Takashima and its 7 waterfalls.

One weekend I woke up super early (5 AM) so I could catch the train to Takashima. There I met a bunch of other JETS and we set off to hike and see Takashima's 7 waterfalls. This was one of the best hikes I have ever been on. I almost felt like I was doing a ropes course. On this hike, there were chains you had to use to climb down, ledges you had to cross, rocks you had to climb, rivers you had to jump, etc. It was so fun! Plus, I got to see some amazing waterfalls up close. The actual hike is over 7 hours long, but with it being November there wasn't enough daylight to complete the entire hike. That was okay though because I was able to see all 7 waterfalls. If I get a chance, I might go back in the summer when I have more time to explore and hike the rest of it.

Here's the gang!

You had to use chains in some areas in order to hike up and down.

Here's one of the slippery ladders we had to climb down in order to get to the base of the waterfall.

One of the 7 waterfalls that I hiked up to.

Here's me posing by the rushing water. It's a good thing I didn't slip. That would have sucked!

I was able to cross this river and climb to the top of those rocks to see an amazing view of this waterfall.

Hiking with Kouchou Sensei

Once my principal (kouchou sensei) found out that I like to do lots of outdoor activities, he invited me go hiking with him and his wife. On Halloween day, I got to go hiking with them. He picked me up bright and early that morning and we drove for about two hours. When we got to our destination, my principal was kind enough to provide me with hiking boots, stick, waterproof gear, and even a bear bell. We spent a majority of the day hiking up two mountains: Mt. Kunimi dake and Mt. Gozaisyo. We also went to an animal farm that was on the premises. After a day of hiking, I was invited over to his house to have dinner with him and his family. We had sukiyaki which is oishii! I was also able to meet one of his daughters and his granddaughter Kanon. She's two years old and was also extremely terrified of me. I don't think she had ever seen a foreigner before. She cried for a long time when I was there. Eventually, however, she began to open up and by the time dinner was finished she was showing me her books and pointing at all this stuff while speaking in Japanese. I had no clue what she was saying, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. She even gave me one of her Anpanman figures to take home with me. How kawaii!!

Here's one of the many views I saw as I hiked up the mountain.

Here's Kouchou sensei and I at the top of Mt. Gozaisyo.

As we were hiking, the leaves had started to change colors so it was really pretty to see.

Here's kouchou senei's wife at the top of the summit.

Here we are at the top of Mt. Kunimi dake.

I thought this picture was really cool. It was a natural bridge that was formed when a boulder fell on top of another. We got to walk underneath it.

Here's me posing for a picture after we had just had lunch.

Halloween Party!

For Halloween, I went to a party in Omihachiman at a place called Prema Prema. Since I am living in Japan, I decided to go as a Japanese school girl. Apparently, I got my costume from an on line fetish shop, but hey it worked for the party.

Here's John. He went as a redneck. He did a reverse mohwak and shaved his goatee. I think he looks more like a WWF wrestler.

Here's Doug and I on the train on our way to Omihachiman.

Here's Rachel who went as medusa. She was one of my roommates in Tokyo.

Here's Arica and I. She went as an Elementary School student. They have matching, hats, shorts, shoes, umbrellas, and backpacks. If you have ever seen them in Japan, you would find her costume pretty hilarious. I was her older sister for the night. :)

Here's me and my twin. Actually, it's Julianne who was also my roommate in Tokyo.

Let's get this party started right!

After a night of drinking and dancing, Arica and I decided it was time to catch the last train back home.

Todai-ji Temple

I visited Todai-ji Temple in Nara. This temple houses the worlds largest Buddha statue. It's 53 feet tall! Todai-ji Temple was completed in 752 when Emperor Shomyo ordered a temple to be built in order to house a Great Buddha statue. This was done so that Nara, once the capital of Japan, could become a powerful center of Buddhism.
Also in Nara are the crazy ass deer. Apparently, deer are "messengers of the gods." They roam all over the city. I'm not even kidding you. They cross the street, walk on the sidewalks, crap all over the place, and are always looking for food. Sure they give you crackers to feed them, but I wouldn't advise it. Yeah I tried doing it. So I was trying to be all nice and decided to feed them. While I was taking off the paper from the crackers (cause I didn't want them to eat the paper) the deer just started attacking me. One deer literally bit my ass while the others swarmed me. Needless to say, I just dropped the crackers and ran. At that point, I didn't care if they ate the paper or not. It all happened so fast that John couldn't even record it on my camera. He was also laughing so hard. So if you ever decide to go to Nara, DO NOT FEED THE DEER. You have been forewarned.

One of the many deer that run rampant throughout the park and the temple grounds.

This is the front of Todai-ji Temple which houses the Great Buddha.

This is the Great Buddha. This picture, however, doesn't give justice to how large this statue actually is.

This can give you a better perspective on just how big this Buddha actually is. This is just one of the lotus petals that the Great Buddha is sitting on.

Byodo-in Temple

I visited Byodo-in temple with Arica, Rachel, and John. It's featured on the back of the 10-yen coin. It was built in 1053 and is famous for its Phoenix Hall. That means that it is over 900 years old and over 80% of it is still original. I think that's so amazing! I was able to see a building that was constructed before America was even recognized as a country.

Back in the day, people would write poetry and view the moon from this temple.

This is a side view of the temple.

This is the front of Byodo-in. It's called the Phoenix Hall because it looks like a bird with it's wings spread out. The reflection of the building is from a pond in front. This pond represents the Western Ocean.