Without barely moving a muscle I posses the ability to sweat!

...that can only mean one thing. Summer is still here, and doesn’t look like it’s going to leave any time soon either. Still, life goes on and it’s time for the “autumn” term at school to begin.

Today marks a week back in school after what was a glorious long summer break. Really, it was spectacular. I’ve never had such an extended period of time off from work. All those wonderful plans I made during July in the buildup to the break came off perfectly.

Let’s start at ...well...the start. Day 1 of the summer break, Michiko and I were up at just before 4am to greet the morning, and get ourselves over to Kansai airport to board the first flight up to Tokyo. It wasn’t the longest visit to the big city, but it was packed to the brim with fun!! That is one thing I love about being with Michiko, we always have such fun together! We ate at Tokyo’s finest pancake restaurant, had a wonderful dinner date, and topped the whole trip with an AMAZING day out in Disneyland. The schools hadn’t officially finished for the summer, so the park was ours! Tokyo Disneyland has a reputation for it’s 2 hour+ waiting times for attractions...the longest we had to wait was 15 minutes...score! Also, Michiko is slowly overcoming her fear of roller coasters! I got her on the fastest roller coaster in the park (Space Mountain) twice! I am now in no way ashamed to admit that I love going to Disneyland!! Hands down the best day out of the entire summer!

Bills Pancakes, Harajuku

Splash Mountain

Plonker the pirate

After returning to Yamamoto, I took a week to just recharge my batteries and prepare for my adventure to Kyushu.

Kagoshima and Yakushima. My, what an amazing trip that was! I flew from Kansai airport down to Kagoshima. Decided to try Peach Airlines, a new discount airline company here in Japan. Not too bad for the price, smaller more uncomfortable seats, a very basic set up, and both flights were almost 30 minutes late departing....still, for the price (about ½ that of flying with ANA or JAL) I didn’t complain.

Arriving in Kagoshima I instantly noticed dust everywhere, on buildings, cars, and streets...it wasn’t until I got into Kagoshima city and saw the mighty Sakurajima shadowing the city, and pumping out ash into the skies above the city, that I realized where it all came from.

Kagoshima was great, a really decent vide to the city, and nice people. I took a day trip over to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. Stunning. The volcano was quietly erupting during the entire day I was there. Blue skies, with a chimney of volcanic dust being thrown into the atmosphere. As a physical geography nut, I was in awe.

Posing it up on Sakurajima

So this is where all the ash comes from!

The mighty Sakurajima

After 2 days in Kagoshima, I boarded the the high speed ferry to take me to Yakushima. Boy was I excited!

Yakushima didn’t disappoint....not in the slightest! It really was everything I expected and so much more!

After hopping off the ferry with delight, I made my way around the port area to my hostel. The sun was shining brightly, and the warm welcome I received when I arrived in my hostel was equally satisfying. Yakushima Portside Youth Hostel, for those who are curious of the hostel name.

After dropping my bags in my room, first stop was the local hiking rental center, to hire some sturdy walking boots, and a bicycle.

I was so full of beans that I decided to then head straight into the mountains to begin exploring. All that stood in my way was a 10km bike ride. A 10km bike ride that I soon discovered was 10km uphill....all the way....and not a gentle climb either! It was quickly obvious to me that my 6-speed bike was never going to handle it. So I pushed the bike most of the way, dammed if I was going to miss the chance for a 10km downhill ride back to the hostel!

I arrived at Shiritani. It is difficult to express in words the beauty of this area. Words such as exquisite, dream-like, and breathtaking, simply don’t quite cut it.

I was just where I wanted to be at that very moment in my day, week, holiday, life!!

Stunning, deep green forests. Silence surrounding me. Perfect.

Then the heavens opened and boy did it rain!! Not that I cared, wearing my waterproofs, nothing was going to put even the slightest dent on my day.

Shiritani. Wow.

The second day was forecast for strong winds...strong is not nearly a strong enough word. I’ve cycled into a head wind or two in my time, but when it’s pushing you back up a hill, then you know it’s time to quit. And that’s exactly what I did. Yes, I am a quitter. On that day, I decided that my plan to cycle around the island was never going to work. 6-gears and weather which changes by the minute....not what I want to be dealing with. So yeah, I headed back to the hostel, retuned the bike, and hooked up with a few of my new hostel friends, and successfully blagged a seat in a car for the afternoon. We drove around the east side of the island, taking in seawater onsen along the way. Sat in a naturally heated tidal pool with the waves breaking over to cool the water down. Very enjoyable.

Day 3 saw me rent a car and venture off into the island alone. I was keen for a bit of solo time, and greatly enjoyed seeking out new places. I discovered some beaches, some breathtaking forest roads, and some stunning waterfalls.

I came across deer and lots of monkeys. The highlight of the day, was discovering a river flowing around huge boulders in a valley bed. The river was pretty fast flowing in the centre, but due to the huge boulder, it channeled off areas to swim in. Deep, crystal clear waters, and barely a handful of people there. Diving off a rock into the water, a definite highlight of the day and the whole trip.

On the evening of the 3^rd day, I drove back to a beach I’d driven past earlier in the day, for this beach is home to some very special little creatures. There on the beach in Yakushima, through the mid-summer months, you can watch baby turtles hatching and making their journey to begin life in the ocean. It felt like something from a BBC nature documentary watching those little turtles.

For day 4, the clouds set in and the sunshine left for a while, so I decided to get out into the mountains some more, and hike a trail around some very old, and very impressive trees. A nice day to myself, lots of peace and quiet was just what I needed.

Me and my friend the tree

Magical creations

In the late afternoon, I headed back to my hostel to rest the feet, make some new friends, share some dinner and some well-earned beers.

Day 5, my final full day on the island and I decided to sign up for a ½ day tour. I registered for the canyoning tour, something I’ve never tried before.

Ready to bomb some waterfall pools

Canyoning is when you walk up a river, and climb up the waterfalls and other obstacles as you come across them. So much fun! The water was cold, but we were kitted out with good shoes, life vests, and helmets, so although cold, we were safe. The climb up the river was a nice challenge, but the main fun started when we turned around and came down the river. Jumping off rocks into waterfall pools, sliding down small waterfall channels like a water park. I loved it.

In the afternoon, I returned to my hostel, met up again with friends and we all went out for food, and a few drinks. All 12 of us then made our way to the beach with extra beers to chill out. A prefect ending to a perfect trip!

Yakushima is hands down the most beautiful place I’ve visited in my 6 years here in Japan. Can’t wait to return!

Once back in Hyogo, things slowed down into the summer holiday pace I love, days of just chilling out, doing nothing, and not feeling an ounce of guilt for it.

On August 19^th, Michiko and I filled the coolbox with frozen drinks, jumped in the car, and headed over to Summer Sonic Festival in Osaka. It was a really fun day, the first music festival Michiko and I have done together...long overdue.

We caught some really good music, and managed to stay fairly cool under the baking August sun. The headlining band was what I went for. Although there were moments when Michiko thought about choosing Green Day, I knew I’d get my way, and I did.

We saw Sigur Ros on the second stage, and they were just as spectacular as we both expected. Amazing!

In and around August I got to meet up with my old Kita Hiroshima coworker, Creag. Good times in Chinatown. Also, my good friend Barney came to stay for an evening, and we had a suitably beer filled fun evening catching up. Good times with good friends. Michiko and I also squeezed in a day out to Kyoto, as well as other simple, but happy days together in the neighborhood.

So, there we go. That was pretty much the summer break for me. Not too shabby, right?! I feel very fortunate to have a job with allows me to save the cash needed to have a summer like that.

Wonderful!!

Friday 13th unlucky for some

Hey all,

I hope the weather is a little better where you are. Here it is ridiculously humid. Seriously, I have never experienced anything quite like this, and everyone says it is set to get hotter too! Damn! I’ve never before broken a sweat sneezing, but I swear I did the other day!

So it’s Friday 13^th, unlucky for some, but aside from the insane humidity it is set to be a good one for me. Yes, today signals the official/unofficial start of my summer holidays! Unofficial in that I still have 1 morning of work to do on Tuesday next week. Still, my main classes, and kid-packed days are done for this term! Awesome!

Not awesome in the sense that I hate work can’t wait to get out, but awesome as in I finally get some decent down time!

It is going to be a glorious 7-week break, that’s for sure! Here is a quick rundown on all that I have planned.

1. Next week a trip with Michiko to Tokyo Disneyland (knock it all you want, it's a damn good day out). We did DisneySea last year, and I for one was happily surprised by the fun we had!

2. My trip to Kyushu! After so many years of wanting to visit, I am off to Kagoshima and more importantly....Yakushima! For those of you who are unsure where/what Yakushima is, I suggest you Google it....breathtaking. I’m off to the island alone for 5 nights where I plan to cycle, hike, and photograph my way around. I’m seriously excited!

3. A visit from an old fellow Kita Hiroshima ALT, Creag. Will be the first Hokkaido friend I’ll get to see since I moved down here. Beer o’clock!

4. Summer Sonic Festival. Michiko and I have scored tickets for the Sunday. Our first music festival together. What will make this even better is that we also got a car park ticket, so I’ll be driving....that means we can pack the cool box with drinks and food and travel there and back at our own pace and in total comfort. Bliss. Lineup is not so bad either, should be a mighty fun day. Green Day headlining the main stage, or Sigur Ros on the second stage....that will be a tough one!

5. A visit from Barney. Sure it is only for one evening of grub n beers, but will be great to catch up and hear how everyone is getting on since my departure (still beyond themselves in depression, I’m sure)

6. A Gamba Osaka football game. Yep, Sapporo Consadole are coming down for their away tie against Gamba, so I’m going to try pick up a couple of tickets for Michiko and I. Go Gamba!

7. Video games! I just got SSX in the mail yesterday, and I’m still to complete some of my older games. Air conditioning on, arse on sofa, hours of gaming. Prefect.

So all in all it is set to be a truly fun summer!! After all the madness and mayhem since the start of the year (moving, new job, all that jazz) I think I’ve done enough to justify such a summer break!

Photos and stories to make you jealous coming soon!

Take care, and have yourselves a mighty fun summer too!!

Another busy month crossed from the calendar

Afternoon all, I trust you are well.

Another month has passed, and with open arms I greet this new one.

As previously mentioned, I’d get around to updating this blog around this time to bring you up to speed on how my “power month” went.

Well, It has been a success on some fronts, not so much on others.

The diet went very well to start, as I’m sure these things do. The weight dropped nicely...I even stood on the scales at one point to see a reading of under 58kg! That figure has creped up a little since that time, but I’m still under 60kg so, I’m happy with that. The motivation to eat light and healthy really drops when the weekend arrives, and the football is on TV.

The most positive shift that has come from this diet venture is that Michiko and I have discovered some great new dinner ideas. We are eating lots more fresh vegetable and fish based dishes, and we’ve really cut back on the rice and other carbs (though I still enjoy my bread), also my mid-week beers have stopped!

The muscle building routine also began well and things were going in the right direction, but sadly I threw my back whilst playing dodge ball at school with the kids. Nothing too serious, it is almost okay again, but I decided not to strain it with exercise for the last 2 weeks. I threw it out pretty seriously last year, and didn’t want to aggravate it any further. The routine will resume from the start of July!

Am I speaking more Japanese?...urm...I am at school, with the teachers and kids outside of class (to expect total communication in English is ridiculous).

At home? No more than I was before. Oops, I guess speaking more Japanese at home will have to come of it’s own accord / motivation.

More private students? Not yet sadly. Not for trying mind you, I have signed up to several student finding websites, and so I guess I’ll just have to continue being patient. Fingers crossed! A little extra cash would be very welcomed.

So bearing in mind that I threw my back, and have been ill with a crappy cold for the last three weeks, this month has been pretty good, and has passed pretty smoothly.

Only 2 more full weeks of work until my summer break begins!! Damn, I can’t wait. Got so much fun planned! I promise to let you all know what I'll be getting up to!

Challenge June!

So we are at the end of another month. How was May for you? It passed mighty quickly for Michiko and I here.

I guess I am still getting into the swing of my new job, but I must say, going to a different school each day sure makes the week fly past! I love it! Especially happy as my favourite schools are those that I go to on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (favourite bar the crappy school lunches).

So June is on the doorstep, and after some thinking I’ve decided that over the next 6-7 weeks before my summer vacation begins I am going to assign myself some new challenges. These challenges should benefit me physically and mentally. All round self-improvement is never such a bad thing.

So what are these challenges?

Firstly, it is time to lose the ever-growing tummy! Sure, I’m not drastically overweight, but a little reduction in the love handles won’t hurt. I’m aiming to drop around 3kg over the 6-7 week period. This weight loss will be coupled with a strict muscle-building program too. I’m going for the 100 pushup and 200 sit-up challenge that came recommended to me, as well as a power walk with Michiko, or a short jog, a couple of times a week.

http://www.twohundredsitups.com/index.html

http://hundredpushups.com/index.html

It is going to be pretty tough, but there have been so many times recently when I wished that I were a little healthier, and a little stronger, and the stomach was a little more "defined". So, until the schools break for summer, I will be working out more, eating healthier and less. I’m going to miss the mid-week beers!

Secondly, I need to speak some more Japanese. I think that a couple of days a week I’ll speak only Japanese at home. At work I have to use English in class and where possible with the kids, but at home I need to use more. Hope Michiko doesn’t mind too much J for the Japanese only days, perhaps she’d be keen for English only days too?

Thirdly, I am going to push a little harder to finding some new private students. It takes time and patience to build up a private student base / extra teaching income, but a bit of extra cash would be welcomed! This will be the easiest challenge for June, because aside from getting my name out there, little else is left to do.

So those are the challenges I aim to achieve over the next few weeks. I have the motivation to give them a crack now, well see how things are going in a few weeks time!

F-I-G-H-T-O!

Fancy eating food you don’t particularly enjoy every day?

 If so, let me know and you can join me for school lunch in my elementary schools.

Yep, without trying to sound too much like the kids I teach...by and large, I don’t like school lunches.

A good friend of mine, who I used to work with in Kita Hiroshima has requested that I take pictures of my school lunch for a week. Here are the results, with a little low-down of the food served.

Monday. Cold udon with mushrooms and carrot, seaweed rice, sour cabbage with tiny fish (yuck!), and a stuffed tofu of sorts...and milk.

 Tuesday. Cold miso soup with tofu, burdock salad (delicious), fish, white rice...and milk.

 Wednesday. Cold miso soup with mushrooms, bean and hijiki (not sure of the English) salad, white rice...and milk.

 Thursday. Mushroom and vegetable soup, potato and mince salad with something green in for luck, seaweed, yogurt...and milk. A delicious day.

 

 The smart ones out there will notice this is the same as Monday's photo. That's because it was exactly the same darn menu. Gutted.

A “mew” I now have with school lunches here is that there are 5 lunches prepared a week, each day the lunches rotate between schools. So, if I am really unlucky, I get the same lunch 2 or 3 times a week. Just so happens I get the less desirable days menu served up time and time again.

I know some of you will be thinking, and rightly so, that this is a lot better than the crap served to kids back home, but damn I’d like a burger or slice of pizza for lunch every blue moon!

A large complaint I have is the white rice; it is just there to fill the kids up. No nutrients, no vitamins, just bland rice. 50% (and sometimes more) of the lunch portion is rice, that can’t be good.

What do you think?

If there were days with less rice, or mushrooms and seaweed stuffed in at every possible place, I might not complain so much.

BUT....and this is a big but(t) (lol at my immaturity), when the school lunches are good, they really are great!!! And you’d be surprised how much of a boost it gives me in my day when I’m served lunch and it’s delicious! Perhaps that’s all part of it, I need the crappy lunches to bring out the best in the better days!

I’m fortunate enough to have food served to me every day, lucky to be blessed with a job that provides lunch. So ignore this rant.

I’m hungry.

The lack of silence can mean only one thing...

 ...I’m back at work.

So it is official, Golden Week is now over and the summer term at school has begun. For the next 10 weeks, the temperatures in Hyogo are set to sore and I’m sure things are going to be busy around school. Bring it on! The silver lining to all the hard work that lies ahead is the summer holidays here. I’m set for a 7-week break once this term draws to a close. Anyway, I’m not going to allow myself to start dreaming of that until 2 weeks before term ends. Now, it’s head down and apply myself to my work.

Golden Week was glorious! Our first real chance to relax and take it easy since moving to Hyogo.

Michiko and I rented a car on the 28^th, and set out on the roads to Kochi (Michiko’s home prefecture). It wasn’t such a bad drive, just not the most exciting. The public highways here in Japan are wonderful and convenient, and shave hours of any long journey. The only problem is that they are often simply just straight roads from start to finish, yawn.

It took us about 4 hours to make the drive from door to door, and we decided to drive at night to avoid the holiday traffic (which paid off perfectly).

What a wonderful time we had in Kochi. It was a trip of many firsts for me. First time to Kochi, first time to see Michiko’s home city, first time to meet her friends from there, and the big one...first time to meet my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law.

How kind everyone was to me! I wasn’t so nervous as I had Michiko by my side through it all.

On the 29^th we had lunch with Noriko, one of Michiko’s high school friends, and her adorable son, Kotetsu. I must admit, I thought Kotetsu was a girl until we’d finished lunch and Michiko put me straight. Sorry Kotetsu! 

In the evening, we met up with more of Michiko’s high school friends. Again, all lovely welcoming people! I felt very relaxed around them, and with friends like those, I can see why Michiko is such a lovely person.

The next day was D-day, time for me to wear a shirt, have a shave, and turn on the charm, as it was time to meet the mother-in-law. All went perfectly, I said my Ps and Qs, and won the in-laws over.

After we returned home from Kochi I had a ball busting one-day of work before the second part of Golden week began. Oh how difficult I have it!

We had a very relaxing second half to the week, spending time in the apartment and local area. We did treat ourselves to a nice day out in Nara. I haven’t ever explored outside the major tourist side of Nara, a fail on my part, as the place we visited was fantastic. No real crowds, peace and quiet, very relaxing day for both Michiko and I.

I’m looking forward to the next few weeks. I know it will be tough on the energy levels, but I’m going to give it my best.

Keep in touch all!

No real complaints so far!

Hey all,

About time for another small update from the world of Mr. and Mrs.King as they settle into and eventually conquer Hyogo prefecture!! (Insert evil laugh here). So it’s been a few weeks now since we landed here in Hyogo, and we really have landed on our feet. Hyogo has, so far, been very kind to us both. We have finished all the unpacking, paperwork and overall settling-in tasks, it took a bit of time to finally get the last box empty, but we’re there now.
The new apartment is looking fairly furnished, and pretty darn smart. As I write we are awaiting the final delivery, which will bring us a dining table and two chairs. We have splashed out a fair bit of cash on furnishing the new place.
When I got my first place in Hokkaido, I bought cheap stuff, which was clearly at an end when it came time to move south, So a few days (too many?) down here have been spent furniture shopping. Now we have a fully functioning kitchen, amazing new sofa, new dining table and chairs on their way, working shower, and 5 hours of DIY went into me building our new bed from IKEA...it’s fit for a king...or two! It’s so nice to have an apartment that has felt so homely so quickly.

I’m at the start of my second week of my new school teaching job. I had a couple of workshop days earlier in the month at the board of education, but they didn’t really have me do much, so those two days don’t count. School is going very well. No real complaints so far! After a week, all the schools I have been to so far seem great. The kids (by n large) are very friendly, and have welcomed me perfectly.
The board of education that I am working for is very professional; it has several English-speaking staff members which sure helps when it comes to paperwork and contracts. My schedule is also very organized, and I’m not too overworked and neither do I have those days where I’m sat at my desk twiddling my thumbs (Which I’m sure has something to do with only working in elementary schools now).

I’ve begun to really feel that Hyogo is now where I call home. I do miss aspects of Hokkaido, most noticeably my friends. I am looking forward to returning to Hokkaido later in the year when the winter and snow returns. One major aspect that has helped me feel at ease here is the weather. Sure it rains a lot more than up north, but the warm sunny evenings driving back from work, windows down, refreshing breeze...I’m not going to get tired of them any time soon, that’s for sure! As I type he sun is shining through the windows. Days sure pass a lot quicker with weather like this!
The only issue I’m having at the moment is a rotten cold. I guess my body was so used to the weather of Hokkaido that this warmer weather is going to take a little while to acclimatize to...that and all the fresh bugs I’m no doubt picking up off all my new students. Nothing a bit of medicine and some fruit shouldn’t cure (and a stick to keep the kids at distance).

Golden week is fast approaching, and Michiko and I have plans to drive over to Kochi to meet her mum (Yes, I’m still yet to meet her!), and all Michiko’s friends from high school. I’m a bit nervous, but I’m sure they are all wonderful. I’ll update my blog once golden week has passed and the summer term at school begins.
Thank you for reading!
Much love to you all!