Adventure on the (Over) Seas

I have been lucky enough the past little while to enjoy the company of my favorite person in the whole world, some of you might be thinking that I get to hang out with myself everyday but my ma is here!!! I am super estatic to be able to show her a little bit of Japan. She came with my boy Payner. So I was able to show them around my place for a couple of days while they got over the Jet Lag then we were off to Kyoto for the long weekend before I had to split and make my way back to the Hama for work. It was an adventure of the grandest sort.
There are plenty of photos posted today but first I will give you a run down of their time here. They arrived on a Friday and the following day there was a bazaar at one of the Kindergartens that I work at. This was one of the highlights of my time in Japan the kids were all doing crafts and stuff. It was nice to walk around and get some love from the kids and not have to worry about actually teaching them anything. Afterwards we went to an old village with Kae. She brought her car which made for a more comfortable drive. It took almost three hours to get there but it was a cool experience. I really enjoyed spending the day with everyone.
The following day there was a Karate demonstration where we broke boards and bats. I didn't break a bat but Hiroshi did and it made me even more scared to enter the ring with him. Afterwards we went for lunch with some students of mine and just relaxed. The meal was fantastic. A traditional meal with about 5 courses. So delicious!
On Monday the two of them were off to a cooking class. I was at work but I managed to pick them up and drop them off easily enough. They also visited the aquarium.
In the morning of my birthday my mom finally gave me the present that she had been saving for me on her bedside table. Talk about torture... I could see the box just sitting there but I was not allowed to touch it! Inside was the nicest watch I have ever seen in my life!!! I still can not believe it is mine, I look at my wrist and its a nice view...
My girlfriend organized a party for me that night at Cafe Del Mar, a good friend of hers owns the place so she opened it up on her day off. It was good fun to hang out with some buddies. The karate crew came out and I had a great time. Had a couple of pops which were nice.
The following day they were out the door to Kyoto. I was taking the overnight bus but I realized late in the day that my plans were shattering to pieces all around me... I always book the bus to Tokyo on a Friday when I finish at 6... I booked my regular bus at 6:37, sadly I do not finish work on Wednesday until 6:50. So I put my kneepads on and went to beg my boss to let me leave early. Luckily she agreed otherwise it would have been very expensive to get to Kyoto for me. I made it down there but forgot my map to the hostel...
We spent the weekend in Kyoto which was very beautiful! I was really impressed with the temples and shrines. The trees were amazing! All the colours were awesome. It reminded me of Canada quite a bit which was nice for me.
We took a day trip to Kobe where at long last after many years of dreaming about it I sampled Kobe BEEF! This is where the title of the post comes in, there is a Japanese saying "You don't need teeth, to enjoy Kobe Beef". Its true this meat was so tender and amazing! I even tried RAW beef and it was amazing as well. The whole experience was just incredible. The restaurant we went to was real posh as well. An overall awesome experience.
The real trouble started when I caught the bus back to Tokyo. I was on the overnight bus but just couldn't get comfortable. So I tossed and turned all night. When I got on my bus to Iwaki I realized I had lost my keys. After a big fiasco where my girlfriend called the bus company and asked about my keys and they told her they were not there, I started to freak out a little. I mailed my boss and she was definately more than a little angry! It was looking to be a real expensive experience... There are no more spare keys for the car. So a tow truck was arranged to get the car to the dealership and the wheels were in motion to get the problem fixed. That was when I get the call that my keys were found. My girlfriend had called the wrong bus station and they searched the wrong bus for my keys... I was elated!!! My boss was still and is still angry with me...
Here are the photos...

This was taken outside the silver temple. There is a famous road that philosophers used to walk down thinking. There wasn't much on my mind but I tried to look thoughtful... It was a cool place to walk knowing some of the wisest Japanese people have strolled down there with thoughts that I am sure have changed the way of life and culture for Japan.


I was alone on Sunday because my ma and Payne took off to Hiroshima. Luckily I was not alone for long. These lovely ladies stopped me to take my photo and I ended up hanging out with them for the afternoon and evening until my late night bus. It was strange how happy they were to get in a photo with me...


Better reserve a spot at the front of the line for these guys... Watch your step!!!


This is the silver temple through some trees. The temple itself was not overly impressive but the scenery around it was so beautiful. The temple is not silver due to a fire a long while ago. The gardens and tree colours were amazing!

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We were bored one night so we decided to get a Geisha. How we ended up with such a beautiful woman I have no idea. She was actually a rookie and spilt our tea. We were very forgiving because I think it was the first time she had entertained as a Geisha.


The streets of Kyoto were really cool because there were views like this in a lot of places. I really enjoyed the city. It was cool enough for me to contemplate a move!


The streets are sooo narrow. In some places it was just rediculously crowded. At least Japanese people are very polite so there was not much pushing or rudeness. This is a huge advantage of Japan. Anywhere else it might have been a little too crazy and hectic. Even in the biggest crowds it seems like there is still some personal space for people.


A Pagoda in Kyoto. We were on a mission this morning but I had to stop and take these photos.

The trees surrounding the silver temple. I actually expected a lot more Japanese Maple trees. I envisioned tons of reds in the hills when I thought of Kyoto but there was still lots of green.

This is outside one of the palaces. It was not even really ever used. The roads are nice and wide though which makes me think a lot of festivals are held here.


This was the name of a restuarant. While this is not overly shocking the location is... It was in Kobe's China Town... I wonder why it wasn't busy...


Kobe's sister town is Seattle so there are tons of little (or big) gifts from Seattle all over the city. This is one of them.


One satisfied customer... The steak was SOOOO good. If it didn't cost an arm and a leg I would eat it three times a day. The cows are fed aged beer and massaged regularly. If they weren't butchered for meals you could argue that they have a better life than most humans!


This man left me feeling extremely insufficient...


This was another gift from Seattle I think. It was a really cool clock in the middle of the city right beside the city hall.



This is what $140 buys you in Japan...


Wheres the beef? I am not sure but look to the middle for the meat head!


Running out of ideas that sounds witty...

Here it is folks...
I just had a look at it and its not overly impressive. It is my first fight and I have a lot to learn but when I do... Rogers watch out!
I hope all is well, I have just spoken with the Big M and the eagle has landed so I am going to head out shortly to pick up Mama and the Payne.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the fight.

Last night I was considering skipping practice to relax and clean up my joint, AKA just mess around on the net. Am I ever glad that I did go because it turns out the demonstration that I am taking part in on Sunday is a little more serious than I expected. There is a "board breaking" event with my dojo. I was thinking me and the fellas were just gonna mess around and break stuff. Turns out it is actually a performance. I was trying to get extra boards for my boy but it doesn't look like it will be possible. Disappointing. But it should be pretty interesting for my ma and Payne to check out.

In other news I have listened to Bedouin Soundclash's new single and its pretty impressive. If you want to have a listen check out http://www.myspace.com/bedouin. This band has exploded into something much bigger than I expected considering I used to be their bartender when they played at Shadow... We also used to watch them for free at The Taps all the time. Good for them...

I bought a new snowboard and I am super pumped to hold it in my hands and sleep with it under my blankets tomorrow night. Here is a photo of it. Its pretty self explanatory... Tis a badass looking board to say the least! If you want to browse other great looking boards drop on by, www.atomicsnowboarding.com. The line up is impressive!

I have come to a crossroad involving my time in Japan. I think its one that I managed to cross quite effectively due to my previous experience in Korea. My boss was being very stubborn about a situation over here and it was getting me really quite upset because she would not speak to me about it and listen to anything I had to say. Rather she spoke around any arguments and spoke at me rather than with me. I was really angry and disappointed to say the least. I went home and thought a lot about it though and realized there are two roads in front of me now. I could be angry and bitter and allow that to affect my teaching and attitude. The other option was to simply let it slide because it was something that I couldn't control. I chose the second option. In Korea I allowed myself to become so bitter about things and left really unhappy with the whole country!!! There are some obvious cultural differences that I need to deal with but that's what traveling and working abroad is all about. Experiencing those differences and adapting to them. So lesson learned and moved I've moved on... No sense dwelling on those things that I simply can not change!

This time tomorrow night I am going to be chilling with my ma and Payne. That gets me more excited than anything else right now! Have a safe trip and I will see you soon...

Here are some random photos that I have been too lazy to post in the past little while. I hardly take any photos because my camera is too much of a headache. It eats through batteries like a fat man coming off a diet and I can not be bothered taking it anywhere even with charged batteries because they next last more than a photo!!!


Here is Rin, a student of mine. She is 4 years old and definately a little more on the cute side than most! I hang out with her mom Noriko often which is great!

Kae and I went to a famous lake in Fukishima two weekends ago. A weekend retreat organized by her turned into a one day drive to the lake. It was nice but the scenery in Canada in the Fall definately beats anything I have seen in Japan. I am surrounded by Mountains but there are is not enough tree variety. Most of the trees are still green with the occasional red thrown in just to prove that it is actually fall! Here Kae and I are making attempts at looking like a cute couple... Its hard when I am obviously in great need of a haircut!


Scenic shots of the lake... I liked the hike. We walked around almost all day and then we wanted to cap it all off by watching the sunset. We missed it because we couldn't find the lookout point. All attempts at romance were shattered that day. I forgot the corkscrew for the wine I didn't bring...


The water colour was pretty cool. In one of the lakes you could rent a boat and paddle around for a while. Kae was up for it but I think that was because she was thinking I would do most of the paddling. Once I informed her of my lazy intentions she changed her mind.


Halloween at the International Kindergarten. Some of the costumes were really impressive. I liked my co-worker Yuki's costume. She was Donald Duck, in the back ground on the right, she made the costume herself which was really impressive. Almost all the Japanese ladies I work with made their own costumes... Kinda makes me wish I had paid attention in sewing class.


She looks cute when dressed up at a chipmonk... but when the costume comes off, all hell breaks loose! Naoki, dressed as Peter Pan, spent most of the day crying at his mothers side. It's really strange this year there are very few criers in class. When their mothers are around though they cry like I have been beating them for months and finally someone has arrived to save them, if they scream loud enough!


Lunch time in pre-class. I really enjoy teaching this class. It is mostly because I spend the most time with them. Each day I am in class for about an hour and the kids are all so cute and innocent. Even the ones I am not so fond of have a way of growing on me like a fungus!


Kanako's husband is in the white. This race was not real, if it were Kana and Taiga would not have been allowed at the track. Why Taiga is banned, I have no idea since he's only 4!!! Yoshi won the "race". I think every let him win because he was in front of his hometown crowd.


Two reasons why I love the races!!!


Doing my best to race against noone. I ended up being the fastest man all day reaching a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour. I briefly considered a racing career before being informed that the top speed the riders reach is 80... however they sustain that speed for extended time periods. I fell off the bike after reaching 70 for maybe a milli-second! My legs were sore the next day and my bike dreams were shattered.

So much has happened over here in the past little while it is hard to write about everything but I will try. Its hard to write about much of anything because most days are simply living the life. Waking up and going to work the same as everyone else, the only difference is that I do that in Japan where I deal with cultural differences from time to time. Being pulled over by the police is complete with a rest in the back of their car almost every time! Back home that means your headed to the house for something serious.
I was pulled over today on my way to work for not stopping at the train tracks. The police officers asked me to sit in the back seat of their car. This freaked me out quite a bit, I could not bring myself to put both my feet in the back of their car just in case they tried to close the door on me. I've sat in the back of those enough times to know there are no inside handles!!! That was the third time in the past two weeks I have been stopped. They have all been my fault but it doesn't help me sleep at night...
First time I was driving with RO and went down the wrong way of a one way street. In my defence when I drove by the next day I still couldn't see the no entry sign from the direction I was coming from. The next day I was stopped for chatting on the phone while driving. This one was just pure impatience on my part. I was in the midst of an important phone call and after 20 minutes of standing talking I realized I was running late for the school Halloween events. So I jumped in the car. While driving I noticed that the bridge was a little backed up so I decided to take a "short cut" under the bridge. I turned the corner and WHAM-OOO, popo pointing right at me! No way to avoid that one... He wrote down my info and then told me to drive to the station. He told me that he would meet me there. I noticed that he had no vehicle. I asked him how as best I could... He put two fingers up and instead of making some obscure obscene gesture made his fingers do that walking... I told the man to get in my car and I would drive him there, he refused profusely!!! So I had to sit and wait for him at the station for him to give me a warning... He was attempting to shame me into behaving myself. That brings us to today's little mishap. Third time is a charm... 3 strikes, three warnings. I should start walking places.

I had RO over here visiting for a week which was pretty awesome. It was great to have some bonding time with my man from home. I was busy working for most of the week but he came along and helped me quite a bit preparing for Halloween. He was a huge hit with all of my co-workers. Everyone liked him so much I was almost jobless!!! Who would have thought, me replaced by the little man?!?!?! He also had a chance to meet a lot of my students, they have all been chatting about him since he left. I am thinking to myself, what am I? Minced meat?!?!? We did get a chance to hang out in Tokyo though when he arrived and we went around to a few of the sights and sounds. We didn't do the full tour but next time we will get around to that!

A little while back I went to a grand opening of the new bicycle race track. One of my student's husband is a professional bike racer. Its the same as the horse races but with men on bikes. It was an entertaining day. We got a behind the scenes look at the track and racers hotel. Because the gambling is such a big industry and there is a lot of money at stake in the races, when there is a race the racers must stay in a hotel with no contact with the outside world. It was really strange but imagine if you knew that the best racer in the world was drinking all night long before a big race, it would drastically change the way you gambled, no? It was just a really fun day out and about with Kana and Taiga.

I have been hanging out with my students more and more these days because I enjoy their company quite a bit. They are all really cool and their kids are awesome. They are able to teach me about Japan much better than other Gai KOKO Jins... A few weeks ago we had a BBQ and I pulled the stupidest stunt I've seen in a long time... I actually locked my keys in my car! And to top that one off... It was still running! I was in a rush with many things on my mind and used my phone to send an e-mail just before stepping out of my car and I forgot them...

The biggest news of the past little while happened last weekend. I entered into a Karate tournament!!! I even finished in third place and got a really nice certificate. Sadly I should mention that there were only three people in my category. I was really pumped about the tourney but was feeling really run down and actually, for the first time in my life, called in sick on Friday and actually was sick! I spent the day in bed trying to recover and had my girlfriend come over and take me to the doctor in the afternoon. Kae even cooked me up a really impressive dinner. I was resting all weekend but figured since I was entered in the tourney I should probably go to practice! Afterwards I met a friend for her birthday party but was home by 10:30. I tried to get to sleep but it would not come for me... I was a little too jacked up about the fights the following day. So I was not very well rested and nowhere near close to 100% for the day of my debut in the ring...
My first fight was really quite the experience. I have been practicing hard but there is a world of a difference between practicing and actually fighting while someone is hitting back as hard as they possible can. I can throw it down pretty well and so could this guy. He was an older dude but I was not even the slightest bit intimidated by the fact that he was bigger than I am. In fact I was pumped to face him. So pumped that I threw everything I had at him... for the first minute. Then I ran out of steam a combo of the lack of sleep and sickness left me feeling like a punching bag in the ring. Funny though, not one of his punches even hurt me. Even afterwards I when the fight was over and I had lost I was just disappointed with myself for not fighting smarter. I didn't get beat in the ring by anyone other than myself. It was a really good learning experience. Sorry for the anti-climatic story of my first Karate match. I had someone take some video so if it is blog worthy I will post it up.
My second fight started and finished with my opponent in the hospital. I wish I could say that I put him there but his first opponent had that honor. So I had to walk into the ring and be announced the winner before walking off the mats. It was a really embarrassing for me to accept the certificate for third place knowing that there were only four people in my category and even worse one of them was not there (read first paragraph). So I look real pathetic and I was also the only gaijin there!!! My embarrassment is going to be compounded soon when my photo and profile is uploaded onto the Karate website. One of the guys came over and asked me some questions and then took my photo. Since Karate does not seem to be working for me perhaps I should turn to modeling!
All in all my first tournament was really quite good. I am happy that I entered and am looking forward to the next tournament. Its strange even though I know that these guys can hit me hard enough to seriously hurt me I am not scared, not even for a moment before a fight. I am nervous but that's only because I am so competitive I am nervous to lose. Now that that's out of the way I am ready to fight again. I will post up the video and such after I watch it. Next month is another belt test so hopefully I will be upgraded to a blue belt. Yellow might still be a little ways out of my reach...

I am sorry for not posting much lately. Its hard to get motivated when I am not sure that anyone ever even reads my random thoughts and stories. I hope those of you that do enjoy what I have to write from time to time... Stay well!