tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60372701403471258442023-11-16T08:23:50.785-08:00Japan Is My CanvasMarion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-47159876263347077082013-11-29T09:17:00.000-08:002013-12-08T18:25:40.998-08:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To most people, Hiroshima means just one thing. The city’s
name will forever evoke thoughts of 6<sup>th</sup> August 1945, when Hiroshima
became the target of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A painting of Hiroshima at night</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Late last month I mastered the Japanese transportation
system and made a 4 hour trip to Hiroshima for the weekend. It proved to be the
most memorable, moving and insightful experience to date and I am extremely
glad I made the effort to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have travelled on the bullet train a couple of times, but
this was my first long distance trip. Honestly, I could rave about the bullet
train all day, not only are they extremely fast, but also hyper-efficient. Routes
are timed to the second, delays are declared if trains arrive more than one
minute late and they stop on the platform with clockwork precision. Also on board every train is an earthquake
detection system (detects an earthquake 40 seconds before the shaking), the
train will come to an abrupt stop if an earthquake is detected. It was the
fastest and least stressful 450 miles trip by public transport ever. Arriva
Trains Wales, Virgin trains and friends you have a lot to learn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fresh faced and ready to explore I arrived in Hiroshima at
9am and bought a 2 day trip card (2000 Yen, roughly £14) which is valid on all
streetcar lines, the ferry to Miyajima and Miyajima ropeway. It is worth every
penny as one trip on the rope way will cost you 1800 Yen if bought separately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The starkest reminder of the destruction visited upon
Hiroshima is the Atomic Bomb Dome. The building was an Industrial Promotion
Hall until the tremendous bomb obliterated nearly everything within a two
kilometre radius. It is a tragic reminder nestled amongst a modern, thriving
and international minded city. I was so lucky with the weather and got many postcard worthy photos of the dome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Across from the A Dome is the peace memorial park, which is
dotted with memorials including the cenotaph which contains all the names of
the known victims from the initial blast or exposure to radiation. Over 220 000 names are engraved on the memorial.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centotaph Memorial</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The inscription on the cenotaph memorial reads – “let all
the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.” It expresses
the spirit of Hiroshima, pursuing harmony
and prosperity for all, and yearning for genuine, lasting world peace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cenotaph frames the Flame of Peace which will only be
extinguished once the last nuclear weapon on earth has been destroyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nearby is the Children’s Peace Monument, inspired by Sadako
Sasaki. When Sadako developed leukaemia at 11 years of age, in 1955, she
decided to fold 1000 paper cranes. In Japan, the crane is the symbol of
longevity and happiness and she was convinced that if she achieved that target she would recover. She
died before reaching her target but her classmates folded the rest. The story has
spread around the world, and now, approximately 10 million cranes are offered
each year before the Childrens Peace Monument. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the day, many groups of school children from across
Japan came to the memorial to offer their own cranes. All the groups sang and
read speeches before presenting the cranes. Even though I couldn’t understand
what they were singing it was very emotional. I watched humbled, as many children shed a tear for the children they never
knew who suffered at the hands of the bomb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group of school children singing before presenting the cranes they had made.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBeXkuE4N4CcBJb0NpZ0YIGHynxyrP0LDA5nNFVm6wUcpxaLeSzZJ4QGV3uOJVDQk8A6OJy7kYi8Infl20qRVwPOrvwb1GP4QIqVOrhXrIdXUcAeCYMH2XJyZgCwTMAstalYziN-2-Y/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTBeXkuE4N4CcBJb0NpZ0YIGHynxyrP0LDA5nNFVm6wUcpxaLeSzZJ4QGV3uOJVDQk8A6OJy7kYi8Infl20qRVwPOrvwb1GP4QIqVOrhXrIdXUcAeCYMH2XJyZgCwTMAstalYziN-2-Y/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden Crane Bell inside the memorial.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmTLOcRQWD2CdEAEN0kI2GpUVM93u-5ZoJ0dJdwA4uEGxsBvlUJ_ZgS3vYK9zRy_tDTz0sl_P1v4Ml_qjRNFXI03wtcLT_0cF-bH8DEahFxsplv_YLC8Ql45KG_9MQAJ4jP9HgVOWvgY/s1600/IMG_2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmTLOcRQWD2CdEAEN0kI2GpUVM93u-5ZoJ0dJdwA4uEGxsBvlUJ_ZgS3vYK9zRy_tDTz0sl_P1v4Ml_qjRNFXI03wtcLT_0cF-bH8DEahFxsplv_YLC8Ql45KG_9MQAJ4jP9HgVOWvgY/s1600/IMG_2219.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranes donated by people all over the world. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBl6OYZzki3HS2doT0Eh9X8-yxXh3DTcNYeGNOlrb0FpgGXooASmJ248Q2SyYh5ksWgrwj2sxcVJByeDGek907_sjahJqZELpQei8H5q9XE9g0oZhZ8lvpu5sfAMa7a15aBWR0h9MiUY/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBl6OYZzki3HS2doT0Eh9X8-yxXh3DTcNYeGNOlrb0FpgGXooASmJ248Q2SyYh5ksWgrwj2sxcVJByeDGek907_sjahJqZELpQei8H5q9XE9g0oZhZ8lvpu5sfAMa7a15aBWR0h9MiUY/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">A statue of Sadako Sasaki stands on the top of the memorial. </span></td></tr>
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All visitors are encouraged to donate cranes to the memorial. I made an offering of two cranes to the monument and registered my desire for peace.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXd1qCEdoO0Mvt6JIw9ZEEwgBa6hwtnCbHbxYp-GdWt3EYq1lGyFQADRdokDQs0C-qGezjKcq2V0dolgoYCKWUoODOn3raC02GjJi9QNRKjIlI0lcZ51gH1zhJ4VixWY8A9ioEm_sZ740/s1600/IMG_2338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXd1qCEdoO0Mvt6JIw9ZEEwgBa6hwtnCbHbxYp-GdWt3EYq1lGyFQADRdokDQs0C-qGezjKcq2V0dolgoYCKWUoODOn3raC02GjJi9QNRKjIlI0lcZ51gH1zhJ4VixWY8A9ioEm_sZ740/s1600/IMG_2338.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cranes I made and donated. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also in the park is the Korean Atomic Bomb Memorial. Many
Koreans were shipped over to work as slave labourers during WW2 and Koreans
counted for more than one in 10 of those killed by the atomic bomb. The Korean victims were given no funerals or
memorial services and it was said that their spirits hovered for years unable
to pass on to heaven. Then, on April 10<sup>th</sup>, 1970, the monument to Korean
Victims and Survivors was erected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a quiet and contemplative walk around the park I headed
to the Peace Memorial Museum (only
50 Yen to enter, roughly 7p). The museum presents the history of the city
leading up to the dropping of the bomb, depressing displays of salvaged items
from the aftermath of the explosion and the city’s redevelopment. The displays
here are harrowing; amongst the displays are ragged clothes, a child’s melted
lunch box and scooter, and some distressing
photographs. It is really moving to read the stories of those killed by
the explosion and for some visitors to the museum it was simply too
much. At the end of the museum you can hear the testimonials of
survivors. It serves as a reminder to not take peace for granted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am sure that my single
signature will not create peace alone, but like millions of others; I
signed a petition for world peace on my
way out of the museum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next to the museum is Hiroshima National Peace Memorial
Hall, a walkway circles down to a contemplative underground hall of remembrance and a room where the names
and photographs of atomic-bomb victims are kept, along with testimonies from
survivors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With a mix of emotions, I decided that it was time to
explore more of Hiroshima away from the crowds. I visited Shukkei-en which
translates as shrunken-scenery garden. Valleys, mountains and
forests are represented in miniature in the gardens landscapes. Around the main
lake there are a couple of tea houses and it was the perfect setting to enjoy
watching a traditional tea ceremony. I then took a short walk to Hiroshima
castle, a traditional wooden castle re-build after the bomb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPrPloqJThLIBmRmm1ZPLy9p1iT5NKD1Rn8sQmkk7KfYtH289N1nhyphenhyphenagmSwqTK77o6FiseyZEtnZ5nDDdaGEhCNFCuNcIsgnpbJrjAhH91RMk7M_AdvaZNeq1zm1kQTk6J5aZA6XdVEc/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPrPloqJThLIBmRmm1ZPLy9p1iT5NKD1Rn8sQmkk7KfYtH289N1nhyphenhyphenagmSwqTK77o6FiseyZEtnZ5nDDdaGEhCNFCuNcIsgnpbJrjAhH91RMk7M_AdvaZNeq1zm1kQTk6J5aZA6XdVEc/s1600/IMG_2280.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Shukkei-en</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aiIZWaKjqLHSq4wPeFUQLuJabI2crkETPVz8j6P6pGgIW3WJmxsmxQnmswENMTcuOpT64gb66-udJcTGy5dhv4kIT77bP3ytpSeGA0b4GFRCPTjwCMYsQQV9Z6UcniYUElYvtsT7GOY/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aiIZWaKjqLHSq4wPeFUQLuJabI2crkETPVz8j6P6pGgIW3WJmxsmxQnmswENMTcuOpT64gb66-udJcTGy5dhv4kIT77bP3ytpSeGA0b4GFRCPTjwCMYsQQV9Z6UcniYUElYvtsT7GOY/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshima castle </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_sL2V_q3TxsQJQG28Khix5Nv3Nx0diGhlcbUGFROXshLG_ODKCKeA2OAD9KJwlQP1MjneHVGn2LNZjI69Q6Bt5GfXKqIRo4hHr_T8LiBj2Go8ecaVhNAL4CZopYs7nMEmHvSRtO58YM/s1600/IMG_2282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_sL2V_q3TxsQJQG28Khix5Nv3Nx0diGhlcbUGFROXshLG_ODKCKeA2OAD9KJwlQP1MjneHVGn2LNZjI69Q6Bt5GfXKqIRo4hHr_T8LiBj2Go8ecaVhNAL4CZopYs7nMEmHvSRtO58YM/s1600/IMG_2282.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJUCJLwMreRIApRgRSMs6lJDz3QDuN_NwjhNxvnHLktEc7ygVWT_WX39kMTR-UKrnJ0omz_3lwgwZzFNtQBWwJ00c1ula1WXu-2Y5YY6N7F-MHCAMjqxwHvthTT-QhsD5581rLVu9y64/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJUCJLwMreRIApRgRSMs6lJDz3QDuN_NwjhNxvnHLktEc7ygVWT_WX39kMTR-UKrnJ0omz_3lwgwZzFNtQBWwJ00c1ula1WXu-2Y5YY6N7F-MHCAMjqxwHvthTT-QhsD5581rLVu9y64/s1600/IMG_2328.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">After a busy day, I tucked into Hiroshima okonomiyaki. It
consists of thin pancakes, topped
with cabbage, and various other toppings such as shrimp, pork, garlic etc. Hiroshima okonomiyaki also includes
either soba or udon noodles all topped with a special sauce. It is all cooked
right in front of you on a hot griddle; I had opted for garlic okonomiyaki with
pork and shrimp, oishii!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I took some night shots of a beautifully lit up Atomic Dome
and headed back to the hostel. I intended to have an early night ready for an
early start but I ended up talking for
many hours and drank gin with my fellow hostel stayers. My room was a traditional tatami
Japanese style room, it was basic but very comfortable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsmYtBs8FwlwYlWNTRxDJXd3XujpaRcCCdNTxLfFFkq0gEthb5Flbc55sTXJwUtvlVwUBUq4YPrk8lRxYxWpBpasNG6DPPS4h20riGLhrYvcnI7M-w5jqk9gWHlY1HrBAvzbrv7LPxn0/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsmYtBs8FwlwYlWNTRxDJXd3XujpaRcCCdNTxLfFFkq0gEthb5Flbc55sTXJwUtvlVwUBUq4YPrk8lRxYxWpBpasNG6DPPS4h20riGLhrYvcnI7M-w5jqk9gWHlY1HrBAvzbrv7LPxn0/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshima at night </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHOyxBpJKgIT0SRZwHIiaKTmPQeSmCdjSlneAZ427Mb4l01vfdsCLl-ZrWr3k1lGAiMON_BeQQC0BJuIF6kxFcD6CKI8J3YEg7vccypdBLKHdpMkDgmCNNqUfCINEOb7BIv6QMbNbLZI/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHOyxBpJKgIT0SRZwHIiaKTmPQeSmCdjSlneAZ427Mb4l01vfdsCLl-ZrWr3k1lGAiMON_BeQQC0BJuIF6kxFcD6CKI8J3YEg7vccypdBLKHdpMkDgmCNNqUfCINEOb7BIv6QMbNbLZI/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As my first day came to a close I wished that visiting
Hiroshima was mandatory for every person at least once in their lifetime. Many
westerners often skip Hiroshima for the grandeur of the temples of Kyoto and
the vibrancy of Tokyo city. The
world has a constant reminder of the destruction and devastation caused by war,
and worse, nuclear war. The city of Hiroshima and those who visit hope that we can, if not
immediately, then perhaps with a new generation, get closer to the promise of
enduring world peace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am catching up with my blog! I will be leaving Japan in 3 weeks time, but watch this space, australiaismycanvas and newzealandismycanvas are next! </span></div>
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I have had over 4500 views of my blog from all over the world. Thank you to all the strangers that get in touch. I am really keen to pursue a career in art, so if anyone knows of any internships starting in April in the UK or abroad please drop me a message!</div>
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Marion</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-75259917980013399162013-11-29T09:16:00.001-08:002013-11-29T09:16:18.126-08:00It was a nice day for a fox wedding!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZaHY-VhMGa5HoO5PUq9k-f2lDC17doYbO0w0vbfL4uNMrZTr2sXm1MejnNnDtZJZEJ3tOwNW6YGSWYIpGL3VaUyTo5yPQtPJCpyAIU0phyABMWCIfyGb-JXrVBYUCgCY6Q0gnccYtR8/s1600/IMG_2059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZaHY-VhMGa5HoO5PUq9k-f2lDC17doYbO0w0vbfL4uNMrZTr2sXm1MejnNnDtZJZEJ3tOwNW6YGSWYIpGL3VaUyTo5yPQtPJCpyAIU0phyABMWCIfyGb-JXrVBYUCgCY6Q0gnccYtR8/s1600/IMG_2059.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-27087257399082143872013-11-02T08:34:00.001-07:002013-11-02T08:51:48.199-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The Japanese are some of
the skinniest and most gentle people in the world, so it’s a little ironic that
the national sport of Japan involves two very overweight men trying to shove
each other out of a ring wearing nothing more than a silk thong.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qd8qdid-MBWqRNbWGt45GS3STAx-blpnikEPmgufEy5ImF65n6wR5F_9Tb_QrKwjjTTktho5Ctv6k8vS5X4J-ggPJspKJRf-qjdJ-wyZjXbcZxKTC_Gtj6jYEf_fN9f8YKbJyhXJ91o/s1600/IMG_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qd8qdid-MBWqRNbWGt45GS3STAx-blpnikEPmgufEy5ImF65n6wR5F_9Tb_QrKwjjTTktho5Ctv6k8vS5X4J-ggPJspKJRf-qjdJ-wyZjXbcZxKTC_Gtj6jYEf_fN9f8YKbJyhXJ91o/s1600/IMG_0714.JPG" height="640" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting of sumo wrestlers in the ring </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">On September the 22</span><sup style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">nd</sup><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">
(yes that is how far behind I am on this blog) we went to Tokyo for the day to
watch some fat men wrestle. The truth is that it’s not just flab but there is a
whole lot of muscle underneath it all. These men are huge in height and weight.
They weigh anything between 29 to 40 stone and they are extremely flexible.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvUYO7ddZCSJFhw3bcOLMh6PI0JBUuVRnRzA3SN4KJmGuDnkz5r6su96AP92GCbQcX9kKWbVFBUNyHN8eSGZa-k438FnN14g25SQKWcejvZOJMAumKNTfdu7Tb8rcu1b-93ZbbEi9cr0/s1600/IMG_1852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvUYO7ddZCSJFhw3bcOLMh6PI0JBUuVRnRzA3SN4KJmGuDnkz5r6su96AP92GCbQcX9kKWbVFBUNyHN8eSGZa-k438FnN14g25SQKWcejvZOJMAumKNTfdu7Tb8rcu1b-93ZbbEi9cr0/s1600/IMG_1852.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barton, Ali, Tom,Cheryl and I outside the Ruogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">On a typical day they are
consuming roughly 20 000 calories </span><span style="color: #222222;">in two huge meals</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> (the recommended intake for a healthy active
man is 2 500). A typical meal is Chankonabe (stew filled with fish, meat,
vegetables and tofu) which is accompanied by 5-10 bowls of rice and washed down
with copious amounts of beer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">I was expecting to be bored
after the first few matches but it was simply fascinating to watch as it’s a</span><span lang="EN-US"> very
unique sport that has kept its traditional etiquette and rituals<span style="color: #222222;">. It may seem superficially simple; however, sumo
wrestling is actually quite complex and requires not only strength but agility
and skill.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A rikishi (sumo wrestler) loses
if any part of his body lands outside the ring or if any part but the soles of
his feet touch the ground. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTTO4riFeE4PxfEVxIoijz_DGA-JQW2MgRS9blH2NSGqZc5z8WHDPZPv98L_SIHV1I2sllJESNHObO6Mskp3HmW3HKM7gJ4kFefmL0qSmqAomZllygJpmXTtWj5gfIlupWRdoHus0D-E/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTTO4riFeE4PxfEVxIoijz_DGA-JQW2MgRS9blH2NSGqZc5z8WHDPZPv98L_SIHV1I2sllJESNHObO6Mskp3HmW3HKM7gJ4kFefmL0qSmqAomZllygJpmXTtWj5gfIlupWRdoHus0D-E/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raising of the legs - a symbolic movement</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVtXLO49EZWm-NFiMU11PlWLNwZgZuBYCvXNIc3Bjbjsbb4jOO2mRkG0kPB3gx6yTiOGmDpPcYIlIhFjG_4fVY1v_iQ0ebR85Ockqu6l8TGKsdlr82FuTXoyFy9fpT9HbYnQinRBGAMw/s1600/IMG_1990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVtXLO49EZWm-NFiMU11PlWLNwZgZuBYCvXNIc3Bjbjsbb4jOO2mRkG0kPB3gx6yTiOGmDpPcYIlIhFjG_4fVY1v_iQ0ebR85Ockqu6l8TGKsdlr82FuTXoyFy9fpT9HbYnQinRBGAMw/s1600/IMG_1990.JPG" height="332" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrestling in the ring</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Lower division wrestlers
kick start the day’s events at 8:30am, however the majority of spectators
(including ourselves) arrive about 2:30-3:00pm to watch the higher ranked
divisions. After entering the ring the rikishi goes through a series of
symbolic movements. To cleanse his mind and body, the rikishi rinses his mouth
with water, the source of purity, and then wipes his body with a paper towel.
He then extends his arms to the side and turns his palms upwards to show he is
concealing no weapons. And finally, to drive evil from the dohyo(the ring), the
rikishi lifts one leg to the side high in the sky, and then the other, bringing
each down with a resounding stamp on the ground. Just before entering the dohyo
the rikishi also scatters a handful of salt to purify the dohyo.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1lgi6Ki2e1Djii1UdM4WR3Nakzua8HqiT8kM_YpyGr0k51RxkBMRedcLLpqQIrulIZYXoDMxd_2rJ6zcWEPdPXJ5uZ7rzrkjay_KbfDc5_V5_mdfqs195Q-vK-ynowt1KPNfWeKD3qE/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1lgi6Ki2e1Djii1UdM4WR3Nakzua8HqiT8kM_YpyGr0k51RxkBMRedcLLpqQIrulIZYXoDMxd_2rJ6zcWEPdPXJ5uZ7rzrkjay_KbfDc5_V5_mdfqs195Q-vK-ynowt1KPNfWeKD3qE/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" height="400" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Rikishi scattering a handful of salt</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Apart from a silk mawashi,
a thong to me and you, the rikishi are almost naked. They squat and face each
other with their fists on the ground and proceed to glare fiercely at each
other. This is called the shikiri. They engage in a kind of “cold warfare”
going back and forth (for up to 4 minutes) before waiting for the right moment.
The fight itself can be over in seconds! The best matches are always when there
is an underdog or one is significantly larger than anther. One match we really
enjoyed was a rather slim, muscular rikishi vs the largest rikishi of the bunch.
Amazingly, in this match, much to the crowd’s enjoyment, the underdog was
victorious!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I loved most about
this sport was how disciplined it all was. There was no arguing with the ref,
no swearing and certainly no rolling around on the floor “crying” in pain!
There is so much money to be made in this sport, but you certainly wouldn’t be
able to tell by their reactions after winning a match, they take cool, calm and collected to another level. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On top of their salaries,
wrestlers also earn money through sponsorships and other means. Kensho is when
sponsored banners are bought up on stage as advertisement by prestigious companies.
Each banner costs the company 60 000 Yen (£380) and each fight can have up to
50 banners. Once the match is over, the 60 000 Yen from for each banner is split, the winner will accept an envelope
containing 30 000 Yen in his right hand and 25 000 Yen will be deposited in an
account for the rikishi at his intai. 5000 Yen is used to pay various taxes. Now if there are 50 banners, you multiply those figures by 50 and that is a lot
of money for a minute’s work. Best hourly pay I have heard of in a while.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfi8-PjIn4sjaxcjWSbcCDstnUz_FFr7xMMmldvRTqbG3vi3oa4_6KJVZ6UOoJygGwRb9oSXxiw3W6P2Q0cHW_wBsR3XsxDeHjFBAI-TlEVhtUs4snIbWp5ZU0r3e9ta6DYKN52sXdzc4/s1600/IMG_1915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfi8-PjIn4sjaxcjWSbcCDstnUz_FFr7xMMmldvRTqbG3vi3oa4_6KJVZ6UOoJygGwRb9oSXxiw3W6P2Q0cHW_wBsR3XsxDeHjFBAI-TlEVhtUs4snIbWp5ZU0r3e9ta6DYKN52sXdzc4/s1600/IMG_1915.JPG" height="332" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dohy-iri ceremony (entering of the ring)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Now, I am sure that if any
of us won that kind of money in a minute or two we would be fist pumping the
air running the risk of shoulder dislocation. Famously, a sumo wrestler named
Asashoryu did just this (well not fist pumping, but gently raised his arms and
smiled) and subsequently shocked and horrified the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee.
He was promptly issued a warning for dishonorable and unsporting behaviour and
labelled the “bad boy.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">I love how
sumo has managed to survive with its formalized rituals and traditional
etiquette intact. It really is unique. Amongst the ceremonies that take place
is the colorful dohy-iri or entering of the ring. Before the tournaments being the
wrestlers enter the ring wearing a glorified apron which are made from silk with
elaborate embroidery and cost anywhere between 400 000 – 500 000 Yen (£2550 -
£3200). </span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a great day out and
the cheapest tickets only cost us 4000 Yen (£25) and I highly recommend going! It’s
another thing ticked off the “things to doing Japan” list!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">p.s I forgot to mention about my day cooking! As most of you know I am a pro in the kitchen, I am the next Mary Berry *cough cough*!</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> I recently went to Izu-nitta, a small village nearby for the day. I met up with some lovely girls and had a Japanese cooking lesson. We learnt to make pressed sushi, Japanese spring onion and tofu soup, tempura vegetables and prawns and a jelly and red bean dessert. The event was free and the kindness of the Japanese still continues to touch me. The volunteers picked us up from the station, bought all the ingredients and took several hours out of their Sundays to teach us. I met some lovely people and it was great. Master chef I am coming!!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5Fm_R_ez3QVPqVgR86KixIXBD-VAh9N2nhOxZw8kdluBUDTJWXz4ip_BvA9e_tfVqfn52LATpp0ilnzceGO3Yv1n3mksmN-EgjfUxt0ZTwykpI5CzDC8qYhEdPcVWWmH-MXqJK6WSgw/s1600/1234754_10151865161123447_1923115314_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5Fm_R_ez3QVPqVgR86KixIXBD-VAh9N2nhOxZw8kdluBUDTJWXz4ip_BvA9e_tfVqfn52LATpp0ilnzceGO3Yv1n3mksmN-EgjfUxt0ZTwykpI5CzDC8qYhEdPcVWWmH-MXqJK6WSgw/s1600/1234754_10151865161123447_1923115314_n.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkh_atq5PMevXL4slkU3h4dqRvl8NbLMIxyTDxCmdFH7Mk51M_u7d9lAZHqfEwt7wy0MeTiHVGvzX5kopLu0j1dEcMmvvdzvfdxvvMoLMTQgL9t4jJNRjoMMoO0MC71i914FSDsjfBLg/s1600/1240155_10153229731365593_957460233_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkh_atq5PMevXL4slkU3h4dqRvl8NbLMIxyTDxCmdFH7Mk51M_u7d9lAZHqfEwt7wy0MeTiHVGvzX5kopLu0j1dEcMmvvdzvfdxvvMoLMTQgL9t4jJNRjoMMoO0MC71i914FSDsjfBLg/s1600/1240155_10153229731365593_957460233_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-26817056102535253362013-10-18T07:11:00.002-07:002013-10-18T09:11:43.446-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even though I am a little behind on the blog, I absolutely
love doing it. My blog is now reaching many people across the world that I have
never met. I have recently had a number of people email me, some to compliment
me on my art and others to ask questions about teaching in Japan. It’s a pleasure
to help people to hopefully achieve their dreams as I live mine. Today, I even received an email from a former
teacher of my school (she taught here about 10 years ago) who coincidently just stumbled across my blog, it was a
lovely thought of her to drop me an email. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s made me realise how much I regret not writing a blog/art for
my travels in South America and even just less adventurous times like
university and college. Although my most recent piece of art is not relevant to
Japan, I still wanted to share it with you all. It’s for a good friend I met
whilst in Peru, he commissioned a small piece of art for his home in Hawaii. Of
course I chose to paint the most iconic image of Peru, Machu Pichu. John, I know
you religiously read my blog so I hope you liked this one-off piece for you. You
never know one day it may be worth a penny of two (a girl can dream) so keep hold of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRG_yi-FHyyCVxMpaqjvRYdqFeVWmhp3k6QZVCANC7iTtYCELHV-xDmsT3-67ReaQ6_HIF8azf8UMSDLedWb4ky_VH7fU-_fkgUyX0Z8ri75Zq8sjEHN7GI9pSYuqhxbMd9lMUelSFBvo/s1600/IMG_2140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRG_yi-FHyyCVxMpaqjvRYdqFeVWmhp3k6QZVCANC7iTtYCELHV-xDmsT3-67ReaQ6_HIF8azf8UMSDLedWb4ky_VH7fU-_fkgUyX0Z8ri75Zq8sjEHN7GI9pSYuqhxbMd9lMUelSFBvo/s1600/IMG_2140.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machu Pichu - A painting for John a friend in Hawaii</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back to Japan, and this blog is about the weirdest thing I
have done in Japan yet. When I thought about coming to Japan I was aware that I
would not be tucking into a delicious Sunday roast smothered in gravy for a
long while, but more like fish, more fish, rice and some more rice! What I didn’t
expect was one of Japans greatest dining specialities: themed restaurants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-XgWAlbDJKtXAbrys630-bT47IroFVHD4fxNPD3ZvcdTHNlUqzA385tTgmaTLeQCwXPHjRnnpZc_elvCYXQ74B8RC7GerinXbMKUGRi5ZIUJMMMbkXVrklA0v7CrWIZ49fSOOiQQUvE/s1600/998578_10151505905701782_1526166382_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-XgWAlbDJKtXAbrys630-bT47IroFVHD4fxNPD3ZvcdTHNlUqzA385tTgmaTLeQCwXPHjRnnpZc_elvCYXQ74B8RC7GerinXbMKUGRi5ZIUJMMMbkXVrklA0v7CrWIZ49fSOOiQQUvE/s1600/998578_10151505905701782_1526166382_n.jpg" height="400" width="161" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In England, when you hear of themed restaurants, you will
probably think the likes of hardrock café and TGI Fridays, but Japan has this
and more. Look past the sushi and this is Japans second greatest dining speciality.
From medical prisons to maid cafes, opera houses to Disney restaurants, Tokyo
is exploding with quirky, bizarre, laughable dining experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can be served by ninjas or dine in an Alice and
Wonderland themed restaurant. But Ali opted for Alcatraz ER, a medical prison
themed restaurant. This is the granddad of all themed restaurants, the original,
the trend setter. I honestly couldn’t tell whether it was meant to be a prison,
a hospital, a medieval dungeon who knows! But it added to the eccentric appeal,
and accentuated the fact that Japan is crazy!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon arrival, you have to state your blood type to enter.
Once we confirmed our booking with a rather skankily dressed nurse she grabbed
Mary, put her in some sort of machine which categorised her as
unquestionably crazy, handcuffed her and led us to our cell! We were
already in fits of laughter. We were given our medication (nuts and rice crackers in a polystyrene cup), a menu to browse and instructed to bang on the cell bars
with a metal bar for service. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIfywjirXFPDdd4zz_5-E97HEgQeUYq2uR1LYXhMeeqXAQxYnLwmMT0gL_Pg8CyuhbuxM2tYZ6cV_pKIbdiDOfxvxVe6u88-qCMeCZf50kZhR4u4evi1cOBdQ6RwI_iBbqagRNRyVJ3k/s1600/1003899_10151505902296782_357309483_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIfywjirXFPDdd4zz_5-E97HEgQeUYq2uR1LYXhMeeqXAQxYnLwmMT0gL_Pg8CyuhbuxM2tYZ6cV_pKIbdiDOfxvxVe6u88-qCMeCZf50kZhR4u4evi1cOBdQ6RwI_iBbqagRNRyVJ3k/s1600/1003899_10151505902296782_357309483_n.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cell for the evening!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The aesthetics are actually rather good, the cells are
dark and dingy, blood is smeared up the walls, jars of embalmed body parts line
the shelves and you even walk over a rather convincing disembowelled body under
the floor. Not even the toilets were able escape a make-over.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtDx0E9Ge_wtunZr5EBU9THe6Kp9tCwlcjEkctPMO7-8vo-XUO5my4bSTedv_L2OPVxVIXRbGDAnUGgolnsLktxoEcMuMk_rCjJKyA73sR2A04gloNCW5-z9BLMAatuoTpCqoRP64ogY/s1600/1097970_10151505905311782_2013882267_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtDx0E9Ge_wtunZr5EBU9THe6Kp9tCwlcjEkctPMO7-8vo-XUO5my4bSTedv_L2OPVxVIXRbGDAnUGgolnsLktxoEcMuMk_rCjJKyA73sR2A04gloNCW5-z9BLMAatuoTpCqoRP64ogY/s1600/1097970_10151505905311782_2013882267_n.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heads were often thrown into your cell or a container for a cocktail. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can order a range of dishes from penis sausage to titty
rice, dead chicken in a cage to blue curry, all of which arrive in metal
surgeon dishes used during operations. The drinks are also inaptly named; our choices
included pussy juice (which comes with a vibrator), sperm, beer which arrived
in a urine test bottle and a peach cocktail in a baby bottle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once you become as comfortable as you can be whilst sat in a
small cramped cell it got interesting. Suddenly, with no warning, the lights
went out, a loud siren started wailing, and the strobe lighting began. Then queue
the escaped psychopathic prison convicts, dressed in a variety of costumes including
clowns, shrieking and screaming whilst running around looking for a victim and
throwing plastics heads at you. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
The most bizzare moment though happens at the end, the nurses and psychopaths all walk around with massive fake sundaes with Christmas lights and sparklers all over them, whilst a Disney sound track blares loudly. There is no explanation, this is Japan and this is a themed dining experience…</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgFIJIWcMheZgBPORM4frx06kdT084sItUTdMZKMWsh48lyibPkkOYhtyyh8lzVwaOuDdwWYoo-nD5Dnij4vPIaGC-Sf_HSz2mO3Y_faqPSa3UW0sW_eQnaXT35rmnXvyFTrk_okNXWM/s1600/1146579_10151505902841782_1419429078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgFIJIWcMheZgBPORM4frx06kdT084sItUTdMZKMWsh48lyibPkkOYhtyyh8lzVwaOuDdwWYoo-nD5Dnij4vPIaGC-Sf_HSz2mO3Y_faqPSa3UW0sW_eQnaXT35rmnXvyFTrk_okNXWM/s1600/1146579_10151505902841782_1419429078_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The break out! The majority of the "show" was in the<br />
dark so sorry for the poor photo quality! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD0PykC3Yy5rxxrkdpERxMSviqPpe_EA5d_VfU7rNS5Kb7128eylPVL95quDwCWEA9tSpI9huIDTsKvrO8sPvWJuMgrqtrJaLBHJMtSr5ZjuelVvYxqgVcmvZRhywzuqAoZ28_QPmLpU/s1600/539024_10151505904286782_691732820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD0PykC3Yy5rxxrkdpERxMSviqPpe_EA5d_VfU7rNS5Kb7128eylPVL95quDwCWEA9tSpI9huIDTsKvrO8sPvWJuMgrqtrJaLBHJMtSr5ZjuelVvYxqgVcmvZRhywzuqAoZ28_QPmLpU/s1600/539024_10151505904286782_691732820_n.jpg" height="400" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cells! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
The food is not five star but it’s another thing ticked of the “things to do in Japan” list! </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have lots of experiences to blog, I am trying to catch up... promise! My life is just super </span>exciting<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span>jam packed<span style="font-family: inherit;"> right now!</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for reading! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion</span></div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-91099080434926102572013-10-01T22:53:00.000-07:002013-10-02T08:48:12.386-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2<sup>nd</sup> August was our
final day in and around Kyoto, so what better way to explore the city than by
bike. Usually bike hire in Kyoto costs roughly 1000 Yen (£6.50) a day to hire,
but our hostel was offering a day’s hire for a mere 500 Yen! Bargain! Its such a good way to get around!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first stop was Fushimi Inari Shrine, which has ancient origins predating to the capitals move to Kyoto in
794. Fushimi Inari is a National Heritage site and the most important of
several thousand Shinto shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Inari
shrines are instantly recognizable by a pair of foxes which keep guard at the
entrance. Capable of changing shape and vanishing in an instant, foxes are
sacred in Japanese mythology and are said to be messengers for the goddess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIms3Iq9MLh14xL3zznZzSOIvjuFbXG-yPbE9BEpqf_dYHsuXEFos9ICXEGuJdBoBJx2oU4ySGbrPmQi00DQ9aGX84fmoc0Kytx8gZAmbvEnkji0xCHoaaMavH_qsM3-I-1psuwrIApsc/s1600/IMG_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIms3Iq9MLh14xL3zznZzSOIvjuFbXG-yPbE9BEpqf_dYHsuXEFos9ICXEGuJdBoBJx2oU4ySGbrPmQi00DQ9aGX84fmoc0Kytx8gZAmbvEnkji0xCHoaaMavH_qsM3-I-1psuwrIApsc/s1600/IMG_2029.JPG" height="444" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting of one of the foxes near the entrance of Fushimi Inari Shrine </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The central complex alone is
beautiful and certainly worth exploring, at the very back of the shrines main
ground is the entrance to the torii gate covered hiking trail. The trail begins
with two dense parallel rows of gates call Senbon Torii (“thousands of torii gates”),
it is this image that always features in many Japanese guide books. Looking
down through the torii gates and these iconic aisles of torii gates appear
endless. There are tens of thousands of vibrant, vermillion arches which form a
path that winds through a forest and up the mystic and sacred Mount Inari. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoI03ECm4hyuPyFqgQn_Orc2yJ_kGG9TTFzILReVb6e8l_OT59aicPclOzps6HtFyV9s_MgBtTFp2aRWp_dopFo5lRHfeAkrrIG3M-Ba9wNhxUBHS9bnSlm72L_ZiuL4sw2rhhwvJlSas/s1600/IMG_1736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoI03ECm4hyuPyFqgQn_Orc2yJ_kGG9TTFzILReVb6e8l_OT59aicPclOzps6HtFyV9s_MgBtTFp2aRWp_dopFo5lRHfeAkrrIG3M-Ba9wNhxUBHS9bnSlm72L_ZiuL4sw2rhhwvJlSas/s1600/IMG_1736.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Romon Gate stands at the entrance of the main complex</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Inari deity (god) is well
known as the god of agriculture and business. As such, Fushimi Inari Shrine is frequented
by businesses and businessmen and women praying for success. The torii gates
are donations by individuals and companies in hope that it will bring them good
fortune, costs start from roughly 400 000 Yen (£2500) for a small sized gate
and increases to over</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> one million Yen (£6400) for a large gate. You will find
each torii bears the name of its donor on the left and the date sponsored on
the right. Some torii are ancient and in need of repair, whilst others are more
recent indicating that this religion is still very much alive today.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGC6yCsd09Wnz7AOnVFjPliv_LT6YiTUpUlxOkM5f2BUwiAVLSQxVnMigQYN1xnjrRQEd3qbdAATOp0NstTMUvhRtJcTGwOtE_9XJZ8RcCaPZLNGWBVv0FTj1U1htvtoHcHOTl-P24sOY/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGC6yCsd09Wnz7AOnVFjPliv_LT6YiTUpUlxOkM5f2BUwiAVLSQxVnMigQYN1xnjrRQEd3qbdAATOp0NstTMUvhRtJcTGwOtE_9XJZ8RcCaPZLNGWBVv0FTj1U1htvtoHcHOTl-P24sOY/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senbon Torii - the entrance to the hiking trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp_VQ7XVxTnLbNJ6u_SX7ig7uPLwvk03RoLxJD32slPDbzK8bOj0L4teDpkPFZU1oK8eMMrHnYx2tNjbN84HllxumSNlXaCFhyphenhyphen7KiKouzEbC-MERpUwblXnqCft9A48UXjoFTYXZdQ7A/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp_VQ7XVxTnLbNJ6u_SX7ig7uPLwvk03RoLxJD32slPDbzK8bOj0L4teDpkPFZU1oK8eMMrHnYx2tNjbN84HllxumSNlXaCFhyphenhyphen7KiKouzEbC-MERpUwblXnqCft9A48UXjoFTYXZdQ7A/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torii Gates<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JNISDW6DXP1KPZVtvjOJdc0rRMyNIFGx9Ytin0l9xLRzJ-ioASEvxDB4TDb3i2Wy7-M2ZFF7qPoouyoNSOxetLQA1prUgW0XNwYe7twxCGzXwpWeamy4umoGOsUm8PkwOpQaff7f8QQ/s1600/IMG_1720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JNISDW6DXP1KPZVtvjOJdc0rRMyNIFGx9Ytin0l9xLRzJ-ioASEvxDB4TDb3i2Wy7-M2ZFF7qPoouyoNSOxetLQA1prUgW0XNwYe7twxCGzXwpWeamy4umoGOsUm8PkwOpQaff7f8QQ/s1600/IMG_1720.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many sub-shrines on the trail</td></tr>
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You can’t say you have properly visited Fushimi Inari Shrine until you have made the 2 hour trek up and around Mount Inari. <span style="font-family: inherit;">As you venture further along the trail, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">not only do the torii
become less dense, but so do the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">people, making the journey quiet and peaceful.
On the way up there are numerous sub-shrines, each are graced by the presence
of a fox and many ornamental sized torii (bought by those with a few less
pennies than the high flying businessmen), a few tea houses are also dotted
about. Visitors are free to walk as much as they wish before turning back; many
will stop at the Yotsutsuji intersection (about a 40 minute walk) which offers beautiful
views of Kyoto city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The trail is often frequented by
dog walkers, joggers and pilgrims all year round and it was lovely to be
greeted with a hearty konnichiwa as they pass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We did the full hike, the shrine
and the tens of thousands of torii are impressive, beautiful and serene. We
really enjoyed spending the morning here although it appeared that Tom and
James had both taken sweating to another level. It was extremely humid and hot
all day! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVqRA2i7r9tVxuMUFisg5CB_Sa2zfpw-npu-eyvZde1E2UIks8i5SBJmQIdjCO5TpZDZtqDWpc2PQoxVSJUEohr9uCxf8Het-88Tt_H7EYqsbvceoiD82eovdCOlY2R51nJG0lm-O5tk/s1600/IMG_1738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVqRA2i7r9tVxuMUFisg5CB_Sa2zfpw-npu-eyvZde1E2UIks8i5SBJmQIdjCO5TpZDZtqDWpc2PQoxVSJUEohr9uCxf8Het-88Tt_H7EYqsbvceoiD82eovdCOlY2R51nJG0lm-O5tk/s1600/IMG_1738.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very busy Nishiki Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcQQ6RxbN2AR8TmSDoVMeKyBvpbi71AXY5Nf-NNNTIS4ti73dt5RvSZ0DuI0vrGWPDzQ-aI1KV7RDQsBg1VsUJPtGjR-NmTpobD0Z4kiwXDuox5TZnLJ4XSqAPEdx0GmOHwF_j1NiVIU/s1600/IMG_1740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcQQ6RxbN2AR8TmSDoVMeKyBvpbi71AXY5Nf-NNNTIS4ti73dt5RvSZ0DuI0vrGWPDzQ-aI1KV7RDQsBg1VsUJPtGjR-NmTpobD0Z4kiwXDuox5TZnLJ4XSqAPEdx0GmOHwF_j1NiVIU/s1600/IMG_1740.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini octopus with eggs inside</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next we cycled along the river
and headed towards central Kyoto to see what the city centre had to offer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to visit the Nishiki Market, as it was a must see in my guide book. It is a narrow long shopping street
lined with hundreds of shops and restaurants. Known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen” this
lively food market sells all the weird and wonderful culinary delights that
Kyoto is famous for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We tasted many delicious and not so delicious samples, we
call it food roulette. I particularly enjoyed the dry chilli shrimp. I've heard that many of the stores have been running in
the same family for many many generations. It was great to see a thriving market which is</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> very much a central part of many locals lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, after a </span>pit stop<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for some delicious but expensive frozen yoghurt, we cycled to Gion, Kyoto’s
most famous geisha district. It is filled with restaurants, shops and ochaya
(tea houses) where geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) and maiko (geiko
apprentices) entertain. Many of the streets maintain their traditional wooden
frontage, the most popular is Hanami-koji Street which accommodates many
restaurants and the most exclusive and expensive ochaya (teahouses).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was very lucky to catch a glimpse
of a geiko on her way to prepare for an engagement at an ochaya that evening.
As to respect her I tried to keep my distance so that she could carry on her
day-to-day life, however many tourist act like ruthless paparazzi resulting in
an increase in complaints in recent years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzV-ZUqyx6JyXW62jEAYTDkkHEah05JU-gccl83P8RubsQpYYPMTLJ7vSqUq7ifp6ztqYDvbBKQBcqt2lcjX-JsshKMWQvh2hJlIq88r_1NvsY-ymMScFyBgonwIfNIxwndV9uezmGqQ/s1600/IMG_1743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzV-ZUqyx6JyXW62jEAYTDkkHEah05JU-gccl83P8RubsQpYYPMTLJ7vSqUq7ifp6ztqYDvbBKQBcqt2lcjX-JsshKMWQvh2hJlIq88r_1NvsY-ymMScFyBgonwIfNIxwndV9uezmGqQ/s1600/IMG_1743.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Geiko on her way to prepare for an engagement at an ochaya that evening</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIkpBXJhiPaFkerTf1J5R2hlKukbFzEcwZ8chqTS4K38cw9uxr4S3lV71LpxTkBuUc8qjGnBK7hyphenhyphenkIkRGJxo8K08A8GsOhNxM_NRJH4UVrSitdusOKLt-8Xld-nzj3LTVTkY5SCIWsPI/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIkpBXJhiPaFkerTf1J5R2hlKukbFzEcwZ8chqTS4K38cw9uxr4S3lV71LpxTkBuUc8qjGnBK7hyphenhyphenkIkRGJxo8K08A8GsOhNxM_NRJH4UVrSitdusOKLt-8Xld-nzj3LTVTkY5SCIWsPI/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the river</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a long and sweaty day, Tom,
Ali and Mary wearily cycled home. Giant and I explored the area a little more.
We had a little wonder around nearby Yasaka Shrine and Kenninji Temple, took a brief
stop along the river to take in the beautiful views, and made several stops in
shops to sample Yatsuhashi. Yatsuhashi is a small sweet famous in Kyoto. It is
soft thin squares of cinnamon scented mocha (sticky rice) dough, folded into triangles
and filled with a sweet paste such as azuki bean, apricot jam etc. Scrumptious!</span></div>
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Finally, Giant and I headed to the hostel to de-sweat and scrub up for our final night together. We headed back to Gion for Shabu-Shabu and a wonder round the city at night. It was lovely and romantic, until we went to purchase some pudding in a small convenience shop and some tramp in the queue weed all over the floor. Delightful! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5ejo1VcC4fMrW8yPUB7Vacl7djzNJBc5FA-Jgimm_hQdpj2_hbVm8M7JoXUi_4TY61ox5VYkjEyWRZkAvmTirY5av7mgLn2f7LnEpjnxx1IsGx_2hM1GWy0YzorvbodoJURYbEDjU7E/s1600/IMG_1772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5ejo1VcC4fMrW8yPUB7Vacl7djzNJBc5FA-Jgimm_hQdpj2_hbVm8M7JoXUi_4TY61ox5VYkjEyWRZkAvmTirY5av7mgLn2f7LnEpjnxx1IsGx_2hM1GWy0YzorvbodoJURYbEDjU7E/s1600/IMG_1772.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shabu-Shabu in a small restaurant in the Gion district </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">On that note, this bought our
trip to a close; shattered we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. Saturday
was spend slowly making our way back to Numazu on the local train (it took over
8 hours due to a problem on the track) and our final super at Hamazushi (a
chain sushi restaurant).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved planning the trip and
those of you who know me will know that it was of course run with military
precision. Everyone very kindly bought me a lovely yukata (traditional summer
garment worn at festivals) to show their appreciation. It was perfect for Ito summer festival for two
reasons, firstly I could wear my very own yukata and blend into the crowds,
secondly, it was a great blanket for when I missed the last train home and had to
spend the night on a public bench and in McDonalds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">This post brings our main summer trip
to an end, and I really hope you have enjoyed my blog posts. My next post will be about our
evening in a themed restaurant in Tokyo!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion </span></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-51953122059042659002013-09-25T22:29:00.000-07:002013-09-25T22:39:08.190-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today’s plans were to head to what turned out to be my
favourite place in Japan yet, the beautiful town of Nara, followed by a stop at Oksaka Aquarium in the late
afternoon! Nara was Japan’s first permanent
capital in the year 710, it is a very charming antiquated town. Parts of the
old town have retained its share of ancient temples and old shops from its
feudal past. It is like an open air museum of traditional life from a century
ago just with a few additional overheard power lines and Toyota cars. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNyDhXU06gFcGExS6-czcdRCu9xcOENezE5yZAEQJU5D0ihtXzhxkiaMFOHS6_sNvDPUT10vWsGeRYbCCEyGC00EhT0NSchDPbBZ4O1Gg097wdRiWY4vlaTUEach1lKRTN0yz6rVGnME/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNyDhXU06gFcGExS6-czcdRCu9xcOENezE5yZAEQJU5D0ihtXzhxkiaMFOHS6_sNvDPUT10vWsGeRYbCCEyGC00EhT0NSchDPbBZ4O1Gg097wdRiWY4vlaTUEach1lKRTN0yz6rVGnME/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding a deer</td></tr>
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Nara is only a 50 minute train ride from Kyoto. It has a
great advantage of having the majority of attractions grouped together in one
huge park enabling you to walk everywhere.</div>
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The cutest attraction by far is the 1 200 wild sika deer
that freely roam the huge park. They are extremely placid so you can walk up to
them and stroke them no problem. It is a
strange experience to wander around and see deer at a bus stop deer, in shops, in
toilets…everywhere! Some loose change
(150 Yen) will get you some sika senbei (deer crackers), they look like
something you may pick up at the supermarket if you were on a terribly unexciting
diet. There are kiosks dotted around the park run by elderly women. The deer seem
to recognise that the kiosk ladies are not a walking vending machine, when too
many congregated near the kiosk they are shooed away with a broom.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwR5mwNIGf1cMTC0YoFtT48rjKE-w3yjfRPD0rtoPsra_HFCutSrhGXl8eujP9txkpkIeRazXBxU5YiPOsoWLOAFXJSCzHV9zgvg4IOlgru2U6bpJcudjwJQiFUSJlwdSvgjWqHcM2wIs/s1600/564264_10201665706391398_1216719066_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwR5mwNIGf1cMTC0YoFtT48rjKE-w3yjfRPD0rtoPsra_HFCutSrhGXl8eujP9txkpkIeRazXBxU5YiPOsoWLOAFXJSCzHV9zgvg4IOlgru2U6bpJcudjwJQiFUSJlwdSvgjWqHcM2wIs/s1600/564264_10201665706391398_1216719066_n.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many deer began to surround us and took a strong liking to chewing my dress.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Cute, yes, but mix that with hunger and persistence and they
become cheeky and determined. Whilst some deer lazed under trees, most were
engaged in some form of chase with their human visitors, nipping at clothing,
legs, arms etc. My biscuits lasted approximately 20 seconds, as soon as I
walked away from the kiosk, deer began running towards me. Believe me it’s
actually quite scary, don’t be surprised when one head butts you or bites you
because you didn’t give it your last cracker. Some have even learnt to bow,
which is adorable.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h2JoXOG5-owHlUAoQpNMiiedNot0gXkDmsvFBl_ovY3W6dH_ZrC91VauxJvuGfzTxHnxN0mkoX1BB3POkbjan3gM5MXxHjw-Lw4fzq7fHcB5h4VMQhlEQdRpVJOifikCTm0CG1B4OrY/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7h2JoXOG5-owHlUAoQpNMiiedNot0gXkDmsvFBl_ovY3W6dH_ZrC91VauxJvuGfzTxHnxN0mkoX1BB3POkbjan3gM5MXxHjw-Lw4fzq7fHcB5h4VMQhlEQdRpVJOifikCTm0CG1B4OrY/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us at one of the lakes in the park</td></tr>
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Within the park, finely wooded with ancient trees, are many historic old buildings, including temples and pagodas, and a number of large lakes. The park is packed with many temples, but you do get to that
point in Japan when you start to feel like all temples look the same. Seen it, done it! </div>
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Mary, Tom
and Ali had given up looking at more temples. As this may be our first and only trip to Nara James and I decided to continue on and I am so glad we did. </div>
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The sight of
Todaiji temple was particularly magnificent and completely unexpected. It is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant buildings. It was the head temple of all Buddhist temples in Japan, and grew so powerful that the capital was moved to Nara. It is the world’s
largest wooden building, and the main hall hosts Japan's largest bronze Buddha. Along the approach to Todaiji stands the Nandaimon Gate, watched over by two fierce looking statues which represent the Nio Guardian Kings (these are now national treasures). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEevTWhSgesHYsKgquRaezrix5dhbaRtQzcCoK347uT65RvNxhiVBJekZUepGrbIzHeTur3p2Fovk2yj00HG0C43PSIIKSey5w7E8s1D3Kx2Qp9OZHG0CYnm6JPTbuyTaZFNZ1MDsguI/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEevTWhSgesHYsKgquRaezrix5dhbaRtQzcCoK347uT65RvNxhiVBJekZUepGrbIzHeTur3p2Fovk2yj00HG0C43PSIIKSey5w7E8s1D3Kx2Qp9OZHG0CYnm6JPTbuyTaZFNZ1MDsguI/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todai-ji - a very prominent and magnificent wooden building.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocgqFb1_l8ktpkSjMdg6X8baD1BukXKxr_CcdXq382GF0uu52iuOAg8c8rP3ERWMjxJ8LmU-z_lydh2i-LmWqAqQAMnFsCWSUF5qtqKaIglvjRBotm1tB-sUdoAqzYg1HNAz8DFuQaf8/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocgqFb1_l8ktpkSjMdg6X8baD1BukXKxr_CcdXq382GF0uu52iuOAg8c8rP3ERWMjxJ8LmU-z_lydh2i-LmWqAqQAMnFsCWSUF5qtqKaIglvjRBotm1tB-sUdoAqzYg1HNAz8DFuQaf8/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James and I at the entrance.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxgSvS2HMixLBSu_ClVqQOnBMGBC5difyUYPM-8_lFGm2dJNXlG8Ll8vlbSe3u7DYlgE0hgAClOri9sKrGifKdqcOr8o3EZA54GETNQsGV9KOfVSJp1nBI8VDjKzd4c3AfLjZBNIMivw/s1600/IMG_1591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxgSvS2HMixLBSu_ClVqQOnBMGBC5difyUYPM-8_lFGm2dJNXlG8Ll8vlbSe3u7DYlgE0hgAClOri9sKrGifKdqcOr8o3EZA54GETNQsGV9KOfVSJp1nBI8VDjKzd4c3AfLjZBNIMivw/s1600/IMG_1591.JPG" height="213" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Buddha is 15 metres tall and it is flanked by two Bodhisattvas. It is extremely difficult to give a sense of scale, but his open hand alone is taller than you r average human. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx_0pq5Ujs6Tl4kBB7vm_mY-wnUWEqVay-p9_KmGEMT_cLfYIdFBFdDL_WwCEmHByU58xY04oxIPvdG1dzjFRim4INcs_PhVpvcVFl4pE0A0Wk5V6FQ_teV5Zf5vKYRktq7Yrj51ayeE/s1600/4205305797_41d6d128af_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx_0pq5Ujs6Tl4kBB7vm_mY-wnUWEqVay-p9_KmGEMT_cLfYIdFBFdDL_WwCEmHByU58xY04oxIPvdG1dzjFRim4INcs_PhVpvcVFl4pE0A0Wk5V6FQ_teV5Zf5vKYRktq7Yrj51ayeE/s1600/4205305797_41d6d128af_z.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Binzuru</td></tr>
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Apart from this, there are two main quirky details about the
temple. One of the pillars has a hole which is the size of one of the Buddha’s
nostrils. It is said that if you pass through it, you will be blessed with
enlightenment in the next life. But, there’s a catch. You either need to be a
child or extremely slim to be able to pass through. </div>
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Thankfully, nobody got stuck on their quests for enlightenment that day.</div>
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Outside the temple is a statue of Binzuru, the most widely
revered disciple of Buddha. It was creepy. The Japanese believe that if you rub
a part of its body and then the corresponding part of your body, you will be cured. </div>
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The forests surrounding the temples are also beautiful and
offer a great hide away from the strong sun. Strolling through Nara Park was very
relaxing. A beautiful part is the walk leading to Kasuga Grand Shrine, it is
flanked with gorgeous moss covered stone lanterns. It’s a romantic and
mysterious sight. The Kasuga Grand Shrine is a UNESCO Heritage site and is
famous for the bronze lanterns decorating its interiors.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFALLJ_DPqYT-W4LoiBNyy_HXtONjCid1MLnPwCgIhLxvdcr_7sEW2VbxAeC_6cMNAPQKcccpgZnEpksoL59jh3ChnLb7R4ua1v7RXnBW_K7DTs4YCfLeg2R2ge6zJuql1LkSamjkolM/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFALLJ_DPqYT-W4LoiBNyy_HXtONjCid1MLnPwCgIhLxvdcr_7sEW2VbxAeC_6cMNAPQKcccpgZnEpksoL59jh3ChnLb7R4ua1v7RXnBW_K7DTs4YCfLeg2R2ge6zJuql1LkSamjkolM/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hundreds of moss covered lanterns line the path up to the temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlMzl1NbUydXU5C55jS2Y3At7ox_BEVYJrLeXAPyAsG-pwaMVDuwUJ-9zUPldLE8TIsH3-5mdOTnmVBAtIwYYU-UJwoj8hpIf1dDhYOHoDlRPajKtOdSoh3MHQHsi0tEiyUNA8OWQuNs/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlMzl1NbUydXU5C55jS2Y3At7ox_BEVYJrLeXAPyAsG-pwaMVDuwUJ-9zUPldLE8TIsH3-5mdOTnmVBAtIwYYU-UJwoj8hpIf1dDhYOHoDlRPajKtOdSoh3MHQHsi0tEiyUNA8OWQuNs/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bronze lanterns decorate the interiors of the temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MsX8dI5q4S-tkwNHAgVU3smsJ2gC9zl7JU_kwUPlUHUCQwt3dFSMjfykwbiIsZ969-f929YwtkaU0LgMywme3vlF6iGmtn4JSH4ktjT70u3azcICK2kT68tHlcIHynZIPae9JZYjsYU/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MsX8dI5q4S-tkwNHAgVU3smsJ2gC9zl7JU_kwUPlUHUCQwt3dFSMjfykwbiIsZ969-f929YwtkaU0LgMywme3vlF6iGmtn4JSH4ktjT70u3azcICK2kT68tHlcIHynZIPae9JZYjsYU/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koto (wooden stringed instrument) player at Kasuga Grand Shrine</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon we got the train from Nara to Osaka
Aquarium, also known as Kaiyukan. The aquarium is located in the Tempozan
Harbour area of Osakas bay, and it is one of the world’s most spectacular and
biggest aquariums. Tickets cost 2 300 Yen (£15). Marine life is displayed in
over a dozen tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim. The
central tank represents the Pacific Ocean and it is home to two magnificent
whale sharks, a few hammerhead sharks, some manta rays and a variety of fish.
You start your tour on the top floor and spiral your way down around the
central tank. Many of the tanks also stretch across several floors, giving you
a great view of the animals from different depths and perspectives.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMDn4onrTbg_YJsxH78-zGFDBv3TiiYyoIIwbPkXbOS4SoIUe6jSl6VnL_G7PlncAIylbpKsZ5DBXT1hGovXOXqP81hP1Au0A_AcexxhIEsXkr2126s_hxl-DChKPSv4GxQmcjXLP3S4/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMDn4onrTbg_YJsxH78-zGFDBv3TiiYyoIIwbPkXbOS4SoIUe6jSl6VnL_G7PlncAIylbpKsZ5DBXT1hGovXOXqP81hP1Au0A_AcexxhIEsXkr2126s_hxl-DChKPSv4GxQmcjXLP3S4/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG" height="282" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Gazing into the large central tank.</td></tr>
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My favourite was the jelly fish tanks. I literally had my nose pressed up against the glass; I was mesmerised by the truly beautiful but dangerous animals. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjbFdHFIAJ6iLFcQU79QUL7Xlgw36dyK901TXDzMre9cWv247T_ibXHpFXFgUF4H9BRUMOfTsYb3Oz_uAkBwVXi9979jW21U01zy3MuDw8hxfeqjFw2cCDVUtm1rtSbj_JOlk6dF-oqg/s1600/IMG_1670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjbFdHFIAJ6iLFcQU79QUL7Xlgw36dyK901TXDzMre9cWv247T_ibXHpFXFgUF4H9BRUMOfTsYb3Oz_uAkBwVXi9979jW21U01zy3MuDw8hxfeqjFw2cCDVUtm1rtSbj_JOlk6dF-oqg/s1600/IMG_1670.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James amongst the jelly fish!</td></tr>
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Another jam packed day, another early night in
preparation for our last full day in Kyoto.<br />
<br />
Marion</div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-78447132033608579072013-09-24T04:59:00.003-07:002013-09-26T05:06:12.173-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the second day of our tour we explored Kyoto, more
specifically the North western side of Kyoto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First stop was one of Kyotos best known tourist sites,
Kinkakuji or more commonly known to us as the Golden Pavilion. It is only 500
Yen to enter the grounds but as you can imagine it is always busy. It really is
a magnificent building, although it looked smaller than I imagined. The top
floors of the Zen temple are completely covered in gold leaf and it is built
over a large pond. The pond acts as a mirror beautifully reflecting the
temple. The temple is not the only site
to see in the temple grounds, you can walk around the pond and through the
beautiful gardens that have kept its original design. It’s a definite must see,
but it is very touristy! This is a painting of Kinkakuji. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We decided to stay in Western Kyoto and make our way across
to Arashiyama, where the famous bamboo grove is located. We walked about 20
minutes from Kinkakuji temple to a nearby station and rather than getting the
conventional JR train we decided to hop on the Keifuku electric railroad. This
is one of James’ favourite memories of our trip due to its historical past and
leisurely qualities away from the tourist hustle and bustle. Boarding the train
we stood near the front of a single car. James and I stared ahead out the front
window in order to share the best view with our conductor. The metal wheels
were clanging over the track, the breaks were squealing and the horn occasionally
blew to warn nearby cars. All too soon, we arrived at our destination. To pay
the fare we dropped 200 Yen in a plastic box at the front of the station.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model James</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Arashiyama Station is an attraction in itself. The station
reopened only a few days before our arrival with a brand new interior design
scheme. There are a number of little shops selling traditional sweets and
beverages as well as plenty of places to sit. The east side of the station
features beautiful acrylic poles draped with traditional yuzen dyed kimono
fabrics, illuminated from within by LEDs. It is referred to as the “kimono
forest” and it seemed to bring out the “model” in James. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district and it is where the famous Sagano bamboo grove is located. A path cuts straight through the bamboo grove which allows you to stand amidst the soaring stalks of bamboo. If you pick up a Japanese guide book you will probably see pictures of the bamboo grove, it is one of the most photographed places in Japan, but no picture can capture the feeling of standing in the midst of this sprawling and towering bamboo grove, it’s nothing quite like that of any forests we know of. The setting is truly picturesque as the sun’s rays shine through the grove and a soft breeze can be heard.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagano bamboo grove </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLQIgurw138hDRmE3zK5KiWTGSyph4y2HVUZ46XUTF1d8KAHR4Ig-EKs3KXMDFKCwlOiyxctu408pCHLeopOAzL2PlYE2T7wZJqH-yVLCyxRwM9WRlCDxJ2gBIxvMs66tTpc-N6pyrGo/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLQIgurw138hDRmE3zK5KiWTGSyph4y2HVUZ46XUTF1d8KAHR4Ig-EKs3KXMDFKCwlOiyxctu408pCHLeopOAzL2PlYE2T7wZJqH-yVLCyxRwM9WRlCDxJ2gBIxvMs66tTpc-N6pyrGo/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagano bamboo grove </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just before setting off on our day out we had seen an advert
for a boat ride in the Arashiyama area, our plan was to catch the last boat of
the day (3:30pm). As ever, we were running a little behind schedule! It was
only until after purchasing our train ticket from Arashiyama station to Kameoka
(where the boats were being launched) that we realise that the next train wasn’t
until 3:17pm. The leaflet stated that it takes 10 minutes to the nearest
station (Kameoka) and another 8 minutes at a fast jog to the launching site
from the station. Now I am not good at Maths, but with time against us and the ultra-precise
timekeeping ability of the Japanese, it was safe to assume that we were going
to miss the last boat. This wasn’t going to stop us from trying, as we dashed
out of Kameoka station some men behind us shouted “boat ride” “boat ride.” It looked
like the boats were going nowhere as the captains of the boats were running a
little behind schedule too. Japanese extreme precision 90, Gaijin luck 1. Thankfully
they radioed ahead for us and there was a boat waiting for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cruises utilise traditional style flat bottomed boats
piloted by boatmen who guide the craft with an oar and bamboo poles. It is an
attraction that is often sadly missed by many tourists. Hozugawa now only
serves as a tourist attraction but it used to be an industrial waterway for
transporting logs and timber which were used to construct many of Kyoto and
Osakas famous temples and castles.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx38VVo4qAsU2o0py6hjlHc1vEPgXLy19yYOUMtBmtqT7f41I2POCGuVK1DeKgO1_GGdjNl0s5Yuu3MXb7s2MZYBP6nXPGRRuWbxDCXbVgwZOsEJWEt01DoDUHYA8LUhp_c62nC4b5fHM/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx38VVo4qAsU2o0py6hjlHc1vEPgXLy19yYOUMtBmtqT7f41I2POCGuVK1DeKgO1_GGdjNl0s5Yuu3MXb7s2MZYBP6nXPGRRuWbxDCXbVgwZOsEJWEt01DoDUHYA8LUhp_c62nC4b5fHM/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On-board the wooden flat bottomed boat. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqnO6hweljl9LpIuVanFY-giJeZcxO20FlHdkZK1vleYbrV3zS4j_Cx5VMaSuRAuCyN6cDmm3ozuNx7A95mvbwC6WeLcKUSPTqJen82tfdNryzdp7KBYc8cQot00F_FR6ZahB6U2I4mc/s1600/3966_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqnO6hweljl9LpIuVanFY-giJeZcxO20FlHdkZK1vleYbrV3zS4j_Cx5VMaSuRAuCyN6cDmm3ozuNx7A95mvbwC6WeLcKUSPTqJen82tfdNryzdp7KBYc8cQot00F_FR6ZahB6U2I4mc/s1600/3966_03.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Arashiyama boat ride website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This 16 kilometre, 2 hour journey down the river, travelling
from Kameoka to Arashiyama, showcases interesting rock formations, diverse wildlife and an exciting ravine ride. As soon as you leave the small town of
Kameoka, you enter steep forest gorges on either side. It is very relaxing way
to see the natural scenery of the largely undeveloped ravine. The majority of
the boat ride is fairly calm; however, there are a few sections with some small
rapids. At one point in the trip, the oars men took great enjoyment when my
lower body got drenched. The oars men were great fun and experts at spotting
the wildlife including turtles, cormorants, and even monkeys!! One and a half
hours in and were all starting to get a little peckish (more like starving in
Ali and Toms case), soon after, our prayers were answered and a little wooden
motorboat with a rather rotund man and his wife pulled up alongside and cooked
fresh octopus right in front of us. The
boat ride is a little pricey at 3900 Yen (£25) but certainly worth it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1NzvqJ_pmD4STcPoEclQJWWv_7dSPzGnvLxOPVPhtLfiH7oFPLRhjXfPE0aYgG1dMRrPvf0mczQA6micf9qdLekcSgtUpzRp-6dMQZPhDmj7OegEP5NrtwUersoW2Qv57N8OvxBL8Xo/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1NzvqJ_pmD4STcPoEclQJWWv_7dSPzGnvLxOPVPhtLfiH7oFPLRhjXfPE0aYgG1dMRrPvf0mczQA6micf9qdLekcSgtUpzRp-6dMQZPhDmj7OegEP5NrtwUersoW2Qv57N8OvxBL8Xo/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cormorant fishing </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After two hours we disembarked off the boat in Arashiyama
and took a stroll along the river. We were waiting for the Ukai, also known as
cormorant fishing to begin. We opted to sit and watch from the river bank but
you can pay roughly 2000 Yen (£13) to watch the action up close on a small
wooden boat. Cormorant fishing happens in the summer months, and in about a
dozen rivers throughout Japan. Each fisherman leads about a dozen cormorants on
leashes that swim alongside the boat and dive under water to catch fish by
swallowing them whole. The fish are kept in a special pouch in the cormorant’s
throat to be retrieved later and are prevented from being swallowed by a snare
around the neck of the bird. Each boat has a large fire that hangs from its bow
to provide light for the boatmen to steer and the birds to fish by. It was
interesting to watch but the fishing only lasted about 15 minutes and I
couldn’t help but feel sorry for the cormorants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">After a jam packed day, we hopped on the train back to Kyoto
station, ate some delicious fresh sushi and after Tom tried (and failed) to
explain poker to my sister and I we turned in for the night</span><span style="text-align: justify;">. </span><br />
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Next stop Nara and Osaka Aquarium! </div>
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Marion </div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-47921364419496196642013-09-12T06:42:00.000-07:002013-09-12T06:45:41.546-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After using our home in Numazu as our base for the first few
days, it was time to venture beyond our small coastal city!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhL3CrRijsgc5S85lXPW3r7evWfbP7EUQlZIYKD2eVANaxfT6-ZGndcPgWjPgmax2zXIep_l9d0hQbGWq13eGpqIsEEvabSQlMvVyhCUbJ1LYgdVkVHjx4eixd9wBubD_BDDxGGku0fQ/s1600/IMG_1850+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhL3CrRijsgc5S85lXPW3r7evWfbP7EUQlZIYKD2eVANaxfT6-ZGndcPgWjPgmax2zXIep_l9d0hQbGWq13eGpqIsEEvabSQlMvVyhCUbJ1LYgdVkVHjx4eixd9wBubD_BDDxGGku0fQ/s1600/IMG_1850+-+Copy.JPG" height="640" width="622" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanshin Tigers game in Osaka was the stop on our trip outside Numazu! </td></tr>
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Travelling around Japan is expensive! When I first started
to plan our trip I was horrified by the costs, there seemed to be no cheap way
to get anywhere. Domestic flights are expensive (although discount airlines are
starting to pop-up), the shinkansen (bullet train) costs an arm and a leg, and
even a quick road trip costs a fortune due to highway tolls and fuel prices.
But I was determined to find another way.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHqYhkA_f34w-lju3nSmwrJ1-e15yQ48idlntimvtLo080tUWnvNZrWe06p6EewrqWXASYJyb3q2TT-2vIA_2lasNW23wRBt2-neqphbzElpRcif2H3ZOeHflbG5YCdUVM8uwIOfcA9c/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHqYhkA_f34w-lju3nSmwrJ1-e15yQ48idlntimvtLo080tUWnvNZrWe06p6EewrqWXASYJyb3q2TT-2vIA_2lasNW23wRBt2-neqphbzElpRcif2H3ZOeHflbG5YCdUVM8uwIOfcA9c/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seisihun 18 Kippu (Youth 18 Ticket) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The mission was to get from Numazu to Kyoto, which is almost
exactly the same distance from London to Chester (my home city in the UK), for
as little money as possible. To give you a little comparison, a return ticket,
purchased on the day, from London Euston to Chester usually costs me £49. Numazu to Kyoto by Shinkansen costs roughly
22 000 Yen (£142) return!! Those who come to Japan on a tourist visa can get a
7 or 14 day rail pass for the Shinkansen, but as you can imagine these cost
hundreds and are not available to those on a working visa or a working holiday
visa.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a bit of a search I came across the Seishun 18 Kippu (youth
18 ticket), and what a find it was. The name is quite misleading. Whilst JR
markets this ticket to poor university students and young adults, everybody and
anybody can purchase and use it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The ticket costs 11 500 Yen (£71) and is sold three times a
year (so check before you travel to see if its available as dates change every
year). Luckily the summer ticket was on sale the day before we departed! It is
one ticket, but is serves as an individual ticket for 5 days (the days don’t
have to be consecutive). So you can travel as far as you like in one day all
for the princely sum of 2 300 Yen (£15). Furthermore, the ticket can be used by
more than one person. Instead of only you using the ticket for 5 days, you
could use it one day but with five people – this is exactly what we did. The catch…you can only use local JR trains (so
it is slow). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
On the 29th July, after realising that our clock was 10 minutes slow, we made
a mad and sweaty dash to the station, making it just in time for out 5AM train
(thankfully, I had purchased our ticket the night before). We hopped on the train
and embarked on our 6 hour journey, Numazu- Hamamatsu – Toyohashi – Ogaki
–Maibara – Kyoto. Thanks to Japanese
precision the journey went without a hitch and we even managed to catch some
zzzs. We arrived just before Midday in Kyoto, pleasantly surprised with how the
journey had gone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I had made the decision to stay in one hostel based in Kyoto
and use it as our base for a week of travelling. We stayed at the piece hostel
just a short 2 minute walk from Kyoto’s main station. I have to say it was the
best hostel I have ever stayed in! In fact, it was more like a hotel; the
facilities were amazing, friendly staff, free breakfast and most importantly extremely
comfy semi-double beds. We stayed in a shared dorm for only 2 300 Yen (£13.50)
per night. I honestly would pay double that to stay again! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a quick pit-stop in the hostel we jumped on the train
to Osaka, as we had booked tickets to see a baseball game. Our youth train
ticket was still valid until midnight that day so it saved us even more money.
I have since worked out that the youth ticket saved us roughly £80 EACH that
day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn6CnxfeCBYuRRy8y5IZ3jEXZifHQeYLhn2oXGLhO6xlnqNl1b-TSk3AeHk37cOBeSwgl9kJnokSAaNnHPWxHsuYezgXWeNN5F7w3FfAmQVO5adtbHEl363CMbQ83B1ik6E_rUAcIHJo/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrn6CnxfeCBYuRRy8y5IZ3jEXZifHQeYLhn2oXGLhO6xlnqNl1b-TSk3AeHk37cOBeSwgl9kJnokSAaNnHPWxHsuYezgXWeNN5F7w3FfAmQVO5adtbHEl363CMbQ83B1ik6E_rUAcIHJo/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in Osaka castle gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We had a few hours to kill before the game, so we enjoyed
some delicious ramen and jumped on the subway to see Osaka castle. Originally
the castle was a display of power; it is a famous landmark, popular sightseeing
spot, and the symbol of Osaka. It is a grand sight that can be matched by no
other castle in Japan. We also met a Japanese man that taught us some origami
and gave me a hand painted book mark! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy7LeWz4TkEm_NvHN9O7KaMURGdhQXJ4vEMcaZAzzVeMemaq2wEsx5Zim8gOUj4sz-6-MCTWE3VkwCFMoipDm7m94tsqHfuYhS3dSACha3tsUfFlaOU9anHFmt6iswiWx6IH5dpSaP2Y/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy7LeWz4TkEm_NvHN9O7KaMURGdhQXJ4vEMcaZAzzVeMemaq2wEsx5Zim8gOUj4sz-6-MCTWE3VkwCFMoipDm7m94tsqHfuYhS3dSACha3tsUfFlaOU9anHFmt6iswiWx6IH5dpSaP2Y/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James and I crossing the bridge to the castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Bang bang! What was that? Oh it’s just Mary making a gun
with her fingers and pointing them at a <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
random passers-by to see his reaction!
Obviously his reaction was one of utter bemusement! Why? The Osaka Bang of course! According to
the Osaka bang video (I tried to add the video to my blog but failed, I am technically inept) the people in Osaka know how to have a good
time. If you make a gun with your fingers and point it at them their reactions
are meant to be priceless. If you don't believe me fllow this link and check it out:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WknMhk9J_EE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WknMhk9J_EE</a><br />
<br />
But after Marys first and failed attempt I started
to doubt this theory. Did this stop the boys? Oh No! Tom then pretends to pull
out a machine gun on the subway system. Oh Dear! After many attempts (mainly from Tom) and significant
embarrassment I can confirm that this does not work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOn2WgdkA8wrUjfmcTAGTgMicrMPsY7W5PzfR4zxfA3YAIzbMV99_LFRoQRqJX066YIhgW2VNuhNsULEoSBUcsKx19zxX17x4x7rMcKKb617wOUMbyypgkwKd-R9_WoDehOtRFwAPUaR0/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOn2WgdkA8wrUjfmcTAGTgMicrMPsY7W5PzfR4zxfA3YAIzbMV99_LFRoQRqJX066YIhgW2VNuhNsULEoSBUcsKx19zxX17x4x7rMcKKb617wOUMbyypgkwKd-R9_WoDehOtRFwAPUaR0/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom, Mary and I ready for the game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a few hours exploring Osaka it was time for chanting,
chanting and more chanting. When most people think of baseball they think of
America. However, I can assure you now that Japanese baseball games are
extremely popular and very entertaining. We went to watch the Hanshin Tigers vs Yakult
Swallows. I had been told by many of my students that the Hanshin Tigers
baseball club has Japans most passionate sporting supporters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Arriving at the stadium, I immediately got the feeling that
this was serious business. Hanshin fans are like no others. Lining the path to
the entrance were back-to-back street vendors selling merchandise, in addition
to two official Tigers shops. Fans wondered around in a sea of white, yellow
and black, wearing Hashin Tigers towels around their heads to combat the high
summer heat. Foreigners get a lot of attention at these games, and throughout
Japan, because…we are foreign. This attention was certainly accentuated by the
fact that we decided to go wearing Tiger oneises. Oh Yes! Primark onesies made
it all the way from the UK (thanks to Tom) so we could stand out even more! It
is all fun, especially if you need to grab the beer ladies attention. We were
also given a free T-shirt each, which was a nice little souvenir (and a good PJ
top). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We had the cheapest tickets, 1900 Yen (£12), so we were
seated in the outfield on the Tigers side. We finally made it to our seats
after many high fives as we climbed the stairs through the crowds. From start
to finish I was lost. None of us really had any idea what was going on.
However, the atmosphere was electric and it was impossible not to enjoy it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeq2DHK4uGDoE1VDKqJqfCXEDRbEOYfRpQlUfZ2FyZx5nEKDPpYAbeX2-_C9a-cgmqOByux99HJjzboiX17xTWFJEZA2LtJmNjxZCZC1o-Q6ZEqTPRUi83nVDrgmIfoywmfxQtJlBEdU/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeq2DHK4uGDoE1VDKqJqfCXEDRbEOYfRpQlUfZ2FyZx5nEKDPpYAbeX2-_C9a-cgmqOByux99HJjzboiX17xTWFJEZA2LtJmNjxZCZC1o-Q6ZEqTPRUi83nVDrgmIfoywmfxQtJlBEdU/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James and I in the stadium </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Japanese baseball games have people whose job it is to lead
the crowd in cheering, and a drummer to keep the crowd together, they are
essentially conductors. Every player has their own chant. About 90% of the
stadium was Hashin Tigers supporters, so when Tigers were up the whole stadium
erupted with the voices of over forty thousand fans chanting things I couldn’t
understand and batting their plastic bats. I did join in with one line it went
something like “oooh ooooh oooooh HASHIN TIGERS! HURRAY HURRAY HURRAY HURRAY!”
The rest we improvised and added our own lyrics too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is forbidden to do the Mexican wave, I am not sure why,
so please enlighten me if you know. However, a famous fan tradition is to
release tens of thousands of rather dodgy looking balloons into the air
immediately following the seventh inning stretch and the singing of the Tigers
fight song. Now, we didn’t know about this tradition, but we were passed some
balloons by the crowds so we could join in. Everyone released the balloons at
the same time making a very high pitch squeal. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEabvMyX90QKHgOWv1jn26lya251uMqkv9Q22jk-mdF0FX9ayU4r4K0SU3VllfSYmm1luknRmXdBmgeae34PUW_bqbfzFc3YzgMYOwUe7lbNusiFWZUSn6UbgjV03O65HI3rZl0XW_bfg/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEabvMyX90QKHgOWv1jn26lya251uMqkv9Q22jk-mdF0FX9ayU4r4K0SU3VllfSYmm1luknRmXdBmgeae34PUW_bqbfzFc3YzgMYOwUe7lbNusiFWZUSn6UbgjV03O65HI3rZl0XW_bfg/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing up the balloons </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-V3YyoPgUEBU4vodyR8Llr1yvhlNuwc8bPxWEKnLw2RnIa0N2H8b8yfiORCDoqfdnG3y7YmtK82K_UQDmNcfgCBibyyukjpuL9KAtWDoxNYe8fCD2XqoyLCT-RkgFxangNpPJCkKZgc/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-V3YyoPgUEBU4vodyR8Llr1yvhlNuwc8bPxWEKnLw2RnIa0N2H8b8yfiORCDoqfdnG3y7YmtK82K_UQDmNcfgCBibyyukjpuL9KAtWDoxNYe8fCD2XqoyLCT-RkgFxangNpPJCkKZgc/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Releasing the balloons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Following the game we joined the queue for the subway. Again
Japanese precision shone through, yes it was crowded but we were swiftly put on
a subway bound for Kyoto with no problems what so ever. More of a problem was
the fact that it looked like Tom was going to pass out from the heat. As Tom
started to turn an interesting shade of grey, three ladies surrounding him in
the queue decided to start fanning him to prevent him for keeling over amongst
thousands of lairy Tigers fans. <span id="goog_1122364967"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was a fantastic day and I would highly recommend going to
a Japanese baseball game. Dress up and get involved! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
My next post will be about exploring Kyoto! I am slowly but
surely catching up on my blog posts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Marion<o:p></o:p></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-58928077695154333722013-09-02T07:49:00.001-07:002013-09-02T07:56:34.821-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of all the
iconic images of Japan, Mt Fuji is the real deal. With hundreds of thousands of
people climbing every year, Fuji-san has captivating both Japanese and
international visitors. This year was extra special and therefore extra busy as
on June 22<sup>nd</sup> 2013, much to the delight and joy of many people, this
symbolic mountain was finally officially designated as a World Heritage site by
UNESCO. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0w5HPdNBq2w5fke_f6pju_u3tf56qaqOTbw33WxMslzHsf9Pqoig3bHF-QfbRua4XHMQEQNSHOm_vo0N1FbZFhvVMrZwhUjcWWOxrjI0OUzcWP4R2Nqta9WevaVqK7B2cJmz5ycEIec/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0w5HPdNBq2w5fke_f6pju_u3tf56qaqOTbw33WxMslzHsf9Pqoig3bHF-QfbRua4XHMQEQNSHOm_vo0N1FbZFhvVMrZwhUjcWWOxrjI0OUzcWP4R2Nqta9WevaVqK7B2cJmz5ycEIec/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="416" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A simple acrylic painting of a hiker taking in the beautiful morning skies! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fuji-san has
featured in many of my blog posts. As soon as I knew I was coming to Japan,
naturally, climbing Fuji-san was on top of the “things to do in Japan before I
leave” list. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fuji-san is
3776 metres above sea level. Mention that you are climbing Fuji-san and someone
is sure to ask whether you have oxygen canisters, a guide, good walking boots,
professional clothing and so on..! Most of my students just questioned whether
it was a good idea at all. All my adult students showed their concern and worry;
many concluded that I shouldn’t go as it’s more attractive and enjoyable
looking at it from afar.<span style="color: red;"> </span>But, it can’t be that
difficult I thought, I mean, if you were to judge the climb purely on the
number of people who climb it, you’re likely to conclude that it is not a
particularly hard mountain to climb. Hundreds of thousands successfully reach
the summit each year, including a man who was 105 years old. So I wasn’t really
that daunted by the challenge, I don’t think anyone was to be honest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I think that
my student’s main concern was my decision to take the less conventional way to
climb the mountain. The most popular and safest way to climb Fuji-san is to
start in the day and stay in a mountain hut near the summit. But, even though
we are earning a very good wage, you can’t take the money saving students out
of us just yet. Rather than forking out 5500 – 8000 Yen we decided to walk
through the night skipping a stay in a hut. Climbing through the night is
discouraged by the locals and authorities as weather changes quickly,
temperatures are low and visibility is poor. Those who climb through the night
are called</span><span lang="JA" style="font-size: 12pt;">弾丸登山</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">
(danger-tozan) which means bullet climbing. But not many can say they have climbed
a mountain through the night. Challenge accepted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The newly
elevated status from UNESCO has sent a record number of climbers up Japan
highest and most prominent mountain, and on Friday 26<sup>th</sup> July, we
decided to join this year’s craze. The sun was shining in Numazu as we walked
through the city to the train station in our hiking gear. At this point I
thought that I had packed too many layers, it was sweltering. We jumped on the
train to Mishima where we caught a direct bus to Fujinomiya 5<sup>th</sup>
station, to walk the second most popular trail – Fujinomiya trial. The bus cost
us 3000 Yen return which is pretty good, but it wasn’t the comfy coach I had
imagined, more like an Arriva service bus.
The dream of a return journey with comfy reclining seats and air-con to
rest our exhausted bodies was going to remain no more than a just a dream. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we began
to drive to fifth station, the weather began to change remarkably quickly. One
minute it was sunny the next it was windy and cold. We arrived at 5<sup>th</sup>
station at 4:15pm which gave us enough time to relax, eat our bento (lunch)
that we had bought in Numazu, and play some cards before setting off at about
8pm. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T minus 30
minutes before departure and the heavens opened!! We were hit in the face by
the harsh conditions of nature. It rained and rained and rained, the wind had
picked up and thick cloud had wrapped around Mt Fuji. It was at this point (a
little late) that we realized that we were slightly unprepared. James, Mary and
I had forgotten waterproof trousers, Ali had nothing but a Pikachu onesie for
extra layers and Michael had the worst walking footwear ever! Not only were Michaels
shoes very thin and uncomfortable, but they were not waterproof. Oh No! James
and I decided to splash out and get some cheap waterproof trousers from the
small shop; thank goodness we did as they were essential when we reached the
top.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikERWYgurzrqSLkqammWL3Ss7wFPa2YQwgrYi52bD2RdLN2RrlZTC6EItTCGg1M4atxx19tZdoOjHNhyphenhyphenVSapO4JfNa6Q6R9DOYs0gAd7tzBsm6IrwELhQ2TA2HELMab_GIJcocf4-sLdI/s1600/972111_10151793374562517_1147541701_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikERWYgurzrqSLkqammWL3Ss7wFPa2YQwgrYi52bD2RdLN2RrlZTC6EItTCGg1M4atxx19tZdoOjHNhyphenhyphenVSapO4JfNa6Q6R9DOYs0gAd7tzBsm6IrwELhQ2TA2HELMab_GIJcocf4-sLdI/s1600/972111_10151793374562517_1147541701_n.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All smiles at the start before the rain, wind, fog and lightning.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx1raNLrJxo_hUzK2Cr5Ph2jyxUViIBXxXsph5dyawkoSPfmRYfM2GEWOJp7fNylW_4SHWC43v_kOjaQDbkXjXmBQRNq1imyv4TTTBitJt59KNe2g60S9QjJha2x8dWwgGIqOLTbUJmI/s1600/1003714_10151793374262517_1572060172_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx1raNLrJxo_hUzK2Cr5Ph2jyxUViIBXxXsph5dyawkoSPfmRYfM2GEWOJp7fNylW_4SHWC43v_kOjaQDbkXjXmBQRNq1imyv4TTTBitJt59KNe2g60S9QjJha2x8dWwgGIqOLTbUJmI/s1600/1003714_10151793374262517_1572060172_n.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of us</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thankfully
the rain began to slow down and we started off in great spirits, laughing and singing,
we had lots of energy which felt, at the time, like it would last all night. Very
early on in the assent we overtook a large group led by guides using flags to
shepherd their followers. Whilst you want to avoid standing in queues, I
believe that you shouldn't miss out on one of the most interesting aspects of
climbing, which is the camaraderie and unique experience of ascending the
mountain among hundreds of equally minded people from across the world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">The wind got
stronger and the cloud got thicker as we climbed higher. At times the cloud was
so thick you couldn't see who was in front of you! But when the clouds broke
the view was truly incredible. James and I often spent a few minutes catching
our breaths and taking in the view. Look down and you are treated to a
spectacular light show. The lights from towns surrounding Fuji-san shone
brightly and you could see an accumulating snake of lights growing longer and
tighter as fellow hikers slowly made their way up. What was really incredible
was watching a lightning storm below us.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sky
below us was illuminated by strikes of lightning. Lightning bolts jumped from
cloud to cloud, to the ground, to the cities below us. It’s not like watching a
lightning storm from the ground, head on, watching were every lightning bolt
struck. There was silence, no thunder, no sound, nothing. It was strange to
watch the world around us in beautiful chaos whilst we quietly watched on from
above. I stopped and started several times on the way up as I was mesmerised by
the lightning show below is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were far
enough away that it didn't feel dangerous. It was simply beautiful. I wish I could have taken photos but they weren't coming out well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUrtkADDpjj32UJhv2C2PgjyhvKj70NwWgtLU7NuiS4cl2aj5g-EjDqEvI9yvovywNpXIz5IYprwQkGdBIYqXB5xMac46ZNaOVJFgxAnZItLnypHlHOS3ErcKGqJhGCxuajunUIaPJ6A/s1600/1075805_10201606118741744_1644151343_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUrtkADDpjj32UJhv2C2PgjyhvKj70NwWgtLU7NuiS4cl2aj5g-EjDqEvI9yvovywNpXIz5IYprwQkGdBIYqXB5xMac46ZNaOVJFgxAnZItLnypHlHOS3ErcKGqJhGCxuajunUIaPJ6A/s1600/1075805_10201606118741744_1644151343_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Desperately trying to get warm we joined a loan hiker in a small alcove.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Onwards and
upwards! From the very start there was very little shelter we were totally
exposed to the freezing air and battering winds. At station 8 we realized that
we were well ahead of time and storming up the mountain. There was a small
alcove with a man standing in the corning, not moving, not talking, nothing.
Despite the fact we had no idea who this man was, it was time to huddle up
right next to him as it was the only sheltered spot we had seen for the whole
journey. Our topic of conversation at this point… what would bear grills do
right now? Ali concluded “he would skin this chap and sleep inside his body.”
And on that note, half an hour later our lack of movement meant our bodies were
cooling down so we marched upwards. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At station 9
it was 11pm and we were nearly at the top. With no shelter we all piled into
the first aid hut which gave us a chance to change out of our sweat-drenched
clothing. It wasn't heated but it gave us some much needed shelter from the
wind. All the huts were packed with sleeping climbers; there was no room in the
huts for any more. Many people huffed, puffed and groaned very loudly in relief as
they reached the next station, but two seconds later a small Japanese man would
hurry out of his hut to tell hikers to be quiet. It was very comical to watch
as his words seemed to go in one ear and out the other, as soon as he turned
his back, hikers continued to huff, puff and groan rather loudly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then we
reached the summit. You are probably thinking that the rest was easy; simply
watch the sunset and descent the mountain. Oh boy, are you wrong! In reality,
the hours between our final ascent and the sunrise were the most difficult part
of the whole ordeal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You see we
reached the summit at around 2:30 am. The sun wasn't scheduled to rise until
4:45am. This meant that we had over 2 hours to wait, wearing only
sweat-drenched clothing. It was at this point that our cheap waterproofs which
we purchased at 5<sup>th</sup> station at the start of the hike provided a
little more warmth. As soon as we stopped moving, our body’s inner furnace
stopped burning, and the cold began to seep through our bodies. There were a
few other early arrivals on the peak. Many were snuggled up in their sleeping
bags and silver foil wraps. Clearly more prepared than us. All the huts on the
summit were closed until the morning, so we all huddled together against a wall
and closed our eyes hoping that time would fly. In fact, it was the longest two
hours ever. It was at this point I swore never to complain about the heat
again, but if you have read my last post you will know that this promise didn't
last long. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally it
was time to huddle amongst the hundreds of people to watch the sunrise. The sun
was stubborn that day, hiding behind thick layers of cloud. But every so often
it broke through the cloud. I snapped a few photos but it was so cold and
cloudy that after a quick discussion we decided that we’d seen enough, and began
heading down the mountain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxuN1StCm6zdjGcf0sPIRzfFRIFTfZLaZfN4ggrWV8DucpFiw-LqIzgyaatvI5ZYeEy7_67rHqf8nL6aCg8eEFT6Hr_XROs6H9sP-rdfkJu58nuJoeNUteHZL8Ilg2sTS26wp_7k_yNk/s1600/IMG_1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxuN1StCm6zdjGcf0sPIRzfFRIFTfZLaZfN4ggrWV8DucpFiw-LqIzgyaatvI5ZYeEy7_67rHqf8nL6aCg8eEFT6Hr_XROs6H9sP-rdfkJu58nuJoeNUteHZL8Ilg2sTS26wp_7k_yNk/s1600/IMG_1171.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the top of Japan with my best friend! You most probably cant tell but I had reached desperate measures to keep warm and decided to use my spare leggings as a head scarf. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6r37vA1PjpPAsd4u8CtL1xfzXxCdaXNvRqZY8gauNdVwq3AWJYHxqkoMTjlB7efU6kKAJYTOyaSgPqrdaHeCr_dZJAnJQtwgn4S33cg4URBYwl3AXZWHu0wP9ihj_RiNFMswK7oudIc/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6r37vA1PjpPAsd4u8CtL1xfzXxCdaXNvRqZY8gauNdVwq3AWJYHxqkoMTjlB7efU6kKAJYTOyaSgPqrdaHeCr_dZJAnJQtwgn4S33cg4URBYwl3AXZWHu0wP9ihj_RiNFMswK7oudIc/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We did it!! All of us enjoying the morning sun, such a great accomplishment. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">What goes up
must come down! </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">As we headed down the mountain, below the clouds the morning skies were beautiful and the inspiration for my painting.</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I found walking down worse than walking up. I am grateful for
my good hiking boots. The lack of grip on many people’s shoes made for 4 hours
of taking one step and sliding three feet. It was nice to be basking in the
morning sun on the way down and to see the mountain huts bustling with
tourists. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvgmlsLficiEAJzwv8n2Sf-TdNn1vI5a_WzUDa0A94VW4sfk9obdAcVHhUOnQ4WLiDH09pSPIh6m-ePELsJKW9piHDxVC22Wqlgu80etUsNYAxyO_IAExTji5I72olelJ1lyqpMQiMGY/s1600/1002484_10201606118541739_55898534_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvgmlsLficiEAJzwv8n2Sf-TdNn1vI5a_WzUDa0A94VW4sfk9obdAcVHhUOnQ4WLiDH09pSPIh6m-ePELsJKW9piHDxVC22Wqlgu80etUsNYAxyO_IAExTji5I72olelJ1lyqpMQiMGY/s1600/1002484_10201606118541739_55898534_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A long line of hikers waiting to get to the summit as we<br />
were making our way down. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The majority of people had just started the climb, so everyone we
passed, we often greeted and wished them luck on their way up! I must have said
ohio guasimas (good morning) hundreds of times! I loved that everyone want to
talk to us, ask us where we were from etc. there was a great atmosphere. In fact
Ali came a bit of a celebrity, at this point he had his Pikachu onesie on and
many people stopped to point, laugh and take photos.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally
about 3 and a half hours later we had arrived at where we had started. Time to
face a 2 hour bus journey, no air-con, hard seats, aching limbs…. But nothing
could stop us from snoozing! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Ri8_iPrcrrCeEI0DDiMrKJmZPgtEC6B6dbGPFzYKYwa2meFO6qXrdJATUt2W1U4xtDhBaFXug1C0IeFdMYZ19AwKJ9FrjMu7cIvBase8p8_q5GCcRSk-2XozOOI9t17kTpR3fXBAQ4/s1600/1003878_10151793376997517_842580883_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Ri8_iPrcrrCeEI0DDiMrKJmZPgtEC6B6dbGPFzYKYwa2meFO6qXrdJATUt2W1U4xtDhBaFXug1C0IeFdMYZ19AwKJ9FrjMu7cIvBase8p8_q5GCcRSk-2XozOOI9t17kTpR3fXBAQ4/s1600/1003878_10151793376997517_842580883_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making our way down! Its pretty hard not too spot<br />
the Pikachu </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I agree with
the majority of people, Fuji-san does look more attractive from afar than close
up. However, the views (when there is no cloud) are incredible and the
experience of climbing through the night and the early hours of the morning among
hundreds of equally like-minded hikers from across the world is very rewarding. What made it for me was completing it with some of my favourite people. We could have been a little more prepared clothing wise, rooky mistake, but otherwise the climb is not difficult and a very rewarding experience.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On a side note, thank you to everyone who is reading my blog!! I've had over 2500 viewers from around the world. I have a passion for art and would love a career that utilises my talent, but its a tough industry to break into. I am going to keep trying though. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-64674057450414862942013-08-29T09:23:00.003-07:002013-08-29T09:24:37.693-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have just done another article about teaching in Japan for GaijinPot (the No.1 resource for foreigners living and working in Japan) which includes a small sketch for the website. I thought I would also share it on here too.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">My next blog post, about climbing Mt Fuji, is ready and I am adding the finishing touches to my painting, so keep checking my blog! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCwE2ICO3iX45EI3HaYhrxLRZW1g1KlrWPkWPlA06O2PX0BAOriWZYJZxzb1N_C3Zj-UtwIm_oaD_c0FgcQ19o1s8WMi2wJs8WB8CTqWS_4J5X7B_KQeGQY9v_zL13if43fmOqUVLKNs/s1600/IMG_1844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCwE2ICO3iX45EI3HaYhrxLRZW1g1KlrWPkWPlA06O2PX0BAOriWZYJZxzb1N_C3Zj-UtwIm_oaD_c0FgcQ19o1s8WMi2wJs8WB8CTqWS_4J5X7B_KQeGQY9v_zL13if43fmOqUVLKNs/s1600/IMG_1844.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many many English books! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #51575d; color: #e6e6e6; font-family: verdana, arial, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', 'MS Pゴシック', 'MS UI Gothic', Meiryo, メイリオ, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-39875723695383464542013-08-26T23:17:00.000-07:002013-08-27T03:43:18.704-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On
the 24<sup>th</sup> July, we all embarked on our first trip outside Numazu. We
were bound for Kamakura, just an hour and a half North of Numazu, and an hour
South of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kamakura
was Japans first feudal capital. Its glory days coincided with the spread of
populist Buddhism in Japan, a legacy reflected in the areas high concentration of
stunning temples and statuary. Contemporary residents have added a laid-back vibe complete with many restaurants and summer beach shacks – which can
be added to sunrise meditation and hillside hikes as reasons to visit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQhWeSrwTu8VD_rfBsG9tWOtQU_HmxujqvcoFkAn0lCsLrYplIJt8wFOVG1sJe_x5YOg2A6cJq5oaGbtRC2IevI33fznphD-rRZfSbMyjJsBOexX2v3ywGPT3WHRd-Otugbe719iItos/s1600/IMG_1832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQhWeSrwTu8VD_rfBsG9tWOtQU_HmxujqvcoFkAn0lCsLrYplIJt8wFOVG1sJe_x5YOg2A6cJq5oaGbtRC2IevI33fznphD-rRZfSbMyjJsBOexX2v3ywGPT3WHRd-Otugbe719iItos/s1600/IMG_1832.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Daibutsu - Kamakuras most iconic sight</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As
we stepped off the train, I grabbed a walking map of Kamakura from the
information desk. Kamakuras most iconic sight is an 11.4 meter statue of the The
Great Daibutsu (Buddha), and this was our first stop. So how hard can it be to
find a massive iconic Buddha? Rather difficult actually! As soon as we started walking we had no
idea where we were going. As I have said in previous posts, when you pull out a
map in Japan you can pretty much guarantee that a Japanese person will ask if
you are okay. True to form, a small little Japanese lady hurried over to ask if
we were okay. I said we were looking for the Daibutsu, she turned around the
way she came and told us she would take us there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">How kind I thought, but surely it’s not that far, especially as we had a </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">walking</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> map in hand. Half an hour later and we were still climbing a mountain, Tom was dying from the humidity but the Japanese lady continued to bounce along merrily carrying her weekly shop. Often I think Japanese people want to talk to English people to help brush up on the old English skills, but this lady happily just marched in front and 40 minutes later, dropped us off right at the entrance of the Great Buddha, and walked back the way we came.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It was 500 Yen to see the Buddha, it was raining earlier in the morning so it was rather quiet which was nice. So we came to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha and well it was a big, massive Buddha, exactly what you expected! Obviously, it was a great sight and the Buddha is hollow so for an extra 20 Yen visitors can view the interior.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ink and water colour sketch </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom, James, Ali and I - we lived together at<br />
university for 3 years and the last place we thought <br />
we would be re-united is Japan! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next,
we visited Hasedera Temple, which was a short 10 minute walk downhill from the
Buddha and 300 Yen to enter. This was James’s </span>favourite<span style="font-family: inherit;"> place from the whole
trip. Hasedera is built along the slope of a wooded hill and split across
several levels. As we entered we enjoyed the beautiful traditional Japanese gardens
and a spectacular view from the viewing platform which provided a panoramic of
the town and the bay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On
the same level as the gardens there was a small cave, called benten kutsu cave.
The ceiling was extremely low so poor James struggled a little as we wound our
way through the tunnel. There were many statues and devotionals to Benzaiten,
the sea goddess and the only female of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese
mythology.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wooden
plaques adorn the entrance of the temple (near the cave), these are found at
all Shinto temples and are tokens of good luck. Many people write a wish on the
plaque which they hang up in the hope that the wish will come true. We decided
to add to the wall but nobody could decide what to write, especially as many of
those hanging up were really deep and heart wrenching. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8dQ6qkCMuOKyVimfj4LBwnZcIr_x941BmmZoHuZqln4n-b9rY78sHCC2angJe4trKsr5PmyDGGV0-bz0ixcAemy-U-Jg3d6KvAYb5ZWH4FiVnMOQqCAZzwfGGYaar3vjh9A90fZxa4w/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8dQ6qkCMuOKyVimfj4LBwnZcIr_x941BmmZoHuZqln4n-b9rY78sHCC2angJe4trKsr5PmyDGGV0-bz0ixcAemy-U-Jg3d6KvAYb5ZWH4FiVnMOQqCAZzwfGGYaar3vjh9A90fZxa4w/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wish!! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Further
up the slope is the temples main hall – Kannon-do Hall. The focal point of the
temples main hall is a 9.18 metre carved wooden juichimen (11-faced) Kannon
statue. In addition to the main head, three heads are in front, three to the
left, three to the right, one on the top and another at the back. Each face has
a different expression, signifying that the deity listens to the wishes of all
types of people. It is covered in gold leaf and it is a really exquisite
statue. </span>Unfortunately<span style="font-family: inherit;"> no photos were aloud inside the main hall. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
temple is also famous for the Jizo shrine where there are numerous small Jizo figurines
laid out by parents dedicating them for their unborn children lost in
miscarriage or abortion. It is to help the souls of the dead children to reach
paradise. There are thousands of Jizo figurines which is really heartbreaking.
Apparently, statues remain in place for about a year before being removed to
make way for more statues; it is estimated that some 50 000 Jizo statues have been
placed since WW2. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">After the temple we were all cultured out for one day, so we headed to the beach for some Mexican food, bear and beach games before wrapping up our time in Kamakura and taking the train back to Numazu. (Before jumping on the train we did try and find the famous, sweet potato ice-cream, but to no avail as shops were closing up for the day).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2T-K4pKuiDw3q2YLBpzMxpgaP_6pHoJDXXfyZOVSmz1_LercvXU-Pi32O-0lOc1C4-QONM42x-KVdIXivzWC1c59Ta4Bm0-nZrBZrZh5Hxl_cTPeZ7j2oiWb7rs1K2SOY3KWmGCjHp0/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2T-K4pKuiDw3q2YLBpzMxpgaP_6pHoJDXXfyZOVSmz1_LercvXU-Pi32O-0lOc1C4-QONM42x-KVdIXivzWC1c59Ta4Bm0-nZrBZrZh5Hxl_cTPeZ7j2oiWb7rs1K2SOY3KWmGCjHp0/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jizo figurines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDyCZD7GPEgFYDKEmgQvn9GrFSkSrLP7ofWrIPgyWLHCn5oOwx6aG55goXVrtUjLDoHZaMw_RUYSceaZhXW714_svQwVAwJYoHKIfGflgwfdDri3quUYKrYOkUFLkcmyyJG09Lewsmks/s1600/IMG_1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDyCZD7GPEgFYDKEmgQvn9GrFSkSrLP7ofWrIPgyWLHCn5oOwx6aG55goXVrtUjLDoHZaMw_RUYSceaZhXW714_svQwVAwJYoHKIfGflgwfdDri3quUYKrYOkUFLkcmyyJG09Lewsmks/s1600/IMG_1099.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary and I at Hasedera Temples main hall <br />
- Kannon-do</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu2XiGJVVmsnqDaOtfxg1Tfh1DqRLujkjn5AkPLJJL6uqTNFjD5BsHt5WTEHMrpJPIKNOmnWH9fZLvBLe9DmjjW_rZqJ88xQ4mY8dhHJ-o0DZIfPc-X2505gxaL_HdQb4XF0Hp6GH_co/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu2XiGJVVmsnqDaOtfxg1Tfh1DqRLujkjn5AkPLJJL6uqTNFjD5BsHt5WTEHMrpJPIKNOmnWH9fZLvBLe9DmjjW_rZqJ88xQ4mY8dhHJ-o0DZIfPc-X2505gxaL_HdQb4XF0Hp6GH_co/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steps leading down to the garden</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A very successful day trip to Kamakura with great company, next on the itinerary, climbing Mt Fuji!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Marion </span> </span></div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-7301721368809025292013-08-19T09:19:00.000-07:002013-09-25T22:38:53.210-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Talking (or more like moaning) about the state of the
weather is a staple of British chit chat! So I believe that a post about the weather
is a must, because boy have I moaned. As rainy season came to an end the ridiculously hot weather arrived, this also coincided with the arrival of my visitors and the start of an
unforgettable 2 weeks around Japan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My very attractive rain suit! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rewind a few months. On the 28</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> May Numazu council announced on the city
tannoy system that rainy season had officially begun!!! It was early this
year. The rainy season, known as “tsuyu” had already spread its cloak of high
humidity and unpredictable down pours over Okinawa (Southwest Archipelago) and
had arrived in Numazu. Despite the fact
it’s called rainy season, it </span>doesn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> rain all day every day, it varies from
days with intensive down pours to other days with occasional sprinkles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Heavy down pours can occur without any prior notice. So if
you are in Japan during this time, always carry an umbrella or a rain suit with
you. On my way back from Sawada School (a good 35 minute cycle from home) I was
caught in a sudden shower that appeared on an otherwise sunny day. The rain was
so heavy, I could barely open my eyes to see where I was cycling, my hair and
clothes were dripping wet. Since this day, I have never forgotten to put my rain
suit in my bike basket again! As you can
see from the picture, rain suits are not the most attractive garments to wear.
It is illegal to cycle with an umbrella in hand (although many still do), so
rather than risking a rather large fine from the police I opted for the
unfashionable alternative to get me through rainy season. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlVlG-ekIbgBxzHHrEv0aL-Ow_G8kgjmHLCg6RLanlyCTLbu-vOuCFiucjnFBkUxH9xcguajVWb4OeTgXrVRdWuNY60gkZSHPzt_4Zo8eFxIuVOElIuxfGiYUecBfYeMICRMeWLnebCU/s1600/IMG_1812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlVlG-ekIbgBxzHHrEv0aL-Ow_G8kgjmHLCg6RLanlyCTLbu-vOuCFiucjnFBkUxH9xcguajVWb4OeTgXrVRdWuNY60gkZSHPzt_4Zo8eFxIuVOElIuxfGiYUecBfYeMICRMeWLnebCU/s1600/IMG_1812.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ink sketch: Start of the summer begins with <br />
rainy season. It is illegal to ride and bike and <br />
carry and umbrella.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the rainy season began to come to an end, the rain became
extremely heavy for several consecutive days. One morning, in the early hours,
there was a local announcement on the city tannoy system. Now this system is
designed to warm people of earthquakes and tsunamis, so it is jolly loud. That
morning, at 5AM, it was used to tell people “that it was raining really hard,
be careful.” Whilst it is nice to know that we are being carefully looked
after, I can only imagine that most people were very much aware of the
horrendously heavy rain outside and were all tucked up in bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rainy season is not the most comfortable time to travel
Japan, but it is a great time to avoid the crowds as most people don’t travel
during this time. The majority of Japanese people stay indoors avoiding the
rain and eating lots of food ready for the hot summer around the corner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The end of the rainy season was marked by a heat wave which
enveloped much of Japan on Saturday (July 6</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;">) sending temperatures
soaring beyond 30 degrees, the start of scorching temperatures and high humidity
had begun, just in time for my guest’s arrival. August has been the hottest
summer on record in Japan, with temperatures in Numazu reaching 36 degrees and
humidity well above 80%. The city tannoy system regularly reminds us to drink lots of water and stay indoors. I have tried all methods of trying to cool my body
down - you name it </span>I've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> tried it, ice packs, three cold showers a day, drinking
and cuddling frozen bottles of water, air conditioning, minimal clothing,
towels on my head and neck… but not matter what the beads of sweat continue to
pour. The heat and humidity just zaps you of all your energy and motivation and
sleeping becomes impossible, but this </span>wasn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> going to stop us from having the
best 2 week, non-stop tour of Japan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was 33 degrees and 85% plus humidity, but being reunited
with my long-term boyfriend James at Tokyo airport was just the best! Weeks
building up to the day I dreamt about our re-union. I imagined that I would be
screaming, shouting and jumping with excitement when he walked through
arrivals, but what I actually did was simply burst into tears! After a whistle
stop tour of Tokyo we met Mary and Tom, it was amazing seeing my sister again
and great to finally have Tom join the teaching team! Ali and I have struggled
to acclimatise to the heat so you can only imagine how it felt for James, Mary
and Tom. They described walking off the bus at Numazu station like walking into
a sauna. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcLBa81VzBWbT3I69B19BhBUoGLrt4rEQCPnWUTMTYJ_DFYez5Stj__lnH_3lZwz_t_XSkTuICtTid94zWKt2qZWA7zhDumVK1VHnlt9sOD6bU4ZJhAF0_zu_Va_Twjp7FejzCXDKKjQ/s1600/76339_10151778985752517_532633206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcLBa81VzBWbT3I69B19BhBUoGLrt4rEQCPnWUTMTYJ_DFYez5Stj__lnH_3lZwz_t_XSkTuICtTid94zWKt2qZWA7zhDumVK1VHnlt9sOD6bU4ZJhAF0_zu_Va_Twjp7FejzCXDKKjQ/s1600/76339_10151778985752517_532633206_n.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RE-UNITED with my best friend! <3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uvKFFb02TCEZ036Adjpp1LPvr2JCM_BcQR_XwAhEJsvP2BE03uzpfEJKWKuWP_axJp07FpbPnZIXBbjHB3kTOAzkITTc9l-tlKwO3ax55KuABnH18gOZ9IgB8bzzVAih26gQnvHB1ug/s1600/521639_10151786261827517_1082934856_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uvKFFb02TCEZ036Adjpp1LPvr2JCM_BcQR_XwAhEJsvP2BE03uzpfEJKWKuWP_axJp07FpbPnZIXBbjHB3kTOAzkITTc9l-tlKwO3ax55KuABnH18gOZ9IgB8bzzVAih26gQnvHB1ug/s1600/521639_10151786261827517_1082934856_n.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary, Tom, Myself, James and Ali reunited over three<br />
hours of karaoke. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whilst summer brings unbearable whether, it does bring matsuri
(summer festivals) and Hanabi-taikai (firework displays).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Matsuris are often a time for the Japanese to let their hair
down. Small food and other festival stores line the streets. There are many delicious
foods to try but I would recommend takoyaki (ball shaped Japanese pancakes with
a chunk of octopus inside), and chocolate
bananas. Numazu matsuri is a 2 day event over the last weekend in July.
Elaborate shrines are carried by chanting locals wearing traditional dress, and
if you look really enthusiastic you might get roped in to helping carry one of
the shrines.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtANRg0OHXagisRvixzusGDC_3IQGkWbtSlZGMmxw0PFjxWNB-2ZhXGlhKxKyc8VXRi9PoFGhOsL3SNIX3HCcYh813C5Hp2MfV2egwudW7HysfrEDIazkm0nl0navz0IdvOZge0HU-pg/s1600/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtANRg0OHXagisRvixzusGDC_3IQGkWbtSlZGMmxw0PFjxWNB-2ZhXGlhKxKyc8VXRi9PoFGhOsL3SNIX3HCcYh813C5Hp2MfV2egwudW7HysfrEDIazkm0nl0navz0IdvOZge0HU-pg/s1600/blog7.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrying the shrine through the streets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mishima summer festival is a 3 day event and is much the
same as Numazu matsuri just larger. My favourite part of Mishima matsuri was
taking part in the dancing with Michael-san and Junko-san. It was so so so much
fun, everyone was getting involved and the moves were easy to pick up after a
few beats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Each night, Numazu summer festival ends with a spectacular
fireworks show along the Kano River. Firework displays are a typical summer
scene in Japan; they are BIG in Japan, both in scale and in popularity. Think
London New Year but bigger, these are not your average village bonfire night
displays! Tens of thousands of fireworks are set off at each show, with the
show lasting up to an hour. This summer we have enjoyed several shows including
Numazu summer festival fireworks, Atami fireworks and Ito fireworks. There is a great atmosphere at these events. Throwing
on your yukata or jinbei, grabbing some delicious festival food and drinks and
finding a good viewing point with some great friends makes for a perfect
evening. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft5yW0htoS_JW1iGSWTzZ3-1beJOpwyxxlGRi24fZ5Kj0dS5vq_QcCepn38ftMrfNklivbyI9YgAm11ZttvArg0ZeA27zenRFlzC308UDtmTY6ogsf1Oufjr4voeG6-H3oRcNxzgyZZ0/s1600/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft5yW0htoS_JW1iGSWTzZ3-1beJOpwyxxlGRi24fZ5Kj0dS5vq_QcCepn38ftMrfNklivbyI9YgAm11ZttvArg0ZeA27zenRFlzC308UDtmTY6ogsf1Oufjr4voeG6-H3oRcNxzgyZZ0/s1600/blog1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Numazu fireworks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpyODV00UwA7TPARfVh9g25_NCEE2ZA1U_c9wKpeUJstqXHazFalbLw7gppEOFNsKq8B62fzf6NS5LajrjhVQM8Ag1_DhCfaCCG5qnrY44QrmGBIT6rHf-ud8_F78IjANvFIl-YsEZHg/s1600/blog10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpyODV00UwA7TPARfVh9g25_NCEE2ZA1U_c9wKpeUJstqXHazFalbLw7gppEOFNsKq8B62fzf6NS5LajrjhVQM8Ag1_DhCfaCCG5qnrY44QrmGBIT6rHf-ud8_F78IjANvFIl-YsEZHg/s1600/blog10.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atami fireworks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love wearing a yukata. They are often made of cotton and
worn with an obi around the waist, and geta (wooden clogs) on your feet,
although finding geta for my size 7 feet is almost impossible in Japan. It is
casual and comfortable and has become popular and fashionable with many people
wearing yukata at matsuri and hanabi-taikai. I have done a small painting of a women wearing a yukata in the heat of the day. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjOHMUUQTPuEud0tUCf5Ps3awyM1DjsPI0f2Tjf12mbjkqf7XZ1Ru3DrfcIbovaQjvKIt4bwJiO8FLLBNMfaXgPpcaXij2A4LPEtBmo7VFviguTBT8vFnG2tSYZuQxlgZlkNP79ufuL4/s1600/IMG_1813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjOHMUUQTPuEud0tUCf5Ps3awyM1DjsPI0f2Tjf12mbjkqf7XZ1Ru3DrfcIbovaQjvKIt4bwJiO8FLLBNMfaXgPpcaXij2A4LPEtBmo7VFviguTBT8vFnG2tSYZuQxlgZlkNP79ufuL4/s1600/IMG_1813.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acrylic painting of a women in a yukata<br />
in the heat of the day. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Large-scale firework displays are very popular, but enjoying
small hand-help sparklers and low-risk fireworks in backyards or on the beach
is also very popular and great fun. During our holiday, we often grabbed a
packet of sparklers and headed out to the beach with some food and drink!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKU55FopEQdTXj5ygnKT5P56_Dp1TcyudbqqgGlF69QInidA271DZW7DEIoAzHZORTqQWPThNUGNjYDQ-M4qneO8kd7-yqMeKcjNixTWajmIoapMhbP6-ugMbJnwhMFSYC-rdpSAPNr8/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKU55FopEQdTXj5ygnKT5P56_Dp1TcyudbqqgGlF69QInidA271DZW7DEIoAzHZORTqQWPThNUGNjYDQ-M4qneO8kd7-yqMeKcjNixTWajmIoapMhbP6-ugMbJnwhMFSYC-rdpSAPNr8/s1600/blog3.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Junko and I in our yukatas at Mishima Matsuri </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZYjCrWPkTCjQai8MweR_HBeVvnctkvhBj60D92Qh_WEPQnZK6-Rm7CqLRqf_-pgadQ5kxlHobGOYJSX0KARlWH_59vPHnFpgLIs_FiGC59UPemKV6QODLU2Ael9URXYzZzMsYt5mPd8/s1600/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZYjCrWPkTCjQai8MweR_HBeVvnctkvhBj60D92Qh_WEPQnZK6-Rm7CqLRqf_-pgadQ5kxlHobGOYJSX0KARlWH_59vPHnFpgLIs_FiGC59UPemKV6QODLU2Ael9URXYzZzMsYt5mPd8/s1600/blog8.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James and Ali wearing a jinbei and Ryu<br />
in a mens yukata.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Matsuri and Hanabi were the beginning of a spectacular and
unforgettable two weeks exploring Japan. The art is progressing and the blog posts
are coming along. It’s going to take a while to post about my 2 week adventure
as there is just so much to say, but keep checking my blog. Thankfully (in a
strange way) typhoon season (oh dear) is at our door step, ready to give
respite from the scorching heat of summer so hopefully my energy will return to
update this blog asap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-47694680424272404192013-08-10T21:31:00.000-07:002013-08-10T21:56:46.622-07:00<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ito is a seaside city well known for its sandy beaches, hot springs and
spectacular summer festivals. Every first Sunday of July, the city hosts the
Tarai-nori Kyoso, otherwise known as the wash tub boat race, on Matsukawa River, a fun and slightly wacky event that draws in
competitors and spectators from all around the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You may be thinking why? Well, the Japanese women of Ito city used
wooden tubs and wash boards to clean their laundry at Matsukawa River. When
these tools became outdated and replaced with washing machines, the people
decided to hold on to their tradition, by starting a tub race along the river.
The first race was held in 1956 and it has been organised yearly ever since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1idUV-YCT6IWKzV4cH5xFn9MVql4dxTbKqKQ_v9NqeoKYkyzhXhYCPXvJ0NJBSv9jlGxCn66QfZWaN0BnDoIpCKMR4nwLXbOfxiy6WHqNY2B7jcb2oTlUGQDZpR-LvjzIZ9-KmT8kgo0/s1600/1013484_10151455550746736_1631492044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1idUV-YCT6IWKzV4cH5xFn9MVql4dxTbKqKQ_v9NqeoKYkyzhXhYCPXvJ0NJBSv9jlGxCn66QfZWaN0BnDoIpCKMR4nwLXbOfxiy6WHqNY2B7jcb2oTlUGQDZpR-LvjzIZ9-KmT8kgo0/s1600/1013484_10151455550746736_1631492044_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryu and Junko representnig Japan, Jo-Jo representing the US, <br />
Cheryl representing Austrailia and Ali and I representing the UK!<br />
Go Team International!!!!! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 15pt;">Many people gather on the banks of the river to watch the contestants
steer the 1 metre in diameter, 30cm deep tubs along the 400 metre course, using
giant wooden spoons. Also, contestants usually dress up in themed costumes. Our
group decided to paint our faces with our national flags.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are about 35 races and if a group of you want to participate then
you need to sign up before the day. We only found out about the race a week
before so it was too late to sign up, but we were lucky enough to be given a
spare slot. Before the race there is a great atmosphere, all competitors mingle
about and many spectators love taking photos and chatting with you. When they
call up your race number, you walk out on to the walkway across the river with
the crowds cheering as they read out your name. Now, it sounds quite easy and
straight forward guiding you boat down the river, especially when the speed of
the water rarely goes above a snails pace. However, the boats are neither
streamline or stable and often fill with water and flip upside down. As many of
you know I am super competitive so trying to out-paddle the others without
falling out of the tub was pretty difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFDHChHZw35_UIwTb9Vfjc69rrYRQyTb_RsmgfPFB6Dw2FGCNcP-3ttqXeZSQyMrrWsaY5jklO5z7WC2lG24fDbLrFCP-0zbxiN1btTDCdNlDAXjtkx6TKF0vNHhDKrYisTbjEhA7fJQ/s1600/942353_10151455550946736_314749174_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFDHChHZw35_UIwTb9Vfjc69rrYRQyTb_RsmgfPFB6Dw2FGCNcP-3ttqXeZSQyMrrWsaY5jklO5z7WC2lG24fDbLrFCP-0zbxiN1btTDCdNlDAXjtkx6TKF0vNHhDKrYisTbjEhA7fJQ/s1600/942353_10151455550946736_314749174_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready. Set. Go!!! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SWU-truVpQKz79Hkj8qN1ABMXl09eazgRN-FdSkZ5lA28A6vSCoENd6cZ1G7Jjk1QbVhevAKSnUvFh5di4PwLHqlw7_j5iEvRkEIeroMtfRQWKMIRkZlQjcx6knPZEV-JI8H6-pMws0/s1600/1000125_10151455551291736_332073964_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SWU-truVpQKz79Hkj8qN1ABMXl09eazgRN-FdSkZ5lA28A6vSCoENd6cZ1G7Jjk1QbVhevAKSnUvFh5di4PwLHqlw7_j5iEvRkEIeroMtfRQWKMIRkZlQjcx6knPZEV-JI8H6-pMws0/s1600/1000125_10151455551291736_332073964_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I came a respectful third place</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">In fact, I fell in, my tub sank. Contestants are allowed to chase after
their tub and try and get back in and continue, but this was easier said than
done. I was all over the place. I </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">wasn't</span><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> the first to fall in; poor Ryu fell in
as soon as he got in his tub. It was surprisingly tiring paddling all the way
to the finish line but the crowds were laughing and cheering and it was a good
bit of light hearted fun. If you are in the area next year, I would strongly
recommend taking part. One of my favourite days in Japan yet.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh239XKjTa8mLJoNu9MtSAoZ8v6-EJiL_EJK-SmEOOFovTxdAwme26HMpe1-g8PYiBk8-DLl2PRL6iU9Crlv3dXAdxfGYgKEOoAwk1ByP8dfFajSQfI3be9noHIDDsgJNTZef56PPIodNs/s1600/1044631_10151756434447517_1821148575_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh239XKjTa8mLJoNu9MtSAoZ8v6-EJiL_EJK-SmEOOFovTxdAwme26HMpe1-g8PYiBk8-DLl2PRL6iU9Crlv3dXAdxfGYgKEOoAwk1ByP8dfFajSQfI3be9noHIDDsgJNTZef56PPIodNs/s1600/1044631_10151756434447517_1821148575_n.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">News article</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">Once the races were over, we wondered </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">down</span><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> to the beach for lunch and to relax. It was an unusually hot day for the time of the </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">year</span><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> and </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">down</span><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> on the </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">beach</span><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> was a film crew for the local news. We were asked if we didn't mind being filmed 'having fun in the sea.' So now we are famous. In fact, that day we were on the local news and in local papers a few times. Certainly stars in the making.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">In the afternoon we met a lovely Japanese family that owned a couple of jet skis and a banana boat. We were lucky enough to be allowed a go on the banana boat. They had so much fun trying to throw us off the banana boat!! I fell in three times, the third was more of a 'panic and jump off' moment as I thought the banana boat was tipping over. When the banana boat didn't tip over, I just looked rather silly! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMR7Ip15cmKsxg_44PgthAz-vT7EIAe-yv2T9qWOBor7neKs5AlM2OV2sg6UTSaMbDUVUa_6fhubna9NES_As-EMDeYwar1NZfLl3lnX2pJrBfjP3KsQzVwtHiHjRz4pQxYGHhzs1479o/s1600/994202_10153012040330245_338491765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMR7Ip15cmKsxg_44PgthAz-vT7EIAe-yv2T9qWOBor7neKs5AlM2OV2sg6UTSaMbDUVUa_6fhubna9NES_As-EMDeYwar1NZfLl3lnX2pJrBfjP3KsQzVwtHiHjRz4pQxYGHhzs1479o/s1600/994202_10153012040330245_338491765_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">We didn't know Cheryl or Jo-Jo before our day in Ito. In fact, Cheryl had contacted me via </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">Facebook</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> the night before responding to a </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">Facebook</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> post I made inviting anyone to come and join us. Travelling and living abroad has often been romanticised, making it seem effortless and easy, when in reality sometimes it can be hard. For me, I have realised the importance of having friends, particularly English speaking friends. Every day you are faced with having to try and overcome a language barrier, whether its in a shop or on the street. </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">Admittedly</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> you can overcome this by </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">studying</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> the Japanese language everyday, but some days you just need to have a good fun day without getting wires crossed.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> I love both Cheryl and Jo-Jo's passion for Japan and life, they have great enthusiasm and energy which is really infectious. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB3LiaDu6p1tbS642WDBRUtjLgSvX37oyyxjaV_6KP2l5wppzf2CwbdhPqLx5hpCpSAf748jy3YxYoERnmHX1uVAeYq2IQ1X4L5ZPEqXhhzv4BXsKaFmNlarx4-a35otF13YHvoW2eAg/s1600/1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB3LiaDu6p1tbS642WDBRUtjLgSvX37oyyxjaV_6KP2l5wppzf2CwbdhPqLx5hpCpSAf748jy3YxYoERnmHX1uVAeYq2IQ1X4L5ZPEqXhhzv4BXsKaFmNlarx4-a35otF13YHvoW2eAg/s1600/1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">To top off our day, my student, Hide-san invited Ali and I for dinner at his home in Ito. His </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">apartment</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> was truly amazing! Most Japanese homes are small and cramped, but Hide-sans home is modern, open and high-tech. His apartment is part of a luxury hotel in the mountains, so we were able to take </span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;">advantage</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"> of the free hotel spa facilities including a lovely onsen (hot springs). Later in the evening Hide-sans wife cooked an amazing Japanese dinner. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">Great day! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">I have been so busy this last month so the blogging went quiet. Now that my visitors have left I am getting back to the painting, drawing and blogging. I only have 4 months left now, and I am going to make the most of it!!! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;">Marion</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 15pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mfoUydf6lPY%2FUgcPdEyZh3I%2FAAAAAAAAANs%2FOJdxqtM0Xis%2Fs1600%2F1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB3LiaDu6p1tbS642WDBRUtjLgSvX37oyyxjaV_6KP2l5wppzf2CwbdhPqLx5hpCpSAf748jy3YxYoERnmHX1uVAeYq2IQ1X4L5ZPEqXhhzv4BXsKaFmNlarx4-a35otF13YHvoW2eAg/s1600/1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB3LiaDu6p1tbS642WDBRUtjLgSvX37oyyxjaV_6KP2l5wppzf2CwbdhPqLx5hpCpSAf748jy3YxYoERnmHX1uVAeYq2IQ1X4L5ZPEqXhhzv4BXsKaFmNlarx4-a35otF13YHvoW2eAg/s1600/1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB3LiaDu6p1tbS642WDBRUtjLgSvX37oyyxjaV_6KP2l5wppzf2CwbdhPqLx5hpCpSAf748jy3YxYoERnmHX1uVAeYq2IQ1X4L5ZPEqXhhzv4BXsKaFmNlarx4-a35otF13YHvoW2eAg/s1600/1005432_10153012040720245_388144231_n.jpg" -->Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-57751676922067300302013-07-11T23:05:00.002-07:002013-07-11T23:05:46.516-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A world record breaking day! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two weeks ago a few friends and I ventured to the base of Mt
Fuji, to Fuji-Q Highlands. Fuji-Q Highlands is one of Japans most popular theme
parks and is best known for its recorded holding roller coasters and elaborate,
thrilling rides and attractions. Since its establishment, the park has strived
to be at the forefront of theme park entertainment, and it is constantly
opening new rides. Approximately every five years, the park aims to build a new
record breaking ride. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZMdiau2q42W9ZURvoCe5EhjPcmHuYszH_GHFxJKt3yRAl8P_TxXmo0AnOWJXG4HznM56j59iXkGwBs3sZGIUb2L7E52vzDK2sXa4Sa6-xm8X4f6DxqexONJfiRwmrtwZtIXz-8eOtOo/s1600/1060289_10151689089281355_1681264073_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZMdiau2q42W9ZURvoCe5EhjPcmHuYszH_GHFxJKt3yRAl8P_TxXmo0AnOWJXG4HznM56j59iXkGwBs3sZGIUb2L7E52vzDK2sXa4Sa6-xm8X4f6DxqexONJfiRwmrtwZtIXz-8eOtOo/s1600/1060289_10151689089281355_1681264073_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We knew we were in for a good day!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Considering how popular the theme park is, it is very competitively
priced. We purchased a bus and ticket combination for 6 300 Yen (£40). We
jumped on a bus right outside Mishima station which took us right to the entrance
of the theme park ready for opening time (8:50am). </span>There is a pay as you go system for the rides, but you have to pay an entrance fee (1500 Yen - £10) and the big four are all 1000 Yen (£6.50) each so the cost starts to mount up.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alongside the world’s scariest ghost house, the park currently
has four major roller coasters (we did enjoy a few others, but they are not
worth blogging about to be honest!) with the majority of the rides designed to
give you a spectacular view of Mt Fuji. The
best view of Mt Fuji is at the top of Fujiyama, right before you drop 79 metres
at a 65 degree angle, followed by further big drops. It is the parks most
famous roller coaster and it is the centre piece attraction, and one of the
longest in the world so its keeps bringing the thrills. It continues to rank as
one of the best in the world. I think this picture shows how much we loved
it!!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXNF0850AtxZvgMUHe_TVd68SND2YOHq76yCXxXpmvcS_lVS4UkSYtT42uGTnjgyDU9c0FXrKrpdNj17RIFM5TRl8Tfi5qoG7Sdd8JZECUw0BQad6BxdTDbfDVC7UeMQTp7ZJU0EAj50/s1600/9047_10151740450712517_993449463_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXNF0850AtxZvgMUHe_TVd68SND2YOHq76yCXxXpmvcS_lVS4UkSYtT42uGTnjgyDU9c0FXrKrpdNj17RIFM5TRl8Tfi5qoG7Sdd8JZECUw0BQad6BxdTDbfDVC7UeMQTp7ZJU0EAj50/s1600/9047_10151740450712517_993449463_n.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fujiyama </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The photos taken whilst you are on the ride can be printed
of for a mere 500 Yen (£3.50), which I think is a bargain when you think the Alton
Towers likes to charge ridiculous amounts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next we went on Eejanaika, a “4<sup>th</sup> dimension”
roller coaster. It has the most inversions of any roller coaster in the world
and the seats rotate within the car. You
have nowhere to rest your feet, and it throws your body around like a pendulum.
First you start off being pulled up backwards, then straight down at 90 degrees
into a vertical drop, then it’s reversed, then a flip, then a corkscrew, and
anything else you can think of before you quickly come to a halt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a quick ice-cream stop, we dashed over to Takabisha.
It is the newest ride in the park and is the world’s steepest roller coaster
with a 121 degree free fall drop! You
start of in the dark and alongside the terrifying “nose dive” you also have to
endure many major twists and turns. This one is definitely not for the faint
hearted, and was for me the best ride. By the end, my hands were shaking! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM53alDXFwJOFNJ6VsOvh8ZZtOq67ndGNFLkfF-oMQ6dpQaTl85lGXHxzekEyUFYjI6dp5MlelkpHVQSDQbH0f_yo_VbL-98saCY42TAz43BBzI0koS2MhnyA9EK36MePwyGBgK8MTigs/s1600/1059228_10151689431601355_562321729_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM53alDXFwJOFNJ6VsOvh8ZZtOq67ndGNFLkfF-oMQ6dpQaTl85lGXHxzekEyUFYjI6dp5MlelkpHVQSDQbH0f_yo_VbL-98saCY42TAz43BBzI0koS2MhnyA9EK36MePwyGBgK8MTigs/s1600/1059228_10151689431601355_562321729_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eejanaika</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76gKqCQNZTaq9xfmUhMiOk8Gd_9ISGGptbp7zWz4QiFDDWxF-BJn0Qnvusxhh_WEuoyChblRSVTdL7BEy0ji4DzBzLCRRJgfB4e2WeQCi_9j7j1Fmy0J4y1W1z4piGDWiAiPkcuHEKmY/s1600/1058895_10151689559836355_371409239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76gKqCQNZTaq9xfmUhMiOk8Gd_9ISGGptbp7zWz4QiFDDWxF-BJn0Qnvusxhh_WEuoyChblRSVTdL7BEy0ji4DzBzLCRRJgfB4e2WeQCi_9j7j1Fmy0J4y1W1z4piGDWiAiPkcuHEKmY/s1600/1058895_10151689559836355_371409239_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takabisha</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was time for lunch, and the park offers many restaurants
and fast food options all of which are actually competitively priced. We grabbed a Moss Burger (American chain
burger restaurant) meal deal which included a huge burger, fries and a drink for
1000 Yen (£6.50). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We took a break from the big for and our next stop after
lunch was the ghost house which has been recognised by World Guinness Book of
Records as the scariest haunted house. We joined the 2 hour queue to enter the
haunted house this was nothing compared to the 5 hour wait it can get to in the
summer. It is a notoriously long wait
because they only let a few people in at a time to ensure the place </span>doesn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> become overrun with people and therefore ruin the experience, especially the
surprises.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGbRl9RgM44I6zdLaE8Ok2QYChkHd-95W9SehnXeiS4CzFdwCN0hNrO2ikOvT4CNoXW7qAAeFmS2j3QNeaKqoJkLyTi9e43_ffJk4eJlnoFFJRNmEP5B39_Oy_VJlDD0AUDhsfe-dpkE/s1600/1003275_265893086886307_502417155_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGbRl9RgM44I6zdLaE8Ok2QYChkHd-95W9SehnXeiS4CzFdwCN0hNrO2ikOvT4CNoXW7qAAeFmS2j3QNeaKqoJkLyTi9e43_ffJk4eJlnoFFJRNmEP5B39_Oy_VJlDD0AUDhsfe-dpkE/s1600/1003275_265893086886307_502417155_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queueing outside the haunted hospital </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a big, old hospital where those who enter have no
fixed route and can walk around freely. Before entering you are constantly
reminded not to attack or hit any of the actors that jump out at you. Now for
those who know how competitive and confident I am, this was very difficult.
Anyone who accidentally harms an actor is liable to pay their medical expenses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before embarking on your adventure through the hospital you
are shown a couple of rather creepy and gory video clips about the history of
the hospital. Each group is given a small touch and are allowed to enter the
hospital in intervals. Since I had the touch I became the point women, checking
the corners and various rooms filled with jars that had organs inside, rooms
with medical equipment etc. the place definitely had the look and feel of an
abandoned hospital. Dummy corpses were placed in random areas and air jets shot
out here and there. The actors are really good and had detailed make-up and were
often well hidden. Some actors had little instruments in their mouths that made
the strangest clicking noise. The best
was when one zombie actor crept up on Ali and breathed down his ear, none of us
heard him creeping up behind us!! They actors came up very close, but never
made physical contact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Half way through the hospital you have to give back your
touch, naturally rooms appeared much darker. The rooms were incredibly were designed
and really made you feel on edge, at one point you have to open a door and walk
down a very narrow corridor with doors on either side. It makes you think back
to the clip you are shown in the movie at the start, where patients are in the
corridor and desperately trying to get out of their cells. Finally you enter a big room, with sacks
hanging from the wall with “bodies” inside. Suddenly two zombies/patients chase
after you and you run through a door bringing you back to the entrance where
everyone is queuing to enter. Naturally, everyone is laughing at you screaming!
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Occasionally there were pink doors that said “retire”. These
were for anyone who felt they could no longer continue. Overall, great experience and worth a visit! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally we had one and a half hours until our bus left and
one last big ride to take on! The queue for the ride was one and a half hours
so obviously we risked it. Our bus was leaving at 5:10pm and at 5:03 we got on the
ride. Dodonpa is a world record holder for fastest acceleration.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxxxEVpTQrNXOb81UbSTo989y54U3vhzKfCLX7fjhjLXWPfTj0_9Agsk87Fc6g6A9KRwUj0Wgstxquj3J2x5OCleCQ96n5q5vo95TNVdwx6xjSliXrQmA-2p4a1gpkEi898dCXgYQ1rs/s1600/2728465706_6001b074f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxxxEVpTQrNXOb81UbSTo989y54U3vhzKfCLX7fjhjLXWPfTj0_9Agsk87Fc6g6A9KRwUj0Wgstxquj3J2x5OCleCQ96n5q5vo95TNVdwx6xjSliXrQmA-2p4a1gpkEi898dCXgYQ1rs/s1600/2728465706_6001b074f1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dodonpa</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1.8 seconds
you reach speeds of 172 km/h (106 miles per hour)! The suspense builds
as you listen to a countdown while waiting in the dark before shooting out screaming
at the top of your voice. Great ride, which resulted in losing my voice for a
couple of days!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At 5:07pm we got off the ride and ran through the park
perfectly making our bus on time! It was a great day, and I would highly
recommend a visit. Ride queues get extremely long in the summer, so take a risk
and go in the rainy season (hopefully on a day with no rain) when it’s a little
quieter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry for the lack of blogging recently, I have been
extremely busy and temperatures have risen to a crazy average of about 34-35
degrees so I tend to spend my time off trying to cool down! Last weekend I went
to Ito for a traditional tub race down the river, I am currently starting art
work for that and I will blog about it early next week!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a great weekend! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-74373573012555906982013-06-18T09:38:00.000-07:002013-06-18T09:40:41.013-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I think it’s time to say that celebrating my 22<sup>nd</sup>
Birthday is now over. My family have
always been there for me, they are very supportive and caring, but this last
week has really made me realise how many amazing friends I have. I received
many airmail packages and even a song by one of my bestests, Dan Steward. This
last week I have racked up the Skype hours and I have really enjoyed lengthy conversations
with my nearest and dearest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHu2m2V_qrz_yZxqPJUnuyIGYALuoHAm-E081m1kkVVGT_0JJtCHxxuVdCbwNjW45XVIp9J1SbIg7m0xELyU-jQwzFmGCoFUzhV2OEb_TmEBvznnRjgeN0Z8EE7b67zLfbj07UCFYpH0/s1600/P1090778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHu2m2V_qrz_yZxqPJUnuyIGYALuoHAm-E081m1kkVVGT_0JJtCHxxuVdCbwNjW45XVIp9J1SbIg7m0xELyU-jQwzFmGCoFUzhV2OEb_TmEBvznnRjgeN0Z8EE7b67zLfbj07UCFYpH0/s1600/P1090778.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shabu-Shabu </td></tr>
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This is my first and probably my last ever birthday in
Japan. I worked in the day time, but I enjoy my job so it wasn't bad at all. In fact it was my first day at a new kindergarten, and they all sang happy birthday to me which was so lovely. In the evening we went for shabu-shabu
(also spelt shyabu-shyabu). Essentially it is a Japanese hot pot consisting of
paper thin slices of raw meat and raw vegetables, cooked by each diner at the
table in a skillet. The skillet is full of boiling flavoured broth, and you
swish your meet into the broth for a few seconds, dip into a sauce and enjoy!
The name comes from the sound that is made as the meat is swishing through the
broth: ‘swish swish.’</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNhEwnQ9oqNUKKjMEaz3EtKufj_onfsIQlze0s9SRtPvq8ykOkNOfJEg4kjvhn_edt6BPvUbx_dJk0nhZFDsEOyBg1Pkx5KlChe8KzRkwpqIc4W5l-vsFhKuvmSOotXjBh2Kn-84lNO8/s1600/P1090779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNhEwnQ9oqNUKKjMEaz3EtKufj_onfsIQlze0s9SRtPvq8ykOkNOfJEg4kjvhn_edt6BPvUbx_dJk0nhZFDsEOyBg1Pkx5KlChe8KzRkwpqIc4W5l-vsFhKuvmSOotXjBh2Kn-84lNO8/s1600/P1090779.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My birthday cake</td></tr>
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For 3000 Yen, it was unlimited amounts of meat, vegetables, soft drinks and ice cream for 90 minutes. I ate far too much!!! And to top off the evening I enjoyed several different versions of happy birthday being sung to me by all the restaurant staff and my colleagues and I received a lovely birthday cake and card from the restaurant. It is a great sociable night out and often many Japanese people will serve shabu-shabu in their homes, particularly in the winter to warm you up. </div>
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I received many cards, more than I expected as many of my
family sent me birthday wishes before I left. I love getting cards, they mean
so much, especially when they contain little message inside as they always make
me smile!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHy3QtmQJbk6ZoEr03CDOA-yLZIS_q438sZAgmGYHzBi6Hs4YR8Z_D-WzDQ98kPFGsilEr2O3zEV-BJMMuIXpL1AUjD1JDZPNbH5KweUPxhN4o_8U9oRnFtniLlQvEOrcCd_1-MfRftmo/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHy3QtmQJbk6ZoEr03CDOA-yLZIS_q438sZAgmGYHzBi6Hs4YR8Z_D-WzDQ98kPFGsilEr2O3zEV-BJMMuIXpL1AUjD1JDZPNbH5KweUPxhN4o_8U9oRnFtniLlQvEOrcCd_1-MfRftmo/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My birthday cards hanging up in my room</td></tr>
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I particularly loved one from an adult student of mine. The card has a beautiful red and gold Japanese card on the front, which you can remove from the card and use on these hot and humid days. Inside was a lovely message: "Happy Birthday. I hope that you will have many more memorable experiences here with us." </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcnVX-TdpQoSxdVnZDkNiCc-FWiUBBRVIUAiNGSA4nxhyphenhyphenvMCq3UbLFEXcGkARNjUCRdW0gYUHd1v9T6SoPj-XXaaRBZdwGq0XlZPzMQDm2JDVrLrOG_Ppmxue8tkeNTb5LoggGLscc4I/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcnVX-TdpQoSxdVnZDkNiCc-FWiUBBRVIUAiNGSA4nxhyphenhyphenvMCq3UbLFEXcGkARNjUCRdW0gYUHd1v9T6SoPj-XXaaRBZdwGq0XlZPzMQDm2JDVrLrOG_Ppmxue8tkeNTb5LoggGLscc4I/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Origami lily and home-made card</td></tr>
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I also received several gifts, but my favourite are those with special meanings. James sent me a lovely couple of cards and an origami lily. Every year he has bought me lilies, as they are my favourite flowers and Lily is also my middle name. Obviously, getting fresh flowers to me this year was a little problematic, so he made it from paper instead! </div>
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I got an omamori <span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'MS Gothic'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">お守</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span>from
Stephen who is also a teacher here at Hosaka English Academy, it was a very
thoughtful gesture from him as I have always wanted one ever since he showed me
his omamori when I first arrived. Omamori's are Japanese amulets (charms) commonly
sold in religious sites (shrine or temple) often serving to provide various forms of luck or
protection. They should be carried around on ones person or tied to a backpack,
purse etc. and replaced each year to ward off bad luck from the previous year.
They should be treated with respect and the amulet should never be thrown away
in general waste, but returned to the place of purchase. This
particular Omamori was bought from Mishima Taisha, and provides protection; I
carry it with me every day.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHaAerkVlJll8brgrmJMgFF7a0htkIsT2n-XTOSvbldybbmEe8Ws5_XPeMdoOPOAi6Tf1b5-wqwpf5uI16Nw1uW32Q7HN2kMx0tr6EXlmvhUfN54Oaij5OYcrod2knN4SIEd5mYzPntA/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHaAerkVlJll8brgrmJMgFF7a0htkIsT2n-XTOSvbldybbmEe8Ws5_XPeMdoOPOAi6Tf1b5-wqwpf5uI16Nw1uW32Q7HN2kMx0tr6EXlmvhUfN54Oaij5OYcrod2knN4SIEd5mYzPntA/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omamori - providing protection</td></tr>
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<br />
Japanese names are usually written in Kanji, which are
characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation. I started to
get really interested in Kanji when a student of mine made me a little poster illustrating
a few of the possible Kanji for my name. I did not realise the complexity
involved in choosing Kanji for your name. A particular Kanji itself can have
multiple meanings and pronunciations, one name may have several possible
written forms and only one will be correct for a given individual.</div>
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The look of your kanji and also the amount of strokes in the
Kanji is very important. If there are too many or too little strokes in your
Kanji it is thought to bring bad look upon you. A student of mine told me last
week that they went to the courts to have his sons name in Kanji changed as a
Chinese fortune teller told them that he had one too many stokes in his name. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnntEDqaMrexA-lc-wGXUUnH6waxF0paXcvwvjFZpS9BDM_LcNObr6FEQR1HPSrX8FMvQDiuSTBIz5NmXEES6C6ybRVvAowXwKgi0U4iFixFfOy0_tQAXTc8k3ImcqLS65y6Dw42CrH-Q/s1600/P1090802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnntEDqaMrexA-lc-wGXUUnH6waxF0paXcvwvjFZpS9BDM_LcNObr6FEQR1HPSrX8FMvQDiuSTBIz5NmXEES6C6ybRVvAowXwKgi0U4iFixFfOy0_tQAXTc8k3ImcqLS65y6Dw42CrH-Q/s1600/P1090802.JPG" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanji for Marion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYVKN2Izt-eIaQIdFut6VvKdWNIWIBMiFyRSB_DTG9jP1xAvH_zA0feusGkMvnY9EyaTWHk-tKURDPxwyLePGGQIzNJqFB0FcfC7k0BNDOwL6vQd6OZK8YbR0-TeRKwdLIjghZ3I8458/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYVKN2Izt-eIaQIdFut6VvKdWNIWIBMiFyRSB_DTG9jP1xAvH_zA0feusGkMvnY9EyaTWHk-tKURDPxwyLePGGQIzNJqFB0FcfC7k0BNDOwL6vQd6OZK8YbR0-TeRKwdLIjghZ3I8458/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Hanko</td></tr>
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Anyway I have chosen the following Kanji it means Jasmine
(mari) and sound (on), it’s a complicated but visually pleasing Kanji, stable
and suited to my personality (so I am told). I now have my very own hand carved
Hanko with a big thanks to Sumie-san. It is a beautiful and traditional
Japanese gift which I will treasure for the rest of my life. Hankos are personal seals often
used instead of a signature; it is a small stamp bearing your name in kanji. For most things in everyday life such as
signing for a parcel, you will be fine just using a signature, but if you need
to open a bank account, transfer money, buy a house of get married you need
your own hanko. You don’t have to have a posh, hand carved hanko, you can just
buy them straight of the shelf but as a result it may hold a very different /peculiar
meaning. For example, Ali’s hanko means “turtle hill”. Ha.</div>
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And finally how can I forget all the chocolate, Dan, Lewys
and Ali you know me well! No more midnight cravings for me for a little while
and bye bye beach body. I must say the Terry's chocolate orange was gone straight away, but I am managing to pace myself with the rest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZdBfk1Mb7LVk0AHpsijwS_t9WUUuq_Y1QyPjEmpmAnqMOPkhhBVh8FNH5DhUOYBhWeNP9JOvJi8Z3xPB6_daZxAO1Eyi2Kb8wCG3S3bHJrV2HyujhSyoz5WRmRciPC4pfUg5d2EanqI/s1600/580408_10151704745357517_1661669751_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZdBfk1Mb7LVk0AHpsijwS_t9WUUuq_Y1QyPjEmpmAnqMOPkhhBVh8FNH5DhUOYBhWeNP9JOvJi8Z3xPB6_daZxAO1Eyi2Kb8wCG3S3bHJrV2HyujhSyoz5WRmRciPC4pfUg5d2EanqI/s1600/580408_10151704745357517_1661669751_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new camera </td></tr>
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<<< Oh and this camera was a little treat to myself! A bargain at £240
brand new, lens and warranty! I Love Japan.</div>
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I will do some art next week and update the blog. I have had
such a busy week that I haven’t had time to do a few sketches.</div>
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But once again, thank you to everyone who made my birthday
special. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Marion</div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-50023981509867662672013-06-09T08:41:00.002-07:002013-06-09T17:41:27.632-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail." Japan blends into fantasy, adventure, the future and the past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Setting my alarm for 4:00am meant only one thing...we were on our way to Disney Tokyo!! There are two main theme parks in the Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney Land and Disney Sea. We chose to go to Disney Sea for two main reasons, firstly this fantasy theme park is unique to Japan and secondly, it was designed to appeal to a more grown audience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We arrived at the park at 6:30am and set up camp outside the gates with hundreds of other people, ready for a 14 hour Disney filled day! As the gates lifted, everyone ran. Everyday the staff must line up and very politely tell all guests to slow down, there is no rush, but this doesn't stop the early morning manic scramble to be first on the attractions. Ali and I ran straight onto Tower of Terror! I went on this ride with my Dad in Disney World Florida about 10 years ago and it bought back some great memories! It was certainly just as good as I remembered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No wo</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nder everyone ran at the start of the morning, by midday, queues were up to 160 minutes long! The resort do have a clever ticket system which I strongly advice you must use if you ever visit the resort, I don't think many people actually knew about it. Its called a fastpass, there is no extra cost and it is designed to minimise the amount of time waiting in line. All you have to do is, go to a fastpass ticket machine near the entrance of the attraction you want to go on, insert your ticket and then return at the time shown on your ticket and enjoy without waiting. Now, as far as roller coasters go, they didn't exactly satisfy my adrenaline needs, however, there is so much to do and see from 4D virtual experiences to steam boat rides, to west end Broadway shows to parades and light shows.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzor8QBrYVGaealDb8UXPzE9-Zem0FU0coyDI-aiOMThkNJESvMwukjCFUUKe_9sa7GJSk8Y7X5iUK3FH-yK2RUoksPoa7NwzQLSVjUTMyuox1nj7Yztqwo2IAktOkPKT6k-zKjubego/s1600/484776_10151684821932517_1382791482_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzor8QBrYVGaealDb8UXPzE9-Zem0FU0coyDI-aiOMThkNJESvMwukjCFUUKe_9sa7GJSk8Y7X5iUK3FH-yK2RUoksPoa7NwzQLSVjUTMyuox1nj7Yztqwo2IAktOkPKT6k-zKjubego/s1600/484776_10151684821932517_1382791482_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The park is inspired by the myths and legends of the sea and it is made up of seven themed ports of call: Mediterranean Harbour, Mystery Island, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery and American Waterfront. I absolutely loved the Mediterranean Harbour, it is styled like Venice and you can get on a gondola and sail on the canals. The parks aesthetics are incredible; no detail is overlooked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you actually felt out of place if you weren't wearing something Disney, so purchasing Minnie Mouse ears was a must. I just love how enthusiastic everyone is in the park, Japanese people in particular love Disney. Some take it to the extreme, many people were loaded with that much Disney apparel I mistook them for walking Disney memorabilia sellers. Whenever I ask my students (children and adults) how many times have you been to Disney? I always get a similar answer... "too many, I can't even count." Even the staff are super happy all the time, many individuals are employed to wave to guests as they enter the park, how do they do that day-in-day-out...?! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDj0xkRbmK5ycLbn_I-dWBJWpmgkxd2z1xxMVN90ER1UCLnLDMgF0LbgUnZInXjJgw008hLwLklaZf2nFEgW3IeybaRbS7gVaY0V_zcjXkjIAUmtzvF5WeJ-a3999RYZDwOKI5DeM3Aw/s1600/P1090796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDj0xkRbmK5ycLbn_I-dWBJWpmgkxd2z1xxMVN90ER1UCLnLDMgF0LbgUnZInXjJgw008hLwLklaZf2nFEgW3IeybaRbS7gVaY0V_zcjXkjIAUmtzvF5WeJ-a3999RYZDwOKI5DeM3Aw/s1600/P1090796.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Incredible, Ali and I in cartoon form </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is one of my favourite photos from the day. We met many Disney characters, and I wanted to paint a cartoon image of us with a character. I think it's turned out pretty well! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3bvFRiDCXScbEVNfpvM8AjD21umN1CYs-iJA9yol0GvOytIFDD85JZU3AUojtdU8qoKFpmmL1rJgDSxXwKPLDWwxS8jLc45ugYnZuI3HcXqPZowcaunxdsof9z20nDolJbeohR28LJ0/s1600/970677_10151686612462517_535067498_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3bvFRiDCXScbEVNfpvM8AjD21umN1CYs-iJA9yol0GvOytIFDD85JZU3AUojtdU8qoKFpmmL1rJgDSxXwKPLDWwxS8jLc45ugYnZuI3HcXqPZowcaunxdsof9z20nDolJbeohR28LJ0/s1600/970677_10151686612462517_535067498_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7842VFz97ETssNpIB7F3_ahqLerpWj2q3_WzlbmcRdMnGjPCl-MNFUU1S-lWfHnjlyZfs1zDwvvWD98vB0AWerdFsz_M-ucKReCp2ddzIsT-n40bCJbG25lGPhByPNKgFcRYdnTZydg/s1600/401891_10151684823322517_1457405337_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7842VFz97ETssNpIB7F3_ahqLerpWj2q3_WzlbmcRdMnGjPCl-MNFUU1S-lWfHnjlyZfs1zDwvvWD98vB0AWerdFsz_M-ucKReCp2ddzIsT-n40bCJbG25lGPhByPNKgFcRYdnTZydg/s1600/401891_10151684823322517_1457405337_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SRn8YCQsMZozO_Jcv1SQyh-P8cXxNjF4jWj0fTqB0eMJ15Erg5XohIuueetJp_62cjFPvIGL8QHXhxZc8xaxKkn97WAym3ZKq1ngP0sjnk-8hDdKaXpPTcXThY7Y-EVPylsgonh_M6o/s1600/425068_10151684820892517_2083681995_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SRn8YCQsMZozO_Jcv1SQyh-P8cXxNjF4jWj0fTqB0eMJ15Erg5XohIuueetJp_62cjFPvIGL8QHXhxZc8xaxKkn97WAym3ZKq1ngP0sjnk-8hDdKaXpPTcXThY7Y-EVPylsgonh_M6o/s1600/425068_10151684820892517_2083681995_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmmiriLM02lhzRx7JA321dEyGqzYM-r59d35SkVHcIltk2cmgGebdV4dSA71M8-_SHviUkC32OOKlgF3sFqZnFzbbJRq47neXoz82KToB1AZqKtrwsFVRO-o3Aou-GECCjx1akf_SANw/s1600/425253_10151684824002517_835018326_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmmiriLM02lhzRx7JA321dEyGqzYM-r59d35SkVHcIltk2cmgGebdV4dSA71M8-_SHviUkC32OOKlgF3sFqZnFzbbJRq47neXoz82KToB1AZqKtrwsFVRO-o3Aou-GECCjx1akf_SANw/s1600/425253_10151684824002517_835018326_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisbD0ONPWjl_n-MdRW_1duq7FSSMyRl4DVL_h4xDkGFliJQHwz3RCP_oCXzwom9eF_OgPCiAJS0_kWnB139e22xb0zj2KvYPV-PfchJWQbiiJiJ4OsMUzfE9V7ovujlh82NKuemDE2EQ/s1600/941410_10151684824172517_1044535635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisbD0ONPWjl_n-MdRW_1duq7FSSMyRl4DVL_h4xDkGFliJQHwz3RCP_oCXzwom9eF_OgPCiAJS0_kWnB139e22xb0zj2KvYPV-PfchJWQbiiJiJ4OsMUzfE9V7ovujlh82NKuemDE2EQ/s1600/941410_10151684824172517_1044535635_n.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Filled with special effects using gigantic water screens, lasers, lights and fire, it really is spectacular, and they don't half belt out the good old Disney tunes to get the thousands and thousands of people going.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disney is not much good for those of you over 6ft 3, all rides have lower and upper height restrictions, so sorry James, looks like Disney can't cope with your 6ft 6 handsome self. Ticket prices are actually not too expensive. A day pass into DisneySea cost just over 6000 Yen (£38). Considering you pay that to get into a theme park in the UK I think its reasonable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without sounding cheesy, Disney is a place where people of all ages can enjoy the magic through Walt Disney. Enjoy a gondola ride, a ride on a broken lift, a 4D virtual experience or a simple leisurely stroll. Enjoy salted popcorn, curry popcorn, pepper popcorn, milk tea popcorn or toffee popcorn whilst a parade passes or fireworks light up the sky. For me, it was a day of nostalgia, excitement, exploration and fun and I loved all 14 hours of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you have enjoyed my Disney blog post! Thank you for all the lovely birthday messages, cards, presents, etc. I had a very special day! I will be writing a post early this week about me birthday weekend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marion</span><br />
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-16916261735101300062013-05-29T09:17:00.000-07:002013-07-15T21:28:39.015-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lots of creative evenings, one
sore hand and one hour’s wages later, and all my hand painted post cards are
finished and in the post! My postcards are being sent all over the world from Hawaii to England, from Spain to America. I really hope they brighten your day, and who knows
one day I may become famous (I wish!!) so treasure it… just in case. I am
really looking forward to some replies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLeBUvt-E7mxuRrCs3jkXfmJSU5DvkRth59HPGIhCjCJtdqNr5SuH5gMM4LpLEFnFa5uTPDhCfaHVszzjOxTIw82NVyIuqGRG2MHX6HsdWef1Delp_ZW4NeX2nUQc1UiItS3Of4JnYlY/s1600/P1090751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLeBUvt-E7mxuRrCs3jkXfmJSU5DvkRth59HPGIhCjCJtdqNr5SuH5gMM4LpLEFnFa5uTPDhCfaHVszzjOxTIw82NVyIuqGRG2MHX6HsdWef1Delp_ZW4NeX2nUQc1UiItS3Of4JnYlY/s1600/P1090751.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand painted postcards - all written and in the post!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My birthday is fast approaching
and over the last few days I have come home to an air mail package each day; it
is the best feeling ever! I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and
family. So if anyone fancies sending a little note or even stretch those
pennies to buy an English chocolate bar (milkyway, terry’s chocolate orange,
kinder beuno) I would love you forever. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Japans most iconic image sits right on my door step,
the now dormant volcano is a spectacular sight to wake-up to every morning. I
was treated to a wonderful day out last week with Sumie-san and Noriko-san
around Fuji Go-Ko (Fuji Five Lakes) and Shibazakura. To start off our girl’s
day, I was treated to a delicious brunch at a local bakery; I had a delightful slice
of pizza followed by a blueberry and cream cheese pastry. It really reminded me
of home as James likes to eat at least 4 pastries a day!! We then stopped off
to say hello to Sumie-sans late father and mother. Both lived well into their
90s, and before they passed away they asked Sumie-san to always pop by when the
flowers are in full bloom, so we did just that! This is a picture of the
flowers in full bloom nearby the cemetery. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh069nzyUsjFl3WAuoyT6-6Yuvf3ProaNRpPUyZV1GZHMsLtX2YCBVYMX2b3ZhySz8O61Fng3M2wFHvyKf81zS-9rXb1qgvdbGspz8Z_YRU4nCqjNnCmRuqmbLf8AnvBaETb8MgaAi7rxU/s1600/485569_581712028517724_1517984040_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh069nzyUsjFl3WAuoyT6-6Yuvf3ProaNRpPUyZV1GZHMsLtX2YCBVYMX2b3ZhySz8O61Fng3M2wFHvyKf81zS-9rXb1qgvdbGspz8Z_YRU4nCqjNnCmRuqmbLf8AnvBaETb8MgaAi7rxU/s1600/485569_581712028517724_1517984040_n.jpg" height="640" width="356" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we headed towards Fuji Go-Ko,
our travels took us through Aokigahara, also known as the sea of trees or
suicide forest. It’s a 35 kilometre forest that lies at the North West base of
Mt Fuji. It is a very dense forest and as a result many people get lost in this
forest, it is very difficult to get out as you lose all sense of direction and
complicating matters further is the common experience of compasses being rendered
useless by the rich deposits of magnetic iron in the areas volcanic soil. Why
people commit suicide there is unknown, many unravel tape so that others might
recover the bodies, some change their minds, however, and use the tape to navigate
themselves back out of the dense forest. From its parameters it seems like such a beautiful vast forest, but it hides a rather haunting history. Although we only briefly passed
through if you know the history of this forest it sends shivers down your spine.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Fuji Go-ko region is a post-card like area around Japans northern foothills; its lakes act
as natural reflecting pools for the mountains perfect cone. The largest of the
lakes is Yamanaka-ko, followed by Kawaguchi-ko, Sai-ko, Shoji-ko (the smallest)
and Motosu-ko (the deepest). Whilst on our way to the Shibazakura festival, we
did a whistle stop tour of the lakes, they were beautiful and they make a great
overnight trip, for leisurely strolling, hiking and relaxing. I plan on exploring the lakes before climbing up Mt Fuji in July so I will give some more detail on the lakes later on in the year.</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFh5If_jaXYJnTKw0Yqc5iKcuyApLJpmQlmQ5epqwfdu1BVVQ1FAXO1CQz_XG9BUZWz2SsPEHBcBsLnSxbYyrwlZmNUOkUE5GlDfAw_bJQPS2PxDNuL8jC4W4pzxyeyiWUYURkIFcwMQ/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFh5If_jaXYJnTKw0Yqc5iKcuyApLJpmQlmQ5epqwfdu1BVVQ1FAXO1CQz_XG9BUZWz2SsPEHBcBsLnSxbYyrwlZmNUOkUE5GlDfAw_bJQPS2PxDNuL8jC4W4pzxyeyiWUYURkIFcwMQ/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a><br />
You may have seen many picture perfect postcard photos where a snow capped Mt Fuji is framed by a lush carpet of red, pink and purple shibazakura or moss pink as far as the eye can see. If you are looking for a destination to enjoy the beautiful spring scenes, one of the best spots to view shibazakura is located near Lake Motosu at the foot of Mt Fuji. Fuji Shibazakura Matsuri is currently held at the Fuji Motosuko Resort in Fujikawaguchiko-town, Yamanashi until June 2nd 2013. The best time to visit it is usually mid-April when the flowers are in full bloom. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRyDS-5xPS7bjkyBaV-9GuocVMoNA1HvQv7u-7y-ylEy_P40Y7L2SyVbf4WYOK4-zaLaoP2yIbHIxM9R0MzBq3gZtLiGxsyKU4oaXF5jruTHd6pmC2kCvl3gfKu4vjwEbz3fiFQ4ThFw/s1600/309898_581711981851062_362529882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRyDS-5xPS7bjkyBaV-9GuocVMoNA1HvQv7u-7y-ylEy_P40Y7L2SyVbf4WYOK4-zaLaoP2yIbHIxM9R0MzBq3gZtLiGxsyKU4oaXF5jruTHd6pmC2kCvl3gfKu4vjwEbz3fiFQ4ThFw/s1600/309898_581711981851062_362529882_n.jpg" height="400" width="223" /></a>Whilst enjoying the beautiful surroundings, you can tuck into some traditional delicacies. Some famous local dishes from the area are Yoshida udon (a thick and firm noodle based dish, in a broth with cabbage) and Fujinomiya yajishoba (noodles cooked on a hot plate and served with cabbage and pork) both are healthy, tasty, hearty and simple. I tried both and they were delicious. For something sweet, try sakura-flavoured roll cake or shibazakura manju both are very popular treats. Wash it all down with a glass of pure spring water from Mt Fuji, which is known for its healing qualities and purity. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Entrance is 500 Yen, and many shuttle
buses run from local train’s stations including Kawaguchiko sation and Shinjuko
station. I have painted this scene for many of my postcards and its definitely
worth a day out to.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last weekend I went to Disney, so
lookout for my next post about Disney Sea Tokyo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope all my British readers had a great bank holiday
weekend, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13pt;">Marion</span>Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-26653178575770811182013-05-18T09:20:00.000-07:002013-05-20T06:02:46.389-07:00<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that I have been
teaching for almost two months, I feel that I can finally give a little insight
into my role as a teacher in Japan. I hope I may entice you to come out here
and teach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My mum said that she
thought I was always born to be a teacher, and I think this becomes more
apparent to me every day. Usually to teach in Japan your mother tongue needs to
be English, you need a university degree and a teaching qualification of some
sort is desired but not essential. You require a working visa in order to work
and earn money in Japan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hear that most
teaching positions will come with an apartment or small house already organised
for you, rent prices vary. This was the case for me; I have also been given a bicycle so I can
get from school-to-school easily. I usually work about 25-28 hours a week. Whilst I won't state my own personal wage, wages
are good in Japan, you can live comfortably every day,
travel Japan and hopefully go home with some savings (this depends on how luxuriously you live your life in Japan). I did a quick bit of research into teaching figures and on average teachers earn about 3
000 Yen an hour in Japan. Say this is £20 an hour you can do about half the hours of a
standard working week in the UK (40 hours) and earn the same as a basic salary
of £20 000 in the UK. But you do have to up roots away from family and friends
and the best way children will learn English is with an English speaking teacher. However, my motivation to come here was not
about money, but the experience of teaching and also immersing myself into
another culture. Having worked in recruitment, I strongly believe that you should
never do a job because of the money. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Private language
schools for English are known as eikaiwa. Often teachers will teach private
lessons and are also contracted out into kindergartens, primary schools
and private companies. This is my case. I work for a private language school
(Hosaka English Academy), and students range from kindergarten to adults and
working shifts range from day to evenings shifts. My earliest lesson of the day
is 11:00am, which are always my adult’s lessons. Many of my adult’s lessons are
free conversation classes; I often talk about our week, recent news articles,
hobbies and interest. I really love these classes it’s a great way to learn
about adults and even ask about the best places to travel in Japan. My students
love to give me travel tips and advice, so it’s a great opportunity to find out
about those secret Japanese gems which are off the tourist track, ready for my
big summer adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, one of my
private adult lessons this week inspired me to do my next piece of art. My student
is now retired and enjoys going to art lessons. Unlike my art he does quick 5
minute watercolour paintings with ink which is applied using a either chop
sticks or bamboo. I have a wonderful network of friends and family at home and some
for various reasons are unable to read my blog, so I am sending 15 family members
and friends at home a home made postcard. This time I have used water colour
straight from the tube, and each is done within 5 minutes. I think they turned
out quite well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrwyn5xPZ2jA7QOiY23mBDbaAltPPZta5qzJPLUjkMxbFxyXnEiuAI2EUSprKlBK7RJbkuj0KC3NfEnEK4WOKT061Sgg3zzJJvof2PT2DqvxLE4nJtVt6Me-_WpgICUem-lLf6w1F6fY/s1600/P1090547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrwyn5xPZ2jA7QOiY23mBDbaAltPPZta5qzJPLUjkMxbFxyXnEiuAI2EUSprKlBK7RJbkuj0KC3NfEnEK4WOKT061Sgg3zzJJvof2PT2DqvxLE4nJtVt6Me-_WpgICUem-lLf6w1F6fY/s1600/P1090547.JPG" height="640" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 minute water colour and pen sketch of a temple in Ueno Park, Tokyo. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZwu_qoR9PW_E8-P9BuEHDrHGKnBjfFfDy71SZpPB-acJFTy-pYyJf9Pe25J3NstHTvzqHC6WH8SdWI-Yurm1bky88OmX8F_qEv1KJz-6TGBcjCC5WnetfaGjjTqcio0WG3CClAS9xUI/s1600/P1090550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZwu_qoR9PW_E8-P9BuEHDrHGKnBjfFfDy71SZpPB-acJFTy-pYyJf9Pe25J3NstHTvzqHC6WH8SdWI-Yurm1bky88OmX8F_qEv1KJz-6TGBcjCC5WnetfaGjjTqcio0WG3CClAS9xUI/s1600/P1090550.JPG" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 minute water colour and pen sketch of My Fuji from Numazu (my home city)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I have mentioned
in a couple of posts, giving gifts to teachers is quite common. This week I have
received a few lovely gifts as a little token, and it really brightens my day.
When I go on my summer trip around Japan, I hope to buy a few little goodies in
return.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After my 1 hour
morning class, my main teaching day begins around 4:00-5:00pm. I usually have
about 4-5 hours teaching in the evening depending on the day, and most classes
are children (16 years old and younger). Children are grouped depending on
their ability and class sizes are small, the biggest group class I teach is 4. A
teaching year is April to April, and you are teaching the same topics e.g.
family members, phonics and actions over and over again to engrave it in their
memories. These classes are always different; obviously every child is
different so some classes are very energetic and fast paced whereas others are
more reserved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am also sent to different kindergartens across the city. I absolutely love these classes. The
class sizes are much larger (up to 30 children) compared to the private/ group
classes. I literally threw myself into it from day one; there is no way you can
afford to be shy in front of 30 kindergarten children. The more of a clown you are, the more
they will think you are the best teacher. Every week I try to use big animated
expressions, silly noises and voices, dancing and songs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have learned that you
really have to be enthusiastic and eager to teach, and you certainly can’t have
an off day in teaching because it effects the children’s education and ability
to learn. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course at times it
can be frustrating when a child can’t pronounce ‘a’ properly or ‘the.’ Patience
is a virtue. It’s about repetition constantly, this requires patience’s because
you are doing the same thing over and over again. But I found that you have fun
and they learn more if you actually spend time thinking of new games or activities
for each month otherwise it is boring for the children and productivity
declines as time goes on.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have fun!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Best tip I have
learnt yet: if you are playing a game and you can’t decide who won the point, scissor,
paper, rock solves everything! Promise! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I personally do not
find this job stressful at all, it’s a rewarding job where you meet really
interesting people and learn a lot. I admit that there are days where I miss my
family and friends, and particularly my very supportive boyfriend of almost 4
years James, not every day is going to be ‘the dream.’ There is no standard 'teaching in Japan' experience, each experience is different and everyone can
look forward to a unique role within a workplace. Whilst I cannot compare this
experience to teaching in another country, I can genuinely say you would not be
disappointed teaching in Japan. I hope that I can give a little insight that
may help if you are considering moving our here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a lovely
evening,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Marion <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">P.s If anyone wants a </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">home-made</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> postcard let me know! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-27665293320812600962013-05-10T10:34:00.001-07:002013-06-09T09:43:15.346-07:00<br />
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Tokyo! </div>
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Chaotic yet organised, hyper-modern yet utterly classic,
garish yet demure, unique yet unquestionably Japanese. Tokyo is always ahead of
the pack, it’s certainly a city like no other. From reclaiming miles of swamp
land to transforming war-torn areas into ultra-modern skyscraper districts,
Tokyo hungers for improvement, which has resulted in the modern tapestry unlike
anywhere else in the world. The construction of the Sky Tree was completed in
May 2012 and it is one of the latest additions to mark the skyline. It is now
the tallest free standing broadcasting tower in the world, standing at a
whopping 634 metres. </div>
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The Japanese have recently just finished Golden Week which
is a collection of four national holidays within seven days. In combination
with well-placed weekends, the Golden Week becomes one of Japan's busiest
holiday seasons. Visiting Tokyo seemed like the best idea for our holiday. We
will be travelling against the crowds as most people flock to the countryside
and sea leaving the bustling city behind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We arrived in Tokyo, and tackling the subway was the first
step. Now, it is quite straight forward once you get used to it, although please
note that there are private lines and subway lines, if you mix your journey
using the two different networks your fare will soon get rather expensive. So
if you start your journey on the private line, stay on the private line to your
location or buy a buy as you go card (like the Oyster card in London).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtOotu7k7v6545iPnnjhrMnck3T2co6VdT-yIKUePaZpD_j367WzNYMab7DJRXXxMxBWUFCN0_jxW4Vb98UOFD8TWrn6LiDj76LRlBJ9FBGxG3rTW8vTOtSZhNboPEl6EfSsFotWlMEg/s1600/P1090533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtOotu7k7v6545iPnnjhrMnck3T2co6VdT-yIKUePaZpD_j367WzNYMab7DJRXXxMxBWUFCN0_jxW4Vb98UOFD8TWrn6LiDj76LRlBJ9FBGxG3rTW8vTOtSZhNboPEl6EfSsFotWlMEg/s1600/P1090533.JPG" height="271" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lantern at Asakusa and The Sky Tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have used the subway map as a background to a couple of
sketches of the Sky Tree (as it’s pretty hard to miss it) and also the large
lanterns at Asakusa (as it was my favourite place in Tokyo). <o:p></o:p></div>
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We stayed in a capsule hotel called the Capsule inn
Kinishicho. I have always thought it is something you must do in Japan!! Why not?!
It is difficult to find a capsule hotel that will accept females, as most are
for men only as they are designed to accommodate business men that have missed
the last train home. The capsule was very cheap considering the great location,
for two nights it was 6000 Yen (roughly £40), there was a common room, WIFI,
good washing facilities and all products (shampoo etc.) provided. It was very
comfortable and not too cramped at all. We did opt for the capsule cabin, which
we assume is slightly larger than the normal capsule. If you are going to Tokyo
its definitely worth it, there is so much to do in Tokyo you will only need
somewhere to rest your eyes for a couple of hours, the city never stops. I
would definitely recommend this capsule hotel too, great location – I had a
great view of the Sky Tree from our balcony, English speaking staff, easy
access by JR line and subway, male and female accommodation and cheap prices.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3DD_uXLvBr1yCtKZdFgXseHWAL7L9hmNVqA1OpVC7pjY62ZGp56M8z5Ar1EnsSKnKgcoLZYihOUzNm-rZMC0Nr0IJVvCWD3Fs9s5vpefAmc3mAC4lO-YxX3gzvTrCFalVZnzZS16zto/s1600/capsule+hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3DD_uXLvBr1yCtKZdFgXseHWAL7L9hmNVqA1OpVC7pjY62ZGp56M8z5Ar1EnsSKnKgcoLZYihOUzNm-rZMC0Nr0IJVvCWD3Fs9s5vpefAmc3mAC4lO-YxX3gzvTrCFalVZnzZS16zto/s1600/capsule+hotel.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capsule hotel with a view!!! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There is just so much to do in Tokyo! On Friday we went to
the Imperial Palace and strolled around the beautiful gardens. It seems like
the perfect place to start your sightseeing, located right in the centre of Tokyo;
it’s open to the public in daylight hours and is free to get in. We also visited
Akihabara also known as electric city! It is district famous for its electric shops;
it has more recently gained recognition for anime and manga, with many
establishments lining the streets. It is definitely worth hunting for a good
bargain on electronics. We saw many weird and wonderful shops, whether you find
the lights tacky, garish or beautiful this is a great district to visit and
easily accessible by subway or JR line (local line).</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We visited a couple of restaurants, but I would highly
recommend the vending machine restaurants. You put in your money, select your
dish (pictures are provided so it makes things so much easier for travellers)
and sit at your table. About 5 minutes later, a freshly cooked meal (usually rice
or noddle based) is brought to you. It is so cheap, a large bowl of ramen
(noodles and meat in a stock) may set you back 400-500 Yen (£3.50) and it’s
delicious. Get away from the tourist
traps and down a small ally… you will find all the gems. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After visiting a local bar, my first night in the capsule
was… interesting. I banged my head on the in-built TV, and my toes slightly
poked out the end of the curtain. I am tall for an English girl, so these Asia
sized capsules were snug. I seemed to struggle with the lift most of all,
getting many weird looks as I tried to get off at the men’s floor several
times!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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On Saturday we decided to spend most of the day in Ueno
Park, this park is home to a wonderful conglomeration of museums, shrines and
seated areas. It is also the most popular site for hanami (blossom viewing) in
early to mid-April. Museums include Tokyo National Museum, Shitamachi Museum, National
Science Museum, National Museum of Western Art and much more. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tokyo zoo is also based in Ueno. It was Greenary Day (4<sup>th</sup>
May) so entrance was free, although usually it costs only 600 Yen. Greenary Day is a
national holiday in Japan, the day was originally created to celebrate the Emperor Shōwas
birthday, but following his death it was changed to Greenary Day, a day to
appreciate nature. The zoo was packed!! Whilst the others went to the Science
Museum I decided to visit a small university art gallery, visit a few more shrines (all have free entry), and go back into the zoo later in the afternoon to join
the 90 minute queue to see the world famous giant pandas. Thankfully and
luckily a park ranger told me to walk with him to the front of the queue, so
there was no waiting for me! There were many other animals, my favourite being the
polar bear!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeAW0ld3cDYEHOZYQ2pSFF_H6reDjhOVabj8xMfpqWnP0rHYXJ-IYCsMJ41qVmkAj7I0-8jhkvFY2E03Jc7whR1fvqs3ny6S5fJVu6v4RV6sAW2zjWH7fIxrnvbx3z-ygj5kciw2CiRs/s1600/P1090415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeAW0ld3cDYEHOZYQ2pSFF_H6reDjhOVabj8xMfpqWnP0rHYXJ-IYCsMJ41qVmkAj7I0-8jhkvFY2E03Jc7whR1fvqs3ny6S5fJVu6v4RV6sAW2zjWH7fIxrnvbx3z-ygj5kciw2CiRs/s1600/P1090415.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Panda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zab3fwn_NzGCIxXcZ8AW8oxz7DO3PdoKXd4KCV2xX_aN59adYHwuOyDZQWIfb-uf_A6H6v99BFwD1AK6VcWMbpRGWFYn41r62lS2cKdf9MpT9_mU6J2Rie0ZHvkAFh9AAMkKvZG6h68/s1600/P1090419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zab3fwn_NzGCIxXcZ8AW8oxz7DO3PdoKXd4KCV2xX_aN59adYHwuOyDZQWIfb-uf_A6H6v99BFwD1AK6VcWMbpRGWFYn41r62lS2cKdf9MpT9_mU6J2Rie0ZHvkAFh9AAMkKvZG6h68/s1600/P1090419.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The polar bear was loving the camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Later that afternoon we visited Asakusa (close to our
capsule hotel and the sky tree). The area is most famous for the Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple. It is Tokyos
oldest temple.<br />
<br />
When you approach the temple, you first enter through the
Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate). A shopping street called Nakamise leads from the
outer gate to the temples second gate, the Hozomon. You can buy typical Japanese
souvenirs such as folding fans and tapestries to various local traditional
snacks. Beyond the Hozomon stands the temples main hall, a huge lantern hangs
from the temple and the area is engulfed with the scent of incense burning.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I did get a group of about 10 lads asking to take my photo
whilst I walked around, I have no idea why? Maybe they just thought that I was
funny looking and tall! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After tasting a few local treats, we walked back to our
capsule hotel for a quick break and to get ready for a night in Shibuya on the
West side of Tokyo. Shibuya is loud, and the centre for young teenagers and
adults to hang out. Swarms of local people mill about all times of the day. The
areas centre piece is the famous Shibuya crossing. It is one of the world’s
busiest intersections, with an estimated 100 000 people passing through every
hour. It is so worth just stopping for a moment and getting a bird’s eye view
of the crossing (maybe from the Starbucks which is located on the crossing). As
the lights go green, thousands of people cross, and there is no point in
following the zebra crossings, just go for it before the lights turn red again!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fEBe-e278EKjZpVXTSIsGeEyXD8U9G6xj8yGYdxHOJDW3KrnwYS3ZF6zYMtyMhP2GrD0gQpqeLyKEC3XPf5-CjZCsF3KL8REbhvZuTNOO2W1pOvIfa5rK1sXU-t-J-_RYIANBOa5oxQ/s1600/P1090434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fEBe-e278EKjZpVXTSIsGeEyXD8U9G6xj8yGYdxHOJDW3KrnwYS3ZF6zYMtyMhP2GrD0gQpqeLyKEC3XPf5-CjZCsF3KL8REbhvZuTNOO2W1pOvIfa5rK1sXU-t-J-_RYIANBOa5oxQ/s1600/P1090434.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ali and I at <span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Senso-ji temple</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We had pizza for dinner, and decided to venture slightly off
the beaten track into the small alley ways to find a watering hole. Now a top
tip in Tokyo is to walk down the main straight and then take a few small
streets off and you will find somewhere half the price than the main street. We
went to a tiny little bar, 400 Yen for a drink! Now I enjoyed it, until Ali
spilt my drink all over me! Ha. But he bought me two more drinks in return, so
a result in my eyes.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
I painted one of the streets in Shibuya, the area is just so
vibrant, full of life, colour, sounds! I have tried to capture this in my
painting.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABSCSQIaZXfilqJQ8vemuVZVERcyJPc6BCYrrVZpZ_3ClpI8tSjPdHaoM_9WEKaS6bZ2rnSzgP4PJGqyzt4kau06pSrTUXLTBf5mogIot2guVLAHOoM8djyv4DzbHTY4Cv2qmLemR2oY/s1600/P1090526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABSCSQIaZXfilqJQ8vemuVZVERcyJPc6BCYrrVZpZ_3ClpI8tSjPdHaoM_9WEKaS6bZ2rnSzgP4PJGqyzt4kau06pSrTUXLTBf5mogIot2guVLAHOoM8djyv4DzbHTY4Cv2qmLemR2oY/s1600/P1090526.JPG" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A painting of a street in Shibuya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Like most cities, public transport stops about midnight so
we hopped on the last subway home! I got talkeing to a few people in our capsule hotel, it’s
a great way to meet new people so if you are a loan traveller capsule hotels
are like youth hostels in the UK.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our final day took us to Tokyo Tower. Same great views as
the Sky Tree just not as high but a lot cheaper. To go up the Sky Tree is
roughly 3000 Yen half way (£20) and an extra 2000 Yen (£14) to the top. Whereas,
to go up Tokyo Tower, it is 800 Yen half way (£5) and an extra 600 (£4) Yen to
the top. Tokyo Tower is a replicate of the Eiffel Tower just 13 metres taller.
It is a rather retro, old school, sort of ugly tower, but it’s a great
opportunity to see Tokyo on a beautiful clear day. If you are lucky you can
also see Mt Fuji. Don’t miss the glass floor too!</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r3D0Qu5jNC2xSEVlRzAhxmxwdnWTFhejemNshBffrGYQSWmOXPQ-rW5No7FC270KImlsu8dgdfOox7kq-vABk_tTFSYsbTiMqlHRLbSFrhRWkdz7KLwnQ_qMRILmH2Ai9OlkoR3apAA/s1600/P1090506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r3D0Qu5jNC2xSEVlRzAhxmxwdnWTFhejemNshBffrGYQSWmOXPQ-rW5No7FC270KImlsu8dgdfOox7kq-vABk_tTFSYsbTiMqlHRLbSFrhRWkdz7KLwnQ_qMRILmH2Ai9OlkoR3apAA/s1600/P1090506.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Tokyo Tower looking out to Tokyo bay and<br />
Disney Land </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PY03z8x-26sSPAP9y7J7nIvNyQfT2veryltQoXhL5cMkuJIEjidv4AAKJ_usssXfLgHcDAGLRvZpOtx-mKe_M8_fDWSBJiU6yNRSq8jQxc8rIN50r0-RY3i6Jn3ZtJj6mlxhVG2P_-0/s1600/P1090497+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PY03z8x-26sSPAP9y7J7nIvNyQfT2veryltQoXhL5cMkuJIEjidv4AAKJ_usssXfLgHcDAGLRvZpOtx-mKe_M8_fDWSBJiU6yNRSq8jQxc8rIN50r0-RY3i6Jn3ZtJj6mlxhVG2P_-0/s1600/P1090497+-+Copy.JPG" height="222" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the top of Tokyo Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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All in all Tokyo has to be high at the top of my list of the best
cities I have visited yet. It is clean, garish, modern, high-tech, safe,
exciting, lively, and bustling with life. I can honestly say do not be daunted by the
size of Tokyo.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I feel that not enough young people want to travel this
incredible country; it’s not expensive if you don’t make it expensive and everyone will offer a helping hand. I can guarantee if you pull out a map because you are lost,
a Japanese person (regardless if they speak English or not) will ask whether
you need help, and rather than pointing they will often walk you to where you
want to be. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There is still so much to see and do in this city, and I can not wait to go again with my sister and boyfriend in July.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I hope you have enjoyed my Tokyo update! – I hope this blog post makes you want to visit Tokyo!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have a great evening<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Marion<o:p></o:p></div>
Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-68373049675135468072013-05-02T07:56:00.000-07:002013-05-02T08:00:16.898-07:00Today I want to wish my wonderful boyfriend a HAPPY 23 RD BIRTHDAY!!!! Over the last few weeks I have been collecting a few Japanese things, and creating a few bits and bobs to send over to England!<br />
<br />
So, naturally the first thing I made was a birthday card! I have made James a birthday card every year for the last four years, so this year I tried to build and my Japanese skills and learn to write his card in Japanese. I know this sounds a little geaky, but James told me about how artistic and unique the post stamps are in Japan, and how much he liked them. So I thought I would make my own stamp in a similar style featuring Mt Fuji. I also send over a pair of chop sticks so he can get practising for his trip out here in July and a few origami things I have been making in my Japanese lesson. We never think that spending loads of money on each other is important, or ever makes a good gift. To us its all about the thought and meaning.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYRU3jcX9VLqfT29Z-cUTiq9lXIUcLQ1G-Y0Q27ykfqZKLCIYEzfYXaVU99JQ5S-5Oozex_1YBDRu_CNoF-1sDBXraeSKyhDS4j1db3NtIAE8wIbqitMgc8-oG-sRyYSTnENbbMt0B9o/s1600/270824_10151647716787517_1056658897_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYRU3jcX9VLqfT29Z-cUTiq9lXIUcLQ1G-Y0Q27ykfqZKLCIYEzfYXaVU99JQ5S-5Oozex_1YBDRu_CNoF-1sDBXraeSKyhDS4j1db3NtIAE8wIbqitMgc8-oG-sRyYSTnENbbMt0B9o/s1600/270824_10151647716787517_1056658897_n.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday Card for James.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiTibIQBvxtW6KSvljBQ4dGH9bui9KSNVCD_p0MyPhO7obw_zpYuYmenZo5QUDLft1HWIMuCRrkhM3gF-DGa49wCQp8pfaiNOEokA5ZiUzGXTHPzniBwDbergObFmOziWG9jwMcXHlbM/s1600/282252_10151647718247517_670068691_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjiTibIQBvxtW6KSvljBQ4dGH9bui9KSNVCD_p0MyPhO7obw_zpYuYmenZo5QUDLft1HWIMuCRrkhM3gF-DGa49wCQp8pfaiNOEokA5ZiUzGXTHPzniBwDbergObFmOziWG9jwMcXHlbM/s1600/282252_10151647718247517_670068691_n.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Japanese stamp. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My blog will not be soppy. But I am so grateful to have such a supportive and loving boyfriend. I miss him lots, but the days are ticking along nicely until we are re-united.<br />
<br />
Over the last two weeks I have received some lovely cards and letters from my friends and family back home. Thank you so much!! They really make my day. It got me thinking, receiving a card is always a lovely feeling, so if anyone would like a card from Japan please send me your address! You don't have to write back in return, but something back would happily be welcomed.<br />
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Last weekend I went to karaoke Now, I know it was popular in Japan, but oh my goodness what an evening. You have your own private karaoke booth, food, unlimited alcohol, fancy dress costumes, musical instruments and a huge array of English songs, of course it was a fantastic night out!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty much sums up our night! </td></tr>
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I am off to Tokyo early tomorrow morning for Golden week, so expect a big update next week with lots of art work too!!!<br />
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Have a great Golden weekend (if your in Japan) and a great weekend everyone else.<br />
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Marion <br />
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p.s Just look at that view!<br />
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<br />Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-79302217934927103212013-04-25T08:41:00.000-07:002013-04-28T21:02:33.721-07:00Firstly thank you everyone for all your kind words about my art work/blog, I really appreciate it. I had over 500 views on my first post in one week!<br />
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A few weeks have past since my last post! Teaching has been going great, I feel like I am really getting into the swing of it all now. Every Thursday morning I have a conversation class with two Japanese students, I always feel that we have so much to talk about that an hour just isn't enough, which is always a good sign. One student had been to Tokyo last weekend to visit her daughter, so today she very kindly bought me a Monet book cover from an art gallery she visited on her break. It is a lovely and I will certainly treasure it.<br />
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Every day I bike back from work and think, I cannot believe I am in Japan. Not many people these days can say they love their job, but up to now I love it. There is no stress and every new day seems to bring a new surprise or adventure.<br />
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Last weekend I gave my first art lesson to Sumie-san, in return for a Japanese lesson. Sumie-san wants me to teach her how to draw people, so we are focussing on her granddaughter (Hannah-san) in our first few lessons. The image we are using is from Hannah-san's Shichi-Go-San. Shichi-Go-Sen is when girls of age three and seven and boys of age three and five celebrate Shichi-Go-San, and it is prayed for their good heath and growth. Girls dress up in beautifully detailed and elaborate kimonos, with pristine make-up and delicate hair pieces to visit the shrine. My first drawing is from that day, it is the same image that I am teaching Sumie-san to draw.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sketch of Hannah</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original photo of Hannah</td></tr>
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In return for my art lesson, Sumie-san gave me a Japanese lesson. But this was a Japanese lesson with a twist. She taught me Japanese through the means of origami. So I learnt numbers, colours and a few words through making an origami spinning top! I also made a chart with the 51 Japanese sounds to learn. Saturday nights are now our cultural exchange nights. The image below is of the origami spinning top I made.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My origami spinning top I made in my Japanese class. </td></tr>
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On Sunday I was kindly treated to a day in Hakone <span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">(箱根) </span> which is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. It is famous for its hot springs, natural beauty and the views of nearby Mt Fuji. Although it was a rather misty day it was such a beautiful and peaceful area. I went to the Onsen (volcanic hot springs) and oh my goodness it was hot!!! I came out the bath and I looked like I had been slightly boiled. It was very relaxing though and the views were spectacular.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onsen (hot volcanic spring) in Hakone. </td></tr>
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One thing I will remember though is to take off my jewellery!!! It did indeed turn my silver locket James (my boyfriend) gave me black. But it is no surprise that a lovely Japanese lady restored my necklace back to its original state for free.<br />
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I sense that the kindness of the Japanese people, particularly in Numazu is going to be a running theme throughout this blog. Today Michael (another teacher) and I went to observe a bamboo carving class in the local arts hall. Sensai (teacher) lives in the mountains and provide a fortnightly bamboo carving class, free of charge. This week everyone was working towards making a small wooden cart. The detail and precision was incredible, and so delicate. </div>
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Throughout the session, sensai was making a bamboo sculpture Over two hours he transformed several pieces of bamboo he had carved over the weeks into a bamboo monk playing a recorder. He gave this sculpture along with the cart as a gift to me. I generally cannot get over how talented and kind this man is. Even though we could barley communicate due to my lack of Japanese and his lack of English, I felt so welcomed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sensai and the bamboo carving of a monk he gave me. Take a look at how detailed the hands are.<br />
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My first month in Japan is coming to an end. Time is going quickly, almost too quickly! This weekend we will celebrate are arrival in Japan and passing our first month with Karaoke, so ear plugs at the ready!</div>
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Good night!</div>
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Marion</div>
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Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6037270140347125844.post-54337012212284008362013-04-15T03:59:00.000-07:002013-04-15T03:59:53.648-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>I have joined the world of blogging!</b> </div>
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Several people have been asking me to write a blog so here it is. I hope mine is slightly different to others, and makes you keep reading it. I want to blog about my time in Japan through my art work. </div>
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I have arrived in Japan!!! I have been here for two weeks now and what an experience it has been. </div>
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I am in a country that is the polar opposite of England, everything from food to language, day-to-day etiquette to weather, everything is so different. However, since I arrived in Numazu City, I have felt so welcomed by everyone. The Hosaka family (the owners of the school I am working at) have taken me in as one of there own, and all the locals from shop keepers to business men try to help you in one way or another. </div>
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Pretty certain I bought the great British weather on my arrival, so exploring was delayed a day-or-two. But when the rains cleared, the sun shone revealing the most spectacular view, right on my door step. It truly is a view I doubt I will get sick of, I have spent several hours sitting on the sea front looking out to Mt Fuji, just thinking how lucky I am to have this experience. My first piece of art, of course has to be of Mt Fuji. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5QgWRht0woSl1XePUSbWCimWnkcdNAyyPLFz_djXe0UeodFvkb3ZyMd5XIWwDt9LwnzYHthD0qvWOk9EaYqxuKsxsytqMsXzFc-K7JOmlsZLB4i620bTmjHAStgoC2W5dgL5QqPEpmQ/s1600/P1090274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5QgWRht0woSl1XePUSbWCimWnkcdNAyyPLFz_djXe0UeodFvkb3ZyMd5XIWwDt9LwnzYHthD0qvWOk9EaYqxuKsxsytqMsXzFc-K7JOmlsZLB4i620bTmjHAStgoC2W5dgL5QqPEpmQ/s1600/P1090274.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a view! An acrylic painting of Mt Fuji at sunset. </td></tr>
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Luckily, for the first few days, Mrs Hosaka cooked me some lovely traditional Japanese meals. Now, however it has been a case of food roulette in the shops. I have no idea what most of the packaging says, many a time I have hoped that I had just bought chicken, more often than not it is in fact fish. </div>
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But I have checked out several restaurants, all incredible Amazing sushi and traditional dishes, ordering the food however has been extremely amusing. Yesterday our inability to speak Japanese and therefore order food resulted in us being the evening entertainment for the whole restaurant. But its all part of the fun. </div>
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I am almost a natural at chop sticks now! </div>
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The 4th April was one of my favourite days yet. I was totally emerged in culture and tradition. I spent the morning at the Ose Festival and Uchiura Port Festival. It is an annual event where locals pray for their safety during fishing and for good catches all year round. It was a great atmosphere. All men dressed in kimonos and painted there faces, there was lots of singing and dancing, and local foods. I collected a few flyers to incorporate into the next pages of my scrap book.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ose Festival and Uchiura Festival<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Teaching has been going really well! <b>I love it!</b> I am so glad that I took the leap to come out here and teach. It really is a truly rewarding job, and makes you realise that a stressful money making job in London is just not worth it one bit!!!! I teach students ranging from juniors right through to pensioners. I have already received a few gifts, two massive apples (literally the size of my head) and I was taken out for dinner by a student last week. He is a very intelligent man, now enjoying retired life with his wife. He loves to learn English, and has a half an hour free conversation class with me each week. My students generosity and friendliness is mirrored in many Japanese people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway that is a short blog entry about my first couple of weeks. I aim to use my blog to illustrate my time here through my own art work. </span>I hope to blog at least once every two weeks (hopefully more), your comments are welcomed! </div>
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Have a good evening! </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Marion xox</span></div>
<br />Marion Doddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17837654425148536667noreply@blogger.com0Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan35.0955842 138.863492534.679752699999995 138.21804550000002 35.5114157 139.5089395