My pad

The apartment I live in is in the photo, just above the second roof on the left. It overlooks a cabbage patch (and lots of other buildings) and came omplete with a bike, heaven. OK so its not the most up to date Sarah Ulmer speed bike but it's great and everyday I'm on it discovering new places.
Wow Moments

My first of many ‘wow’ moments when I hit Japan was buying sushi packs from the food stall at the airport, I was so hungry and was bliss to find this treat as common as potato chips are in NZ.

The second was being whisked along in the bullet train, with Japan unfolding out the window, feeling like I was watching TV.

The third being met by my school secretary and being taken to a restaurant beautifully kitted out Japanese style. We watched the chef (apparently his training is eight years long) expertly slice raw tuna, squid, salmon and prawns to lie piggy backed on rice, so delicious.

I spent the first day in a daze, wandering into a spa that I thought was a supermarket and being asked to take my shoes off, what a scene, it took me ages for me to convince them that I wasn’t staying. No Japanese - well it can be a problem but people so helpful and charming going out of their way to show me where to go as I am always getting hopelessly lost.

Mums car would not be out of place here, little Suzuki’s and bikes rule. Pollution is not a problem to me biking, the cars are so late model but…what a lot of traffic and I do have to watch my back on the bike.

Welcome to Japan

Shellfish is very different to shellfish as we know it.

This enjoyable meal was eel (unangi), a popular delicacy in Japan. It's cooked over hot coals and brushed with soy sauce & saki. Lovely.

High in the mountains there are these shrines.
Japan wasn't really on my wish list of 'places to go'. My presumption was that it was westernised – actually calligraphy and tea ceremony are subjects taught at my school and all around where I live I stumble upon temples.

Having said that, there's all the shopping a girl could wish for. The supermarkets are an array of sushi, fish, tofu, rice, miso and I like the saki shelves too. Many evenings I wander round the shelves (I'm wondering if food shopping is becoming a compensation for missing Jo!)

I have arrived in spring, the best season for weather along with autumn. The famous cherry blossoms are a national obsession with families and friends gathering to eat together for outdoor picnics. Judging by the smell of moth balls and alcohol on the train in the weekend, best clothes and beers or sake go hand in hand.