Village of Happiness!

This has been the weekend that Kobe made! Starting yesterday with a multi-birthday picnic in Kobe’s Village of Happiness, which is just as awesome as it sounds! It’s basically a huge park with fields, sporting areas, and the coolest playground I’ve ever seen! Seriously the best! To get to this playground, you have to first go down a sweet slide that defies description (thus, a picture will follow). Once in the playground, there is an wide variety of equipment to enjoy; from a raft-pull on a manmade lake to a huge castle-shaped jungle gym set into the trees. Unfortunately, we arrived at the playground close to the closing time and were asked to leave by a rather perturbed security guard as the park was closing. We then headed back into the city and enjoyed a delicious dinner at a yakiniku restaurant. It was a great day with a super group of friends!

Today I made another impromptu trip to Kobe for a bit of exploration and to shop for some much needed items, like another full size towel, which are incredibly hard to find around here. And along the way, I found a rather delicious bakery with some equally delicious treats. Overall, another great weekend all around!

Some pics of the Village of Happiness. Enjoy!

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Japanese Fountain of Youth

In my time at work so far I’ve been getting to know my students and the many other students at my school. During our “lobby talk” time, I try to talk to as many students as I can and get to know something about them. Usually I ask why they’re studying English, what their hobbies are, and try to find out something about their professional life. However, this last one has proven to be a bit of a tricky subject as I’ve found. Basically, I’ve discovered that Japanese people look considerably younger than they are.

When meeting students for the first time, I find it really difficult to tell how old a student is, and whether to ask about school, university or work. So often, I’ve asked students if they are in university, only to find out that they are 10+ years into a high level engineering career. Now I tend to ask a more general question, like “So, what do you do?”. This seems to work out better.

I have to say, I would like to know the secret behind this age-altering appearance. I’ve heard it’s genetics or diet, but whatever it is I’d like to have the same “problem” of being mistaken for a high school student every once in a while. Perhaps in my time here in Japan, I will learn the secret to the Fountain of Youth…

Adventures at a Cat Cafe

So, this weekend was all about Kobe. And despite the rain, my friends and I managed to have a ball checking out the sights of Kobe. After stops at an awesome gyoza restaurant and a spectacular jazz/coffee bar, we went to one of the most unusual places I think I’ve ever been to: A Cat Cafe.

You know you’re in Japan when you come across a thing like a cat cafe. Just as it sounds, this is a place where people can hang out with cats, and enjoy a refreshing drink (in a cat free area, of course). I would imagine that this phenomenon developed from the general love for cute, furry creatures here and the lack of apartments that allow pets. This way, for a small fee, anyone can enjoy the best parts of having a pet without the full-time responsibility.

The cats were very cute and definitely amusing, and we had lots of fun playing with them and teasing them with a wide variety of cat toys. But I think we all departed with an air of disbelief; “Did we really just pay to hang out with cats?”

Anyhow, when in Rome…

Here are some pictures of our adventures at the cat cafe of Kobe. Enjoy!

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Himeji Adventure

During my days off from work, when I’m not making my apartment feel more homey, I’m out exploring the beauty that is Japan.

Last weekend I went to Himeji for an adventure exploring an ancient castle. Along with a few of my friends and fellow trainees, I enjoyed the first weekend of June exploring the beauty of Himeji. As seems to be my luck when visiting historical buildings, the main castle building at Himeji is undergoing restorations and was completely covered in scaffolding. However, on a positive note, we took a tour to the top of the scaffolding and had an up close view of the roof of the castle. In a few years, that view will be enjoyed only by the birds.

This weekend has whispers of baseball and possibly sumo. Should be fun for all!

Here are some pictures of my Himeji day. Enjoy!

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Picture Update

Two posts in one day! Unheard of, I know. However, this one is less about the words and more about the pictures. Here are some updates of my explorations around Akashi. Enjoy!

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Random acts of kindness

Well, my second full week of work is officially finished here in Akashi. I’m getting used to my position at work and planning for lessons is gradually becoming a shorter process. My first couple of weeks have not been without mishaps, such as teaching a lesson without the textbook (which surprisingly didn’t end as badly as it sounds), but I’m feeling much more at home in my position. I’m also happy to be getting to know my co-workers better. I have a feeling already that this is going to be a good year.

Outside of work, I’ve had a day off here and there during training, but I’ve only had one full weekend to enjoy Akashi so far. And on my first full weekend off, we had a typhoon come ashore on Sunday night. Having never encountered this particular weather phenomenon I didn’t know what to expect. It turns out it’s a whole lot of rain and some crazy wind, which I discovered can be very loud and disruptive to sleep. So I didn’t do too much on Sunday. On Monday (the second day of my weekend here) I went into Osaka for lunch and some shopping with a friend. When I came back to Akashi that afternoon, I went exploring down by the water. I picked up some dinner at a convenience store and found a little beach to eat at, with a great view of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. On my way home from dinner on the beach, I came across a group of stray cats (of which there are an abundance in Akashi) and found the most ridiculously cute and tiny kitten. It took all of my will power and self-reminders of the no pets policy at my apartment, not to take it home with me. As I was heading home, I couldn’t help but worry about this little kitten, even though he was with a group of older cats. So, I went back to check on him one more time. This time a middle-aged man was standing in the middle of this clowder of cats (yes, apparently that is the collective term for a group of cats). I couldn’t tell at first what he was doing, but then I noticed him taking a bottle of water and some crackers out of his bag. As I watched him feed the cats, including the precious little kitten, I snapped a few candid shots of this random act of kindness. I felt much better leaving then, with someone watching over them.

Now, I’m really looking forward to another full weekend of relaxation and exploration in Akashi. More stories and pictures to come!

The ridiculously cute kitten

Kindness