So a little update on what I've been up to ;)
Last week, I worked only 2 days, then was off to the infamous "Yashiro Prison" for training. Yashiro is a town about an hour from here, and they rounded us all up for 3 days and brought us here to teach us some things, read our contracts to us (riveting) and remind us that apparently they OWN us ;) Although there are plenty of beer vending machines (one of the upsides) we had a curfew and a lights out time (a good reminder of Jr. High School). At Yashiro, however, we also had a great group of Jets, both seasoned and new years, and one mad guitar player in the kitchen (played us Beatles covers every night). Although perhaps this place doesn't live up to its "prison" reputation, I think we were all a little ready to get out on Friday when we headed for Kobe.
A friend in Kobe graciously let all 10 or so of us stay in her 3 room apartment, and we hit the town Friday and Saturday ;) Kobe, the largest city in Hyogo, has a number of both Japanese and foreign-style bars, restaurants, and beer gardens :) Not to mention karaoke ;)
During the day, we trekked down to the sea, stopped at a few earthquake memorial monuments, and went to port tower. Kobe was heavily damaged in 1995, and around 6400 people were killed, when the "Great Hanshin Earthquake" hit the city. It was a whopping 6.8 on the richter scale (out of 7.2). Needless to say, there are countless monuments around the city, as well as a memorial museum. The monuments I saw were beautiful, and use water extensively. In one, you climb underground to a room with the names of all the victims carved on the walls. Above you, an above ground fountain pounds on glass, creating both a rumble similar to waves, and beautiful lights across the room. Powerful.
Port tower was very cool as well ;) From it, you can see not only the sea, but also the beautiful mountains that lie directly on the other side of Kobe. This includes Mt. Rokko.
Since Kobe, we were returned to our various schools, and started teaching!
This past Monday, I began by teaching a cheery group of 3rd year students about, lucky them, myself :) After a full week of teaching, ESS club, and getting up at 7 am ;) I was exhausted.
So, we headed this weekend to the lovely Takeno Beach to relax a bit.
Takeno is a small town along the sea of Japan that has a lovely beach and was just the cure for a week of work ;) The only downside was the jellyfish that infest the waters around now. About 3 stings later, we were on our way back to Yoka, a nearby town. 
The next day, we visited the Sanctuary of Nagusa Shrine near Yoka. Around 1000 meters up into the mountains, it was a beautiful drive and then peaceful, spiritual experience to visit the Shinto shrine that houses seven shinto Kami (gods) and some buddhist figures. Speaking with a wonderful old couple who told us of the shrine, their journeys to Europe, and their history with this shrine made the afternoon even better, and further illustrated the kind nature of many Japanese.Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, holds a close tie with the Kami (gods) present in all things and with nature. This ideology was reflected deeply in the shrine that we visited. Surrounded by massive sugi (cedars) the shrine was incorporated into the mountainous surrounding. Although my knowledge at this point is I'm sorry to say a bit limited, I'm looking forward to learning more about this and the other religious traditions of Japan, which have many ties with the way that society and traditional culture is carried out ;)
Now, its back to school tomorrow, studying Japanese, and other business for the week! Thanks for reading, and Ill be posting again soon!
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