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This is the fifth and final email I sent to America while in Japan:

More Photos:
Famille and Biz Cafe
Kanazawa Castle
Cooking Class

Konnichiwa,

Tomorrow is my last day at Eurocenters. :'( I wish I could stay longer. About half of the people here have extended their stays for another month, so I will miss them a lot. We've all become really great friends. I'm dating a girl here actually (a student, not a native) and we really go together well. It's a crazy coincidence that in one month in Japan I meet a really great girl from Vancouver and we get along so well. We're going to try to work out some way to see eachother over the summer somehow.

I'm not sure what has happened since I last wrote an email; it's hard to keep track of time when I'm this busy. We saw a huge martial arts gym and a basketball game this week. I have to write a goodbye speech for tomorrow in Japanese. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought, though I had to limit the things I am saying. We actually completed an entire textbook this month. I want to buy the next level textbook so I can continue learning this summer. Everyone here really loves my sketches, even though I haven't done too many.

I'm very sad to be leaving. This was so much fun. I hope I can come back here after college, because this was such an incredible experience.

Today’s cultural activity was a trip to the Ishikawa prefectural government office. Instead of going on that, Frances, Seul, and I went to a nearby high school basketball tournament. I kind of regret not going to the government office, as it sounded interesting from the description I got from the other students who went, and because the basketball tournament was incredibly foul-smelling.

Finding the tournament was difficult. We had a map, and a general idea of where to go… but it was incredibly difficult to find. There were people everywhere, so we tried to follow some, but they were coming and going and that plan fell through. Eventually, we took a gamble and heading in one direction, and we finally found the place. There was no air conditioning, and it was June, and a sports competition… so it was incredibly hot and stuffy in there, and the enitre place utterly *reeked* of B.O. We didn’t stay as long as we had originally intended to because of the smell…

Going home from the game, as I left the Nishikanazawa train station, I saw this absolutely gorgeous sunset:

Nishikanazawa at sunset	Sunset right outside my house

Interestingly enough, Frances was walking home in Uchinada, and took photos of the same sunset from her neighborhood!

I showed Okayama-san my sketches from the Okaeri matsuri, and he was so impressed that he gave me a pair of tickets to a nearby art museum. Frances and I went together during my last week; it was right near Kenroku-en and the castle, along a beautiful curving hill road with stone walls, so we were famiiar with the neighborhood.

The exhibit was pretty good. We saw paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and other artworks from regional artists. There was a huge variety of works, and it was pretty impressive that they were all from local artists. The exhibit was pretty large and it took us a decent amount of time to make our way through it, and afterwards we walked downtown and headed back to Eurocentres, were we sat together for a while. After the sun began to set, I walked Frances to her subway and then headed to my train, and went home to my host family.

Today we visited an enormous martial arts gym, a decent bus drive away. I wasn’t expecting something so big when I heard we were going there, so I was shocked to see a three story complex the size of my high school! We took off our shoes just like in any Japanese building and put on small red slippers (not big enough for Western feet). The place looked like a high school on the inside as well, due to its size, architecture, floor and ceilings.

Our first visit in the school was to the archery field. Japanese archery (kyuudo) is different from Western archery mainly in the fact that you are deemed successful or not based not on where you hit the target, but your form. We watched for a little while, and the few students we saw doing it were very good and it was quite impressive.

After kyuudo, we went to the second floor and watched the judo practice. Judo is basically Japanese wrestling. The group we watched were young, perhaps elementary school, and they were already at such a young age very skilled. The warm-ups they did were almost exactly the same type of warm-ups I did when I studied Tang Soo Do, which I found rather interesting.

Finally, we went to the third floor and watched kendo, Japanese sword fighting. Kendo is very complicated; the combatants wear all sorts of body armor and look more like beekeepers than martial artists. The sword is a set of wooden rods that make a loud crack whenever a proper strike is made. After watching, we got to have a kendo lesson. We suited up in traditional blue clothing sans armor (mine was way too large so I looked rather goofy), were handed swords, and went out into the gym. At first we were shown basic stances and the main head attack (to attack the head, you have to shout, “MAN!” or else the strike is not counted), and then we did some drills. Afterwards, we were told to line up in front of the students, all young kids again. We all became a bit nervous, and then were told to strike the kids… we all hesitated, but the instructor insisted… And so, for about 15 straight minutes, a dozen nervous gaijin beat on the heads of young Japanese children with sword, while the gym echoed with our shouts of “MAN!”

I was complimented on my stance by the instructor, which impressed Yasuko… I explained that I had taken martial arts in the states and thats why I was able to do the stances well… but then again I was speaking English and the instructor only spoke Japanese… so I don’t know if I got through.

Kendo was fun… if I get a chance to study martial arts again, that would be one worth taking.

It was a rainy day and we got back to Eurocentres a bit late after our visit to the budokan, so we all went our separate ways for dinner with our host families.

My host parents took me out on the third weekend. We took a very long drive through beautiful hills and countryside (listening to a CD of American pop songs played on panflute on the way… very bizarre). We stopped for lunch at a roadside ramen shop, where we were given *enormous* portions… and I wasn’t even that hungry to begin with… but I ate until I was bursting at the sides. Then we left for an old temple called Nata-dera.

Nata-dera was a very large temple with beautiful, old architecture. It was a huge complex that consisted of many buildings, all linked together along a wide stone walkway. Unfortunately it was pouring rain the whole time, but it was a lot of fun anyway.

The temple had many different shrines and covered the area of a large park. One of them was a large rock (I’d call it a tiny mountain) with little shrines carved into it, overlooking a beautiful pond. We visited well as a number of large wooden buildings built into the rock, and my parents made offerings. There were freestanding wooden buildings in other parts of the complex, and since this temple was in the mountains, the buildings up on hills gave incredibly beautiful views of the whole area. There was also a very large, brand new temple with a gigantic many-armed buddha inside (I wasn’t allowed to take photos in there). Finally, we visited the gift shop/museum area that was once a functioning part of the temple as well. Aside from various souveniers, this building had an old Japanese taxi (a tiny little box with handles… it’s amazing anyone could have fit inside of it) and a wall-sized cloth map of ancient Japan.

The rain actually added to the beauty of the temple, as there were frogs jumping around, and everything was shinier and more vivid.

The Yamamiyas pose in front of the door	My turn	This large rock had many caves with shrines inside
We head up a mountain into a shrine	Shinto shrines are marked by torii	One of the ponds near the shrine
One of the shrine guardians	Just a nature shot	My host parents underneath a 300-year old building
This is a long, bending red bridge, or can’t you tell?	Another view of the shrines	The long highway from the gate to the shrines
This is a brand new Buddhist temple at the site

After the temple, we went to a glassworks shop. I think my parents told me it was the largest (if not, one of the largest) glass centers in Japan. It was made out to look like a little German village, and even had German writing above the buildings… sort of a Bavarian feel to it. There were a few buildings, and I’d say there was as much floor space here as in a Wal-Mart… all selling glass items, expensive vases, gems… it would have made a king drool.

After that we drove home, and stopped at a wal-mart type store on the way home… you know; the kind of store that sells a little bit of everything so it’s hard to classify. We got some batteries and toilet paper, and then went back home for dinner (and more ridiculous Japanese tv ).

We had walked past Kenroku-en so many times on our cultural excursions and had heard so much about it being one of the top 3 most beautiful parks in Japan that it would have been a shame not to go.

Frances and I went out after a fun time bar-hopping the previous night. Unfortunately it was raining, so it was difficult to take pictures or stay out for too long… but we walked around for a few hours. Located right between the castle and Lord Maeda’s teahouse (which we had visted earlier), the park was spectacular… and enormous. There were footpaths to travel everywhere, and it was located on a hill so there were many levels. We saw another privated teahouse in the center of the park, but due to the weather we decided not to explore too much more. So we headed back into town and walked around, passing by some of the buildings we had come to recognize downtown; Kohrinbo 109, a huge department store, a 3-story Mister Donut, and the only McDonalds we had seen in Kanazawa. And Biz Cafe, of course.

Here’s the fourth email I sent from Japan:

Konnichiwa minnasan!

Sorry to keep you all waiting for the next email, but I've had very little free time. Anyway, just so you know, Leo is a guy who works in the Maxis division at EA games. He actually recruits at Ringling. So I've become pretty good friends with him. He took a bunch of photos and has put them online here.

I can't remember what's happened since last time I wrote, so I'll do a fast email (I don't have much time)... did I write about the Okaeri festival? That was so much more lively than the Otabi festival... The first thing that happened when I got there was I was handed a headband and a beer. The rest of the night was eating in strangers' houses, drinking lots, wandering the streets, screaming WASHO WASHO WASHO over and over. It was really awesome.

We went bowling as well, to make up for the fact that we didn't get to do rice planting. Japanese bowling is funny -- nobody knows the rules, so they go sliding haflway down the lane when they throw the ball. We played Taiko Taiko Revolution, which is DDR but with Taiko drums.

Classes are really really fun. We all get along great and our class is particularly crazy. I don't know how many photos Leo took of Frances and me, but I know the other cameras all have some good weird shots, so when everyone else posts photos you'll see.

The teachers all come to karaoke with us and get drunk. Those nights are pretty nuts too. We went to the ninja temple, but I think I already wrote about that.

Today we had kimono-wearing day. That was really fun. Guy kimonos are nice and cool while the girls had to wear really heavy silk ones. It's really hot here so I don't envy them.

We also went to a tea ceremony and a many-centuries old private garden use by Lord Maeda. There is so much history in Kanazawa.

Oh yea, and we went on an excursion to the Noto peninsula last Sunday. That was really amazing. We saw a really old Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple, some really amazing rock formations, and we even went to a ryokan (tradition Japanese hotel) and an onsen (hot spring baths). I don't have time to elaborate, but it was such a great trip.

Yesterday we went to an elementary school and spent the day in a 2nd grade class. Nothing is so quite a downer as having 2nd graders correct your grammar, and you still can't understand a word they say. But they were so much fun, so bright and cheerful and insane. I can't imagine how they get anything done because the classes are so large, but the kids are absolutely great. They even clean their own school by running on the floor with towels. It's a really hard way to clean, but it's learned early so the kids do it well.

This weekend I am viewing some temples with my host family and going to Kenrokuen, one of the most famous parks in Japan, with a friend.

Sorry for the really short email, but I really have to get off this computer. If you want to see more photos of Japan, go to www.Engrish.com

Ja matta!

Matto-san