For our first outdoor training session…

After having lunch, in the afternoon,
we headed to the Shimoyoshida Station Blue Train Terrace

We got to the Shimoyoshida station via the Fuji express line

At this station, old rail cars and passenger bed cars of the Fuji line
are on display to the public

Just like in those days, an original engine is used to supply power to the building…
it gives the station a genuine feel and smell of those times.

On the side, there are silly cherry blossoms blooming,
and when the wind blows, the pedals flutter around everywhere…
it gives the station a very heartwarming feeling

Continuing on…
We went to Yamanakako

Here we got on a bus called the “Yamanakako no kaba”
And as the name implies… there is a picture of a hippo drawn on the bus

This kind of “big impact!” bus
came out of an opening in the trees
and soon ended up right in front of the lake…

and then just like that…

went straight into the lake!!

This bus was actually… amphibious!

Up til now the bus that was just traveling along the land
just casually slipped into the lake.

The moment the bus went into the lake
was so intense, everyone shouted in joy.

When the bus returned back to land,
it was our turn to ride!

The inside looked like this ^^

The seat covers also had hippo prints.
A very grand display.

We also had a bus guide.

The ceiling and windows were covered with a transparent vinyl cover
but even so, it still felt very open.

The windows had these zippers

So many things I saw for the first time ^^

At first we were on land
and it was just a drive through the woods

From the window you could see “Houtou”, “100% hand made soba”
“Ice cream” signs… even though I just ate, they still got my attention ^^

There was a cafe with hammocks
and some mini BBQ area as well.

And then to the famous site in Fuji
Into… Yamanakako ^^

Sorry I don’t have a proper camera lens… >< But here is a view of the scenery from the window Going into the water was so intense though! It felt just like a ride in an amusement park. On the shore of the lake, there were a ton of daffodils.

Being able to enjoy the trees, flowers, lake and nature of Fuji,
with a few thrilling attractions,
and so many delicious local delicacies… ^^

Although part of it was training, I still enjoyed it
it was a very fulfilling day.

But it wasn’t just all about having fun,
I hope to make use of all the things I learned and experienced today!

So our group of newcomers are still struggling with
the fundamentals of speaking…

So the other day, we did some outdoor training
on “Practice giving a report”

On anything we wanted!

Apparently it’s an annual tradition they do.
We got on a shaky bus and headed towards Fuji…

First off, we went to the site of the Fuji Shibazakura festival.

Oh that day, there were still a third of the flowers in bloom,
but in full bloom, a full sea of beautiful cherry blossoms
together with Mt. Fujiwould be so amazing and really
represent what Japan is about…

What an amazing festival ^^

Apparently it’s also getting pretty well established as a premiere tourist attraction

Unfortunately the weather that day wasn’t that great
but in good weather with everything in full bloom
would be just absolutely amazing huh.
I definitely want to go back again.

Next time on a day with good weather!

Even though it was a little covered by the clouds,
seeing Mt. Fuji so close up was absolutely breath taking

And so
we got started on reporting practice right away
and started rolling some film…

And yeah… it’s hard

I had done my prep for the reading, and it was only talking
(like introducing goods or dates of the festival)
but I couldn’t even talk about the basic details of location

There were a lot of other problems too,
Like I realized so quickly how poor my ability to describe things are
and how small my vocabulary is.

There were also other things to enjoy there aside from the flowers.
There was a “Mt. Fuji tasty things festival”
with food and drink booths

There were things like a recent famous B grade gourmet dish called “Fujinomiya yakisoba”
and famous local dishes like “Yoshida udon” and “Houtou”!

I really like Fujinomiya yakisoba, the noodles are so unique and chewy
When I went to Shizuoka before
I had bought them at a supermarket and brought them home to cook…

So of course my very first order was “1 Fujinomiya Yakisoba”

And then what do to for my second order…

There’s no mistake that I love pumpkin
and “Houtou” has pumpkin in it,
but I was in the mood for ordering some soba… (><)

So when I was eating there
or well… where ever really, I’m always thinking if I’m eating too much
and that always happens when I visit some place…

Anyway, there were a ton of things on the menu,
and everything looked so good! ^^
Then right as I was leaving, I noticed the lovely aroma of
grilled salted iwana fish in the air.

My colleague Ueda ordered some Fujinomiya yakisoba and Houtou.
Unlike me, she is very decisive.

Ueda said “I’ll give you a little of my Houtou!”
So I ended up having Fujinomiya yakisoba for my first order
and Saisai soba for my second order.

The soba wasn’t famous or anything
but it was a really good choice!

The noodles were a little thick and hard, but in a good way.
Add some sauce with crispy saisai, it was so good ^^

And the “Houtou”

You can’t really see in the pic, but in the middle is my favorite, pumpkin!
There were also a ton of mushrooms, bok choy and other veggies.
The soup also had some miso flavor to it.
And again, the noodles… were very chewy.
So much goodness ^^

There was also a cafe with some original sweets made by hotel maids
called “Sakura cafe FUJIYAMA SWEETS”.
They had a ton of delicious sweets lined up in rows
I’m a slow eater so I barely just made it to dessert
when it was time to meet up with everyone.
That was my only regret. Too bad…

…Ah, that was a long rant about food.
Sorry about that ><

Last Saturday on the 7th was my 24th birthday…

And so today is my first lesson after turning 24!

Today we did stuff beyond “the fundamentals of voice training” as well

In our free talk, we discussed stretching the end of words,
making letters sound longer, and how to convey things like a story

It’s not something that one normally does every day
but as a 24 year old, I’ll try to be aware of it and keep it in mind ^^

Birthdays also are another thing that get me pretty worked up

My friends threw me a birthday party
and there were childhood friends as well as friends
whom I haven’t seen in a while
and I could see how even though they haven’t changed overall,
they changed in subtle ways and it just made me think
“Ahh everyone is working so hard in their own path in life”
I need to work hard too

I had about 3 cakes too!
I am really so happy to have had this party
I’m so thankful to everyone who celebrated with me

Although I couldn’t meet them personally
I also got mails from my parents and sister in Hokkaido

My mom said
“Just take care of your health okay.
That’s all I’m really worried about!” … ^^

No matter how old you get, you’ll always be a kid to your mom huh,
even if I’m really far away, she’ll always worry about me

And so I hope to
keep the thoughts of my family, friends and coworkers
close to my heart as I work through my 24th year