Matt's Blog

It came as no surprise that the forecast for the weekend was for rain. Except for the northern island of Hokkaido, June is rainy season across Japan.
The local International Friendship Association ask me to hold a game of cricket with them once a year around this time. This year’s attendence numbers were way down on previous years. Obviously many people had anticipated play would be cancelled.

The rain didn’t eventuate so a small group of us spent the morning playing together. Although there were few of us, the young boys who played enjoyed themselves I think. After we’d called stumps we received a drink and some sushi for lunch.

After lunch I set off with Yoko and Reni in search of some waves. My friends Yusuke and Kana had called to tell me there were waves and only a few people surfing at the point they were at. After an hour or so of driving through the city and then down a steep, winding road to the coast, we met them in the carpark of the small fishing village by the break.




The waves looked appealing- about head high and nice shape. Two other friends, Rafe and Cameron were already in the water. We changed into our wetsuits then set off around the port and along the rocky beach to join them.

While I was surfing Yoko and Reni entertained themselves by wandering around the village. They looked at the boats in the port and went to the playground at the primary school to play for a while. They also found a small general-store to buy a drink and snacks.

After our surf/wandering, Yusuke and Kana were kind enough to invite us all to their place for dinner. We drove back to their house in convoy, stopping along the way to buy some food and drinks. Back at their house, Kana prepared a number of delicious dishes for us including tofu, fried chicken and pork dumplings. It was a perfect way to end a great day.

Finally some fine weather for the weekend, (well one day at least). We made the most of it, going into the mountains to see an azalea park.



Getting to the park was quite a mission. The narrow, winding mountain road to the park was crowded as it is a popular sightseeing spot. At one stage all of the uphill traffic had to reverse as a tourist bus was coming down. Forunately for us we were near a spot where we could duck into and be out of the way.

By the time we reached the parking area of the park it was time for lunch. We opted to go in the opposite direction from the park so we could enjoy our meal in peace. Besides the occasional car passing and bees buzzing about, it was quite pleasant.

After lunch we went to see the azaleas. Since it was over half-kilometre uphill to the flowers, we decided to take Reni in his pram. The walk in the sunshine and fresh mountain air was invigorating for me but unfortunately didn’t have such a positive effect on Yoko as her lower back was troubling her. (Something has been not quite right with it since Reni’s birth.)

After taking in the flowers and surrounding mountains from a viewing platform, we took a rest. Under the shade of some trees we enjoyed our dessert of strawberries in milk. Since all of us are big strawberry fans, we finished in no time. Yoko felt better after the dessert break so we were able to walk a lap of the park and enjoy the multitude of azaleas in bloom.

Afterword: Allowing Reni to sit in the pram was a big mistake. He wasn’t tired at all last night when we tried to put him to bed. I ended up taking him shopping with me at 11 o’clock!

Yesterday I went on a school excursion with my students. We went to the zoo, a museum and a park. A busy day indeed!



Regardless of the usual criticisms of zoos, I think Tokushima Zoo is pretty cool. It’s not a big zoo but the animal enclosures are spacious. Among the residents: elephants, bears, lions, zebras, a giraffe and a tiger. There are various primates too such as baboons, chimpanzees, monkeys and lemurs. A wide array of birds can also be seen including the mighty Andean Condor.

After lunch we went to the nearby Bunka no Mori complex. There is a museum, art gallery, library and park here. We saw a display of fossils and a comprehensive collection of Tokushima’s flora and fauna, culture and history.

The kids raced through the museum at lightning speed and then headed for the park leaving me to browse peacefully alone. At the park they ran about and enjoyed playing on the slides, swings and flying fox. I think they would have slept very well last night after all the energy they spent!

A further rundown of our Golden Week trip, island hopping across the Seto Inland Sea.





On the second day of our trip we visited the nearby Oyamazumi Shrine. The spacious grounds were ideal for Reni to run around and enjoy himself. There was a museum there containing a number of weapons designated as national treasures, however we decided against entering. (The reason for this will become apparent later.)

We also visited a nearby souvenir market where it was possible to sample numerous local delicacies (and we did). We ended up buying some dried fish snacks there. We also bought a Thomas The Tank Engine towel for Reni on our way back, Ehime being noted for its towel production. After all our shopping and walking in the hot sun we enjoyed a delicious blueberry ice-cream to cool off.

Before hopping over to Ikuchi-jima, the next island, we stopped at a nearby waterfall. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of water but the shade provided by the trees was welcome relief. After the short drive across to Ikuchi-jima we enjoyed a picnic lunch at Sunset Beach.

In the afternoon we went to see the Ikuo Hirayama Art Gallery. Hirayama is an avid traveler. Many of his works are landscapes or Buddhist-related. He is also passionate about preserving the world’s cultural heritage and among many projects, has been influential in the restoration of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

(For examples of his work, see here:
http://www.hirayama-museum.or.jp/syuzo/syumoku/simayo.htm#Anchor1177386 )

To begin with Reni was totally unco-operative at the gallery. We received a few unapproving looks as he ran about screaming. It was obvious that we’d have to put our viewing on hold so we went outside for a while. We went to a nearby temple. Although it was quite picturesque, we weren’t willing to pay the 1200yen fee. (Even the most famous temples in Kyoto don’t charge that much!) To cut a long story short, Reni needed more food. After he’d eaten we were able to go back to the gallery and enjoy the display.

Following the gallery we went to a nearby temple, Koujouji, on a mountain overlooking a small town and harbour. It was quite a steep climb to the summit but well worth the effort to view the beautiful three-tiered pagoda, built almost 600 years ago. It was beginning to get dark as we descended and the bugs came out in force. Reni was terrified that one would fly into his eyes. While I tried to pacify him and teach him how to swat them (Aussie salute style), I didn’t notice that the mosquitoes were having a feast on me. My legs now resemble a white chocolate chokito bar.

We continued on to the next island, Innoshima, to camp for the night. For dinner we enjoyed some Australian diced steak with vegetables and rice. Very tasty it was too!

It’s holiday season again here in Nihon. Every year at this time there is almost a week of national holidays. It’s Golden Week!


Today was my first real Golden Week holiday. (On April 29 there was ‘Greenery Day’ but that didn’t really count because it was on a Saturday which is a day off for me anyhow.)

Today was ‘Constitution Day.’ What better way then to mark the day than to work on one’s own constitution, over a barbie (barbecue) and beers?

A group of us (13 in all) spent a very pleasant afternoon and evening by the beach. After we went to our friends, Yusuke and Kana’s house nearby, where we enjoyed fresh fruit and coffee to complete the day’s feasting.