Copy of the July 2006 Update group email

Hey all.
It`s been 4 months since the last update email, so I guess its time
for another.

Since the last email I've had 2 flatmates move in, & 1 move out (because
of cheaper rent). My existing flatmate (I'm almost accustomed to saying
roommate-how north american is that! Suzanne is going to mock me so bad when I get home with my quasi-American accent and mannerisms!) Kevin has 1 day off the same as
me, so it has been good, being able to travel together, something that
was difficult to do previously. We've been to the mountain near
Yokkaichi, Nagoya the odd time, and some waterfalls on the way to Osaka. We've
also attempted to visit a ninja city but got on the bus & missed our
stop, therefore running out of time, so we called it a day & went to the
800yen all you can eat pizza place.

As i am writing this, I am on a shinkansen back to Nagoya from Mt Fuji.
Kevin, I, and Anandia, (another friend I seem to do a majority of
things with) attempted to climb Mt Fuji last night, however we had to fight
the wind, rain, & terrain. In the end we decided the prudent thing to
do would be to stop and sleep in the hut for the night, and possibly
resume the climb in the morning, if conditions had improved. As it was,
they weren't much better, and lacking many more spare clothes, we headed
down.

In April I did a trip to Osaka, to see my mate before he went home, and
also to visit Kobe, which was a nice place, conveniently sized &
interesting. I managed to complete my sightseeing in Osaka, less Universal
Studios Japan, however I missed the last train back to Yokkaichi, so I had
to stay another night & come back in the morning. Also in April I
partook in the traditional japanese custom of hanami parties (in the park to
view the cherry blossoms, and an excuse to drink beer.)

In June I managed to string 5 days off together (through shift swaps)
and headed down to Hiroshima via Osaka to visit Universal Studios Japan,
and Himeji, to see an original castle there. While visiting Hiroshima,
I stayed with some old Hamilton friends that I used to work with, in a
town 40mins away called Kure.
Universal studios was fun- I dont like roller coasters, so I was glad
the rides were quite tame, however I did feel a little sick after a
couple of them, probably due to the heat. Himeji was interesting, a cool
looking castle, in its original state. Hiroshima of course was an
interesting place too. It was quite beautiful. I went to the peace park and
peace museum, which was sad and eye-opening. I also went to a shrine on
an island, called Miyajima, which was nice, but had lots of
over-friendly deer.
Kure was also nice, surrounded by mountains and ocean, and i also
visited the museum there, as it is and was a naval town.

Since then & between times i have been working hard making up the
shifts, and also seem to struggle to have a night at home, due to the social
calendar kicking in because of summer.
I have one place left in Japan that I want to visit- Nagano & then i can
sign off on Japan. Next month i want to visit Korea, and in the remaining
time here, I envisage seeing China, Thailand, & either Guam or Okinawa. Mum & Dad are also planning to visit in October, so it will rather eventful.
Hopefully i can achieve all this in the time left. I`ve always been someone who works well in the final hours, I kind of need that pressure to make me efficient.
Anyway, Kia kaha and Aroha nui
J