Ok.. so I haven't written in a bit.... ok, a while.... ok for 5 months. But after hearing some complaints that people A. wanna know if im still alive/what I've been up to and B. wanna stop looking at a picture of a dead dog, I am back on track! So here is a quick lil' somethin' about my life... the Japan Chapter.

Hanami! aka Cherry Blossom Season! Yes, for 1-2 weeks the trees, along with the Japanese, are in bloom. Every conversation is where the next flowers will be blooming, what kind of cherry blossoms they are, and.... Sugoi Kiree, ne? (they are so beautiful, right?). Festivals, picnics under the blossoms, and of course a zillion pictures of loved ones under every tree. We tried our best to take part in this celebration and drank sake in Numata's Park. I also visited Katashina's own 700 year old tree. Even with the blooming slightly past, it definetly was... sugoi kiree.

Dre came to visit!!!!! We had a whirlwin trip through Japan where Dre got to experience a little about what my life is like. We traveled down to Kanazawa where we saw some beautiful gardens, ate amazing sushi, and enjoyed a raging night of kareoke. Then back to Katashina where Dre visited my students, watched my teaching, and even practiced with the elementary relay race teams (I practiced too and my team totally beat dre's). Then over to Nikko for some shrines and down to Tokyo for a last night that lasted to the early morning.

I've been playing a bit of field hockey with a local team. I try to keep up both with their skills and the Japanese-only conversations.. i pretty much fail at both but still manage to have a good time. One day I arrived to a reporter from the prefecture newspaper. He wrote an article about the crazy foreigner playing hockey in Japan. Although an interview took place I don't think he used anything I said. When the article came out it basically stated I was the best player on the team and a motivating force. I don't really know how my panting on the sidelines, being schooled by Junior High School Students is a motivating force so it was fairly embarassing. Plus, withing minutes of the reporter leaving I got a ball squarely in the mouth. Lots of blood and talk about pulling a tooth but turned out ok; only a few weeks of a soup and I even got a tooth I've been meaning to get capped for the last 5 years taken care of! (no tooth was pulled)

School trips with the students... The first I went on was to Tokyo. They let loose a class of 12 and 13 year old country bumkins in groups of 4, with no supervision, on one of the biggest cities in the world. Basic rule: be back at the bus by 3pm. And yes, they all showed up, all with their eyes glowing and stories flowing about their adventures of the day. For some this was their first visit to Tokyo, and most this was their first trip without parents. The teachers, on the other hand, had little responsibility other than to be on call for emergencies. We enjoyed our time in Tokyo with shopping, eating sushi, and visiting a cheesecake museum. The next school trip I went on was a science project to a local mountain. They took samples of.. things.. (I still don't really know) and then analyzed it at the local high school, known for its amazing science building and environmental science studies. I enjoyed the students company, hiking, and snowball fights with the remaining snow on the ground!

















Dad also came to visit! This time he didnt fall asleep at dinner with my friends! yay!! We went down to Kamakura, where my grandparents had lived. Its probably one of my favorite places in Japan; right on the beach with small shrines and temples tucked into the mountains that surround the city (Dad says that the Kamakura rulers did this so the monks would die first if they were attacked). The hydrangea were in bloom and so were the crowds. So, we mostly stuck to the smaller temples and did a lot of walking. Fast walking (Dad insisted that we walked fast because "we don't have enough time!! i only have 40 years left!") ah dad... i miss you.


































































Climbed Mt Fuji. Check. Started up the mountain at about 10am in a tshirt and long pants. Got to the top at about 4am in everything that I owned. The climb wasn't too tough, and not to pretty either. By the top we were packed in, standing in lines to get to the top of the mountain. Everyone around was slowly trudging up, then, as the first slice of sun peaked over the horizon everyone went completely silent and stopped moving. Some applause began over the mountain and you knew what everyone was thinking... it was worth it. Soon the sun began to warm our bodies and light up the lakes and mountains below us. We happily hiked up the last bit and celebrated for about 5 min at the windy top before heading back down. Going down was like one big sand/rock/dirt slide. Walking down it meant slipping and sliding all over the place... so I ran. We got back down completely exhausted and headed home.

Some other bits and pieces...
Started kayaking.. whitewater.. taught by this crazy Aussie I met. its a bit terrifying but i think ill stick with it.
Went to Fuji Rock... big music festival that is in actuality nowhere near Fuji. but saw some good live music, enjoyed camping, and was AMAZED at how clean everything was!
Visited Sado Island.. twice.. the 6th largest