Matt’s Blog

Soon after arriving in Perth we went to the beach with Bec and Elliott to meet Bec’s friend, Bec Ryan and her partner, Matt and their little girl, whose name escapes me at the moment, sorry. (Remembering Bec and Matt is a no-brainer )

When we got to the beach there were lifeguards everywhere and nobody was in the water. A 4-metre shark had been sighted, a lifeguard told me.

It didn’t bother us that we couldn’t swim. It wasn’t such a hot day and the water was quite cold. We contented ourselves building sandcastles and digging pools on the shore.

Eventually people were allowed back into the water. After three shark attack fatalities within months on the Western Australian coast, the fear is certainly palpable. i didn’t go in the water that day but i did bodysurf at City Beach on a couple of ocassions.

It’s cooled down considerably in the last few weeks, so much so in fact that i’ve had to pull out the longjohns! Despite the onset of winter, the autumn leaves are at their most brilliant about now here in Shikoku and in Kyoto too.

Last Wednesday was Labour Day holiday here in Japan. Jodi and i joined a bus tour for foreign and local residents to the Miyoshi area, out in the mountains west of Tokushima.

The first stop on our tour was the Yoshino River at Oboke. The weather was ominous when we arrived, the light rain falling almost sleet. We boarded a long thin motorboat and took a ride downriver to enjoy the colour contrasts of the yellow, orange and red autumn foliage with the slate grey rocks and the turquoise water. Following the boatride we went down the road to the ‘Yokai House’, an interesting museum housing a collection of goblin and ghoul sculptures taken from local folklore, then enjoyed lunch overlooking the river.

In the afternoon we entered into the steep, remote Iya Valley. Our first stop in the valley was an old, traditional house converted into a museum. The collection related to the Heike clan (also known as the Taira clan) who escaped here to avoid the rival Minamoto clan in the 12th century. From the museum we went to the main attraction in the valley, the vine bridge, Kazura-bashi. Rather than crossing the bridge with the hordes of tourists, Jodi and i opted to stroll to the nearby waterfall, Biwa-no-taki and view the bridge from downriver.

From Iya Valley we returned to the city of Miyoshi, formerly known as Ikeda. Here we visited a small sake brewery, thanks to one of our guides, whose relatives own the brewery. After being shown through the brewery we were invited inside the adjoining charming, old house, a former samurai residence, to taste the sake and/or drink green tea.

It was an interesting and fun day out. There were many different people on the tour, young and old, from many different countries. Fortunately the weather held out enough for us to enjoy the day without too much inconvenience either.

This weekend just gone i was also fortunate enough to enjoy the revered autumn foliage of Kyoto with Reni and Syd. On Saturday afternoon we got to sample the colours of the foliage in the mountains of the north-east of Kyoto, thanks to my kind friend, Eric.

On Sunday i took Reni and Syd out to an old summer stomping ground of mine, Hozukyo, a scenic valley to the west of Kyoto. Back in the day us ‘gaijin’ foreigners and our partners and friends used to go swimming out here. It is forbidden to do so now however following a number of tragic drownings.

Once we’d exited Hozukyo station we followed the road downstream until we came to a pedestrian bridge spanning the river to the ‘Romantic Train’ railway line, a scenic trainride running along the Hozu River. While we waited for a train to arrive we watched the long, thin sightseeing boats shooting the rapids below us. Eventually a train arrived to take us back to Arashiyama from where we caught a connecting train back to Kyoto.

It was a good day out with the boys. They seemed to enjoy riding the trains and also the space and views of Hozukyo too. I’m grateful and glad that they also appreciate nature.

Last weekend i went to Kyoto to attend Reni’s school sports day. To get there in time i had to get up at the crack of dawn (around 5) and take the first bus to Osaka. From there i had to jump on a train to Kyoto. Then from Kyoto station it was about a 20-minute walk to the school.

Upon entering the school grounds i almost immediately bumped into another gaijin foreigner, who also happened to be from Australia. She introduced herself to me as Jenny. i soon discovered that she was the mother of Harvey Mitchell, a new boy in Reni’s grade who he’d recently befriended. (Apparently he told Harvey that his name is Lindsay, Reni – the first time i have ever heard Reni refer to himself by my surname!) After a brief chat with Jenny i moved on to find Yoko.

Fortunately i arrived in time to see Reni’s first event, a dance. i gather Reni was regarded by his teacher, Ms Kubomoto, as one of the better dancers in the class as he was positioned near the front of one of the lines. Initially it was quite difficult to see Reni and his classmates as our view was obstructed by the junior high school students who had just finished their events. Thankfully they sat down eventually so that the performance could be viewed.

While Reni danced to a couple of songs i tried without much luck to zoom in and take some still-shots while Yoko videoed the performance. Back at the Kohara home during the lunchbreak we were disappointed to discover that Yoko had mistakenly turned the video camera off during the dances. Shock!

We had to hurry and scoff down our lunch as Reni’s running race was very soon after the resumption. When we returned to the ground we noticed that the grade 1 and grade 2 races were to be held simultaneously. The problem with that was we didn’t know which grade was which! This time our luck was for the better. Yoko filmed all of the grade 2 races, thereby managing to catch Reni’s victory. Well done Reni, our champion!

i should add before finishing that Syd was quite an achiever too. He and i went to the nearby playground which has a jungle-gym. Syd managed to climb to the very top of the climbing frame by himself. Being ever the adventurous one, he even stood near the top, no hands!

Last week Reni and Syd came to Tokushima and stayed with me for the whole week. We had a great time playing at the beach or in a pool most days, along with hanging out with friends and going on a camping trip.

After the boys arrived from Kyoto we went and picked up Jodi and went to the park. As it was a hot day (every day is this time of year) the boys spent a lot of time playing in the splash pool. After a good long play we headed back home for some dinner.

The following day was Jodi’s birthday. She and her friend and colleague, Jessica went to the hairdresser’s in the morning. After they’d got their haircuts we went for lunch at the Golden Arch. The boys love going to McDonalds because they can get a free promotional toy with their meal and at the store we went to this time there is also a kids playground. Following lunch we went to the beach where a lot of our foreign freinds had gathered at Jodi’s suggestion. As dusk approached we headed back into the city to have dinner at one of our favourite restaurants.

On Monday i arranged for the boys and i to go fishing with my good mate, Naga-chan and his wife, Maki. After numerous stops for bait, lunch and charcoal for the barbecue we eventually arrived at the small fishing town where Maki’s parents live. We fished off the port there for a while, all of us managing to catch a fish or two, though admittedly they were rather tiny. After fishing we headed to the nearby beach and enjoyed a delicious barbecue feast. Once our food had digested a bit we went for a dip in the cool, green sea. Thanks to Naga-chan and Maki, it really was a fabulous day out.

The next day we went to the nearby kids theme and educational park, Asutamu Land. Once again as it was boiling hot the boys and i did not venture much further than the kids splash pool and fountains. Reni and Syd were quite content to play and kick back there while i read for a while. To finish our day out we took the water coaster that Reni loves back down to the entrance. From there we headed into the city to meet Jodi for dinner. She then very kindly minded the boys for me while i taught my private student.

On Wednesday and Thursday we went down the coast into neighbouring Kochi Prefecture on a short camping trip. On the way to the campground we stopped to have lunch at a Japanese smorgasbord restaurant. We also soaked our feet in a footbath at the nearby road rest area. Once we’d set up camp we went to the hot spring bath in the hotel next to the campground. Refreshed and clean, we then enjoyed some yaki-soba fried noodles for dinner. Tired from the long drive and needing to seek refuge from the mosquitoes we went to the tent and had an early night.

The following morning the boys befriended two boys from Kyoto who were camping next to us with their grandfather and mother. They went to the small estuary with their nets to see what they could find and catch. One of the boys caught a crab which he very kindly gave to Syd. After we’d had breakfast we went down to the beach to play on my surfboard as i’d promised the boys we’d do so but  hadn’t been able to the day before. i pushed Syd into a couple of tiny waves but he fell off and was terrified to be under the water. Once Reni saw Syd’s reaction he became rather quiet and did not ask for a turn. Oh well, maybe another time.

While we were at the beach the grandfather and two boys  came and joined us. We ventured together to the small island that joins the mainland at low tide. There were many barnacled rocks there so i made a point of telling the boys to stay away from them. Unfortunately Reni did not see one below the water and cut his toe. Then as i went to assist him, i cut my toe too. So that put an end to that little adventure.

After showering, treating our wounds and packing up camp we went to the nearby market to do some shopping. Using coupons that Jodi had kindly given me and one i’d received at the onsen, i was able to buy drinks, snacks, lunch and vegetables for us without forking out any cash. What a good deal! While we were at the market enjoying their delicious ice cream i bumped into Jason, a friend of a friend who recently moved from Tokushima city to the small coastal town of Shishikui. He was very friendly and invited us to his house for a drink. Jason was really hospitable and kind to us. He even gave the boys a soft toy each (Piglet and Tigger) as we were leaving.

From Jason’s place we headed north back towards Tokushima to catch a small boat from the town of Mugi. We were an hour early for the boat however so we went to a nearby beach and had a picnic lunch. i absent mindedly forgot my keys on the beach as we were leaving which sent me into a bit of a panic and caused us to have to rush to the boat but we made it just in time. After about a 20-minute ride we arrived on the small island of Tebajima. It was really too hot to do much of anything so we just walked around the port to a small shop and bought some drinks and went and drank them in the shade. After an hour we caught the boat back and drove back home, ending a fun and interesting camping trip.

On the last full day the boys were here they watched Toy Story 3 (one of their favourite movies at the moment) in the morning while i did some karate and calligraphy practice. (I’d already watched the movie with them on their previous visit.) We then went out for lunch and to a nearby pool in the afternoon. One of the pools there is a ring shape and has a current so you can just relax and float around and around and that’s exactly what we did.

After the pool closed we went to Jodi’s place and had dinner with her and our friends Maz and Taka and their funny little boy, Finlay. Jodi made a yummy dip to eat with corn chips, i put together some toasted sandwiches and boiled eggs and Maz and Taka brought some rice balls, homemade bread and some scrumptious cupcakes. Needless to say, we had ourselves a tasty feast – a fine way to end a fantastic week.

Day 4

We returned to the Sakkyu sand dunes on the last day of our trip, determined to go for a camel ride even if it meant standing in line for some time. We got off to a promising start, finding a parking space as soon as we arrived.

There were still many people around but the line of people waiting to ride the camels or sit on one for a photo wasn’t that long. While we queued Jodi and i were disappointed to learn that only children could ride on the camels. The best we could do was sit on one for a photo.

After the boys had gone for a ride and i’d had my photo taken, the boys and i went for a walk on the dunes. They were so happy to be in such a wide open space. What started out as just a short walk soon became a long play.

From the dunes we started on our way back to Kyoto. After a few hours of driving i needed a rest. As luck would have it a sign appeared for Saruo (Monkey Tail) Waterfall, one of Japan’s top 100 falls, only one kilometre off the main road.

Syd was asleep and Reni wanted to stay put so the boys remained in the car while Mum and Dad and Jodi and i checked out the towering cascade nearby. The boys got out of the car and came with us to the small shop for an ice cream after we came back. One of the friendly ladies in the shop spoke excellent English so all of us were able to chat with her. Reni took a real liking to her, getting his sketchbook from the car to show her his pictures from our trip. Everybody was very impressed.

Following our pleasant break we headed on into heavier and heavier traffic. The congestion became so bad i decided to try my luck on side roads but before long became certain that we were heading in the wrong direction. When we came to a large town i stopped and asked for directions at a supermarket. As it turned out we weren’t too far off track and were able to find our way onto the expressway back to Kyoto without much trouble. We arrived back at the Kohara’s house just as the Harry Potter movie playing on Jodi’s portable DVD player was coming to an end.

With the exception of a minor spill by Syd, a brief tantrum by Reni and a nasty stomach bug for Mum our trip was a great success. Thanks Mum & Dad for coming all this way, Jodi for all your kindness and support and Reni and Syd for being such fun, good boys!