Hotel Green Plaza Hamanako Hamamatsu

... me so well on my form and quick learning. I simply didn't have the heart to tell these folks who are giving me free lessons, that I've had some previous training. Or maybe I just didn't have the knowledge of how to say it, but either way...dammit...something smells like kamemushi. Kamemushi, or the stink-bug, is a curse around here this time of year. They breed like crazy, despite the cold. They can get in anywhere, somehow. They have hard ...

... and then left within two minutes, did so because of my tattoo. Maybe he just didn't say anything. Or, that old guy who was flopping about in the waist-high, leaving as soon as I dipped in...maybe it was just because I was a foreigner. Or maybe it was that it was a chilly night...<br><br>I puzzled over these things for a day or two, rejoicing in my success.<br><br>And then I decided today, after meeting the second 65 year old doing the amazingly intense hike I ...

... by foot. Now, whether or not it was a sport, or whether they claimed bragging rights is a different matter (I'm no historian), but I have to admit that I'm ready for the next one.<br><br><br>But really....doing what I did again today, and then twice that, is something I should at least train for this time. My time was 1 hour and forty minutes. Two 60 and 64 year old men beat my time by about 20 minutes. Now there's motivation.<br>

... were as ridiculous and as fun as you can imagine. The first of these (one that they volunteered me to do) was Mukade (translation: by way of 1000 legs). We had a total of 6 legs, where 3 guys (myself included) slipped our feet into two wooden planks that we shared to complete this Mukade race. It was hilarious. I think we fell over thirty times, as the video of us competing demonstrates how well practiced at falling we are.<br><br>There was also a 'various ball ...

... I came across on the middle of this road. I saw one pair of red eyes glint back at me in the darkness reflected by my headlights, glaring at me with pure hatred (as much hatred that is possible in a jackrabbit). "Jackrabbit?" I hear you say. Yes, and how could I tell this? Well, I'm not sure who ran away faster, but I could swear it was the jackrabbit who was on top who ...

... off-the-road spot, behind the High School, that had a very old wooden shack (yet well-kept), and a little stone path beside it leading to a beautiful little farm, hidden away under the rising hill behind it that serves as a road up to the mountain.<br><br>I picked a good spot to sit down and enjoy my lunch, and closed my eyes for awhile. eventually, my thoughts turned to snakes (as they usually do out here), and I started at the sound of something moving leaves around to my immediate ...

... to my two fellow English ALTs (Alternate Language Teachers), D.H (short for Daniel Harrison) and Derek. These cats help me stay alive out here, and I sort of just flocked to them for the majority of the day, taking the opportunity to enjoy it with them.<br><br>From short relay to long relay, from high jump to long jump, from 100-meter dash to 400-meter dash, there was something for everyone here. Along with a delicious lunch, I got to finish 'work' early that evening, and ...

This took place about a month ago, so I'm going to do my best to recollect this and finally finish my entries for August.<br>I was rather tired for the event that day because I think I spent the night before with Derek, probably sampling some sake. But I made it on time, and ready to spend a Saturday (for which I was reimbursed with the following Monday off) taking part in the community activity of cleaning our school.<br>First off, I think this is one of the greatest accomplishments ...

... with optimism...you couldn`t see it! Likewise when we stopped at a service station on the way, I was surprised when Yumi pointed to where it was...it had disappeared! Actually I wasn`t too despondant because I`d seen it on the train journey down, and I`ll probably go and stay near it for a few days before I leave Japan... Cloudy skies apart, we had a great day beginning with a trip to some lovely waterfalls, with Yumi making fun of the number of waterfall photographs I ...

... I've only seen Japanese blankets that could handle a full-sized bed. Do Japanese couples not sleep together? Msybe I haven't been in a ritzy enough furniture store. *SIREN* This one is probably odd for the rest of the country, but here in Okazaki there's a siren that blares at 6am, 12pm, 6am, and 9pm, on weekdays. It's an air raid-style siren, from WWII it sounds like. Michiyo says that it's from the time when the people didn't have watches and were working out in the fields. The ...