Last weekend we had Sherman's going-away party, as he'd decided the previous week that he was leaving last Thursday. Big kudos to Mariko for organising it in such a short time!
Group shot: 3 of my favourite gals: Fumiko, Misuzu and Nobu I love Misuzu because she takes your camera when you're distracted and takes photos like these (from Steve and Carrie's going away party in September): So we needed more. The lovely Eriko, who even looks graceful with a mouthful of food (I make it my business to try to catch people at their worst - which just doesn't exist for some people). Tomoyo and Mariko - wonder organisers and hilarious. Tomoyo and Fumiko showing us a TV show they watched - those crazy kids ;) Eriko, Sherman and me. When I saw Eriko's rocker pose I wanted to try it - I think Eriko pulls it off much better than I, I just look like I'm about to throw up. Sherman very animated over dinner Mariko very nearly surprised us all when she unzipped her top - unbeknown to us she had a t-shirt on underneath Dan and Nobu Tomoyo interrupting a group photo - but how can you be mad when she's that cute! Final shot before parting ways And a final treat - for an explanation of this photo, click on the video below to see Tomoyo demonstrating an important Japanese cultural dance which every Japanese child learns at a very early age :P
No not me, not yet. But most of the people I used to work with at NOVA have now left.
Sara left early November, after finishing her contract 4 days before NOVA imploded - good timing, ね？ Some photos from her various going away events:
Yakiniku dinner with Nobu, Misuzu and Sherman - かわいい、ね? Sara and I - I can't tell, but it looks like she's giving herself bunny ears. (Violent) Group photo.
Drinks by the river - a good idea in summer. A freezing idea in the middle of November!
From left: Garcio, Daniela, Michelle and Sara Camilla, me and Rachel We then decided to have some fun with the glowy ring things Sara had - perhaps as a way to warm up.. This one of my face looks kinda freaky: An old man doing the "old man backward shuffle" down the river. Then in order to get some final group shots before the party split up (but alas, after the old man shuffled away), we made good use of the timer function on my camera, some stools from Papalo Mama and the walkway space below the subway line.
This was followed naturally by karaoke... the photos of which will never see the light of this blog.
The next morning, Sara's last in Japan, we had a sushi breakfast at the local sushi restaurant. Our sushi chef - I don't know his name - who kept trying to pass us our plates through the glass. I still can't decide whether he was doing it on purpose or as a joke. Three of the last Nishi-Funa NOVAites - Sherman, Sara and me. The Kettle Shackians together for one final meal - from left: Sara (US), me (Aus), Nik (Canada) and Jasmine (UK). Nik is the next to leave, on the 10th of December. Jasmine and I have made a pact to leave at the same time, so that neither of us leaves the other to face the madness of Kettle Shack alone. And so it was that Sara, who I'd spend most of my time with in Japan, left the country - hopefully, as I wrote in her card, we'll catch up one day and drink wine in a tiny village in the middle of Spain, basking in the sun and remembering how friggin' cold it was at the top of Mt Fuji.
Photos from Sherman's going away on Sunday will appear maybe tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the contract for my current job (I've been working as an ALT - Assistant Language Teacher - at junior high schools in Tokyo since mid October) expires in March, and while I could renew it if I wanted, I think by then I'll be looking to move on to the UK, and so will be heading back to Aus in April, for a few months at least while I work out visas etc. As much as it is going to pain me to leave Japan (there's so much about this country that I love), I think I'm making the right choice.
Also, if you want to see photos from Nikko, but can't be bothered waiting for me to upload them to my blog (I will eventually, but these things take a lot of work you know!), check them out here.
Not only has his party lost the election massively to Labor, but at this stage it also appears that he will lose his seat of Bennelong to Maxine McKew. I couldn't think of a nicer man for it to happen to ;)
And how is Tyrone feeling about this?
Pretty damn happy :)
It's going to be quite strange though - Howard has (unfortunately) been PM for half of my life, and I don't think I had much of an interest in politics in the first half of my life (although I can remember watching Keating's concession speech in '96 and having an intense disliking of John Howard even back then). So an adjustment, but one I'm only too happy to make.
All in all, I think I was happy to experience this election from outside Australia, as I didn't have to suffer through the numerous ads from both parties. However, I've been reading the Australian newspaper websites and blogs religiously every day, and found that you don't even have to be in Australia watching the party ads on television to get a serving of government propoganda, all you need to do is read The Australian. Tonight was very exciting, with a bottle of red wine (to either celebrate with or drown my sorrows with) I watched a combination of the coverage on Sky News and the ABC, depending on when they worked on my computer, and madly refreshed the results page of the ABC election site every 30 seconds, and while I would have liked to have been celebrating with friends back in Aus, thank you to the other Aussies at FTW for sharing the experience with me - you guys are hilarious.
Anyway, in the last week it was getting very stressful and tense, and given I had a week off work, I was spending far too much time reading election articles, so went on a short trip to Nikko to get my mind off of it (and my eyes away from the computer screen). Saw my first snowfall, my first autumn leaves, and met some fantastic people. Will post more photos. I think I've found my favourite place in Japan - each time I go somewhere new it overtakes the last place.
But to symbolise this turning of a new leaf in Australia, here's a picture of the pretty maple leaves in Nikko (okay, these leaves are dying, but you get my connection).
Have been meaning to post for a while, lest someone reports my death. I just read this, and deemed it important enough to break my posting drought... From GetUp.com -
At the time [of the Coalition gaining majority in the Senate], John Howard promised to use his Senate majority 'wisely, soberly, and sensibly'. But in the last two years, the Senate has become nothing but a rubber stamp for the Government -- in 2006 our Senate passed 100% of Government-sponsored amendments, while rejecting 98% of amendments proposed by other parties.
No matter how you vote in the lower house, don't vote for the coalition in the Senate. This abuse of the Senate, which is supposed to act as "a house of review" on legislation, has got to stop. It is highly unlikely Labor will reach a majority, but if you're worried about that vote for the Greens or the Democrats.
Also, if you want to know which candidate (in the lower house) has your priorities in mind, and the order to place the candidates on your ballot, check out howshouldIvote.com. This will allow you to find out who is really acting in your best interest.
I went in to Yoyogi Park with my friends this afternoon - I've never been on a Sunday before, it's such a cool place!
We skipped with a skipping rope, played tiggy (tag), while walking through the park realised we were following a family whose daughter was riding a unicycle, danced at a rave being held in a corner of the park at 4 in the afternoon, did handstands and cartwheels, joined in a group doing Mexican dancing, saw a skateboarding dog, saw people dressed as Spiderman (this guy was scrawny, so not much of a superhero) and some other type of superhero/pro-wrestler, saw people sitting in the park blowing bubbles, throwing frisbees, juggling, drumming, and passed the people dressed in cosplay on the bridge in Harajuku. All in the space of around 3 hours.
Just to let you know, I'm back from my holiday - I managed to eat everything on my list, and climbed an active volcano, so 'twas a successful vacation by my standards! I have SO many photos, will start uploading a few in the next week. Before then however I've got a concert on Tuesday night (M.I.A. with Aaron and Camilla).
In the meantime, enjoy some Japanese drumming. This was a family of drummers Aaron and I chanced upon in the streets of Nippori in Tokyo (set up literally next to a 7-11).
Oh... one final thing. While walking the streets of Akihabara tonight, we found... bread in a can. Rest assured, I bought some, and will let you know how it tastes. It is because I care about you dear reader that I make this sacrifice. And as Aaron asked... just how many lessons do you need to be able to Hula?
---------------- Now playing: Tori Amos - The Waitress (Sessions at West 54th)
Since I've now used a Madonna lyric as a post title I must destroy this blog. However, before I do that, I'm going to Kyushu on vacation. Hence the celebration.
I leave ridiculously early tomorrow morning, and fly into Fukuoka around 10am. I'll spend Monday and Monday night in Fukuoka/Hakata, then head down to Nagasaki on Tuesday morning, spending the rest of the day there. On Wednesday I'm heading out to Unzen, where I will hopefully climb to the peak of Fugen-dake, the peak of Unzen-dake that erupted in 1991. I'll return to Nagasaki on Wednesday night, spend most of Thursday wandering around Nagasaki some more, before heading back to Fukuoka on Thursday afternoon and flying back to Tokyo on Thursday night.
It's going to be a crazy busy few days, I've got a list of food my students have recommended I eat: Hakata ramen, mentaiko (cod roe), castella and champon, to name a few.
My accommodation is quite cheap - in Fukuoka I'm staying at a youth hostel (VERY cheap), while in Nagasaki I'm splashing out and staying in a ryokan. All up my accommodation for three nights will come to less than ¥10,000, which means more money to spend on delicious regional food!!
Anywho, I'll be back in a few days with many photos (and possibly a couple of extra kilograms).
---------------- Now playing: Fiona Apple - Waltz (Better Than Fine)
The only consolation for this is the prospect of John Howard crashing and burning in the upcoming election, which is looking increasingly likely every day/leadership squabble. (Thanks to Chris for the heads-up. And for the awesome postcard.)
The final thrilling installment in the long running saga of our trip up Fuji.
I left off last entry with me waking at 2:30am. Normally I get to bed at this time. Anyway, I was surprisingly alert - I pretty much being deeply asleep (to the point someone had to yell at me to wake me) to being wide awake.
The view downstairs as the climbers prepared for the final trek.
We left our 8th station hut at around 3am, freezing our fingers off. Well my fingers were frozen - I hadn't properly dried off my gloves from the previous night, so I had to alternate the hand I was carrying my walking stick with with the hand in my warm pocket. Also, the ventilation material on my jogging shoes, ever so handy when you're running, was letting an awful lot of cold air into my shoes, meaning for the first hour of our climb to the summit I could only feel one toe on each foot. A very strange feeling. I was also slightly hampered by the fact that my 420 yen headlamp purchased from Daiso the night before decided to stop working after 20 minutes - this works out to a cost of 21 yen/minute. You call that value for money? Curse you Daiso!! It was useful however in keeping the hood of my rain jacket (*grumblegrumble*) up, thereby stopping the wind from freezing my head.
Another group passes us while resting. Their lights captured using the night mode setting on my camera look like those time-tentacle things in Donnie Darko! We'd been told that sunrise was due at around 5:09am, a little later if there was cloud. We were still walking with the rest of the tour group, and we were a little concerned with the number of rests we were having we would miss the sunrise (well, not really miss, since we were on the east side of the mountain, but still - the whole point is to see sunrise from the top of Mt Fuji, not the side). We could already see the first rays creeping over the horizon.
The first glimpses of sunlight, along with a climber's cool looking time-tentacle. After a third break however, our guide gave everyone permission to walk at their own pace. Not wanting to miss sunrise, I bolted.
The torii at the 9th station under which we passed - I couldn't help think about that terrible Roman Polanski/Johnny Depp movie The Ninth Gate. This ninth gate, made of wood and not doing much at all, was much more interesting. The path between the 9th station and the summit was considerably more rocky than much of the path further down the mountain. I was very grateful for my hiking stick.
Nearly at the top! Finally at around 4:45 I reached the top. The gate at the 10th station: Many people already there! Sara and I at the summit, just before sunrise. Gabriel from the UK. Sara plants the flag to annex Fuji in the name of Japan. I didn't have the heart to tell her they already owned it - she seemed so proud. Just before sunrise Almost there! The sun peeks through the clouds:
Many people up the top!
More clouds... lots more clouds... After viewing sunrise, we went for a 2 hour tour around the crater. Some shots of the top of the volcano:
Looking into the crater - not a great photo I'll admit, but it gives you an idea of what is inside the crater. This crater last erupted about 2000 years ago.
Looking over at the other side of the crater... It really is quite wide. The colours were so intense - the landscape really is like nothing I've seen before. A shot of the little village at the top of the mountain. A torii at the top - there were many. This one was covered in bells from people's walking sticks (it was around this time I discovered mine had fallen off at some stage).
I thought this chunk of dried lava was amazing. This is the crater from the last eruption of Fuji in the early 18th century. Each time Fuji erupts it is from a different part of the mountain. I was trying to be artistic in this shot by capturing the sun in the middle of the torii - not sure it really worked. A view of the highest point of Fuji - this is actually the highest point in Japan. Sara commented that these rocks look like the vertebrae of a dragon - made me think of Bjork :) A shrine at the top of the mountain. Unfortunately since it was outside the official climbing season everything (including the shrine) was closed. This is some sort of "sacred pond". Looked more like a puddle to me, but I didn't want to argue :) Overlooking the Izu peninsula Clouds fill the crater... The huge shadow of Fuji on the surrounding landscape - a very impressive sight. A creepy figurine we found. More clouds - cause they look so perrtty! And yes, I did have "Bouncing Off Clouds" in my head the whole time I was at the top... Three Japanese guys who were part of our tour group - really friendly guys, they didn't speak a huge amount of English, but it well and truly put my Japanese to shame. I ended up walking down the mountain with them.
Me posing with Nishizono (the middle one in the photo above) - he seemed especially interested in me, asked me so many questions all the way down. Not sure if it was interest interest (and well, who could blame him - did you SEE my rain jacket?), or just interest in another person cause they're from Australia, but really does it matter? I'll take whatever interest I can get :) Breakfast! The long yellow things are some sort of guppy type creatures... and at 8 in the morning, after you've just climbed down from the top of Fuji, it is very appetising... I guess you'll just have to trust me on that! The track back down the mountain was a quite gradual zig-zagging slope, made up of about 40 zigs (or is that zags?) - I guess to stop people from gathering too much speed and face-planting it into the volcanic ash making up the path (as Gabriel did on his was down to the 8th station - I have it on good authority that volcanic ash does not taste good).
Success!! At the bottom of the mountain (well, almost at the 5th station), looking back up. Back at 5th station - is there something wrong with this pic? 3 Japanese people with me, and I'm the only one making the peace sign! We got back to 5th station at around 10:30am on Wednesday. After some lunch with Zono and his friends, we got back on our disco ball-less coach and were taken to an onsen on Lake Kawaguchiko, one of the Fujigoko (or Fuji 5 Lakes) - a very relaxing way to spend an hour after climbing to the top of Japan's highest mountain!
Unfortunately due to the approaching typhoon (the people who started climbing as we left weren't able to make it to the summit, I found out a few days later) the views from the lake weren't that stellar. Didn't stop me from getting another photo of the clouds on the surrounding mountains as we drove back to Shinjuku! So that pretty much covers our adventure! An absolutely amazing experience, and I recommend it to anyone who lives in Japan for any extended period.
Thanks for reading these - I promise not to post another picture of clouds on my blog for as long as it is in existence.... :)
edit: Okay, since Dave requested another cloud photo, here is a video of the clouds filling the crater:
3 of my favourite gals: Fumiko, Misuzu and Nobu
