This February, Lauren and I will be celebrating 5 years living and working in Japan. A lot can happen in that time...and has. Here is a look back at our first month Japan.
We arrived in Hakata, Fukuoka from Busan, South Korea on the Camellia ferry.
Travelling light? My bags are to the right, the rest are Lauren's. Ever prepared, Lauren decided to bring a 7.5kg box of laundry detergen...just in case. I guess she felt we'd have a lot of cleaning to do. Of course I carried the majority of the weight!
Greeting you at Beppu train station is an entertaining statue called 'Shiny Uncle'. I don't know the meaning, but to me he appears to be some kind of super hero!
Beppu is a popular hot spring resort. Here are two of the eight viewing-only hot springs or The Hells as they are commonly known!
There are also natural hot springs located in the mountains known only by the locals. This friendly older Japanese man offered to drive us to a secret hidden spot, where we could get naked and share a bath. How could I refuse!
Beppu was a nice introduction to life in Japan, but the main reason we were there was to find work. Unfortunately after two weeks of searching, we came up with nothing. With the wallet getting a bit light, we had to start looking for an alternative.
We stayed in Beppu Guest House for 2 weeks. During our time there we met a lot of travellers from all parts of the globe. Some were very helpful and knew a lot about life in Japan. On two seperate occasions the WWOOF program was mentioned (once by a Scottish girl and the other a Swiss man). WWOOF is a volunteer program that is similar to a farm stay, where you work for food and accommodation. We signed up and soon we were heading to Aso, Kumamoto to work on a horse ranch.
El Patio Horse Ranch. Tourists come from all over Japan to ride horses in the beautiful setting of Aso. There is accommodation for those wanting to stay and a restaurant. But for us, it was no holiday, we had a lot of work to do!
Our home for two weeks.
The pink doors. We were sandwiched between the Bank on the left and the Barber shop on the right.
Whats behind the green door! The Farmers Market and Drug Store with the Sheriff hiding in the corner!
Daily chores meant getting up at 6am to clean the stables and wash, feed and saddle the horses, all in preparation for customers. As you can see from the picture, I was not a natural horse-man but I soon learnt not to fear them!
Lauren playing with a miniture horse.
El Patio Ranch offers its guests a choice of 8 different courses to choose from (Indian, Western, Wild West, Apache, A Large Chief, Rocky Mountains, A Paradise and Western Reclamation Course). We got to ride on most of the courses with the exception of the Western Reclamation Course, that is new and wasn't available when we were there!
This was a fateful day. Lauren's young, eager and not fully trained horse got too close to a slower, older horse in front, which retaliated with a swift kick. Lauren was thrown but luckily there was no lasting damage. With a bit of encouragement she had the confidence to get back on.
An ass in Aso
Mount Aso. In the distance, you can see a smoking caldera, one of the largest in the world at 25 km north-south and 18 km east-west.
A closer look at Mount Aso.
Since a major eruption in 1958 when 12 onlookers were killed, shelters and warning signs have been put in place, just in case. The last major eruption occured in 2011.
We attended a traditional Japanese festival at Aso Shrine. Hifuri Shinji is a ceremony to pray for a rich harvest and to celebrate the marriage of the Gods!
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As part of the festivities, participants can swing a lit bundle of hay around there head, like a lasso. Playing with fire!
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During the month of March, the fields around Aso are set on fire in order to maintain the condition of the soil.
I was handed a safety device, just in case the fire got out of control. If I am honest, I would have preferred a fire extinguisher!
A freak wind meant that the fire was soon out of control. This was the last photo before panic stations!
The fire fighters were called into action and soon had everything under control.
The remains of the dormitory where some of the cowboys lived. Sadly for some, they lost everything!
Fortunately nobody was hurt and these two structures stood a big test!
The scariest moment for me was when it was obvious that the fire was out of control. I was outside and Lauren was in this building. Gas cylinders in the kitchen and too many movies can create images in the head. It was a brief thought but thankfully no Steven Seagal type explosions and everybody was fine, just material damage which can be fixed! I also had an expensive pair of sunglasses in the building that I was convinced had perished. They hadn't but a few months later I lost those sunglasses, I guess I wasn't meant to have them!
The friendly people at El Patio Ranch could no longer accommodate us due to the damage caused by the fire. Luckily, they had a friend who owned a horse ranch in Miyazaki. So our next stop was an American style ranch called Cowboy Up! We worked there for a month before I found more permanent work and a job that actually paid money!
During our short time at Cowboy Up we were blessed with the chance to see a new-born horse. Here he is at 1 day old!
Over the last year or so, I have looked back at some of my past travels. It's been fun reminiscing about the first time I left Europe and landed in Tokyo in '03 - the start of something new! Recalling when I drove almost the circumference of Australia and adrenaline adventures in New Zealand. To surfing in Bali, diving in Thailand, being humbled in Cambodia and a history lesson in Vietnam. To experiencing growth in China, change in South Korea and life in Japan. All good memories and I am grateful to have them!
"Oh, uh, one more thing"
Something that I have learnt very recently is that there really isn't much difference between traveling and having a baby. They both teach you something new everyday and allow you to be present in the now, which is the best place in the world!
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