Monthly Archives: August 2011

Sightseeing in Kyoto

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Brendan

On Sunday, my friends and I went to Kyoto to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nijō Castle. Fushimi Inari Shrine Fushimi Inari Shrine is a Shinto Shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice, sake (Japanese alcohol) and prosperity, and … Continue reading →

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Visit from Hokkaido friends

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Brendan

Over the weekend, I had two friends from Hokkaido come to Kansai to visit the area. These were the same friends I went sightseeing in Hokkaido when I went two weeks ago, and I was so glad to see them … Continue reading →

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A week in Shodoshima

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Brendan

I spent the past week, from Monday to Thursday, in Shōdoshima, an island in the Inland Sea of Japan. The island’s name means ‘Island of Small Beans’. Shōdoshima was the site of Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai’s (Japanese Christian student group) summer … Continue reading →

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Hokkaido Day 5: Otaru

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Brendan

The fifth day of my trip in Hokkaido was spent in Otaru, a port town northwest of Sapporo that is about a half hour train ride from Sapporo Station. What stood out to me about Otaru were the historical Western … Continue reading →

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Hokkaido Day 4

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Brendan

Rain, rain and more rain! That summed up my day. It was unfortunate because it would have been nice to do sightseeing in the sunshine. The sky was cloudy in the morning and I had high hopes that the rain … Continue reading →

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Hokkaido Day 3

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Brendan

I’m currently writing this at the inn my friends and I will be staying overnight in. It’s been raining very hard! This is not what we want right now because it may mean cancelling our plans to go to Biei … Continue reading →

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Hokkaido Day 2: Stuck in traffic

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Brendan

Today, my friends and I departed from Sapporo to Obihiro, Hokkaido via a Nippon Rent-A-Car. Our road trip was initially fun but that is until we got caught in a traffic jam. This caused our journey to take NINE HOURS, … Continue reading →

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Hokkaido Day 1: Sapporo

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Brendan

Today, I went to Sapporo with a Japanese friend who did a year of exchange at UTS last year. We met up with three friends – a Japanese student who also studied at UTS and two friends who, like me, … Continue reading →

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Hiroshima Day 5: The last day

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Brendan

On our last day of the Hiroshima tour and homestay program, all the international students congregated for one last meeting. Everyone had to complete feedback forms and then take turns to talk about how we found the program. We all … Continue reading →

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Hiroshima Day 4 – Miyajima Island

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Brendan

Unlike my first three days in Hiroshima, my fourth day in Hiroshiima was quite relaxing. In the morning, I spoke about Australia to eight children who learn English from my host mother. In the afternoon, my host mother took me … Continue reading →

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