Fire! Fire!

I'm not sure this man could pull me out of a burning building, but god bless him if he tries.

To further explain... at about 8am on a Saturday, we awoke to the sound of horrible bugling. I thought it was just for a game in the school playground, but it continued on and off for another hour... and then another hour! So finally we decided to get up and check out what was going on. We walked over and saw a bunch of firetrucks parked in the playground and a ton of volunteer firemen in uniform (who looked really tired of standing for 3 hours!). Apparently it's an annual event. After 3 hours of bugles and announcements, there was a parade.




It was a pretty big deal with a local TV crew, the mayor, and several of my principals and students in attendance. Some of the students were also in the parade, holding banners and shouting out fire safety tips.



The firetrucks and firemen also marched down in the parade, some of the trucks narrowly making it down the tiny roads. At the end of the parade, the trucks parked by the ocean and sprayed their hoses into the air. Just goes to show you never know what you're going to wake up to here!

Winter wonderland

Last week was the coldest its been here (0 celsius) so naturally we decided to head up to the mountains for even colder weather. We took the ferry over to Kumamoto and then drove about an hour away from the city to the town of Aso. The biggest volcanic mountain in Japan is called Mt. Aso. We noticed the mountains around us were snow capped, but we had no idea it would be so snowy out there. We really should’ve had snow tires, but our tiny K car survived it all.




Once we got out of the city, snow was all over the curvy roads and tall trees. We drove through to the Aso Kuju National Park. We’d never seen such fresh, untouched, clean snow before. The trees were covered in soft snow like a cake with powdered sugar.


Our first stop was Komezuka, a volcanic cone. It was covered in snow and dry brush, but in the summer it turns into a bright green. We had some lunch in the village and then thankful that the car started and didn’t get stuck in the snow, headed up to the main event, the active volcano Mt. Aso.




As we got higher up, it got colder, but undaunted we took the trolley car up to the top. There were all these warning signs about the gases emitted by the volcano which were a little worrisome, but we tried not to breathe in too much. At the top, you couldn’t see much but white steam that smells a bit like old eggs. It was still cool to be so close to a volcano though. I hear they offer helicopter rides for about $50 over the mountains. We might have to check that out when it’s warmer.




We stayed in an inn below the mountains that they call a Pension. It’s usually family owned and run like a hostel, but it looks like a log cabin. The owners were nice and friendly and they even had an onsen bath. For dinner, we ate at a steakhouse where real Japanese cowboys were eating. Who knew we’d see real cowboys for the first time in our lives in Japan.



Looking back we got a lot done in one day! The next day we drove around small towns and went to see a “fountainhead”. Apparently this region is surrounded by different fountainheads which are waters with warm, bubbling water. You can drink the water and even buy empty bottles to fill up. At the bottom, you can see little bubbles of water percolating or dancing as some people say. Another new thing we’ve never seen.

More Christmas joy

Happy New Year!! あけましておめでとうございます！

It's already the night of the first day of 2008 here. Hope you have all rung in the new year happily. We've been enjoying our time off just relaxing at home and hanging out with new friends in the area. For New Year's Eve, we met up with other foreign teachers and Japanese friends at a local bar owned by this really cool guy named Shin. He has an amazing collection of records, rock, jazz, reggae, you name it. So we always have a good time there. We actually saw some snowflakes whipping around and it's been chilly the last couple days. It's been in the single digits in Celsius. It doesn't snow down in our town but in the mountains, you can see snow patches gathering. Standing outside, we could see the stars, snowflakes, and in the distance, you could hear people ringing the bells at temples around town.



Speaking of chilly, we are maintaining warmth in the house but for Christmas, Scott got a traditional Japanese housecoat from Santa. It's like wearing a big warm comforter as a coat. Now there's a genuine smile!

Tomorrow we're off on a little trip to Mt. Aso in Kumamoto. It's just across the water and through some mountain roads that are supposed to be beautiful. We're hoping to make it through with our tiny car and sans snow chains! Mt. Aso is the biggest active volcanic mountain in Japan and one of the largest in the world. Sometimes they close the roads nearest the volcano if it's too windy because the gases can be dangerous to breathe! Should be an adventure. We're also staying in a cabin-like place that they call a "Pension" here. Hopefully the pictures from their web site are accurate and it's cozy.

Well, happy new year to all! Wish you the best for 2008!