Time

It's Been Too Long

Damn, I haven't posted since early January.

Well, it's now almost the end of another school year and I will be saying goodbye to all my favourite 3rd years, which I have to say is a lot of them. The last couple of months has flown by. I had my Iaido grading on the 13th of January and passed my Shodan grading. (Yah me) You can read more about it on my martial arts blog.


A couple of weeks ago, we had our first real snow day here in Konan. We don't get a lot of snow here but for a boy from Queensland, It is still pretty amazing. The photo is from the balcony of our apartment.

Matsumoto

Matsumoto is a great little town and Mel and I had a great time there at Xmas. The first place we visited was Matsumoto Jo (castle) one of the 4 castles in Japan that are considered national treasures.

One of the interesting things from my point of view was that firearms are a big part of the display and firing slits for both firearms and archery are built into the castle. I always enjoy making my way through the castles but there is nearly always some places that being 6 foot and having big feet makes getting around a little interesting (^_^)

Unfortunately because of a public holiday we missed out on visiting some of the museums but we did go to the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum which makes a great visit if you are interested in ukiyo-e (Japnaese woodblock prints.)

We were also happily surprised by the variety of foreign food in Matsumoto and our eating adventures included Indonesian, Spanish and English pub food.

If you have a chance, Matsumoto is a great place to visit.

Seasons Greetings and a Trip To Matsumoto

Mel and I are off to Matsumoto tomorrow for a short holiday. Matsumoto has one of Japan's best castles which I am looking forward to checking out. I will post a short trip report when we get back.

I would just like to wish everybody the best for the holiday season. Enjoy the food, drink and the time you spend with friends and family.

An Interesting Breakfast

I took Mel out for breakfast yesterday to a cafe that we have visited before (but not for breakfast)

Our breakfast set comprised of

• 1 croissant
  
• a small salad of primarily shredded cabbage
• a drink
• and a cup of ice cream
  

I think the title of this blog said it all. (^_^)

Doing Weights in Japan

I posted this on my Fitness Journal but thought it appropriate that I add it here as well.

Weight Training in Japan

One of the difficulties some people face when training in Japan is the lack of free weights. This is not to say that there aren't any hard core weight training facilities, it's just that they are few and far between. Sadly there are none in my area. The gym that I currently go to has plenty of cardio equipment, plenty of weight machines and a small free weights section.

This does not mean you can't have a great workout! It's just a matter of picking the appropriate exercises. It has been a lot of fun for me to think outside the square and develop my programs. I must say however that some of the other patrons (and staff) look at me oddly when I start doing Bulgarian split squats etc.

The Movies

Mel and I went to the latest movie adaptation of Hairspray on Friday night. Being a musical, I was a little concerned that I would be bored (I'm not usually a musical person.) I need not have worried - it was great fun. One of the interesting things about the evening was the lack of laughter coming from the Japanese patrons. I am not sure how well the subtitles conveyed the feel of the words, or if they simply translated the words. It puts my communication skills with Japanese into a different light.