Atami Festival

Sorry for these last two blogs being posted so late. During August, a group of ALTs and Japanese people went to Atami for its annual fireworks festival. It ended up being the perfect day. I love lying in the sun on the beach and getting a tan, and this is exactly what we did all day. A few of us decided to wander around the beach, and we discovered that Japanese people are very friendly. A group of Japanese people were playing a game where you are blindfolded and you hit a watermelon with a sword. They were kind enough to let us join in the game. Also, many Japanese people took pictures with us on the beach. The day was filled with beach picnic snacks, and finally, the day ended with a spectacular fireworks display. Also, I found one major difference between Japanese and American trains is that Japanese people can fall asleep on the train no matter how bumpy the ride or noisy the train. On the way to Atami, a man almost fell on me multiple times because he was sleeping. He seemed to know exactly when to catch himself though, right before landing on me. Also, I forgot to write that there was a really nice foot onsen outside of Atami Station. There were cute children playing in the water, and there is a really pretty waterfall beside the onsen.

The Sleeping Man, who almost fell on me, on the Train to Atami

A Foot Onsen with cute children outside Atami Station

Atami Fireworks

A Lighthouse at Atami

A Statue Thing at Atami

The Sunset at Atami

Atami Beach

Hakone

The next two posts I'm writing are out of order on the Japan adventure timeline, but I still wanted to include it on my blog. In August, a fellow teacher, Mrs. Tanaka took me to Hakone. Hakone is an area famous for its nature and hot springs. I am very lucky to have Mrs. Tanaka at my school because she is a very welcoming person. Also, she is very funny and has a good sense of humor. The first place we visited in Hakone was the Museum of the Little Prince. "The Little Prince" is a book written by French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The museum was like a microcosm of France in Japan. I had not read the book before going. However, I read the book after visiting the museum, and I would definitely recommend it. It’s a short read. Next, we visited a really beautiful lake called Ashinoko. Mountains surround it, and people fish there. Also, a massive pirate ship, which you can ride, sails across the lake. Finally, we went to Owakudani, which has active sulfuric vents and hot springs. The steam coming from the ground is really amazing to see. It looks like something in a movie. A hard-boiled egg, which turns black and smells from the sulfur, is available as a souvenir. I didn’t buy one, but if you visit, I think that you should definitely check it out.

Mrs. Tanaka at the Museum of the Little Prince

The Museum of the Little Prince

The garden at the Little Prince Museum was beautiful.

Lake Ashinoko

Lake Ashinoko

23 Kilometer Hike

For Sports Day in Japan, I decided to do a hike. Another ALT is training for the 100 km Oxfam hike in April. During this 100 km hike, you walk the trail shown in the picture below in 48 hours. I am considering doing it, but I will need lots of training. The walk I did on Monday was from point CP7 Fujimi Center to the finish Tokyo YMCA Yamanakako Center. Sunday night, we had a pre-walk dinner at a restaurant in Numazu called Bluewater. The restaurant is absolutely amazing, and the view from the restaurant is beautiful. The next morning, I took a train to Suruga-Oyama, where the hike began at 9. The actual trail was about 21 kilometers up and down mountains. There really wasn't a proper trail, and I think I would have gotten lost if I hadn't been with other people. It was really hard but very rewarding. Also, I got to meet a lot of other ALTs in the prefecture. We finished around 5:30 or 6 and got to see the sun setting over Lake Yamanaka. I hope that I can go back to Lake Yamanaka sometime soon because it is beautiful. After this, I walked about another 2 kilometers to the bus stop, so in total, the walk was around 23 kilometers. In November, another hike is planned for the Hakone section of the trail. I hope that I can join this hike too.

The view of Numazu from Bluewater

Lake Yamanaka

Jogasaki Coast/Izu Peninsula

The first week that I arrived in Shizuoka Prefecture, I met some really nice Japanese people. I was really excited because I came to Japan to be able to meet Japanese people and hang out with them. Luckily, the ones I met are really nice. I've been able to go out to eat with Japanese people and be the only foreign person there. I feel really lucky because I think most ALTs primarily hang out with native English speakers. This weekend, I was invited to go to the Izu Peninsula. The other ALT, who leaves in Gotemba and teaches in Oyama, also came. We went to Jogasaki Coast. Here, the rock formations and sea are breath taking. We had to walk over a foot bridge to get to the rocks, and it was really scary. We also found this really cool outdoor hot spring. It was right by the sea, and we could watch people skimboard the waves as we soaked our feet.

As always...here are some pictures.