All Nippon Airways Kushiro

... of the thermal activity. There wasn`t a whole lot of life actually going on in those areas but atop of the hill and on it`s sides there was plenty of moss growing. It must be a popular spot for the deer too because they left a lot of their calling cards around. We took our time exploring the area since we didn`t have to share it with anyone. On the surface, it may not have looked like a promising area for photography but if ...

... bush administration does. who was i supposed to take out my impotent rage on? the garage, who just is doing what is mandated by law; the faceless government minions, who never saw a construction pork project or special perk they could pass up; the huge, faceless colosses of the "system"? the plain and simple answer is no one...so i swore up and down for a couple hours and then got over it. japan: never have so many, paid so much, for so little.

... no signs, there was nothing. I couldn't see ahead of me so I had to look down at the ground for the occasional footprint or overturned rock...It did finally make something of itself though and was much easier to follow once I got off the summit area. The upper half of it was quite nice. All open hiking with a few flat sections and not a soul around. In fact, it was much like the previous day. From Kaun-dake until the last 30 minutes of the trail I saw exactly one other person ...

... to find an Indian restaurant inside. Usually it's just some little Japanese izakaya but this was really interesting. If I was hungry I probably would have stopped afterward for a bit to eat. As it was though, we walked up the rickety stairs and headed for the changing room. Each onsen is a little different and has its own charms (or sometimes drawbacks). This one was no exception. The changing room was unremarkable but when you walked into the baths it was set up very interesting ...

... other people's horror stories were present in my mind. it had gotten so bad that in the preceeding days i was having daydreams about my tester castigating me and my country to the point that i had to give him Fustigation Inc.'s 5-star treatment program. i had to remind myself though that "i don't hate, i motivate." my situation turned out to be the opposite of most of those that i read. first off, he let my supervisor ride in the car, which from what i read, is a no-go anywhere ...

... on while you are at the washing station. Japanese people think it's quite gross (as I do myself) that westerners would sit in a bath without washing their body first. So the importance of this step cannot be stressed enough, as Syunsuke was quick to point out to me that a dirty ass in the bath is not a good thing. Once all of your naughty bits have been shined and polished you can choose from several different temperatures of water (some places also have different kinds of ...

... basis (and he would sometimes get from me). I only worked with the junior high kids on this visit but even still, all the elementary school kids were quickly up to speed on who I was (must have been that introduction I did for the whole school) and were constantly pulling at my arms and poking my belly. The kids here really seem to get a kick out of seeing chest hair, so as soon as mine accidentally makes an appearance all hands are on my shirt and trying to pull it ...

... dake; seeing a bear feeding on returning salmon in the process. There wasn't enough time this trip for that but it's on the list for next summer. Any takers? We left around 6am from Abashiri on friday morning. It was drizzling on and off the whole hour and a half drive to the trailhead...The best part about this trail is that at the end of the 25km trek there is hotspring waterfall called Kamuiwakka-yu-no-taki that you can soak in. Unfortunately, that was not to be ...

... Syunsuke, also a guitarist (whose hero is Kurt Cobain), suggested the music store there...So we went in and browsed around. I was looking for something below 400 dollars if possible. I wasn't sure if I could find something suitable in such an expensive country but, low and behold, I did. A pretty, little Yamaha number that was only 22,500 Yen since it was last year's model; with a solid wood top to boot. Since I had found ...

... ended with Satoshi and Stephen taking me on a sight-seeing/school visiting trip...The surrounding area is really beatiful and not far away are the mountains that I plan to spend some time in in the next couple months. The town is small but not non-existant and so far everyone has been very nice. I look forward to checking out the bars that Stephen has pointed out to me and riding my new/old bike around town.