The way I ride home.
I ride from school to Aboshi station and along the way most houses are separated from the road or path by a drain which has water flowing through it. It is almost like a mini Venice! As I have mentioned before my school is in “cabbage country” but now all the mini market gardens are sprouting corn and beautiful flowers! Also all the fields have been made into rice fields which just look amazing as they are bright green and there is always water flowing in the drains to fill the rice fields. There are thin walkways through the rice fields and students often walk along them to get home which looks like they are actually in the rice fields.
Mini - Venice!
Market Gardens
The rice fields.
Students "in" the rice fields!
Once I reach Himeji station I ride my bicycle home. I often go home past the castle and along the moat. There are so many rivers in Himeji and it’s so nice to hear flowing water and see the huge carp swimming in them. Riding along the moat is the most beautiful ride. In winter it was nice but now it is amazing! It has started to get really humid but it is so nice and cool along the moat and the trees are the most magnificent green colour. If I am early some days I get to see old men playing Go (like checkers) under a gazebo and all their bikes are just parked around the place.
The beautiful moat road!
The men playing Go.
After coming out onto the road I ride past a temple which has the most amazing smelling incense, you can smell it depending on which way the wind is blowing.
I often take longer to get home as I ride slowly and it’s so relaxing to see all these wonderful sights just on my way home.
My bike.
Well I didn’t think I would ever say this but I love my bike and really don’t know what I will do when I come home. I have not driven a car for 9 months and I love it! I can put my shopping in my basket (sometimes on my handlebars if I buy too much!) and riding is so much fun. I love seeing a guy riding a bike and giving his girlfriend a lift on the back! It is so cute! And it amazes me how women who are probably about 80 years old hop on and off the bike let alone that they do it so gracefully! Bikes are so popular here I think there are more bike parks than car parks!
The huge underground bike park!
Me riding prepared for rainy weather - I have gotten really good at this!
Futons.
Unfortunately I have a western style bed but I have a spare futon which I have slept on when I have visitors. When I stayed at a ryokan I also slept on one. It is so comfortable and makes so much sense as during the day you have so much more room! I love seeing on a sunny day people hanging their futons and quilts over their balcony rails to air in the sun. There are even special giant pegs that you can buy to hold your quilt or futon onto the railings!
Keitai bling (Mobile phone jewellery!).
Last time I was in Japan I noticed how people hang things off their mobile phones and I bought one to hang off my phone. Well now I have not only rediscovered things to hang off my phone but also things to stick on it! There is a whole section of an electronics store dedicated to it! Many girls have their phone covered in stick on gems in various colours! But it is not only for the girls! I love seeing business men on the train messaging with heaps of Keitai bling! It is amazing the size of things that some people hang off their phone!
My "keitai" with it's bling!
Hello! To everyone!
I love that because I don’t look Japanese that people just want to speak English to me. You will be somewhere just going about your business and suddenly someone is speaking to you in English – often it’s just “Hello!” But what I find funny is I don’t hesitate to say hello back! It’s just like it’s normal to talk to strangers all the time!
These experiences are a reminder of what a wonderful and interesting country I live in and it makes me sad to think that in 3 months I will be leaving it all behind☹
1 comment:
I love all of these things too :-) What a beautiful country Japan is!! :-)
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