Snowboarding in Nagano February 23, 2009
Posted by junou in Uncategorized.Tags: japan, snowboarding
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I went snowboarding for the first time in January, and just got back from my 2nd trip up to Hakuba yesterday. I can’t believe I waited this long to try boarding! There are so many places to go in Oregon!
Needless to say, I had a lovely time. It took me a very very long time to stand up on the board and just do a side slip down the bunny slope. I took two lessons, because I really wanted to learn how to board correctly (and I am a slow learner). It took me from the morning ’til after lunch to make it down the mountain heel-side in one piece, but once I got it, it was amazing. I think I fell on my bum more then 100 times through out the day, but it was worth it.
I won’t lie, there was (and still is) a lot of cursing involved when I snowboard. I seem to view snowboarding as a constant competition between me and the mountain. So when I fall, I curse in anger and when I do something right, I curse in victory. Don’t worry, I check for small children in the area first, and then curse under my breath. π
I learned to turn, and am practicing being able to do an s-curve down the hill…so I am falling in all sorts of new ways.
I think I am getting to the point where I can really enjoy myself and relax on the board, which is great π
Hopefully I can make it out to the mountain one more time before the season ends.
December 12, 2008
Posted by junou in blog, japan.Tags: dog, gree line, hiking, hoto, houto, houtou, japan, leaves, shosenkyo, yamanashi
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A couple weeks ago, I finally managed to go and hike around Shosenkyo. It’s a beautiful mountain area famous for semi-precious stones like crystal, quartz and amethyst. While it’s definitely one of those places that caters to the Japanese tourist, versus the foreign tourist, it was a lovely day trip. You can take a rope way to the mountain top, have some pretty tasty houtou , Yamanashi’s prefectural dish of choice, or check out some pretty rocks and waterfalls. The leaves were all changing, making the mountain landscape so colorful.
This serious pup was so cute, and seemed to be very used to have his picture taken.
Nothing like plummeting down a metal track in a little metal car to make you smile September 22, 2008
Posted by junou in travel.Tags: dodompa, eejyanaika, fuji-q, fujiyama, japan, rolle coasters, yamanashi
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Yep, I finally went to Fuji-Q Highlands! I can’t believe it took me so long to actually go. I had a day of paid holiday on a random Tuesday, and decided to head down to the park with a friend. Even though it was a off peak day, the wait for some of the rides was still a good hour to 2 hours.
The forecast the night before had predicted clouds , so I was a little worried about the weather. Someone must like me though, because the weather was perfect to do a bit of roller coaster riding. Sunny, and no wind! Fujiyama, which has a drop of 235 feet, and Dodompa, the 3rd fastest coaster in the world, will both shut down in the event of any rain. Eejyanaika, which had the world record for most inversions (14!) was my favorite! I walked around the park with a smile on my face the entire day π
I definitely was to go back again, because the haunted house was closed!
Surrounded by mountains March 5, 2008
Posted by junou in blog, japan, Oregon.Tags: japan, Oregon, travel
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When I first arrived in Yamanashi, I was a little freaked out by the lack of a visible horizon. It ‘s the first time in my life that I’ve lived more than an hour’s drive from the ocean. I remember looking out from my balcony and just barely seeing the peak of Mt. Fuji surrounded by other mountains, and wishing I could see the ocean instead.
Today is my 7 month marker since coming back to Japan, and I could have never imagined life would be the way it is. Some things haven’t changed. My apartment is still as messy as my dorm room ever was, I have a small, but growing yarn stash sitting unused in a bin somewhere, and still stay up late doing nothing on the computer.
Somethings changed without me even trying. I ride my bike every day, rain or shine. I am lost without my cellphone. I dream in a strange mix of English and Japanese, with the occasional Hokkien phrase thrown in. I say “See you” to my students, even though I know it’s incorrect.
When I look out the window and see blue sky with clouds, the small part of me wishes desperately to be back in Oregon, eating strawberries that don’t cost me $5 a pint. I bet the duck pond by Autzen is filled with fat, over fed ducks and geese right about now.
Some days I sit at school and wonder what the heck I am doing here. Then one of my graduating 9th graders hands me a goodbye note saying that though she still thinks English is boring, she enjoyed my class. (Followed by a comment about how my boke γγ± moments were her favorite. ο½οΌΏο½)
I had to say goodbye to my 5 year olds at kindergarten yesterday, and while I won’t miss the attempted kancho attempts (no one has succeeded yet), I will miss them. Now I have a brand new batch of 3 year olds…who can barely speak Japanese, much less English. Joy.
Only a couple more weeks before I’m off to Bangkok! Got any advice for me?
New Digs! February 23, 2008
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After playing around with WordPress for Nippon Foodie and Yum Honey!, I was really impressed! 3 gigs of storage, and a much more organized efficient layout for posting and managing multiple blogs. So I moved!
My new address is https://junsiew.wordpress.com
I’ve been sick with the same icky cough for the last month or so, and I just can’t seem to kick it!
I went to see the Sapporo Snow festival on Febuary 8-10th! It was so amazing to see all the sculptures.
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My favorite sculpture!
Yum! Kani miso was delicious.
Making Kani zousui!
The snow sculpture from Thailand that won 1st place in the International division
Happy 2008! January 23, 2008
Posted by junou in food, japan, travel.3 comments
Happy belated 2008! It’s hard to believe that in a week, I’ll have been in Japan for 6 months. And what a lovely 6 months it has been . I have traveled much more than I imagined, and saved much less money than I had hope d to. I guess traveling is not all that conducive to saving money. π I am sitting at school, enjoying the half foot of snow that has fallen during the course of the day, and at the same time, I am wondering how I am going to get home on my bicycle . Since coming back to Japan, I think I’ve realized that life here is full of dualities. Every day is an interesting mix of ups and downs, and my New Year’s resolution for 2008 is to look a bit harder for the positives. And what better case study than my winter vacation trip?
The day after Christmas, we headed off to the airport from Yamanashi. It took us 4+ hours to reach Narita, and only 2 hours on the plane to reach Seoul. It’s the first time in my life that it took longer to reach the airport than to reach my destination. 
The plus side? The food. The food was amazing. I was a little distressed because we had only so many days, and so many meals in which to try and eat our way around Seoul. I even made a list before I left, so I wouldn’t forget important names or place. How far did I make it down the list? Not even halfway. Am I tired to Korean food? The fact that I am looking at the above picture of the suntubu (spicy tofu soup) and drooling a little bit should tell you the answer. π
We did many other things besides eat, including an exciting (a truck blew up!) trip to Panmunjom and the DMZ, having our feet nibbled on at the Doctor Fish cafe, and getting baked, boiled and scrubbed at the jjiljimbang (a Korean combination sauna/hot spring, genius!).
While out at the night market at Dongdaemun, I caught a cold. It was so bad that I went back to the hotel early and slept away our last night in Korea. When we arrived back in Tokyo on New Year’s eve, which I had originally planned on spending temple hopping and shopping. Instead I spent the majority of the time between the 31st, and the 2nd of January sleeping. I missed the beginning of 2008!
Thank goodness I was well enough to board my flight to Taipei on the 2nd. I was still a bit too tired to take photos, but I rode the Hello Kitty plane π Nothing like Hello Kitty pink toilet paper and strawberry Hello Kitty lotion in the lavatory to make a girl feel better. Once I arrived in Taipei, I saw some very expensive jade cabbage at the National Palace Museum, ran up the stairs at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial hall, ate stinky tofu and little soup dumplings, and saw Taroko gorge. 
Wow, this is turning into a bit of a novel, so I’ll wrap it up. Now I am back, safe and somewhat sound (pesky cough still won’t go away) in Yamanashi, and already planning my next trip!
Hope your New Year’s was just as exciting and full of good times and good food!
ζγγΎγγ¦γγγ§γ¨γοΌδ»εΉ΄γγγγγοΌ
-Jun
Akihabara and Asakusa October 2, 2007
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One of the large paintings on the ceiling of Sensouji Temple.
Outside of the temple.
A display at a senbei store on the nakamise street on the way to Sensouji Temple.
Visiting Akihabara and Asakusa in the same morning is a bit like culture shock. One moment you are surrounded by blinking lights and shiny electronics, and the next you are eating ningyoyaki and the smell of incense.
All night at a manga cafe in Kabukicho! October 2, 2007
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Why? Where do you think the majority of the drinking parties were held when I was at Waseda? Also the Okadaya (large craft store) as well as the large 24 hour Don Quixote is located quite close as well.
We ended up picking a pretty nice manga cafe called Gran Cyber Cafe in the Oriental Passage building, because they had a shower room, and free ice cream.
One of the two main gates for Kabukicho.
My tiny padded flat for the night, complete with computer.
Unlimited free drinks, from melon soda to hot corn soup.
If you are planning on staying on a Friday, Saturday, or holiday weekend, make sure to get there before 10pm to get a spot. There are different kinds of seats, from a literal office chair desk set up, to a bench booth for two, to the flat style cubicles that we stayed in. I recommend the flat style, because you can lay down full out and sleep. Amenities include pay as you use showers and massage chairs, complimentary blankets, slippers, drinks and ice cream. If you want to shower, bring your own shampoo and toiletries, as they are not provided, and toothpaste. I recommend going with some one who speaks Japanese, as the staff rarely speaks English, and you cannot make reservations for the manga cafe. If one cafe is full, don’t despair, there are several cafes in the same block area in Kabukicho.
Tokyo Trip: Harajuku, Shibuya + Yamanashi: Hottarakashi, Kofu Castle October 2, 2007
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We happened to visit Meiji Jingu on the day of the annual Yosakoi competition.
Feeling refreshed after a soak in the Hottarakashi Onsen in Yamanashi City. The onsen has one of the three best night views in all of Japan. I would have taken a photo inside, but I couldn’t quite work up the courage to bring a camera into the onsen itself.
The strange obelisk at Kofu Castle.
The famous Shibuya crossing
We decided to grab a better view from the Starbucks that faces the crossing.
It’s a interesting sight, watching several hundred people cross every couple minutes.
It was not even rush hour when we arrived at the station.
Yamanashi City Station October 2, 2007
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The main road that runs by my apartment building.
The front of my apartment building. The second floor is a cram school, and on the first floor there is a houtou restaurant, a clothing store, and an izakaya.
The view from my front door on the 6th floor.
Jun in the World 