Himeji Kodera Toy Museum

This weekend I had the lovely opportunity to visit the Himeji Toy museum near my school in Kodera.

We were taken there by some friends, however it is easily accessed by train and a short walk.
If you leave from Himeji Main Station and take the Bantan Line (usually track 1 or 2) toward Teramai it is 230 yen from Himeji to Koro station. When you exit at the station there is a map just above the walk way to the toy museum for reference. Otherwise it is about a ten minute or so walk (or if you go the wrong way like I did it will take a little longer).

The museum is around 6 small houses filled with traditional toys from around the world and especially from Japan. There is also a small workshop you can take part in where you learn about the shell game called Kai-awasei (http://guide-japan.seesaa.net/article/137579704.html).  WE painted our own shells and played a quick game with some local kiddos, who were far better at it then the adults and FAST! Needless to say children show no mercy.

After taking some time to create a beautiful shell set and playing a round of Kai-awasei I would highly recommend milling about the museums houses and seeing the toys from anywhere and everywhere. I was especially confused by the chicken with actual breast I saw in the gift shop.

In one of the main houses you can take your time and regress into youth a little by playing with some traditional Japanese toys and maybe even buying one or two in the tiny shop.

This museum is fairly low cost at around 500 yen for the museum fee and 300 yen for the shell painting. Luckily we had a friend who got a small discount for us. :) its not really much to start out with but its a great day trip price.

As for things to do after the museum, Kodera is no relatively built up, though you can find small shops for something to eat or a cup of joe before you hop back on the train into town. As for the train a fair warning. Its a local line and the train times are not too frequent, at times only once an hour. Be sure to check the times before you head out and back.  If you find yourself waiting at the station do yourself a favor and walk just across the street to the small bakery and grab a snack. If you come early enough in the day it has many delicious breads and sandwiches to choose from and a nice counter to relax at so you don't have to eat at the station.

Oh and if you are in the cache hunting mood ....there is one there! Helen found it hidden away near the museum. Happy hunting if you do.

Matt and John having WAY too much fun playing with trains. 

A little shell painting to relax. I must say their shells looked WAY better than mine. Maybe shell painting isnt my thing....

Chicken breast anyone...? No idea why this was in the toy museum gift shop, but its Japan...so its normal. 

Meditation and Living room Yoga

I have to start by saying I've only attempted mediation once before, and failed miserably at it. Ive sat in silence and focused on my breathing, thought whimsical meditationy thoughts about rivers and trees, then jumped from those visions to find myself wondering if I left the laundry in the washer or if that really fat pigeon I saw was able to fly far distances.
I am gifted with a busy mind (and body) that haven't stopped moving since I was born. In recent years Ive fought against my need to talk, to move, to be active and interactive, all in vain. In reading and continuing my studies through learning about myself and other I have found that to fight against who I am is simply just another things I busy myself with. Why bother, right? I'm not hurting myself by being social, I don't think I'm hurting the universe either.

I recently again in my life found myself wondering about religions and beliefs, why we have the ideas of God [in any form] and why it creates such controversy. Honestly I have no idea. I believe that in some way all religions are connected in the central idea that there is a great power in us all to be divine and pure in our own lives. But then... religious affiliates are so aggressive in their manners at times that I wonder if they truly understand what they are fighting for. Be fore you turn away an cast the idea my direction that I am some crazy liberal hippy that doesn't know a thing about religion because "how can you know if you havent yadda yadda..." please consider that maybe, I don't know. An d I'm ok with that. I'm ok with not knowing every verse of a bible or chant of a mantra. I don't know what spiritual concepts guide me and I honestly couldn't even narrow down what religion really is. But I WANT to know. This is my new journey.

Ive begun a more continual and daily practice of Yoga stretching and relaxation and I hope to soon find a time in my days for mediation and reflection on the bustle. I wont be scouting down a guru and moving to a temple in a far off land [just yet] but I think it will be interesting to discover what it all becomes as a whole.

I see those around me dashing from here to there, busy in their need to do what ever it is they are doing and wonder why we are always, as a species, so busy. Ive found that the less I talk the more people ask, "are you ok?" like my silence is a sign of a greater illness and not just me listening to what they have to say. I know its weird because I am essentially a compulsive talker, but I need to learn to really listen.

Its strange to think that I suddenly at the age of 26 think its time to figure out what this whole religion thing is all about and decide for myself how i feel about it in an informed manner. ut heck, who knows what Ill find and who knows how Ill feel. I could emerge a devout atheist from this all but who cares really. Its a journey Im ready to take.

Until I know. Im just going to keep reading, trying and doing yoga in my living room.  

February 4 2014

Things are still very cold here in Japan but I have adjust much better this year than I did last year. The weather has been clear some days and others are full of clouds and rain threatening to soak me on my walk to the train station. I've learned to keep an extra pair of socks in my desk just in case it rains. My shoes often get soaked and I hate having cold wet feet all day long. Thing are as usual at school and the students continue to challenge my Japanese knowledge on a daily basis. I enjoy it because it forces me to think about how English is viewed by them and how I as a learner view Japanese. A decent teachable moment for us all.

Thinking about the fact that I only have a few short months left in Japan I have began to wonder if I have made the best of my time here. I know that I have not seen much of the country, but the language and culture of the Kansai area are now a big part of my life. I've become more comfortable speaking with people in Japanese, even if Im wrong and I know I can only improve with time and practice. I have also began to study some basic Spanish so that when I return home I am better able to communicate with students and parents of that linguistic background. It cant hurt my trek through Spain either. I look forward to how being a language learner can improve my views of teaching culturally diverse students and I think it will make me a better teacher as a whole.

Living here alone over the past year and a half has shown me a great deal about myself as an individual. You may never know who you truly are if you do not let yourself be alone sometimes. Away from the normal and easy things in your day to day and trying to survive out of your comfort zone. Its a challenge that I am grateful I had the opportunity to encounter. I feel confident and comfortable in my own skin and I am less concerned with material things in my life. One of the biggest changes I believe I see in myself is my views on relationships and my approach to a realistic and meaningful relationship. Not just with a significant other but with friends, family and peers. I feel as though I understand things a little better and have a lot to grow on as well as reflect on.

Life is a wonderful journey. Im luckier than some to have made it to where I am and done the things Ive done. Many have done more and many have done less, but Im happy with the choices Ive made in my life up to this point.

Its a pretty sweet ride.

Enjoy it