Taiwan!

This past week I went to Taiwan with two other ALTs in my prefecture. We spent half of the week in Taipei, and the last half in a rural city on the Eastern coast. Taipei is an amazing city. It was home to the world's tallest building until recently. It takes about 40 seconds to go up to the top floors. The elevator goes so fast, my ears kept readjusting every ten seconds! We visited a few night markets where street vendors line the streets and sell food, clothing, accessories, etc. We also ate very well, Taiwanese food is delicious! While we were in Taipei, we visited the National Palace Museum, which is home to many ancient Chinese artifacts that date to BC dynasties. We also toured what I would call a ghost town, a town famous for the gold rush. It was so different from Colorado ghost towns though, very green and right by the ocean.

Taipei is huge and crowded, so it was nice to see a bit of rural Taiwan as well. We took a train down to Hualien. While there is not much going on in the city, it is not far from a gorgeous national park. We took a bus inside to Taroko Gorge and hiked around a few trails. There was a beautiful mix of nature and traditional Asian temples. It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

I loved every minute of Taiwan, but I must admit it's nice to be back. I think it finally hit me that I live in Japan because when I went on vacation to Taiwan, I came back to Japan, and not the States. Enjoy the pictures!

In Which I Watch Baseball

I won two free tickets to a national baseball game in Fukuoka, which is a really big city about 2 hours away from me. Not one to pass up such an opportunity, another ALT and I drove to the city to enjoy the event. Baseball stadiums in Japan are smaller and hold less people. The Fukuoka Yahoo Dome has a roof that covers the entire stadium, but can be retracted as well. It was a rainy day, so naturally the roof was closed. There was a band and loud cheering section which lead the entire stadium in chants. Many aspects of the game were identical to their American counterpart, however the energy in the stadium was amazing! After the game and a delicious Hard Rock Cafe dinner, we came back to the car only to find out we had accumulated 8800 yen in parking fees in 5.5 hours. That's $88! Ooops, I gotta learn how to read these signs!

In Which I Encounter SPORTS DAY!

Every year, each school hosts a "Sports Day". This is similar to what you and I know as field day back in elementary school, except way more involved and important. The students and teachers have been preparing for Sports Day for weeks. The students are split up into 5 color coded teams and compete in various events for points. The team with the most points at the end wins! Seems simple enough, right? However the events they compete in are hard core! Various relay races, 5 legged races, 50 legged races, fighting over tires, dance competitions, tug-o-war, and much more. I had the honor of competing as a part of the teacher's team during one relay. I am proud to say that after I ran my 50 meters, students and teachers a like told me "Ashurii Sensei, hayai!" which means fast. I had so much fun, and wish Sports Day existed back in the States.

I made a little video to give you a small taste of Sports Day: Japan style. Enjoy!