November 14-20, 2005
Hey everyone
It is late on a Sunday night and I have to get up early tomorrow morning,so I will keep this week's email fairly brief, even though I had an amazingweekend!!!
Last Monday through to Thursday was spent at uni, and getting through amountain of work and study that has been slowly piling up....
Nothing too exciting happened that needs to be reported....
However, on Friday I took the day off from uni to participate in a 3 daytour of Shirakawa (which is about 4 hours north of Tokyo). I went on thetrip with fellow Waseda Uni friends. We left Tokyo very early on Friday morning (7am!!) and spent the day cooking Udon (Japanese noodles), visiting a Japanese castle and eating lots of yummy Japanese food.I had never made Japanese Udon before, so it was a good experience to seehow it is made - even though we cut our dough way too thick, so thenoodles were very very tough!!!!
We spent the night staying in a traditional Japanese hotel (called aRyoukan). This particular Ryoukan was nestled in the Shirakawa mountainside and was built 200 years ago, so it was VERY traditional. Not muchelectricity was used to light up the hotel, and the building was made fromwood so the floorboards creaked all night!!The hotel was situated around 4 natural hot springs (onsen), so we jumpedin before and after dinner in the zero degree temperatures. We daredourselves to go in the outside hot springs (which we did), and while we were in it started snowing!!! It was very very beautiful - something I have neverexperienced before. We jumped out of the springs, dressed in our robes(yukata) and ate a traditional Japanese dinner, consisting of many seafooddelicacies. Delicious!
It snowed heavily overnight, so we woke up and made snowmen and took some amazing photos of the landscape!!
On Saturday we visited an amazing Japanese garden and had a tea ceremony in a traditional Japanese hut located next to a lake with flowing waterfalls and jacarandas.We prayed at a temple then visited a high school and engaged in culturalexchange with the students (who came t the school to greet us even thoughit was a Saturday!).We talked about our countries and exchanged gifts, which was very nice.
It is late on a Sunday night and I have to get up early tomorrow morning,so I will keep this week's email fairly brief, even though I had an amazingweekend!!!
Last Monday through to Thursday was spent at uni, and getting through amountain of work and study that has been slowly piling up....
Nothing too exciting happened that needs to be reported....
However, on Friday I took the day off from uni to participate in a 3 daytour of Shirakawa (which is about 4 hours north of Tokyo). I went on thetrip with fellow Waseda Uni friends. We left Tokyo very early on Friday morning (7am!!) and spent the day cooking Udon (Japanese noodles), visiting a Japanese castle and eating lots of yummy Japanese food.I had never made Japanese Udon before, so it was a good experience to seehow it is made - even though we cut our dough way too thick, so thenoodles were very very tough!!!!
We spent the night staying in a traditional Japanese hotel (called aRyoukan). This particular Ryoukan was nestled in the Shirakawa mountainside and was built 200 years ago, so it was VERY traditional. Not muchelectricity was used to light up the hotel, and the building was made fromwood so the floorboards creaked all night!!The hotel was situated around 4 natural hot springs (onsen), so we jumpedin before and after dinner in the zero degree temperatures. We daredourselves to go in the outside hot springs (which we did), and while we were in it started snowing!!! It was very very beautiful - something I have neverexperienced before. We jumped out of the springs, dressed in our robes(yukata) and ate a traditional Japanese dinner, consisting of many seafooddelicacies. Delicious!
It snowed heavily overnight, so we woke up and made snowmen and took some amazing photos of the landscape!!
On Saturday we visited an amazing Japanese garden and had a tea ceremony in a traditional Japanese hut located next to a lake with flowing waterfalls and jacarandas.We prayed at a temple then visited a high school and engaged in culturalexchange with the students (who came t the school to greet us even thoughit was a Saturday!).We talked about our countries and exchanged gifts, which was very nice.
The cultural experiences weren't over - we then went to a craft school andmade traditional Japanese dolls called "daruma" - they are meant to bringgood luck. After making (or purchasing a daruma), it is said that youshould colour in the left eye (both eyes are plain white). You should then write a wish on the front of the daruma, and only when this wish comes true (or is achieved), can you colour in the right eye black. It is a really populartradition.
I wished for "victory" on my daruma - but unfortunately I cannot revealwhat kind of "victory" I want, because otherwise it wont come true! Sorry....
We then went to a Japanese sake factory and sampled some very strongJapanese sake - 60% alcohol!! I didn't drink that much, mainly because Ididn't eat much for lunch and didn't want to pass out!!There was plenty of sake and beer served at dinner - we were invited to aFunction Room for a big dinner party with local Rotary Club members. The dinner was held in a large function room, lit with chandeliers and alarge, long table packed with food and drinks. We enjoyed salmons, salads, rich desserts, sushi, curries and tempura - fried vegetables in batter!To finish off the night we sang karaoke in front of al the Rotaryrepresentatives and our Japanese group tour guides.
We stayed the night in a temple - which was in Shirakawa City. I reallyenjoyed everyone's company -15 of us went on the trip, all representingdifferent cultures - there were Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Spanish,Taiwanese, Koreans and me and another Aussie girl!!We stayed up late last night playing drinking games and enjoying eachother's company.
This morning we were woken up very early and did some meditation with aBuddhist monk in the temple.
We then took a visit to the Shirakawa Field Museum, where we learned about progress of Japanese society, from the Indigenous Inuit people, to the modernity that defines the country today. We made fire from two wooden sticks (that were grinded together to create heat), and we each crafted our own necklace from a gem stone.
After a big lunch, we packed onto our coach and headed back to Tokyo.
I've just arrived home, and have to get to bed early tonight, because I amgoing away again tomorrow.
I am off to Hakone again to see Kazuya. Catching the 7am bus down there to see him. As he has work tomorrow avo, will just spent about 6 hours withhim and then come back to Tokyo tomorrow night.
Got another busy week at uni on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. My friend
Ben is coming up to see me this Friday night (he is a mate from Australia who is currently teaching English down in Kochi - Shikoku). It will be good to see him again, as we haven't met since he left Australia back in July. Histeaching contract in Kochi is 3 years.
Okay everyone, this email has gotten very long!
Have a great week and speak to you all soon....
Tim
xx
I wished for "victory" on my daruma - but unfortunately I cannot revealwhat kind of "victory" I want, because otherwise it wont come true! Sorry....
We then went to a Japanese sake factory and sampled some very strongJapanese sake - 60% alcohol!! I didn't drink that much, mainly because Ididn't eat much for lunch and didn't want to pass out!!There was plenty of sake and beer served at dinner - we were invited to aFunction Room for a big dinner party with local Rotary Club members. The dinner was held in a large function room, lit with chandeliers and alarge, long table packed with food and drinks. We enjoyed salmons, salads, rich desserts, sushi, curries and tempura - fried vegetables in batter!To finish off the night we sang karaoke in front of al the Rotaryrepresentatives and our Japanese group tour guides.
We stayed the night in a temple - which was in Shirakawa City. I reallyenjoyed everyone's company -15 of us went on the trip, all representingdifferent cultures - there were Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Spanish,Taiwanese, Koreans and me and another Aussie girl!!We stayed up late last night playing drinking games and enjoying eachother's company.
This morning we were woken up very early and did some meditation with aBuddhist monk in the temple.
We then took a visit to the Shirakawa Field Museum, where we learned about progress of Japanese society, from the Indigenous Inuit people, to the modernity that defines the country today. We made fire from two wooden sticks (that were grinded together to create heat), and we each crafted our own necklace from a gem stone.
After a big lunch, we packed onto our coach and headed back to Tokyo.
I've just arrived home, and have to get to bed early tonight, because I amgoing away again tomorrow.
I am off to Hakone again to see Kazuya. Catching the 7am bus down there to see him. As he has work tomorrow avo, will just spent about 6 hours withhim and then come back to Tokyo tomorrow night.
Got another busy week at uni on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. My friend
Ben is coming up to see me this Friday night (he is a mate from Australia who is currently teaching English down in Kochi - Shikoku). It will be good to see him again, as we haven't met since he left Australia back in July. Histeaching contract in Kochi is 3 years.
Okay everyone, this email has gotten very long!
Have a great week and speak to you all soon....
Tim
xx
posted by Tim at 11:08 AM
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