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After teaching my special `Bera-Bera` class at our Gifu school (11am-1pm every Saturday, but January & February only! Contact staff if you want to join!) my friend Dan & I went for a hike up the nearby Mount Kinka. It`s only 329 metres high, so it didn`t take very long.
We didn`t see any squirrels (because it`s winter), but we saw lots of funny grey birds which were jumping around on the ground at various places. We could get quite close to them, but unfortunately I couldn`t get a good photo. I wonder what kind of bird they are.
Have you ever hiked up Mount Kinka? There are several trails - did you take a short, steep trail? Or a longer, easier one?
This week I met up with an old friend whose hobby is wildlife photography, especially Japanese birds. I took this picture of him by Kisogawa River. Say "cheese", Mike!
Please check out his pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcowboy/
They`re very good - he`s a pretty talented guy. He lives in Okazaki, Aichi, so if you live in this part of Japan, you should recognise some of the birds in his pictures.
Great to see you again, Mike. Good luck in 2011!
On Saturday I went hiking in the hills north of Inuyama castle. The weather was cool but comfortable and the view from the top of the final hill was very clear.
As usual, the people we passed were very friendly & always greeted us. But! Did you know Japanese hikers have their own special greetings?
Instead of "Ohayogozaimasu" (Good morning), they say "zai-MAS!", & instead of "Konichiwa" (Hello), they say "chi-WA!".
I think this is because:
- they don`t have much time when they are passing each other
- they`re trying not to laugh at each other`s strange fashion
On the weekend I went camping in Sekigahara. I`ve been there a few times; it`s a picturesque area, and only 40 minutes from Ichinomiya by train.
I took my fold-up (oritatami) bicycle with me so I could ride around & enjoy the scenery. Even though it`s autumn now, there are lots of wild flowers in bloom, as you can see in my picture (don`t worry - I didn`t touch the big red ones).
At my camping spot I made a small pet-bottle trap (like the one I showed on my blog before) & in the morning when I checked it, there were 3 small crabs inside. Breakfast is served! Only joking - I didn`t eat them. I also saw a juvenile (young) ratsnake, which isn`t dangerous.
And no, I didn`t see any ghosts (Sekigahara was the site of a big battle 400 years ago).
As usual, you can click on the above picture to enlarge it.
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I forgot to include this photo of 3 young guys we met at the top of Gozaisho Mountain. What do you think of their fashion? I think it`s pretty funny. Especially as I think they came up by the ropeway...
To be honest, when I was a teenager I sometimes dressed like this, but this is because:
1. I didn`t have any money
2. I didn`t have any friends
3. I didn`t have any fashion sense, &
4. it was the 80`s (NOBODY had any fashion sense)
But these guys all said hello to us as they passed. Japanese hikers are very polite.
If you`re feeling lonely, I recommend hiking in Japan; lots of people will say hello to you.
![Gozaisho Mountain Hiking]()
An Imaginary Conversation with Jack Bauer from the TV series `24`:
Jack: How`s it going Otto?
Me: Alright
J: You sure? You`re walking a bit strangely - do your legs hurt or something?
Me: Yeh, I went hiking with my wife`s brother-in-law on Saturday - a place called Gozaisho Mountain in Mie Prefecture.
J: A tough climb?
Me: Kind of. It`s 1212 metres high, and I`m not in very good shape (=condition) nowadays. And we`re no spring chickens (=young) anymore, you & me, Jack.
J: Haha, yeh, I know... Did you see any animals?
Me: Not really; just insects - butterflies, dragonflies... stuff like that. But I saw a lot of interesting plants, & the view from the top was pretty impressive.
J: Nice. Was it hot?
Me: Not so bad actually. And I had my fashionable but effective TERAGOYA FAN to keep me cool.
J: Oh! I want one of them! They`re sweet!
Me: Well, Jack, just leave a comment on my website, & you could win one for free.
J: Okay - I`ll do that! Hey - did you say 1212 metres?
Me: Yeh, why?
J: 12 plus 12 equals... 24!
Me: Oh yeh - hahaha!
J: Hahaha!
The end
Unfortunately the weather during our Obon holiday was pretty bad, so I didn`t do any of the adventurous things I had hoped to - camping, hiking, cycling, bare-back deer riding, etc.
But I went to `Water Eco Park` (kasen-kankyo-rakuen) a couple of times. Do you know it? It`s near Ichinomiya tower. There`s a wide, shallow stream there which is popular with small children. Owen loves sitting in the cool water, picking up pebbles and throwing them (sometimes on my foot - ouch!). Afterwards we eat shaved ice (kakigori) before coming home. Yum!
If you haven`t been there, I recommend you check it out, especially if you have small kids.
Monday was `Sea Day` in Japan, so of course I went to the sea. (So does that mean I have to work hard on Labour Day? I hope not).
I went to Mihama, in Fukui, which you already know about if you read my blog regularly. Which you should.
The water was clean - great! Unfortunately for me, the beach was also clean, so it was difficult to find enough wood for a campfire. When I come to the beach at other times, there is usually lots of wood on the beach, so I can make a huge fire. A huge fire is necessary when you go camping. The bigger the better. It`s common sense.
What did you do for Sea Day? Did you go to the beach?
Last Saturday I went to Mihama Beach in Fukui Prefecture. It`s one of my favourite places in Japan. It`s on the Japan Sea coast, but it only takes one & a half hours by car, so it`s pretty convenient, and now on weekends the highway charge is only 1000 yen.
The beach is long & the water is much cleaner & clearer than the Pacific Ocean side of Japan, near Nagoya. Now it`s still too cold to go swimming (last year I tried to go swimming there in May & I almost had a heart attack) but when the weather is warmer, it`s a great place to snorkel.
I like walking along the beach and collecting interesting things. In my next blog post, I`ll show you some of my treasure (not trash!)
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