Fukuoka

YAY!! FUKUOKA!!!! Well, it`s been a while sense I last added anything....but I have been really busy in Fukuoka. I really really enjoy it here. It`s been sooooo great and the Kawamoto family has been sooooooo nice to me. I am really thankfull for them. Anyways, this computer is slow, and this took me forever to add all of these....and I have a LOT more. Anyways, they arn`t in order because it was too much of a pain in the but....... here yuh go!

There are a lot of old shrines, temples, castles, and building in and around Fukuoka. I absolute love it!! This is the entrance to a Shinto Shrine near the center of the city.



I wan`t one of these!!!! These being a Japanese style ...umm...garden I guess is what you would call it. It has a beautifull old style house in the very middle and this garden is HUGE!!

I am such a Samurai... Look at me contimplating the meaning of life (actually thinking about Japans history...HOW COOL) while sittng on the Tatami (bamboo mats) and drinking my Macha (traditional green tea) looking at the garden of greatness.



Did I meantion I`m awsome!?!? Look at this picture..I`m such a pro! and modest too! :) Oh yah, this is in Oita, Near Chie`s home town! Which by, this area reminded me much of Homer. I am very jelous of Chie and other people that get to live in such a wonderfull place!



LOOK AT ALL THE ONSENS!!! YESSS!! I do believe this is the largest population of hotsprings in Japan. This Picture is of Yufuin city near the Kawamotos second home.

Back to Fukuoka! This is a picture from an old castle. Look at the cool houses...and the view....quite well defended if you ask me.

Yes, this is real.....and rocks are the weirdest looking rocks I have every seen.



OMG A CASTLE!!! How cool is that?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?! Can you see the Samurai? Don`t worry, I will try to get closer to take a better picture....it may be dangerous..but I must...



Ok, Ok, defenately am a photographer right?!?!?! Heheheh. I had to kill a couple of Samurai and climb some walls all Ninja style to get this shot, but..damn! it was worth it!




Ok, this is back in Sapporo. After the hands of love were finally finished......turned out ok I guess...it was fun making it though!



and a caslte made out of snow in Sapporo during the snow festival.....but real caslte are much much cooler!

Yuki Matsuri!! (Snow Festival)

So, coming up soon will be the Snow Festival!! YAY. Basically, that is where they make all sorts of crazy stuff out of snow. Like houses and all that. Some of them are HUGE. Like 3 stories tall and are really well detailed. I will take some pictures when I get the chance. But, for now, you can look at the pictures of….YESS the snow sculpture we made! The Minapa Group that I am in made a snow sculpture too. Its not done in these pictures..but still, something to look at right. Basically, it will be two hands holding a heart.

Making it.


Me!



Minna. (everyone except for me anyways ^_^)

AkaiGawa (ehh...Red River...I think...^_^)

So, It's been a little while, sorry for all thoes who have to check my sight every day....(.....as if). But, there is a good reason. I went to a village called AkaiGawa. After I got back, I have been studying for test. In fact, I should be studying right now, but I am taking a break hehe.

Anyways, AkaiGawa was great, it is a small little village of about 1000 people I think...maybe a lil more. It is built in the mountains and is VERY beautifull. I defenately plan on going back in the summer on my bike! OH YAH!!! AkaiGawa is south of Otaru and it takes about 2 hours to get there by bus from Sapporo. It has...well, I guess 3 famous things...Melons, Milk, and A SKI RESORT! Oh, I got it, I got it, for thoes of you who live in Alaska, just think of Girdwood.

So, the milk was absolutely delicious, best milk I ever had. It tasted like it was directly straight out of the cow. The icecream was also great!! Then, there is the ski slope! It really enjoyed it. It is defenately not as steep as I am used to, like Alyeska or something, but had some really good parts. The best thing is all the snow. There was a lot of powder, and places you could snowboard down inbetween trees and stuff. It was great. Twords the bottom of the mountain there was also a Jump area, so, I really enjoyed myself.

I also got to be a hero!! Yay. In one deficult section of the moutain I saw a woman, who I thought was Japanese, in...well destress. Her skis were pointing in opposite directions, and polls were scattered everywhere. So, I asked her if she was ok in Japanese, which she didn't understand so I tried english and that worked well enough. Turns out she was Chinese (hard to tell with goggles and all that). It also turns out that she had almost no clue how to ski, and was on one the the most difficult areas. But, sense I don't know much about how to teach people how to ski, my Japanese friends would tell her what to do, and I would translate. It worked out pritty well, and in about 30 mintues she was able to get to the bottom of the montain.

I was also quite impressed with the kids we went skiing with. They were all really good. I guess that is what happens when you live in a town like that. Even though the kids were like 6-12 they could do just about anything, so I had a good time with them.

I also got to go to a few different schools. One of the school is where the kids I skiied with went to. It was really neat to see Japanese education and all that. Defenately different I think from what you might find in America.

So, hopefully, you guys will be able to click on these pictures this time.....but, because of that reason alone, they aren't really going to be in any order...sorry. So, here is one of the classrooms I went too. Interesting eh?

This is Day 2, of Skiing. Towards the top of the mountain. Day 1, near the bottom.....ughh.
Making Mochi (Crushed, sweentend rice)!! YUMMM!!! The woman in the back was my host mother. Anyways, the mochi was great, but I think I at too much.

Som of the kids put on a Taiko Drum Preformacne for us. I love Taiko. But you have to be there and feel it to understand what it is like.....so loud!
We also got to stop at a firestation....beleive me, that truck is smaller then it looks.