yamaonna

I hate it when guys look better in a dress than me…

4 10 2010

If you ever watched an anime set in a school, no doubt there was an episode with the ‘Culture Festival’. Most anime portray this as a day at school when everyone opens up a cafe in their classroom. Or maid cafe even. But in real life, it’s a bit different.

2nd Grade Hallway

Culture Festival, or Bunkasai, is a time when each class gets together and does something in their classroom for their friends and family to come along and see. This can be the maid cafe so often seen in anime, but also popular are haunted houses, short dramas, game rooms, and displays.

Our school had ours in September, and this year the High School kids all seemed to want to make haunted houses. And they are scarily good at it…

Best Named Haunted House

In the Junior High, short dramas were the order of the day, with everything from Lupin the Third, Little Red Riding Hood, and ‘Sex Change Short Stories, Precious Lovers’… No, really.

"Sex Change Short Story"... really...

It’s a lot of fun, but also pretty surreal. Cross dressing is very popular. Very very popular…

She needs a shave...

Myself, well, for English Club, we just did a small display about Australia, which included a paper mache Ayers Rock, and a cricket board game.

Uluru, just like the real thing 😛

I also had the distinction of being ‘pervert catcher’ this year, when I caught a guy taking photos of the girls (>.<;)

For some more non-pervy photos, check out my flickr set!

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Categories : general

More Japanese National Population Census info

30 09 2010

if anyone is looking for assistance in filling out the census, a few good websites have popped up in the last few weeks –

The Japanese Statistics Bureau Homepage (http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/), which has an English version of the form, and the ‘How to’ guide in English too.

And a vocabulary list written by a JET teacher (http://melt-in-japan.blogspot.com/2010/09/filling-out-japanese-national-census.html).

Between these two links I think most people will have no problems filling out the form! Good luck tomorrow!

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Categories : Uncategorized

to create a bright future?

25 09 2010

Every 5 years the Japanese Government holds its Population census, and 2010 is a census year.

Today I had a little Japanese man come and deliver my census forms. At first, he was like “National something, something, something… Do you understand”, and I was like “ummm… no?”. Of course this all happened in Japanese. And then I noticed his ID strap, which had ‘2010 Population Census’ written on it in English, and it clicked. I had read in the City newsletter that it was coming up, so I figured I actually had to talk to the census taker rather than blowing him off (like I usually do with the “I don’t understand Japanese” line I tell to salesmen).

Anyway, after the man invited himself into my apartment (seriously? does this country have no idea about privacy or security), and asked me about how long I had lived in Japan, how many people live in my house, and my name (I really hope he really was an official census taker…)… and then finally gave me the documents (as pictured above). He was um-ing and ah-ing a little over the fact he only had the Japanese instructions, but I said that’s okay, there’s bound to be instructions on the internet….

Well…

Kinda… check out the 2010 Population Census website, it’s creative…. in a Japanese way…

After reading through the whole website, the only points I picked up were –

The census is to be filled out on Oct 1st
It can be returned to the census taker, or mailed to your local government office
Make sure you don’t give it to a fake census taker, and
You must fill in the census, or Japan’s whole future will not be bright and shiny because they made bad policies because YOU didn’t fill it out

It’s also worth a look at Akira Fukuzawa’s teen-magazine-worthy poses, and the token white guy on the top page.

To the Population Census Classroom! Let’s Go! (yes, let’s!)

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Tags: doormen
Categories : general

Hike – Mt Nyukasa (Fujimi Panorama) 入笠山 (富士見パノラマ)

22 09 2010

Quick Overview

Nyukasa Marsh

Although a bit of a trek from Tokyo 東京, Fujimi Panorama 富士見パノラマ and Mt Nyukasa 入笠山 is a great trip for flower lovers during spring, in particular it is famous for its Lily of the Valley, or Suzuran すずらん. During winter it becomes a ski resort, but it is still possible to climb to the summit of Mt Nyukasa 入笠山 to see the 360 degree panorama, which includes views of Mt Fuji 富士山, Yatsugatake 八ヶ岳, and the Japanese Northern, Central and Southern Alps 北, 中央, 南アルプス. The climb is really easy, with only 30 minutes up hill to the highest peak, and the rest of the trail is fairly flat with forests and marshlands.

Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Season: Suitable all year (becomes a ski slope in winter, with snowshoeing to the summit)
Starting point: Fujimi Panorama Resort 富士見パノラマリゾート
Finishing point: Fujimi Panorama Resort 富士見パノラマリゾート

Maps

This map of the hike can also be viewed at GPSies

The Hike

From Fujimi Station 富士見駅, take the exit and in the small car park there should be signs for the Fujimi Panorama Free Shuttle Bus 富士見パノラマ無料送迎バス. Just catch the bus to the lower Fujimi Panorama 富士見パノラマ carpark, about 10 minutes, buy your return gondola ticket (1,600 yen) and then walk up between the shops and then right along the bottom of the ski slopes to reach the gondola station.

Nyukasa Suzuran Garden

The gondola will take you up a fair way, and when you reach the top (Sancho Station ゴンドラ山頂駅) just follow the signs to the right towards the Nyukasa Suzuran garden 入笠すずらん公園. The garden itself isn’t very large, but it contains a number of different varieties of wild flowers. The season for Lilly of the Valley (Suzuran すずらん) is throughout June , but there are other flowers blooming all through spring and into summer.Once you are finished in the Nyukasa Suzuran garden 入笠すずらん公園, head up hill, but before starting to climb up the stairs, take the path to the right around the hill. Be careful to take the correct path, as there are actually two, one for walkers, and the other for mountain bikers who will race past, but don’t worry, its pretty obvious which is which.

Follow the path around the hill for about 10 minutes, before crossing a road, and entering a gated area. This is the start of Nyukasa Marsh 入笠湿原. Within the marsh make sure to keep to the board walks, but despite them, it’s still a very pretty area, also with a number of different flowers like irises.

Nyukasa Marsh

When you are finished there, take the exit on the opposite side to where you entered. There will be a mountain hut here where you can buy lunch and the only bathroom on the track. Continuing on, take the road to the left, and shortly there will be a path on the left through a forested area. Follow this path for about 10 minutes.

Once you leave the forested area, you will be able to see Mt Nyukasa 入笠山 directly ahead. Half of the mountain is grassland again. Keep following the path until you reach another road, and follow that up. You will come to another building that has an observatory, but keep heading up hill to the left of it. From this point it will take about 30 minutes to the summit of Mt Nyukasa 入笠山, with only one alternative trail headed left. Just keep to the right and shortly before the summit the trees will give way to the barren peak.

Mt Nyukasa Panorama

From Mt Nyukasa 入笠山 there is a 360 degree view. On a clear day you can see Yatsugatake 八ヶ岳, the Japanese Northern, Central and Southern Alps 北, 中央, 南アルプス, and even Mt Fuji 富士山. When you are ready to continue, head down the path opposite to the one you climbed up on. Walking down hill will mainly be through a bamboo area, and after 15 minutes you should reach the road. Head right, and about 5 minutes later you will see Kubikiri spring 首切清水 on the right.

Kubikiri Spring

Kibukiri 首切 actually means decapitation, and this spring was named that because couriers travelling to and from the gold mines in the area in past days would stop for a drink and have their heads cut off by bandits. Nowadays the water isn’t safe to drink, not because of bandits, but because cattle is grazed in the area.

Keep heading on the road and after about 20 minutes you’ll reach Oahara Marsh 大阿原湿原. Again, stick to the board walks here. Unfortunately you can only walk around the marsh, but it’s still very scenic, especially during the fall season. To walk around the marsh only takes about 40 minutes, and will return you to the road you were on previously. Now just follow the road back to the Nyukasa marsh 入笠湿原, taking approximately 50 minutes.

Oahara Marsh

From here, just backtrack through the wooded area around the hill for 15 minutes to return to Gondola Sancho Station ゴンドラ山頂駅.

To and From

As always, the following routes are just recommendations. Please use Hyperdia or Jorudan’s Train Route Finder to find the most suitable route for you!

From Shinjuku Station 新宿駅 you can either catch the Azusa あずさ or the Chuo Line 中央線, headed towards Nagano 長野 and Tachikawa 立川 respectively. The Azusa あずさ does the trip to Fujimi Station 富士見駅 in about 140 minutes, Unreserved seats are 5,360 yen, or Reserved seats are 5,870 yen. The Chuo line 中央線 takes approximately 230 minutes and costs 3,260 yen. On the Chuo line you will probably have to change trains 3 times to reach Fujimi Station 富士見駅, at Tachikawa 立川, Hachioji 八王子 and Kofu 甲府.

Unfortunately Fujimi 富士見 is outside of the area included in the JR Holiday pass.

On weekends and public holidays from the end of April to the start of November, and during the ski season, the Fujimi Panorama Resort 富士見パノラマレゾート runs a free shuttle bus from Fujimi Station 富士見駅 to the lower Suzuran Gondola station すずらんゴンドラ駅.

From the lower gondola station, ride it up to Gondola Sancho Station ゴンドラ山頂駅. A return ticket on the gondola costs 1,600 yen. The gondola starts running at 9:30am, and stops at 4:30pm.

Links

Fujimi Panorama Resort (Japanese) http://www.fujimipanorama.com/summer/index.php

Fujimi Kougen Tourist Information (Japanese) http://www.fujimikougen.info/

Hiking course map (Japanese) http://www.fujimikougen.info/hiking/img/02.pdf

Map of hike on GPSies http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=rqkqvzhbbypoklzm

My Flickr photo set from Mt Nyukasa http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelelisa/sets/72157624475871102/

Useful Kanji

Azusa あずさ
Chuo Line 中央線
Central Alps 中央アルプス
Fujimi 富士見
Fujimi Panorama 富士見パノラマ
Fujimi Panorama Resort 富士見パノラマリゾート
Fujimi Panorama Free Shuttle Bus 富士見パノラマ無料送迎バス
Fujimi Station 富士見駅
Gondola Sancho Station ゴンドラ山頂駅
Hachioji 八王子
Kibukiri 首切
Kubikiri spring 首切清水
Kofu 甲府
Lily of the Valley (Suzuran) すずらん
Mt Fuji 富士山
Mt Nyukasa 入笠山
Nagano 長野
Northern Alps 北アルプス
Nyukasa Marsh入笠湿原
Nyukasa Suzuran garden 入笠すずらん公園
Oahara Marsh 大阿原湿原
Shinjuku Station 新宿駅
Southern Alps 南アルプス
Suzuran Gondola station すずらんゴンドラ駅
Tachikawa 立川
Tokyo 東京
Yatsugatake 八ヶ岳

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Tags: flowers, Fujimi, hiking, Mt Fuji, Mt Nyukasa, Nyukasa Marsh, Oahara Marsh
Categories : Hikes

Shibazakura 芝桜

11 09 2010

Shibazakura

A literal translation of Shibazakura is ‘lawn cherry blossom’, and although it isn’t actually cherry blossom (in fact, Shibazakura is known as Pink Moss, or Mountain Phlox, in english) it certainly creates a beautiful carpet of whites, pinks and blues, that lives up to the beauty of cherry blossoms.

In Japan, Shibazakura tends to bloom just in time for Golden Week, the first week of May, but only peaks for about a week in low lying areas. Higher altitudes can extend the time of the ‘carpet’ effect a little longer.

Shibazakura

Nearby Tokyo there are three areas that are particularly famous for Shibazakura – Chichibu, Kawaguchi-ko , and Tatebayashi. Each of these places has their own particular charm. Chichibu’s Hitsujiyama boasts over 400,000 plants, in 9 different varieties. The Fuji Shibazakura Festival site near Kawaguchi-ko has beautiful views of Mt Fuji. And the Yachonomori Gardens in Tatebayashi has a variety of different gardens with a huge number of various trees and plants. Tatebayashi also has the advantage of being close to the Tsutsujigaoka (Azalea Hill) park which also blooms around Golden Week, and a Children’s Day festival held during the same week with large carp streamers lining a river nearby.

Although I didn’t have the opportunity to visit any of these places during Golden Week, I managed to visit Tatebayashi Yachonomori Gardens a few weeks later. The Gardens are a short 20 minute walk from Morinjimae Station on the Tobu Isezaki Line (bound for Tatebayashi).

Unfortunately I was too late for the carpets of pink flowers –

Pink Moss carpets

But the light pink flowers were still looking good –

Light Pink blossoms

And other flowers were in bloom –

Wisteria

Lupins

Poppies

Baby Blue Eyes

So, even if you miss the peak of the Shibazakura, Yachonomori still has something for flower lovers.

You can check out more of my photos on Flickr!

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Tags: baby blue eyes, flowers, fuji, lupin, poppy, shibazakura, tatebayashi, yachonomori garden
Categories : flowers

Summer in three parts

4 09 2010

September is here, and that means a few things, but mostly – it’s back to school.

This year’s summer vacation was Busy. Hot. Exhausting. But good 😀

For most of my summer I’ve had guests visiting, because it was pretty much my last chance to have people stay before I leave Japan sometime next year. From now on life in Japan for me will be focused on passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level 2, and then selling my stuff before moving, and I just won’t be able to dedicate myself to visitors like I usually would.

For the first part of summer I had Angus visit, which I talked about in Blessed are the geek, D-days, and Gundam is Back.

On the day Angus left, I started working for a friend, covering his lessons while he was overseas. It was really refreshing to teach students who wanted to study English, unlike teaching at a school were they are forced to learn. It was only night lessons, so during the day I had time to chill out, watch tv, and sort out my house a bit before my next set of guests.

For the final part of the vacation I actually had my friend Michael come for a week to climb Mt Fuji, followed by my father visiting for 10 days just because. By the end of August I had been expecting the weather to start cooling down, but this year has been most unusual with temperatures continuing to reach up to (and occasionally over) 37 C even into September! It’s actually been the warmest August in Japan since 1946, so I had started to slow down a bit because of exhaustion.

Shibuya Crossing

Despite slowing down a little, I still did a lot of sighting seeing with Michael and Dad. With Michael we went to Shibuya and Harajuku to see the cosplay kids hanging out there, and Asakusa and Odaiba to see a bit of Tokyo’s history and skyline. With my Dad, his main requests were to go to Tokyo Tower and Odaiba, so we spent a couple of days doing that. We also saw Inception, went to the National Nature and Science Museum in Ueno, and probably most exciting for me – went to Disneyland for my birthday!

Rainbow Bridge and Himiko Ferry

So, overall, this vacation was busy, hot, exhausting, but fun! (and I went to Disney 3 times! win!!)

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Tags: asakusa, disneyland, harajuku, JLPT, life, movies, museum, Odaiba, shibuya, tokyo, tokyo tower, travel
Categories : general, travel

Fuji Foto Spam!

28 08 2010

Okay, this isn’t a ‘real’ hiking post, but since it’s all about Mt Fuji I figure I can cut myself some slack.

If you’ve ever considered climbing Mt Fuji, someone has probably told you the saying “You’re a fool if you never climb Mt Fuji, and a fool if you climb it twice” (富士山にのぼらないバカ、2度のぼるバカ). Well, I am now officially back in the ‘fool’ category, with my second climb of Mt Fuji occurring last Friday/Saturday.

Although I will do a write-up sometime in the near future, I wanted to share my photos (because hiking up that mountain with my DSLR was heavy but worth it!), so without further ado ~ Mt Fuji!

The first thing about Mt Fuji is that you can’t escape the crowds. Here at the 5th station they all assemble to be herded up the mountain by tour operators.

The sign at the start of the Yoshida Trail –

Not far past the 6th station you leave the trees behind and the trail begins to get steeper –

At the 7th stations you start to pass mountain huts –

And you can get your hiking stick branded with a stamp at the huts –

Looking back at the 7th station huts –

After hiking up to the 8th station we had a bit of grub and tried to sleep in the Fujisan Hotel. Then, at 2am, we set out for the summit. Unfortunately we didn’t quite make it before sunrise, but the view from where we stopped was spectacular anyway –

And finally, a few minutes after 5, the sun appeared!

After watching the sunrise, we started on the last 30 minute hike to the summit –

Around 6am we reached the summit, where we bought some postcards, and had some breakfast at the peak huts –

And took some photos at the crater –

Before finally, starting downhill –

It’s a hard, long hike, but very rewarding and something I would do again if I was given the chance. If you want to see some more photos, please check out my flickr set!

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Tags: hiking, Mt Fuji, travel
Categories : Hikes, travel

waiting for the sunrise

28 08 2010

waiting for the sunrise,
originally uploaded by michelelisa.

Check out my photos from climbing Mt Fuji last weekend, now on flickr!

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Categories : Uncategorized

Blessed are the geek: for they shall inherit Japan

21 08 2010

So, I recently had a friend come to stay for a few weeks who enabled me to indulge a bit in my geekiness. Here’s a few highlights of what we did –

Jack Daniels Ribs at TGI Fridays in Yokohama. Yokohama also included a ride in a Ferris wheel, the Yokohama Port museum, and fireworks!

TWO days at Disneyland and a night in the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel (and heat so bad that no one came to either and we got to ride the cool rides at least twice each!).

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (where we learnt that the Catbus has all his bits, and was making Kittenbuses), and Nakano’s Mandrake store (for some very geeky shopping – now the proud owner of an Utena figurine…).