Guess clothed flames are OK…

[sign seen on Ninoshima ferry]

Went to Ninoshima, a 20 minute ferry from the city. Beaches weren’t quite what I was hoping but at least I got my feet wet…

…at 33,305 people according to the List of Cities in Japan by Population on Wikipedia. Wow, if Akitakata-shi can add just 8 more people, we’ll beat out Ukiha, Fukuoka and be #646…

Yes, today is the two year anniversary of my arrival in Japan — 730 days. I’ve seen and done a lot of things, had many good and a few bad experiences. I’ve blogged about some of them here, but really just a tiny fraction (especially in the last year). I hope that I’ll write up a more reflective impression of my time here so far (but don’t hold your breath), but in case I don’t here’s a list of about 130 experiences I’ve had here over the last couple years. If I remember more, I’ll add them. Some are significant, some are pretty trivial, but its that combination that makes up life. I wonder how many more I’ll add during my remaining 365 or so days…

Read the rest of this entry »

Last night I went to see the fireworks at Hiroshima’s Ujina port. Really big crowds, the streetcars were packed and everything else you’d expect. The show wasn’t bad, but the ones at Miyajima and Iwakuni that I’ve seen were more impressive. I probably could’ve found a nicer spot with a view of the water, but that’d meant wading thru more crowds (and I arrived just as it was beginning). After the show was over, I walked for about a half hour along the streetcar route until I saw some people getting off and then got on for the rest of the trip to the station.

Read the rest of this entry »