Koyasan

Last week I went to Koyasan for the first time. Koyasan is one of the largest mountain areas in Japan and its reputation is well deserved at nearly 1000m above sea level. Despite the amount of Japanese obaasans and ojisans on the Hankyu package tours it was a great day. It was abut 5 degrees cooler than Osaka and the sun shone all day long. I recommend it to everyone, however, take the train - don't take the bus!

Cairns, Australia

I'm back after 3 weeks. I wasn't quite prepared for the heat but I think I am happy to be back. It was nice to see my students again and of course the girlfriend. Cairns was a little different but still undeniably home. Much as I like Osaka it will never take the place of Cairns in my mind. I took as mmany pictures as my camera could handle (191) to be exact. I won't post them all here but I will show you some that have the best memories attached.

Kyoto & Cars

Last week I went to Kyoto - it was one of those rare days where everything went well and all seemed right in the world. We spent the day walking around Kawaramachi and Gion (central Kyoto). I was a little surprised to see so many foreigners. Travelling to Kyoto always reminds me of my first year in Japan when I would spent nearly every weekend there near Sanjo and the great river that runs through the centre of the city proper. A beautiful place, but it is somewhat spoiled by the huge amount of tourists that pass through there everyday.

Minoh

It has been a while since my last post (thanks largely to work) but I did manage to get out go for a short hike last week. It was a beautiful day last Monday so we went to Minoh to see the Falls. I am lucky that I live so close to Minoh (20 minutes by train). It is one of the few places near Osaka that has trees and where the air is relatively clean. Anyone out there who wants to unwind in the closest thing Osaka has to a forest take the Hankyu Takazuka Train from Umeda. Well worth the trip.

Okamachi

Okamachi is the name of the suburb I live in Osaka. It is a slice of heaven in the middle of one largest cities in Japan. Okamachi is a friendly place famous for Harada Jinja and the local shotengai (which has seen better days). It isn't quite home but living here almost makes living in Osaka bearable. Harada Jinja is in the centre of it all and gives Okamachi a real sense of community. I love going there on the weekend to read a book and watch the people drift by.

The Boxing Gym

For the last year and a bit I have been going to the Hattori Daiken Boxing gym near where I live. I never understood what it meant to know people who are the salt of the Earth until I met the owners/trainers of the gym - Taga and Hori. These guys definitely bleed blue and have shown nothing but a steady, kind hand (or fist as it usually is) to me.

Stephen - The Artist

Up next is Stephen Yeats, a guy who has been around the world more times than the moon. A gentleman of the first order, he is also an exceptional artist. When I first saw his sketchbook I was in awe of his talent to see what so many of us can't. Without further ado.

Yuko - The Japanese Teacher

Today, in my further studies on how to properly use my camera, I took pictures relating to two of my favourite past times - Japanese and art. First up is Yuko and her small private, one-woman (with help from her sister on occasion) Japanese school - Nihongo Gym. I have been taking lessons with her since July 2004 and at the time I couldn't speak a word of Japanese. To Yuko's credit, she has stuck with me even though I am not the most energetic student sometimes and we have come to point where I can hold my own in a conversation with the average Osakan (that said, Osakans are hardly average).

Kobe in Spring

To celebrate my birthday this weekend I went to Kobe to get my first taste of a seafood meal in over a year. The restaurant I went to was in the Mosiac shopping complex, a massive entertaiment play ground for the idle rich of Kobe and Rokko Island I imagine. I didn't realise until I walked in that the dining was buffet. Not such a let down as the size of the place really made me comfortable. It was a beautiful day, the first time in a long time I felt truly relaxed and comfortable on my weekend. I had no where to be and nothing pressing to do. It also helped that I had been paid the day before. Spring was finally in the air and despite a brisk wind the day was hardly cold. I'm looking forward to this weekend when i can get out and about for really in the northern areas of Kansai.

The Golden Temple in Kyoto

The other week I finally made the trip to 金閣寺 (Kikakuji Temple) in Kyoto and despite the massive amounts of tourists there it was worth the trip. It took the better part of 2 hours on the train and an hour on an overcrowded bus but when I arrived I finally saw the Japan I grew up dreaming about.

Tama - The Patchy Tabby

Tama was a street cat when she was found living in a condemned building by Kaeko (my girlfriend's mother). She had a severe cold and nearly died soon after she was taken in. However, after a bit of attention and a well placed heater she has made a complete recovery and refuses to leave her newly adopted house. I'm guessing she is fed up with the outside life. Most of the time you can find her sleeping somewhere, usually by the stove or in someone's bag.

Tatsu the Wonderdog

Tatsu enjoyed long walks in the local park until Junko took him in and gave him a place to live. The only dog I know who never barks and is afraid of anything that doesn't look like jerky. He likes nothing more than to go for long walks dragging the girl in tow.

Beagles and the Wakabayashi Animal House

Hello everyone! This being a test run and all I thought I would start by posting some images of my girlfriend's animals. The beagle is Honey, the patchy while cat is Tama and the black dog is Tatsu. Living with them is like living with 3 different personalities.

This is Honey roaming around in the local river park near where I live. She is a sassy young beagle with a bottomless stomach and a Snoopy temperament.