a line waiting outside to get in, so we decided to skip it and upon attempting to go into H&M, I was so overwhelmed that I gave up after just looking at accessories. We walked around the rest of the area and took some photos then we found a mexican restaurant. Now, let me give you some more information on Mexican food in Japan. Most of my students, unless they have lived abroad, don't know what Mexican food is. They sometimes say, "Oh, you mean Tacos?", and I respond with "Sort of". However, they don't know what a tortilla is (which is ironically humorous because they use them for pizza crusts here, another one of the many food flaws I HATE). We found a "real", or next best thing to real, mexican restaurant in Harajuku! I had a chicken taco and nachos, Meredith chose two different kinds of tacos, and Miho got Taco Rice, a Japanese variation on taco salad, but with white rice. It was not bad, but to Japan standards it was a delicacy. We took some pictures of crazy Harajuku fashionistas, then headed back to our hotel to get into the room, take a nap, and head back out for the night.

We successfully snuck Miho into the room, which I felt bad about after the manager gave us a discount for signing up for a members card after arriving back at the hotel. We saved a lot of money. We took a nap and got up, just like Zombies, to head to Shibuya to see the lights, walk the crosswalk (busiest in the world), and meet up with Anthony for a Hot Krispee Kreme doughnut. While looking for a place to grab dinner in Shibuya, we came across one of my favorites, the rotating sushi bar. MMM. Delicious. At only 105 yen a plate we were pumped and dove inside for a quick bite.

Upon our descent from the Sushi bar, we saw another H&M! This one had barely any people inside so we went in. There we met Anthony and tried on ridiculous new 70's and 80's throwback fashions. We aren't just talking any fashion either, we are talking Madonna and Michael Jackson music video fashion...alongside pink fur jackets... I am quite confused. We grabbed some doughnuts (I refused to eat them because they were not Hot..and everyone knows Krispee Kreme doughnuts that are not hot are just not worth eating) and then we headed back for the night.

Near our hotel we stopped at a convenience store to try to buy our Disney tickets for the next day. However, it was sold out. SOLD OUT? I thought... is that possible? I have never heard that it was possible for Disney to sell out. So we went back to the room and I looked it up on my computer. Sure enough, Disney and DisneySea in Japan sell out. So we pushed our Disney day back to Tuesday and were looking for something exciting and different to do in Tokyo on Monday. Now, I have been to Tokyo many many times, I wanted to do something new. I looked up the information on the Tsukiji Fish market. However, they were closed on the holidays. Next, I remembered when I was roaming around Tokyo with a student before picking my mom up at the airport, I saw that during this time there was going to be a big SUMO tournament.

I looked it up online and there it said that Sumo was going on, and it was sold out, but there are tickets available every morning for the highest up seats for only 2100 yen! We decided we would get up early and head to the Sumo stadium to get in.

Somehow, we got up early and managed to make it to the stadium by 740 am. We got our tickets! Then we headed inside to find prime seats. After examining our schedule, we saw that the main, famous wrestlers wouldn't be starting until around 2pm. We decided to head to the strange area of Akihabara (famous for creepy men interested in girls straight out of Manga, as well as girls, dressed up like characters from Manga ((or little girls or maids)) oh... and electronics too.) We walked around, took photos, and since it was game day in America, (NY GIANTS were playing the Dallas Cowboys!!! ) we had to have a beer to start the morning off right. 10 am...so early for a beer, but our lucky sumo tickets, and the Giants winning at the Half made my day.

We got some convenience store food and headed back to the stadium to watch the sumo. At the stadium, I sat next to a family and a small boy who was about 9 years old. He was very interested in Sumo and would yell things at the players. His mom spoke very good English and also was fluent in French and the grandmother was actually a teacher of Japanese for foreigners. Pretty interesting and very welcoming family. I had the lucky seat because the boy told me about all of the wrestlers. He knew their records and which country they came from. As most people know, Sumo has changed a lot over time. The Japanese no longer dominate this sport, as the Mongolians have taken a massive number of the top spots. The boy told me his favorite wrestler and when we went to buy souvenirs I made sure to get him a small gift with the his favorite player. He was very excited, which made me feel very satisfied.

After this we headed to the Tokyo Tower where we met Anthony before his trip to Korea. We went up in the tower, which took hours, but the view was quite nice at night. By the time we finished at the tower we were STARVING. We ordered a Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza from the train on the way back and it arrived at the hotel at the same time as us. Now, I know there are Pizza Huts in Japan, but I hadnt gotten it yet...so it had literally been about 9 months since I had anything like real pizza. It was cheesy celebratory heaven (Giants won their game! :)). We went to sleep to have sugar plum dreams of Mickey Mouse.

The next day we got up and went to Disney Sea. I was looking forward to seeing my high school friend Elizabeth as Ariel, and to see what new things Disney in Japan had to offer. When we finally got to the gate there were so many people in a line that wrapped forever, just to get into the park. We finally got in, and there we were. Halloween decorations, and a Giant globe fountain... strange...much like Universal. Hmmm....

Then we headed through the park. It is set up much like Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios Florida. There are many different areas with different themes separated by water. There is an America area that had Cape Cod (where we got 600 yen Budweiser DRAFT! haha) and Tower of Terror, there is a 20,000 Leagues, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, there is also an Indiana Jones area, and an Under the Sea area (little mermaid).

We had a great day wearing our Minnie ears everywhere, taking tons of photos and waiting in line to see Ariel, who was actually not my friend. Elizabeth, consequently, got the flu, so we missed out on that opportunity. However, this other girl was quite cute. She told us when we took the photo to clasp our hands then hold them over your heart. She said that is the princess pose and even let us touch her fin... which made me wonder what she does when men come to see her... does everyone get to touch her fin... or just the girls?

Also, we met Pocahontas, who, when we asked her where she was from, stayed completely in character and said "Im from the Forest". for some reason we expected her to tell us "Cleveland" or something. Haha. I dont know why

I just want to say that the best part of Disney, hands down, was the Indiana Jones RIDE. It was amazing and the animatronics on Indie all three times you saw him were soo good it looked like Harrison Ford. I was blown away. I literally shed a tear and the end of the ride. We didn't want to wait forever so we went single rider and I was last to finish. I was expecting the girls to be as pumped as I was about this adventure, but they said it was just OK. WHAT??!

After a long Disney day it was back to the hotel then sleep. The last day we went to Asakusa where I managed to get the best fortune out of 40 something odd fortunes at the shrine. I was very happy to be that lucky. Then we ate and headed to the Shinkansen.

What a nice vacation.

Crazy Tokyo, you never cease to amaze me.

Fuji-San, We Dominated Your 3776 Meters!!

So, one of my main goals while I was in Japan was always to somehow, someway, make it to Mt. Fuji and climb it. As the end of climbing season was fast approaching, and all of my willing friends were slowly dropping like flies, I almost gave up hope that this dream of mine would happen. You see, the mountain has to close for most climbers the last week in August through next summer because the Mountain gets very cold and is covered in snow, which is really dangerous for the climbing conditions that you encounter on this beast.

Anyway, I was at dinner with some friends while my mom and brother were visiting (blog to follow this one soon), and my friend Aaron told me that he was going to be climbing the next weekend. I asked him how much it was going to be, and the price was reasonable.

So I basically invited myself since he was going to be climbing alone, and he said I could come. I was exhausted from my mom and brother's visit to Japan, but I knew if I slept enough during the week I should be okay to brave the mt by the weekend.

As Saturday night rolled around I headed to Osaka where we caught the Kitetsu overnight bus to Kawaguchi-ko (lake). The bus ride was a brutal 10 hours (two of which were spent in a parking lot while the bus driver took a nap...we were quite agitated with this). At least we got blankets on this one and the seats reclined. When we arrived at Kawaguchi it was about 8am and the air was dry and cool. Perfect. We had decided that instead of doing the traditional sunrise climb, starting at night and then resting and climbing the rest to see the sunrise, that we would do it all on Monday and spend Sunday 'relaxing' and exploring the Fuji-san area.

We found a sketchy youth hostel nearby that was run by a very tiny Japanese man and his wife. It was not so great, and was dorm style, not to mention that there were no other females staying there and the female room was completely void of life. Also, the set times for showering were strange and at one point I was even woken up from a nap by the man and told to shower right then. Haha. Strange experience.

We rented bicycles from our hostel, which were less than adequate in more ways than one. Our seats were like sitting on wires with a leather cover...no padding. My bike also only had a front break, which, when you stopped, jolts you forward in such a way that you fear for your life. We took the bikes down by the lake side and rode around the lake. We had said we wanted to have a relaxing day, but we cycled about 15 km. It was a nice ride though with lots of good weather. Many people were out on the lake and we finished out cycle with a nice local Fuji beer. Quite tasty, I highly recommend. We then proceeded to go to the supermarket and pick up everything we would need to eat while climbing the next day and our last minute essentials, ate dinner, and headed to bead early to be up for the first bus.

When we awoke, Fuji was more visible than the day before, but was very covered in clouds. Aaron said he thought they would burn off, and I figured it would be a little cloudy, but as long as it wasn't raining we would be okay. We waited for the 7:20 bus which would put us at the 5th station about 8 to start our climb.

We arrived at the fifth station and we were just on time. I went to the bathroom before we started, which cost me a nice 50 yen. I got a kick out of the fact that they actually charge for using the bathroom, but I guess it makes sense for maintaining facilities especially since the higher altitudes have no running water.

We started off our climb through the lush vegetation towards the next station. We were some of the first out of the gate from our bus and we could see the firsts of the morning sunrise climbers coming down and finishing their hike. They looked tired and miserable, no smiles, no laughter. I was not too pumped but Aaron was saying jokes to them to try to get them to laugh, even though it was in English and he knew most of them had no idea what he was saying.

Soon enough we were through the beautiful greenery and we began the real climb, zig-zags of rock. Rock Rock and more Rock. It was like hiking on gravel for hours, which is really not pleasant at such a steep angle. The zig-zags seemed to go all the way into the sky and even though we could see the top of the Mountain, we had no idea how long it was going to take to actually reach it. We were blessed with a cooler, but dry day, as climbing fuji is horrible in the rain from what I have heard.

We didn't stop for a rest break at all while climbing and even though it felt very difficult at times, my legs were not sore, it was my lungs that hurt from the altitude. So every zig or zag I would stop for maybe 5 seconds, catch breath and push on. This method proved to be good because we made it to the top in about 3.5 hours, which, for most people, takes 5-7 hours. We spent an hour at the top eating and taking photos of the amazing crater that lies in the center of this once very active volcano. The top was a chilling -1 degree C and there were flakes of snow. During the climb each cloud that had moved upon us had brought an even bigger chill. I am adding a short video so you can see the speed of the clouds as they blew by. Almost like a bad horror movie!

We then started our descent which was more steep than the way up and was all loose dirt, rock and gravel. The impact on our knees, not to mention the massive amount of rocks that were in out shoes, was crazy and after about 45 minutes of walking we decided to job the rest to the end. We made it down the mountain in about 1.5 hours, which should have taken us double the time or more. All in all, we were tired, but we conquered the highest Mountain in Japan.

We finished it all off with a huge Indian Curry dinner and hopped back on our 10 hour bus to work the next morning... PHEW... this was one long weekend!

And the Wheels Keep Turning

Last weekend was quite an adventure. My boyfriend and I decided we wanted to get some exercise so we rode our bicycles to Akashi to take the Taco Ferry (octopus ferry) across to Awajishima (island). As we approached the ferry terminal I began to get very excited and to my surprise there was a very unique vending machine there that deserves a mention. It was a machine that dispenses fried foods. Everything from french fries and fried chicken, to fried rice and onigiri (rice balls). I have been looking for vending machines that were out of the ordinary since I arrived in Japan, and this one absolutely fit the bill. Gordon promised me that I could get something at the other side of the ferry or on the way back, so I was pumped.

You see, the main reason we were going to Awaji Island was not just to cycle, but also because I discovered the most ridiculous amusement park ever online that we were dying to go to. It is named Onokoro ( which translates to some island place that was created by Isanagi (a hero) when he put his spear into a big ball of clouds and water). But what it is is an amusement park like any other with children's rides, and a giant ferris wheel. However, they also have an around the world section with models of famous monuments from around the world at 1:25 to scale!

If this sounds ridiculous to you, especially on a small island in Japan, you are absolutely correct.

There is a ferris wheel that is in view from Akashi which Gordon and I assumed was the ferris wheel at Onokoro Amusement park. We hopped off the ferry and started our cycle up the very steep mountain to the top. This place was like a maze and the roads were all highways that wrapped around the hill we needed to reach, but none of them led to the summit. When we finally found a small path through an industrial parking lot we reached the top, and to our disappointment, Onokoro was nowhere in sight. We went into the welcome center and took some photos at the look out (especially of the fattest Welsh Corgi I have ever seen.) In the welcome center we grabbed some food, a map, and some ridiculous stickers of what must have been the mascot of Awaji Island.

Upon examining the map, we realized that Onokoro was much further down the island. We asked at the counter and she said that the park was a little less than twenty Kilometers. We decided to try to stick out the ride and go halfway, leaving our bikes at a bus station further down and taking a bus the second leg.

Unfortunately, we passed many many bus stops. Just a little further we kept saying, let's just keep going a little more. We passed a giant abandoned Buddah, a confused restaurant named "America", hundreds of rice paddies, and about 10 produce stands selling the prized Awaji Onions for only 200 yen a bag. We finally stopped at a Family Mart convenience store and asked how far to Onokoro. To our disappointment, she said about 11 KM left. We had already been cycling for about an hour, on our bikes with no gears (well mine has no gears), up and down hills like you can't imagine. I was exhausted, but we were determined and angry so we decided to let our stubbornness get the best of us and keep on peddling.

We finally could see the ferris wheel in the distance and kept it as our goal. Along the coastline we rode with utter disbelief that not only we rode this far, but also that we knew we were going to have to ride back all this way. (I was honestly considering abandoning my bicycle and taking a bus back).

*Side note; Awaji is not a place that people bring bicycles to ride often. It is actually so strange and inconvenient that there is not even bike parking, which is very unusual for Japan. Trains don't even run on this island.

On the approach to the park, we passed a slaughterhouse for the award winning Awaji Beef. Luckily, it was a holiday. Nothing gets me in the mood for a fun filled day at the amusement park like hearing the cows NEXT DOOR crying their way to meat packing plant. From the ferris wheel I am sure you get a nice view right inside.

When we got there it was an hour and a half before closing time and there were the occasional scattered families, but not many people. It is the strangest experience, straight out of a horror movie, when you are at an amusement park with kiddie music in the background and no children. It was deserted. Quite scary.

Finally, we headed back to what we were there for. Monuments. It was as ridiculous as I had hoped and dreamed. Some of the models were amazing, but others needed new paint jobs and some serious renovation. I guess it might be difficult to renovate on a limited budget, since admission was only 800 Yen.

We took our photos and headed back on the long horrible bike ride, in the dark and the rain, with only the small stream of light from our bicycle headlights. In total, we figured it out that we had cycled 60km in one day. It is a wonder I didn't die. Needless to say, we won't be going out again in search of a mystery place with no directions! But at least those vending machine french fries on the ferry back made it all worth it :).

You don't know Humidity...

Summer is upon us in Japan these days and the heat just keeps coming in stronger with each day. It's not so much the heat that is a killer, as they always say, it's the humidity. No joke. Especially when you are stuck wearing a suit to work everyday. WHOO it's HOT!

With the warmer weather comes other great things as well. For one, my mom and younger brother will be on their way over to Japan in less than three weeks. I CAN'T WAIT to have family close again. What a blessing that will be. Not just for the sake of having them here, but also because I will get to share a portion of my life here in Japan with them. How exciting!

We have been spending a lot more time at the beach, which is great. I also recently came down with a strange summer fever/flu (which my students only understand as influenza hah. Flu is some foreign word. I actually wrote Influenza on the board and erased letters until they understood why we say 'flu'). The flu put me out of commission for a couple of weekends it seemed and on top of that we are just rounding out the rainy season here. Thank goodness for that. While I was sick I made the mistake of getting hooked on Law and Order: SVU mostly because I have been watching a lot of movies and Law and Order is an old University vice of mine. Oh well. But I also have gotten my British boyfriend hooked on the goodness that is the American TV drama.

The Fourth of July in Japan, as you probably know, is not Independence Day. But, Meredith and I, being the foreigners that we are, ignored this simple fact and with the help of some friends, we threw together a big BBQ on the beach.

As we arrived there we realized the beach was really crowded and Mere, Gordon ( my boyfriend) and I all set up camp under some trees and attempted to get the coal burning for the BBQ. We had brought all of our vegetables and steak and pork with us to throw on the grill (sorry for all of you Americans out there reading this, we don't BBQ hot dogs and Hamburgers here, mostly because we can't find good hot dogs and if we can they are brutally expensive). Then our friend Miho came and led our Canadian and British friend to our spot along with a new friend from Finland. We spend the day drinking, BBQing, and playing football with another International group near us of mostly people from the Philippines. At one point, one of the women actually came over with a big tote bag and told us she had special meat from her country for us. She took our BBQ tongs and pulled out a steak and two sausages along with two nice big rolls/breads. 'Nice' you might think, and it was, not to mention delicious. But it was also probably the highlight of the day due to the fact that they were not wrapped, were already cooked and came out of her canvas tote bag. IT WAS Hilarious!

Today I am heading to Suma beach for a HUGE international beach party with many friends to celebrate the summer. Also, Tarumi is having their summer festival, so I will probably stop by there for some special and unique treats! I can't wait. Photos and blog to follow tomorrow.

PS- I realized I have been slacking on this here blog, which is not just a disappointment for me, but also for you all. I promise to write at least a post a week. If you are family, I miss you more than you know. Friends, I hope to see you soon; GET OVER HERE. and if you are just other readers from the world...enjoy. :)