Hurry... HARD!

Hey guys!

So owning a computer hasn't helped my blogging habits any... gomen nasai (that means I'm sorry, one of about 10 phrases I've mastered in over two months living in Japan). Anyhoo, life is continuing to buzz by at an alarming rate here. I passed my probation period at work, which means I can now request shift swaps (and I also get paid an extra $200 a month!). I've been continuing to explore the massive conglomerate that is Tokyo and finding many interesting locales. Inokashira Park in Kichijoji is one of my favourites, it envelopes a large pond/small lake, is home to many swans, and reminds me greatly of the park in Stratford. Yesterday I wandered around Asakusa, a neighbourhood which has rather more pornographic billboards than I expected for a place that is widely renowned for its temples and children's amusement park.

My greatest adventure of the past 10 days or so was the one I took on Thursday. The previous Monday I had discovered that the Pacific Curling Championships were being held this week in Tokyo. Curling! In Tokyo! So Thursday morning I headed out for Higashi-Fushimi, a city that had the distinct feel of a North American suburb. It could have been Thornhill. Anyway, the rink was easy to spot from the train station and I revelled in breathing in the fresh, articifically chilly air and the smell of the ice as I entered. I joined about 200 Japanese curling fans, who, though considerably less rowdy than the typical Canadian curling crowd, seemed nevertheless quite knowledgable about the sport (at least they knew to applaud the achievement of a blank end). Teams from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China and Taipei competed for the chance to enter the World Championships later this year. The level of play certainly wasn't that of the Brier, and I think that even I might have been a useful addition to the Taipei team (who lost 10-1 to China in only 6 ends- ouch), but some decent shots were made, especially by the Kiwis and the Aussies, who actually aren't Kiwis or Aussies at all, but rather ex-pat Canadians and Scots. Figures. However, the greatest part of the day was the discovery that, like Coca-Cola and McDonald's, the phrase "hurry... HARD!!!!" has crossed the chasms that separate cultures and achieved universality. Regardless of whether they spoke Japanese, Korean or Mandarin, every one of the players on the ice had mastered the language of Curling.

Fuji-queue

Hi Guys!

I feel like I'm saying this rather too often, but I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted anything. Anyhoo, I *should* be posting more often now as I've recently acquired a computer (yay!). Just in time too, I think I was starting to come down with emphysema from all the smoke in the internet cafe.

I actually did spend an hour last week writing about my trip to Fujikyu Highlands, but it somehow got lost in the Blogosphere as I tried to post it. Curses. Long story short, although I certainly had fun, I think I'll always remember Fujikyu as a bit of a disappointment. After all I'd heard about its rollercoasters, I was a bit surprised to discover that the park only has 4 of them. Granted, 3 of those 4 are pretty spectacular, but in terms of quantity, Canada's Wonderland has this place beat all the way. After its rollercoasters, Fujikyu's second-greatest claim to fame is that it sits at the base of Mt. Fuji (hence the name Fujikyu). Unfortunately, Fuji-San is notoriously shy, usually preferring to remain shrouded in mist and cloud rather than to show itself. The day I went was no exception. However, the grand champion of disappointments was the crazy long lines (or queues, as the hoarde of Brit and Aussie Nova teachers I was with called them). Due to some rather poor planning on our part, we wound up going on Culture Day, the last national holiday before the weather starts to get chilly (I would blame Scott since he organized the trip, but he's also my boss). Anyway, apparantly the Japanese like to celebrate their culture by going to amusement parks. I spent the vast majority of my day standing around waiting. Crushingly, I never even got to ride Fujikyu's newest coaster, which holds the world record for the most upside-down flips. I did, however, manage to ride on Fujiyama, which until last year was the highest rollercoaster in the world, boasting an initial drop of 79m. This was the one they rode last year on the Amazing Race. So I may have sat my bum in the same seat as Phil Koeghan (a girl can dream). I also went on what I believe is still the world's fastest rollercoaster, which uses some sort of jet propulsion to blast you from 0-177 km/h in under 3 seconds, so the day wasn't a complete write-off. Nevertheless, I went home that night with a queasy feeling in my stomach and a throbbing headache and wound up crawling immediately into bed to sleep off my rollercoaster hangover.

Since Fujikyu things have been pretty normal and uneventful here in Tokyo. On Saturday I was treated to a lovely birthday dinner by Alyce and Adelle (curry, my favourite!) but it still felt more than a little strange to have a birthday without Janessa. I'm hoping to go to Nagano at the end of the month, until then I'll try to get myself up to some more adventures!