Trip to Japan

I am having trouble uploading pictures from the trip. I will post the rest later.

I left for Japan at 335pm Korean time Saturday and returned about 5pm Wednesday. In that time, I visited and stayed in four different cities with my co-worker Sandra: Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. Japan surprised me a little. For one, they drive on the left side of the road. Who knew that?? It is a very busy country, where if there are no mountains, there are many tall buildings and people living in them. I will go through the trip day by day including some pictures along the way.

Saturday July 29: It was a day full of trains, planes and automobiles (including buses and taxis). The only way of transport we didnt take was a boat or ferry. Maybe one day. We left at 12pm for the airport and did not arrive until 1130 pm at the final destination for the day, Hiroshima. This was not the plan at the beginning of the day, so after some quick phone calls, we were able to find a modestly priced hotel at a good location, about 4400 yen, which is under $50.
Since we arrived late after a day of travel, it was off to the bars. Along the way we met some English speakers that were on exchange at a nearby university. They were from all over, Sweden, Australia, Brazil, US (Hawaii) and Canada. I had to ask the girl why she would leave Hawaii to on exchange. She could not really come up with an answer... We visited a bar that was very cool (Japan pop music and North American) except the men's washroom was located 4 floors above the bar. Not a good location if you ask me. Since we had just basically dropped our bags off at the hotel and took off to get a drink, we did not pay much attention to the path we took. Especially after having a few drinks it was difficult to know which way we should go. But after some friendly encounters with some locals, we found our way. I forgot to take my camera out on this excursion, so I have no pictures of it unfortunately.

Sunday July 30: Since there was no time to sightsee the night before, it was off to experience what Hiroshima had to offer. It was a very clean city and had a lot to offer. The first stop we decided to make was to the A-Bomb dome, aptly named for the damage the atomic bomb did to this building leaving what looks like a dome completely in tact at the top of the building.

This is me at the A-Bomb dome. It is the only building still left after the A-bomb went off here in 1945.

This is one of the many rivers in Hiroshima located in Peace Park (the same place as the A-Bomb dome). It looks kind of like how I would imagine the canals in Venice would look like.

Some weird statue or memorial thing. It looked important and many other people were taking pictures, so I thought that I would too.

This is one of the plaques about the bombing. If you click on it, you may be able to read it better.

This picture is creepy because it was so hot and sunny this day, I don't know how the clouds look so dark in this picture. Perhaps the weather speaks to the darkness in the past of mankind??? haha but really, I dont know why its dark! This is the view of the A-bomb dome from another angle. Notice the fence; this site has remained relatively untouched since 1945 (I hope I wasn't exposed to radiation).

Hiroshima was a very nice city. Very modern, perhaps because it was completed rebuilt within the past 50 years. They have a street car going down one of the main streets in the city. It has a San Francisco feel to it. While at the Hiroshima Peace Park, some crazy lady came up to me and made me close my eyes and be silent for like 2 minutes while she prayed something in Japanese to me. That was all good except it felt like forever before she would let me leave.

After a few hours touring around Hiroshima it was back on the Japan Rail bullet train, next stop: Kyoto. This was a very interesting city with a lot of history (if you have seen Memoirs of a Geisha), there is a district of the city where you can see many geishas walking around. However, it was also a very quiet city. I was exposed for the first time to a traditional Japanese hotel. The doors to the rooms are very small in these hotels as I had to duck everytime I walked through a door. The bedding in this type of hotel is set up every day on the floor with just a futon mattress and a few blankets. I can't say it wasn't comfortable as I had a really good sleep that night. The only problem was that there was a 12am curfew at this hotel, so the nightlife was shortlived. We were able to find a pub-style bar however that had quite a few foreigners in it. It was a fun place to hang out in for a few hours and rest our feet after walking around all day. Before the pub, we stumbled into a Japanese-style bar and with only 2 other people in it, felt a little awkward. But the bartender was kind enough to guide us in the direction of the pub!

Monday July 31: Due to the curfew the night before, it was an early start on the day. I went off on my own to Osaka in order to process my work visa (the real reason why I was in Japan). The train to Osaka took only about 15 minutes, but when I arrived at the Korean embassy there was some sort of 2 hour mid day break so I had to wait although there was no one in line in front of me. The website said that I would have my visa within the day. However, I was told I would have to come back the next day, which would cut my trip to Tokyo short as I was on my way there in the evening. I bought a Japan Rail pass to do all my travelling within the country. It allows for unlimited train and subway rides for up to 7 days and is available only to people temporarily visiting the country. One of the stipulations is that you have to have your passport at all times to prove you are a vistor. However, the Korean embassy needed to take my passport in order to attach the visa and I was supposed to go to Tokyo.

So I went to the Canadian embassy that was conveniently close to the Korean Embassy. I asked if that could make some sort of endorsed copy of my passport so that I would be able to go to Tokyo without a hassle. They said this was fine to do, yet requested 2000 yen (about $22) for this. All that was done was 4 pages photocopied and a stamp applied to each page. I told the staff that I had limited funds for this trip, yet they did not hesistate to take my money since I needed the paperwork in order to continue on my journey. I will be writing an email to my local MP about this matter. I thought the Canadian consulate was supposed to assist Canadians out of the country, not make money off of them. I guess I was wrong...

Finally, it was off to Tokyo, quite a long train ride for a train that goes 300 km/hr. Three hours later, we arrived at Tokyo station. The busiest place for travellers in the world. Over 2 million people coming and going every single day. It was a madhouse, so we got out of there as soon as possible. Tokyo would be as far away from the airport that we fly out of that we go. Tokyo is a very very very big city. It was difficult to find the hotel we had planned on staying at. Luckily, these 2 Japanese men insisted on walking us to the destination in order to make sure we didn't get lost. That was much appreciated. We went out to another foreigner bar in the city, Dubliners it was called. We met a lot of fun people at this bar. We ended up partying with a bunch of them on the steps of some huge Tokyo tower (and drinking) until 4am. They were all in the JET (Japenese English Teachers) program, so they were getting trained to do what I do. I was happy to give what little advice I could since I have only been at it for about a month. I made lots of good contacts here, so if I ever need to go to Japan again, I should know someone that can show me around!

As the night ended, I went back to my capsule hotel. It is for men only and you cannot have tattoos. I was glad that I hadn't indulged in any ink because this hotel was a score at $50/night in downtown Toyko. However, I slept in little more than a box that resembles a casket. It did have the radio, tv and air conditioning though! Again, although a little different than I was used to, it was a very comfortable sleep. I would do it again.

Tuesday August 1: The thing about the capsule hotel is that there is obviously no private bath. So first thing in the morning I got up and joined about 50 other Japanese men (mostly business men who got drunk the night before and missed the last subway home). It was a little weird, but again worth it for the price. It was back to Osaka right away as it is a 3 hour train ride and I need to get there before the Korean embassy closes for the day. I picked up my work Visa without a problem and I am now legal to live in Korea for the next year. Since we did not plan on staying in Osaka for the night, we didn't know what to do for hotels, so we went to the Canadian embassy again, despite my hesistation to do so. They did pretty much as little as possible to help. A brochure and we were kicked out the door. They did not even allow us to use the computer that they had in the waiting area or the telephone. Luckily we found a very nice business hotel that was cheap and still very comfortable. At this point, the long days of carrying around my heavy bag started to get to me, so shamefully I say that I went to bed around 10pm after walking around just a little bit in Osaka.

Wednesday August 2: Not much time to sightsee before catching the train to get to the airport, but we were able to see Osaka castle, which was very nice but a very long walk. It was good that we were able to see at least a little bit of the city before having to go.

It seems weird, because Japan is fun but I was still excited to "go home" to Korea. The many trains, subways, walking around and having to ask for directions can get tiring. Five days was more than enough to experience Japan. Although I would like to return and maybe spend more time in Tokyo.

There are a lot of really good pictures that I haven't been able to work on here. I will put them up on a seperate blog when I can get them to work. Well, it's my birthday so I am going out for pizza and drinks!!

A reflection on Korean society

In one of my earlier postings, I was complaining about the typhoon season and how I had to carry an umbrella with me all the time. Well, typhoon season is winding down and the sun is starting to come out some days. Yet, Korean women still carry (and use) their umbrellas. What is the reason for this you ask? I did some asking around and it turns out that Korean women always carry an umbrella no matter what the weather. The only time they don't use one is when it is a cloudy day, but not raining. They do not like the sun. Very white skin is cherished in Korean culture, at least for the women, so most will use an umbrella when the sun is out so they don't get a tan. That struck me bizarre so I thought I'd pass that along.

I have been teaching for a few weeks already and I have learned many things so far. For example, I have learned to hate some kids. Thinking back to elementary school, I remember that kid that was loud, distracting, and never did his work. Yet the teacher would not hate the kid (or at least show it publicly). I am finding that very hard to do with some kids. I don't know how my teachers did it...

One more day of school tomorrow and my coast to coast tour of Japan begins with stops in Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo with maybe some more stops along the way. After that, it is back to Korea's capital, Seoul for a few days to enjoy the sights. I do not think I will have much access to a computer during this time, but I will try to take many pictures that can be posted later.

At lunch today, I noticed for the first time that my chop stick ability has gotten better. I can pick up most anything with those suckers with accuracy and precision. Maybe I will ditch the knife and fork when I come back to Canada? I have been very busy the past few days with work and sightseeing, and partying/ meeting new people. Tonight, a night of relaxation and a full 8 hours sleep, hopefully!

I was wondering one last thing.. can anyone tell me if there are any new popular songs/TV shows right now? I know I have only been gone for a short while, but I already feel out of the loop. I tell some of the foreigners here about a TV show or movie and they have no idea what it is. I do not want to be like that! Well this was a longer entry than I expected, so I will cut it off there. Hope all is well at home.

More pictures...

I wasn't able to upload all of the pictures yesterday, so here are the rest of them from my journey around Jeonbuk University:
This is a picture of one of those old Asian-style gazeboes. It is hard to see, but there are many old people hanging out in it. For some reason elder Koreans seem to flock to anything with a roof over it. This thing, or even bridges. They spend most of their time playing this weird checkers-type game and drinking.

These are some famous Korean lawyer dudes that were from Jeonju. It was in the park by the university. They look like some serious fellas. I am glad I didn't meet them (note the cane the middle one is holding [hint: he wasn't crippled])

This is the entrance into the park/pond where the lotus blossoms grow.

This is at the performing arts center again. My previous work at a golf course has taught me to appreciate a good landscaping job. Notice the brick walls with grass in between, very nice!
There is a huge area where lotus blossoms grow. This is a close-up of the best one I could find. I was told that I went a little late to see the blossoms, but there are still a few left. They only last for a couple weeks a year. What a waste in my opinion!

Here is a panoramic view of those lotus blossoms. There are thousands of them. They grow directly out of a pond. I guess they need a lot of water?

Another weird Korean building so I wanted to take a picture. I am finding that there are a lot of these here, so I many not take so many pictures of them in the future as they are not very rare.

Jeonbuk University

After school today, I went to Jeonbuk University to check out some of the sights there. There is a huge fountain, but it is only working at certain times in a day and I was not there at that time. Anyway, here are some pictures:


This is the performing arts center of the province Jeollabuk-do of which my city, Jeonju is the capital. Many famous Korean pop stars go here. I hope to see a performance in the future.


This is some weird statue thing that they have out front of one of the buildings. The ball is made of thousands of pieces of metal. It looks pretty cool. It reminds me of ski jumping.


This is the outdoor performing arts center. It is a favourite study spot for students at the university located nearby. No back rests though... those Koreans don't mind being uncomfortable!

Another one of the buildings and in the foreground is this giant compass-like design made out of stone. That was pretty nifty so I decided to take a picture.

More seats in the outdoor performing arts center. Seen at the bottom of the picture is a student who was studying as mentioned earlier.

I love the weekends

The rain has finally let up a little, and it stopped just in time for the weekend. I don't think that it rained once from Friday night until Sunday (so far). I was really looking forward to the weekend after this last week. One of the other foreign teachers, Betsy went home to the US for vacation and I have had to cover a lot of her classes. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have to be at school for 12 hours, but there is only one more week left of that.

I finally have all the luxuries of home now. My cable TV, air conditioner and internet are all working well. I did some shopping yesterday and picked up a microphone and webcam. If you have one and would like to talk on the internet for free, I recommend getting the program called 'Skype'. You can just go to google.com and search skype and it is easy to download. My name on there is 'trevor.lloyd1'. Once you add a contact, both people just have to be on the computer at the same time and you can have a normal conversation for free!

Since it was the weekend, I went to the foreigner bars with some co-workers. There are two in Jeonju and one I had not been to. Smoking is still allowed in bars here and EVERYONE smokes, so my clothes stunk very badly when I got home. And while we were in there my eyes were burning from the smoke. I guess that is what happens when you get used to smoke-free bars. I definately prefer it that way. As for the requests for outdoor pictures, I will do my best. I may try to go see these lotus blossoms that are in a park somewhere in the city, but I don't know where it is so it might not happen.

I am getting excited for my vacation! I leave in 6 days (next Saturday). I will be in Japan until Wednesday and then I am heading to Seoul, but I do not know how much time I will spend there. It depends on how much there is to do there I suppose. I just hope I remember to get the most important thing in Japan and the thing my school is sending me for, my work visa. I am strongly considering buying one of those scooter deals when I come back from vacation. They cost about $600 but when you sell it in a year, you only lose about $100 so it may be worth the investment. Don't worry, I will get a helmet! Now to try to explore some new places in this city...

Update and pictures of my apartment

The long weekend is over. I was able to get moved in and settled in my apartment for the most part. There are still a few random things that I need to pick up, but I am almost there! Yesterday was refreshingly cool. It rained for the better part of the day, but I am not going to complain as it kept the temperature of my apartment at a reasonable level. Since I have gotten settled, I have begun contemplated what I can do to keep myself busy besides teaching. I was thinking about signing up for Tae-Kwan-Do since there are lots of clubs in the city and it would not be a great distance to travel. I saw Pirates of the Carribean on the weekend. It was really good, but I was angry how they left it as a cliffhanger. I am pleasantly surprised with the new movie selection here. Theatres are cheap (about $7) and so are the snacks. Best yet, they don't mind if you bring your own food. The North American movies are subtitled, but after a while you don't even notice them on the screen. Next movie to be seen: Superman!
I have begun looking into what I will be doing for my holiday in two weeks. I have three cities in mind so far... Osaka and Tokyo, Japan and Seoul in Korea. While in Seoul I want to go to the demilitarized zone bordering the North because many people have said it was really cool and worth checking out. Don't worry, it's safe. There are lots of soldiers present.Well that is it.. nothing exciting going on. Another work week begins.
My air conditioner is here! No need to worry about the hot temperatures anymore and trying to avoid my apartment until night time. This is a very exciting time. On the downside, the installation required drilling a large hole into the side of my wall in order for the water to drain and this caused large amounts of dust and concrete debris to fly about my apartment. It has gotten everywhere: my clothes, the furniture, windows and of course the floor.But I suppose that is the price you pay to remain comfortable on a hot summer's day. Speaking of hot, I have heard the weather is very hot in Welland right now. I know the pain the of a 35 degree day. While on the topic of weather, it has rained non-stop for about 4 days now. When leaving your apartment, it is common to grab your unbrella without thinking twice about it. At least this way you don't even need to look out the window, you just know it will be raining. Yesterday, I was at school for 11 hours teaching because one of the other teachers is on vacation and I had to cover her classes. Although concerned at first, I was told I will be getting overtime pay so I don't really mind.

Here are some pictures of my apartment:

The big blue thing is where I keep my clothes and you can also see the foot of my bed.

This is the patio. It is where my washing machine is and where I hang my clothes to dry. It is an enclosed structure, so it is not used for much else. Also, note the English programming on the TV
This is my fridge to the left and my bathroom straight ahead. There is no enclosed shower structure. The entire bathroom is a drain. It took some gettting used to, but now I almost prefer this way. Much easier to clean!

This is the sitting area in my living room. The chairs look comfortable, but the wood frame can be easily felt. There are good for watching TV though, it encourages me not to do so for very long.

This is my kitchen or kitchenette if you prefer. That is my sink. No dishwasher and I only have a range, not an oven. It is quite common to have this type of kitchen in Korea.

This is my fridge and kitchen table. It is like a big version of your typical mini fridge with a freezer attachment. It is more than big enough for what I put in there.

This is what my apartment looks like as soon as you walk in the door. Kitchen to the left, bathroom straight ahead and bedroom/living room to the right.

This is my bed. It is very plain right now. Unfortunately my sheets do not fit on the bed. I think they are single bed sheets and this is a double, but I made it fit!

So I wrote a new blog..

I wrote a new blog on my laptop at home and put it on a USB key along with some pictures of my apartment, but the internet cafe I am at cannot read my USB key so I just wanted to write that I am disgruntled, but I will post it as soon as I can use the key.