Sumoto & Chiba

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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!