Day 2:
We got up early & set off (set off = begin a journey). It was quite cool, so I wore gloves & a jacket, but before long (= soon) I warmed up & took them off. The weather was great again today.
The first temple we visited was a little in the coutryside, so we could enjoy some beautiful scenery & I took some nice photos.
In total we rode 77km today. We also climbed a lot of stairs, especially at #71, Iyadanji Temple. I was pretty tired when we reached #80, Sanuki Kokubun Temple just before 5pm. We checked into a nearby B&B (= Bed & Breakfast = minshuku) & met an 84-year-old man who is doing henro on foot - great!
I enjoyed myself today.
Day 1:
I got up at 4.45am. I hardly ever (= almost never) get up this early. Occasionally I go to bed at this time, but not get up.
Anyway, my father-in-law & I caught the train to Nagoya, shinkansen to Okayama, then train to Shikoku. We visited a couple (2 or 3) temples before lunch, then a couple more after lunch. The last temple we visited today was #69, Kannon Temple. It was 4pm, & we didn`t really have time to visit any more temples, so we walked on the beach nearby for a while then found a hotel.
We didn`t have any major (= big) problems today. The weather was great. I saw a butterfly I`d never seen before. I managed to (= could) write a couple of postcards before bed. It was a good first day.
* click on the photo to enlarge
Last week I went to Shikoku Island with my father-in-law to continue our `Henro` 88-temple tour. As usual, we went there by train, then rode our bicycles from temple to temple.
This is the fourth time we`ve been to Shikoku to do Henro. This time we visited temples number 61 to 88. Yes - this time we finally finished!
Over the next couple (2 or 3) days, I`ll blog about it. Please look.
On Sunday I took my son to see FC Gifu play. As usual they lost, but the weather was nice & warm (it was a 1pm kick-off), my son had fun, & I enjoyed chatting with my workmate, Stuart.
Actually, I felt a little sorry for (feel sorry for = あいびんする?) FCGifu because they played quite well & Tochigi were a little dirty - they often faked (フリをする) injury (けが). Also their manager behaved badly - the referee had to stop the game twice to talk to him.
When students tell me they are going travelling, I ask them to write a postcard in English & send it to us at school. They often seem nervous about doing it, but I think it`s a good chance to use English in a new way, & a fun challenge. When the student comes back to Teragoya, I say "We got your postcard - great! Thanks!" & they look happy & satisfied. I hope it makes them feel more confident about using English.
We usually display the postcards in the lobby for a while. Recently I noticed kids asking staff "What`s this? A postcard? From who? A student? In English? Wow! Cool!" They really seem impressed that a Japanese person wrote a postcard in English. I hope it motivates them to study & use English themselves.
If you travel overseas, please send a postcard - in English - to your school. I`ll be happy! You`ll feel satisfied! Kids will be impressed!
Today I went to the dentist for my once-a-year check-up. She said my teeth are okay, but I should floss more.
"Do you floss everyday?" she asked me.
"Er... well, not EVERY day..." I answered.
"You should floss everyday. Do you have dental floss? You should keep it in your pocket," she recommended.
I don`t know anyone who keeps dental floss in their pocket. Do you keep dental floss in your pocket? Is it a Japanese custom? I don`t want to keep dental floss in my pocket - my pockets are full of other stuff already.
I can`t decide how to deal with this difficult dental floss dilemma.
On Sunday I watched FC Gifu play.
As usual, they lost.
There aren`t many (すくない) games left (のこり) this season. Time is running out.
This is an old Toyota Landcruiser which I saw near our Ginan school. It`s pretty cool. It even has a winch on the front - very cool. I wonder if the current (= now)owner has ever used it?
If I had a winch on my car, I could:
- pull piles (やまづみ) of wood from the beach (I like to collect & recycle beachwood)
- get my son out of bed on Monday mornings
- go tuna fishing
- tell everybody I have a winch on my car
Would you like a winch on your car? Why?
Teragoya teacher Stuart has another article (= story) in the latest (= new) JSoccer magazine. This time, it`s not about J1 or even J2. It`s about the new J3, which will start next year. Stuart is pretty excited about it. After reading his article, I am too. Well, just a little.
Well done, Stuart - nice research & nice article!
These are some road signs I saw on the way to Fukui. The first one is a bear. The second is a wild boar. The third one is a たぬき. Do you know what たぬき is in English? You don`t, do you? Don`t worry - not many people do. In English, it`s called a `racoon-dog`. We don`t have them in Australia. Have you ever seen one?
Despite (つつも) all the signs, I didn`t see any of these animals last weekend. I was a bit disappointed (がっかり ).
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エメラルド 
bokushi 
birdy 
田仲なお美 
KUMA 
PSPINC JP 
mokomoko 
内倉憲一 
yukio