AizuWakamatsu Trip in May 2012

Since I have not written on our blog for many months there have been many events and ideas which have been left unblogged..

one of which was our trip to AizuWakamatsu in May. AizuWakamatsu is Akiko's birth town. We had a nice time there. Visited the Castle, Gardens, and I could appreciate learning about AKiko's childhood and school years.

 Aizu's iconic NekoBeko, Red Cow, image on the local train. 

 The castle at Aizu, amazing. 会津若松城 AizuWakamatsu-Jo.

 We visited a brewery, tasted sake, Akiko was tipsy :)

 Miso DenGaku, an amazing meal, great food, and unique Japanese vegetarian bbq cuisine.

 One of many beautiful, silent, grounds of worship and housing past life. 

 Organic Citrus Cake, nice design, and nice taste, however the coffee was terrible :)

A sunset by Street View.

Reunited with old books.

Last month I received a box, from my Father in New York, containing some books which I had enjoyed collecting as a past time. It feels as though the time when I was collecting them was so long ago. Recalling what I was doing during that time is nice, especially since that time marked a change in my life. At that time, I became more interested in reading in my spare time, and I had very much enjoyed a weekend at used book shops in the city and Long Island. Used books were cheap, $2 or $3 dollars for a nice paperback sometimes with nice retro cover art.


I'm currently reading Kurt Vonnegut's 'Blackbeard'. My first Vonnegut. Brian, my old friend from New York would be shocked to hear that after all these years I have never read a Kurt Vonnegut book. I'm enjoying it.

忙しいライフ - Poor Neglected Blog

I'm sorry... this blog has been neglected over the last few months.
My days seem short, and the time that I do have to relax, I often feel that I should something else besides sitting in front of my パソコン laptop organizing photos and what not.
Much has been going on, I don't know where to begin.

It has been almost six months since I moved to Japan.
まだ、月曜日から金曜日までいっています。I'm still going to language school Monday - Friday from 10 - 12. I suppose it is going alright. Learning a new language, for me at least, is difficult at times. Vocabulary is the key really, I think. Which is my challenge overall, I need to greatly expand upon it.

Other than that, I have been baking bread weekly for the last three months or so.
I use my own homegrown natural yeasts and bake the breads in our tiny toaster oven.
The results have been good, getting better certainly. Baking, making, and handling bread, from start to finish is enjoyable. I love the soft texture of the kneaded dough, the smell, and I think putting my hands in a big bag of flour is therapeutic, there isn't anything with a softer texture than finely ground flour.
たのしいだよ。

Also, most recently I have have faced one of the biggest challenges in my life. As it turned out, I couldn't hang in there, i hadn't the ability to hang in there until the end, which isn't so bad, since I have learned quite a bit, and I can say that I gave it me best effort stopping just short of my breaking point. This experience will certainly help guide me through future ventures and perhaps make me think deeply about what choices I make.

More on all the latest activities in the posts to come.
もっと日本語つかってみたい。
My Japanese level is at a very basic level.
でも、がんばります。

The Invisible Bomb みえないばくだん えいご

We should think about our future world, not only for ourselves.

because invisible bomb will damage us and all other creatures on the earth for ages.

Farewell - Last Day in Brisbane

"Last day in Brisbane, for at least the next year. I expect that I will be away much longer than that. Sitting on a comfy padded seat at a table in the domestic terminal Brisbane. I thought there would be a wireless signal and that I might upload a post to my blog. There isn't.

The flight to Cairns leaves in one hour, we'll probably start boarding soon. After a three hour layover in Cairns I'll be boarding another flight to Narita, Tokyo Japan. With a one year student visa I'll enter Japan. I'll be living together with Aco, a moment I have been dreaming of for over two years. Now, after some hard work and patience I am able to. The feeling is mixed. Just having said farewell, and “see you again soon”to Mum at a coffee stand in the check in lobby. I feel good this time. Sad, but not to the point of tears as I feel that I will see her again soon, and things will be good. I only wish that she will not feel to hurt in parting with me, as we have done many times before. She assured me that this time she feels glad. Glad that I secured a permission to travel for one year. Meaning my application for an Australian resident visa wont be cancelled upon leaving the country and if worst comes to worst I can come back to Australia. Hopefully she can feel also glad about her son following his heart, as anyone should when the time is right. I look forward to our meeting again soon, in Japan."

I had written this while waiting to board my plane. That was around two weeks ago now. Now I have a moment to post it.

Mount Oyama, Kanagawa.

 Photos taken during my adventure climbing up Mount Oyama in Kanagawa. From waiting at a bus stop below Oyama-san, to reaching the top, and Shoujin Ryoori nourishment when I reached the bottom four hours later.

Oyama Cable Car takes people up the the hiking path.

Many Trees, and steps on the way up. I feel appreciation for the natural ancient mountain environment.

 Beautiful Yellow Leaves above.

I could see Fuji-san. Who's summit was covered in clouds.

 At the Top.

 Tofu-Ryoori, Shoujin-Ryoori. My favorite cuisine.

The day that I climbed up the mountain, I didn't eat anything until I returned at the bottom of the mountain. It was 17:00, I felt refreshed, and appreciation for this day, this place, and for the fine delicious considerate cuisine of Japan. Shoujin-Ryoori, Buddhist cuisine.