B is for Bouncy Castle

Ok, is this not the coolest bouncy castle you've ever seen? This was the Shizuoka Matsuri (Festival). I would have loved to have a go on this, but apparently you must be a child to enjoy this kind of thing.

Shizuoka Matsuri 2013

So I am finally getting around to blogging about my time in Japan. For the first two weeks I was not connected to the internet, so this was incredibly difficult, given the neighbourhood I am living in. Thankfully, my neighbour and fellow teacher, Shawna was willing to let me invade her house every couple of days to 'borrow' her internet. 

My first weekend here, was the Shizuoka Matsuri (Festival), held in the city centre. It is held in April, as this is the best time to view the sakura (Cherry Blossoms). Unfortunately, this year, by this stage, many of the blossoms were already disappearing. When they are in full bloom, they are just gorgeous.

There's a parade/procession to symbolise the shogun taking the daimyo (lords) to view the sakura at Sengen Shrine.  

Once inside, there are some beautiful places to just sit and picnic and look at the sakura. 

Once inside, there are some beautiful places to just sit and picnic and look at the sakura. 

Watch the stage performances.

Imamiya Park

This is my local park. It is about a 2 minute walk from my place. It is so green and beautiful, like the rest of the neighbourhood. Expect a photo overload.

For whatever reason, the 'tongue' has all the organs on display.

Food from the Izakaya

To start the long weekend, we headed for the local izakaya. The okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake) was delicious.

After we had finished our okonimiyaki, the lovely woman brought out these. Out came the phones to find out what they were. I don't actually remember at the moment but they resemble snails. It is very impolite to not try something when it is offered, so we watched as she pulled something unidentified out of the shell....

This is what emerges. You then need to pull off this round harder disc I guess. I assumed it was what they use to seal their shell when they are not moving or eating, like snails do. Weren't delicious, and the gritty bits from the sand every now and again was off putting, but surprisingly, they weren't awful.

The Lunches

The Kindy kids every day, make me jealous with their lunches that they bring into my classroom. These are just some of them. They must take a long time to prepare. It makes my apple look pretty unappealing. 

My Walk to Kindy

My street