Brad Warden

Japan Travels Map

2010-11-02T13:27:00.001+11:00

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=106379344634808514623.000493f35733dc5b00443

Thanks Brian

2010-08-25T15:41:00.001+10:00

You helped me at work.

And, James, thanks for staying in level 17 :-)

Today is August 6

2010-08-06T09:16:00.000+10:00

I was riding the tram to work this morning and was nearing the stop I was to get off at, and outside the well-known city church I saw a banner which read, “Remember Hiroshima”. Today is August 6. I’d lived in that city for 2 years teaching English at a primary school, and the banner instantly flashed a huge number of thoughts, emotions and feelings.

I’d been to the Hiroshima Peace Museum where you read of personal accounts and graphically sense the reality of the horrendous moment. I learned to love the kids I taught English to, and thought that if something similar happened today, probably 90% of the kids wouldn’t survive. The school I taught at, and the apartment I lived in, are only 2 km from where the bomb was dropped. Many times I’d visited the Peace park, seen the famous Atomic Bomb Dome building remains, spend time with friends there, seen the school tours, and spent quiet moments there.

At 8:16 am (9:16 am Melbourne time), 6 August, it’s 65 years since the blinding energy was unleashed to cause instant devastation. Why did this have to happen? Why do these things still happen? Aren’t they the large-scale version of conflicts we have at times between friends, family, neighbours, colleagues?

Brad Warden

English Teacher 2007-2009

Hiroshima SDA Primary School

4-4 Takeya-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0048, Japan.

A Typical Morning

2010-07-26T10:06:00.001+10:00

6:00 the alarm goes off, dark outside, press snooze again, and again, and again.

Lift my heavy head off my pillow, drag the covers back, feel the cool winter morning seep in, and eventually place my feet on the carpet.

Freshen up, grab some cereal from the kitchen and get dressed for the day in front of the electric heater.

Clean teeth and collect the necesssary keys, phone, wallet and one or two other things I need for the day.

Slip my shoes on and head out of my Southbank apartment at 7:07 am. I know I have no time to spare, but will also be on time.

Walk down St Kilda Rd towards the city past National Gallery, water fountains outside, tree-lined avenue, trams rumbling by.

Sky is getting lighter, clouds have orange tinge, air is very crisp at 6 degrees. People attired for work walk on the footpath, some holding a warming drink, others with scarf and gloves.

See the illuminated city buildings, soon to be over-brightened by the lightening sky. Walk across the Yarra river past Federation Square, and pas the clock at Flinders St station which says 7:20.

Down Swanston St and then into Collins, past the banks, hotels and stores. Across the crossing, look up at the Commonwealth Bank building. Press the button and up the lift.

Out the window, see the sun beginning to shine on the NAB building. Hot air ballons rising above.

How many places?

2010-07-05T23:08:00.002+10:00

Since last writing, have probably met a hundred or more people who I hadn`t seen in a year or so.

Tue: Was nice catching up with family friends in Maebashi, Gunma-ken. Stopped overnight at capsule hotel in Kanda (next to Tokyo station), scrubbed up in the bath they had there, before watching Japan lose the game to drop out of the World Cup, but Japan played really well.

Wed: Up to catch the 4:52am train to Yokohama, then bullet train to Nagoya to see a good long-term Japanese friend for few minutes before work. On the train again to Hiroshima, home city, left 1 year ago. So strange seeing all the familiar places again! Lunch with friends from a Bible study group, then hung out at the school I used to teach English at. Really, really nice to see all the kids and parents from the school, as well as teachers and other friends. Dinner with more friends, then to a friends cousins` place in Hiroshima where I stayed 4 nights. Really nice Japanese apartment (size of a house) in a quiet area. Very thankful to be able to stay there.

Thu: More time with friends, at school, and aquaintances. Enjoyed a very nice home-cooked meal by one of the parents of the children from school.

Fri: Visited Peace Park with a friend. Lunch with kids at primary school. Quick haircut and shop at Uniqlo (best clothes store in the world, my favourite), bought a few Japanese Bibles, went home to prepare for nice Sabbath evening meal and worship time with many who I hadn`t seen in a long time.

Sabbath was beautiful time of reunion with brothers and sisters from the church. I felt like I was welcomed back so warmly, felt at home, and didn`t want to leave. Evening at the onsen after having a real good tempura udon dinner.

Sunday: Up early again, on the trains for Kawagoe where I met one of my Japanese friends from Melbourne who`s moved back to Saitama (near Tokyo). Nice little touristy town, also known as Little Edo (old Tokyo). Back to Tokyo station to meet Henry, Kiri and their Mum! Met with no problems and found with motel in Ginza without a hitch. Enjoyed very nice traditional Japanese dinner.

Monday: Hamarikyu Gardens, boat cruize up Sumidagawa River, meal in Asakusa, Sensouji Temple and Shrine, Ameyoko road-side stalls, Ochanomizu Bible shopping, Akihabara electric city shops, Ginza high-class shopping.

So, that brings us to now. Tomorrow we`ll go to: Imperial Palace, Shinjuku shops & city view, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu shrine, Harajuku fashion and shops, Shibuya scramble crossing, Roppongi mid-town lifestyle complex, Hello Kitty store in Ginza, Odaiba for dinner with bayside city views.

Wednesday: to Hokkaido where we`ll spend 5 days or so going to Sapporo, Toyako & Furano where there are some real nice natural scenes including flower fields, lakes, mountains, volcanoes and views. Fly back to Kanto area and go to Hakone for 2 nights, then Kyoto and back to Australia.

Sumoto & Chiba

2010-06-29T11:16:00.000+10:00

Made it to Japan about 7pm Sunday after 8 hr flight from Cairns. Nice
uneventful flight meaning I had a good chance to get some "vertical"
rest, but, so happenned I got a seat next to a uni student from, of
all places, Hiroshima! She ws return back home to Japan after studying
a year studying abroad. So spent a good chunk of the time in the air
talking in a mixture of English and Japanese (which is often the case)
reducing the apparent flight time.

Didn't make the connection to get the bus to Sumoto to catch up with
my Jamaican friend, so went back to Osaka and grabbed some yakisoba.
Was soooo tired, hungry and just wanted to lie down!!! Found some
accommodation for 4 hours near Osaka station. Bathroom was pretty
fancy with all the gadgets: spa, tv, number different control panels
etc.

Just managed to get up at 5:15am to train to Sannomiya and bus to
Sumoto. Was really worth it, even though only 4 hours.

Then bullet trained up to Tokyo to see Ryuichi, great friend from
Hiroshima but now in Chiba. Had really nice teishoku meal, walked
around Chiba port and enjoyed hanging out with Ryuichi. Slept over at
his place, up at 8:30, and now on a crowded train to Tokyo where I'll
transfer to go to Maebashi in Gunma to see some good family friends!

Even though I'd lived in Japan 2 years, still a few firsts: fly into
Kansai Airport, go to Sumoto on Awajishima, travel on world's longest
central span (~2km) bridge to Awajishima, use JR Pass with unlimited
shinkansen use for a week, sleep horizontal on non crowded bullet
train, go in non-Nozomi and non-Tokaido shinkansen, stop over in Chiba
city, and today, go to Gunma prefecture.

All the things about Japan are coming back to my mind. Humid rainy
season, cheap convenience store food, very ordered society, cleanness,
systems and industry, road markings, little things, fashion, high
quality and standards, non-emotive public interaction, real genuine
kindness, and I could go on and on.

I'm really enjoying being back, have plenty of opportunity to practice
Japanese. Well, it's now time for some brekky on the Shinkansen.

Japan Again

2010-06-27T06:36:00.000+10:00

Well, well, here we are at Sydney airport waiting to get on a Jetstar
flight for Japan. Yay!!! Since I'm on the move again, thought it would
be fitting to write a blog post after a 1 year blog famine.

I look out the window to the glorious airport view and Hsbc bank
advertising, but notice a full round silver disc in the sky. Yes,
still dark, 6am, winter, and spent a lovely airport sleep trying to
convince myself I was comfortable and apparently asleep!

Flew up last night from Melbourne, saw what I thought was a near full
moon, but later found out when the announcer spoke, that it was an
eclipse! Haha! Tricked Brad again.

This tome I'm gonna take shots of "Ok" my little travelling companion
which my Mum gave me when I was in Japan. It's a little stuffed
kangaroo. You'll see him in the pics. He's been around Asia and had
shots with famous people in Tiananmann Square!

Good number of Japanese people in line and at waiting area making me
feel like I'm on the way and nearly there. Spent 2 years living in
Japan and a year later am finding myself back there.

So, the plan is something like this:
Jun 26 Sydney, 27 Osaka, 28 Tokyo, 30 Hiroshima, Jul 4 Tokyo, 7
Hokkaido, 11 Hakone, 13 Kyoto, 14 Brisbane, 15 Melbourne.

Mostly looking forward to spending time with really good friends! Miss
them a lot: students I taught English, teachers, parents, colleagues,
kids, church members, travel mates, and Aussie friends. Then, being a
bit of a tour guide/translator for friends from Melbourne and checking
out some of the best in Japan!

The sky is beginning to lighten a little as we ebb towards sunrise,
reminding me of the long haul before I reach my next resting place
around 11:30 pm, after 2 flights, couple of shuttle buses, ferry and
bus ride. Spending tonight with a good English teaching buddy in
Sumoto, near Kobe.

What to do now but psych myself to try and rest on the plane... or
practice a bit of Japanese, depending.

Well, iPhones are handy. Typed this blog on it, signed up for travel
insurance, ordered some Bibles, planned more of my crazy schedule
using Japanese train timetables, emailed people to plan meeting up,
bought a bit of new music to listen to, made a few calls... All on
this silly little thong through the wee hours of 3 and 4 am.

Ok, time to go and climb inside this big metal bird which will deliver
me to the land of the rising sun (at night time).

Up

2010-06-04T11:11:00.003+10:00

Well, haven't worked in a tall building before, so being on the 17th floor for 8 hours a day is still novelty for me. I began my new job as a financal software support analyst 5 weeks ago.

The other day, up here, I saw a leaf float past my window! How on earth does a leaf get up here? There are no trees anywhere near here, and the closet branch is about 50 meters below... I guess it must've been from up draft. Anyway, thought it was a bit funny :-)

And, I'll be in Japan later this month... can't wait! 27 June to 14 July.

Who made the sun, the moon and stars?

2010-04-18T12:11:00.000+10:00

Who made the sun, the moon and stars
Who made the galaxies and worlds so vast

Who made the rain, wind, rivers and seas
Who made the animals, plants, flowers and trees

Who gives us life, breath, time and wealth
Who gives family, friends and health

Who gives us physical and mental powers
Who gives us life in each heart beat of ours

Our Father in Heaven
The Lord of Large and Small
The Creator of the Universe
The One who loves us all

面白かった夜

2010-01-17T12:23:00.000+11:00

昨日は凄かった！安息日だった。起きて朝ごはんを食べて天神にお祈りした。安心だった。あとで、教会にいて聖書を勉強して天神に礼拝をした。特別な時間だ。教会では賑やかだよ。殆ど二三十才だ。人たちは色々な国からだ。アジア人は一番多いだ。

午後に中国語の音楽プログラムに行った。皆さんはゴスペル歌を一緒に歌いった。中国語のローマ字「ピンイン」で僕は歌った。カラオケ見たいよ。楽しかった！家に帰ってのんびりした。夕方の六時にちょっと眠たかったらベッドに横になった。次、ミッドナイト！それで、寝られなかった。お腹が空いたら食べてまた横になったが、まだ寝られなかった。で、アイフォーンで漢字のゲームをした。聖書を勉強した。生活を考えた。

東の空はちょっと明るくなった。朝日を見たかったら町のヤラ川のとなりにサイクリングをした。五ドル札を見つけた！それから、川の橋の上に三人がいた。一人は危なく川に飛んだよ！二人友達は「飛ぶなよ！」といった。悪い時間だ。僕は三人でちょっと話した。一人はまだ危なく考えた。あと五分ぐらい三人は川を去った。安心だった。

自転車で公園に朝日を見た。きれいだったよ！帰って暖かい風呂を入った。外はちょっと涼しかったら風呂は気持ちだった。早く日を始めた。良かったね！

Don't Forget

2009-12-10T21:43:00.000+11:00

Just finished sorting my room out after moving in to my new apartment. So nice to be settled! And, now that I feel settled and somewhat organised (apart from needing to get a bed and desk), my mind feels relieved and clearer.

I had some time to call a friend, and listen to one of my favourite songs... it's a Japanese song you can watch/hear here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX4M86YUAwA

Basically, the message of the song, I think, is when you are away from family and friends, it might be a bit lonely but someone is always with you. It's a really nice song, and, since I've just moved into a new place, it fitted in well with the video clip.

It's also given me time to think of my friends from Japan. I really miss everyone I met in Japan... kids, students, mum's and dad's, teachers, work colleagues, church members, people in the neighbourhood, people from the gaijin hangout group, people from travelling up and down Japan, and close friends who studied English & Bible together. I really I hope I can go back to Japan someday.

And, moving to this place has amazed me a little. It is very nice (quiet, very close to city, park-feel, nice view, plenty of light, clean, comfortable, tennis court, bbq, gym and pool), and in some ways I don't feel I deserve this.

I want to thank God for providing everything in my life, and for this place to stay. I want this home to be a place where God's Spirit can dwell, where people feel relaxed, where people feel accepted. I want to dedicate this place to the Creator God of heaven. I want to live in union with my Lord God.

New Home

2009-12-07T23:35:00.002+11:00

It's late at night and it's really nice to have moved into my new home and have my own bedroom. After being on the hop from Hiroshima, Japan to Melbourne, Australia over the last 4 months, it's a good feeling to have a permanant address and somewhere to call home.

I'm now living in Southbank (just across the river from Melbourne City CBD) right at the bottom tip of Australia's mainland. It's a nice large Australian capital city with 4 million people. This will be home for the next couple of years.

So nice to be home. Good night!

New Job

2009-10-20T22:56:00.000+11:00

Began IT Support job at Vodafone Australia in Melbourne today! Thanks to my God for guiding my life. Melbourne will be my home for a while.

Back in My Home Country

2009-09-28T18:26:00.001+10:00

The sky so blue
The sun so bright
The wind so fresh
The air so clear

The fields so broad
The horizon so wide
The spaces so open
The feeling so free

The trees so tall
The flowers so colourful
The fences so long
The hills so rolling

The people so familiar
The language so easy
The food so congenial
The smells so homely

The moon so silver
The stars so bright
The night so dark
The silence so deafening

I am back in my home country... Australia.

[I (Brad) wrote this poem the day after I arrived back at my home in Australia after living in Japan for 2 years].

Malaysia, Singapore, Cairns & Brisbane Photos

2009-09-28T18:16:00.001+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Malaysia
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Singapore2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Cairns2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Brisbane2009

Back in Australia!

2009-09-13T12:10:00.002+10:00

Arrived back in Australia at 2am Friday morning in Darwin, just for a stop-over, spent nearly $10 on some nuts and a drink (too expensive!), and then made it to Cairns at 8am where I felt like I was back in my own country!

It's nice to be back! Familiar scenery, people, language, brands, towns, shops and everything (as well as food). Now, I'm in Cairns and I'm staying at my Richard and Beckie's (my oldest brother's and sister-in-law's) place. They have a lovely baby girl, nearly 1 year now. She's so cute!

I've been resting and relaxing well. Today, apply for a job online, and just chill out. Tomorrow, we'll all go and meet up with Jared, my second older brother and hang out for the day. I'll stay at his house (also near Cairns) and then catch a train from Cairns to Brisbane on Thursday morning, arriving Friday afternoon.

In Brisbane, I'll go to Big Camp, a Christian conference where I'll catch up with many, many friends from school days and church. Really looking forward to it!

For now, just chilling out, and refreshing after 2 years of work in Japan. Enjoying!

Reflecting on the East

2009-09-11T00:05:00.000+10:00

And, here we are at gate C16 in Singapore Airport, when we should've been in the air by now after boarding through gate C19. Well, something's happened and the flight's delayed, but, otherwise, everything should be ok! Just sorting a few photos now.

---

Good-bye Asia. I've been there for just over 2 years. On 20 August 2007, I entered Asia at Singapore for a 3 day stop before going to Japan to teach English and Bible for 2 years. I have so many good memories. Have made many good friends. Have shared the message of Jesus. I will miss many things about Asia, but mostly the people.

We are well an truly on our way back to Australia now. I can't see anymore lights. It's about 5 hours to Darwin, stop for a couple of hours, and then another couple of hours to Cairns. Finally back in my home country, Australia.

Today I got up early to have breakfast with John, the kind man who let me stay at his house. We chatted over breakfast, he went to work, and I had a bit more rest. I began the day late, did some emails, packed and left for Palau Ubin. It's a small island, part of Singapore, but just off the eastern edge of the main part of the country. It's not far from the airport.

By the time I caught the bus, the train, grabbed some lunch, caught another bus, waited for the boat and got onto the island, I only had a bit over an hour there. I rented a bike for $5 and cycled along the tracks there. It's a great little island for cycling. There are so many rental bikes there! Headed back to airport, checked in, had a shower for $8.40, caught up with Gaby for dinner and went through immigration.

The day before yeserday, I caught the train from KL to Singapore (about 7 hours). Before we crossed the boarder (from Malaysia to Singapore), a lady came through the train and stamped our passports to say we'd left Malaysia. After we crossed the water and entered Singapore, the train stopped, we all got off, walked through immigration to enter Singapore, and then got back on the same train and kept going. When I went through immigration, I didn't have the address of where I was to stay, since I was just planning to meet my friend at the train station, and I'd forgotten to write their phone number down too, and, I didn't have a printout of my plane ticket for leaving Singapore 2 days later.... not good! I consider it fortunate that they let me in (maybe because I'd been to Singapore before, and my passport looked reasonable and my attitude wasn't confrontational). Anyway, next time, I'm going to make sure I have an address, phone number and departure ticket with me.

Finally reached John's place about 11pm, and got some rest about midnight. Didn't think I'd need to set an alarm, fell asleep quickly, and the next thing I know (after dreaming) was .. Whao, it feels like I slept reeeeally well, and it's probably late! It was 10:03, so, I freshened up, headed down town and caught up with a good friend.

We went to St Andrews Church, the first church in Singapore. It was quite nice! Then, we saw soe of the Dead Sea Scrolls! Well, only a couple of fragments, but it was a pretty good display on the history of the Bible, including the ancient manuscripts, preservation, transcribing, translations, and even about the reformation. I was really glad I cold go, see it, and even see some of the original Dead Sea Scrolls!

We headed down by the river for lunch and ate some nice Thai food. Walked around a few other nice places, including the Merlion, museums, parks, shops etc. Overall, it was a very pleasant day.

---

Reflecting on my trip through Asia...

Well, basically I have travelled in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore in the past 3 weeks.

From Tokyo, train to Shomonoseki (western Japan), night ferry to Busan (1 day), train to Seoul (5 days), night ferry to Tianjin (near Beijing in China) and bus to Beijing (5 days), night train to Shanghai (2 days), night train to Hong Kong (2 days), flight to Thailand (4 days), flight to Penang in Malaysia (1 day), night train to Kuala Lumpur (1 day), train to Singapore (2 days), night flight back to Australia.

I have to say, Singapore is probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is quite aesthetic. Almost every part of the country (well, city) has a beautiful appearance. There is plenty of vegetain, trees and parkland in between the many apartments and office buildings. It is quite clean, well designed, and appealing to the eye. Unfortunately, there isn't much "untouched" or "virgin" land left in Singapore.

After being in Japan for 2 years, then travelling in Korea and then China (both of which have cars driving on the right-hand side of the road), when I arrived in Hong Kong, I felt refreshed, and I think it's because it was setup by the British. It just felt more "normal" (for me, that is), and more similar to Australia, which was also a British colony. I would have to say that Hong Kong (and also Singapore, since it was also setup by the British), are the most liveable of the places I visited in Asia. This is possibly true for most other Australians.

Thailand had a nice feel. It has more of a "mysterious" or "exotic" Asian feel... they kind of feeling you get when you hear/see the temples of Asia, the fine foods of the East, the soft-natured people and the tropical jungles. Bangkok was quite a well developed city with pretty much all you would expect in any world city. I had no problems there. The Thail massage was really good at AUD 10 for 1 hour!

I was quite tired most of my time in Malaysia, so I took it easy and enjoyed it. China was the least clean of the places I visited. The people were the most aggressive there, compared to the other countries I went to. Many people trying to sell you things. People pushing to get places, but not unbearable. Plenty of construction going on in China. Even though I was only really in Beijing and Shanghai, it was possible to see the strides China is making in it's development.
Korea was quite a fun place, probably because I was with groups of friends. Seoul is a very safe and convenient city. It was nice there.

After a while, all the train networks of the cities I went to felt the same. Tokyo, by far, had the most complicated one. Beijing had the most stable (least rocky) trains, maybe because of the wider gauge, and it was also the cheapest (at 40 cents anywhere in the city). Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul had the cleanest and nicest networks. Almost all of the cities had trains fairly frequently (every 5 minutes or so), which I thought was quite good.

Cars in China and Korea drive on the right-hand side of the road (same as US), but cars in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore follow the UK (same as Australia).

Power plugs in Japan are same as US. In Korea, they use two round pins (like Europe, I think). In China, I found almost every power outlet had fittings for US, Europe or Australia type plugs, quite convenient. Thailand had 2 or 3 round plugs. Malaysia and Singapore had plugs like the British (3 large chunky plugs).

---

Am very glad I was able to see different parts of Asia on my way back to Australia after working in Japan. I travelled fairly cheaply, catching ferries and trains, budget flights and economy seats. Stayed at friends places or caught overnight transport mostly, paying for less than 7 nights. But, spent money when there was a chance to see something interesting or eat something declicious!

People are people. Around the world, people have the same hopes, same desires, same needs. The same hurts, same happinesses. We all want to live good lives. We all want safety, health, kindness and love. Many people have religions and want to be close to God, and want Someone to hear their prayers. Everyone deals with conflict and working together.

How should we live our lives? Live lives responsible to our origin. Where do we come from? We come from a Designer, a Creator who cares and loves each one of His children. We are also accountable to those who we know and interact with. As we come to be in harmony with the God of heaven, and seek peace between ourselves, we will be preparing for eternity.

Good-bye Asia!

2009-09-10T23:17:00.001+10:00

Hope to come again soon...

Singapore

2009-09-08T23:59:00.001+10:00

Now in last country before arriving back in Australia!

Butterworth to KL

2009-09-08T01:13:00.001+10:00

On the night train again! ... this time in Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur.

I Like Trains

2009-09-07T23:54:00.000+10:00

Just have to love it! Sitting here in cool air-con (hot outside) with my feet up feeling the train swaying from side to side as we roll along the tracks to Kuala Lumpur at night time. I thought I'd get first-class sleeper since the price was less than AUD 30. Second class was about AUD 15. It's an overnight train from Butterworth (near Penang) in northern Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur. It takes 8 hours (I think maybe about 300 km?), and, the speed this train is going, I now know why it takes so long! Train left at 9pm and arrives a bit after 5am tomorrow morning.

I just locked the door to this 2-bed cabin on the train. Then put the chain on. The conductor emphasized to me that I should keep an eye on my things. A few minutes after we left Butterworth, I heard a small bang, an orange thing alight move towards the train and a few guys about 10 m from the train. I think it was harmless... maybe just some youths having some fun (I hope!) Anyway, hope it'll be a safe trip!

It's a nice cabin... TV, fan, mirror, sink, 2 beds (one up one down), little table, roomy enough. You can tell the train is kind of old, but this is comfortable. Nice clean comfy bed. And, some powerpoint which you can charge up your phone and laptop from :-)

There are toilets on the train (which you would expect). There are economy sleeper beds which are just beds... not real place to put your things, so not very safe as far as others taking your things is concerned. There are sitting cars (glad I don't have to try and sleep in that tonight). And, there's a restaurant car. They don't have much to buy... well, not now anyway. It's getting later in the evening.

And, the have the doors of the train open as it's cruizing along in the night at about 70 km/h. You could just fall out! Then I talked with the train officers and it's because the air-con is not working in that carriage. Bit dangerous, but I'm not complaining. To be honest, it's kinda cool. Sticking your head out the door of a moving train at night, feeling the wind blow past your face, is a nice experience.

Then, a bit later, I looked out the train door again as we were going along, I could see the moon in the night sky, the train slowed down for the corner, the wheels squeeked on the tracks, I could see the jungly-rainforest in the moonlight, and touched some of the leaves as we rolled along. Then we went through a tunnel and back out again into the dim-dark blue summer evening sky as the train continued to snake its way through the mountains and forest of remote Malaysia towards Kuala Lumpur.

Earlier today, I arrived at Penang Airport from Bangkok. Short trip of about 90 minutes, and had to change my clocks 1 hour forward. The first thing that caught my attention after arriving in Penang Airport was the presence of Muslim ladies having their heads covered. After being in predominantly Buddhist countries in my travels so far, and, Malaysia being the first coutry I've been in with a strong Muslim presence, this was quite noticable.

Also, there are many Indians, Chinese, Malay and also tourists, that I've seen. Most signs are in Malay (which uses English letters A-Z) but English speakers can't understand them. But, this is easier than Thai or Chinese etc. There is also lots of English, and a fair amount of Chinese.

The other thing that struck me after arriving in Penang, was that it really reminded me a lot of Queensland! It felt a little like home, and I was surprised at the similarities... the weather, the vegetation, building and town layout, and, probably some other subtle things. I've been in quite a few different Asian countries lately (and away from Australia for more than 8 months), and Penang has come the closest to being like my home, as far as physical appearances is concerned.

I was really tired after arriving in Penang (after only a few hours sleep the night before because I uploaded photos, got a Thai massage, and woke up at 4:30 am to get my 7am flight). Caught the bus to George Town, and then another bus to Batu Ferringa, which is a nice beach resort area. I was quite tired (and feeling a little sick because of the bus travel, but that passed soon).

Ate half a Malay-style pizza and relaxed down at the beach. I could have gone parasailing, jetskiing, horse-riding or probably something else, but I just decided to lie down and rest a bit, then I played in the sand and water for a bit. I needed this, and I felt good afterwards.

Then, after shower and massage, made my way across on the ferry from Penang to Butterworth to get on this train. Now for some sleep. Good night!

Rest & Religion

2009-09-07T01:50:00.002+10:00

Just a quick run-down since leaving Hong Kong...

Arrive Thursday night late in the rain at Bangkok Airport. No dramas. Friends' friend picked me up and drove 2 hours to campus in the countryside.

Friday: Woke up nice and late, check out Uni campus where friend works, had beautiful Thai lunch under one of those wall-less hut type things in nice garden area with fountains and music! Checked out a local market... nice experience. Had campus worship at night and really enjoyed singing (it'd been so long since I'd song English songs with a good-sized group!)

Sabbath: Morning worship... felt closer to God. People from all different countries worshipping together. Enjoyed singing again! Shared lunch together... really nice food. Took bus into Bangkok.

Saturday Night: Ate out with friends at nice Korea restaurant and then enjoyed some night views of Bangkok over dessert from 17th floor. Stayed at church nearby.

Sunday: Enjoyed really nice buffet Japanese restaurant... man! It was good! Visited Grand Palace... very beautiful temple and palace. Took boat up and down the river. Met some new people and ate out at Thai restaurant... very cheap! Only about $1.

I'm enjoying traveling, and learning that "racing around trying to see
everything" is not the way to travel... I've been taking it easy and
just seeing a few things, and it's much nicer, more enjoyable. And,
after a while, every city, country, train network, motel and all that,
ends up looking much the same!

Many more thoughts to share, but need some sleep (after a good Thai massage!) before leaving about 4:30 am for airport tomorrow morning. Off to Penang, then train to KL and then Singapore. Last leg of Asia trip. Been great!

Pics: Shanghai, Hong Kong, Thailand

2009-09-07T01:46:00.000+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Thailand
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/HongKong
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/ChinaShanghai

Nice Airport

2009-09-03T22:19:00.001+10:00

Yes, I'm talking about Hong Kong, and using free wireless internet here. People already lining up to borad plane, so just a short blog.

Hong Kong... nice city. Caught up with two school teachers who taught me, plus a friend. Very pretty at night. Went up on the Peak Tram. Well worth the ride up. Hong Kong is big, many sky scrapers, plenty of shopping (and very nice), plenty of business and finance and commerce.

Well, off to Thailand now.

Train Thoughts from China

2009-09-03T01:56:00.000+10:00

Went to sleep last night on the train, rocking a little, rolling along the tracks to Hong Kong from Shanghai, moving forward. Then, woke up this morning to find the train going backwards! I guess we must have terminated at one station and moved out backwards. Anyway, we're not going back to Shanghai, we're going to Hong Kong, right?

Had a good long sleep. 10 hours. Slept quite well, waking up a few times to turn over. I like sleeping on trains. Looked out the window after waking up, and found it to be fairly mountainous, but not high mountains. Hilly, you could say. On the flatter areas between the hills, there were old Chinese houses among the rice fields, vegetable patches and bushland. The odd lake and river. There are some banana trees, also, reminding me of this area's semi-tropical climate. This was about 2 hours by train north of Guangzhou.

At breakfast and did some reading...

I think we are now in Guangzhou. The train is meant to stop at Guangzhou East station, before travelling another 2 and a half hours before arrive in Hong Kong. Out the window, I see old apartment buildings about 5 stories high, industiral equipment (rail, factories etc), overcast weather, trees between buildings etc.

Interesting, when I left Shanghai, I asked the hostel staff about getting to the train earlier because I might have to go through immigration. Although Hong Kong is part of China now (since 1997 after the British handed it back to China), it is an SAR (Special Administrative Region) and, in may ways, still feels like a seperate country (eg. currency, economy, democracy, no internet controls, immigration, etc), and means that you need to pass the "border" (get passport stamped, and maybe need a visa etc) to go from China to Hong Kong or vice versa.

Anyway, the staff said I don't have to get my passport stamped, but if I come back to China from Hong Kong, I need to. Well, I allowed the 30 minutes they said, got a bite to eat with my last few Chinese money (now I'm down to about AUD 1, but I'll be in Hong Kong in a couple hours anyway). Then, I found I did have to go through immigration! Well, it was very painless and I was probably the last person to go through, but got on the train with no dramas.

Reflecting in Shanghai... Compared to Beijing, it's much more progressive. The buildings are much taller (a few more than 400 m) and much more stylish. The roadways are narrower (or, to me, seem more normal... the roads in Beijing, especially the main roads, were very wide!) Shanghai is much more of a commercial, financial and shopping city, whereas Beijing is more government, historic and cultural. Subways, buses and taxis are just a little more expensive in Shanghai. Shanghai is more internationalized, and would better qualify to be a world city. The driving in Shanghai is more aggressive and noisy (when I thought Beijing was interesting!)

In Shanghai, I went to Wu Gardens (old, historic district), a local market area (which sold frogs and snakes!), Nanjing Road shopping and walking streets (East and West), the Bund (a street by the river of western style sand-stone bank and government buildings), Shanghai World Financial Center (with the world's highest observation deck at 474 m on 100th floor), the Bund Sight-seeing Tunnel (it's ok). Just a short trip, but was happy to go there for 1.5 days. And, I was happy to see the Pearl TV Tower, the most iconic building in Shanghai.

I'll arrive in Hong Kong in just over 2 hours! There 2 days. Meet one of my high school teachers from Australia, fly to Bangkok Thursday night and spend a few days with a previous colleague from Melbourne :-)

---

A bit more about the train I'm on...

I got a hard [economy] sleeper. The beds are 3-high. I got the top bed which is about 2m off the floor. I can't sit up in bed, or I'll hit my head on the room. There are six beds to a "room", and seats in the side aisle. There are a few powerpoints in the aisle. In fact, in China, every powerpoint I've seen takes the Australia, US (and Japan) and European (and Korea) plug shapes, but the voltage is 240 volts.

The toilets are "pit" or "squat" toilets, which make for interesting balancing as the train goes along... not my favourite. There are some basins for cleaning teeth, washing face etc, which power plugs for shaving or hair dryers (althogh I haven't seen anyone use hairdryers here yet). I haven't seen any showers. There is no cold drinking water, but there is drinkable hot water, which is great for making up some instant noodles (bought before I got on the train).

After living in Japan for 2 years, and learning some Japanese, I got used to knowing a little bit of a second language. Coming to China, I now realize how much Japanese I did learn, and I feel like my linguistic "hands" have been chopped off! I can't speak a thing in Chinese (except 1 to 10, good morning and thank-you, basically). It's a bit of a let down, and I'm faced with the "new language" feeling again.

In Japan, I could often say a few words in English and someone could help me, but in China it is harder. One time, at the shop, I asked the clerk where the toilet was, but I couldn't communicate the message that well, but some young 10 year old boy who was there, helped me out. His English was pretty good!

Anyway, I have my Japanese phone with me and can write some Chinese characters (many of which are the same in Japanese and English, although many are different). So, sometimes I've communicated with Chinese people by writing on my phone and showing them the Chinese characters. An English-speaking Australian and a Chinese person communicating using a Japanese phone... interetings!

Korea Photos

2009-09-03T01:55:00.000+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Korea

In Hong Kong!

2009-09-02T15:59:00.001+10:00

Good-bye Shanghai!

2009-09-01T20:57:00.001+10:00

On night train to Hong Kong. Already gone through immigration before getting on train. Arrive lunchtime tomorrow. Shanghai is an amazing city! A bustling, stylish, progressive and aggressive, business, commercial and financial world city and a centre of Asia.

Shanghai World Financial Cntr

2009-09-01T17:16:00.001+10:00

... from the world's highest observatory at 470m on 100th floor!

Donuts & Taxis

2009-09-01T01:48:00.001+10:00

Please tell me what the following have in common: donuts, missing the
last train, Asian cities starting with "S".

Tonight, it happened again! I was a bit surprised to find the last
train was before 11pm. After checking out "The Bund" and "Pearl
Tower" (at least trying to see it past all the contruction that's
going on), I was walking to the nearest station, when I saw a Dunkin
Donuts. I don't know why, but I just thought I'd have one.

That done, found the last train had finished. Walked to the next
line, and missed the train by about 10 seconds. Hmmm... So, taxi back
to the hostel. It was about 10 km, maybe 10 or 15 minutes. About 30
RMB or AUD 5... taxis are so much cheaper here in China! But, beware
of the rip-offs (unmetered, unofficial, dodgy ones). Just as a side
note, the trains are usually between 2 and 4 RMB (40 and 60 cents).

And, tonight was not the first time this happened. Last week in
Seoul, the same thing happened. Donut, miss last train, taxi back to
night's accommodation. That time is was about AUD 20, about 25
minutes drive, maybe 20 km? I don't know. Anyway, it was more
expensive, but still a whole lot cheaper than taxis in Australia, let
alone Japan. (And, Seoul trains are about $1 or $1.50 to most
places).

So, what do I learn? I learn that it's ok to do this in China and
maybe Korea, but not in Japan (too expensive)! More importantly, I
should:

1. Find out when the last trains are
2. Don't eat late at night
3. Don't eat too many sweet things
4. Get to bed at a decent hour

And, now, time for bed. Good night!

Beijing Photos

2009-08-31T15:41:00.001+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/ChinaBeijing1
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/ChinaBeijing2

Beijing to Shanghai Train

2009-08-31T14:51:00.001+10:00

2009.08.30 Sunday night 9:50 pm.

On the train to Shanghai. Just left Beijing 20 minutes ago. The
train actually left 2 minutes early! Don't know why.

I can hear restful Chinese music playing as I lie on my sleeper. I
can smell the instant noodles I'm waiting for. I hear and feel the
train moving along the tracks fast enough to let me know this is no
old train. It's less than 1 year old. Ten hours to get between the
destinations. TV screen in front of me and 2 channels to choose from.
Air con. 4 beds in this cabin. It's a soft sleeper... not hard
sleeper. I wanted the cheaper hard sleeper (you could say, economy),
but there were none left. It was about 600 RMB (Chinese Yuan) which
is about $100 in Australia.

I feel sad leaving Beijing. Not exactly sure why... Maybe the music I
hear now... I made good friends at the hostel I stayed in... and
friendly staff. Met a good old friend. Saw some nice beaut spots
during the 4 days I was here: Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, Tiananmen
Square, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Olympic Stadium.

It was my first place to visit in China. I won't forget my first
memories of China.

My camera decided not to work yesterday when I was in church (strange
place for it to stop working... it's totally dead now). So, after
walking for a while in the rain trying to find the Olympic stadium, we
found Wu-Mart which provided a good place for me to get a new camera!
So, that was good. The price was 1400 RMB but bargained a bit and got
it down to 1250 Yuan, with 2Gb card and case, so, not bad for about
AUD 200. It's a Nikon, so I'm happy with the quality.

Time to get to those noodles. I'll miss the people I met in
Beijing... Chinese, hostel staff, old friends, church people, other
foreign travellers. I'll remember the nice sights I saw. I'll miss
Beijing itself.

Good Morning Shanghai 上海!

2009-08-31T10:36:00.001+10:00

McDonald's for breakfast... oh well. Now to find hostel, shower, wash clothes, charge batteries, and do some sightreeing in the rain! Yay!

Good-bye Beijing

2009-08-30T23:30:00.001+10:00

Just left on some real nice overnight sleeper train bound for Shanghai.

Bargaining & Power

2009-08-30T19:09:00.001+10:00

After church yesterday, I rode my bike back to the hostel past
Tiananmen Square. The main road that goes past it is so wide! About
5 lanes each way with turning lanes, cycle lanes and pleeenty of space
on each side, and then when the road goes past the square, it doubles
in width!

The Square is so large! It's one of the largest in the world. I felt
the awe and power of the state of China as I rode my bike past it. I
could see the photo of Mao. Quite impressive! China is a world power
and you feel it when you're in the Square.

Rested Saturday afternoon. At night, ate a few noodles, then went
bargaining! Yes, it's lots of fun. Prices might start out at 180
yuan (about $40 Australian dollars), and I got a leather belt for 40
yuan. Then looked at a shoe shop... it's apparently leather (I'm
still not sure), but got 480 yuan shoes for 100 yuan, and then today
went back and got (apparently) 800 yuan shoes for 90 yuan! It's fun,
and funny!

Today, went to the Forbidden City, which is where the Emperor used to
live for quite a number of years. It's the centre of Beijing. And,
just opposite, is Tiananmen Square. "Tiananmen" means "Heaven Peace
Gate". Took some photos, ate some lunch and got a taxi back to the
hostel (less than $2).

Now, packed, ready to go to Olympic Park. Then, catch overnight train
to Shanghai. Monday and Tuesday there. Tuesday night, overnight
train to Hong Kong. Thursday night, flight to Thailand.

Beijing's been great! Happy Dragon Hostel is really good, friendly,
clean, safe, good atmosphere, really good staff, English speaking, and
good price (about AUD 12 per night).

Glad I could come to Beijing.

Beijing Worship

2009-08-29T17:23:00.001+10:00

Woke up this morning, freshened up, and got the bicycle from the
hostel here. Made my way, checking the map a few times, to one of the
Christian churches in Beijing. The outside of the church had an old
look to it. It wasn't cathedral style. Someone helped shoe me where
to park my bicycle and I headed inside.

I was greeted by a smiling member at the door who showed me to a seat.
Almost every seat was full, and there was another large room next to
the main building I was in. There was well over 500 people there. I
arrived about 9:30 am, I think, and it looked like they were having a
group Bible study.

Then we sang a song, that part of the program seemed to be over, and
the main worship begain about 10 am. About 25 members in the choir
entered as we sang a sacred opening song. People didn't sing quietly,
they sang with volume and spirit. The songs were familiar tunes, but,
of course, in Chinese. I couldn't understand the words, but I could
work out a few of the meanings of the Chinese characters (since I knew
some Japanese), and I could sing the odd note here and there.

Once or twice, as I was singing the songs, I recognized the words
"blood", "wash", and "white", and another time "Jesus", "love" and
"you". As I realized the meaning, and saw the large number of people
wanting to know God having strong faith, and that God is everywhere
(Australia, Japan, China), I couldn't help but feel my eyes become a
little watery. I felt I was closer to God and that it had been a
while since I'd been united in worship. All this, even though it was
all in Chinese and I didn't really understand.

But, one young man was able to translate the worship for me. He could
speak English and Chinese and I'm very glad he could help me. The
message was about being happy, and how our joy comes from Jesus. When
we are happy, our body's health and spiritual health is much better.
Sadness can cause more sickness. Jesus loves us, has forgiven us, and
we can have the joy from knowing He cares for us. It was a simple
message, but one that helped me.

At the end of the message, the pastor asked who had come for the first
time. About 20 or 30 people raised there hands. The pastor asked
them to come to the front; the choir sang; the pastor prayed for them,
and invited them to know more.

After church, was ate some of our own lunch and some others shared
with us. We saw people praying together and some with their Bibles
open as they ate lunch. There were at least 4 different programs that
afternoon: pre-baptism classes, post-baptism classes, youth classes,
English classes etc.

This church seems dynamic. The Spirit is working in this church.
People are coming to know Jesus.

I felt really blessed to attend. After lunch, I chatted with the man
who translated for me, and also another young man who'd just moved to
Beijing for work. It was pleasant to share lunch and to chat
together. I was encouraged. I'd like to attend again, but next
Sabbath, I'll be in Thailand.

God is Lord of all. He is in each country. His Spirit is available
everywhere. I want to be near this God who created all things, who
loves me deeply.

Great Wall of China!

2009-08-28T13:33:00.001+10:00

Greetings! Beautiful day. Amazing wall!

Summer Palace & Temple of Heaven

2009-08-28T02:17:00.001+10:00

Visited these two sights today. Summer Palace was big! Nice feel to
the place. Plenty of history.

Temple of Heaven was my favourite. The icon of Beijing. As the sun
was getting lower in the sky, the buildings were a beautiful sight to
behold. I sense it may have its roots in the original religion of the
God of heaven. A must-see for visitors to Beijing.

At out for dinner with Mike, good friend from Beijing who I got to
know in Melbourne. Hadn't met for 2 years... real nice time catching
up. We then walked along a hutong (traditional, small, old
Chinese-style street) and ate some yoghurt. Pleasant evening.

Ferry Ride

2009-08-28T02:04:00.001+10:00

10pm Tue

Just gained an hour of time as we crossed over the into the Chinese
timezone. I can stay up another hour! :-)

We're cruizing west in the ferry between Korea and China. It's a
large ferry! I'd probably call it a ship. It's maybe about 100 m
long, 8 stories high. It's so large I can hardly feel any waves.
It's pretty flat all the way. If it's windy and stormy, it might be a
bit different, not sure. But, this ride is quite smoothe, with the
odd movement.

It's not super clean, but it's a fairly clean boat. Toilets are ok,
but have to get toilet paper from outside before going in to sit down.
Drinking water available. My own bed (like Japanese capsule hotel).
Restaurant, karaoke room, club area, lounges, shops for snacks, travel
books, souveneirs, showers and info desk.

It's nice being outside on deck at night in the middle of the sea.
Good time for feeling small, thinking about life, being close to
nature and close to God. Back inside, good place to meet people.
Mostly people are Chinese, I think, with good number of Koreans too.
There are a few other westerners too. I met a couple from Europe who
are cycling around the world! I kind of envy them, haha. Also, met a
couple of Korean guys who'll study in China for a year. Met one of
the shop assistants who taught me a bit of Chinese (yi, er, san, si,
wu, liu, chi, ba, jiu, shi; which is one to ten).

Already, I've felt the difference between Korean and Chinese people,
just as I did when I got on the ferry in Japan to come to Korea and
noticed how Koreans were different from Japanese. Chinese are louder
people, on average, and don't seem to worry as much about what other
people think, whereas Japanese people seem to be very conscious and
concerned about what other people think, hence, a much quiter and less
obvious way of conducting themselves.

One of the nicest things I saw this afternoon on the boat just as we
were getting out of sight of Korea, was of a father and her daughter.
She was throwing small pieces of food in the air to the birds who were
gliding in the wind behind the ferry. She was smiling and enjoying it
a lot, as a number of other took photos.

And, for some reason, my Japanese phone still works out here in the
middle of the sea, so I called one of my Chinese friends in Melbourne
to say "Hi!".

And, as the sun set, I took my last photos of my few days in Korea.
Now, for some rest, ready to wake up and begin 9 days in China.

10:30 am China time Wed

Had a goooood looooong sleep, got up couple of hours ago, saw all the
rain outside, couldn't see anything except sea, clouds and rain. Then
showered, ate a few instant noodles for breakfast along with some
nuts, fruit someone gave me, and peach drink. Did some stretches and
then some Bible reading, some prayer and focus thinking for the day.
Just finished now.

I looked up and saw the rain had stopped, and. Feels like we're
getting closer to China now, because there are many of these little
boats (don't know if they're fishing boats or what) and also a few
large tanker ships in the distance. This large ferry has to weave
between the little boats, one or two of which cut across our path,
slowing us down.

Now to practice a bit more Chinese.

Safe & Sound

2009-08-27T02:29:00.000+10:00

Made it to my Beijing hostel safe and sound, no worries. Too tired to
write anything much now, except to say that Facebook, Blogger, Twitter
and Youtube are inaccessible from this location at this time. But, I
can check my Gmail :-) Goodnight!

China Traffic

2009-08-26T20:24:00.001+10:00

Let's just say it's different from Australia.
Drive on opposite side is the easiest thing.
Much more pushy, in front to turn left and sideways. Cutting off is part of the game. Taxis and this bus I'm on and trucks join the game. beep!
Now on 110 km/hr expressway to Beijing where it's bumper-to-bumper and 2 lanes have turned into 3 or sometimes 4. Most vehicles could do with a good wash.
Road surface is pretty good. Let's just see how long it takes to get to Beijing.
Beep!

In China 中国

2009-08-26T17:59:00.001+10:00

Now on bus from Tianjin for 3 hours to Beijing. There until Sunday sightseeing. I'm actually here! Cloudy, bit warm, plenty of ships, cargo and industry at Tianjin terminal.

China!

2009-08-26T15:43:00.001+10:00

Just about to arrive in Tianjin. First sights of China.

Good-bye South Korea!

2009-08-25T15:10:00.001+10:00

Just left port on the Jincheon Ferry from Incheon near Seoul, South Korea, headed for Tianjin near Beijing, China. Biiig ferry! 8 stories high. Weather is a bit hazy and warm. Korea was really nice! After 24hr ferry ride across East China Sea and overnight sleep along the way, we'll arrive in the world's most populous and growing global power, China.

Seoul Tower!

2009-08-23T16:29:00.001+10:00

Greetings from the top and centre of Seoul! Went to Royal Palace and ate bibimbap. Now we'll go to a jimjilbang which is a Korea bathhouse. Enjoying!

First Impressions

2009-08-23T01:44:00.002+10:00

After cutting my too-long fingernails, I thought I'd write a few notes about my first 2 days in Korea.

The first thing I noticed was actually on the ferry before leaving Japan where there were a few Korean people. Naturally, I'll contrast Korea with Japan, since I've lived in Japan for 2 years and hadn't been to Korea yet.

Japanese people tend to be quieter, less subtle, not so verbose, and indirect in their communication. I noticed Koreans are more upfront, bit louder (but not loud), more aggressive, and not so shy in comparision. Koreans seem to be more relaxed in their movements and in how they conduct themselves, in contrast to Japanese people who have relatively more social protocols and pressures (although I'm not very familiar with Korea yet to make fair comparisions).

Respect for people older than you is also very strong in Korea. In Japan, there was still respect, but no like in Korea. Also, people of different ages don't mix as readily in Korea.

Things in Korea and Japan which are similar, include the "group" and "club" structure of society and thinking. Clubs are very important. Outside of the a group, there is not much reason to talk with a stranger. There seems to be more social expectations and "respects", compared to Australia.

Of course, Japanese and Korea people look very similar (from an Australian point of view), but I do notice a difference and can sometimes tell if someone is from Japan or Korea. I notice that glasses (for your eyes) in Korea typically have the thicker dark-rimmed simple style. Girls do their hair differently (the pony-tail tied up higher is quite common). Japan fashion seems more "out-there", modern, and crazy.

Korea seems more dynamic than Japan. Japan seems more closed and conservative in personal interaction, but when it comes to entertainment, Japan is more open, allowing or accepting more.

The mountains in Korea are less steep and tall, compared to the mountiains in Japan. Both countries have a lot of rice fields. The KTX train in Korea (from Busan to Seoul) I think was a little bit faster than the Shinkansen in Japan, and the Seoul metro is more simple and navigable than the Tokyo train network, but Japan overall has a more extensive fast-train and local train network.

Twice I've seen men in trains trying to sell something, which I never saw in Japan. Also, this morning when I went to buy a ticket, I saw junior-high school aged girls or guys (obviously employed by the train company) at the ticket gates standing there, helping people buy tickets. It was kind nice to see. In Japan, you would only see officially dressed, mature aged (or at least over 25) staff employed.

Anyway, the buildings are brighter, more colourful and have more variety than in Japan, where the buildings are closer to greys, browns and creams. They drive on the opposite side of the road in Korea (ie. US and Korea are the same and drive on the right-hand side, but in Japan and Australia cars drive on the left side). I have to be careful crossing the road!

I've enjoyed the time so far. Quick rundown on events:

Thursday night: Ferry from Shimonoseki, Japan overnight to Busan, South Korea. At Shimonoseki buying tickets, realised a few young Koreans were just a few yen short on buying a ticket to get back home. I lent them a few yen, and enjoyed chatting with them on the ferry over dinner and after. I enjoyed the ferry ride. Plenty of stuff on the ferry (baths, karaoke, dance room, restaurant, lounge area, games rooms). You can also go outside to see the night sea. Nice feeling. No rough sees. Slept really well. Woke up to rainy Busan.

Friday morn: Get of ferry. Breakfast with few new friends. Went to Beomeosa Temple in Busan, one of the most famous in Korea. It's a Buddhist temple, which is the dominant traditional religion in Korea. There are many churches in Korea also, with maybe about a third or a bit more Christian.

Friday afternoon: Caught KTX express train to Seoul. Travels at 304 km/h! Nice. About 3 hour trip. Comfy train, and has internet, but have to pay for it. Found my way to Mok-dong station and met Jason, my friend. Met some students, teachers and friends and enjoyed Friday night meeting.

Today: Slept really well, and woke up and met some good friends, and made a heap more friends. Played some games tonight and ate pizza!

Time to get a bit of rest. Seoul is a nice city! It feels quite safe, is quite beautiful from what I've seen, and has a good feel about it.

Off for a bit of sight seeing tomorrow and Monday!

In Korea!

2009-08-21T08:44:00.001+10:00

almost... caught ferry across from Shimonoseki, Japan overnight and now waiting in Busan Port in Korea before getting off the ferry. Slept so well. Calm see. Overcast and rainy. Few hours in Busan, then off to Seoul this afternoon on KTX train a few hours away.

Japan to Korea!

2009-08-20T23:11:00.000+10:00

half way across on the ferry. so dark away from the boat! calm sea. new friends. good time!

Nagoya

2009-08-20T05:17:00.002+10:00

It's 4am, but that's besides the point....

Last night, arrived here in Nagoya to catch up over dinner with a good Japanese friend who I hadn't seen for a year. It's always sad to say good-bye, but I'm very thankful for the friends I have.

Just about to sneak in another hours sleep here at an internet cafe (and manga, or Japanese comics, cafe) before catching the first train towards Osaka.

After dinner last night, my friend showed me the cafe near the station. For a short night's stay of 8 hours, you cough up 1480 yen plus 100 yen for first time comers. When you walked in, I could smell the tabacco fairly strongly (not that I can see anyone smoking). The music playing is fairly quiet and similar to a normal cafe.... light jazz, etc.

Reclining chair in a cubicle with computer and internet, and the network let's me plug my own laptop in... handy. Free drinks... juice, softdrink, tea, coffee.

The funny thing... it's so quiet (except the odd click and keyboard clatter, another person slipping by for another cup of something)... but, with your eyes open, you can tell there's a whole lot more happening...

Well, it's a mange cafe too. And, many of these Japanese cartoons lends themselves to interesting depictions of the human body, along with magazines (which are not cartoons, but photos). I need not say anymore.

I guess for those who are seeking a life of purity and morality, this is disappointing. In the place of the world, these kinds of things are quite freely available with not much restriction.

It simply calls us to be even more careful not to slip into what we know is not right and will lead to dissatisfaction. May the reader of this blog be encouraged to life a pure life.

Time for a bit more sleep. Spent a bit of time just before planning the next part (or at least finalizing the details) of my trip.

It's very sad to leave Japan. I hope I will come back to Japan to live here again. Not sure what the future holds.

I'll trust in God.

Greetings from Yokohama!

2009-08-18T20:22:00.001+10:00

お元気ですか？〓
I had a nice time in Yokohama today with a good friend 〓
Yamashita Park, Chinatown, 150 year celebrations, Landmark tower, Queens Towers and Ferris wheel were great!

2009-08-17T21:41:00.001+10:00

Tokyo Tower! 360 degrees endless building lights. 35 million people.

Incheon Tianjin Ferry

2009-07-03T13:48:00.005+10:00

You can get from Korea to China by ferry. If you want to go from Seoul to Beijing, you can leave Korea from Incheon (20 km from Seoul) and arrive in Tianjin (100 km from Beijing). These are the closest sea ports to the capital cities.

The Jinchon Ferry travels between Incheon and Tianjin. You can phone them on this phone number: +82-32-777-8260. A man spoke English well enough for me to ask and answer questions. The phone number in China is: +86-22-2311-2842.

The ferries leave Incheon on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Tuesday ferry leaves at 13:00 (Korea time) and it takes 24 hours to make the trip. I wanted an economy ticket which costs 128200 KRW (about 100 USD). The man said I don't need to make a reservation since there were plenty of spaces available (but I don't know if it's like that all the time). The ferry leaves from Incheon International Ferry Terminal number 2. You can buy tickets from the terminal on the day of departure. Access to the terminal here: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_1_5_2.jsp

Since you are going to China on this ferry, you will need to get a Chinese visa from a Chinese embassy. For Australians, many countries (like Japan, Korea, Singapore etc) will allow you to enter without a visa for tourist purposes (this is not legal adivce), but with China, you must get a visa, even to visit for a few days.

More Korea China Ferry info:
http://www.chinahotel.co.kr/ct/ferry3_english.html
http://www.besttourkorea.com/outgoing_china/ferry_eng.htm

Hundi's gone!

2009-06-14T06:54:00.002+10:00

Well, my flatmate's just left not to come back. After living, working and hanging out together for a year, we've said good bye. Just 3 minutes ago, he left for the airport. He's a real bro. Forever friends. We'll meet up again. God will keep us and we'll meet in eternity too. Peace.

Rice Planting

2009-06-02T14:56:00.003+10:00

I recently contributed to the production of rice in Japan (otherwise known as "rice planting").

Back to Australia

2009-05-22T16:09:00.002+10:00

After nearly 2 years teaching English and Bible in SDA Schools in Hiroshima, Japan, it's time to come back home! I finish on Thursday night 13 August. Sometime in the next few weeks after that I'll be back in Australia. After that? Watch this space :-)

Sick

2009-05-22T16:06:00.002+10:00

Well, dragged myself off to the doctor last Monday. First time I went to the doctor because I was sick since primary school! Anyway, with all this swine flu stuff going around, and I had a cold, (and other's suggested it), I went to the local doctor and he said it's just a cold, not a flu! Phew!

Going to the doctor wasn't much different in Japan than Australia, at least for me this time, anyway. He spoke good English so that was very nice for me. Getting over my cold still but on the way to normal happy me.

Mt Aso

2009-05-03T12:48:00.001+10:00

Greetings from the volcano! On Friday, Mum, Dad and I got a rental car and drove from Beppu to Mt Aso. We drove up the mountain and saw, heard and smelt the sulphur! It was a real volcano!

The area is so nice and green. Driving is very scenic and relaxing. So pretty! Takachiho Gorge and Shirakawa Waterhead are places we went to yesterday. Today we'll see Nagasaki and Tomorrow we'll go to Sasebo and Fukuoka before returning to Hiroshima on Tuesday.

We've seen very beautiful places ane had many interesting experiences! Tired but the onsens have helped :-)

Kyushu Trip!

2009-04-27T23:42:00.001+10:00

Mum and Dad in Japan now. Spent today in Kyoto. Himeji Castle tomorrow before I meet them at Hiroshima Station tomorrow night.

Wed morn ferry to Matsuyama. Thurs Buppu. Fri & Sat Mt Aso. Sun Nagasaki. Mon Fukuoka. Tues back to Hiroshima.

楽しみ！

50000 times

2009-04-12T22:27:00.003+10:00

That's probably about how many times the wheels on my bike turned around today. From Hiroshima City, took Route 2 past Higashi-Hiroshima, turned off to Takehara (about 55 km), went back around the coast to Kure (back towards Hiroshima-- another 40 km or so). Caught the ferry home after JR telling me they don't allow large, unfoldable, uncovered bicycles on their trains.
Here's a map of my trip. Left at 12:30 lunch time, took some breaks along the way, arrived Kure at about 6:30 pm. So, 100 km in 6 hours is about what's doable for me on a bike with some hills, light load, small amount of wind, good weather.

Unaccepted Gifts & Funny Bananas

2009-03-20T15:58:00.002+11:00

Well, it's 20 March today, which means a public holiday in Japan, celebrating the equinnox. Friday is a holiday for me anyway.

As I remember last year, the cold winter ended almost right on 20 March, and, just a few days ago, (after 2 degrees last Saturday), the temperature got a heat boost and we are now experiencing spring weather! It's so nice, and I'd say we won't get any more cold temps until next winter in October.

And, this time of year also means cherry blossoms! Japanese people just love them, and I do to, so I'll try grab a few pics.

The Japanese school year is April to March, which means this we had graduation. Primary School Grad was on last Sunday, and Kindergarten the day after. Even for Kindy, the grad is a big thing! After 3 years of kindy, it can be quite an emotional experience for kids and parents. A very nice occasion to conclude, remember and express appreciation.

Now, to the unaccepted gifts. David and I went for a bike ride two nights ago, just relaxingly cruizing around the rivers, enjoying the warmer, cool spring nights. We just felt like going to a Family Mart (like 7-Eleven) to buy something. Then I got the bright idea of buying something for the shop assistant.

Hmmm... so, got a little snack bar, bought it, and gave it to him. He didn't know what to do! He tried very hard to give it back to us and refuse the gift, but he was quite shocked, and almost panicked, so it seemed. Anyway, we left and he was left with the bar. I don't know what he did after. I think he probably ate it, but it probably didn't taste like a normal bar because of the apparently strange circumstances surrounding it.

And... bananas. They're always good food, so, on the way back from our bike ride, I stopped at some "open late" fruit stall and remembered I wanted to buy bananans. So, bought 200 yen bananas and gave the lady 250 yen, who, reluctantly accepted it.

David and I kept riding, found our favourite spot, swapped bikes and rode aroundin circles for a bit. I put the bananas on the edge of a wall and forgot to get them after we'd finished our little exercise.

Got back home, went up stairs and then remembered the bananas! Oh, well, in Japan, people don't usually steal things, so I thought I'd go back and get them in the morning, as long as the crows or ants hadn't gotten too excited about it.

Anyway, got up in the morning and forgot about the bananas, but then, lo and behold, the bananas were in the letter box! How on earth did they get there! Well, I thought David must have gone back to pick them up for me and left them there...

After talking with David, he said that the bananas were in his bike basket and that I hadn't left the bananas behind after all! I'd just left them in the bike basket downstairs from our apartment!

Funny bananas!

The Bridge

2009-01-28T01:03:00.001+11:00

Watch: The Bridge

Cold & Run Out

2009-01-25T01:46:00.002+11:00

Just got back from the good ol' 7-eleven shop. More about that later...

Today is probably the coldest day I'll experience in Hiroshima. Got down to minus 2 this morning, snow falling at different intervals throughout the day with a max of 2.4. Doesn't get much colder than that in the city here. Of course, colder in the country side and mountains. But, didn't seem that cold since I was inside with good heating most of the time. Went for a bit of a bike ride with David in the afternoon, but didn't get that cold.

Spent too long in my room tonight in front of the heater using my computer. Was doing a little chart on Japanese history as well as looking at the history of Christianity in Japan. It's interesting. But, was couped up too much, thinking too hard, and got a headache! Still have it. But, after getting up and finding there was something missing, I had to replace it.

Well, the missing item is essential and is what I bought at 7-eleven. Well, I found the toilet paper easy enough and made my purchse. Didn't need to lock the apartment since that shop is so close (1 min bike ride). And, in Japan, people just don't seem to brake in much or steal things! I don't know why, but it's great! May it continue.

New Year Holiday 2009

2009-01-23T11:51:00.002+11:00

Photos on Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/NewYearHolidays2009

Photos with narration on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gd6_L2wkHI

First Work Day

2009-01-11T10:37:00.002+11:00

Well, caught the overnight bus back from Kyoto this morning to Hiroshima to start work in a couple of hours. Really nice time in Kyoto. Stayed at a nice youth hostel in Utano (north Kyoto), went for a hot bath in the city, visited Heian Jingu and saw a bit of culture in Gion. Gion has a nice tradtional and cultural feel about it. Old-style buildings, people dressed in kimono, nice restaurants, and last night it was snowing a bit too.

So, made it back from the Australia trip. Now, after the terrible overnight bus trip (not good sleep), I'm surprisingly energetic! I don't' know why... it's Sunday morning and start of work... anway. Nice to be feeling good to start work. Only a 1 hour class today and tomorrow's a holiday, but then Tuesday it all starts.

So, happy new work year! Let's see what this year brings.

Last Night in Australia

2009-01-07T22:20:00.002+11:00

Just in an internet cafe in Sydney trying to find a backpackers. Have to be at the airport in 9 hours. Looks like there's a reasonable backpackers not far from Town Hall station. I'll go there after finishing this blog.

Caught up with a Melbourne friend who lives in Sydney now. Nice to catch up. They're enjoying life here.

There's so much more grafitti in Australia compared to Japan, and, Australia is far more multi-cultural. Japan's demography is very homogenous. 99% of people are Japanese.

Last weekend caught up with friends in Melbourne. Well worth the very short stay of only 2 and a bit days, but far too short. Church was really good. Hadn't been to a good church in English for a long time. Really felt God's presence there. Felt a lot of spiritual and social release...

After living in Japan, Australia seems to relaxed about everything... at airports, at shops, at work, banks, and, of course, when people are on holidays too. Japan is a serious culture which doesn't seem to allow for mistakes, differences, things that are different, new, or unproven.

Since catching up with friends in Melbourne (mostly Chinese), I've realised how different the cultures in Japan and China are. Seems like I might like to do some more travel again. Kind of lost the travel bug after being in Japan a while, but picked it up again after coming home and mixing things up a bit.

My work finishes in August this year 2009. Not sure what to do after that. Might move on rather than stay another year. My experience in Japan has been really good. Might like to stay there a bit longer, but might be good to travel a bit first.

Well, the timer in the internet cafe is about to click off... I'll head to the backpackers, grab some sleep, get up 5:30 am, shower, catch train to airport, stop off at Gold Coast, fly to Tokyo, bus to Kyoto and home by Sunday.

God bless you.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-02T00:16:00.000+11:00

Began the year with Mum, Dad and Jared (my brother) at home watching the Sydney fireworks on TV in our Queensland home! Man, the Sydney fireworks were something... Must have been incredible to be there.

We drank some Maison, had our own little sparklers, took a photo and then I slept outside under the stars with my brother. The gum trees not far away, the odd shooting star, the insect sounds, and the cooler air made for nice sleeping.

Well, tonight's my last sleep here at home. Tomorrow I head to Melbourne to catch up with friends from church. Then to Newcastle on Monday to see Grandma and Pa and relatives for a few days. Then back to Tokyo on 8 Jan. I'll be in Kyoto 9 and 10 Jan, and then back in Hiroshima on 11 Jan for work.

Happy New Year! May the Spirit of Love and Peace fill your life this year.

End 2008 in Australia

2008-12-31T11:34:00.004+11:00

After 16 months in Japan, I finally made it back to Australia for Christmas and New Year with family and friends. It's very nice to be back in my home country!

Finished work on 22 Dec, caught over night bus to Tokyo and did some sightseeing in Tokyo on the 23rd. It was the Emperor's birthday, so I went to see one of his public appearances. Plenty of Japanese flags and cheering! After that, visited the Australian Embassy, University of Tokyo, Ueno and Nihonbashi (where the "centre" of Japan is).

Then had to catch a train to Narita, but before I did, I had to get my stuff from the lockers in Tokyo station. Did you know how many shops, restaurants, lockers etc are in Tokyo station?!!! I spent more than half an hour trying to find the locker where my luggage was. Finally I asked someone and they asked me to show them the key of the locker. Dir! Then they told me where it was! I was starting to sweat because my flight was soon. Anyway, caught the Narita Express to the airport, borded the plan with no worries and heade for Australia with a nice night view of Tokyo in the distance.

Then, Australian culture hit me. The flight attendants were wearing santa claus hats! What a stark contrast to the the very professional, proper manner of most Japanese customer service people (even at McDonalds in Japan!). And, then began all the "Wow! Australia is so casual and relaxed" thoughts and expressions. And, also, "Haven't seen, heard, smelt, tasted etc. that for more than a year" thoughts came.

Preach Video

2008-12-14T14:02:00.002+11:00

David and I ran the "Hearts For Eternity" seminar at Hiroshima Church last month, November 2008. Here are the videos online:

Message 1
Message 2
Message 3 and 4

We also preached in church on Sabbath, 6 December 2008.

Sermon

Sick & Clean

2008-11-30T19:45:00.002+11:00

Had pretty bad cold the last few days. Japanese colds are stronger, thicker, deeper, more stubtle and harder to shake than the colds I've had in Australia. Anyway, I think I'm on the way back up to health again.

Today was cleaning day at the church/school. All the teachers, pastors, and others were all there cleaning windows, re-waxing floors, cleaning filters, mopping, sweeping etc. It's an annual thing, and most companies, places, homes etc get their yearly clean before December 31, in preparation for the new year.

Cold & Cheap

2008-11-19T09:37:00.002+11:00

September remained a hot month, but just as I expected (based on last year's experience), October brouht a nice refreshing change.

The October change meant that I could start closing a few doors (which were always open before due to the hot weather), I used hot water for showers, and a the days became really pleasant.

But, we've skipped into November, which is when the cold weather begins. Flicked the swtich on the heated toilet seat (so it's on now), wear a jumper to work almost everyday, the washing dries slower, and there's an extra incentive to cook a hot meal (even if it is just some quick soup).

Yesterday was the biggest surprise. This November was a little warmer than usual, but still cool. We had temperatures averaging 10 to 20 degrees, quite nice. But, yesterday, caught us all by surprise and temperatures stayed at about 10 degrees all day, dropped to 5 degrees by 8pm, and snow started falling in the nearby mountains, just out of Hiroshima! So, winter is truly here now.

Together with the temperatures dropping over the last few months (from 35 down to 5), the petrol price has done just the same. Yay! From more than 180 yen/L in August, it's now down to 121 yen! A drop of a third! That means, when I drag out the kerosene heater next week, it'll be a lot cheaper to keep going :-)

And, in a couple of days, we'll be off to our annual retreat for SDA English teachers in Japan. About 10 to 15 of us will be there. We're headed to a nearby (1 hour away) town. It'll be from Friday to Monday and will be nice to meet up with the gang.

When did I go to bed?

2008-11-14T03:44:00.002+11:00

In an attempt to bed at a reasonable hour, after too many late nights for no good reason, I've decided to publish my sleeping times.

Get up = get out of bed or engage my brain (eg. Bible reading, prayer) and not return to sleep; waking up and falling asleep again does not constitute "getting up"; "sleepy prayers" (where thoughts wander from subject to subject and back to sleep again) also do not count as getting up.

Going to bed = being physically in bed with the lights out, not thinking too actively about anything much, and remaining in bed (unless I have stumble my way to the small room).

So, since I will publish my sleep times, this might help me get to bed a little earlier, because ... hmmm, someone might be watching! The aim is to get up by 7:00 am and to go to bed by 11:00 pm.

My bedtimes are since today (14 November 2008). I started off with a bad record on the first day. This was the catalyst which prompted me to start drastic measures to begin good sleeping habits.

by 6am and 10pm is really good (blue)
by 7am and 11pm is good (green)
by 8am and midnight is not good (yellow)
by 9am and 1am is bad (red)
after 9am and 1am is dreadful! (pink)

Here's the link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pjjIUa5ILqejd8ZC6Q3O5PQ

2am Noise

2008-11-11T04:00:00.001+11:00

Hanging out the washing on the balcony of my apartment, listening to some music which is getting drowned out by the noisy trucks going along the main road. Yes, it's 2am, and the odd siren over-powers the road noise.

Why hanging out the washing now in my Hiroshima, Japan, apartment? Well, it's all about mission. Before hanging out the washing, I was preparing a talk for this weekend. The talk is about eternity... preparing hearts for eternity. The talk will be given, urging people to consider eternity and prepare for it.

Mission is not confined to the jungles of Africa or the islands of the Pacific. In the urban cities of Asia today it is very difficult to find the message of hope and eternity. It's the message that Jesus, the only person to have the power over death, can offer us eternal life.

In the cities of Japan, a super-developed country, not lacking any material things, people work, live and continue with life. Industry continues. Generations grow up. Where are all these people headed? To eternity? Do they have hope?

Buildings, streets, clubs, parties, offices, homes, schools, temples, shrines, families, parks, shops... This is life.

2am noise... the country doesn't sleep. It continues on, but headed where?

Summer Holiday Pics

2008-09-28T00:07:00.003+10:00

Finally got around the sorting and uploading. After more than 1000 photos, I've narrowed it down to... 300? Hmmm, still too many. Anyway, you can sort through what you want to see.

Tohoku (Aomori)
Toyako, Hokkaido
Sobetsu near Toyako, Hokkaido
Hakodate, Furano & Sapporo in Hokkaido
Naoetsu, Niigata
Nagano & Chubu Region

No Typhoon + Cool

2008-09-28T00:06:00.001+10:00

Well, the typhoon last week didn't get anywhere near Hiroshima. Nice and safe here.

And, as of last night, we've had nice cool weather! The first cool weather since probably May earlier this year. I saw the thermometer on the building outside our apartment go below 20 degrees for the first time since summer has ended.

And... I'm loving the weather.

Typhoon Approaches

2008-09-17T22:35:00.002+10:00

But probably won't be too much to worry about.
Just letting you know there's a typhoon coming to Hiroshima! Yaaay!
Well, I'm only excited because it doesn't look like it'll be a bad one for here.
Anyway, here are some helpful links:
I think this is the best link: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
That page should show you any typhoons that are of any threat to Japan.
This link shows specific info for this typhoon: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/0813l.html
That website (www.jma.go.jp) also has earthquake info and probably anything else that could be of "disaster" information.
I think they say Friday sometime it might come to Hiroshima, but probably just the edge of it with lots of wind and rain.

Jesus Christ

2008-09-09T23:12:00.001+10:00

Yes, He was a real person who lived on this earth about 2000 years ago. But, He was no ordinary person. Listen to a presentation about Him:

http://sdah.org/files/engchurchmessage080906.mp3

Party's over...

2008-09-01T02:08:00.002+10:00

And so is the holiday. 20 days, about 80 trains, 4000 km, plenty of 7-eleven meals, onsens, various beds, more than half the prefectures in Japan, a few yen (???) later, and I'm back home in Hiroshima with a bag full of clothes to be washed and flat batteries.

It's now spring! Got home just after midnight, so now it's the 1 September, first day of Spring back home in Australia, first day of Autumn here in Japan, and also, first day of work for my second year working in Japan. Let's make the best of it again (more than last year)!

I just thank God for the first year I've had in Japan... so many good experiences, made some excellent friends, learnt many things (I hope), good work and good holidays.

Here is the conclusion of the matter... fear God & keep His commandments. This is the whole duty of man. God will bring everything into judgment, wheather it's good or bad, secret or not.

Trust me, it's true.

Flowers & Hot Bath

2008-08-27T18:07:00.002+10:00

I have to say this is a place you should visit, Furano, Hokkaido. After getting off the train yesteraday, I started riding north out of town on my push bike. The valley stretched before me, the mountains climbed in the distance... the wind gave a gentle push behind me, snacked on peanuts and listened to music riding along, and soaked up the beautiful country scenery.

Ahead, there were some lavender farms. The colours were amazing. Didn't expect that at all! And, free... no entry. Tomita Farm was a beautiful place, flowers of all colours. Visited a few other places in Naka-Furano, and then kept riding as the sky was just starting to grow a little dark.

A few more kilometers and I made it to Kami-Furano. This was my place for the night. The chain came off my bike, but no real problem... just put it back on (but then had greasy hands!) Found the campsite and got an early night after eating some dinner.

Up early the next morning, packed up the tent and headed to the train station to get the 7am bus to go up the mountain. Then realized I didn't understand the timetable, and the first bus was 9:33 am! Anyway, got that bus, and enjoyed a superb onsen. 600 yen, but I got it for 400 yen because I stayed at the campsite the night before (for only 500 yen).

Then onsen had a washing area, hot dripping water section, sauna, cold water pool, quite hot water pool, bubbling pool, and then 3 different out-door hot pools (two of them impossibly hot!), and there was also a covered section. Like usual, men and women in seperate private areas and naked (that's the style here in Japan), and there was also a mixed section (for those with swimming clothes) which had little slipperly slide into warm water. The pool in the mixed area was quite large and deep... large enough to do swimming! The weather outside was about 15 degrees, foggy, cloudy, misty, rainy weather. The steam was rising off the hot pools outside, and just let all worries drift away...

Up, on the bus, back down the mountain to the train station. The bus got back 20 minutes after the train I wanted to catch had left. The results are cascading, meaning my whole itinerary is changed for the next 5 days until I get back to Hiroshima. I can still just make it back home in time for work on Monday... I'll have to do some bike riding though... at least I don't have to pay any extra money.

Well, time to go... been good talking with a person next to me on the computer. He's from Hong Kong and reminds me of my Asian friends from Melbourne. Good to talk.

Now, to study more Japanese on the train.

Furano

2008-08-26T16:03:00.002+10:00

Here in Furano, central Hokkaido, Japan... the sun is shining, just a bit warm, plenty of fields and flowers to discover... and, probably a hot spring or two to bath in. Got a nice afternoon to do it... on my bike, of course!

Summer 2008 Places

2008-08-25T12:24:00.002+10:00

Aug 12 Tue - Hiroshima, Okayama, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Shinagawa, Tokyo Shinjuku
Aug 13 Wed - Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara (all Tokyo), Kanagawa Odawara
Aug 14 Thu - Shizuoka Fujieda, Mt Fuji
Aug 15 Fri - Kanagawa Odawara
Aug 16 Sab - Shinjuku, Tokyo, Odaiba, Kanagawa
Aug 17 Sun - Kamakura
Aug 18 Mon - Yokohama, Shinjuku, Mito, Iwaki, Sendai
Aug 19 Tue - Morioka, Aomori
Aug 20 Wed - Hakodate, Toyoura
Aug 21 Thu - Toya
Aug 22 Fri - Toya
Aug 23 Sat - Toya
Aug 24 Sun - Toya
Aug 25 Mon - Toya
Aug 26 Tue - Asahikawa
Aug 27 Wed - Sapporo, Oshamambe
Aug 28 Thu - Hakodate, (sea tunnel), Aomori, Akita
Aug 29 Fri - Akita, Niigata, Naoetsu
Aug 30 Sab - Naoetsu
Aug 31 Sun - Naoetsu, Nagano, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima

Tokyo to Hokkaido

2008-08-25T12:20:00.001+10:00

I can't say I've been having a bad time. Quite the opposite. It's Sunday morning and been away from home almost 2 weeks. Another week to go. It's definitely a worthwhile holiday.

Currently I'm at Toya Lake in the southern part of Hokkaido, the northern most of the 4 main islands of Japan. I live in Hiroshima, Japan, and have taken a holiday which has lead me up Mt Fuji, around Tokyo sightseeing and catching up with friends, and up to northern Japan by train.

I left Tokyo Monday. Stayed in Sendai at an internet cafe, only to find myself having no sleep due to booking flights for Christmas holidays, uploading photos of the trip so far, emailing and planning the next part of my trip. At that stage, I didn't know exactly where I was going to stay in Hokkaido.

Made my way onto the train about 6am Tuesday morning in Sendai. Grabbing bits to eat on the way from 7-eleven and small noodle shops (eg. onigiri, soba etc). After no sleep, was very tired, and slept a little on the trains, trying not to miss any train changes.

Could only make it as far as Aomori that day. It was a rainy, cloudy day of travel. Spent a little while at a small station during lunch time and had to wait for more than 2 hours for the next train. Had a nice meal at the family-run restaurant across the road... very nice. The cloudy weather made for nice, cozy travel, making it easier for me to sleep on the train, and for others to fall asleep on me!

(Japan is quite a safe country, so it's not uncommon to see sometimes more than half of the people on seats sleeping on the trains. Then, of course, people tend to "fall" and end up sleeping, leaning up against someone. I'd say, on Japanese trains, if you're not using your mobile phone or reading, then you're probably sleeping.)

Found a business (capsule) motel in Aomori across from the station for 3000 yen for the night. You get a capsule (about 1m x 1m x 2m) with TV, radio, clock and bed. Also, there was a shower and ofuro (bath) and lounge area. Good price and jost what I felt like I needed. I'd had anough of internet cafe sleeping... time for something a little nicer.

Got settled, did some washing at the laundromat (coin laundry), went for a bike ride just after dark in a tiny bit of rain. Ate some dinner, had a good scrub in the bath, relaxed, watched a little olympics (go Australia!) and had a good rest.

Up the next morning, another bath (just because I could), some breakfast at the station (soba and tempura) and then raced for the train! Oh no! Only seconds to spare... racing down the escelators (with suitcase, bike, tent, backpack, clumpsy!) and just as I got to the platform, the train just started to move.

The next train was about 2.5 hours later, cutting my trip right down for that day... but... the train driver saw me, slowed and stopped the train, let me on! I couldn't believe it! I've never heard of that before. I was so thankful, and stood on the train trying to catch my breath and calm down for the next 5 minutes. Then thanked the trian driver. I doubt that would ever happen in Tokyo.

From there, caught the train to the northern tip of Honshu (the main island of Japan). Changed trains for the next interesting leg of the journey. To get from Honshu to Hokkaido (two islands) there's a 50km train tunnel under the sea. So, we caught an express train and completed it after 20 minutes of travel, and passing 2 underground train stations! I don't know what you would do there, but I think they're for maintenance and emergency escapes etc.

On that train, I met Daiki, a young man from Tokyo tripping up to Hakodate (the next stop). We had a good time, and, in Hakodate, shared a nice meal and enjoyed good conversation. It was a pleasant time.

So, we'd now made it to Hokkaido! Let's compare the trains. In Tokyo, fast, new, 16-car electric passenger trains with few seats and plenty of standing room to jam people into during peak hour. In Hokkaido, slow, older, 1-car deisel passenger trains with seats and not much standing room. Hmmm... I don't know why they go so slow, but now I know why it takes so long to get around Hokkaido by local trains. I shouldn't complain. I still love train travel and Hokkaido.

About 5:30 pm Wednesday, left Hakodate (main centre for southern Hokkaido) and caught a train to Toyoura station, a little to the east along the coast of Hokkaido from Hakodate towards Muroran. It's a very small town.

When I got there at night, it was dark and rainy. So, reassembled my bike, saddled it up with my suitcase on the back, and made my way to the onsen place down by the coast (1 or 2 km away). They said there's no accommodation, and the onsen was closed, but the map I had said there was a campsite next to it, so I found it, setup the new 3000 yen tent and got settled.

But, I was hungry, so I rode up and down the main street (not very long!), saw a karaoke bar and a few other bars, and then finally found a place where they served up some nice Hokkaido ramen (noodles) with vegetables. That really did the trick and suited me fine. Rode back to the tent and had a good rest.

Good morning, Thursday morning! Woke up to the sound of waves washing up on the shore. The day before, I'd planned that I would spend a good 3 or 4 days next to the mountain lake about 10 km away, Lake Toya. So, that was today's plan. I checked out the map, planned which tent site to stay at next to the lake, packed up, bought some good groceries (finally descent food, not 7-eleven style), and headed up the mountain.

Rode through some tunnels (scary! on my tiny wheeled bike, loaded up, low gears and trucks coming up behind!). Made it to the next town about 5km away, and at the station there, there was some stuff about an international summit etc. Anyway, headed up the mountain from there. Was a good, tough climb.

Rode past some smoldering (what was probably a) volcane, and saw some destroyed houses. Hmmm... Anyway, kept going and cruized down the hill to the Toyako town next to the lake. Found that my $50 bike has it limits, especially in the "brake" department. They smelt hot! Smelt just like car brakes when the get too hot. Luckily I had the front brakes to use also. The back brakes haven't worked as good since.

When I got to Tokako, it was much bigger than I thought. There are free hot foot and/or hand baths scattered around the town. Post office and bank, plenty of hotels, really nice visitor centre, volcano museum and pretty much everything you need for a good holiday. Not to mention, the really nice scenery, the fresh mountain air, beautiful lake, and overall healty feel to the place. Also, there were quite a few eco-friendly things around the place... solar panels, wood things, natural feel etc. Then, I found out, this was the place where the G8 Summit was last month! Didn't even realise! Anyway, wasn't time to rest yet, because I hadn't made it to the campsite.

So, another 10km or so around to the west side of the lake, I finally made it to Toya and found a nice grassy spot beside the lake. In this little town, there's also a post office, bank, konbini (convenience store) open til 11pm, info centre (with good price fresh fruit and veges and bread), free internet, great camping places, and, not to be missed, a nice onsen on a hill overlooking the lake.

Boy, was it good to have a nice meal and get settled. This was the destination of rest. I'd spend the next 4 or 5 days here. This was one of the aims of the trip... to rest, relax, refresh and revive in a rural place in Hokkaido. It was good to unpack and settle.

I later found my way to the onsen, got clean, slept a little in the relaxation room, ate some dinner, saw some fireworks across the other side of the lake, did some reading and slept. It was a cloudy day with a tiny bit of rain, but a very nice day.

Holiday Photos

2008-08-19T03:24:00.002+10:00

Tokyo (Shinjuku, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara) & Fujieda

Mt Fuji

Kamakura

Kanagawa & More

Tokyo Summer Holiday

2008-08-19T03:19:00.000+10:00

On the train again... seems to be the best time to type blogs. Can't go anywhere, but I still find I'm never bored on the train.

Firstly, you're getting somewhere and it's often interesting to see what's out the window. Good chance to eat a meal (even though it's not super-culurally acceptable to do so, it's still ok). Sometimes there are toilets on the trains. You can strike up a conversation with someone (practice Japanese). Read a book. Study some Japanese. Write some blog. Sort photos. Do anything on a laptop. Listen to music. And, of course, like so many Japanese people do, catch up on some sleep (and if the train is empty, lie down on the seat and try to wake up at the right place).

Currently travelling from Tokyo to Sendai about half way up the coast from Tokyo to the top of the main island of Honshu. The trains stop there tonight. Tomorrow I'll head further (catching the first train about 6am) and make it into Hokkaido, my destination for the week. Accommodation tonight will probably be a 24/7 internet cafe in Sendai :-)

Let's back track a bit to since my last blog post.

Last Tuesday arrived Shinjuku station just after midnight. Rode around Shinjuku with my luggage on my fold-up bike to find an internet cafe (which would be the place to stay the night). The place I was looking for had closed down, but right next to it was "Mamboo". Proved to be a good alternative. The deal: 7 hours (1-8am), shower, unlimited drinks (water, juice, tea, coffee, miso soup), internet (of course), probably other stuff, comfy foldback chair for 980 yen. I was very happy. I have to say, the sleep was not that great, but it did the job for the night.

Wednesday morning relaxed in the park and meditated on Bible teachings. Communicated with God. Headed up Shinjuku Metropolitan Government building for a very good free panoramic view of Tokyo. Sky was a bit hazy. Rode my bike through Yoyogi Park and Harajuku to Shibuya.

(Shinjuku is the skyscraper district of Tokyo, is a business and shopping district, and contains the worlds busiest train station (3 million passengers per day) with well over 200 exits. Yoyogi Park is a very park and a good escape from Tokyo's continuous buildings! Harajuku is a youth/fashion district... any form of fashion imaginable (beach, gothic, minnie mouse, casual, dress up etc). Also in Harajuku is the Tokyo Central SDA Church. Shibuya is a youth area also. It also has many love hotels.)

Met up at Hachiko Statue in Shibuya, with Kouda (good friend from Hiroshima) and Mari (good long term friend from Nagoya). We had a good meal together. Great to catch up.

Kouda and I went to Akihabara! Akihabara has "Electric City", which, I would say, is the most "electric" retail centre in, probably, the world. So many electrical products for sale (eg. computers, cameras, TV's and everything else). It's a crazy place with bright, visual advertising, loud shop assistants shouting out their products, music blaring, jingles jangling and everything moving. Good prices for many things. Cheap cameras (yet good quality), 50 blank DVD's for 1000 yen etc. Good place to get bargains, but I didn't buy anything :-) When I need something, and if I can get there, I'll go there. Recommended (for buying things and just seeing the craziness!)

Akihabara has a real unique culture. Apart from the geeky side of it, there is the manga culture (Japanese comics), and also the "maids" among other sub-cultures. Maids are dressed up like European "maids" and are seen advertising and giving out things. Maid Bars are places that pretty much only men go to have someone give them some wanted attention.

Kouda and I headed back to Meiji-jingu, one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Tokyo (located next to Yoyogi-park). It was quite impressive, and very peaceful. A good environment for thinking about the things in life that really matter. We then walked around Harajuku a little. Quite busy. Then we caught a train to Kouda's home.

Kouda lives about 100km south-west of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture (near the border of Shizuoka Prefecture). We caught the Odakyu line train and met his parents, who took us to a "kaitensuzhi" restaurant, where the sushi goes around on a conveyor belt and you just take off what you want :-) It's really cool, I think. His parents welcomed me to their home, I had a nice bath and rested well.

Important Notice

2008-08-13T06:14:00.002+10:00

This life is not forever. We all know that. We all know that will will live an average of 70 or a bit more years. So, why do we still seem to think that it will never happen to us?

But, the reality is, God's does give eternal life. God has given us all life. An enemy has caused trouble in the universe and the conflict continues. Soon the conflict will cease. There will come a time when the way we lived our lives will determine our destiny. The choices we make each day have consequences.

It boils down to: will you live for yourself, or will you live for God and for other people? Will you live a life that is 'universal peace' compatible? ie. being willing to put your own wishes aside when necessary. It's summarised in: "Treat people the way you want to be treated."

God wants to overlook our faults and forgive us. If we turn away from our wrong actions, God forgives and gives us eternal life. Can this really be true?

If you are not sure, determine to search for God. Determine to find your purpose in life. Seek each day to live the best life you can. As you give to others, your life will be filled. As you open your heart to the truth, peace will come. The Bible reveals a message of hope, despite the seemingly hopeless situation the world is in.

Yes, each person has value and is precious. The world might not tell you, but the Spirit of God will tell you. Think about reality. Think about the most important things in life and in eternity. Take time each day to consider these things. If you don't, you've thrown away eternity. But, as you do think about these things, you won't want to turn back. You will have found the path to life!

Tokyo Sleep $10

2008-08-13T02:50:00.002+10:00

Shinjuku, Tokyo. I'm in Manboo Internet Comic Cafe for not real other reason than to have some cheap sleep. Get the night pack for less than 1000 yen which gives you 7 hours of time in an open (but large enough) cubicle.

Put the seat back and get some sleep. Can also use the shower for 30 minutes and have unlimited drinks (juice, tea, coffee, softdrink, miso soup etc). The guy next to me was smoking, but he's stopped now so that's ok.

The staff were ok... not super friendly. I don't speak good Japanese, so that didn't help. I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as you get the rest and shower you need.

Plenty of entertainment around... after all, it is a comic cafe too. Movies, comics of all types and varieties. Plenty of things to distract from real life and many things to make oneself disatisfied with life. I have to say, close your eyes to a few things in here to keep your heart pure.

The train ride today was good. Left Hiroshima 8:45 am and, 10 trains and 15 hours later arrived Shinjuku about 12:10 just after midnight. All for 2300 yen. Now it's nearly 2am, after trying to find an internet cafe with 'sleep' mode, having a shower and typing this up.

I have to be out of here by 8am in the morning. Try find some locker to put my suitcase for the day. Meeting friends at Hachiko Statue in Shibuya for lunch and then doing some Tokyo sights after that.

Good night!

Hiroshima to Tokyo 2300 yen

2008-08-12T15:17:00.000+10:00

On the train from Hiroshima to Tokyo. Yesterday, finished last day of work for my first year contract. Wow! Doesn't feel like a big thing, but, nevertheless, I'm done for a year. Start work on Monday, 1 September.

So, the big trip has started. The origin of this trip goes back to primary school when we had Japanese classes. Ever since, I've wanted to come to Japan and climb Mt Fuji (and catch a bullet train, see the cherry blossoms and have a hot spring/bath). So, 12 or so years later, I'll be able to climb Mt Fuji these holidays!

The plan:
12-17 Aug: Tokyo & Fuji.
19-27 Aug: Hokkaido.
28-31 Aug: Arrive home.

Details:

Aug 12 Tue: Catch local trains from Hiroshima (8:45am) to Tokyo (11:46pm) for only 2300 yen using Seishun 18 Ticket. Stay the night in an internet cafe in Shubuya or Shinjuku.

13 Wed: Meet friends in Shubuya, see a bit of Tokyo, stay a friends house in Kanagawa-ken (outer Tokyo) that night.

14 Thu: Visit friend in Shizuoka during the day. Climb to Level 8 on Mt Fuji and stay the night with a friend.

15 Fri: Wake early, climb the rest of Mt Fuji to watch sunrise from the summit. Sightsee a little around Mt Fuji area. Stay friends house in Kanagawa-ken.

16 Sab: Head in to Tokyo late morning and relax. At night, hang out with friends and stay the night at friends house that night.

17 Sun: Probably head to Kamakura with friends. Stay somewhere (?) in Tokyo that night.

18 Mon: Catch trian headed for Hokkaido (2 days by local train north of Tokyo). Stay somewhere on they way.

19 Tue: Keep travelling to Hokkaido and stay the night there.

20 Wed to 27 Wed: cruise around Hokkaido, camping here and there. Spend a few days in the one place doing almost nothing except relaxing, reading, praying, meditating, a bit of Japanese study, some Bible reading, maybe a bit of bicycle riding and a few onsens (natural hot spring baths).

28 Thu to 31 Sun: Head back to Hiroshima by train (about 3 days travel).

Sep 1 Mon: Work :-)

2008.08.08 08:08:08 +0800

2008-08-08T10:08:00.002+10:00

Well, that's the date and time! 888888
Apart from the being the day the 2008 Beijing Olympics start (and being a lucky number for them), it's also a friends birthday among other things.
Holidays just around the corner starting on Tuesday for 3 weeks, during which I hope to climb Mt Fuji, visit Tokyo and stay in Hokkaido for a week or so. Really looking forward to it.
Work starts again on September 1 (Monday), so the break will be nice.
Tonight we'll have some friends from work and church over for dinner, so should be a nice Friday evening together.

Hiroshima Fireworks

2008-07-28T22:32:00.001+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9m9Sdx9NA

July Photos

2008-07-28T22:12:00.000+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/Hiroshima2008July

We Are Here For Mission

2008-07-28T12:13:00.001+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B0UO4-Nk-s

New Flatmate

2008-07-10T00:38:00.002+10:00

I haven't fallen off the planet. Quite a bit has happened, but no blog for a while.

George (previous flatmate and colleage) has returned to Papua New Guinea. He was great to work with, live with and become good friends with. Miss him.

David (new flatmate and colleage) has come from Australia. It's been great chatting with him and today's his birthday (Happy Birthday, David!)

Truly summer now, with most nights warmer than 25 degrees and the day about 30 degrees. Very humid. Typical Japanese summer weather. Have been to the pool twice this week (and today got a bit sunburnt).

Last weekend went to Iwakuni to study the Bible with friends. Went together with them to a sushi train restaurant (kaitenzushi). It was stacks of fun! The sushi (usually raw fish in rice, among other things) goes around on a little conveyor belt past all the different tables... just take off the food you want! Then we headed to a nice onsen (hot spa) and rotemburo (outside bath) for about 3 hours.... greeeeaaaat... nice and relaxing.

Among other things, have been to the summer concert at the nearby SDA high school. Continue to learn Japanese, meeting with people to learn more. Continue to eat out and hang out and go for bike rides :-)

English Bible classes are going well. Some new students have been coming and are enjoying them. I enjoy teaching English and Bible. It's fun.

Classes are winding down now towards summer holidays. Kindergarten English classes finished. Primary school English classes finish next week. All classes finish Monday 10 August, and start Monday 1 September, giving three weeks holiday.

I hope to see the fireworks show soon, hope to go to a nice beach, go swimming and spend time with friends. When holidays start, I hope to go to Nagoya, Shizuoka, climb Mt Fuji, visit Tokyo, see a bit of Tohoku region (north part of Japan's main island), and spend a good week in Hokkaido (the northern most of the four main islands of Japan). I'll probably travel by local trains (stopping at almost every station along the east length of Japan!), but it's cheap.

I'll go home to Australia in the winter holidays (Christmas time) for about two weeks from about 24 December to 7 January. I'll visit Cairns (brother, sister-in-law, and "someone"), Brisbane (parents and brother), and if I can, I'd like to visit Sydney (relatives) and Melbourne (church friends). But, petrol keeps going up, so I don't know about flights.

Next year, short holiday in April, and then finish contract in August. After that... who knows.

For now, I'll be keeping busy teaching English and Bible, continuing to do my best. Making friends, learing Japanese language and culture, enjoying Japan, sharing my faith and working for God.

Apartment Video

2008-07-09T00:53:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjIgFvVSGjg

Iwate Earthquake

2008-06-15T01:47:00.007+10:00

Unfortunately a large earthquake has struck in northen Japan. Hiroshima did not feel the quake. The quake was 7.0 and struck 8:43 am Saturday 14 June 2008. Yes, there's been damage and loss of life.

This link gives a map of Japan showing areas which felt the earthquake:
http://www.bousai.pref.hiroshima.jp/hdis_eng/main.jsp?link=2&menu=1&param0=0&param1=0&param2=20080614&param3=100080-000391-0000-20080614090146.xml
Red dot indicates magnitude 7.0. Blue dot indicates magnitude 1.0. It's clear to see Tokyo felt part of the quake. The quake was felt about 500 km from the center. Hiroshima is about 1000 km away (by line of sight). On the above webpage, you can see a great stack of aftershocks indicated by different times shown under "log" on the right-side of the webpage.

Quake was in Iwate Prefecture, about 400 km north of Tokyo. Japan's advance earthquake warning system predicted the quake at least 12 seconds before Tokyo felt the earthquake as shown on this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zlDeRzUYFkI
The video was taken in Tokyo and shows a countdown to the earthquake on a computer screen. At zero seconds, the video shows the room with things beginning to wabble. Incredible!

If you're in Japan and you see or hear this on your TV, then I would get out of the building: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0AmrTnBaChE
Six seconds into the video, on the TV appears a map of northern Japan with a red X. You can see 4 Japanese words which are the names of the prefectures affected. This warning appeared within 7 seconds of the quake striking. You also here the "d-d-ding d-d-ding" alert sounds on the TV. At 21 seconds, a man appears live on TV to give earthquake updates, times and affected areas. The number of affected prefectures is increased. Later the video shows footage.

Iwate Earthquake YouTube videos (Japanese): http://youtube.com/results?search_query=%E5%B2%A9%E6%89%8B+%E5%9C%B0%E9%9C%87&search_type=&aq=f

Australian PM in Hiroshima Pics

2008-06-09T11:27:00.001+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/HiroshimaPrimeMinisterAustralia

He's in the Peace Park!

2008-06-09T10:59:00.003+10:00

Well, just as I arrived at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, here comes a whole group of offically dressed people and, sure enough, the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia, is in the middle of the group.

Took a few snap shots within a few meters. Handed a note to his chief of staff, so I suppose he'll get it. Afterwards, met the driver of the car Kevin Rudd drove in. We swapped business cards and took a few photos of the car.

Media was a bit crazy (probably like usual), especially when Kevin Rudd stood in front of the A-bomb dome, the most famous building in Hiroshima and a reminder of the destruction caused by the atomic bomb. I heard one person say, "That was a bit of a scrum."

Anyway, interesting and surprising to meet my Prime Minister (at last a few meters away) in the city I live in overseas.

Where is he?

2008-06-09T09:19:00.001+10:00

I'm an Australian teaching English in Hiroshima, Japan, and the Prime Minister of Australia just happens to be in town today!

Let's see if we can find him at the Peace Park...

English School Concert Video

2008-05-16T11:11:00.001+10:00

Japanese elementary school and kingergarten students sing "Because He Lives" at the Hiroshima SDA English School Concert in March 2008 in Japan at the SDA Christian Church.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CpUXaPUH1ng

Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe

2008-05-07T22:07:00.001+10:00

On the way home on the train now. Meant to leave Kobe earlier, but got sidetracked looking at a few things around Kobe harbour. The harbour area is quite nice. There's a ferris wheel, nice walk around the shore, park, eating and shopping area, tall tower, maritime museum, and a small outdoor museum about the recent earthquake in 1995. The town is, of course by now, back to normal. I saw no signs of earthquake damage today.

Because I left Kobe late, I couldn't catch local trains all the way home to Hiroshima. The last train wouldn't take me home! So, I had to get a shinkansen ticket for the last leg from Fukuyama to Hiroshima... and extra 2410 yen. Should be home a little after mid-night, then wake about 8am ready for work around 10 am. First class is with the grade 1 students.

Back track to last Wednesday. Just relaxed a little around Osaka and went for a nice few-hour bike ride to some part of Osaka. I really like bike riding around cities.

Thursday I went to Kurama, a small rural town on the northern side of Kyoto. Went up some mountain... Actually, I think I've already written about this! Ok, next...

By Saturday, a good group of us had gathered in Osaka, most of us SDA English School teachers from Hayato, Kagoshima, Hiroshima, Osaka and Yokohama. Others joined us. It was great to hang out with "foreigners" again. Nice to be able to converse freely and share experiences and common feelings etc. I felt like I was back to my normal self. My Japanese self has already taken back over now :-)

Saturday we had English church in Osaka, group lunch in the room above the church, then prayer meeting (encouraging time), before walking up to the nearby Osaka castle. Had pasta for Saturday night.

Sunday was a packed day at Kyoto. So many people! Probably one of the busiest days in Kyoto in the year. The train from Osaka to Kyoto was quite busy, and, after getting busy chatting with some other people, I distracted them from getting off at their destination! Oops.

We passed through the Gion district (where all the geisha ladies are meant to be, but didn't see any). Looked at Yasaka Jinja and saw a Japanese wedding! It was very serious and formal. Nice to see though.

Headed to Chion-in in Maruyama Park and then had Kyoto style okonomiyaki for lunch. Caught a very full and slow bus to Nishiki Food Market where there is plenty of good cultural taste and suveniours. Bit more shopping, walking around, and then headed back home.

Monday the group went to Byoudouin Temple (which is on the 10 yen coin) and hiking. I went solo to Nara and Kyoto. At Nara I saw the the largest wooden building in the world, Todaiji Temple, which contains a huge buddha. The building site dates back to about AD 800. Heaps and heaps of people visiting and worshipping by washing hands, burning incence, bowing and praying to buddha.

Before going further, I want to say that I am a Christian. Visiting these kinds of places for me is out of interest and the purose of learning about other religions. It has not been an act of worship for me to go to these places. I hope to understand different religions and peoples.

My experience with God has been real and I continue to search for God and for the truth each day. There is only one truth and I hope to learn more. I serve the one true God.

After seeing a few other sites around Todaiji Temple, I headed to Kyoto. Hired a bike and went to Kiyomizu-dera, a huge complex of buddhist temples and Shinto shrines up on a hill overlooking Kyoto. Many ways to worship... throw money, buy prayer cards, wear good-luck charms, stroke a statue, pray, burn incence, bow, ring bells etc. There were also many, many shrines and places to pray. This place seemed like a very central and key place to Japanese religion and culture. Again, so many people there!

Then pushed out of the crowds and pedalled through some rain to the other side of Kyoto to Kinkakuji, the Golden temple, one of the most famous in Japan. It's covered in old covering. A very beautiful temple, tucked in amongst a nice Japanese garden.

Rode slowly back past a few more shines, temples, the Botanical Garden, the Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, without going in to any of them. Returned the bike and ate some dinner at Kyoto station. Kyoto station is another thing! It's huge! Many train lines, 11 stories high, very modern and futuristic looking (quite opposite Kyoto's style), big, busy etc. And, had a photo with a geisha lady... Caught trains back to Osaka after dinner.

Got up nice and late today. Some Japanese ladies showed us how to do some cooking, which was fun. By the time that was finished, it was time to pack and go. So, said the good-byes and caught the train to Kobe.

Himeji, Osaka, Kurama Photos

2008-05-02T14:55:00.001+10:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/bradwarden/JapanHimejiOsakaKurama

Osaka & Kurama

2008-05-02T14:42:00.002+10:00

If you want to visit Kansai region (including Osaka, Kyoto etc) and you want to get into the quiter part of Japan, I recommend Kurama.

Had a really nice day there yesterday. I took the train from Osaka, through Kyoto, to Kurama. It's only about 900 yen one way by train. The train, after Kyoto, weaves up through some mountains, forests and beside rivers. It was perfect weather. A bit overcast, but that made it nice as we walked up the mountains in the forest.

I met some young people and they were happy enough for me to join them. There are many shrines (Shinto) and temples (Buddhist). It's a very peaceful place and relaxing. It's a good walk up the mountain (don't wear high-heel shoes like one of my friends did!). I recommend it.

After the walk back down the mountain, we had a nice lunch in a small town by a river. Perfect way to end the walk. I said good-bye to the people I was with. They were very nice, friendly, and welcoming. I wish I could thank them more.

I after wards, walked back to Kurama along the road and up to the onsen (hot spring). A little expensive (2500 yen), but I think it was worth it. I got really, REALLY, clean. Tried out the very HOT sauna (110 degrees celcius), and the spa etc. Dried off and put on a yukata (Japanese bath robe). Relaxed and actually slept a little in the relaxing room.

Later went to the outside spa (rotenbura), met a couple of young Japanese guys there. We had a good chat, using my broken Japanese. Nice guys. They live in Kyoto. Then dried off, ate a little, caught the train back to Osaka and went to bed.

Now it's almost a day later and I still feel clean! :-) Four English teachers from Kyushu have joined us. They too the overnight bus from there. Another from Yokohama is coming soon. We'll all enjoy some good times together for Sabbath, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Good to hang out, catch up, sight-see Kyoto and Nara, do some cooking, worshipping God, sharing etc.

In conclusion, I say, "Go to Kurama."