I've got about a week and a half before I leave for Japan. Originally I was only going to stay for three weeks, but I've decided to extend that. For one thing, I'm not going to want to come back to the New Zealand winter. I haven't changed my plane ticket yet, but I'm thinking about staying in Japan until at least mid-September, when it should start to get warmer in New Zealand.
I'm staying at an inexpensive hostel right now, biding my time. Christchurch is okay. I went and saw some pretty good free live music last night. And there's a Michael Jackson dance party on Saturday night (wooo!). Next week is the start of the biannual Christchurch Arts Festival. Some of the stuff is free, but the good theater/dance performances are expensive. I can afford to see the (free) performance art going on in the park.
Planning is going well for the Japan trip. I have started a to-do-while-in-Japan list. In the #1 slot is climbing Mt. Fuji. I'm going to see the world's largest wooden building. Inside is a huge Buddha statue, originally erected in 752 (that's not a typo--752!). It has been recast since then, but that's seriously old. In comparison, in New Zealand anything from the nineteenth century is considered ancient.
There's a robot museum that I want to go to. And of course I'll be singing karaoke, and eating lots of sushi. I'm also planning to overnight at a Buddhist temple (shukubo). They feed you delicious vegetarian food, and you are invited to attend the morning prayer ceremony.
The Japanese language learning is going well. I'm studying every day, and I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully I'll be able to put it to some good use.
That's all for now!
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