coming back to Canada

Hey all

So I have made it to the airport and have about 7 hours to wait until my flight leaves. I will be able to check in for the flight in a couple of hours until then though it is killing time and shopping.

I am glad to be coming home it has been fun but I am ready to return to my real life, if there is such a thing.

See you all soon, I will be in Maple Ridge until friday then will be in Kamloops again. Will post more specifics later.

Love you all. God bless and take care.

Hemeji

Hey Everyone

So it is almost time to come back to Canada, I am ready but there is also so much more that I would love to do here. Ah well guess I will have to come back again. So I spent the last day and a half in Aso hiking the volcano and relaxing, it was beautiful and amazing. However, today I forgot to put on sunscreen and am a little burnt but that is okay.

Now I am in Hemeji, back on Honshu Island. I will spend the night here and then see the castle first thing in the morning, I have been told by a number of sources that it is the best one in Japan. It is still the original wood castle that was built so many years ago, most of the others are concrete replicas cause they burned down. I am excited it should be interesting since the inside is unchanged so I will be able to see how ppl lived there as well as see the museum stuff. Apparently there are all these hidden passage ways and staircases for defence. I am hoping that there will be an english guide available since there are apparently some that work there but you can not book one ahead of time.

After the castle I am going to head back towards Tokyo, I will have to see how time is going for whether I stop in Osaka for a bit or not. Then Monday morning I will hang out around Tokyo then head to Narita airport to check in then fly home. I leave here at 7pm local time on monday and land in Vancouver at 12 noon local time there on monday. So does that mean what I do from noon to 7 here does not exsist since I redo the time in Vancouver? what kind of trouble can I get in to (just kidding).

So I left my wallet on the train in Miyazaki but thankfully got it back right away since the train went out to the airport then returned to the station I had got off at and the ticket seller who was helping me contact the train ran out and retrieved it for me. Thank you Lord. Another interesting Japan memory and experience.

Well this will probably be my last post from Japan but we will see. Once I am back in Canada I will update on what will happen then since I have reached a desicion (at least I am pretty sure that I have reached a decision). Love you all, miss you, see you soon. God bless and take care.

Oita

Hey Everyone

So　I am in Kuyshu now in a place called Oita. I have not yet gone to Aso. I am still deciding if I will go there tomorrow or go farther south to another volcano and then make my way back up to Aso via Nagasaki. Last night I stayed in Hiroshima since I did not get away from Tokyo until 4 which was okay since I really enjoyed exploring Dream Island but made it too late to come all the way to Kuyshu. I am having a lot of fun and only got completely lost once today. Well will post more later got to go have some dinner.

Love you and miss you. Take care and God bless.

end of course and out on my own

Hey everyone

This morning we are going to Dream Island then the course is officially over. After that I am hopping on a train for about 7 hours and heading to Kyushu. I am excited but also a little bit scarded. Tom has taught me a lot of practical stuff about the trains and travel in Japan which will definately be helpful.

Well I got to go and write a quiz but I will talk to you all later. Take care and God Bless.

Tokyo is crazy

Hey Everyone

We survived Tokyo station, the largest in Japan, however we did loose Tom, the teacher. It was crazy how many people there were and how congested everything was. I am not so sure that I like Tokyo, there are too many people in such a small place for my likings.

Last night we went to a buffet where we had to cook our own food on the grill in the centre of the table. It was good and I was glad to have a break from rice and noodles. Actually it was all you can eat and there was a bunch of fruit so that is mostly what I ate. My stomache is felling much better now, the fruit definately helped.

Today we are meeting the president of Tokyo University, then exploring Tokyo a bit, and at 2:30 we are going to the Canadian Embassy for a tour. It should be fun.

Tuesday we have a quiz in the morning and then are going to Dream Island, made of garbage. The course officially ends at noon and then I am heading to Kuyshu, very excited.

Well I got to go but I will post more later. Take care and God bless.

heading for Tokyo

Hey Everyone

We will be leaving Hamamatsu this afternoon and heading to Tokyo. I got really sick last night from lack of sleep and dehydration. Also it is raining really hard and is super muggy so I do not think that that helped any. I am feeling some better this morning and ate breakfast (I skiped dinner last night). I am hoping that the beds in Tokyo are much thicker than those that we have been sleeping on thus far as most night I feel as though I am sleeping on the floor even though there is a futon between me and the floor.

The four material things that I am missing the most over hear are my bed, brown bread, fruit, and beef.

Yesterday we went on a zip line trolley thing over lake Hamana it was great although I would have enjoyed it better had I been feeling better. Oh well. I got to go and pack to leave, we are going to yet another castle before we catch the train to Tokyo.

Love you all and miss you. God Bless.

Hamamatsu

Hey all

I have reached Hamamatsu after being on the train from 11:30 to 5 yesterday. It was a great trip with lots to observe. We are staying at a private highschool in their dorms, it is very interesting. The school is unique and very strict which I think is a good thing although it must be hard to be away from family.

Today we are going to a Yamah factory and will learn how motorbikes are made, it should be good. We are also going to a limestone cave, I am very excited about that. Tomorrow we are going to the ACT tower which is 45 stories high and then we will be heading to Tokyo. I am looking forward to seeing Tokyo but also am a bit worried about the congestion and the amount of people since I do not enjoy crowds and am running on sever lack of sleep which is beginning to make me touchy and grumpy. Oh well it will be an adventure.

The Hiroshima dome and museum was amazing, I wish that I could have spent more time there exploring the museum, as it was we were rushed since we had gone to Miajima the day before rather than that morning as was the plan cause some of the others did not want to be rushed at the island, which I can understand, but I think that the museum was much more interesting and geographical than the island. In short I would have liked more time at the museum and been rushed at the island. I am starting to get very annoyed at group decisions that do not involve the group, such as changing the events for the two days in Hiroshima around.

I am gald that I went to Kobe on my day off cause I actually learned something related to geography where as in Hiroshima we were more tourists and relaxing cause the others were tired and did not want to learn so Tom gave in especially since Cara, the TRU teacher with us, was also complaining. There is a lot of negativity and gossip occuring and I do not like it but yet do not know how to put a stop to it without causing more tension in the group. I generally just try to ignore it and if possible pretend the I am asleep because I do not want to be sucked in to the gossip.

Well I got to go now as we have a seminar for an hour before we head out for the day. Miss you all. Love you, and see you when I get back. God Bless.