The magical mystery tour

Yesterday I went on a bus tour with the Sabae International Association. I was a little reluctant to go at first, partly because the trip clashed with a Franz Ferdinand gig in Osaka, and partly because the bus left at 6.50am, which is bloody early for a Sunday by anyone's standards.

Anyway, once underway I had a great time. We stopped off in Izushi in Hyogo prefecture and had a look at some of the fantastic old buildings they have there - check out the photos of the castle below. Lunch was interesting... Sara soba is the local speciality, which is basically lots of tiny plates of soba noodles, which you have to dip into a sauce you make yourself. I was a little worried when I discovered that the main ingredient of this sauce was raw egg - we were literally given a bowl of eggs to crack into a cup. Still, it didn't taste too bad, and I haven't died of salmonella poisoning yet so it can't be all bad.

We also visited Amanohashidate in Kyoto prefecture, which is one of the three wonders of Japan. It's a natural sand bar which separates a lake from the sea, and it looks pretty amazing, especially at sunset. However, the highlight of the trip for me was the boat. We took a tour round the bay, but when the boat arrived I was amazed to see that along with the usual seagulls which were diving for food, there was a flock of eagles! Once on the boat we could buy some fish-flavoured crisp things, then throw them off the stern and watch the eagles dive and catch them in their talons. It was probably one of the most impressive things I've seen in my whole life - these birds are huge (wingspans of over a metre) yet they swoop and dive like they're lighter than air. Awesome.

Still not sure if they should be eating crisps though

Wade and Jesse playing silly buggers.

The 37 torii (gates) which lead up to Izushi castle.

Izushi castle.

Izushi clock tower.

A man running with a rickshaw, yesterday. Note the spontaneous peace sign from the passenger.

It's a squid. Mmmmmmmmm.

Possibly the highlight of the trip for me. Dried pufferfish in hats. Look at their boggly eyes!

One of the around twenty eagles that were following our tour boat. They swooped so close to me that I could feel the rush of air from their wings.

Eagles and seagulls wheel around the back of our tour boat, vying for tasty fish-flavoured crispy snacks.

Jesse decides to chow down on the fish-flavoured crispy snacks which were meant for the eagles.

This is Amanohashidate, which means "The bridge to heaven". It's a natural tree-lined sand bar which stretches all the way across this lake.

The sun sets on a wonderful, but tiring, day.

Oooooh, how rude

This is an ode to daikons - possibly the funniest vegetable I have yet come across. I have no idea how to cook them, but they're worth buying just to make women laugh, as can be seen in the photo below

Laura poses with the big daikon.

Meet my new mum

I went out with my host mum the other day. It's a bit difficult trying to descibe the concept of a host mum you don't actually live with... Basically I applied with Familynet to be assigned with a Japanese family so that they could introduce me to some aspects of Japan that I wouldn't normally get to see, such as eating a family meal, observing Japanese customs and so on.

Anyway, I thought I'd put up some photos of me and my host mum, Igarashi-san, on our day out together..

My new 'mum' and I proudly show off the laquerware we painted.

 

Here's 'mum' sitting in the gardens we visited.

The hills look spectacular at the moment thanks to the autumn colours.

All these trees and bushes have been tied up to protect them from the snow. The idea is that the string will stop the branches from bending or snapping under the weight of the snow. Apparently this technique is unique to the Hokkiriku region.

More Engrish

Genius. Absolute genius. I spotted the menu below in Nishimura cafe in Sabae. Let's all learn Engrish

Menu: Everything for the Super Taste!

The Flea Market

I went to the Flea Market in the Sabae Sundome on Sunday.

It was rubbish.

That's about all I have to say on the matter. Anyone who wishes to defend the honourable pursuit of rifling through other people's tat, please post your comments below..

The Sundome Fleamarket.

The sign says "Kid's corner" in Japanese. Unfortunately this rather poorly furnished creche consists of little more than a ring of chairs, a miniature TV set and a solitary Winnie the Pooh doll.

So you want me to work on a Saturday?

So Mike called me last weekend and said "Do you fancy helping out at an English seminar for Mikuni High School kids? Some students are being sent to Wales on a school exchange, so we're giving them some extra tuition and playing some games and stuff on Saturday. Wanna come?"

"Saturday?" I said.

"You get paid 4,000 yen", he said.

"Fair enough", I said, "I'll be there". It was only when I put down the phone that I realised 4,000 yen was only twenty quid. About half of which would be spent on petrol and tolls driving there in the first place.

Still, a good time was had by all, despite the fact that I only got two hours sleep the night before after accidentally going to a karaoke bar until five in the morning. But at least I stayed awake, unlike some people... Matt?

Thanks to Mike for a great day and a blinding curry afterwards - good work fella. 

Students of Mikuni hard at work learning English.

Two Mikuni junior high school students. These poor sods are being sent to Cardiff on school exchange. I tried to warn them, but there was nothing I could do... (sorry to any Welsh people reading this)

Mike's rather funky pad.

A gaggle of rather scary English teachers. L to r: Brendan, Ben and Rich.

This pencil case belonged to one of the students in Mikuni. I love the juxtaposition between the anti-establishment comments on the left and the cute kitten on the right. I asked the thirteen year old boy who owned this pencil case if he knew who the bloke to the left of Bush was. "Is it Putin?" he replied.

Mike's rather funky pad.

Stove day

Today saw the long-awaited arrival of stove day.

In England we are too long used to the luxury of a boiler which pumps hot water and steam around the entire school. Not so in Asahi - here each classroom and staff room has its own paraffin stove, complete with an elaborate flue system straight out of a steampunk fantasy. I graciously offered to help set up the pipes in the staff room this afternoon, ostensibly so I could craftily nudge the stove a little closer to my desk. Now we just have to wait for the Great Turning-On... I hope it's soon, I'm bloody cold

One of the many stoves that have been distributed around the school. At last, heat!

A fearless teacher grapples with the rickety flue.

Wake up sleepy head!

This is a tribute to a great friend of mine, Matt Gilhool. Not only does he possess possibly the greatest beard known to man, he also has a peculiar, yet enviable, talent. Namely, the ability to sleep almost anywhere, and through anything.

I've taken it upon myself to document this extraordinary phenomenon, as evidenced by the photographs below. Matt, we salute you.

Matt catches forty winks during Manchester United's nail-biting Champions' League win over Sparta.

Matt takes a well-earned rest on Mary's kitchen floor during the thrilling US election coverage.

Matt catches some z's at an unknown location in Fukui.

Ultimate fun

I went to Kanazawa in Ishigawa prefecture on Sunday, to play ultimate with the Hokkiriku team. It almost killed me, but I reckon it was worth it.

Despite going to bed at 4am and waking up with a terrible hangover, I still managed to make it to the meeting place in Fukui city - which is more than can be said for the rest of the lightweights which make up the Fukui Floods. Guys, if you're reading this, you are officially rubbish. 

Thanks to James and Hudson for sorting it all out, it was great fun

The Hokkiriku ultimate team.

More toast fantasies

I went to Tom's Toast Restaurant again last night (see "God bless you Tom!"). I think I'm becoming addicted.

This time I went for the potato and tomato, whilst Adam plumped for the egg and ham. It was toast heaven.

Adam's egg and ham toast. Vicar! Fetch the smelling salts! He's fainted!

The potato and tomato toast in all its succulent glory. Look at the size of that mother!

Mosh pit news

Thanks to Karl we have new information on the 'Mosh Pit on Disney' phenomenon (see the photo under 'Oh, the things I've seen...'). Here's the email he sent: 

Saw the Mosh Pit on Disney pic on your blog and thought I'd shed a little light on the subject. Mosh Pit on Disney is acutally the second CD in a line of CDs in which punk bands cover your favorite Disney songs (the first CD is called something like Dive into Disney).

So there you go. I must get a copy of those CDs, they sound fantastic!

Need a plaster?

I saw these sticking plasters in the supermarket last night - obviously it was a particularly classy supermarket.

For the injured person with a sense of style.

God bless you Tom!

I have discovered the best restaurant known to man.

Well, Adam and Neil actually showed me it so I can't really claim credit, but it's still a bloody fantastic place.

Question: What's the best food on the planet?

Answer: (Obviously) Toast. Therefore, the best restaurant known to man is a...... yes, that's right, a TOAST RESTAURANT! Go to Tomu (Tom's) on old route 8 in Takefu - it truly is the eighth wonder of the world. Tom himself, we believe, is some kind of toast wizard, sent to deliver his bread art to to the true believers. It's not just any toast - we're talking half a loaf of bread here, with egg and tomato running through the full depth of the bread. Awe-inspiring.

The restaurant is stunning too - as Adam pointed out, it looks like a vision of the future from the past. Perhaps it's the future that could have been... 

The man himself. Is he from the future? Who knows?

Welcome to Tom's restaurant.

Oh, the things I've seen...

Almost everyday since I've been living in Japan I see something that makes me do a double take. Usually these moments revolve around a piece of incomprehensible Japanese Engrish, like the T-shirt I bought the other day which reads "Yesterday never comes. Go round and round. Everything is full of life and joy". What?

Anyway, here are some photos of the best bits of Engrish I've seen so far. 

"Welcome here! Let's enjoy refresh time". Seen on a coffee vending machine in Fukui city.

"My Idol Dog" and "Dog Fan" magazines.

"Deep-flied Chicken a la japanese". Seen in a hotel in Tokyo.

Happy! Holloween. Self-explanatory really. Seen in Berry's restaurant in Fukui city.

I don't know if you can see, but this make of car is called "Toppo BJ". The "Love Boat" sticker is the driver's own.

"Mosh Pit on Disney". This is a capsule vending machine I found in Esca Mall in Takefu. I have absolutely no idea why it's Mosh Pit Disney - does anyone else have any ideas?

Kyoto

I went to Kyoto on a school trip last Monday (November 1st) - it was absolutely beautiful! The city is jam-packed with temples and shrines, so it's a pleasure to look around. I think it's probably the kind of Japan that most people imagine before they come here.

Unfortunately the bus trip there and back took six hours, which meant we only had three hours to look around. Next time I'll definitely have to go for longer...

Nanzen temple in Kyoto.

The aquaduct that cuts right through the middle of Nanzenji.

Part of the inner temple.

The grounds of Nanzenji.

Some of the members of Lewis's Fan Club.

The Philosopher's Path. Apparently it looks absolutely beautiful when the cherry blossom is out.

Bush vs the World

So, it looks like it's happened again. Gilead has once again voted in Big Brother as its undisputed leader. Yesterday I sat in an apartment full of Americans for eight hours, watching the depressing events unfold, until it all got too much to bear and we decided to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons instead. CNN should show more cartoons, they certainly break the crushing blow of bad news. Maybe they should animate the entire channel.

Anyway, it's been a crazy old week here, I don't really know where to start. Probably the strangest thing I saw was on Saturday, when I was shopping for my Halloween costume. I was wandering through the children's section of a department store in Takefu looking for a wig when I noticed the calendar section, and was slightly taken aback. Nestled amongst the cutesy Looney Tunes and Hello Kitty calendars was a Playboy calendar. If you don't believe me check out the photo below... The girls here absolutely love the Playboy bunny - about half the girls in my school have knee-high socks with the bunny on them, and most girls have at least one Playboy T-shirt. Yet, when I ask them about it, most of them are completely unaware that the bunny comes from a pornographic magazine. Hence a calendar of scantily clad women in the children's section.

I've also started doing kyudo (Japanese archery). It's really good fun, but bloody hard. The bow you use is two metres long, and it's really difficult to pull back - hopefully I should have the muscles of an ox by this time next year. It's made harder by the fact that there's a very specific way you have to move and hold the bow - I'm coming into school early every day to practice the movements on the kyudo range. Even so, it's going to be at least two weeks before they let me near an arrow! There's loads more I want to say, but I have to plan a lesson on proverbs, so got to go. Keep emailing me, it's great to hear what you're all up to!

Take care, Lewis

A flat full of depressed Americans last Wednesday.

Brandon gets angry at the election result.

Yes, that's right, a Playboy calendar in the children's section.

I try my hand at kyudo in this rather blurry photo.

One of the Nyu High School students practices kyudo. Look how small the targets are.

Mr Scissorhands

Hello everyone! I've been mad busy today and I'm in a mega rush to get home, but I just thought you should see this pic of me dressed up as Edward Scissorhands for Halloween last weekend. 

I ended up having to sacrifice my beard for the costume, but now everyone says they prefer me without it so I might stay (relatively) clean shaven.

Check out the cardboard scissor hands I made! No one recognised me when I turned up to the party like this...

Quakes and dogs

You may or may not have heard, but there was a series of big earthquakes in Niigata prefecture on Saturday, which caused a lot of damage, as well as a handful of deaths. Luckily we didn't really feel anything in Fukui - it was only when I got home and turned on the news that I found out that it had happened. A shinkansen train (bullet train) was derailed at 200kph, but miraculously no one was hurt. The train tracks have seismographs at 20 km intervals which detect if there is an earthquake and automatically shut off the electricity, but the train was travelling over the epicentre of the quake at the time, so the power couldn't be shut off quickly enough. What most interested me though was the fact that this is the first time a shinkansen train has been derailed. Ever. And the trains have been running since 1964. What the hell would Japanese people think of British trains, or "cages of death" as they're otherwise known?

Anyway, apart from the earthquake drama, it's been a pretty funky weekend. I did karaoke on Friday, and treated my fellow JETs to a rendition of "That's what I go to school for" by Busted, complete with well-timed leaps in the "rocking out" style. I never realised quite how filthy the lyrics to that song are. And strangely appropriate considering the levels of behind doors shagging done by the JET community and Japanese teachers. I also played on probably my favourite Japanese arcade game so far - I've attached a picture below. Yes, that's right, you have to walk a dog. Genius.

The idea is that you have to keep your dog happy by walking as fast as you can on a conveyer belt - the faster you walk, the happier the dog is. As you're strolling down the street with your virtual dog you have to use the lead to steer him/her towards potential points of interest, such as bits of food or flowers.

Unfortunately, it didn't simulate your dog trying to shag the legs of passers-by, or shit in the middle of the high street, but I'm sure that's something they'll keep in mind for the sequel. Unfortunately my dog was a little unhappy with me - although I let him chase after a cat, I got him run over three times. Anyway who says I deliberately tried to steer him under that truck is lying.

Anyway, I have to go and teach some English grammar, sayonara! 

Me, walking the virtual dog.

A regrettable turn of events

There's been an incident. On Sunday 17th October, Mr Samuel Baldwin and I were engaged in a friendly bout of frisbee throwing on Mikata beach. Then, disaster. As he was lining up his umpteenth throw of the disc that day, Mr Samuel Baldwin made a grievous error: in his excitement he mistook me, a human being, for the Sea of Japan, and proceeded to lob the frisbee into the arms of old father Neptune. Not being one to give up an expensive piece of plastic so easily, I waded in after it, managing to retrieve the errant disc. But Neptune had other plans. In a wanton act of revenge he commanded the waves to rise up and dash upon my brow, leaving me soaked to the skin. With sand in my pants, too.

Unfortunately, my mobile phone was in my pocket at the time. And now it's buggered. 

DAMN YOU NEPTUNE! DAMN YOUR EYES!!!!!

Mikata Beach - beautiful, but deadly.

Myself, Lewis, pre-incident.

Mr Samuel Baldwin points to the spot where he lobbed my innocent frisbee into the cold embrace of the sea.

Movies, games and videos

I took my first trip to the arcade on Saturday.

Most of you are probably thinking "Is this the same Lewis? Has he really been in Japan for over two months and has yet to visit an arcade?" Well, yes, it took me a while, but I finally got around to sampling the Japanese arcade experience. And it was mental.

For a start it was called Joyland. Secondly, there were no scary children wearing Kappa jackets. And thirdly it had some of the most bizarre games I've ever seen. By far the best was Drummania, which is a giant pink cabinet with a set of touch sensitive drums - to get an impression of how popular it is, I should tell you that the one I played was the ELEVENTH version. The idea is that you can choose from a list of rather brilliant bubbly J-pop tunes and drum along to the on-screen instructions. It's brilliant fun, and the bonus is that you feel slightly less stupid than when playing those dancing games. I've attached a photo of a Japanese guy playing on it who was amazingly good. He was playing the game on extreme level, and he's obviously memorised every track. He even brought his own drum sticks. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or to feel slightly embarrassed for him...

By far the strangest thing there was the eight player football game though. I couldn't quite work out how you were supposed to play it - as far as I could tell it was based on stat battles between cards that the players brought along themselves and put into the machine. A bit like a cross between Top Trumps and Match of the Day.

The best bit of the arcade was the Sega "Relax Mission", which was, quite simply, a massage chair. Just in case you need to unwind after a heavy bout of drumming.

And now, the weather... Is it me or has the world weather been going a bit mental lately? Japan has had NINE typhoons this year. That's the most typhoons to hit the country in one year since records began. The last one arrived this weekend, and was the strongest one since 1951, but luckily it veered east at the last minute and hit Tokyo. Well, lucky for me anyway, not particularly lucky for the people in Tokyo.

A rather random result of this is that Fukui has had the highest number of bear attacks ever. The numerous typhoons have knocked all the fruit and nuts off the trees, so the bears are coming down from the hills to look for food in towns. It's got to the point where the local government is issuing primary school children with bells for their walk to and from school, in order to scare away bears. They even cancelled the Katsuyama sports festival this weekend due to the risk of bear attacks. It all seems a little absurd to me - the black bears here only grow to about a metre long at most. Having said that, I wouldn't want to wake up in the night to find one rooting through my refrigerator.

And finally, I watched Love Actually with a load of Americans on Sunday, which was interesting. I had great fun trying to explain to them what Basildon was...

Beatmania - This guy was playing it on the extreme setting. He was playing so fast that I honestly believe that he can see into the future.

The eight player football game. I have absolutely no idea how you play this. 

Sports are not my friend

I played in a football tournament at the weekend. Yes, you read that correctly, I played in a football tournament. It was the eastern leg of the Assistant Language Teachers Japan tournament - so there were teams from around 24 prefectures. And what's more, the Fukui team came fifth, thanks in part to some sterling right back defending from yours truly. We made it through to the knockout stages, but we were eventually beaten by the champions, who looked like professionals. Well, when I say they looked like professionals I mean they'd bothered to get some T-shirts with their names on printed up.

Then on Wednesday I took part in the school marathon. It wasn't quite a marathon (thank God), but it was still 10 kilometres, and it nearly killed me. Now I have blisters the size of golf balls and a comedy limp. I'm meant to be taking part in an Ultimate demonstration as part of "Health and Recreation Day" on Monday, but now its likely to be more of a falling over demonstration. I'm loving these brilliant national holidays by the way - it seems like the Japanese will make up any excuse for a day off - a few weeks ago it was "Respect for the Aged Day" and before that we had a day off for the "Autumnal Equinox". Apparently that last one has some sort of religious significance, but when I called up my supervisor to ask what it was she didn't have a clue.

Anyway, I have to go and teach kids about poetry, so I'll see you later, Lew.

The non-stop football and drinking was too much for some...