Hotel Chaharu Matsuyama

... shabu, etc! We went to the grocery store a few times and I'm really looking forward to getting that box! <br><br>We also made sure to visit the onsen (hot spring) a few times. There's one on island that ************e goes to anymore, since there's a newer facility. It's great b/c there's no one there and I can fully relax. <br><br>Family/friends, food and onsens are what I miss most about Japan...<br><br>...W<br>

... the peak as it was, I couldn't really imagine doing the whole thing...all in one day at least.<br><br>The rope-way itself was quite an experience, as it ascends nearly vertically, from the still almost completely green and lush lowland valleys to vibrant, nearly fake looking fall colours at the top. The red, yellow and orange leaves splattered over a canopy of bright green pines was wonderful, never have I seen fall colours like that. Of course our companions from ...

... There was also a stand that sold the most amazing fried chicken ever!<br><br>Another interesting point ( though once again not conducive of sleeping ) was that one of these giant shrines was being built right below our balcony. It should be mentioned that they also drum constantly the entire time the shrine is at home in the makeshift garage they built for it.<br><br>Anyway, despite all the noise and lack of sleep it was a very enjoyable weekend.<br>

... Je vais me méfier de celui classé quatrième. Il y a aussi les pèlerins qui font le tour des principaux temples. Ils ont leur petite tenue blanche, leur chapeau et leur canne de pèlerin mais bon, ils voyagent en bus climatisé alors la canne c'est pour le folklore... Mais il y a aussi le château de Matsuyama-yo à visiter...qui change complètement des temples....C'est un peu comme nos châteaux ...

I know it's been a long time since I wrote in this thing, I will post more pics up soon. I will also see many of you very soon as well. Please let me know if you have time between Dec 31st and Jan 7th to hang out. I will be in town for a while with a rental car and not much to do (-: Anyways, this Christmas wasn't as lonely as I thought it would be without Ashleigh. She left on the 24th and probably got back on ...

... a total DUMP...this place was IT. My room reeked horribly of smoke and was pretty much the tatami and mattress. I was so exhausted though that I didn't really care. I made my way down to the "onsen" (public hot bath room) and was thankful that I was the only one there. I had a nice long soak in a big hot tub. That was truly the highlight of my experience there. I then ventured out for some food and found an okonomiyaki place nearby (Hiroshima is famous for them).

... They just don't try to change anything. Things are the way they are, and they're not going to change. + subservient: There's a belief that they need to be as accomodating as possible to you, only if you're percieved at a higher social standing (if you're foreign and an english speaker, you're automatically above them). + lying: they won't tell you something if they think it'll make you unhappy. If it's something significant, they'll lie even more ...

... place was super cool. Dave, you'd go nuts with the tea that they have, and the way that they make it. There's a whole involved process where the server brings out your tea on a little tray. The tray holds a little glass teapot, a timer, a cup, a spoon, some tea and a strainer. They begin by pouring hot water over the teapot and filling the cup with hot water. Next, they put the tea into the pot, pour hot water into it, then replace the ...

... low demand on the tourist circuit. The volcano itself looked pretty good with it's constant puff of smoke coming out the top, although climbing it is out of the question because of toxic emissions. On the following morning, the weather had closed in a bit and was all a bit too misty to see much, so we decided to move on ... to another volcano! The next destination was Mount Aso which is in the middle of Ryuku; this has the advantage that ...

... and mostly just sunbathed or played chase! At the top of the mountain is a viewing platform with a 360 degree view of the island and the inland sea. Miyajima is surrounded by small islets, further enhancing the interesting and spectacular view. There was also a very old temple up there and I was able to catch an amazing Buddhist prayer and drum ceremony! I took a great video, but it's too large to upload to this site. Upon descending, I learned that the island is heavily affected by ...