Matt’s Travel Blog

Merry x-mas everybody!

I’m in the south of Japan , Fukuoka, and getting ready to take a boat across the ocean to Korea for new years.

My x-mas vacation is finally here. 2 1/1 weeks paid vacation.. sweet. Today was my last day of work .. which i spent dressed up as Santa Claus trying to figure out what the Japanese teachers wanted me to do. The highlights were standing on the roof of a school waving at 300 kindergarten kids, and when I was asked “What is Santa’s favorite flavour of ramen noodle?” .. i replied “Miso” which sent all the kids into a frenzy.. which was hilarious. It was a riot for miso approval.

In about 8 hours i will drive for 3 days from here through Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima.. all the way to a place called Fukuoaka to take a boat across the sea of Japan to Busan, Korea.. to take a train to Seoul where i will stay for new years and some days until i fly back to Tokyo and come home again.

Super road trip .. go!

I also can’t belive its Dec 23rd.. it doenst feel like the day before Christmas eve… i feel no build up of excitement or that something special will happen. Maybe its because this year i will get nothing for christmas.. thats sucks.

.. im super hyper busy with christmas.

They don’t really do xmas in Asia. But they don’t not do it either..??? Basically they have xmas stuff everywhere.. you can buy it, put stuff up. But no one celebrates. And as far as i can tell, xmas is a party and new years is family time/more important. So i guess you could say thats backwards to ours.

I spend most of my time at school trying to explain why Santa would go down a chimney, why you have a christmas tree, why you put presents under it (here they put them under your bed), why you have a stocking… etc etc. Japan knows about xmas .. but they’re not so sure about it. And I can’t explain WHY we go out and put a tree in our house. Or WHY you hang a giant sock by the fire…

.. my answer to all the questions was “Because then you get free presents.”

I also have a xmas party to go to for work.. I found a used snowboard for $20 for a gift. How sweet is that! 20$ was the limit.. everyone will get wine, mittens, whatever.. crap… SNOWBOARD!!!!! I continue to be ridiculously good at buying gifts.

nap time.

About 2 weeks ago I had a holiday here in Japan midweek. Sorta like a labour day.. I was going to meet my friends who were in the country, Lukeyboy and Chie, and bring them here but Kamakura and Utsonomiya are just too far unless you pay $100’s for the shinkansen a.k.a. bullet train. But Seongwha and I made the trip anyways with some of my friends here. We spent the night before having a BBQ at my managers house, then went to the temple the next day.

We also went to Tokyo this past weekend and I took lots of pictures so I’ll put those up soon. I finally got my internet figured out so I think I’m online perminately now. I think. Japan may be technological and all that but service is the crap of le crap.

I’m also starting to feel like i’ve been on a world tour of Temples for the past year.. I think i’ve been in over 100 in 8 different countries in the past year. Maybe i’m really good luck now..???

Homemade soup in a brass pot over the fire and the BBQ. Wherever I end up living i need one of these.

Gus the Dog. He’s as much a Gus type dog as my picture of Fat dog was fat type dog. That sentence broke my brain.

The country side on the way to Nikko.

Hang on to your Hats.. its temples temples temples!! And possibly a pagoda????

I’m pretty sure this is the bell used for summoning Godzilla when things go ‘astray’ as they do. I decided to ponder a fight between myself and the big G. .. as you do.. I think the spirit of the dead samurai burried behind me was saying “Go for it dude! Surfs up ninja style!”.. or that was my concious thought. Whatever.

Check this thing out! I should live in that! Then when people ask me “Matt, whats your house like?”, I can say, “It goes up!”.

I belive my comment at the time was “Imagine being in a samurai battle here.. that would be f*%ked up!” Beatuiful and articulate I am Sam! BEYAHH!!!

Whats religion with out the alcohol!? Check out how much Sake (rice wine) this place is packin! Party on Wayne, Party on Shinto master!

A moment of reprise…

This guy and his front yard look pretty cool.

Hear no Evil, See no Evil, Speak no Evil monkeys. I figure the Giant Red Demon at the entrance is reason you shut your mouth, plug your ears and close your eyes.

Drinking from the mighty holy waters … Time to see if this was the true temple of light at which i will gain my superion dragon powers.

Afterwards We chilled out by some falling water.. cause when water falls.. i’ll be there to stand around. Check out the action shots!

fin.