These entries are becoming few and far between, but I'm just going to blame that on Greenwich Mean time, the International Dateline, Daylights savings, and other unlikely sources. What can I say? It's June, its getting muggy outside, typhoon season here, earthquake season here, rainy season here, apparently there are five seasons in Miyakonojo. After the initial euphoria of Springtime and the arrival of Cherry Blossoms, there is a long, dreary, muggy, rainy season, of which I was totally unaware. This has inflicted a bit of depression on me, keeping me bound in my aparto (Japanese for apartment) and kept begrudgingly watching internet TV for 48 hour intervals at a time coupled with a bit of Shojou and a lot of Skyping. The good news is that I started private Japanese Lessons finally, twice a week, and I am already feeling more confident about my communication skills. Yesterday my teacher gave me a Japanese cooking lesson in which we made tofu steak and rice balls. Apart from that, today I purchased a ticket to Tokyo for my break in August because: I AM CLIMBING MT. FUJI! Yes it is true, I am climbing the highest mountain in Japan, AND, there is a post office at the top, so if you would like a postcard, send me your address. So I'm rolling in to Tokyo for a few days, going to Fuji San, then going to the Headquaters of Japanese Buddism: Mt. Koya. Here I will stay in a temple and wake early morning to meditate with the monks, eat vegetarian fare (as usual), and discover the secrets of life. After my enlightenment, I will be going back to Kyoto, a place for which I feel my visit was cut too short last time, relax for a few days and then fly back to Miyazaki. Ohhh yes, and also, Mt. Koya is part of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku which I am thinking about doing before I leave Japan. Check out the link: Click Me.
Other then this, I am starting to save for my around the world trip for when I retire from Universe Academy. Known locations so far are The Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and possibly Indonesia, ,Nepal, Bhutan, and India. I would like to fit New Zealand in too but I don't know if finances will permit. I need some gas money for when I move back to the US. I can't think of much else to say. I went to Fukuoka a month or so ago and fell in love with it. I stayed with a fellow Californian who showed me as well a another Californian living in the Tokyo area around town. We got massages, went to a Latin dance and Hip Hop club, ate good Indian food, and I saw Fukuoka's largest festival. Thousands of people banging rice scoopers together. Very Japanese yeah? It was a marvelous time. Last weekend I went out in Miyakonojo to a rooftop beergarden on top of this hotel nearby my house for a b-day party of antoher English teacher in town. Good times. I was supposed to wake up the next day at 8 am to go hike up to one of the tallest shrines (takes about 3 hours) in Kumamoto but forgot to set my alarm. Gomen nasai Yasue San. In other news, this month I hurt my knee running too much outside. Ever since I found the bike path that treks out through the middle of the agriculture fields away from civilization I have been going a little overboard and really did myself in so I haven't been able to get out much but I started my re-training for the Fuji climb today by running 8 kilometers. I need to capable of a lot more. In other news: I got a webcam, my mom sent me an awesome package (love you mom) and my boss got my sock out of my vacuum. Hope to hear from you soon. Ohhh one last thing, my co-worker who is eight months pregnant, brought me watermelon tsukemono today with soy sauce to go on top. Watermelon and soy are not two things I would normally think of to go together but I ate it up anyhow.
She is bringing me a large container on Monday, if you know ANYBODY who can help me eat all this pickled watermelon shell, help. Here are a few clips of one of my best pals Riko, the next genius of the world.