Two mornings ago, I decided to go down to the beach and just walk around. There were two things that really stood out about the beach here. One, there were shells absolutely everywhere, and not just small ones, but large ones too and even crab shells. Second, all over the place, there are these massive concrete blocks that look like fat pieces of barbwire ( I understand that they are used to break the tide coming into shore). It was quite a cool experience. Living in Colorado, I have been by the ocean a total of maybe 4 weeks in my entire life, so I guess I'm impressed easily. I also visited a local temple that morning, which was also quite cool. I was invited to lunch later that same day at Derek's house, where I was treated to a western/Japanese mix meal. It was quite good. The next day, I was also invited to Derek's for dinner, but because I was walking Nappa, they didn't want to wait and just started without me. It was fine though, once I got there I had some great leftovers and played this game that was kind of like rummy, but played instead with plastic pieces. I actually ended up staying until about 12. Tonight, I'm going to a BBQ with Jeff Lewis, a local English teacher on the island.

Last night, I went out to Sumoto (the biggest nearby town - 30,000) with Atsushi and Makoto. We just drove around for a bit and then went up to a castle (which was really more of a tall observation tower.) Afterwards, we met up with another one of Atsushi's friends and went to a restaurant, where I ordered spicy kim chee. One of the guys, Matsashi, is going to New Zealand next week for a year study abroad program, so I helped him a little bit with his English. It was funny, I was a hotel clerk and he was a guest. (We did a role play). Afterwards, we went our separate ways and I got a ride home with Atsushi. A fun night out on the town!

Day 1,2,3,4

Well, the last few days have been quite interesting. The day after I arrived (Saturday the 17th) was nice. After a nice breakfast with Richard and his wife Jackie, Richard and I headed out on our bikes with Nappa (the dog) so I could see where and how to walk the dog. The island is real pretty during the day, green everywhere. It reminds me of Canada and Germany----maybe a bit more humid. We went on what Richard called "loop one", which meant that it was the first typical route for walking Nappa. I'm not sure if I should say that Nappa is walked though, we both got on bikes and rode behind Nappa as she bolted ahead. Along the way, we found a tree bearing a fruit I had never seen before ( If forgot the name), but the fruits were incredible. They are these little orange things about the size of an avocado core; very juicy and sweet. After a few more hills and encounters with local rice farmers who were less than enthusiastic about Nappa running though their rice fields, we returned home and and chilled for a few hours before heading out again in the evening, this time to a traditional restaurant, where I was treated to a wide variety of Japanese cuisine. Among the tasties: Yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles), Okonomiyaki (Savory pancakes with different vegetables, meat and fish inside) and the most interesting---Takoyaki, which is a fried dumpling with octopus inside. It was all great. Afterwards we headed back to the house and pretty much went to bed. Jackie and Richard were leaving the next day, so I got some more information about my responsibilities around the house.

(pictures from top to bottom: The house, Nappa (who is finally warming up to me) and me posing together, and the Japanese food (flat pancake thing-Okonomiyaki, balls-Takoyaki, noodles-Yakisoba, The Sunset on Awaji)

The first day having the house to myself was a bit eerie--it was very quiet, but the constant buzzing of nature all around was nice, and much preferable to the background noise of the city. During the day, I pretty much just relaxed and set up my things. I got a call from Derek (the older Englishman) around 1, inviting me to dinner and a viewing of the first fireflies of the season. I happily accepted, and headed down to his beautiful seaside house a few hours later. Unfortunately, it had started raining right before I left, so I took an umbrella and headed down. We met with some other people who would be coming with us (including a first grader who was the grandson of one of Derek's friends who was obsessed with trying his English out on me), and left about fifteen minutes later. We drove about 30 minutes to another part of the island, but we had bad luck finding a restaurant that still had space for a big group like ours. We did eventually find a place though. I ordered an eel dish, and we all sat and talked for awhile before heading off again to see the fireflies. We drove through a winding pass up a mountain and stopped at the end of a long driveway overlooking a river. Although it was a bit chilly, it was cool seeing the fireflies serenely strobing in the air.

(pictures from top to bottom: My room with Japanese futon, and one of the cats, Boogie, overloading my cute-o-meter by sleeping on the spare futons in the closet)

The next day, I was picked up around 11 by Derek to go and pick up my car from his house. I had left it there the night before (Derek offered to let me park it there overnight, I was pretty wiped out by the time we got back to Tsushi) Anyway, as I was backing out, the back of the car bumped against a telephone pole. Thankfully, the car was fine, but I decided to take it to the local gas/service station (I had been introduced to a father-son duo who work there) to get it checked out anyway. They took a loot at it, said it was OK, and then I was offered coffee and cookies by the owner (the dad). He also offered to show me his new LCD TV he had just bought. Later, I was talking with his son (Atsushi) and found out he played soccer. Atsushi invited me on Thursday to play with him and some of his friends in another part of the island. We also decided to meet on Wednesday in the evening and just hang out. Overall, it was a successful day.

Rice fields: they are EVERYWHERE

Wednesday, I pretty much just hung around and cleaned up the house a bit before Atsushi and his friends showed up. Atsushi ended up bringing two friends with him, Makoto and Matsuri, when he arrived at 8:30. We just played some music and talked for a few hours, before they headed home. It was cool to meet some Japanese people who were a little closer to me in age.
I got invited to a going away party on Saturday for one of Atsushi's friends who lives in Osaka, but I'm not sure if I'll go because he said it;ll be an all-nighter and I'm having dinner with Derek, his wife and some of their friends on Sunday. We'll see....

The Plunge

Unlike America and Europe, who either cling to their pasts fervently or embrace change and the future with enthusiasm, Japan is a land torn between preserving the rich traditions of the past and addressing the urgent cry for modernization of the present. Ancient Shinto temples dot the countryside and the cities, yet the erection of modern shopping centers and office buildings have formed concrete and steel cradles around the ancient shrines, who are now forced to endure unending darkness amidst the giant avatars of industry and commerce, whose buildings are many and tall, jutting out from the ground like prisoners desperate to escape their earthly bonds, their hands trying ever to reach the heavens above, when in reality, their shrill cries for salvation would instead be found at their feet rather than high above their heads.

At night, their neon lights illuminate the sky and cast a glow on the undergrowth below, forming a misty canopy of neon capitalism across the aged foundations of this ancient land. The sprawling cities of Osaka and Kobe take the form of large pools of water at the feet of the great mountains, and often spill up into foothills, like a pond saturated with too much rainwater. The power lines do not run along great stretches of highway and over hills in organized fashions as they do in America, but instead straddle and scale enormous mountains like divine tethers, ever roping down the great gods of the earth and keeping them at bay.

(Awaji Island)

When I first got off of the plane in Osaka, it was hard to believe I was actually in Japan. It was the kind of feeling I got when I came to Germany for the first time; a kind of hazy ecstasy. The stimuli coming in from everywhere, seeing and hearing Japanese and feeling the humidity, it all can be quite overwhelming----but in a good way. Although I knew better, I couldn't help but wonder, as I was getting though customs, waiting for my bus outside and watching as a bunch of recently disembarked uniformed high schoolers flowed out from the baggage claim area into their parents' open arms, whether I was dreaming. Still, as a boarded the bus towards Awaji Island, and watched as row after row of cool looking apartment buildings and ship yards passed by outside my bus window, the pleasant reality----that I would be spending the next two and a half months in Japan--- began to sink in. As I struggled to keep my eyes open amidst the massive jet lag, I watched the sky darken and soon enough I passed over the Akashi-Kaiko bridge ( the longest suspension bridge in the world) onto Awaji Island. It took another half hour to get to my stop, Tsuna-Ichinomoyia, where Richard (whose house I'm sitting) would be picking me up. Once I arrived at the bus stop and disembarked, Richard arrived a few minutes later and we headed off to a resuturant where I met some of Richards friends, including an older Englishman from Plymouth whose name was also Derek (spelled the same too), and the owner of a temple on the island. It was all quite fun and despite the jet lag, I managed to stay awake and down about 4 beers (or was it 6?) thanks to everyone who extended their Japanese hospitality to me and ensured that my glass was never empty. After leaving and getting back, I headed pretty much straight to bed. End of Day 1.