Hananoi Hamamatsu

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I've been getting my ass kicked consecutively by six to twelve year olds once a week---for a few weeks now.<br><br>Karate out here in the Inaka (countryside) is very different from your typical Western Mui-Tai, mat-grueling Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-style ass-kickin workout. No. Here, it's a matter of being able to handle the mental discipline of allowing people smaller than you to kick your ass. Again...and again ...

... over to the main tub, find a spot in the corner, and try my best not to face anyone, looking shy or just slightly off in the head. As soon as I sunk in and started to enjoy the warmth and cleanliness of this water, I noticed my bandage floating away.<br>Quickly, I grabbed it, and became so mad...I got calm.<br>I give up. I said. and scrunched it in my hand, and did my best the rest of the evening to just avoid anyone seeing it, but not really caring.<br><br ...

... rarity in Japan I suppose, and did my best on a busted up foot that I've been nursing for two weeks (while on this topic, I recommend to all foreigners in Japan to immediately ask for 'wide' fits when buying new runners; TWO WEEKS...).<br><br>Although it definitely was as bad an experience as I describe it, I think that's what gets people hooked: bragging rights. It's like Robin Williams' stint on how the Scots came up with ...

I had hinted at this particular event in the past, and decided to finally write about the various events that took place on that Saturday.<br><br>This being the second event my school was hosting in September, I was a little more excited to take part in it. The last event being the cleaning event, you can understand why. What they did in preparation for this, was split everyone in the Toyone-Village district into teams based on area. I fell into the Kamikurogawa ...

I finally understand where the expression "like rabbits" comes from.<br><br>Now before any of you 'jump the gun' on where I'm going with this, I just wanted to clarify that it doesn't involve me and animals, although I do feel pretty bad with the way I left them.<br><br>Just another day at Tomiyama, playing Kinball with some of the locals in the area (since they talked me ...

... or the meticulous effort that goes into making the most out of what they have from imported fireworks, that makes them stand out in a different way. It's not that they're better (well, in some ways I have to grant them that they are), but that the culture here in Japan around fireworks is very important. Even people in their backyards, chasing away evil spirits and the lingering spirits of their loved ones during Obon Festival, had their own score of fireworks. And I'm talking about ...

... at a more relaxed setting, that anything evolving around school has to be exemplary. The students would not know what to make of a teacher who is, well, still a bit of a kid himself; a teacher who likes to be different, and stand out; a teacher who won't just pretend that he has something to do when he doesn't, but will try to make the best out of his free time.<br>Maybe I am still a little bitter about it, but that's just one of the major differences in Japanese and ...

... about our fishing experience. I came pretty close to catching the biggest fish. I told Takashi-kun that I had saw three large fish swim away from a large rock they were all hiding under. I stomped the rock, and saw the biggest fish i've seen so far take off at lightning speed, while the other two stayed underneath its cover. I called over the nearest student (one of my favorites now too), and we took turns stabbing into the cracks trying to coax out the fish. Those fish are ...

... beforehand. Back at Yumi`s house, I met her mum who was so kind and funny, and she soon got the guitar out and I learned my first Japanese song - "Sakura Sakura." We ate sushi and various other titbits, and they both were very surprised with my ability to use chopsticks (admittedly I am something of a dab hand thesedays!). I even underwent "further training" with Yumi`s dad later in the evening, picking up individual bits of rice with them. He couldn`t speak much English ...

... palate really likes copious amounts of fat in their meals, but the meat that I've had has had huge amounts of what we call gristle on it. I just ignore it, happy to be eating any beef, as it's bloody expensive here. Also, chopsticks make it REALLY difficult to separate the beef from the fat, and there's so much of it, I'd have more leftover fat than beef that I'd eaten. Maybe the butchers have advertised the lower-quality beef as being the best. That would be the Aussies telling ...