(no subject)
My weekend started with a trip to Kobe for one of the most boring yearly features on my calender. The mid-year conference. It is a bullshit excuse to gather all the prefectures ALT`s together and then try and ply us for new and interesting ways to teach English. The put us in meaningless workshops and heard us around like sheep. The only reason most people go (aside from the fact that it is mandatory) is the party on the Thursday night.
Melvin, Jon and I went on a self-imposed mission to find "The Jamaican Restaurant" but instead decided to stop at a little Indian restaurant. It turned out to be a great choice. The curry was authentic and hot. It tasted great and gave a great base for some serious drinking.
The next morning, as I was coming out of the onsen there was one of the workers standing around. He saw me and my friend and started up a conversation with us in relatively good English. Then, as I was in the middle of drying my armpit he ran over and became very irate. He had seen my tattoo. The next thing he said was, "You must leave. You can't come back here, ever." Apparently Kobe Spa and Sauna doesn`t allow anyone in who has tattoos. I have been banned for life from this [sarcasm]fantastic[/sarcasm] capsule hotel in the middle of sannomiya.
On friday, a few of us snuck out of the last session and we drove back home to the Taj.
The next day I went and got lunch with Jon and we spent the day relaxing and playing computer games and watching ice hockey.
I got up early on Sunday morning and went snowboarding with Jon, Ailey and Julius at Hachi Kita. Although it was nice to get out and finally get some riding in before I go to Hokkaido, the snow was the worst I have ever seen it, wet and heavy, the result of three weeks of nothing but fake snow. There were patches of grass and dirt showing all over the place. On on run alone five or six rocks left their mark on the bottom of my board which pissed me off no end. But that being said, just spending time snowboarding was a welcome change, and I felt some muscles that hadn`t been worked in nearly a year.
Melvin, Jon and I went on a self-imposed mission to find "The Jamaican Restaurant" but instead decided to stop at a little Indian restaurant. It turned out to be a great choice. The curry was authentic and hot. It tasted great and gave a great base for some serious drinking.
The next morning, as I was coming out of the onsen there was one of the workers standing around. He saw me and my friend and started up a conversation with us in relatively good English. Then, as I was in the middle of drying my armpit he ran over and became very irate. He had seen my tattoo. The next thing he said was, "You must leave. You can't come back here, ever." Apparently Kobe Spa and Sauna doesn`t allow anyone in who has tattoos. I have been banned for life from this [sarcasm]fantastic[/sarcasm] capsule hotel in the middle of sannomiya.
On friday, a few of us snuck out of the last session and we drove back home to the Taj.
The next day I went and got lunch with Jon and we spent the day relaxing and playing computer games and watching ice hockey.
I got up early on Sunday morning and went snowboarding with Jon, Ailey and Julius at Hachi Kita. Although it was nice to get out and finally get some riding in before I go to Hokkaido, the snow was the worst I have ever seen it, wet and heavy, the result of three weeks of nothing but fake snow. There were patches of grass and dirt showing all over the place. On on run alone five or six rocks left their mark on the bottom of my board which pissed me off no end. But that being said, just spending time snowboarding was a welcome change, and I felt some muscles that hadn`t been worked in nearly a year.