snowdusk

Monday, October 31, 2005

 Who would ever buy anything from a phartmacy??

Stupid spammers...
6:41 PM

Sunday, October 30, 2005

 I've been replying to e-mails like crazy since Friday night! I have 198 more to go in my inbox! haha.
10:18 AM

Saturday, October 29, 2005

 

Himeji and Kyoto

久しぶり〜！ I decided to stay home this weekend. I've been very exhausted with my travel adventures in the past few weeks. Four weeks ago, I went to Hiroshima. The week after that, Osaka. Yet another week, Himeji, then last week, I went to Kyoto. I finally got fed up with travelling and my pocket hurts right now. I spent so much money in these past few weeks but the experience I've had was amazing so I had no regrets. I did lots of cleaning at home today and now watching this stupid but funny Japanese game show. I've added more channels to my cable TV and I find watching TV more enjoying. I've been watching more TV these days compared to when I was back home in Canada.

So I went to Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture. It was raining so hard but I managed to reach the Himeji Castle where I took lots of photos. Like other Japanese castles, the interior of this castle was quite boring really but I like being in historical places so it was not that bad. I went to Himeji that day to see the omikoshi (palanquin) fighting festival in Nada (Nada Kenka Matsuri) but it was cancelled because of the heavy rains. Actually, even before that, I went to the wrong Nada. I went past Himeji Station and went all the way past Kobe because there was also a station called Nada and I thought that was the venue of the festival but this Nada was really within Himeji City. I then went to Osaka after to meet a friend and slept over at his place. The next day, I left for Himeji again and finally found Nada and saw the fighting festival. I found the festival quite violent. Men wearing loincloths (fundoshi) were walking around the festival grounds. These men then paraded the omikoshis to the fighting grounds carrying them only with bamboo sticks. They then made the omikoshis strike each other until one fell to the ground. It got so crowded and I could not move at one point because people were too afraid these omikoshis would fall on them. I then left and went back to Osaka where I met my friends there and then finally went back to my own prefecture.

Himeji Castle

Naked butts everywhere! - Nada Fighting Festival in Himeji

Battle of omikoshis (palanquins) in Nada Fighting Festival

The week after, I went back to Osaka and met up with my long-time Canadian friend living there. Eu le incontrac in un bar jagu in Umeda where he was practicing for a Halloween performance next week. One of the bartenders there was originally from the same prefecture where I am and he was so nice. He was talking to me the whole time. Eu le pensac si atarti. Nos neu excanvac e-mails and numbers quant neu nu partic. Early morning the next day, I left my friend's apartment in Osaka for Kyoto. I went to Kyoto to see the Heian Jidai Matsuri (Heian Jidai Festival) where locals dressed in traditional Japanese attires suited for each period of Japanese history paraded the streets of Kyoto. The parade started in Heian Jingu Shrine. I really enjoyed this parade. I then went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace where I saw more of the parade, and then met up with my friend M who I met in Toronto. We also lived together in Toronto. She is one of my closest friends. We tried to get into the palace but we couldn't since we needed a prior permission from the Japanese government before entering. It made sense. We then went shopping around Kyoto where I bought a jacket. It was very interesting how I got a hold of this jacket - very complicated stuff. At the end, I got 2,000 yen discount out of this jacket after my friend M argued with the store manager because of one the buttons was damaged and the store would not allow us to return the item. It was the last one with my size and that particular colour and so I agreed to accept it with the initial discount they gave me. M and I then went to buy a birthday gift for my Canadian friend D and then headed back to Osaka where we met him and his friends. We had dinner at this nice Hawaiian burger place. I didn't feel like returning to my friend's place that night because I still wanted to go out. My friend had to work the next morning and so he had to head back home after. I went out with his friend R and we spent most of the time at the same じゃぐなばるあと karaoke, drunk lots of alcohol and sang lots of karaoke. We stayed up all night. I was going to Kobe with M and do some sightseeing the next morning but I decided to head back to my home in my prefecture earlier that morning since I had no sleep and I was dead exhausted. I think I'm going to stay home for the rest of the month and re-energize... hehe.

Heian Jingu Shrine, Kyoto

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Posing with Astroboy at the Tezuka Osamu Museum, Kyoto
4:48 PM

Friday, October 14, 2005

 

My new babies

I have new babies! I bought this fish tank at the nearby town, thanks to a local friend H who drove me all over the place to get this. He also helped me by talking to the store clerks. I think it would've been so much difficult to get the tank without his help.I have 20 blue neon tetras swimming in the tank. He also did the plant arrangement which I find very nice. It only cost me 15,600 or so yen which is about $150, so much cheaper if I bought this in Canada. I am so happy getting it. I missed having a fish tank and so I bought one. I figured I'll be here for a while and so it wouldn't be too bad having one. It's a nice hobby, a nice decoration for the house and looking at it can be very relaxing for me.

6:17 PM

 

Hiroshima

Last long weekend, I went to Hiroshima and spent time with a Japanese friend I met in Toronto and with his family and family friends. I met him at JR Fukuyama station and then took the train to Higashi Hiroshima City for the Saijo Sake Festival. We bought a JR day pass, a special deal for autumn, for 3,000 yen. It was drink-all-you-can at the sake festival main site but we tried not to drink too much as we would be going to Hiroshima City and then Miyajima after.

Saijo Sake Matsuri Omikoshi (portable shrine) carrying the sakabayashi (symbol of sake)

Hiroshima City was great. Unfortunately I was not able to tour the whole city. We went straight to Hiroshima Peace Park - the site of the atomic bomb dropped by the Allied Forces during the World War II destroying the majority of the city and killing hundres of residents.

Hiroshima City streetcars

The tour of the Peace Park and the Memorial Museum was a very emotional one for me. I could not help not to cry looking at the art works made by the A-bomb survivors depicting the horrors seen by their own eyes at the time of the bombing. After an hour or two, I paid my respect to the victims by bowing before the site where the register of names of people killed by the A-bomb, and then hopped onto the streetcar and headed towards Miyajima.

the A-Bomb Dome

Miyajima was amazing! It was one of Japan's national treasures. I was surprised when a bunch of deer greeted me at the entrance as soon as I got off the ship from the mainland to this island. I came very close to the "otoori", the shrine gate and took a lot of photos.

Miyajima from afar... otoori on sight

the Miyajima otoori

After Miyajima, my friend and I went for dinner and drinks at an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) and then headed to his home in Fukuyama City, in a town called Seto. His parents were so nice to me. His mom prepared a hot bath for me. The next morning, I had a huge Japanese style breakfast his mom prepared for me. After breakfast, we walked around town, helped make a rope made of dried rice leaves for the town shrine, went to a shrine and talked to a few local ladies. We then went to his family friends' house. They were excited to meet me as the son who is 12, and his parents were all learning English. We had a huge Japanese style lunch and then headed towards an island within the city called Sensuijima, in Tomo no Ura. We went for an onsen (hot spring). This was my first time in an onsen. I have been trying to avoid this place as everyone has to be naked while taking a bath. I was so nervous but I got so comfortable after. It was very "kimochi" (great feeling). We then went back to the mainland and received an okonomiyaki, a Hiroshima delicacy, as a present. I got a bit upset after the whole trip because this "friend" said something that really hurt my feelings and made me uncomfortable. I gave him a small present from Canada but he wasn't very happy about it. I told him sorry and that it was not much, but he replied saying "but we have so many, and sake too", meaning he and his family gave me a lot of things and this was all he got. I was so shocked to hear it. It was actually not true because I brought presents from my town, grapes and some sweet, and, I also gave his family presents I bought from Miyajima, and I treated him in the izakaya. Of course, I did not protest because it was just not my nature. I could not believe he said that. It was one of those strange Japanese culture and mind set that many Westerners cannot understand about Japanese culture so I just told myself the hell with it. I was just never brought up to think this way. I give generously to people not expecting something back. I did not say anything after he said it. I was so troubled about what he said and so a few days after, I sent him an email and told him how sorry I was and that I could not bring a lot of souvenirs from Canada as I only brought one luggage with me and that I would repay him and his family for all the nice things they have done for me. I even asked for his parents' address so I could send a thank you card, however, I did not receive a reply from him. It's been a couple of days. I'm guessing he got so embarrassed about what he said.

Well, I really don't care whether he stays as my friend or not. I do not want to be friends with people who do not want to be friends with me.

I guess it was one of those days you enjoyed so much but then spoiled by something unexpected at the end. Oh well...
11:55 AM

Friday, October 07, 2005

 

I'm an uncle!! ... and heartache stories...

I'm an uncle!!! My sister gave birth to a healthy and cute baby girl, RM! She gave birth two days ago. Too bad I could not see the baby while she is still an infant. I have a feeling I will see the baby next year summer when she's a big baby. I still can't believe I'm an uncle!

I will be going to Hiroshima City tomorrow with a Japanese friend I met in Toronto and then go to Saijo City's Sake Festival. I will be staying over at his parents' place in Fukuyama and then go to his birthplace, Tomo, the next day and do some sightseeing. It's long weekend here in Japan this weekend, thank God.

So, my ex who now lives in Nagasaki is dating somebody now. Eu incontrac un nov traval in Ikea and will be going to Tokyo for an orientation next month. Eu le inviac un email through my phone today per bendicer happy birthday and this is how we started exchanging emails again. Eu le invitac per stay in meu cas mai ea me dic qui non, with valid reasons. It's been almost two years since we broke up but somehow mas eu heo benintramorcor com ea. Ea ec mulc nice and a very loving one and I really regret breaking up com ea. I guess it was for the better e eu me pareu qui ancor ea mulc happy com seu nov amor. Oh well.

I met hito na tahulaki last weekend while I was in Osaka. Sia nafukabahi and a very attractive one. Aku mai crush sa kia but I'm not sure kun sia mai soki sa kin. I did confess sa kia an aku na totoho na nakafusunan sa kia noni aku naisufu na sia di soki physically sa kin. Noni sia nasabi saku na sia soki personality ku and character but I'm guessing sia aki nasabi hito na tame to be nice to me. Oh well. I was sad in a way especially nan sia nagahintai sa Filipino-American na laki coming from the States and staying in Kobe at sia soki sia. I was sad more but I had to learn how to accept rejection, right? Otherwise my life will be miserable. Well, I guess aku mada soki sia. It will be difficult tapu kami dua kun kami hajima dating since it would be a long distance relationship - the same reason why I had to break up with my ex... but then that was a different story - we are talking about a relationship between Canada and Japan. I find it quite convenience to travel from my city to Osaka and so the long distance thing would not be that bad, I guess. Oh well, that's it for my ramblings....
10:21 PM

Thursday, October 06, 2005

 hello
8:46 PM

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