Japan has so many public holidays! Last weekend started early on Wednesday with yet another day off, this time for Labour Thanksgiving day. We visited the cute animals at the Wakayama Animal Welfare Centre and had a lovely long lunch at my good-bread-haven,
Dooshel Bakery Cafe, keeping warm in the cafe to avoid the chill outside. I love that people can go and pat the dogs and see the animals at the animal welfare centre. It made me really happy and I wanted to take a dog home! One day when I'm more settled I'll have a dog of my own.
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| A bunny! Wakayama Animal Welfare Centre, Kimino |
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| Baby goat, Wakayama Animal Welfare Centre, Kimino |
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| Set lunch at Dooshel Bakery Cafe, Kimino |
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| View from Dooshel Bakery Cafe, Kimino |
On Saturday Andrew and I went to a local festival at Negoro-ji, a set of Buddhist temples in Iwade, a nearby town. Negoro-ji is famous because the temple housed
Negoro-gumi back in the 16th century, an order of monks who were skilled in the use of firearms and other weapons. Rifle-firing Buddhist monks, who knew? The festival had a demonstration of old-style rifle firing, which we heard but didn't see, and lots of great Japanese crafts to try such as weaving wreaths and painting lacquerware.
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| At Negoro-ji, Iwade |
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| Beautiful trees, Negoro-ji, Iwade |
Saturday night was spent at a yakiniku or 'grilled meat' restaurant for the birthday of the other Aussie JET in the prefecture, Jon. There were 25 of us there and it was yum! For about $A35 you get all the meat, vegies, salad, and tofu you can eat.
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| Yakiniku (grilled meat) Restaurant, Yuasa, Japan |
On Sunday I actually had to go to work as the parents were all coming to watch the classes in period five, so we did a normal full day and then the school was closed on Monday. I've never heard of that happening in Australia, but it seems like a nice idea to actually get to see your kid in action in the classroom... and see the teachers at work. It was a little bit weird to be teaching a class (in conjunction with a Japanese teacher) while the parents watched at the back of the classroom and from the hallway, but it was fine.
Sometimes here on JET I feel like I'm learning as much about America as I am about Japan since the overwhelming number of JETs in my area are from the States. There's roughly forty Americans, four Kiwis, three Canadians, two Aussies, and two Brits here in Wakayama prefecture. And in good American tradition, on Sunday night we celebrated Thanksgiving with the other JETs in my 'city', Kinokawa. I had jambalaya for the first time with cornbread, and Andrew made sweet potato pie with an Australian twist - an Anzac biscuit base!
I can't believe next weekend I'll be in Australia for a friend's wedding! I can't wait!
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2 comments:
I went to Doll House to by a Sherri Hill dress 1403 for the best price quoted $450 for my daughter. I was told that Doll House has a registry and that I would be the only one wearing this style dress at my formal. When I arrived at my formal, there were two 2 other girls wearing exactly the same style dress and they also got it from dollhouse – I can’t begin to tell you how angry and sick that made me feels. I will not be taking my daughter there for her year 12 formal.
I am from Postcrossing and saw your photo in the Postcrossing Supporters section so I was interested in whether you are into direct swapping. In looking at your website, I noticed you live in Wakayama city and I have just today received a card from Miho (biic2002) from this city, which I thought was a wonderful coincidence. You have a lovely website. I am from Jacksonville, Florida. Best wishes. Paula (Paula555)
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