Tokyo Daiichi Hotel Matsuyama

... weren't quite as impressed, being used to the vibrant fall colours of the east coast, but generally the consensus was "wow!"<br><br>From the top of the rope-way there was a probably 15-20 minute leisurely hike to Joju a beautiful and quaint settlement nestled in the mountains around Ishizuchi. We decided this would be a good time to stop for ice cream, so we all took a few minutes to enjoy some very delicious soft-serve from a local vendor.<br><br>After riding to ...

... 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>

... so that I can regularly update you with some photos and information!<br><br>I will try and backlog later, adding in Tokyo photos, and some other events.<br><br>For now, just a quick glimpse into life in Hojo!<br><br>(More photos to come....more of our apartment (after I finally bought some curtains), my school, etc!)<br>

... and there is a massive parking lot overflowing with bikes. So, I decided I had to buy one and a couple of days ago I finally did! It's called "Tea Cup." It's a beautiful cream and brown beauty and I love her. So today I took a nice shot of her and road around snapping a few ( very few ) pictures of the neighborhood.<br><br>I plan to take more, but the thing is, when you are just a tourist somewhere it is a lot different than living there ...

Ashleigh and I finally started teaching dancing!! Our students are actually mostly my students from my classes. As inconsistently as we teach our classes, we're slowly teaching japanese people how to dance! We're going to need to find a new room, as the one we're in is a little expensive for the number of students that we teach. We're hoping that more advertising will bring in some more new students. The students that we do ...

... front of the Botchan Steam Engine Station. The crowds gather and thicken around 6. The omikoshi are carried by about 40 men a piece into the center of the square from different ends. These things are pretty solidly built, and they weigh quite a lot I'm sure with the gold and hardwoods they use to build them. Once there, they give a few shouts, the shrines are heaved onto the ...

I scored some information from my co-worker, Roni, that Ehime (the prefecture we live in) was putting on a free ballet performance entitled "Paquita." I found out later it had nothing to do with the _actual_ ballet of "Paquita." Just a mish-mash of dances from different ballets. I thought Ashleigh would love to go see a ballet (seeing as how she did it for so ...

... by tram. The tram arrived at the station on time (of course!) and we were soon rattling down the streets towards downtown Hiroshima. We'd found a very reasonably priced hotel which was right in the middle of the downtown area, just round the corner from the Peace Park. After arriving we decided to head back out and have a look around. We'd been given a map of Hiroshima by the hotel receptionist, but having looked at it we found that it wasn't just a map but was a complete ...

... one is the red hats and red hats with white stripes, and those are 5 years old and they have green shorts. Got it? I don't think I have it completely right, but that's what I've deduced from being there for 3 days. It's cool - I'm paid less, so I don't have to be there the whole time. The school doesn't have any other staff other than the accountants, teachers and bus drivers. The bus drivers pick the kids up from each cardinal direction from the school, and they ...

The alarm went of at 8.30, I was very tired as I didn't get to sleep till gone 2. We had to check out at 10, one of the downsides of hostels. After a shower I woke up a bit. We got the bus to the train station and put the bags in lockers. We planned to visit Hiroshima castle which like everything else was destroyed by the atomic bomb and had been rebuilt in 1956. Inside the castle grounds there was a tree that had ...