Hokkaido Homestay 20091230_31

It was new year eve in Japan,
when I was in Nagoya for homestay,
we gathered at temple surrounding something like camp-fire to get some warmth.
Japanese eat toshi koshi soba (年越しそば） and red beans with mochi inside during new year eve .

But this time, my family in Hokkaido just do some party at home.

Hokkaido Homestay 20091229

Visiting of Asahikawa zoo.
The attraction of the zoo is penguin strolling session.

Hokkaido Homestay 20091228

-> Monbetsu town office visiting
-> museum
-> sea lion feeding session
-> party at ookawa san house , I cooked bakkuteh

Hokkaido Homestay 20091226_27

Mochi and soba making

Hokkaido Homestay 20091225

The host father drove us to look around the town,
the park, and the Russian ships.

People there are nice, they chit-chatted with us friendlily just like old friends met after 10 years.

Hokkaido Homestay 20091223_24

从12月23日到2010年1月7日，我都是在北海道过。
我参加了留学生中心的home stay活动。

我去的地方叫纹别，是个农业和渔业的比较乡下的地方。
我住在一对退休老人的家，他们从十年前就有收留学生，
可是全都是女生，原因是otosan说男生不可爱。
我是第十六个。

我去到那里第一天就和他们打成一片。
来纹别的留学生有四位，香港，韩国和中国。
全都是女生。

20091208 Taipei, Sayonara

台北太好玩了，我还要再来。
下次还可以去南部。

听日本人说，华莲很好玩。我也想去

这次的旅行，我遇到很多贵人，见了老朋友
也认识了一些新朋友。谢谢你们！！！

20091207 Taipei Day 5 渔人码头〉淡水老街〉士林宫邸〉中正纪念堂〉师大夜市〉LiveHouse

今天就像跑了一场马拉松，去了很多地方。
有台湾的正哥，Ted陪我一天。

个人很喜欢渔人码头，很适合散心拍拖。
淡水老街也很不错，很有味道。

玩了一天，很累可是很开心。

20091206 Taipei Day 4 台湾故事馆〉西门町〉龙山市〉华西街

台湾故事馆是几十年前的台湾的缩影。

西门町是年轻人去的地方。
那里有很多服装店。
红楼的后面是gay巴。可是白天就没什么看得出来。

去龙山市的时候，刚好遇到七爷八爷的游行。
可是拍照可能会得罪神明，所以就没拍。

华西街有很多卖蛇的店。

20091205 Taipei Day 3 九份

位于离台北有一段距离的九份，是一个很有味道的地方。
九份位于山上，沿着阶梯走上去，有很多商店，摊子，还有卖很多臭豆腐。
我嗅到就想呕，当然没尝试。

当天和夏子还有柔嘉，玩得很开心。

台北第一天 桃园机场-〉台北车站-〉新北投

很久以前就和夏子计划好要去台北找她，
和她的联络没有间断过，一晃就过了两年。
下了飞机，我就搭国光号到台北车站，有夏子和柔嘉来接我，好感动。

台北给我的culture shock
1。厕纸，不管你做过大还是小，都不准冲进马桶，要丢到旁边的垃圾桶
2。捷运，不可以吃喝东西，树胶糖矿泉水等等都不可以，可是可以讲电话
捷运的票不是纸，而是塑胶钱币，像玩具（东京可以吃喝可是不能讲电话）
3。电动手扶梯，站着的时候靠右（东京靠左）
4。汽车驶道在右边

台北的街道象马来西亚的华人区。

夏子住在新北投，感觉像日本，那里有很多温泉，是旅游区，很多日本旅客。

20090718-21 Lab summer camp by beach

This is a custom where my lab will have get-to-stay-together-and-play-games kind of camping by seaside every year during summer.

Current students and the former students from the lab are welcomed to joined.
After two years, I getting used to the lab culture, and like being with them.

It was a pain in ass just sitting in the lab doing my own things two years ago, while what I could say is mostly 'wakarimasen'. Now I feel I am already one of them.

20090504 Kyodo Church Camp @Mitake

Took part in 3 Days 2 Night camp in Mitake organised by Kyodo Church during Golden Week.
It was raining through out the days so most of the time we just stayed indoor to play games and watch movie.

Met a lot of nice people there, made new friends and caught up with old one.
I was enjoying talking to old people there too.

Jeannete's trip to Tokyo

Jeannete home stayed in Nagoya since Jan till 1st April. Very kind family to let her stay for so long and I can see that they treat her like their own daughter as they always wanted one.

She came over Toko last week for a couple of days. Makoto helped me to take care of her sometimes and I make it to have fun with them when I have no part time or company seminar.
It was our first time to play in Disneyland whole day in rain, I just bought two things that day, one of them is raincoat which I find it indeed VERY useful. During her stay in Tokyo, we did not sleep for two nights, I slowly feel that I am in my aging state, quite hard for me to keep up with it.

End of this month Poong and friends will visit. Can't wait for to get Maggee mee from them..hiak hiak hiak hiak..

Niigata Ski Trip

Skiing is like risking for life, especially when there is no coach, and it is your first time, plus you are at the course which is definitely not meant for beginners~risk for your life.

Went ski trip with a group of friends during last weekends, it was like farewell for Dave, as he was about to leave on Monday. Small incident happened where Yuan Yuan was poked with ski pole by one old man from ski school. She vomited the following day, it might caused by the head injuries..
Luckily tomo was there helping us doing the translation job. Very kind young man with skii talent.

I didn't feel pain as everyone do cause I didn't really dare to ski..I tried ski on the first day and snowboard on the following day. Well~...I will challenge again next time :D

Chevrolet Antics Car show, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Hot spring

We did many things in one day.

First, Antic car shows at down stairs of my dorm, all of them are Chevrolet, Kim Ean was so excited.



Then Meiji Shrine and Harajuku visits



and lastly Hot spring at Ooedo Onsen which is 5 minutes walking distance from my dorm. It has a lot of themed hot springs(outdoor, indoor, milk, steamed/dry sauna..etc) , places for eat and to play traditional Japanese games and to watch the traditional Japanese shows. We can choose our own Yukata as well. Not so cheap to come here (1800 yen), but perhaps and come once per month to relax.

Is was snowing in Fujikyuu 富士急 last Sunday

富士急is amusement park near by Mt Fuji and it is famous for its 3-minutes-Roller-Coaster-Ride. You might problably faint and wake up finding you still on it. Another one is EE-Jyanai Roller coaster which will turn 360 degree itself while moving on the track. The most scary one is still the almost 90 degree slant roller coaster with rocket speed.

Fujikyuu is famous for its Hospital Scene Ghost house, imagine most of the ghost stories actually happen in hospital.spooky...somemore the ghost will chase from behind and you need to run for your life. The other ghost house was like execution room, on the spot, you just listen to headset and you might feel nothing after you come out, but the voice will be in your head before you sleep...yerr~~

It was snowing, the first snow I see in Japan for this season, the snow melt on the floor, which was not the powdery type. Thanks to He Jie for inviting, this trip is actually to celebrate his and another gal's Birthday. Happy Birthday to both of you ..^^

Day 3 Osaka

It takes only 20 minutes from Kyoto to Osaka.
My Japanese friend, Ryou who is very kind, he brought us around for our Day3 Osaka trip.

The food here is nice, especially Takoyakiたこ焼き,　and Okonomi yaki.

The people here speaks in the train, sneeze in the train, and you will sure feel very free here, as if you can do anything and no one will care about you. Unlike in Tokyo, in a train which is full with people, where you can hardly move around, yet no single sound is made, other than 'sumimasen' when people are pleading for way to get off from the train.

The streets in Osaka is colourful and always busy. The banner here are mostly 3D, where at a sea food shop, a gigantic crab will be hanging outside, at sushi shop you will see a BIG fish balloon outside. Hardly see streets like this in other places in Japan.

A short trip, but fulfilling.

Kyoto trip Day 2

Kyoto trip Day 1

Invited by my friends from China, He jie for this trip just few days before the trip.
Other people who joined this trip are Xiao xiao, Yan jue and Zhao yu. They are very nice travel companion ^^

This is not the first time I have been to Kyoto but the feeling is different.
I have been here three years ago with MMU Japanese club during the one week homestay in Nagoya. Last time I did not speak alot of Japanese and we traveled by car.
Travel one your foot, you can appreciate it better.

This time to Kyoto, I felt the different of it between Tokyo. Kyoto is rather quiet place, they speak Japanese with different ascent than Tokyo. I like it when they say "Okini" rather than "Arigatou gozaimasu" in Tokyo. Not much sky scrapper here, the sky is wide and the air is fresh.

We've been to Kiyomizu Dera清水寺, Gion for first day.
For second day, we went to Arashi mountain嵐山, Kinkaku ji金閣寺, Kyoto imperial palace御苑, and Kyoto tower.