tree-planting in ashio

Every year the town of Ashio holds a tree-planting day to gradually reverse the damage caused by a nearby copper mine. Some friends and I decided that separating our household garbage into burnables, plastic, other non-burnables, PET drink bottles, cans and jars, dead batteries, magazines, newspapers, and flattened milk cartons is simply NOT ENOUGH for the environment in Japan! So off we went.

Fellow tree-planting enthusiasts: Lisa, Ken, Clark

There was a huge crowd waiting to file up a long, steep, narrow flight of stairs to plant trees on top of a mountain. SCREW THAT! Leah and I entertained ourselves (and onlookers) by taking photos in this traditional Japanese hat and vest.

Our crazy hat antics drew the attention of this Japanese guy who asked to take a picture with us. But it's pretty OBVIOUS he really only wanted a photo with LEAH, as he holds her close and waves me off with a TREE!

P.S. These are not our clothes; Leah and I are still wearing remnants of the costume.

My baby... We were all given trees to plant, and although I put on a brave face for my sick little tree, I really don't think there's much chance of survival here. In fact, I think someone may have played a joke on me and what I planted was not a tree but a long chopstick.

Once is funny, twice is a blow to the self-esteem.

Ken, Anna, Leah, and Leigh Anne under the shade of a cherry blossom tree after a morning's hard tree-planting.

howzat

I took a kanga cricket set to primary school in February. They had never heard of cricket, let alone seen it being played, so it was hard for them to get the hang of it. But at least they looked cute trying!

Awwww!

east eats west

My attempt at omu-raisu. "Omu-raisu" is the Japanisation of "omelette rice", meaning a rice-filled omelette. I love it! The real thing looks much more appetising than my home-job, but it was still mighty tasty! Apply here for recipes...

look at me! i'm working!

Grade 8 students: Don't be fooled by the small number of students in this class - it's an elective English class. Normal classes have over 30 students.

If I have taught these students nothing else, at least I have taught them the joy of Snap... 

grad

10th April, 2005 - Graduation ceremony at Minamikawachi Junior High School (aka Nankachu).
Not all Japanese teachers wear a kimono to the ceremony, and this was the first time I'd seen the male version. Isn't it cool!

March 18th, 2005 - Graduation ceremony at Gion Primary School.
This was my favourite primary school last year. It's a 10 second walk from my apartment, the teachers are friendly, and they didn't make me teach 6 solid lessons in a row, like some other primary schools!!
I was invited to wear a kimono and 'hakama' (the blue thing over the kimono, worn at special formal occasions).
L-R: Tsugawa Sensei, Shinohara Sensei, Ueno Sensei, me.

colossal cosmetics

Japan - small people, small pets, small apartments, small gadgets, GIANT MASCARA!!!

My friend Marie. Hehe!

the time traveler's wife

This is a book I'm reading right now by Audrey Niffenegger that my friend Leah lent me. Time travel's nothing new, but the author uses it in an original way, as part of the story of two people's lives. Henry has a genetic disorder which renders him a time traveler, sending him uncontrollably here and there, now and then, into his past or future. Henry is married to Clare, who is eight years younger than him. But they first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry is 36.

I have about 100 pages to go and I don't want it to end!

I think this is such a great story... I wish I'd thought of it! This got me thinking, if you could take the credit for any book out there, what would it be? If you're not into books, then what movie?

b-b-b-bali!

Mase and I met in Bali for a 10 day holiday from April 25th. We stayed at a beautiful resort in Nusa Dua. Do not adjust your computer screens - there are some days I didn't have a photo for!

Day 2: Mase in Kuta, somewhere between the market streets Poppies 1 and Poppies 2. Hiii! 

Day 4: Taking pictures of this agile squossum (well, is it a squirrel or a possum?!) kept us entertained for...oh, about half an hour. You were expecting me to say 'hours and hours' weren't you!  

Day 4: Fishermen in the ocean near our resort in Nusa Dua. 

Day 5: Shopping at the Nusa Dua markets. 

Day 6: Lunch in Nusa Dua... 

...I was there too - shiny AND happy!

Day 8: The gates of Nusa Dua. We went to the markets just outside these gates for some last minute shopping. It was so nice to escape back through these gates into the clean, beautiful world of Nusa Dua after a day in dirty Kuta! 

Day 9: Mason wins the title of William Tell at resort archery by nailing an apple suspended on a string in front of the target. P.S. Nice tattoo!  

The Last Supper: We went to a beachside restaurant in Jimbaran for a seafood dinner. Our table was in the sand overlooking the water with a beautiful sunset on the way in front of us. Our lobster and crab arrived, and then so did the flies... I tried to eat with one hand while swatting away about 10 fat flies with the other. Then storm clouds drifted right over our nearly-there sunset, then it started raining a little. But isn't it a nice photo!

japanese tv

Some criticise the stupidity of Japanese TV programs, but I LOVE THEM! I hope that doesn't reflect badly on me...! There are loads of game shows with crazy challenges. One of my favourites is where the contestants wear a velcro jumpsuit, take a run-up, jump on a little trampoline and see how high they can stick to a velcro score board. Nice!

But tonight I saw something not so nice - a ramen eating contest (Chinese noodles in a bowl of soup). I came in at the end of the contest to see the 3 hopefuls sweating and slurping up the noodles, sweating and slurping and sweating. Ew! They were dripping sweat into their ramen bowls, making it a My Own Sweat-eating contest. After an hour the winner was the proud eater of SEVENTEEN bowls of ramen.

sakura

Spring has finally arrived and it's cherry blossom season! There's a long path in my town lined by cherry blossoms, and it was really beautiful walking through there today. Sometimes there were trees on both sides so it was like being in a cherry blossom tunnel. The flowers are very delicate and are just hanging on, so when the wind picks up it makes cherry blossom rain.

The Japanese love 'hanami', which means 'cherry blossom viewing'. They sit under the trees admiring the blossoms while drinking sake. So, basically, it's an excuse for a piss-up! There were heaps of families and hanami-ers enjoying the cherry blossoms today, and it made me kinda lonely, wishing I could have been enjoying it with my friends and family from home! Oh well, you can all have a hanami Australia-style, drinking beer while looking at my photos on the net!

My FAVOURITE sakura pic. 

Hangin' Tough! (video 2)