Kuretake Inn Central Hamamatsu

... high-tailed' it outta there, leaving his hapless victim (not his dinner, mind you...they're herbivores right?) on her own.

So, having disturbed this lovely display of primal roots, I burst out laughing, feeling awful for having taken part in playing the breakin-father. But heh, if I'm not allowed to have fun, neither are the bloody bunny-rabbits!

Kinball rocks!

... one), turn right at the wooden fence (the word she gave me was "Ki", which means tree; ironicly, the first fence I saw that fit this description was one that was labelled with a picture of a tree. It wasn't made of wood, but I thought I was darn close). So I wandered around, finally called her, told her where I thought I was, and she left to find me. 15 minutes later and me getting rather nervous (since I thought I had to be there for 8), I left because I figured I'd run into her ...

... t feel too bad, since she looked like she was having a blast, enjoyed my attention, and I wanted to get fishing! I didn't have any luck that day, well..I did have SOME luck. I caught a really pretty (yet inedible) fish, that even the locals marveled at. No one knew its name, except that they didn't eat it. I was surprised, since Japanese cuisine is defined by eating weird-looking things, but instead I was given it as a surprise trophy (I had thrown it away, and I suppose someone ...

So after meeting Andrew in Toyohashi with Julie, I knew I had to see them play. Not only are they very talented musicians, but they were also very entertaining. It was also a goodbye party to a few of the local JETs who were leaving to get married or leaving to avoid it, not sure which was which. Either way, I met Brad and Brian that night, and another gentleman who I can't remember, who played like it was their ...

... and the frequency or intensity of the shakes. It's like when your rumble pack is low on battery (good ol' 64), things just feel weird.
What I did next was very awkward. I stood up next to my bed in a semi-crouch, and with my arms out like I was surfing, I just sort of rode the floor wondering what I should do. The only thought that went through my head was: "If I go outside like this, they'll see my tattoo." I realize that there are more important things in life ...

... we ended our tour. It was odd, since Derek had mentioned how he runs into someone he knows every time he comes into Toyohashi or Nagoya, and less than 5 minutes later, we run into Andrew and his lovely wife Julie. I've been wanting to meet this couple for quite some time, since I've heard of all the work they put into organizing musical events for us Rural buck-toothed ALTs. They were everything and more than what I expected (if you know Andrew and Julie, you'll know what I ...

... was just starting to break. It was a hot one, but not hot enough to rid the chill of the mountain river we waded into after we set up the nets. In Hikkake, you must first plot out strategic spots where the water rushes through to hold up the Ayu, an oversized sardine-like fish. When the Ayu can't get through, they sort of wander their surroundings, trying to decide to go on farther or to find a good hiding spot. When the nets were set up, we'd go in and find them all just sort of dancing ...

... the rate these balls fall. anyways, I'm no Ojisan (grandpa), and I don't have money nor time to waste perfecting it, so having that under my belt of experiences I left b4 things got ugly. The man who helped me looked very disappointed.
The rest of that evening was spent on a short bike-ride around town. I didn't go as far as I've gone more recently, due to the murky weather. but some of the shots I took give you an idea of the area close to my vicinity.

... that the first time I parked it (or half-parked it...). We went to the gas station / Bank called JA (Japan Agriculture...they GROW money!), and no the way out I put the company car over the road's parking-medium. The engine let out a roar (without pushing on the gas), and I stepped outside the car cursing. The local gas-pumper jogged over and helped me lift it over the medium, wincing as the bumper crashed against the medium on the way over. I was blurting out apologies ...

... I saw in Hiroshima. When Yumi`s mum walked up to me and said "Ventures," it freaked me out a bit because it seemed like such an almighty coincidence ("Ventures" was written on the drums of the band in Hiroshima)... I got introduced to a Kiwi guy who was also playing basketball, and we ended up swapping email addresses as his company is looking for more English teachers, and I assured him that I`ll be back in September. I`m not sure that I`d want to teach in Hamamatsu ...