The Japanese are lovers of nature (at least in the rural sections they seem to be). My students love to talk about their flowers, gardens and the birds coming back from winter. One popular thing is the beginning of spring with the sakura hanami (Cherry blossom viewings). I thought initially that they all had to involve copious amounts of alcohol...

This isn't actually Ashleigh, it's me, Nick. Now, I know Ashleigh is supposed to write this one, but if you saw the backlog of things she was supposed to write about, you'd be surprised why I seem to write all the entries. I think this one is cool, so I want people to see the pics - also so I can sort my pictures folders. (-: In a great idea to ...

Onsen, Castle, and temples, oh my! Matsuyama. A vibrant university city on the large island of Shikoku, Matsuyama is known to be a hot spot for Japanese tourists. It boasts one of the oldest onsens in Japan. A Majestic castle and beautiful shrines. As we run for the sleek looking ferry and hold up the other passengers. We figure out that this is...

Ok, this is a real entry this time - real thinking and real rambling. I talked to some of you when I was back in CA and I heard some comments that i'm running out of things to talk about here. ME? Ever run out of things to talk about? and to that I say HA! The reason why the last few have been rather terse and shallow is that I've had no time to...

My mother came from California to come visit Japan. She occasionally makes trips back here when she can. She's always told me when I was a kid that I should move far away so she could travel and come visit me. I didn't stay very long in Germany, and I travelled around when I was in Europe in 2004, but this time she came out to see me live where ...

Ashleigh and I have been trying to get out of the house on the weekends to try and experience some of the nightlife in this town. Most of the time we haven't strayed too far since the rain and our distance from the "downtown" area has kept us nearby. Matsuyama is a pretty small town by Japanese standards, so there aren't a lot of stuff to do out...

Well, got some bad news. I guess I lost the job at the English Academy. They sent me an email letting me know that the teacher that they'd said i would be replacing has decided to stay a little longer. How long, they don't know, but they said that they would keep me informed. I've started looking for a new job, but I can't really tell them when ...

Things have been moving well. I've been super busy with teaching my classes and doing a little more work on the apartment. Ashleigh and I have worked ******* buying and arranging things into a logical order to finally have some settled point. My mother referred to it as a "love nest." Which I guess it is.. for some reason that sounds dirty. what...

Two things that I find hilarious about Japan: 1) Businessmen on bicycles, 2) Old ladies on motorcycles. Never fails to bring a smile to my face. One thing I find frustrating about Japan: grates on the sidewalks with holes big enough to suck a bike tire into them. And they`re everywhere!