Homestay in Kochi

This is the Fujikawa family. Mr. Fujikawa works for the Nankoku City BOE, and his wife is a teacher at one of the elementary schools that I visit. They have two children, both great kids! The two Americans in the picture are me (green REM shirt behind their son) and Katie Martin, another Nankoku City ALT. We stayed with the Fujikawa's for two days before we could move into our apartments. Mrs. Fujikawa and children
Here's a picture of Mrs. Fujikawa, her children (Yudai and Akko) and me at the dinner table.

playing with insects
Kobuto beetles are popular pets in Japan. Personally, I'm scared to death of insects, especially ones that are too big to slap. a big bug
Steph should appreciate this. :-)

The Fujikawa's took Katie and me on a day trip to see some famous and beautiful parts of Kochi. First we went to Katsurahama, probably the most famous scenic area in Kochi.
When we got to Katsurahama, we got ice cream before we went out to the beach.

me and my pal Ryoma
At Katsurahama we climbed up to see the large statue of the local hero, famous for helping to define the policies of the early Meiji period, Ryoma Sakamoto.
Here we are, on the beach.

pebble beach?
The water felt nice, but because of the current and the rocks you aren't allowed to swim on the beach. The beach is a pebbly beach - Katsurahama is also famous for the 5 different colored stones that you can find on the beach. at the shrine
We climbed up to the shrine.

Me and the ocean. can you find me?
There were many stairs to climb to get to the shrine. On the way back down, this picture was taken. Can you find Jennifer? Interestingly, some of the rocks are fake, added to support the structures on the rocks.

a gorgeous view
After Katsurahama, we went for a drive up in the mountains to some scenic lookouts. I took a few pictures. more pretty stuff
Here's another beautiful view.

breathtaking
And another picture
And me, blocking the view. :-)

a river
Finally we went swimming in a river. It was warm and crowded, but I got a little worried afterward when I found a rusty fish hook in my clothes. I think I'll stick to swimming pools. at the paper museum in Ino
And then we went to visit the paper museum in Ino town. Ino is famous for its washi paper manufacturing. On the top floor, they had a display of some paper clothes, as well as some paper artwork made by children.
playing with fire
And finally, in the evening after we got back, we played with hanabi (fireworks). They have lots of different kinds of sparklers and small fireworks for children. oooh. . .pretty colors
I wish they were this laid-back about fireworks in Hurst. It's a lot of fun.

This is the Fujikawa family. Mr. Fujikawa works for the Nankoku City BOE, and his wife is a teacher at one of the elementary schools that I visit. They have two children, both great kids! The two Americans in the picture are me (green REM shirt behind their son) and Katie Martin, another Nankoku City ALT. We stayed with the Fujikawa's for two days before we could move into our apartments.	Here's a picture of Mrs. Fujikawa, her children (Yudai and Akko) and me at the dinner table.
Kobuto beetles are popular pets in Japan. Personally, I'm scared to death of insects, especially ones that are too big to slap.	Steph should appreciate this. :-)
The Fujikawa's took Katie and me on a day trip to see some famous and beautiful parts of Kochi. First we went to Katsurahama, probably the most famous scenic area in Kochi.	When we got to Katsurahama, we got ice cream before we went out to the beach.
At Katsurahama we climbed up to see the large statue of the local hero, famous for helping to define the policies of the early Meiji period, Ryoma Sakamoto.	Here we are, on the beach.
The water felt nice, but because of the current and the rocks you aren't allowed to swim on the beach. The beach is a pebbly beach - Katsurahama is also famous for the 5 different colored stones that you can find on the beach.	We climbed up to the shrine.
Me and the ocean.	There were many stairs to climb to get to the shrine. On the way back down, this picture was taken. Can you find Jennifer? Interestingly, some of the rocks are fake, added to support the structures on the rocks.
After Katsurahama, we went for a drive up in the mountains to some scenic lookouts. I took a few pictures.	Here's another beautiful view.
And another picture	And me, blocking the view. :-)
Finally we went swimming in a river. It was warm and crowded, but I got a little worried afterward when I found a rusty fish hook in my clothes. I think I'll stick to swimming pools.	And then we went to visit the paper museum in Ino town. Ino is famous for its washi paper manufacturing. On the top floor, they had a display of some paper clothes, as well as some paper artwork made by children.
And finally, in the evening after we got back, we played with hanabi (fireworks). They have lots of different kinds of sparklers and small fireworks for children.	I wish they were this laid-back about fireworks in Hurst. It's a lot of fun.