I've been on holiday since the 17th of July. I go back to work on the 1st of September. That is one loooooooong holiday.
Originally, I planned to take the train across Russia with a very strange English boy but I cancelled at a very late date. I don't regret it, though. In fact, I spend most of my holidays travelling within Japan. I've not left these borders in two years! There is so much to see and do and I always get a kick out of practicing my Japanese with everyone I meet. I'm sure they get more of kick, though. Like, a straight kick to the stomach. "OH! Oh my GOT!," the locals cry, clutching their bellies and bowling over in pain, "What is this child DOING to my language?! Somebody STOP this torture!!!"
So... this summer my aunt and uncle and cousin came to visit for two weeks. I was so nervous about guiding them around Japan but everything went very well and I was so sad to see them leave. Well, I was glad to be alone again but that euphoria wore off after a couple of hours. The boys said their favorite part of the trip was the week we spent in my tiny village. I wasn't too surprised, actually, because I've had lots of visitors from Shimonoseki and ALL of them really loved the village as well. It is very charming and the mountains are so beautiful. My apartment is quite nice and there are many waterfalls and caves and hot springs to visit nearby. It really is a lovely place and I'm glad I chose to spend a year or so here. I am having a completely different experience than I had during my four years in Shimo.
As soon as the folks left, I joined a good pal (Canuck, even!) for a week-long driving tour of Kyushu. Despite practically living IN Kyushu for four years (Shimonoseki is just across the strait from Kyushu), I really hadn't seen much. However, on this tour, I....
- started the trip out with an all-night karaoke session with my best male pal and bartender pal in Shimo
- experienced the Hells of Beppu - geysers, I guess, spewing mud and blue water and red water and steam and sulfur-y smelly stuff - as well as several onsen (hot springs) in Beppu, Yufuin and Kurokawa
- took a mud bath and got buried in a sand bath and stood at the edge of a very freaky volcano. Mount Aso was such an amazing place... I can't believe that things like volcanoes really exist and that you can actually go to the edge of the crater and look down, down, down, down and see the fiery, gurgling glob of something so frightening and beautiful.
- camped on the beach in Miyazaki and swam in the warm and wavy waters. There were a few jellyfish, but nothing too painful. Oh, how I miss living by the sea!
- rowed boats down the magical, green river/waterfalls of Takachiho
- took a long drive down a hellish "highway" that was really just a one-laner perched precariously on the banks/cliffs of a huge lake
- stayed in my favorite capsule hotel EVER - Ladies Petit Hotel Tenjin in Fukuoka
- got "flashed" and probably got my picture taken by the highway cameras as I raced along at 125km/h... in an 80km/h zone
Things were quiet for a bit and then I met all the new foreign English teachers - a great bunch with loads of life/international experience! My old pal ?? came for a 5-day visit to escape the heat of Shimo and it was nice to show off my village to yet another visitor. He called it "paradise" and I must admit that it does seem that way sometimes!
In a couple of days, I'm expecting three more visitors - former students of mine that are now at uni - and then I'm off to Hiroshima to watch some baseball and meet up with the tallest guy in Shimo and his lovely family! After that, I'll just be getting ready for the start of the second term and then it's hi-hoooooo, hi-hooooooo, hi-ho, hi-ho, off to work I go!
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