Sazanamikan Hamamatsu

... br>Well, third time around, and I still love it.<br><br>The only place around here that has some form of organized physical fitness is the Karate club in Toei-town, about a 40 minute drive for me. Every Wednesday (and now every second Wednesday due to English Conversation Classes), I head to this dojo to attempt a mockery of Karate. I say mockery, because I only understand half of what comes out of the teacher's mouth. But I'm catching on, and they all ...

... some nice lady or manservant to come and tell me that it would be best that I didn't come again, but that they were really grateful for me coming, I took my sweet ass time enjoying every nook and crinny in that place. Unfortunately for me, my tolerance for warm saunas and baths is pretty low, so when I started to lobster-up, I took my leave.<br><br>The funny thing was, no one approached me. I could have SWORN that the man who walked with his kid, washed up ...

... Now just to make it harder, I'm going to stick rivers, mountains, trees, and piles of dirt between you and the hole. OH, and did I mention, that you'll have to wack at this wee ball with a wee stick? Har har har" and all that jazz. The point is, it's fun because it's a pointless challenge. Back in the days before telegrams or camel-riding, some poor sucker who was quicker on his feet than others had to deliver messages, well ...

... which is part of my address, and there was a little under thirty of us in total. We met twice to practice some of the harder activities that took place at the Toyone Dome a small open-walled structure, about the size of an indoor gym. When I first arrived, people seemed a little anxious that I was "on their team". And really, they didn't open up that much until we got drinking the night after the festivities. More on that a bit later.<br><br>The games ...

... or talked me into confusion--joining their local team), and on my way back home on the winding road, when I spotted something moving on the road. Now in this area, this is a common occurrence. Wild boards (Unoshishi), deer (Shika), and all other forms of life find their way onto the half-wild half-tamed highway that runs through these parts.<br><br>"Wild" would describe the ...

... neighbors, people here in Toyone. I have no idea where they buy their fireworks. Someone has to give in on me eventually...<br><br>Anyhow, the weekend was one to remember. I had spent the earlier part of the day wandering around since the others were all so lazy after our late night at our favorite Yakiniku joint. Stuck waiting for them yet unable to sleep, I took a long walk around town, soaking in the beautiful weather and taking shots along the way. I eventually came to a nice ...

... culture: an acceptance of the different.<br>A friend told me once that in Japan, "the nail that stands crooked, gets hammered straight". I hate using encompassing metaphors, but I would gladly nail this one to educational system.<br>Well, enough ranting. I respect it, yet it's so foreign to me still. Got to love what foreign experiences teach you. <br><br>So I spent the majority of the day wandering from school to school, saying hello to students, teachers, cheering mothers ...

... smart. They didn't budge, and took our prodding with patience, and eventually we gave up. We came back to test their alertness a few times, but they were always smarter. Of course, we thought we had them beat when we worked together to attempt to move the boulder. No such luck there. We had a good laugh about that after. Oh and I only fell twice, that got some laughs too.<br>The day was only getting started...for my weekends always have something going on. The Next entry explains the rest. <br>

... all, but we got on well, partially due to our mutual appreciation of alcohol - we certainly sank lots of sake that evening! He then gave me a physical demonstration of Shorinji kenpo, a Japanese form of self defense that he`s been practicing for 37 years, and I think it proved that I would come off worst in the event of a confrontation. We had an early start the next morning as we were going to see Mt Fuji, although a quick glance at its webcam before we set off didn`t fill ...

... that since they don't buy American beef. Forget Kobe beef, that's probably something like $40/lb. mmm.. beef. *BEDS* I believe most ppl here have western-style beds rather than futons, giving in to comfort over tradition, but I'm really surprised that I haven't seen any beds larger than a twin. I'd imagine that they're not big sellers with the size of Japanese houses (We had to push John's full-sized mattress thru the upstairs window in the guest room so Ash and I could sleep in ...