Marks leaving party!

One of the teachers in the local area decided time was up and decided to ship himself off home (Cumbria). Heres some of the photos from the night. I am now sans beard.

This is me and Mark. He went back to Uni in the UK to do some course. He was a bit crazy.
















On the left is Canadian Kevin Li. This was the first time we'd all met him. After a few drinks he freaked the girls out by giving them back massages. He hasn't lived it down since. In the middle is Michiko. She used to live in Cardiff with her British boyfriend, Tim, and has an amazing Welsh/British/Japanese accent. On the right is my Japanese teacher Kumiko. She is probably one of the most amusing Japanese people Ive come across. She hates the Chinese, which is made all the more funny because Kevin is in fact Chinese.


















Mark and Kumiko never got on with each other. She was his caretaker and in most of my classes she would always complain about him. Here me and Stu were trying to take photos to catch the essence of their relationship. I think I came close here.
















This is Tomoko and Sonomi. There both really cool Japanese girls. I don't see much of them though. Tomoko has a bizarre Cuban accent to the way she speaks English. Its pretty funny.

















This is Stu trying to smile and failing.

The Monkey Onsen.

Nagano is famous for several things, its raw horse, its mountains and its hot water springs called "Onsen". They are probably one of the best things about living in the area.

The most famous Onsen is in an area called Shiga Kogen which the local Japanese call amusingly "The Valley of Hell." This is because apparently in winter "the steep cliffa and hot water, bursting from the Earth's surface resemble hell. This place is a paradise for monkeys, 200 of monkeys inhabit the area at present." (Taken from the guide leaflet.) The monkeys were on the cover of the US magazine life in the 70's or 80's and thats why so many Americans want to go there, apparently. Anyway me and Stu went with this other JET called Mary, whose a bit mental. I really mean it. You are told not to get into the Onsen, apart from the glaringly obvious. Theres only one thing that the monkeys are going to do when they get in there. Hint: They throw it with their hands...

Togakushi.

Wow the skiing season is now officially over. Turns out this has been one of the worst seasons for skiing in recent years. Its now the beginning of May and you should still be able to go skiing in some places. It's very sad... Now just have to wait 5 months for the next season to start.

These are some of the photos from one of the last times I went up with Stu. He's now headed off to SE Asia travelling and I might meet up with him in Thailand in the summer.