Nichinan's first big snowfall of the year.

Good evening to everyone, as well as good morning depending on where/when you are reading this. I am in the comfort of my small room typing this while drinking a refreshing whiskey 'n water. In Japanese, whiskey and water is called mizu-wari, (水割り,みずわり). The first character, mizu, means water, and the second, wari, means something along the lines of proportion, ratio, percentage, etc etc depending on the context. Nothing special, just some food for thought. I mean drink. Eh. *sip*.

It's cold here. Right now, Japan is getting hit with a lot of snow nation-wide. In fact, in Hokkaido (one of Japan's upper-most four islands), there are coastal cities getting flooded because of the ever-rising sea-level, thanks to the tremendous amount of snow that is falling there. Luckily, no such happenings in Nichinan, but I hope the best for the people north of me.

After work, I walked to the supermarket to grab some...things (*siiip*). On the way back, my inner cellphone photographer came out and felt inspired by the snowy scenery around me. So, I took some pictures for anyone who is curious to see.

The bridge over the Hino River. The tan building to the left is the junior high school where Henry Sensei and I teach. Just past that, following the winding road on the edge of the river is where the baseball field and elementary school is, which is also pretty much where my humble dwelling is.

On the aforementioned road, pass the junior and elementary school. To the right is the small parking lot for the baseball field, which is also where the uphill road is to where I live. In the distance there is the other bridge over the Hino River.

Standing in the same position from the last picture, turning right ninety degrees. The sign says, "Students have right of way: watch out for students walking."

There she is! Getting close...

Last night, when Kaho (a local friend of Henry and I) came to drop me off here (and Henry off afterwards), there was a car stuck on the hill. Henry, Kaho and I got out of her car and helped push the car until it got traction. Turns out it was the grandmother of my neighbor's family (mom's side). The mom and two of her children were also out trying to help. I ought to give them my phone number so they can call me if they ever need help again. To the right is what I believe to be the Kendo building (Japanese fencing). I can usually hear them practicing from my house. It is going under a renovation right now.

Mi casa in the very back-center. 

Doesn't look too bad from the picture, and I suppose it really isn't that bad (yet). As for now, the snow is up to my knee, but last year I remember when it was above my waist (I'm 185 cm, take that for what it's worth).

And the entrance. What the picture doesn't show (or can't show, rather) is that there is a considerable step from the porch to the grass, but you would never be able to tell as of right now.

When I left work for the grocery store it was still snowing, but finally ceased when I walked home and took these pictures. It has been snowing since early in the AM of yesterday morning. Last night and this morning my main water tap in my kitchen was frozen, so I had to use the water from my bathroom sink for cooking. Luckily, it actually warmed up a bit today and my tap is no longer frozen!

My room with two of my three heaters. The tall one is an electric heater, good for keeping the room warm, whereas the one in the corner, the gas one, is good for getting the room warm. My third heater (another gas one) is in the kitchen. The thing on the right is a guitar.

Remember that mizu-wari I mentioned earlier? Here it is in all of it's golden glory, drinking straight out of one of the jars my parents used to send their home-made jam. Thanks mom and dad for the hipster drinking glass! Oh, and the jam was good, too. 

Winter. Nichinan. Not too much else to say really. I believe I'll be renting a car this coming Wednesday, according to my vice principal, so there is that. Also, next Saturday (the 27th) I will be departing for a week long trip to the Philippines to escape this weather for a bit. I probably won't write till then, so until then, keep it real everybody!

Cheers.

*sip*

Mount Mitoku and the Chinese Garden

Hello, everyone! Sorry it has been awhile since I last wrote in here. I have been doing some interesting things with interesting people, but I have been lethargic in getting thoughts and pictures organized to write something meaningful. I will try better in the future.

This last weekend was a three-day holiday here in Japan. Every November 23rd is Labour Thanksgiving Day. To quote Wikipedia, "This national holiday was established in 1948 as an occasion for praising labor, celebrating production and giving one another thanks. Prior to the establishment of this holiday, November 23 was celebrated as an imperial harvest festival called Niiname-sai (新嘗祭)."

To celebrate not working on Monday, I and two others went on a day trip to explore two places: Mount Mitoku in Misasa and Enchō-en in Yurihama.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to two fine people. On the right is Amu Teramoto. Amu speaks phenomenal English (she taught Japanese in Australia for five years). She is a wonderful person to practice Japanese with, because when all else fails, she can explain particulars in English. On the right is David Evans from California. They both live in Yonago and teach English at the same company. 

Mount Mitokusan

Mitokusan is famous for a temple that juts out the edge of a cliff. Unfortunately, you cannot go in, but you can get just close enough to take some pictures. The climb up was not as long as climbing something like Mount Daisen, but the trail is less forgiving. You have to climb up tree roots, rocks, tip-toe on the edge of cliffs with chilling drops, and at one point you can climb up the side of a rock wall on a chain (there is an alternate path for those who can't stomach it). Before reaching the iconic temple, there are two huts that jut out above gigantic valleys. Upon walking along the perimeter of the two huts you are greeted with a hand-rail free walk way that extends into the valleys. If the view doesn't take your breath away, looking down definitely will; the drop is so intimidating one can't help but to experience a calm and terrifying sensation.

Beauty and death were only a two feet difference standing on the walk-way of the hut. It's also worth mentioning that people have died climbing Mount Mitoku, so we were told to be careful by the super-nice monks.

I'd like to mention that some of these pictures were not just taken by me, but also by Amu and David on their phones.

This picture doesn't really do it justice, but this part of the trail was very thin with drops on both ends.

Getting to the first hut that extends into the valley.

Once you overcome the butterflies in your stomach, enjoying the view is not hard at all.

The white sashes are given to hikers before embarking on the hike. There are some Kanji written on it, but unfortunately I didn't really bother reading it to figure the meaning. All the climbers looked like they were running for Mayor of some city.

"Put that jacket down! Wait, nooooooooooooooooooooo..."

The path went around the back of this hut.

And there it is! 

Enchō-en (Chinese garden)

After making the climb down back to the car, we headed off to Enchō-en. This place is a Chinese-styled garden, and according to Wikipedia, marks a friendship between Tottori Prefecture (where I live) and Hebei Province in China, both places which are known for their cultivation of pears.

We also fed the Koi fish and watched a twenty-minute long production of Chinese dancing. We could have taken pictures and videos, but I didn't feel like doing so because I wanted to focus on the performance. Rest assured, it was spectacular!

After leaving the Chinese garden, we went back to Yonago and had Ramen. Pretty good end to a pretty good day.

Well, there's that. I'll do my best to try and be a bit more consistent with writing things and uploading pictures. Also, for anyone who cares, I passed my drivers test on the second try and now have a drivers license! Currently looking to rent a car, and today I made some progress when I called up a place recommended to me by a friend. Fingers crossed that I can meet with them soon and roll out in some wheels!

Goodbye and take care, everyone!

Mt. Bukhansan, Fuji, and Daisen

Good evening, everyone! It is just past 7:30 in the evening, and here I am sippin' a cold one, listening to Beethoven piano sonatas, and talking to you. Yes, you! I hope you feel very special and loved because of me doing so.

I have done many new things in my one year of being in Japan. One of those new experiences that I am proud of is taking a liking to climbing mountains. More than that, just taking a liking to enjoying nature in general. Cities are fun, but there is something special about living in the middle of nowhere, no matter how lonely it may seem. For better or for worse, it is definitely character-building experience, and I am lucky to have this experience for however long it lasts. 

This new liking of mine to climbing mountains comes from a good friend of mine here in Japan. Ladies and gentleman, meet the man, nay, the legend of Yonago himself: 

Here he is in his natural habitat, singing us all sad indie songs about things and stuff.

This native of New Jersey is a musician, lover, partier, and most likely enjoys taking long walks on the beach (hey, I've never asked, but I can only assume). He also enjoys hiking and running. We have become chums over the year I've been here, and he always has been gracious enough to lend me a mattress whenever I go on one of my famous (or infamous) night outs. 

Mt. Bukhansan

Back in May, he and I took a three day trip to Seoul because we both had a four-day weekend for Golden Week. Besides the usual stuff to do in Seoul, he told me that he wanted to climb a mountain in a national park just behind Seoul. And he wasn't kidding when he said it was literally behind Seoul. Mt. Bukhansan is 2,744 feet, and was the first mountain I climbed during my time here.

Shopping area where you can stock up on hiking gear.

"wut"

Cool wall as we neared the summit.

Remember how I said that Bukhansan National Park was right behind Seoul? There is the metropolis in all her glory! It was surreal. This picture doesn't do it any justice, but the city kind of looked like lego buildings. However, when you realize you are looking at the entirety of one of the biggest cities on the planet, it is quite an overwhelming experience to say the least.

The contrast of the green trees and the jutting rocks is what comes to my mind when I think of climbing Bukhansan.

I can hardly believe how beautiful it is.

And neither can max. In fact, he was quite perplexed as well.

Max looking at Seoul.

One other thing. At the summit there was a wild cat. A lot of the hikers were trying to play with it. I wonder if the little fella's still there?

Mt. Fuji

Back in July, one of Max's friends came to visit him for a week, and she ended her trip with Max and I in Tokyo. When she left back for America and I for Nichinan, Max was just starting a long vacation in Southeast Asia. Before we all went our separate ways, we decided to climb Fuji.

We climbed throughout the night to see the sunrise. We took a bus from Shinjuku (a ward in Tokyo) and arrived at the fifth station in Fuji around 10:00PM. No sleep that night. Because it was so dark, I could not take many pictures. However, I took some just as we reached the summit because the sunrise gave a tiny bit of light.

Right when we reached the top, around 4:30AM. It was very cold up there.

A side shot of the peak.

Max looking at clouds.

The sun now really coming out.

Enjoying some ramen at the top. That is a look of exhaustion, relief, and anticipation of eating the goodness I'm holding. 

The sun now fully out.

There is a saying in Japanese, although I have yet to actually find it (just going from what everyone tells me): A wise man climbs Fuji once, and a fool twice. After climbing Fuji, I can see why. First off, it was unbelievably packed with other hikers. In fact, we were so bottlenecked at the top that what should have been a twenty minute hike ended up being about an hour. Mt. Fuji is also pretty commercialized to take on the massive amount of climbers that visit every year. Along the way, there were these huts that you can rent space in to sleep, and they all had convenience store-like stuff: coffee, beer, ramen (lot's of warm things), bananas, but most importantly over-priced Snickers. I can definitely say I went through too many of those that long, tiring night. Lastly, considering how long it takes to climb (4-8 hours up, depending on who's climbing), it is not very interesting. The path just zig-zagged, and since we did it in the dead of night, there was nothing cool to look at. On the way down, there wasn't really that much of a spectacular view, just the rock and dirt path zig-zagging down endlessly. Good god, the way back down was actually worse than going up.

Good experience, and glad I went, but I could not see myself making the climb again. But who knows?

Mt. Daisen

You may have read my last blog entry about a festival I was at in this area. That festival was at the foot of this mountain. Mt. Daisen is pretty close to Yonago, the nearest city where I live in Nichinan. Max and I climbed Daisen just recently on September 13th of this year. Now, this was actually not the first time I tried climbing Daisen. I went for the first time last November by myself. Here's some pictures of that time.

The trail started innocently enough...

But the higher I got, the more snow and ice appeared on the trail.

 Hikers on their way down looked at me in disbelief because I did not have any proper equipment for climbing; I had no poles, no chain bottoms for my shoes, and I generally just looked like a clueless suicidal idiot. It became apparent that to further continue would be a bad idea, so when I was just over half-way up, I decided to turn back.

One of the last pictures I took before turning around.

Fast-forward to now. Second time's the charm!

At the top, there was a little store to buy chocolate, ramen, and beer. All well deserved, of course.

Shameless selfie Max took of me. Also, just today, I checked my email and saw that my dad touched this photo up from the one that is currently my facebook profile picture. This is the improved one (the other one was darker). Thanks for the touch-up, dad!

Well, there it is. My time here has been marked by climbing three mountains, and I can see myself adding more to that list in my future travels. A special thanks to Max for giving me a fun partner to climb with.

For all those who are constantly waiting on the edge of their seat for a new blog post (I check the hits this blog gets every day, I know there are a couple fans out there ;) ), here is a preview for my next entry: Spiders. Lot's of 'em. Hope you're excited.

Good night!