tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9380063854729774422011-12-07T12:17:26.624+09:00please sponsor Alex on the 20 kilometre Nagasaki Bayside run and help pay for a school in Laos, just click on the link, below rightAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-37345808450482638112007-12-04T03:27:00.000+09:002007-12-04T03:54:32.218+09:00

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-75363569773930528842007-11-24T20:30:00.000+09:002007-11-24T21:15:23.792+09:00

it's all in the slurp...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-10350203138951244602007-11-24T07:02:00.001+09:002008-12-12T00:46:30.448+09:00

our last day in Japan (19th November) was spent in Kyoto, it was beautiful but packed with tourists!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-44031939298618537632007-11-24T06:42:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:32.323+09:00

here are a few photos from our leaving party (17th November) at the Ohana Cafe in Nagasaki...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-58720265881794939212007-11-13T08:12:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:32.804+09:00

there are a few photos of our tour of Nagasaki at the end of this linkhttp://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19156&l=938e2&id=520421909 copy and paste it into your browser if clicking it doesn't work.And don't forget to watch the video below....

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-19763306312870725772007-11-13T00:52:00.000+09:002007-11-13T20:02:12.243+09:00

another generous student of ours took us out for a tour of Nagasaki, here's the video to prove it (beware; it's very cheesy!)

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-78988727043393477322007-11-09T13:08:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:33.808+09:00

another generous student invited me out for lunch, oh how I love free food! Here are the pic's of a rather delicious Japanese feast! the pink jelly has chrysanthemums in, although it sounds strange to eat jelly with flowers in, it was delicious!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-5593996040691817222007-11-06T10:54:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:34.227+09:00

a very generous student of ours took all the ex Nova teachers out for dinner. she fed us all very well and treated us to a type of Japanese food that was until last night just a myth for us... the almost living raw fish, I have to say the video accompanying this post is a bit disturbing.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-7094726538021068242007-11-06T09:57:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:36.275+09:00

we went to probably the most beautiful temple we've seen so far, and it's only 15 minutes from where we live! up the hill at the back of the temple was a lookout point where we could see the whole of nagasaki, really amazing. And yes, we went on November 3rd but I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-52810048362915627312007-11-01T12:02:00.000+09:002007-11-01T12:31:36.050+09:00

now that I'm unemployed I have more time to waste making little vids...How to use a Japanese toilet Japanese Death Slide 2 - This time it's a little faster Helter Skelter

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-89598631654115072382007-10-29T10:40:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:37.237+09:00

yesterday I completed the 20k nagasaki bay side run. Not only did I finish under my two hour target but I got a personal best over 20k of 1hr 58m 04s! As you can imagine I'm very happy with that! So now it's sponsorship time, especially for those of you who promised! And for those of you who didn't here's a friendly nudge! The kids in Laos will be very pleased once they get their school.So to

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-68996954413995999632007-10-27T12:04:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:38.214+09:00

so on Friday 26th of October Nova officially filed with the Osaka District Court for bankruptcy. see these links http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2748901.ecehttp://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/viewfromabroad/story/0,,2200354,00.htmlhttp://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071027a1.htmlWe are unemployed. And when you're unemployed there are only two things to do; 1, sue

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-42963997911472448652007-10-23T09:12:00.001+09:002008-12-12T00:46:39.610+09:00

we went to a beautiful hill top park with a few people we met recently. I can't remember the name of it, but it was nice, check out the views over Nagasaki.... and the life risking death slide video!!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-33220838494492301462007-10-23T08:54:00.000+09:002007-10-23T09:11:02.622+09:00

we recently moved, to the top of a very big hill, count the steps if you can.....

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-50962004142912144902007-10-18T12:22:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:42.258+09:00

we went to a few shrines, here's what we saw...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-83390971589836121292007-10-09T17:31:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:43.393+09:00

the recent three day okunchi festival has been really interesting. from street dancing to bizarre festival snacks we've certainly had our eyes opened. here are some photos and videos of what we've seen around town. unfortunately my camera doesn't record sound, so I've added songs myself. hope you like them! and yes, they are crisps stuck to chocolate coated bananas before you ask! the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-85419439895887169332007-08-31T19:00:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:44.470+09:00

today I did three of the four open water dives I have to complete for my scuba licence. there were a few locals a long with Ben and I who managed to take some underwater photos, 20 meters underwater to be precise! we had a beautiful day for it , I loved it!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-28234784295509892312007-08-31T18:53:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:45.181+09:00

the beaches are already officially closed, apparently due to jelly fish, although no-one I know has seen any! we went to a place called nomozaki, unfortunately everything apart from one restaurant was closed up, so no parasols and beer for us! we did however have the whole beach to ourselves in thirty degree weather so we shouldn't complain!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-91498504318150344402007-08-31T18:36:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:47.287+09:00

last weekend Samantha and I went to Unzen. it's a mountain area known for it's spring water. the water has sulphur in and so parts of the town smell like eggs! we hiked up to a peak called "Fugen" which 1333m above sea level. due to the shockingly hot weather I sweated as never before, check out the photo! we stayed in a Japanese style Inn called a "ryokan". Everybody wears Yukatas around the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-50689032224549095982007-08-16T12:54:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:51.726+09:00

obon is a festival to celebrate your dead ancestors. the spirits of the dead return during obon to visit the living. at the end of the visit the spirits are guided back to their world through a large parade of "floats" and firecrackers. it was easily the most positive way to remember the dead that I have experienced.Near the end of the parade I managed to join in and carry the James Brown float

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-22693581040285506592007-08-03T00:47:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:51.930+09:00

for those of you who don't know, I'm taking a scuba diving course, which involves hiring equipment. well, it might not look good but I'm not going to get lost am I?! Stupid hire wet suits...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-26380921276391526712007-08-03T00:40:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:52.908+09:00

it's not really called that but I can't remember what it's real name is. It had loads of fireworks though, check out the photos.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-30048430634652713422007-07-26T10:42:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:53.172+09:00

hey americans, i found your tax dollars!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-12078795239274545922007-07-26T10:25:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:55.221+09:00

today we went over to iojima, a little island with a great beach and a great onsen (spa). I met a brazilian guy with his family in the onsen and we had a sea front barbecue with them afterwards. a local family put on a little fireworks show for us. quite a range of wildlife met us a long the way; the butterfly is as big as a sparrow, the spiders would cover the palm of your hand, and if anyone

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-70639353744992565622007-07-26T10:12:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:57.787+09:00

at the end of glover gardens (see below) there was a very small performing arts museum. it had a few of the big props commonly used in japanese festivals. then on the way out i caught a group of guys practising with one of the dragons for an up coming festival here in nagasaki.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-44953186396676790772007-07-26T10:04:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:59.212+09:00

a fella named Glover from scotland came over here 200 years a go and did wonderful things for nagasaki nad japan. here's the residence he left.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-2441064113534671552007-07-26T09:57:00.001+09:002008-12-12T00:46:59.410+09:00

the typhoon never hit us, boring! here's a photo to prove it, this is as bad as the sky got!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-77832804885009406872007-07-14T17:31:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:46:59.581+09:00

we're somewhere underneath the upper central area of that giant white blob on the map. (click on it to enlarge it) a typhoon so big it covers almost the entire country (except the northern island). this picture is downloaded from the Japanese Meteorological Agency's website at 17:45 local time. we've been sent home from work, so we decided to buy DVD's and red wine and make the most of the

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-42039464965288344762007-06-21T09:58:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:00.153+09:00

unfortunately it's a little camera shy, and tiny, so excuse the poor quality of the photos! this little praying mantis has saved my chilli plant by eating all the aphids that were on it. Hopefully he'll start eating the mosquitoes on the tomato plant soon! the largest recorded praying mantis was found in china in 1929 at a stonking 45cm long, hopefully this one won't grow that big!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-37766197004105655422007-06-12T20:38:00.001+09:002008-12-12T00:47:01.856+09:00

today we went to takeshima. A small island near Nagasaki. to our disapointment the beach was "closed", or so it seemed (unfortunately we didn't understand the Japanese sign! it's below). So we walked around the island in the sun and discovered a huge amount of disused things, from anchors and boats, to houses and land. check it out...but it wasn't all scrap wood and rusty metal of course...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-64720807139082952472007-06-05T23:06:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:03.883+09:00

the temple dates from 1620 and has always had a strong chinese connection. it's the oldest obaku (zen sect) temple in Japan. the old fella in blue pyjamas at the entrance made us feel very welcome. inside we found quite a few delights. i think the one that amused us both was that the Japanese used to bury their dead in barrels rather than coffins! check out the photos...

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-15549469113313315012007-05-31T11:30:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:05.378+09:00

we climbed the local mountain yesterday, all 333m of it! we both really enjoyed it, but in true japanese style the "hiking trail" was in fact a concrete stairway to the top. there were even a few patches of rubbish, reminding us once again that there are no bins in this country. did you see the recent news story about Ken Noguchi who climbed everest to collect rubbish? I think he should climb

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-15393246621581367972007-05-26T07:49:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:12.938+09:00

we went to the beach with some of the people we work with. the place looked like paradise. it was only a 20 minute bus journey and about €2 away. we used a few things we found on the beach to make a golf course and played a few holes. can't wait to go back!the only downside to this trip was the amount of rubbish left on the beach. there aren't any bins anywhere near the beach or any rubbish

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-44351205158337109712007-05-26T07:41:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:17.110+09:00

after our trip to the shrine we walked up a big hill behind it to an observation point. Apparantly it was possible to see a few planets, Neptune and Venus I think, at some point in time from this very spot, but we couldn't see them! We also found a rather interesting road on the way up, one with trees in it.

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-89576266439723973562007-05-26T07:23:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:18.258+09:00

sorry for the delay in updating the blog, especially to those of you who check it! well we have been up to a few things. one of which was visiting the Suwa Shrine. i didn't take any pictures of the shrine actually because its so modern looking, but the animals to be found in the surrounding park and mini-zoo were far more interesting!spot the "wee turtles"

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-32702262844460674792007-05-01T18:24:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:18.570+09:00

the world's smallest can of beer!Oishi Desu!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-41470783839074748452007-04-29T18:55:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:19.688+09:00

we went to the "tall ships festival" in nagasaki harbour on saturday night. i think that means ships with sails! check out the blurry pictures my kruddy camera and shakey hands took! click on them to enlarge them. if you haven't checked our other posts they are below or to the right hand side of this screen, everyone is welcome to leave comments as well!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-63902937752853936662007-04-25T12:38:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:20.657+09:00

unfortunately we got here too late for the cherry bossom celebrations. it's a festival where the Japanese celebrate the beginning of spring with the blossoming trees. it's quite symbolic as it signifies new beginnings throughout all areas of life, new hopes for the future and rebirth as the trees blossom again. It could be compared to easter for Christians, who celebrate the rebirth of Jesus at

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-70669925878269777412007-04-06T06:36:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:21.282+09:00

compared to the 24 hour coach journey from vienna to london, the 12 hour flight to osaka was nothing!the area in osaka where we are staying is called Namba. it looks like a fairground with all the lights and arcades. the street smelled wonerful too. our hotel is quite unique, it has 4 massive bouncers outside....across the road we were lucky to find a very friendly grill bar were the locals gave

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-68473777701735573222007-03-25T04:04:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:21.423+09:00

for those of you who asked the same question as we did when we found out nagasaki will be our new home, here's the answer!

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-67358539506994884472007-03-25T03:54:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:21.669+09:00

we know where we're going now, Nagasaki!it's on the island called Kyushu in the south west of Japan.you might recognise the name because it's one of the atomic bomb cities.it also has a lot of european influence, especially from the dutch and portuguese. There are even windmills in Nagasaki!the city is located right on the coast, with mountains near by

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-54285655836031518142007-03-25T03:51:00.000+09:002007-03-25T03:53:44.976+09:00

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-25142921852110331462007-03-04T23:50:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:22.013+09:00

Well, we have the off date; 4th of April. First we're going to go back to good old blighty for a while on the 26th of March.We just have the stress of packing and tying up all our loose ends in Austria....

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938006385472977442.post-1714414925186389332007-02-21T01:40:00.000+09:002008-12-12T00:47:22.195+09:00

Watch this space for updates on our adventures in Japan....

Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283186346350088540noreply@blogger.com0