Hello everyone,
Time to dust the cobwebs on my blog!
So since the Danjiri Festival I have done lots of interesting things. For example I went to the Sakai Festival and saw some great stuff. A whale float with water spraying from its blow hole, lots of dancing, lots of music, guns going off, and of course some huge wooden things being dragged through the streets! See some pictures below. I also went to my first tea ceremony, very complicated! I probably shouldn't have gone in shorts! Woops!
I went to Ayane's concert which was amazing. I haven't heard much live music since being in Japan. Nothing like a few gin and tonics listening to Schubert! We had a great time and it was very relaxing! We dressed up a bit for the occasion.
I also made a visit to the Peace liberty tower. This tower is visible from my school. It is commemorate all the soldiers killed in every war since the beginning of history! The Peace Liberty organisation is actually a cult, there were many strange buildings surrounding the monument! I tried to catch the sunset but I got very very lost.
I went to a festival at Osaka City University with my next door neighbour! I bumped into a few people I had met in a bar near my house which was nice! All the students were selling home made food for very cheap so that they could raise money for their clubs! I went back the next day with some other ALTs but the stalls were closing by then. We watched some live music and got free beer! We aren't students but they were literally giving huge bottles of Asahi away! We met a lot of people that I have since met up with! It is nice to meet Japanese people, especially when they live so close to your house!
I have a favourite bar near my house that sells huge beers for 300 yen! I keep going there to get free drinks of other patrons. I know the bar staff pretty well and even have their contact details now! I go there when I am bored and it always ends well! It is a chain but only for Osaka, there food is yakitori (kebabs) and it is very delicious and very cheap!
I went to Koyasan last weekend. There I took a day trip just in time for the Koyo leaves to come out. This is a famous place for a special sect of Buddhism. The guy that founded it just went up to the most remote place in the mountains and set up a monastery there. Now there are over 100 temples, most of which you can stay in. I didn't have a spare 10,000 yen so I decided to just go and enjoy the main sights. This is the place to go in summer to escape the hot and polluted air of Osaka. It was very peaceful and because I live only a 1 hour train ride away I could enjoy it early in the morning mostly to myself! I highly recommend Koyasan to anyone exploring the Kansai region.
In other news I have just been getting on with work. The last week I only had 2 lessons so I have been (slowly) brushing up on my Japanese. I feel settled in now, but my god is it cold! I am enjoying my time in Japan now. I am going to Kyoto tomorrow! Every time you go somewhere you have to buy everyone in the office something they can eat! It adds a few quid onto your budget! I am very excited but I have been very tired recently from whizzing around doing stuff all the time! I hope I don't end up oversleeping in Kyoto and missing the red leaves. It is supposed to be very beautiful but this is peak season and a weekend! I booked my accommodation weeks ago!
I will do another blog when I get back from Kyoto with some pictures!
Joe
Time to dust the cobwebs on my blog!
So since the Danjiri Festival I have done lots of interesting things. For example I went to the Sakai Festival and saw some great stuff. A whale float with water spraying from its blow hole, lots of dancing, lots of music, guns going off, and of course some huge wooden things being dragged through the streets! See some pictures below. I also went to my first tea ceremony, very complicated! I probably shouldn't have gone in shorts! Woops!
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| Dedication |
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| Very complicated, in England we just dump a teabag in! I never realised it could take 10 minutes to make a cup of tea! It tasted great though! |
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| WHALE |
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| This is the face you pull when you have to drag that huge thing for a while! |
I went to Ayane's concert which was amazing. I haven't heard much live music since being in Japan. Nothing like a few gin and tonics listening to Schubert! We had a great time and it was very relaxing! We dressed up a bit for the occasion.
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| Very high brow |
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| Wonderful evening! |
I also made a visit to the Peace liberty tower. This tower is visible from my school. It is commemorate all the soldiers killed in every war since the beginning of history! The Peace Liberty organisation is actually a cult, there were many strange buildings surrounding the monument! I tried to catch the sunset but I got very very lost.
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| Peace out! |
I went to a festival at Osaka City University with my next door neighbour! I bumped into a few people I had met in a bar near my house which was nice! All the students were selling home made food for very cheap so that they could raise money for their clubs! I went back the next day with some other ALTs but the stalls were closing by then. We watched some live music and got free beer! We aren't students but they were literally giving huge bottles of Asahi away! We met a lot of people that I have since met up with! It is nice to meet Japanese people, especially when they live so close to your house!
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| Nothing like rocking out Japanese style! |
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| The magnificent golden gazelle of OCU! No one else was in costume! |
I have a favourite bar near my house that sells huge beers for 300 yen! I keep going there to get free drinks of other patrons. I know the bar staff pretty well and even have their contact details now! I go there when I am bored and it always ends well! It is a chain but only for Osaka, there food is yakitori (kebabs) and it is very delicious and very cheap!
 |
| I happened to have my camera with me after the concert! I met some people who bought me many free drinks! |
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| My "homies" Ryosuke and Masamitsu! |
I went to Koyasan last weekend. There I took a day trip just in time for the Koyo leaves to come out. This is a famous place for a special sect of Buddhism. The guy that founded it just went up to the most remote place in the mountains and set up a monastery there. Now there are over 100 temples, most of which you can stay in. I didn't have a spare 10,000 yen so I decided to just go and enjoy the main sights. This is the place to go in summer to escape the hot and polluted air of Osaka. It was very peaceful and because I live only a 1 hour train ride away I could enjoy it early in the morning mostly to myself! I highly recommend Koyasan to anyone exploring the Kansai region.
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| The main Temple |
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| So colourful! I am excited to see how they compare to Kyoto's tomorrow! |
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| The main temple complex with some lovely leaves! |
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| Add caption |
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| The graveyard section! Many important nobles have been buried here. There are 100,000s of graves! |
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| The graves were set in this pine tree wonderland. |
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| Water flinging! |
In other news I have just been getting on with work. The last week I only had 2 lessons so I have been (slowly) brushing up on my Japanese. I feel settled in now, but my god is it cold! I am enjoying my time in Japan now. I am going to Kyoto tomorrow! Every time you go somewhere you have to buy everyone in the office something they can eat! It adds a few quid onto your budget! I am very excited but I have been very tired recently from whizzing around doing stuff all the time! I hope I don't end up oversleeping in Kyoto and missing the red leaves. It is supposed to be very beautiful but this is peak season and a weekend! I booked my accommodation weeks ago!
I will do another blog when I get back from Kyoto with some pictures!
Joe
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