Rob's time in Japan #4

Wednesday 17 December

Yesterday was awsome3. That's right, cubed.
First to Tokyo Tower which had an awesome view. Then a boat ride to some big temple place. Outside was a big market street. Gotcha all prezzies. 'Cept Dad, I don't know what he'll like. Maybe a pcket watch, but I like that 2. I think the letter opener . . . if I can get it past customs (he did).
Anyways, ATM I'm waiting for the closing ceremony in a sumo stadium. This trip can be a lot like RFS, ie. hurry up and wait!
Well, that's all folks, prolly no more entries unless I'm bored on the plane back.

Rob

(and there weren't.)

Rob's time in Japan #3

Mon 15 December

Today was transfer day back to Tokyo.
Kohki cried, it was sad.
2 hour flight, so boring.
Anyways, it was great to catch up with Kat & stuff again. We played a good ?? hours of speed. Good fun.
Going out to Tokyo 2mrw. More writing then.

Rob

PS Kat wrote me a letter on teh trip so far. It was really touching.

Rob's time in Japan #2

Sun 14 Dec
OK, we'll start with today before reminiscing. Today was mad fun. Kohki had study - homework to do so I went out with Caitlin's host mother and daughter.
We met up with them at about 11-11:30 and made a quick stop back at their place before going to an ancient burial mound. After visiting these we went to the Peace Tower. It was spectacular. At the bottom was a rock that you stood on and clapped and the tower was built in such a way that the echo was metallic. It was really cool.
We then visited a gallery near the tower and I got a photo of a 'great tit' (bird) (very amusing though). We were then taken to the natural and ancient history museum of Miyazaki prefecture. Very interesting. Then we went shopping at the local plaza. Caitlin's host family is ridiculously generous. They wouldn't let either of us pay for anything. The lunch we had was delicious japanese food. They then took us to a game arcade in the mall. Caitlin and her host sister managed to talk me into getting photos done in one of those booth things.
In the arcade we met up with Sam and he and I had a go at a 2 p gun game. We were very mediocre at best.
After the arcade we went to a CD store. When I asked if a CD I had picked up would be able to play in Australia, they decided to buy it for me as a 'Christmas present'. I thought host sister had gone to ask if it would work in Australia and it came back in a bag and she gave it to me!! They then bought Caitlin a CD as well. We were then taken to an ice-cream store where they bought us each pop-rock ice creams which were very nice.
We then visited a store that sold a bit of everything where me and Caitlin were randomly bought comic glasses.
They then took us to a japanese style hippy shop. I was looking at star sign bracelets with Caitlin and they asked what star sign I was and which Caitlin was. We told them and they promptly took our respective signs off the rack and took them to the counter. No amount of protest from me or Caitlin would stop them.
I did manage to buy one thing by myself though, Mum's pressie from Japan although I made sure it was when they weren't looking.
Home-time next.
Nice dinner followed by watching Adelaide lose to Osaka 1-0 in the FIFA Clubs WC.
It was really upsetting when Kohki cried because I was leaving in the morning but his mother calmed him a little when she said she would ask his home-room teacher if he could have a half day so he could say goodbye at the airport.
Nevermind the reminiscing, I'm tired, some other night.
Rob

Beginings of slideshow of Rob's trip

He's made a start on labelling his photos, the first 30+ are now in a slideshow in the right column. Keep checking it for updates.

Rob's time in Japan #1

This is from the book he took with him on the Japan trip. I will note here that on the page facing the entry I am about to transcribe, were names and addresses for loved ones. At the top I had written YOU MUST SEND AT LEAST ONE POSTCARD TO: Well, he bought the postcards but . . .

OK, it's Saturday 13 Dec. Time to start a diary. Let's begin with my day.

Today I was up at 7:30. At about 8:30 I went with my host mother and brother (Kohki), along with Kohki's friend, to a local community centre to make New Year's decorations out of rice straw. To me they look like Egyptian anks but hey, I have the photos. At the end everyone was given a bowl of soup. It was actually really nice.

Then we went to the local science centre. Kohki is a member of the science club there. Today we were making little robots (have pics). I joined in and made my own, although I think I might leave it with Kohki.

Then my host mother took me to udo shrine. It is about 30-35 mins from Miyazaki city. It is built on (near enough) the side of a cliff.

After this outing we met up with Kohki and his friend again and with the rest of Kohki's friends family went for dinner at a restaurant called Do-luck. It was really really nice. In a room beside the restaurant was a BB gun range. OMFG!! It was sooooo much fun.

Anymawho I'm going sightseeing with Caitlin and her host family 2mrw. Apparently Kohki has a couple of tests coming up and needs to study and do his homework.

Oh, and it turns out a friend of mine I made on this trip who is also in Miyazaki got some sort of throat irritation and saw the doctor 2day.

Visiting the high school was sooooo much fun. I had 2 Japanese girls come and tell me they love me and many more told me and the other four foreign students we were cute.

I could get any group of staring school girls to start giggling outrageously just by waving. Ah, being blonde in a dark hair society. The downside being that Amelia taught a bunch of them to call me "blondie".

I also had Robert translated into kanji. Turns out I'm "Rain Lord Wave Asia Star" which I thought was pretty cool.

LOL CAitlin's is "Happy Love" which I came up with a few jokes about.

What else . . . . .

Oooh!! I know

On the subject of jokes, and being jocular, I can't wait till my bus group gets back together. I miss Cameron (NZ), Broc (Aus - Manning Point), Mel (Aus - Dubbo) and Kat (Aus - Melbourne). BTW Kat, the gay awkward turtle is running from the brown g-string (Rob informs me this is some sort of in-joke)

Well, that's all for now.

Might write 2mrw, tell ya's all about the sightseeing.

Night.

Rob

Japan Trip DVD trailer

Rob's new friend Cameron from NZ has taken a whole lot of video of their trip - here is a trailer. He has a full 26 min DVD in the pipeline.

Watch out for our boy in the very first few seconds . . .

He's back!

He had a fabby time, he's off to Leigh's!

He's got hundreds of photos which we'll load on to Flickr and attach as a slideshow once they've been put in order and labelled.

Rob has jetted off to Japan

They had to get up at Crikey o'clock (3:30am) and left the house about 4:30am to be at the airport by 6:30am for a 9:30am flight.

For those who want to GoogleEarth it (I haven't got around to it yet myself), Robbie's host family live in Yamasaki, Miyazaki, Japan. A colleague, John, has a son who worked in Japan for several years and John says his son was in a town just south of where Robbie is going. He said it's a fishing centre and they process and dry a lot of fish and the surrounding area reeks of fish!!!!

There was a little article about the students in this week's Blue Mountains Gazette which I have tried to upload here but will have to send you all via email instead.

News from Jamie in Japan

We finally had an email from Jamie :

Hello it is me from Japan.
This is my last night with my host family so there is no point replying as I will be gone to morrow morning. I have been having a great time over here. I have been to Japanese school and discovered tha t taking my joggers would have been much easier as I have had to continuously change the boo ts into slippers and visa versa. Joggers are a lot easier to take off and put on as I have t o unlace my boots half way to get them off. At night my host family and I are always doing some thing. The very fist night I got taken t o a Shinto shine to renew the good luck flowers. This consisted in throwing last years flowe rs away and buying a new set. While we were at the shine I had my fortune told by shaking a barrel until a stick with a number fell out of a little hole. I was then given a sheet of pa per with my fortune on it. It was in Japanese so I am not sure what it said but I hope it is good. We were also purified by a person in white with a funny hat and a stick with white st reamers stuck to the end. We have also been to two onsen or natural spring bath house type places. Yesterday I went to Himeji castle with the school and to day I went to Kobe city an Osaka. Having lost of fun James

Girly road trip and bits of news

Ishbel and I head down to Canberra this morning for a few days look around. We've booked in to an hotel for two nights and will head home again Wednesday afternoon.
We've had no news from Jamie. Since we haven't heard otherwise we are assuming he is still alive and kicking. His host family is probably giving a sigh of relief because today the school group reforms and they start travelling about.
Great news from Karen as you will see from her email this weekend. Our kids were very excited to hear that Ben will be staying down in our part of the world for a while. We learned this last weekend when Karen and Ben asked if Rob would give Ben a quick cook's tour of Springwood High School.

Jamie's itinerary

I've put his itinerary in the left hand column for those who are interested. We are unlikely to learn much until he comes back. He has been sent off with stickers to assist with postcard writing and has strict instructions to use each sticker but who knows . . .

Eve of Jamie's trip to Japan

Jamie leaves for a fortnight in Japan tomorrow morning.

I have spent all day running around getting him organised while he reads a book or XBoxes. Was getting a bit tetchy about that earlier.

We took a trip up to Echo Point (the Three Sisters), Katoomba this morning to get some touristy gifts for Jamie's host family. I thought it was the only touristy place in the mountains and had also been told that Blue Mountains City Council staff get a discount. I was wrong on the first - there is the Information Centre at Glenbrook - but right about the second - I got 20% off the cost of our purchases.

Asked the helpful man at the Echo Point Info Centre what the Japanese buy when they are there and came away with some native flora soaps, an aboriginal print scarf for the mother, a mug for the father, a baseball cap and wallet for the brother and a stuffed wombat and wallet for the girl, Nanako to add to the book and calendar we'd bought a little while ago.

When we left Springwood this morning the skies were dark and it was very cool. Katoomba is usually much colder than Springwood but by the time we got up there it was all blue skies and warm. The Three Sisters were looking lovely and we'd not thought to bring the camera (thinking it was going to be a lousy day) so bought a disposable one for some last minute snaps.

When we got back to Springwood I then had to go and find somewhere that could develop the film quickly. Also got some Tim Tams - biscuits which are very much like the British Penguin biscuits - apparently the Japanese think they are wonderful so I got 4 packs in different flavours.

I'm going to leave it at that, we have a rendez-vous at 7:30 tomorrow morning in Springwood. There is a bus taking the students, teachers and some parents down to the airport.