Hanging round,...

Had a little bit a lazy day (if you don't count the work I did for the new blog you see here). But back in Tokyo I'm staying over at Yuriko's. She has a new roommate now Simon (french pronounciation) from Canada (Quebec).

I was listening to some nice music, editing the weblog, reading a little bit,... well in general I was just trying to recover a little bit. 3 weeks of travelling, trying to see everything, but at the same time trying to take your time to see everything, is sugoj (heavy). Knowing I will start working the day after I come back home, you'll know it wasn't a lost cause.

In the evening Yuriko came back from work and brought along an Irish bloke whose name I don't dare to spel out, because I'm afraid to make errors. But the guy himself is great,... we just spent the evening (and half the night) discussing and sharing our thoughts (the Irish guy, Simon, Yuriko and me) in somekind of a Jamaican bar. The Irish is travelling the world and brings along a big smile and some interesting points of view.

Well,... time is shortening, my time in Japan almoust over, but the memories will last for ever. Now I'm just glad to see my girlfriend Tinne again (miss you a lot!) and moving in to my new house (it's more like a shed, but still it's my place).

The blog here will be slumbering a little bit, but if I've got some international guests, I think I'll use it to report their trip in Belgium as well.
Peace to the world, and happyness for everybody!

15 january part 2

Afterwards we went to the Hiroshima arts museum (saw the dream of venus by Dali there) and the japanese garden where they had a tea ceremony (only once a year!) Around 4 o'clock I had to go to the station to catch my train to Tokyo. This was the last day my railpass was valid, so I had to get back. The goodbye was very emotional,... I'll miss them.Wako, Yoko, Yoshi and the entire fish-lab crew,... if you read this, LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! Thanks for the great time in Hiroshima!

picture: The Hiroshima japanese garden

On the train I already practiced the origami and planned for myselve to send the peace message into the world. I'll be folding peacebirds all over the world ;o) and maybe you'll be laughing now, but for me, I have figured out the meaning of my life; friendship and happyness! The happy man won't forget Hiroshima and I hope it's likewise over there.

15 january

This morning (having a little hangover) Yoko tought me to make a cranebird in origami (international sign of peace and get well wish).Wako and Yoko took me to a local restaurant to try the Okonomi Yaki. A dish prepared on a very big hot plate consisting of kind of a pancake, salad, chowder, egg, bacon, cheese and some pasta. Eaten straigt of the hot plate.











Picture: okonomi yaki in full preparation

14 january part 3

In the evening there was a little party in the Fish-lab with original japanese instruments: koto (big wooden instrument with around 12 strings) and syamisen (3-string guitar-like thing).

pic: Yukiko Aoki on the koto

14 january part 2

Afterwards I went with Yoshi to an Onsen (hotspring) combined with a sento. It was a real hot bath, and the hotspring was, in contradiction with the name, ice cold. It was a fall straight out of the mountain. GREAT!
Back at the Momidji (maple-leaf) Wako showed me the surroundings.

picture: a little tour view

14 january

I did a little tour with Yoshi in the morning so the others (who were preparing the party for this evening) could get some more rest. Once everybody was awake they took me to Yugi where there was a classical Japanese house (built around 1800) wich was a shop and restaurant. There was an ancient family boedhistic shrine, really beautifull. They let me taste all kinds of tipical Japanese things.





pic: Yoshi, Wako and Yoko, friends for life in the maple-leaf shop/restaurant

13 january part 2

Even 5 minutes on the Island (Myagima) was to long. I would't find peace in my mind without my notebook. So I said goodbye to Tom (who wanted to join me back to Aso so I wouldn't get lonly, but I didn't want to bother him with my stupidity (He wanted to visit Nara again wich wouldn't be possible if he went with me) so I assured him it was OK to go on without me) But it was to late to leave back for Aso. I head back to the Fish-lab, who said before I always could drop by again.



Pic: Fish-lab wich is a bar and a tropical fish shop

Once arrived there I explained my problem and they started calling instantly with the youth hostel in Aso. They contacted Yoshi and Yoko (who're planning to run a guesthouse next year) so I could stay over in their (not yet finished) guesthouse. They made sure that my notebook would come the next day so in stead of heading of early to Aso again, I could stay in Hiroshima a little bit longer. Wako asked me to stay untill the 14th evening because there would be a little party.I couldn't refuse ofcourse. So I spend the day in the fish-lab practicing and learning some more Japanese, while meeting friends I just never met before.

13 january

On the way to Hiroshima (going back in the direction of Tokyo because our railpass will expire the 15th) I noticed I lost my notebook wich Tint had decorated so nicely and in wich I had all my memories and contactinformations of the people I met. Not able to enjoy myselve with the knowledge I had lost it I planned to go back. First Tom and I went to see Myagima with the famous shrine in the water.



Pic: Tom taking a picture of the famous shrine

12 january part 2

On top of Mt. Aso we did a little tour wich led us trough beautifull landscapes. Desolate and still warm,... the road to nowhere.
pic: The road to nowhere

12 january

We went to Aso to see the volcano's there. It was an incredible view, as if we were walking on the moon. You could really smell the sulfer, while seeing the steam rising up out of the slumbering volcano.
picture: Jero's landing on the moon,... eum, Mt. Aso volcano

11 january

We went to Nagasaki and slept again in an other capsule hotel. The city was nice but not so impressing as Hiroshima. We did a little tour trough the city (to the peace park here) by foot. There there was a ground level wich was preserved as it was on 9th of august 1945.


picture: Tom impressed by the views @ Nagasaki

10 january part 2

After our sandwich we went to the youth-hostel in Hiroshima,... it wasn't to great, but we only put our bags in our room and went instantly for a walk. Passing the Ottagawa river, Kyobashi-gawa river, Enko-gawa river, Shukkeien garden ( to bad it was closed when we passed), the Hiroshima castle and Chuo (central) park. On our way back we went to the fish-lab bar to say we couldn't stay to long, because the doors of the youth hostel would close at 22h and still had to walk up all the way. Instead we ended up having a great time until 22.15 and while Wako's husband was calling the youth hostel to say we would be later, Yoshi (husband of Yoko) and Yoko brought us over there with their car.
picture: Bridge and tower of the Hiroshima Castle by night

10 january

On the way to Hiroshima, we got on the wrong shinkansen. It DID went to Hiroshima, but it was a "Nozomi" train. You can read here: Super-de-luxe train wich is forbidden for J-railpass-holders. The first stop we jumped out, doing so, avoiding a big fine the conductor wanted us to pay (helped by the sentence: "Wakarimas sen" (I do not understand)).
In Hiroshima we instantly took the tram to the peace-park and museum. Once we got of the tram an old man came to us. He told us his story that on August the 7th 1945 (the A-bomb fell on the 6th)he came looking for his father and his brother. He never found them,... And still, the story was a little bit breath-taking, but it's real intensivity reached us when we visited the peace museum.Bottles melted into eachother, sand melted into trinitite, the shadow of people marked into stone forever, the ripped clothes of a young studend, the tricicle of an almoust 4 y.o. kid,... the stories of survivers,...It was an incredible emotional experiance. The beautifull part is that it wasn't accusing America, it was just telling the message, or even better the warning; "See what misery war can bring, especially nucleair weapons". Only to bad one American was to stupid to understand that message and noted in the guestbook a defence and a justification for the bombing.
Tom and I went to a sandwich-bar (some more healty food for a change :oD ) and another local adressed us. She was the owner of the fish-lab bar called Wako. She invited us to come over to her bar, because she had other foreign friends (Australian, American and Canadian) she wanted us to meet.
picture: Hiroshima peace museum, a ripped shirt of an 13 y.o. student

previous blog

Hi everybody,...

Due to bad management of the skynet company I'm transferring my blog to this place,...
you can read the old messages on the old blog: http://soulexport.skynetblogs.be/