What will they think of next??? - QUESTION ANSWERED!!

A little earlier i wrote a blog "What will they think of next" well, it didnt take long to answer that question!
Yep! It`s time to say Sayonara to your wallets peoples, and say a big Konnichi wa to your new "Osaifu Keitai" (Wallet mobile phone) Here is a pic of the latest "Edy" system here in Japan. You can pay for almost everything now just by a beeb of your mobile fone! Fuel, movie tickets, groceries, train tickets and even drinks from vending machines!!
Here is a pic of my b`ball coach buying a drink with his "Osafu Keitai"

"Coins??? What are coins??

名古屋 動物園 / Nagoya zoo!!!

Woke up the morning wondering what on earth we were going to do for the day..... So we decided to jump on the net and look up "Things to do in Nagoya" (how original) Anyways, we found 2 super duper things we could do! :) 1. the Aquarium or 2. The ZOO!!! Well. it was a tough choice but i chose the Zoo!!! LOL
Anyway apart for the freezing coldness, I had the bestest time! They had some of the most awsomest animals!! Great, Great, Great! Here are some picci`s for you all!! Hope you like them as much as i do :)

Takayama Ice Festival!

Went to Nagoya this weekend to meet with Josh and Yoichi and to visit the yearly ice festival in Takayama!

After 4 hours and a stop to help Yoichi put his snow chains on his car. (he didnt have snow tyres beacause they dont need them in Nagoay!! LUCKY NAGOYAINS! ) Not that me or Josh had any idea whatsoever of how to fix them to the tyres- after one attempt we just stood there with confused looks on our faces.. sorry Yoichi! We finally arrived at the snow festival!! HOORAY!

we made it just in time to see the fire works and they were just amazing!!! Japans fireworks are way, way better than the fireworks in Aus (Just like everything i suppose) But they have 3D images now... planets and stuff! It was awsome! But i did wonder what the sound could do to the snow on the mountains..... i was waiting for a big avalanche or something... eek!! but luckily we survived!!









After the fireworks we ran around looking at all the sculptures that were made from the water that they ran down the mountain! And the Igloos that they made!! It is actually really warm inside an Igloo! (Ive always wondered if it was) One Igloo was even glowing inside! They even sprinkled fluroescent glitter and splashed fluroescent paint around the inside of the igloo.. It was just like something you would see in a fairytale! :)

After having a look around it was back to the food and beer tents for a drink and some din dins! Here is a pic of one of the things on offer!! Appetising or what!! lol

After we ice skated back to the car.... (Go Yoichi!!) I asked one of the traffic controllers for a photo!! I always wanted a pic with a traffic controller!.. .there is just something about their red flashing battons.... ooohhh pwitty lights!! Anyway i have decidedt hat i am going to get a pic with as many uniformed Japanese as i can while im here!!! Its a mission i must complete!

On the long trip home we stopped and took a photo with this snow dog! Aint he just soo cute?? Because it is year of the dog there were heaps of snowdogs on the side of the roads that led to the festival! They reminded me of Falkor, the big flying dragon/dog in The Neverending Story!


We stoped at a convienient store on the way home were i bought a bottle of hot coffee! The nice shop owner gave me a free bottle warmer to keep my coffee hot! What a champ!! Hehe, just another reason i love being foreign!




All in all a top day!! Thanks again Josh and Yoichi! :)
hmm.. perhaps too many photos here... LOL

Ski Trip

I went on the most awsome ski trip this weekend with my basketball team! It was
the best weekend since ive been here!
Jumped on the bus at 9pm to go Nigata ken.. was supposed to be a 3 hour trip but because of all the snow the expressways were closed and we had to take other routes... it took 6 hours!!!! But we had a great time! The front of the bus was normal seats but the back was all the seats in a circle around a table! Coach bought us drinks and we ate food and played drinking games most of the way :) and of corse all the toilet stops we had to make from all the drinking! hehe!
We also seen a HUGE car pile up on the highway! The next day we found out that it turned into a 61 car/truck pile up!!!!! I dont think anyone got hurt but it was on a curve and there was soo much snow that you would have no hope stopping before you hit the car in front!

The Arrival .
We arrived at around 3am and carted all the luggage in! I couldnt believe how much snow was around... It was pilled up HIGHER than the bus on the sides of the road!!!! And you couldnt see the road cos it was just all ice!! The icycles hanging off the roofs of houses and even under the cars were HUGE!!
Anyway the place we were staying at turned out to be more like a bed and breakfast and i stayed in a room with 4 other girls!! It was freezing too... -16 degrees!!
We were up at 7:30 in the morning and marched downstairs to a Japanese breakfast! Anyone for rice, fish and vegies??? rrr! Not your typical bread and cerial but i ate the rice!




1st Day At Mt. Naeba PIC- Me and Nao
We were all suited up and gone by 9pm!! Coach got me my snowboard and boots and i bought some goggles and i was off!! Had the bestest time ever!!! Nao was my teacher and a great teacher at that! I was up and snowboarding in no time!! lifts were a different story though.. i feel sorry for the lift guy whos arm i was grapping on to at the end of every lift but hey it was that or stop the lift altogether!!! I cant count how many times i fell over but i had the bestest bestest time ever!!! Thanks Nao!!

The Onsen experience!
After skiing everyone went to the onsen or "public bath" and i contemplated whether or not to go with them.... my pals convinced me and oh my god i swear it was the hardest thing ive had to do in my whole life!! Get naked in front of all my friends and strangers!! But i did it and it was not so bad.. the baths were really nice!! They had an inside one and an out side one! It was tottaly unreal running to the outside pool in the nude in -16 degrees weather to sit in a bath with snow falling on and around you! Almost Magical i would say!! But i did it HOORAY!! My new years resolution complete! :)

The Party!

Now, whats the ski trip without a party? hehe came down at 7 for the most awsome dinner! Sukiyaki, sashimi, rice, soup and of corse the side vegies! We all toasted with sake (not saki) and ate our scrummy dinner! After this we all sat around drinking and talking! It turns out that my Coach bought me a bottle of scotch to drink. YOUR A CHAMP COACH.! Anyway we stayed up for ages drinking and the doctor that came with us was passed out on the table and everyone was quite drunk when we headed outside and troddled to the pub down the road!! It was awsome!!! Just like a normal pub! First one i have seen in Japan! There was a labrador there who sat, shook both hands and you could put food on its nost until you said "Yosh" and he ate it!! Awsome! Coach just kept feeding us drinks and by the end we had made friends with the other people in the bar and planned to meet them the next day!! then we troddlesd back home to bed!! (p.s. i have no recollection of this)

The pic is of a random cow i found skiing .....And you thought Japan didnt have
Mad Cows disease!!!!!!
2nd Day at M.t Naeba
Ok, today i was crap!! I woke up my whole body aching from the falls the day before and i just couldnt stay up!! I ended up eating and choking on SOO much snow that i became the laughing stock of the trip! But hey it was all fun.... coach took me and Eri to a cafe and we drunk hot cocca and ate hot pancakes and i felt heaps better!!! But unfortunatly still couldnt snowboard any better! lol!! At midday it was time to leave and the long bus ride home was spent mostly sleeping!!

Im so glad i decided to go on this trip!! I have had the chance to spend more time with my team mates and get to know them heaps better!! There a wild bunch! lol

Cheers for a greatest weekend in Japan so far guys!! Thanks for all your help! Especially Nao! me and Eri ganbarou!!
Thanks Coach!!

COACH!! .. I stole an icycle :P