Kawaguchiko

After spending time in the big city we headed for the countryside in search of Mt Fuji. Kawaguchiko is the city at the base of Mt Fuji, and on a clear day you can see the grand mountain itself. Unfortunately when we arrived in Kawaguchiko Fuji-san was covered in clouds. Despite this fact, once we were settled into our very cute hostel "K's House", we headed up the cable car for a bird's eye view of the town.

At the top we could see the nearby coasterpark, Fuji-Q, and the beautiful town surrounding the lake. The town had a relaxed feel to it and we enjoyed walking around soaking it all up.

As time became more limited we had to make a hard decision...climb Mt Fuji (to station 6) or go to the coasterpark? After a long hard think and deep discussion we decided on the latter!!! We are suckers for excitement! So, we boarded the bus and took the trip to Fuji-Q. It was surprisingly busy but that didn't faze us...hey we just got back from the Disney worlds!!! First we headed up the sky eye to take a good look around and see what the park had to offer. All up there are three coasters, all insanely scary! The first one is the tallest coaster in the world with a 70m drop, the next one has a pin head up and down part and the third one has a 90 degree drop! The park also had paddle boats and other assorted amusement park rides.

We headed straight to the tallest coaster in the world, and after lining up for an hour, had an exhilarating ride! There were about 5 stomach-tingling drops and lots of twists and tight turns. It was lots of fun. We then went to ride the one with the pin drop but were told that the operators were out to lunch!!!! So we went on a few other rides and wandered around the park. One ride which cooled us down a bit was called the Tsunami (a very appropriate name!). We both bought a sexy blue poncho to wear as we saw many people who didn't wear the poncho come off the ride drenched through to the skin. This ride was a small boat that travelled up a ramp, did a 180 at the top and came speeding down the hill at great speed into a pool of water. The view from the inside as you dive into the water is quite spectacular but then it all folds in and comes crashing on top of you! I had a wading pool in my lap and my hair had a second rinse!

To our delight we could actually see Mt Fuji in the back ground, with clouds creeping in from the left. We were happy that we could at least see it for ourselves and take a few piccies. Despite the Japanese people claiming that the top is always covered in snow, it looked very black. After being inside the night before listening to and watching a spectacular thunder and lightning storm we were happy not to climb it after all. Well, we have to leave something to come back again to do!!!

Community English classes

This Summer vacation Jono and I were able to choose to teach English classes for community members instead of going to school and staring into space for 4 or so hours (in between holidays that is)! They have been so much fun and the older Japanese students have been so cute and keen to learn. Jono and I have also been teaching with fellow Americans Taube, Karen, Cecy, Steve, Lexi, Heather and Suvanya. (Pictured: From left to right is Cecy, Taube, me and Steve and probably the smallest class we've had all Summer behind us.)

To make things simple we worked together on a schedule which saw the same type of lessons done each week; Monday - Conversational English, Tuesday - Cultural, Wednesday - Cooking / Music (alternate weeks), Thursday - Movie Day, Friday - Games / Student presentations (alternate weeks).

One of our favourite activities was one Jono and I prepared and it was based around expressions; facial and verbal. We gave each person one facial expression and a clump of clay. They had to keep their expression a secret and mould the clay to portray the expression. They all had such fun making them. Then we assigned a number to each face and we had to guess what expression each face was. There were some pretty interesting models around! Jono modelled "sick" and even had the spew coming out of its mouth!

Cooking was a very popular and fun lesson. First we gave them a taste test of some different foods we eat as snacks including tomato and cheese on crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, popcorn and Coke and we also introduced them to Vegemite. Here is Eiko getting stick right into it. One of the older Japanese women LOVED it and called the taste "divine"!!! She was so cute.

For the cooking lesson Jono ran one recipe; buschetta and I ran the other; peanut butter chippers. We had lots of fun cooking with everyone and watching their reactions when they tasted the food that they created. Bruschetta was a huge success.

This week we had a music lesson and for the warm up we got everyone (23 students plus teachers) doing the Macarana for 5 minutes!! It was so much fun and so funny to watch Toshi, a sweet older man with no rhythm, giving it a go. Bill had us all singing the backstreet boys "Shape of my Heart" and Eiko started doing the Macarana during the instrumental part of the song! Classic.

At our Last English lesson for the Summer Vacation some students gave presentations on topics of their choice. They did so well and impressed us with their language skills. Eiko spent over an hour preparing her ikibana the previous afternoon (flower arranging) in this traditional style and then spoke about it. Toshi showed photos of his time teaching Japanese in Sydney for 10 weeks. Keiko read us a story and talked about the importance of reading to children. After class the many Japanese students were busily flittering around the room decorating it for the "Thank you" party they are putting on for all teachers tonight. It should be a great show.

Kobe Port Tower

Our last touristy destination for the day was the Kobe Port Tower. I'm sure that Paul and Nat were disappointed that we didn't take the stairs (or maybe not) to the very top. It was a great view and perhaps one of the prettier cities to look at in the day time! The harbour was busy with many tour boats and jet skiis and many people were out and about shopping and enjoying the sunshine.

It was very hard to believe that just 12 years ago, this city was all but flattened in the Earthquake of 1995 (which was also felt in Himeji). Therefore the city is very new and well designed.

Throughout the day we enjoyed walking down malls and buying random things. This has been the most Nat has bought going shopping in the whole of their 2 month trip! We introduced them to the fabulous 100 yen shop and they were shocked when they saw heaps of Disney merchandise in there. They will continue to keep their eyes peeled for more of these shops when they're in Tokyo I'm sure!

Kawasaki - Good Times Museum

We had "good times" in at the Kawasaki museum and were surprised to learn just how many different types of machinery Kawasaki has actually produced over the years...including fans, turbines, jet skiis, trains, an intelligent robot and even a plane!

We were blown away with a great display of very shiny motorbikes, from the very old to the very new. There were bikes of all shapes and sizes and we even got to pose on some of them for photos. I thought the green 'Night rider' type bike looked pretty cool where Paul opted for the dirt bike with very bouncy suspension!

As mentioned above, Kawasaki make intelligent robots and there was one in the museum. The robot was a whiz at solving the Rubik's cube in 20 moves! It would pick one up (pre-mixed), study it and then proceed to twist and turn until all sides were made up of the same colours. It was impressive.

We also stopped in at the Maritime museum but there wasn't that much to see.

Ikuta Shrine, Sannomiya Kobe

The four of us headed to Kobe for the day. After our 40 minute train ride we arrived and, with a little help from the locals, found a beautiful shrine, the Ikuta Shrine. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of this shrine as it not only consisted of one large shrine, but there were also smaller shrines to find in amongst the large surrounding gardens. We saw many people throwing money in the box, bowing, clapping, shaking the big rope to ring the 0ver-sized cat bell and preying.

The most interesting thing we saw was in the car park as we approached the shrine. A man in traditional costume was shaking a giant white pom pom on a stick in front of each car. Hmmm. The grounds were really peaceful and it was an interesting place. Certainly one of the better temples I've visited.

It also had a mini version of the long line of torii gates in Kyoto (from Memoirs of a Geisha). Sorry Mer, I could hardly get a jog up in this tunnel, I'll wait for the real one!

Okonomiyaki - and the food critics

Jono and I decided to cook our favourite Japanese dish for our visitors...of course we cooked okonomiyaki (affectionately known as a cabbage pancake). I think they were quite surprised by the taste and actually liked it...But here's what they had to say:

NAT: "The cabbage pancakes were fantastic and we'll definitely be cooking them at home! We'll be taking a trip to the Adelaide Central Markets to find the special sauce for them. If all Japanese food is like this, then bring it on! Jono and Jodi have been great hosts. Thanks guys. "

PAUL: "That dinner were awesome!!! Tastiest and Healthiest meal I've had in a while! Thanks heaps for having us. Hope you guys have had as much fun as we have (even though you'd seen some similar stuff before)."

Nat and Paul Are Here! Yay!

Nat and Paul have arrived safely in Himeji as the final leg on their 2 month holiday. We sat up chatting and exchanging travel stories and then they settled into their apartment.

Today we had a low key day, a nice sleep in and a casual lunch at our favourite local restaurant where we introduced them to the local cuisine. They both tried miso soup, hot green tea, sticky rice, pickled vegies, Paul had croket (a creamy, potatoey hash brown with gravy) and Nat had ton katsu (pork snitzel with gravey) and eating with chopsticks! Paul managed to snap one of his chopsticks, the first time I have ever seen that happen!!!!

Next we caught the bus into town and went for a stroll through the Himeji Castle grounds and climbed some more stairs (not so many as the Eiffel Tower which had 681 steps) to the top of the castle. The strong winds through the windows were a welcomed relief from the heat. My picture of the castle was inspired by Paul and Nat's shot in Egypt!

Disney Sea - More for the adults!

Disney Sea was much different to Disneyland in that it is much better suited to the adults. There's not so much 'kiddy' stuff around. Jono liked this much better and I agree that the rides were much more exciting. The atmosphere was again alive with positive vibes as we took in the views...a volcano...mountains...city buildings and a pirate ship in a lake.

Disney Sea was also sectioned into themed parts; Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Port Discovery, Lost River Delta, Arabian Coast, Mysterious Island and Mermaid Lagoon.

Again we wasted no time in jumping on the ends of the lines awaiting our new adventures. We went on;

1. 20,000 Leagues under the sea

2. Journey to the centre of the Earth - a small coaster that zooms in and out of the volcanic mountains and twists and turns.

3. Indiana Jones Adventure

4. Raging Spirits - A very cool coaster with a 360 degree loop!

5. Sinbad's Storybook Adventure

6. The Magic Lamp - A 3-D animation which interacted with the crew on stage.

7. Flounders Flying Fish Coaster

8. Tower of Terror (pictured)- THE BEST RIDE!!! You sit in an elevator, strap yourself in and then they turn out the lights. The elevator lifts high, stopping at several floors and then going up again. The anticipation of the fall is overwhelming! When you reach the top the window opens and you can see the whole of Disney Sea and everyone can hear you scream! The elevator drops (remember it is pitch dark) and then goes up again and then falls and then goes up again! You get the idea! We were both shaking for a little while after we got off from the rush! There was nothing to hold on to except a small handle on the chair next to your legs!

In Arabian Coast we saw Mickey and Minnie wandering around in costume. They were surrounded by many, many children trying to have a photo with them calling "Mickey, Mickey". It was getting rather aggressive in the mob there so I managed to just take a picture of them rather than with them.

We also caught a stage show which was called "Dream Cruise" which involved some Disney dancers and all of the well known Disney characters. I really felt sorry for them because as we found out later that night, the temperature had been the highest in 75 years! No wonder we were a bit warm! Luckily we had our portable shade (umbrella) and were lining up for rides in the shade (and sometimes air conditioning). The dancing was quite entertaining.

We ate dinner back in the Arabian Coast section and had a yummy curry and naan bread. We sat in a food court which was beautifully decorated with tables and chairs that had tiles on them, the floors were also patterned with tiles and there were little eatery counters cut into the walls. Very thematic. There were also street vendors outside, alley games and gift shops in the same theme. It was just so much fun to feel like you were in the cartoon!

Last of all was a night performance (pictured). A Japanese host introduced the stars Mickey and Minnie who were dressed up in kimonos and then out came their special guests...Aladdin and Jasmine. There were many other dancers who danced on the two storey circular stage. At the end of the performance they taught the audience a dance and as they repeated it, the music got faster and faster and in between each repeat the crowd moved around the outside of the circular stage. It was so much fun to watch! We had a great 2 days living in the world of Walt Disney!

Reading Record...

22- "The Other Side of the Story"

Marian Keyes

She is fast becoming my new favourite author. This story follows the lives of three different women and sets out to prove that there always are two sides of the story,the other side not always being what it seems. A fun read. (My holiday book)

23-"Water For Elephants"

By Sarah Gruen

A gorgeous book about an old man remembering his time working with the circus. Thanks for the read Taube.

24-"Into Thin Air"

By Jon Krakauer

Compliments of Joe! This was an intense recount of the 1995 disaster on Mt Everest where many people lost their lives. Very interesting.

Disneyland - The happiest place on Earth!

Jono and I headed to Tokyo for a week and of course that had to include a trip to both Disneyland and Disneysea...first up was Disneyland.

It was every bit as exciting as I was expecting, it certainly brought our my inner (or maybe not so inner) child! The entrance was elaborate and colourful and included a picture of Mickey in flowers. As soon as we stepped through the gate I could feel the vibe...excitement...anticipation...happiness...a step back into my childhood.

The first character we saw was Mickey Mouse and there was a huge line-up of people wanting a picture with him...possibly 50m or so! I was amazed!

We spent the whole day wandering around the massive grounds, sectioned into different themes; Westernland, Adventureland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown, Tomorrowland and World Bazaar. Each section had themed buildings, rides, shops and characters. It was so much fun to be in the thick of it.

Over the day we became more and more patient about lining up, and with our trusty portable shade (Disney umbrella) we were happy to chat away the time it took to get on the rides. We went on many rides and to many attractions including;

1. The Swiss Family Treehouse

2. Country Bear Theatre: Vacation Jamboree (pictured)

3. Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. This was my favourite ride for the day. We travelled around in a space capsule through different glowing scenes shooting glowing targets with our laser guns.

4. Space Mountain. A fast roller coaster inside a pitch dark dome.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

6. A Micro Adventure. This was a 3-D featuring the scientist from 'Honey, I shrank the kids', except this one was 'Honey, I shank the audience'.

7. It's a Small World

Being the middle of Summer and unbearably humid, Disney had some attractions in stall to keep everyone cool. The first one being a water show at the castle. Water cannons shot water into the air accompanied by music. It was quite impressive and I'm sure the people sitting near the castle came away a little damp!

The second attraction was Goofy's Water Works truck. This cartoon looking truck drove slow;y around the grounds and it appeared to have several leaks and unpredictable hoses! Even the characters couldn't keep them under control and 'accidentally' drenched the people who stood by watching! I hid behind Jono! hehe

The third was a series of misty sprinklers. They intermittently sprayed people who walked underneath them.

The fourth and final one was called a 'wet zone'. In front of a warehouse-looking building was a TNT box with a push lever. Kids would pump the handle and then water would shoot out of the building. It looked like lots of fun.

Toontown was my favourite part of Disneyland. Everything looked like it was straight out of a cartoon. The stop light was wonky with hands coming out the sides to signal 'stop', the town tram had wonky wheels so as it made its way around went up and down too!I got to meet Chip 'n' Dale in the street (very exciting) and we visited Mickey's house. After a lengthy line up we were able to enter his house and wander around. We sat and posed on his furniture, watched some cartoons and then met the Mouse himself. He was very friendly and seemed to understand English!!! hahaha

Of course there was the ever famous street parades and I madly took pictures as the many characters passed on their floats. The one thing we noticed was that all of the major characters were played by Westerners! Very interesting!

That's just a glimpse into the 10 hour day we spent at this Magical land.