Train Station Boredom--Awesome Ads

In December we took a 2 week trip to the island of Kyushu. It is the island to the west of here, and is much warmer. We rode slow trains on a cheap ticket of unlimited rides for 5 days (Seishun 18 Kippu is the ticket name). We used that to travel to big cities and to get us to the island. After we got there we rented a car. The ticket lets you ride on local trains which aren't the best for long distances; it takes so long. However, if you're not in a hurry you can stop a lot and see many things in many places for a cheap price. The bad news is that trains in some areas don't run so frequently and you may get stuck at a train station in the middle of nowhere for a few hours trying to make a connection. Thus, that is what happened here. While Markian was playing with his new purchase, a Nintendo DS, I walked around the platform taking pictures for the heck of it.

These many posters you see are around Hiroshima as well, but always on the train and I'm way to embarrassed to take pictures of them then. I hate looking like a tourist and people look at me like I'm crazy. It was December and cold, so the train station has this little room on the platform that is heated or air conditioned depending on the season. Those posters that I love so much on the train were in there so I took pictures of all of them. They are quite amusing. See for yourself.

Above: This is an advertisement for "Space World". An amusement park in Kyushu. There characters look horrifyingly awesome. I would like to go here. My students are always talking about it. Markian hates roller coasters though so I doubt I will ever get a chance to go. Riding by yourself isn't any fun!





Above: The sign at the station we were stuck at so long. Below me in the middle of nowhere stuck in the cold at the train station and it's starting to get dark. There is nothing here!!! Look behind me!


Above: Markian playing the DS as I'd described earlier. I have one too, but I was too cold to be playing it at that point.

Ebisu Festival

This was last November. Ebisu is a business kami. So if you want your business to do well, you go to his festival and buy one of the these "rakes" (pictured below) so it will help you "rake" in your business. His face is pictured on the sign above. The shrine is on a buy shopping street that was even more busy that evening after all the shops had closed. The bigger the rake, the more business I guess you can rake in because the prices climbed steeply. The cheapest were about $30 for one only about 3 inches big. While ones like the one pictured below went for over $100!

Above people are bringing their old rakes to the shrine to be burned and then are off to purchase a new rake for the year. The rake will hang in their store/business. That was a crazy long line. Glad I didn't have to wait in it!

Since it was a festival, the usual festival stalls were there. Big blow up toys for the kids, real goldfish for you to catch and win, junk food such as french fries and takoyaki (fried little balls of batter with octopus inside topped with carp sauce, mayo, and seaweed flake), squid on a stick..etc.

Above: A view down the busy, crowded covered shopping street that was now lined with stalls. It was really hard to make it through there. Just way too many people!
Above: The shrine again. Just set into the shopping street. Pretty common site. Shrines are EVERYWHERE.

More varieties of rakes at a variety of high prices. I wanted to buy one, but I didn't think it was worth the cost.

Taiko drummers perform later that evening at the festival on a busy street that had been closed to traffic.

Company classes are the way to go!

Last October a Japanese company that I teach at held a welcome party for me. It was really, really nice of them and unexpected. The problem was I felt like crap the day it was held, so it was really hard for me to eat anything. I think Markian did my share of eating for me. He ate so much food that night! I really like this company and I teach there again this year, although I only have about half of the same students there.
The first course came in these little plates that were taken out of a mini dresser. I didn't get a picture of it before it was taken away, sadly. This was a tomato, cheese, and asparagus salad. Yummy!
There were many other courses, but here is the main thing, Sukiyaki. It's a rich soy sauce broth lots of mushrooms, tofu and herbs on top and usually beef or pork, but they had it made with chicken for me. You add raw egg which helps dilute the rich saltiness of the sauce. However, I don't really like eggs, especially raw ones so I ate it without the egg, but Markian used the egg.
It was a nice evening even though I was feeling a little under the weather.

Rooftop view

Here are views from the top of Matsuyama Castle in Shikoku taken back last September. Above is the castle itself. Below is the celling of the castle.


Matsuyama City. Nice View.

This city is the biggest in Shikoku, but is small compared to other Japanese cities, like Hiroshima where I live, which is small when compared to places like Fukuoka and Osaka. Japanese cities look so much bigger to me than America cities because everything is all crammed together and there are lots of tall buildings.



Markian at the top of the castle.


I just wanted to show how steep and narrow the stairs are; plus you have to climb them in slippers! I'm a klutz, so I always make Markian hold my bag and parasol so I don't fall.

That's the end of the Matsuyama trip. Finally! I am about a year behind! Eek!

Weapons and Armor

These were on display inside of Matsuyama Castle. I was happy because you could take pictures! The armor was really impressive. So were some of the swords. The pictures aren't fantastic because of the glare I got from the glass, but I thought some people might enjoy them anyway!


The sai above is my favorite! It makes me think of Mileena from Mortal Kombat back during my middle school days.


Me posing on the opposite side of the weapons room in the castle. I have slippers on. I was not wearing ugly crocs or something like that.