Adam does Arashiyama

I was stoked! Adam came to Japan after telling me when I left he'd be here to visit within a year...so I took him to the most beautiful place I've seen in Japan to date: Arashiyama - "Storm Mountain", in Kyoto.

It's a little touristy in the main centre (if you can call it a centre) but still much prettier compared to the stinky, crowded greyness of Osaka.

I got us hopelessly lost trying to find everything and anything, but we ended up at a cute cafe which served Japanese food (as opposed to American style "humbug" (hamburg(er), or pasta etc.

What was it? I don't know. Was it nice? ...yeeeah..? Did Adam like it? ...yep...
It was grapefruit flavoured something, probably rice based (you can make a gelatinous substance from rice). The green tea was lush though.

So after walking around in circles, we decided to ask this friendly Rickshaw driver to take us to Tenryu-ji Temple, which is what I wanted to show Adam. Oh yeah, and it was just around the corner. Nevermind.

It looks like we are in a giant wheelchair.

Poor bugger, lugging us heavies around. He was so sweaty, but was awesome and spoke English to us the whole time telling us about the place.

Finally we got to what I wanted to show Adam; the Sagano bamboo forest which lies outside of Tenryu-ji temple.

It is stunning.

This is a shot of the famous zen garden in the temple, but you really have to see it to feel it.

Some shots of the grounds:

Then we went to an Izakaya (Japan style pub/restaurant) and got served by this guy.

Temmabashi in Osaka, which reminds me of home.

Has lots of trees down the side of the river.

See ya mate!!!

We are not in control

It would be nice to say the events of late in my life have been great, but its been a rocky road these last few months.

Firstly, as many of you know, I was hospitalised in June/July as it was discovered that I had two ovarian tumours...of which I have made a complete recovery, fertility and sanity intact. (I promise to write about the unique experience of having a major operation in The Land of the Rising Sun).

THEN...my home in New Zealand gets demolished, and ends up looking like some drunken giant stumbled through the city. What the hell? Nothing ever happens in CHCH. But now it will never be the same again.

My mother realised there was an earthquake as she was being thrown out of her bed. My sister had a large set of drawers fall on top of her. Jennas house continues to develop cracks in the aftershocks. Gina had no water for days. My grandparents tin shed was demolished by a neighbours chimney (they didn't realise this until days after - which shows how loud the quake must have been to mask that sound).

No one died - of which I am grateful. But people I know and love will continue to pick up the pieces for months.

I know this is cliche, but I think rebuilding my body, in the case of my operation, has helped me to gain a new appreciation of life. Things like - being mobile, sleeping and walking around fancy free were things that were taken from me, for a short time. I'll never take those things for granted again - I have a huge scar to remind me not to.

Maybe rebuilding Christchuch will have a similar result in peoples lives. Structures will be built　to better withstand these disasters. People will be kinder, and appreciate the peaceful normality of life. There will be many a scar to remind us all of how mortal we are.

I had two tumours, and didn't have a spread of cancer. Christchurch had a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and no one died.

The mind boggles!

What to write...

Firstly perhaps that I`m no longer the tallest girl in Kobe - I`m now the rival to Godzilla in Osaka!! Am loving living here closer to work and friends, but miss my Uncle Glenn and the clean, quiet relative tranquility of Kobe. It`s only half an hour by train anyway, so I won`t have a big cry about it.

Life update: was really really homesick for ages, but am coming back into normality. I am adjusting to teaching my very own classes of kids and still crack up at them everyday. Especially when you see and hear a three year old Japanese kid say "Hello Darlene" in really clear (NZ accented) English that you`ve taught them...hahahahaaa!!! Weird.

It`s Summer here, and it`s bloody hot and will get hotter, muggier and rainier...right now it`s lush, and I`m still sporting a golden brown tan from my trip to Okinawa in May. I swam with the fishes...and the turtles, sea snakes, star fish, sea slugs and the holidaying population of Japan during Golden Week.

Highlights:
1. Touching a sea turtle with my feet, then hand. Then, chasing it down with the intent of gripping it and having it tow me. Fail.
2. Feeding schools of fish, which then attacked me and bit my body.
3. Kicking and punching said schools of fish.
4. Seeing my first sea snake, having a panic attack underwater and having my flatmate tell me to pull myself together (all done underwater)
5. Swimming with phosphorescents, who lit the night time water up so brightly, it was like day.
6. Playing with hermit crabs

Facebook has some pics, maybe I`ll post some too. Wanna show some pics of my apartment as well which has a beautiful large patio.

Just a coke, desu. Took this pic at Coco`s, a family restaurant similar to Denny`s with crappy western food that I sometimes just have to have!

It says "abunai" and means "dangerous". The Japanese signage is like nothing else. It`s so descriptive. I ain`t going in that water after seeing that pic!!!!!! The waves have teeth, let alone whatevers below!!

Nelson, my friend who I work with on Tuesday.

Jeremy on the subway with a random kid getting in on the picture.

Mecha fashionable couple, both wearing stripes. Stalker shot.

And now my piece de resistance...an actual smoking campaign for Winston cigarettes. Can you believe it??

Japan is a bit behind the times, at times.

The Ramen Museum

Hisashiburi - it means long time no see. Had no interwebs for quite a while, but I'm back for at least a week or so. Next Sunday I move into a flat to share with another Japanese girl and an American from New York...please be like Elaine from Seinfeld, please be like Elaine from Seinfeld, please be like Elaine from Seinfeld...or Kramer, or George, or Newman...

I recently had a haircut which I'm pretty happy with...it's somehow prompted people to actually comment on it too. This old, drunk, Japanese woman last night plopped herself down next to me on the train and started speaking to me in Japanese...then busted out some English which sounded like The Fast Shows Rowley Birkin QC - "but I was very, very drunk". I picked out Oriental Hotel, Onion Soup, Harbour in bits...I think she wanted me to go somewhere. But the funniest thing was when she suddenly said "are you a businessman?" "No..." then she said - "haircut, cute because muzukashi (difficult)". "Mmm, yeah" I nodded.

Works going well anyway, I'm earning some good money and enjoying the kids.

Right now, I feel so free - like a balloon floating into the sky. Which is terrifying and thrilling at the same time. I know these moments here are fleeting so I'm enjoying every one of them!

So...here's one day I spent at a RAMEN MUSEUM:

The use of the word "museum" is very liberal in Japan.

Every make and model of noodles from this company from the 50's to today.

I was naturally very taken with this UFO flavour. Powdered aliens?

AND IKATUN!!!!!!!! Shrimp Pig!!!!! Absolute GENIUS.

The oldest ramen - the first one the company made. I bet you can still eat it.

The highlight of coming to this museum though, is creating your OWN ramen - choose the flavour, and design your own cup. Most people seemed to do an adaptation of the companys logo. I went another way.

Note the whipped cream pooh logo.

It's my new friend Terry Donovan - he's one of the Donovan brothers. Duncan normally doesn't wear a top, so I thought I'd best draw Terry.

Ikatun skating with flowers.

Mmm ok, I'll admit I crappily tried to draw the logo, but failed. So it turned into a UFO spaceship.

Ikatun and UFO saying "Hai, douzo" - meaning, yep, here you are , eat it.

Soo...the two on the left are Nacho and Mio's, and the one on the right is mine.

At least I was able to teach them NOM NOM NOM.

Big ramen model.

It's my line, going into production...

Add flavour.

Chuck a lid on it.

Seal it up...

I'd pay money for that.

The company founder, or something.