Three Day Weekend

As much as I'm loving my new teaching job, I am also glad to be enjoying a three-day weekend.  I was pooped on Friday after a busy week and joined some other teachers for some "HRC Therapy", also known as happy hour cocktails at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Not exactly my scene, but I had a good time anyway.  

On Saturday morning I went up to the nearby mountains for some greener scenery and a short hike.  Technically still in Fukuoka City, the rice fields felt miles away.  The streams in this area flow into the Muromi River, which flows past my apartment and school into Hakata Bay.  

With the new Head of School, Linda, at a small waterfall.  The tassled rope hanging in front of the falls has some significance in the Shinto religion, but I'm not sure what.  Just next to the falls was a small Buddhist shrine.  Japanese culture blends the two faiths and finds peace in nature. 

After all that nature I had a good time hitting the town Saturday night.  

 We expected a typhoon this weekend so decided to stay closer to Fukuoka and save a Nagasaki trip till next month.  Instead, today Lori and I took the train to Dazaifu, a popular shrine town just 30 minutes from here.  The main Shinto shrine was built in the 10th century in honor of an important scholar/governor (imagine that- an academic politician!  How elitist!).  Japanese families flock to the shrine year-round but apparently it is especially popular during school exam time as the honoree is known as the patron saint of scholars.  

I wonder if these two ladies are scholars and whether they would wear those fabulous outfits to school.  

Carp!

Across from the big Shinto shrine is an old Buddhist temple known for its beautiful and serene Zen garden.  I will have to come back in a month or so when the leaves turn color.

Visitors to the temple take off their shoes and sit quietly contemplating the garden.  

From this viewpoint you can see the garden and the peanut gallery.  It was so cool sitting like these people "watching" the garden.  

The main street of Dazaifu was lined with touristy shops and lots of sweet treats.  Check out the creative ice cream flavors!  I had grape, which tasted like a purple cow!  

Even with all the interesting flavors of ice cream, the sweet treat of choice in Dazaifu seemed to be these red bean filled mochi cakes.  Mochi is a sticky pounded rice substance and red beans are the ubiquitous dessert in East Asia.

After all those sweets Lori and I returned to Fukuoka and had ramen at a yatai stall on Nakasu Island.  Mmmm, ramen...  

Tomorrow is a national holiday, something about honoring the ancestors (I think all the holidays serve this purpose).  Depending on whether the predicted typhoon shows up (no signs of it today!) I may bring some history books to the beach or check out a festival at a shrine downtown.  Next weekend we have a school-wide "Sports Day" at the beach on Saturday followed by a comp day off on Monday and another Japanese holiday on Tuesday.  I'm thinking of taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima and visiting some nearby sites in Western Honshu.  During the week I should be busy planning lessons but one night I'll also see a movie at the International Film Festival.  There's so much to do!  (For more pictures of my weekend so far check out my Picasa page.)