Matt’s Blog

Though it’s still a bit nippy, spring is most definitely here. Spring holiday has already been and gone, in fact. It just flew by; a sure sign of a good time.

For the first week of the break the boys came and stayed with me. We had a busy week, out and about every day experiencing events, enjoying nature and time with friends. Here’s a rundown of what we got up to:

The boys arrived on a Sunday. That day we went to the park by the airport, Tsukimi-ga-oka. We’d arranged to meet Chris and Kai there. They arrived a little late but we were not lacking for company as Mitch was there with Marissa and Aisha and also David was there with his family. Though it was nice to be outdoors the wind was a little too brisk to be out for long.

On Monday we went to see a circus. My friends, Naga and Maki had kindly given us free tickets. When we arrived all seats had already been taken but they were allowing people to sit on the stairs. Although we had to pay 500 yen each to enter, (apparently there was a quota on the number of people that could enter for free), and sit on the steps, we were still able to enjoy the show. There were no animals performing, only humans. Some of the acrobatic feats were quite amazing and breathtaking. In the evening the boys and Jodi accompanied me to soccer. i took much pleasure in hearing them having fun playing with a ball in the practice area while i was playing.

The following day we went to Shinrin Koen, a sprawling park in the mountains of Kamiyama. A friend of mine who also plays soccer, Fred, and his 3 kids, Ian, Everett and Cordy came with us. After what seemed like an eternity to get there we eventually arrived in time for lunch. After enjoying a picnic lunch we played on the various playground swings and slides with the kids. We also tackled the park’s challenging obstacle course located in forest adjoining the park. Fred’s adventurous kids managed to complete the whole course but Reni and Syd and i decided to call it quits about halfway; many of the obstacles being beyond Syd’s ability and quite demanding for Reni (not to mention myself!)

On Wednesday Jodi had to return to work so the boys and i went camping without her. We drove south as far as my favourite surfing destination, the small town of Yuki, where we stopped for lunch. Syd was extremely keen to play on the beach so i put our other plans on hold and Reni and i helped him build a sandcastle. One of a group of temple pilgrims that passed by remarked what a wonderful sandcasle we had built. I was particularly impressed myself not only by the castle itself but by the fact that Syd helped to create rather than destroy it. He’s certainly making much progress these days!

Following our fun on the beach we cotinued south across the border into Kochi to the small town of None (no-nay). We found a nice camping spot by a rivermouth and set up the tent. As it became dark we lit a campfire then had dinner. After eating we played with sparklers (in the process accidentally lighting a small grassfire – oops!) and toasted marshmallows (though Syd preferred his uncooked).

The next day after we’d packed up camp and had breakfast we went to a nearby sightseeing spot, Takegashima. We arrived just in time to board the glass-bottom sightseeing boat. There was only one other group on board so we got plenty of attention from the guide, learning about the various marine life.

From Takegashima we headed back towards Tokushima. At Hiwasa we found a very quiet little rocky cove to have a picnic lunch. After eating we went to the nearby turtle museum, Hiwasa being famous as a location for loggerhead turtle nesting. Once we’d had our fill of turtles we headed to a hotel nearby to bathe in its hot spring baths. From the outdoor bath we could enjoy a fabulous panoramic view over the bay while soaking up the warm direct sunlight.

On Friday we went to Tokushima’s children’s science and theme park, Asutamu Land. i decided to have a break from photography this day so i didn’t take my camera. Once again we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the glorious spring weather before entering the park. The main reason for visiting Asutama Land was to see the temporary Doraemon science exhibition. (Perhaps you know Doraemon, the little blue robotic cat-like animation character? (http://doraemon.mangawiki.org/doraemon/ ) The exhibition wasn’t quite what i’d expected, not being particularly interactive, but the boys seemed reasonably satisfied. They were also quite content to watch an episode of Doraemon on the TV in the foyer, probably just as much for the fact that i do not possess a TV as that they like Doraemon.

On the boys last day in Tokushima we went out west to visit their best friend here, Kai, and my best mate, Chris. The boys had fun together playing indoors with Kai’s toys and outside kicking around a ball and playing with Chris and myself while Jodi and Chris’ wife, Sally kept an eye on the newly born daughter, Minami.

After a wonderful week of fun and games with the boys we returned to Kyoto by bus on Sunday morning. In the evening we went out with Yoko and her parents to celebrate Syd’s birthday. After returning home we gave Syd all his presents. He was certainly very pleased with them though it did create some confusion on Tuesday when Syd’s actual birthday fell and he didn’t receive any presents.

While we were in Perth we also visited Caversham Wildlife Park. It’s located within Whiteman Park in the Swan Valley. It’s a great place for a ‘hands on’ experience with Australian wildlife.

As you can see from the abundance of photos i took, it’s also a great place to photograph animals; far better than a zoo as you can get much nearer the animals.

On the day we visited the park the weather was rather hot. Reni in particular did not approve of the heat. Despite his discomfort, he eventually settled down and enjoyed the park. Interacting with animals has a soothing effect on us humans, i believe.

i highly recommend a visit to Caversham Park for anyone visiting Perth.

For information see here:

http://www.whitemanpark.com.au/

http://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au/index.html

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!