TraveLLs

I knew this Christmas would be different than any I have experienced in my life and it has proven to be one I will never forget.  Despite my family being on the other side of the world, the adventures I had and the people I shared them with were upon the best I have had. Last year I was in Thailand for Christmas.  The only sign of Christmas was a giant neon Christmas tree outside of Central, the local mall.  There was no Christmas music, no Christmas lights, no Santa Claus, and no Christmas activities.   This year, in Japan, I had a large fix of Christmas!  Everywhere I went I heard Christmas songs and there were various Christmas trees scattered throughout the city.  The city streets were decorated with lights and there were even some locals who chose to decorate their own homes with Christmas lights.  We played Christmas songs in the classroom and had a holiday concert to celebrate the end of the term.  Santa even came to visit the chil...

Somewhere, Japan "When the Japanese go on holiday, they like it to be planned. Planned to an extent that would make a Sandhurst trained officer feel he was a happy-go-lucky, spontaneous type in comparison. `Assemble 0800 hours. Board bus 0810 hours for 43 minute journey to cathedral. Breakfast at 0855 hours in cathedral café`, that sort of thing. I once attended a presentation by a Japanese tour guide, about how guiding Westerners was different to guiding Japanese; it was particularly funny when he said that sometimes western tourists want to walk round a city away from their tour group. The audience, made almost entirely of `women of a certain age` gasped, utterly shocked at how anyone might do such a selfish, dangerous thing.  `But what if they got lost? ` shouted one? `But what if they got murdered or shot? ` bawled another.  The hysteria was quite palpable. Flexibility and change on a Japanese holiday are about as welcome as syphilis. So, as an a...

Last weekend I decided to take a solo adventure.  I had been hearing about the famous illuminations around Japan and decided to see if I could find one to check out.  The closest one to Nagoya is Nabana No Seto, located in Kuwana City in the neighboring prefecture of Mei.  To get there from Nagakute I had to take the subway to Nagoya Station, then the Japanese Railway to Nagashima then a bus from there to the illumination.  It was a simple task, but given the language barrier it was a little challenging.   I made it to Nagoya Station on my own, asked someone to help me figure out how much my ticket was as the stop I needed to get to was only written in Japanese, then made it to a platform.  As I was trying to make sense of the time table a kind Japanese man came up to me and asked where I was trying to get to.  I told him Nagashima and pointed to it on the map.  He helped me find the correct platform and told me what time the train would co...

This past week was a difficult one.  My Aunt Rose Marie passed away after a very brief battle with cancer. I want to send my love to all my family back in the states and I want to encourage them to stay strong through this hard time.  I wish I could be there with you to support you. “Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, you are you and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.  Call me by the old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a s...

I have so much to be thankful for.  To start off, I have a wonderful family.  I wouldn't be where I am today without their undying support and love.  I also have met some amazing people in my lifetime.  I am thankful for everyone of them for without them I would not be who I am today.  Most of all I am thankful for life.  It has been a good one so far and I look forward to what it has to offer me in the future. This year I was lucky enough to have not one, but two Thanksgiving celebrations!  The first one was provided by the lovely Ellen.  Ellen is a coworker of mine at KIS.  She has lived here for almost two years and this is her second Thanksgiving in Japan.  She is also one of the best cooks I know.  She made a beautiful array of Thanksgiving dishes including green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn bread, and a tasty turkey.  Our friend Kumiko also brought a sushi dish to give our thanksgiving a Japanese twist.  A...

Fall in Japan is beautiful.  Back in Utah and Colorado fall lasts a whole two weeks.  Those two weeks are gorgeous but the come and go so quickly if sleep in too late you've already missed the beautiful colors.  In Japan the fall season has lasted almost a full month.  The leaves started changing colors a few weeks ago and they are still holding strong. There are several places in and around Nagoya to see the fall colors.  One of these places is the Nagoya Castle.  This is a castle located right in the heart of the city.  The city of Nagoya was bombed during WWII.  As a result, the whole city was destroyed, including the Nagoya Castle.  Fortunately for me and other tourists destined for Nagoya, they have built a replica of the castle and made it into somewhat of a museum.   I convinced my friend Phil to accompany me on a day trip to the castle.  It is silly to even call it this since it is located in the city in which we li...