日本語がわかりません !

Yo! Summer has well and truely arrived in Japan. Despite the aforementioned rainy season, the mercury hangs out in the 20's all day and night, and the humidity is very uncomfortable....thank goodness for air-conditioning!
From July 1st, I will be teaching at a new school in Omori, near Tokyo. It means I have to travel a little further (no more cycling to work) and the train is one of the busier lines - sardine style.....hopefully its not too bad. I've also lost my Sunday/Monday weekend, in exchange for Tuesday/Wednesday, but on the plus side I will be working more mornings - great for the summer - and I have found some gyms to play midweek basketball (pickup games only).
Here's a few pics of me with Aki, Terry and Saki, dressed in Yukatas for a recent neighbourhood festival. T and I were definately the subjects of many stares as we showed the locals how its suppossed to be done!

Gangsta! T & B represent; Kawaii girls....Aki & Saki flaunt their stuff; Festival stage show


Okonimiyaki..."Oishii desu!"; Who wants to mess with the sword?

Memoirs of a Gaijin

Hey Y'all, hows everything goin? Its been a while since I updated so here's a little something to keep you interested. It seems like I havn't been up to much, but I guess that happens once the daily routines are established. I play ball most weekends and my team is 4-2 in our league games. Other than the sporadic bouts of tendonitis I get in my knees (getting old!), I'm loving being able to play and have been playing pretty good.....however, thats gonna come to an end next month, not because I want to, but unfortunately I'm gonna have to start working on my weekends :-( The reason for this is that I have changed from working part-time to working full-time, and that means no more ball until/unless I can get weekends off. The good side to this is that I now have a working visa and can stay here for another year. So, until I can rejoin the team, I'll be back to shooting hoops by myself at the local high school.
Summer has finally arrived with temperatures currently in the mid-20's. This weather is very pleasurable, but the "rainy season" will start this week, local folklore says the rainy season goes for about 3 weeks and involves frequent heavy rain. After that it's gonna be scorching hot and I'll be looking to go to the packed, filthy, little waved beaches near Yokohama, just to cool down. In recent weeks I have been to the Thai Festival in Shibuya, which was basically a Thai "Food" Festival...but great food (and beer). I also saw the NZ movie "River Queen" at the NZ Film Festival in Roppongi. I really enjoyed the movie and was also treated to a Haka and performance by a cultural group before the movie screened. Speaking of movies, "The Da Vinci Code" was a pretty good movie, I'll give it a 7/10. Basically, it reestablished the images in my head from when I read the book, but as a movie it just moved way too fast. If you havn't seen it yet, I recommend you read the book first or you may be a little confused and dissapointed. I'm certainly looking forward to "Angels and Demons", which was the Dan Brown book set before Da Vinci Code....a very good read and I suspect it will make a better movie than Da Vinci code.
I also had a day-trip in Izu, the furtherest I have been from Yokohama, which at 2 hours drive is not really that far! Really nice scenery there, reminded me a bit of Great Ocean Road in Aussie with its rocky coastline.
The next few months will see me doing a bit more travelling...next month I'll be going to Nijima, an Island about 160km south of Tokyo. This place has some beautiful beaches, so I'm definately looking forward to it. August will see the mish to the Worlds in Hiroshima. I'm glad to say Mark and I have got our tickets and accommodation sorted...I'm really keen to see the Tall Blacks try and repeat their dream performance from four years ago. Will also be awsome to see the superstars, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol, not to mention Team USA if they can make the Final, which we also have tickets for. Im out like the Spurs and Pistons, talk to you all later....NBA Final prediction: Mavs 4-3 over Heat...should be a good series. Ja ne.


IZU - Day Trippers in Izu; Izu coastline; Suspension Bridge


Thai Festival - TukTuk; Happy Drummer Boy; The Crowd came for the Thai Food



Game clip...nothing great, I don't even touch the ball! But, it's the best clip I have!

Disneyland

About 20 years ago I first heard of the myth that is Disneyland. While my desire to visit it over the ensueing years dwindled, it was still something that had to be done so I can say i've done it!This was probably my most tiring day since being in Japan. In order to see/ride all the decent attractions, a lot of walking and waiting was required. Fortunately it was not a "busy day", so the longest wait for a ride was about 30 mins (the fast pass ticket system was a neccessity). Overall the place was stunning for it's visual appeal, but lacked anything really exciting (the only real good ride being the "Splash Mountain" log ride). I've been informed of a good rollercoaster park with excellent rides, so I hope to go there soon to get my adrenalin fix.
Donald greets the hordes; This guy had a hard night on the turps with the Seven Dwarfs; Some crazy castle thingy.

Scenes from the night parade which was pretty impressive

Hanami & Hakone

Part 1: Hanami
The last 2 weeks saw the famous "Cherry Blossom" bloom its way North through Kanto. This is a great excuse for Japanese people to eat and drink under the said trees, so it was a good excuse for me too. Some sub-standard weather during this time hindered my plans to celebrate every night, but the sun shined last weekend and Mark and I set out early to catch the buzz. Unfortunately some misinformation led us to Sankei-en Garden, which is a really pituresque garden.....but we were the only people drinking there. Later in the evening, after a good head start on other Hanami participants, we ventured into a Cherry Blossom park and walked around until we were invited to join a group of party people. Here we drank and ate their food until it was last train time. We also had fun with a homeless guy - excellent entertainment and it only cost Mark a 1/4 can of his Beer!


Cherry Blossoms-people start saving spots from early in the morn; Lake and Pagoda at Sankai-en Garden


This guy makes more money than me and he just sits there!; Fun with a Hobo; CB's

Part 2: Hakone
After 7 months living in the brick metropolis of Tokyo/Yokohama, Aki took me away to the famed hide-a-way of Hakone. The Hakone area is about 1 1/2 hours outside of Yokohama and is famous for its beautiful nature and onsen, the natural hot springs that adorn the region. Our first stop was at Odawara Castle, a big house on a hill that was rebuilt in 1960 after being destroyed in 1870 by Emperor Meiji who had a problem with the Warriors that lived there. We then went to Gora Park and relaxed in the warm afternoon sun before heading to our Ryokan (Traditional Japanese Hotel) in Tonosawa. Our room had an outside bath with a fantastic view of the river below. After a delicious meal, we went down to the onsen, where I experienced bathing-Japanese style. Men and Women bathe seperately, so I entered the Men's, stripped off my yukata, and entered the room. Before hopping in the bath a shower is required, which consists of sitting on a stool, soaping up and rinsing off with a wooden tub. Then I got in the bath and relaxed in the steaming water. Not long after, three old men entered and I yarned to them about NZ and Rugby in broken English. (Note: I had to drink a bit to feel comfortable enough to bathe with guys, but it wasn't so bad and i'll try it again sometime!) The sun took a holiday the next day, so we were unable to see Mount Fuji from the lookout points in the region and were generally robbed from a lot of good scenery. Nevertheless, we took a gondola up a mountain (Owakudani) to see the "volcano", which smelled like Rotorua. We then caught a boat ride on a Pirate ship across Lake Ashi and enjoyed lunch in Hakone Machi before heading home. Overall, a great weekend and I look forward to going back sometime.
Odawara Castle; I was the only person in Japan wearing a singlet on this warm day; Yukata Style; "Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out"

Enjoying a rest; "But, Why is the Rum gone?"; View from our rooms onsen


PS: Last week I played in my 1st official league match, won by "Burnin"(my team) in a big come from behind win. Thanks to AT and Fumiko for the new kicks, they helped me score 10 and cause chaos in the opposition ranks.
Sweet Kicks - The All Star VC Shox

6 Months Later.....

Well it's hard to believe, but six months have flown past in the Far East. The spring has finally arrived and the days are getting warmer and longer. Spring is the favorite season of Japanese people, not too hot, not too cold, cherry blossoms and "Hanami" (parties where we eat and drink under the cherry blossom trees). Hanami will take place around late March-Early April, so i'm keen to see if it lives up to the hype.
On the sports front, I have established myself in a Japanese Basketball team, playing most Sundays, and am enjoying it a lot. We had a team party last weekend, the first time I have been drinking with only Japanese people....awesome time, venue overlooked Yokohama from 25 floors up, huge feed, liquor flowed and learned a new drinking game! I go bowling a bit with Mark, but unlike NZ, he's been beating me with good form. It is becoming a weekly ritual to down some Chu-Hi (very good taste!) and hit the lanes. I took Aki to see her first Rugby game a few weeks ago. The All-Japan final was played in atrocious conditions at the National Rugby Stadium in Tokyo (Chichibunomiya). The game featured ex-NZ players like Glen Marsh, Scott McLeod, Shane Austin and Nick Holten. Final result: 6-6, no extra time, average game..... i'm missing the Super 14!
I have not done much sightseeing lately, but Aki will take me to Hakkone in a few weeks, where we can enjoy the Hot Springs in the mountains. Mark and I are also planning our trip to Hiroshima to watch the Tall Blacks take on the world in August. I also hope to see Thailand or Vietnam at some stage, but nothing planned yet.
Here's some random pics from the last few months......


Liam; Liam "Carl Lewis" winning his race; Shibuya-busiest crossing in the world



Hama-bowl; Drunken antics; How NOT to use a toilet in Japan! (painted on road)




In this game, I had to drink while the team jumped on me!; Ballin in Shibuya-Nike courts (much beter than Jordan court); Me and Aki-party in the penthouse suite

Enoshima

A beautiful winter day was a good excuse to visit the beach at Enoshima. Enoshima is about 30 mins from Yokohama and I'm sure I will be going there a lot more when the summer finally arrives! It was way too cold to go swimming, so Aki and I visited the Aquarium. I havn't been to an Aquarium for years.....Kelly Tarltons around 1990 I guess? I was dissapointed that they had no huge sharks but the small sharks were still cool to watch. Also saw a cool dolphin show.....

Snow-kohama

This morning I woke up and was greeted with the sight of snow! The last time I saw snow I was 12 years old, it was a five hour drive to get there, and I remember hating it because it was so cold! This time the snow came to me and I enjoyed spending the morning playing in the snow with Liam....and I acted like I was 12 years old!