Fantastic Spring Is Here

On Saturday morning I said to Dan "I don't want to be here". It was my lowest low in Japan, in the sense that I was ready to ring the travel agent. I just wanted a weekend with my family, that is the one sucky thing about being so far away. No break from reality with Mum's roast chicken and my niece telling me she loves me while I kiss her gorgeous baby face. No summer New Zealand weather! Argh.
So, the last couple of days have been really warm. I got out and walked around parts of Hagi I hadn't seen before, it was amazing to see the old areas where there are tiny canals next to the houses where people used to wash their clothes and dishes not so long ago. I am feeling a bit more appreciation for this beautiful little town I live in, the trees are looking gorgeous, full of cherry blossom. We went out tonight for a bike ride and it was really nice to finally not feel frozen. I am also really looking forward to Kyoto, I am heading off on the shinkansen (bullet train) on Thurs 17th March. I am going on a group tour, run by a non-profit group of JETs from the Kyoto region, with a mixture of JETs from around Japan and some local Japanese people. Just the fact that there is a bookshop with English books and a Starbucks at Kyoto station is enough for me. I've become very simple to please. Wait til I see my Mum in April!