Rice, Yahiko Mountain, the view and the Park!

So I was telling you all in a previous post that the rice season is on. Well here are a few pictures. They flood the field then plant little riclet babies in them. The little riclet babies are grown in big white green houses. Once they are started and the field is flooded they are ready to go. It's kinda cool when it's all done because the field looks like it has a green fuz glow. I can't tell you how beautiful the countryside is.






I decided to venture forth close to home and into the mountains on the west coast.
It was an awesome hike going up Yahiko Mountain!!!





At the top the view is amazing you can see a good chunk of the prefecture. At least my end of the prefecture. Then you can take other little side hikes to get to different look outs. I figured I might as well since I was already up there. At one end you can see the ocean and Sado Island. (I really want to go to Sado Island in August for break at least for 2 days or so. It supposedly has really nice white beaches and clear blue water.)I ate lunch up here and blew bubbles. A little boy came over and enjoyed chasing them and pointing at them as the floated around. I got quite a bit of sun today too. ^___^








Then you can do a little hike up to the other side where you can see southward on the west coast. Here you can see the mountainrange that kinda meaners along. This part was my favorite. Also here at this view is a shrine. I went to three mountain shrines. This one where the view is, the Yu shrine and the Yahiko shrine.
I tried to piece this together a little so you could get a better scale of view.






Then the Park, and the Yahiko shrine:I watched kids play in the water. I even got my feet in there!







At the shrine there where bonzai displays of different sorts. It was so rad!






Today was pretty rad. Then on the way home I saw another gaijin. So I got closer for a better look. Turns out it is a girl from my training group. We exchanged numbers and I'll probably go back up to Yahiko on Monday since there's no school so we can do see the art museums. Plus I think something is going on because I saw several banners with 5/5 on them. The rest was in kanji so I don't know what, but perhaps it would be a bad idea to be in a place where something may be going on. Anyhoo it was cool to find someone from my group. Turns out she's pretty close and she knows her way around Niigata City very well. I haven't been up there yet but would like to. I want to see the ocean again!

Today was a lovely day!

fasion

These are a few fasions I spotted on the way home from school. And, for the record these are all in the exact colors that I saw them, it's all just as it is.

Those esmerelda green tights where completely opaque, they seem to also be popular in lemon yellow and ultra marine blue.

The girl in the middle was wearing control top panty-hose with her rolled jean shorts so you could tell the difference in fabric weave of her panty hose at about mid thigh. I thought it was kinda funny. (BTW: rolled jean shorts with black panty hose are very very popular, shorts are 90% always worn with hose.

Secrets:
I'm finding out a few secrets:
How do the school kids keep their socks up? They have sock glue. It looks like a glue stick they rub on their leg, then they pull their socks up over that.
How do they stay so white? They actually have skin whitening cremes here in the cometic department.
How do they squat so low to the ground an under control without popping an ankle out of joint? When they squat they turn their feet out ward and roll their ankles in so that it folds easier.

Just a few random observances.

Wrinkle

IF:Wrinkle

just doodlin' I guess.

and it's extra ghetto because I took a picture of it since I have no scanner.

Gosen-Tulips

Of course there's always a story.
This week some of my English students showed me pictures from the Bunsui festival last weekend that I missed. I was kinda thinkin it would be little, plus I missed the train. Then, after I saw pictures I was really really kicking myself. Then to make the matters worse (not really worse just thought it was) on Friday I found out that I had missed the Gosen-Tulip vestival too. That was supposedly held last weekend as well. Dang! So for the rest of the week I kept an eagle eye on the Tulips in the area. By Friday night I decided I would go to Gosen even though the festivals where over and probably the tulips where gone. Friday night I packed a lunch (save on money) so I packed some seaweed tuna rolls, peach jello, yogurt and my nalgene of course (I never go anywhere without it). I left this morning not expecting to see alot but I thought I would give it a try. After all, I had packed a delicious lunch and my bubbles to entertain myself if it didn't go so well. The train ride worked like clockwork. (I'm getting a little better at this.) When I got to the Gosen station I asked the station ticket salesman how to get to the tulip fields. He laughed and told me that I had missed the festival. (I began to doubt if I should have come or not.) Then he told me you have to get there by taxi! NO WAY, I thought, I don't care if it takes me 4 hours of walking. I'm donna see some tulips! So politley I asked him how to get there by foot. Again he laughed as said it's too far. How far I asked. He said over an hour. Oh, well that's cake, one hour isn't bad. So I got directions and headed on my way. (Even though he advised against it, he thought it was too far to walk). I'll admit I figured he knew more about Gosen than me so I was a little nervous but the morning was fresh and I had alot of energy and I was ready to see some tulips!

I followed his directions.

It took me 23 minutes. ^____^

The walk was gorgeous! The Japanese country side is so green. This week I've noticed more birds, bees, bats, bugs and everything about Spring it out and amazing!!!! Oh and there will be more to come on the rice fields. Yes, it's the time of year to flood the rice fields. I'm really excited. All the little streams and water holage on the sides of the road are now getting lower.

Anyway, here are a few flowers. This is what I first saw as I walked over the bridge!

Oh, and while I was stopped at Niitsu there was a cool, super old, really big, coal engine!


















Although I missed the actual scheduled tulip festival, I'm glad I went today because they took down all the ropes that keep people away from the flowers and we where allowed to walk in between the rows and out into the middle of the fields! (Don't worry it really was ok, the field workers where all out there popping the heads off the tulips) Soooooo since I was there and decided I'd make most of the day of it I sat right down in the middle of the field (in a furrow of course) and ate my lunch! It smelled sooooooooo good! I enjoyed my lunch so well. It had been really windy the whole day but slowed down for lunch and long enough for me to blow a few bubbles while sitting in the field. It was incredible!

Primitive

IF: Primitive

I always feel really old and primitive with my big dictionary and flashcards to study while I'm on the train to school. The highschool students are on their phones texting, studying (they have the internet on their phones of course and download their books so they can do everything from talking to others, researching and studying for school and homework. A lot of them have those Japanese to English electronic dictionary helper things. ( I have no idea what they are called) But every time I come into class all the kids pull them out.)
It's always kinda funny. I guess I feel dated.

Oops

Oops! Sorry I missed the train to take me to the festival. Better luck next week in Gosen. ^_____^

School is Cool!!

WOOOOWWWWW!! I can't believe two weeks has already passed since I started school! I'm so very pleased and blessed to report that school is going awesome. In my opinion anyway. I'm having a great time! The kids are really shy and look at me oddly most of the time but some classes are breaking out of that and it's great to see their progress. It's not easy to gain self-confidence in another language or find your voice in another language so they are doing great. I'm having a class on Tuesday choose items from a bag and make up skits. I'm excited to see how that goes in the future. I have great schools! I received such a warm welcome from all of the schools it was really nice. Plus, despite the shyness of the students they are all pretty good about saying hi to me in the hall. I have a hard time walking and getting around the school sometimes because of it...hee hee. They are fabulous and I'm really looking forward to more classes with them to see how they come out of their shells.
I'm loving the staff. We have awesome people here teaching! They are sooo nice and funny. There are a few teachers that I really enjoy speaking with and they are such a hoot! I really enjoy team teaching with them. I have a little handful of favorites to team teach with though. To be honest we have a blast and during the class we like to make jokes and tease the kids. Honestly I can't complain they are great.
This is about all I have to report on. Classes are going great and I might join up with the missionaries in their English classes to help out there. We had a class today that I helped out with and it was pretty cool, plus I get to see Sister Tanabes. Sister Tanabes is this fabulous lady in our ward, she's sooooo funny! She speaks English pretty well and we have a good time together. I actually went with her and her friend down to Niigata City to see Conference. She's a blast. Yeah all is good and there's a festival this weekend too so I hope to catch a little of it. We'll see what comes up.