Going to try and keep this one updated

Well, I'm going to try and update this one at least once a month......

Will work on it tonight......


-Tom

Ryusendo 龍泉洞

An hour and a bit drive from Kuzumaki, is a small place called Ryusendo.
葛巻から車で一時間ぐらいの龍泉洞というところがある、

Ryusendo is a limestone cave with ponds and flowing water. Once called the pond of the dragons, it really looks and feels like a place you could find a dragon :)
龍泉洞は流水や池がある石灰岩の洞窟です。このところはかつて龍の淵と呼ばれたが、本当に龍があるを感じる

<-- This is a very wet cave. Almost as if it was raining. <-- I found a nice place to rest <-- One of the steeper parts of the cave. I had to put away the camera and use both hands to climb down. <-- Taking alittle break -Tom

Passports and such~

Well, nows thats it the new year and I'm no longer a student, Partly because I didn't pass the entrance exam. I've been faced with a rather large problem. I have to head back to Canada or some how magically get a Visa.
One of the reasons I haven't wrote on this topic before, basically comes down to that I really don' t know out it would turn out.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not quiting school. Even if I had headed back to Canada in January, this isn't really much I can study till September.... That is if I head back to Camosun, Uvic is a different story.. Anyways..

I've been working part-time at a language school downtown and they have been really great!!
They said they would try do their best, helping with the forums and sponsorship. Anyways, over a period of 3 weeks I had no idea if I was going to still be in the country the next week.
Making a longer story shorter, I was rejected once, called back, asked to get more papers, called back again, and received a post card in the mail that didn't state wither I had or hadn't be able to get my work visa. Just a post card asking for money for the change.
Rather confusing..

Anyways, overjoyed that I didn't have to worry about visa, I happily rode down to the visa office and got my stamps. Very happily giving them the ￥5,000 ($50Cdn).

Now I just have to worry about where I'm going live...

Taking it a step at a time,

-Tom

Well its almost Chirstmas, and Santa Got a Cold.... So am filling in for him.

Yea.. The title basically sums it up... I play Santa and a Yochen today (Kindergarten) .
It was awesome! I'm Santa!, smiling and giving presents!
It was a awesome job, and for most of the kids, I'm their dream come true....

But then again.... For the Younger Kids...
I'm not Santa. I'm a Gigantic Man Dressed in Red, Screaming "HO HO HO" and Other such scary unknown foreign words.
Yea.. I'm one Gigantic red scary man.
I feel sorry for them.....
I really do. Go get your present from Santa. "Waaaa! Waaaa! Waaa!" Scary! Scary! Scary!

Loving kids from Japan,

-Tom

Wanko Soba!!!

As some of you might know, Morioka has three Famous Noodles.

Ja-Ja men, Rei men, and Wanko Soba.

Well, I've eaten the first two so far... but Wanko Soba, I haven't eaten till today....
One of the main reason I haven't eaten it before, is partly that you have to eat as much as you can, and the noodles aren't that great..
Anyways, Me and my friends at my part-time job downtown, decided to go head to head with Morioka's Best, in a all you can eat "Battle of the fatties".

It was a 3 min per person, 9 min per team style battle. I was able to eat 55-60 bowels in 3 mins and my work buddies did the same, if not more!!
Oh man.... I was soo full after weres...

Anyways It was good times....

oh yea... Our group didn't even get top 3... Those guys can really eat!!!







-Tom

Dinner with Yuji

When I first moved to Morioka, I moved into the Morioka University Dorm. Anyways, I make a really good friend there, but I haven't seem him for sooo long since I moved out of the dorm.

Anyways, I had dinner.. or 3 dinners with him today. Oh man he can eat alot!
I couldn't keep up with him....

We first went for Ramen at someplace on Oodori.














Then after that we went for Hot dog's














Than after all that!!! We went for Chanko Nabe (Sumo Style Soup with Noodles).
Oh man... You really got to see it for your self...














This thing is HUGE!!! Like, enough to feed a family of 5.
Oh yea...
The Udon noodles haven't been added yet.

ha ha haha
....

*CRY*
Anyways we barely finished it. But it was soo good. I was talking with Yuji, and seems that Chanko Nabe is rather hard to find, or rather hard to find someone that can make it.
Well, I meet the owner of the restaurant briefly, and yes... he was a Sumo. Or rather his family is a family of Sumo's turn cooks. His hands were huge and looked very jolly..
I might go back there some time.... but not soon..


Half Way~~~~ Before we added the noodles....

Go Yuji Go!!!!
Yea...~ Thats some good Nabe


Done.... Excuse me while I go Explode somewhere....

Cheers
-Tom

New Sounds for Traditional Instruments from Tokyo

I meet two Musicians today, Curtis Patterson(Koto) and Bruce Huebner(Shakuhachi).
Their two wonderful guys with amazing talent!

If you want to read up on them, Check out --> http://www.zabutonemusic.com/

Cheers

-Tom

Dorm Life ^__^

Well, I’ve arrived at my dorm. The last few days have been a bit strange. Junichi-san, the schools international helper, showed me around a bit, including where the nearest (supermarket with extras / under stocked department store with food) was.

Sachino, a friend I had made while at Camosun, helped me meet up with the other 2 international students, Nicole and Cael, today. Along with Jennifer, Cael’s girlfriend, we went for a walk around the area. I was really glad to have someone I could ask questions too! I was able to learn a lot about this area in a very short time. They were very hospitable and I even received a welcoming present from them!!

GO ! CUP NOODLE!

Thanks Guys!!!

-Tom

Setting off for Morioka in Style.

I got up super super early today!
Today went on the Shikansen! ( The Japanese Bullet Train ).
At first, the speed of the train didn’t really impress me, as my friends have been raving about. But, as we started to enter the outskirts of Tokyo, the train speed up to full speed.
I didn’t really come to realized how fast I was going, till I tried to take a picture.
That’s when I realized that the only things that weren’t blurry were considerably further away… I traveled 500+ km in only a few hours including stops.
As I traveled north, the weather changed a number of times including going thru 2 different snow storms…. Not sure how it worked but it was interesting none the less.

Hideo’s wife, Hiromi, was very nice at gave me some rice balls for my lunch on the train.
(Thanks Hiromi!! - It was very tasty!! )

As I stepped off the Shikansen, everything was different. The weather was biting cold and the station seemed fairly small with only a hand full of people.

Gladly I was meet by a teacher from Morioka College. Sannohei Sensei.

Where am I?

<-- Thats my Train!!!! Sexy An'it?

-Tom

Narita San - Night

Hey everyone, I've when back to the Temple I was talking about... And My friend was right... It's insane.. the lines were huge!! And the Police weren't directing the people anymore, they were controlling us like cars.

Basically what happened is that all the people are funneled though a large walkway.
Then, the people in the front are stopped by 5 police holding hands.
Then the Police walk forward about 6 meters and stop.
Then this step is repeated for the people behind. Thus creating a cube's or groups of humans.

Then this cube is escorted to the temple.

Heading for the Funnel


In my Cube, waiting for the Cube of humans ahead of us to finish throwing money in the money pot and making their wishes.

*** VIDEO CLICK HERE ***

Narita San - Morning

Hey everyones,

I when to a temple today called Narita-san. It was really cool!!! Monks and Smoke and everything ! I followed along with my friends and put my 10 yen into the coin box, clapped three times. I guess it was for praying to the gods at one time, but I think now it's just done for good luck. I was really busy here! But my friend told me that it's crazy busy on the Thirty First of December. ( New Years). I want to check it out......

I wasn't able to take pictures inside the temple.... It's rude and I've only been the country for less then a week. I don't want problems.

Day Two - Sushi

I went to a new style Sushi Bar today! I was great!! The Sushi is put on to different plates and then the plates travel around the room on long moving track like little trains. Then the different sushi's run around the room and you've got to catch them or wait another 5 min.till the same sushi comes back. ( That is if no one else catches it before you) ( Gotta Catch Them All Style)

So many different types of Sushi... I didn't want to ask what everything was.. but I ate it so, I don't really care now. I'm having a lot of fun for my second day here, I love the kids!! Their so full on energy!

The moving line of Sushi

OMG WE ATE SOO MUCH!!

-Tom