weekend away....

So after a rather difficult past week...I decided to take off with some of my friends from town and head out to Iwakuni to visit my parents. Now, I've been out to see them a few times, so most of the places we went to weren't new to me. But we did go to my favorite place...Miyajima Island. I love this place. Its known for beautiful shrine and giant Torii (Gate) in the water,which is all really nice and touristy...my favorite part of the island are the midgit deer that come up to the ferry station to greet all the tourists. They are so cute and fanatastic!!! I totally feel like I am a character in a Disney movie. Its like being in another world. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a SnowWhite costume and in true Japanse style, get my picture taken with all my new deer friends.

Anyhow, got home early Monday afternoon..(today was a national holiday...day for the aged...my parents weren't happy when i congratulated them on getting a day especially for them.) My town was having its doll festival....it was actually really cool. They set up like 20 different scenes with a variety of dolls and dragons, etc. Everything was going pretty well, until I stopped by one of the food tents to grab a beverage, and about 20 kids decided they wanted to follow me around town...I looked like the Pied Piper or something.....Thing is, I have no idea what these kids are saying to me...I mean I doubt they are saying anything horrible...but it did occur to me, that I seem to be the only teacher in town that has such a following of kids everywhere I go....I mean, I go the grocery store and they come up to me and start going thru my basket...or I ride my bike home from school and they start chasing after me screaming, "Lani Sensei, Lani Sensei"....its like I've become a popstar or something. And it isn't so much that i mind it...I just find it a bit wierd. I mean, don't these kids have something better to do, than to hang out with a teacher, post-school hours??


Random though to ponder about Japan...Why do so many of the Japanese people insist on getting Mullet Hair cuts???