summer break #1

so at my school we get quite a few breaks throughout the year, for a total of about 6 weeks over the year. one of our breaks was in july from the 13th to the 21st. I decided to take a bike trip to Shizuoka prefecture and I stayed in a town called Omaezaki.

here is the map of where Omaezaki is. the route I took on the way back went through Hamamatsu, Shinjiro, Toyota, Miyoshi, and Nisshin. (going there I went through Okazaki, Toyokawa, Toyohashi, and Hamamatsu)

I spent July 16th riding, and I stayed in a hotel that night. 

the next day I headed over to the youth hostel.

 On the 17th I did a bit of exploring around Omaezaki, went swimming at the beach...

The beach has a giant slide near it, so I went on that. super funn!!

Omaezaki is right on the pacific ocean, with no islands obstructing the view. I've rarely seen views like this--living in places like Wakayama, Vancouver, and Nagoya the ocean always has a coast on the other side or some islands obstructing the view. That night I stayed in the hostel in Omaezaki. It was really peaceful and the owners were really kind.

So on my second day, I did something I've wanted to do for a long time. I went surfing! I just found a little shop called Morey Surf where I could rent a surfboard and wetsuit... and the owner taught me a surfing lesson too! it was really fun! I didn't get to stand up on the board but am hoping to go back soon and try it out again :) I have found a couple places along the Chita peninsula (south of nagoya)

after my surf lesson I was all salty and sandy so I really wanted to go to an Onsen. but the only onsen was about 19 km away. although that was nothing to what I had ridden two days before, so why not go to it? the Onsen was called Ko-umare and it was one of the nicest I've been to. they even have a scented oil bath which changes every month. I was really surprised to find the price was cheap--only 500 yen for 3 hours.

these pictures were taken on the way to the onsen!

the very next day, I left the hostel before 7 am and had breakfast of a rice ball, block of tofu, and oolong tea in front of a convenience store. then I headed about 40 km to Hamamatsu city. There is nothing to see there but I wanted to send my heavy backpack back home by express delivery. Which only cost about 1000 yen.

Inland sea in Hamamatsu

then I headed up into the mountains which I would cross over into Aichi prefecture and back home. the mountain going up was really high, and I finished off my bottle of tea just going up! thankfully at the top there were a couple of vending machines waiting for me. After the top I thought I would have a really long downhill ride. but it was more like a plateau, going straight across and through most of Toyota city (yes, the car company started from there). then, I had a really fantastic ride down into Toyota's city centre. after that it was a hour or two on the highway back home to Nagoya city.

This was the longest trip I've done so far; I probably rode over 350 km in 4 days.

the plateau part of Toyota

now here are all the prefectures I've been to... not counting the ones I've only passed through: 

Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Hyogo, Osaka, Nara, Wakayama, Gifu, Nagano, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Niigata, Aichi, Mie, Fukui, Shizuoka, and Shiga 

(just went to Shiga on August 13th, but that's a story for another post) 

That makes 19 in total! there are 47 in all, so I only have 28 left to visit.

entry #349

The latest happenings with me involve sorting out details and applying for my visa; going to osaka; riding my bike around places and seeing the autumn leaves. (check out all of my fall photos on picasa)

so I have already applied for my visa! there is a lot of paperwork and a lot of complications in the application process... they have to ask my employer again and again about things >.< they also called me to ask about my job. so hopefully it all goes smoothly, at this point all I can do is cross my fingers and wait.

on november 10th I went to osaka... I went to a bike shop and rented a bike and rode it around; I figure I should get to know the town a bit better. now I can get around okay there, as long as I have my phone of course. I also saw a japanese movie with no subtitles in japan for the first time. it was Tsui no Shintaku... pretty heavy subject matter, it was about a doctor who euthanizes her diabetic patient, and is accused of murdering him (although it focused mainly on their relationship). in the end, it is revealed that after several years in jail, she is freed because he had written in his diary that he entrusted his life to her, and that served as a living will. anyhow I found it very moving... and overall an excellent movie. I had been doubtful about live-action japanese movies because I think the TV dramas here are awful, but this movie allows me to put faith in Japanese actors!

on nov. 18th I went on another bike ride around Arida district (over to a mountain in Kanaya and then back down to Yuasa and then back home). the main point of this ride was to go see the fall leaves! and they were lovely!
the stats of this ride were:
total distance 59.44km
total time 4h30min.
max speed 50.5km/h
avg speed 13.3km/h
expenditure 1278 calories
height climbed 598m

oh... I also took a short detour in the middle to hike down to Kurokura waterfall.

on Nov. 22nd I went to wakayama city. I dropped by wakayama castle to see the fall leaves. didn't go inside, just around the castle grounds. I hear the cherry blossoms are really beautiful there, and so were the fall leaves! quite breathtaking. peep these...

I also went to Don Quijote, the store with literally everything. there's one in Tokyo but I didn't think there would be one in wakayama. well, there is. so I'm quite glad about that.

on Dec. 2nd I went to Hidakagawa (again!? said Machiko sensei. (hey, I've only been there twice...)) just for fun this time, but also to see the fall leaves (again...). I was only planning to go to Matsubara, in Kanaya which is a part of aridagawa. but I ended up in Hidakagawa, in Hidaka district which is directly south of Arida district. anyhow I had been there in september when I went to Ryujin and I thought it was fun to compare the scenery in two seasons. Maybe I'll make a long trip next year during cherry blossom season and make it 3 seasons?

my... my precious...

so I just discovered my phone's camera has the OS6 panorama option... I love iphone's OS6!

anyhow, for todays stats.
total time: about 5h3min
total distance: about 66.25km
avg speed: about 13.1 km/h
top speed: 49.8km/h
expenditure: around 1400 calories
highest point: 346 m.
I also met this guy outside a Lawson convenience store when I was almost home! he is doing a bicycle tour of Japan. I was pretty amazed and inspired, because at some point I want to do something like that (or a long-term trip, perhaps to Tohoku or some such place) sorry the blog is in japanese of course, but I just thought I'd put it out there!


last but not least here are some bonus pictures of me

taken with my gopro while riding, oct. 21st

in tanabe city, oct. 21st

from today's ride

tanabata, shirahama (a deja-vu moment)

Tanabata
the Japanese summer wish-making festival, based on a japanese folk tale.
Make a wish by writing it on a coloured piece of paper, and tie it to a bamboo stalk on or before July 7th. on the evening of the 7th, we burn these bamboo stalks in the hopes that the smoke will carry the wishes to the stars. my wish was to live permanently in japan, but days later I wanted take it back and wish not to sweat so much. do you have any idea how hot it is here? when I walk out of an air conditioned room, it is like walking into a sauna. anyhow... my wish is made and that's that :) I guess I'm doomed to be sweaty forever in japan!
at the classroom we did wishes in english with the kids. for the younger ones we had them write what they wanted to be when they grow up.

this little boy wants to be a dinosaur.

(I do, too.)

the finished wish tree

after that, I had to burn the wishes. gladly... I will burn these wishes... hee hee

As a certain N. Furtado would croon, fire to ashes, all good things come to an end, amiright?

the next day (july 8) we went to shirahama and I got my swim on.

we did some sightseeing! shirahama is a delightful little summery town

this is where I had a deja-vu moment. exactly 3 years and 11 months ago I came to this spot with Machiko and some others. there was a shop there giving out kombucha samples. I drank the same kombucha given to me by the same man as 3 years and 11 months ago. it was a complete trip. my only regret is not wearing the exact same outfit (pants and t-shirt, which would have been too hot anyhow)

by the way, this is Tatsuya--he used to teach at the JEC in van.

he's staying at our classroom for 1 month to help out and learn how to be an english teacher.