Climbing Mt. Fuji

Last weekend I got to check a major thing off my Japan list - climbing Mt. Fuji!Everyone I talked to before going said it was not so interesting a mountain and definitely not worth a second trip, but I disagree. Since we didn't actually make it to the top, I may have to plan a revenge trip and conquer her once and for all.

Instead of recounting every detail, I'll give you some haikus.

Blue peak dipped in clouds

Tow'ring above the mountains

From a bus window

Wind screaming outside

Ten thousand feet in the air

Buried in blankets

Pebbles blowing wild

Lights bobbing in the darkness

A sky full of stars

Standing on a cloud

Friends cheering the morning on

Peekaboo sunrise

Battling car sickness

A connoiseur of rest stops

10 hours of transit

If you want more visuals, click this link to see my video!

Writing Obituaries

One of the fun parts of being an English teacher is making up tests and worksheets. At first it was stressful trying to figure out whether a question was good enough and how many points to ascribe to each, but now it's no probo, yo.

It's 1st term finals now, so I had to make an exam for my Active Communication class. In class we read random articles, answer questions for understanding, and discuss the ideas in them. One of the more recent ones was a series of obituaries and birth announcements. Students had to read them and guess what it was about. But what kind of test question can you make about obituaries? I wanted to get them to try writing one, but also didn't want to depress anyone by asking to write about the death of loved ones. So here's what I came up with:

"Kochi's [prefectural] character, Katsuo-ningen (fish human) is jealous of [Tokushima's prefectural character,] Sudachi-kun's (Mr. Small green lime fruit) popularity. Last weekend he kidnapped and drowned Sudachi-kun in the ocean. Write a short obiturary for Tokushima's favorite character, Sudachi-kun." (pictures included in question)

These are some of my favorite responses.

"We have a sad news. Our lovely character, Sudachi-kun, passed away. We'll have a funeral for him. Please come and share your sadness with us."

"Sudachi-kun is kindness itself, so he listened to Katsuo-ningen's complaints."

"Sudachi-kun had been worked in Tokushima for many years, but from today, he move to heaven. I wish he will be a good character in heaven."

"Sudachi-kun was flooded to Tokyo, and he happened to become popular around there. As a result he became much more popular than Katsuo-ningen because of his cutie looks."

Japanese Fruit

Did you know that there are different fruits for different regions of the world? If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I would have said no. I used to think there were just apples, oranges, bananas, berries, and melons. I think it was the starfruit or pomegranate that tipped me off to the diversity of the world's fruits.

Here are a few new ones I've discovered while living in Japan!

Sumomo

Miniature nectarines. Same great taste, slightly less mess.

Akebi

Not too sure... I've seen fallen ones on mountain paths, but never tried it.

Biwa

They taste a lot like pears, but with big seeds in the middle.

Persimmons

Like sweet, orange tomatoes. I've never bought one, but have eaten dozens and dozens of them from people's gardens. A good, mild fruit!

Alternatively, you can dry them for a sweet, candylike taste. This pic is a bit extreme, but you don't have to go far to see a house with cords of these hanging up outside in the fall.

Lichi

This is a popular flavor in Asia, but I'm not sure if people eat the fruit here.

This Salt and Lichi drink would have rocked my socks off if I'd been wearing any.

Yamaboushi

Mountain hats. They're a tart sort of berry with edible spikes.

Yamamomo

Mountain peaches. During a hike, some old ladies beckoned us over to try them on a wild tree. Good taste, but there was a big seed in the middle.

And of course, I can't live in Tokushima without proudly telling you of our famous fruit:

Sudachi

Small citrus fruit. You can squeeze it on anything - chicken, rice, ice cream, alcohol. 

Meet Sudachi-kun, our prefectural mascot!

There are tons of other citrus fruits, especially in Shikoku where I live. Yuzu, mikan, buntan, decopon, amanatsumikan, etc. And yet with all this abundance of citrus, we still import our oranges from the good ole USA. 

Hangin' by a Thread

 Just a picture post today. Let's enjoying!

Ad on a bus for my bank. Isn't our character cute?

Making PB&Js to share with a class of 1st graders.

This strap is nearing the end of its life. 

It's a happy day when the gas stations declare their love for me. 

Video Time!

Rainy season has begun.
Other than that, nothing new.
So let me share a couple videos with you!

Here's a music video from my trip to Hiroshima at the beginning of the month. I was nervous about it being my first trip around Japan alone, but it ended up being really fun. There was way too much to do to feel lonely, and I ended up meeting a lot more fellow travelers along the way.

Of the more routine variety, here's a tour of the teacher's room. Everyone was out at a meeting, so I decided to whip out the camera and show you around. Hope you enjoy the music, courtesy of Mr. Gez pie.

(can't embed, so click HERE)

Iwakuni Visit

Last weekend I got to visit Iwakuni for the first time. Before that it had lived in my imagination as the magical place where my lucky brother got to stay for 2 years in his time in the Marines. And while I won't say there was no magic charm to the place, I've now been able to transfer the thought of "Iwakuni" from the world of stories and imaginations to a real life connection. It really does exist!

Check out the videos and you'll see for yourself.

Part 1 - with views of the base

Part 2 - story of the trip with views of the town

Homebody heaven

What do the past 5 weekends have in common? They've been effusively packed with exciting, energetic, engrossing activities. From sumo in Osaka, a whirlwind tour of Kyushu, and a couple jaunts through the hills of Tokushima, I've been all over! So what was I about to do with a 3 day weekend that saw no big plans??? Let me tell you. 

Check out those bursts of color! 

Saturday morning I started off with a trip to my favorite recycle shop, Sun & Green. I came away with 9 work shirts/sweaters and a cute summer dress, all for just under ~$20. 

Adding these to my closet made me realize that the weather's changing a lot lately, and so should my closet! So I spent the afternoon shuffling, organizing, and folding my clothes. 

Where's my Goodwill color gradient cheatsheet when I need it?

This one doesn't look as sharp, but don't worry. There's a system!

The best part of sewing is matching patterns. :3

All that playing with fabric reminded me that I have another closet full of beautiful scrap cloth. So I went over and whipped up a few drawstring bags for some future occasion. Still thinking on the string part, but they'll come soon. 

Each morning I spent some time in my biblio (NOT teca!). I'm at the beginning of a study that takes you through major themes of the bible and asks thoughtful questions about each day's contents. 

I'm not a very clever student, but at least persistent. 

On Sunday I went to church for the first time in ages. It was so nice to sing those familiar opening/closing songs and see my pastor rest his hands on his tummy with a self satisfied smile when he made silly remarks. That night I went to the pastor's house for dinner and discussion about Zaccheus. It's a wonder they got away without hearing that awesome Zaccheus song from me. 

Makeshift bamboo supports.

During the downtimes I've been a reading machine. 

Finished up the Scorch Trials, 2nd book of the Maze

Runner Trilogy. I'm glad I don't live in a dystopian world.

Then started on a the Book Thief, a sweet story with a 

delightfully unexpected writing style. 

In audiobook world I finished Around the World

in 80 Days, began and finished Jewish Children

(inspiration for Fiddler on the Roof?), and started 

Persuasion, another Jane Austen goody. 

Monday's focus has been on gardening! Not that I have one, but I do have a patio. So I planted some tomatoes, cucumber, and a sprouting garlic. I also finally found a bin to start composting. My burnable garbage bag doesn't fill up nearly as fast as the food starts rotting, so I thought this might be a better alternative than wasting all those expensive trash bags. 

If this were more detailed you'd be able to see the fruit flies going crazy. Yuck!

Magic Mountain.. I may resume you someday.

And of course, on a free weekend with gorgeous weather, how could I pass up the chance to go for a walk or two?

Now, to conclude the night, I have some long overdue letters to write.