Hokkaido: First Thoughts December 19th, 2006
We have been here for about 24 hours now. We are staying with the two volunteers in their flat next to Toya Lake. They are working in a small village doing all sorts of things, such as schoolteaching, nursery care and working in a hopsital. The saddest thing is they are working on Christmas Day. The good news? They're coming down to Tokyo with us for a 16 day cross Tokyo party! Woohoo!
Hokkaido itself is absoloutly freezing. It goes dark here at about 5 pm, and it snows for days at a time. Matt and I went down to the lake and took a few photos of our extasy at experiencing things you just can't find in Tokyo - quiet, nature and, most excitingly of all, the ability to swing your arms in your house without hitting all four walls and your neighbours too.
Over the next few days we will be seeing what they get up to. There's not really that much to do here, but we may be able to go snowmobiling one day, and it's just nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. I think this quite literally the quietest and most remote place I've ever seen in my life.
Anyway, I have to go now. We are going to the only bar in the entire place. I'll update about Hokkaido sometime next week when I've got a better idea of the whole place. I'll finish the update about the Christmas party as well.