Saturday 20th June- Kurobe gourge.
So today was wonderful trip with Okasan and Obachan first in the car for about an hour then on a special train for 80 minutes through Kurobe gorge. Kurobe gorge is advertised as the no.1 V-shaped gorge in Japan. I question weather this means it the one that is most like a V rather than say a U or weather it is the prettiest. But that’s just me and my odd way of thinking. The train ride often went through the mountains and as it was an open carriage it got very cold at times. But it was amazing, once at the finial destiontaion (as far as the train anyway) we had lunch and walked with Obachan to the foot bath place. (sulphur overload!) befor okasan and I set off on some more trails to other parts of the gorge, best exersize I have had in a long time, also very sad that okasan seemed to cope better with it than I did. But then again I was constintally stopping for photos and on those kindas of tracks inertia does certainly help. Got a fair collection of new things for my blazer. I really should weigh it some time soon to see how heavy it really is, I mean I know its heavy, any exchange student (well any that actually put stuff on theirs ) will agree with that. I think all 3 of us slept for at least part of the train ride back, and I know I sertaintly slept the car ride, I struggled to stay awake for the train but every time we went back into a cold tunnel and the winds picked up I woke up, unfortunately wasn’t the intreting parts!

Sunday 21st June
Just a really relaxing day at home, letting our musscleas recover form yesterday, so a bit of study and lots of sleeping actually.

Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd June
School and I cant think of anything particually intresting.

Wednesday 24th June
Tonight I attended my clubs change over dinner which was very different to my memory of the Kippa ring one that I attended. (Just a note that was the first rotary meeting/ event that I ever attended, July 2008) It started with a wonderful concert by a harp and violin player. And then proceeded into the speeches swapping of badges from current presidents to next years, and all the other positions ect. And then dinner which was 7 courses plus coffee/ tea, though pretty much any meal in Japan ends with Coffee or tea. Rotarians partners also attended this and for that I am very grateful because that provided me with some decent conversation at my table with out having to talk with the some what drunk Rotarians. It was surprisingly difficult to convince them and the waiters that no thank you I don’t drink alcohol, I'm 17! (drinking age here is 20)

An amusing side note, if your female and fill up your car on a Wednesday at the petrol station near us you get a free packet of 4 rolls of toilet paper. WHAT THE?

Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June
School on Thursday I found very hard to stay awake through because of the rather late night due to the rotary party on Wednesday. Today, Friday I wore my short sleaved uniform for he first time, after others in my class started wearing them yesterday, its not that I actually found the long sleaved one much hotter if any, especially as it does keep the sun off, its just that it seems to weird to wear a long sleaved shirt in the middle of summer! In home class today we decided on groups for camp. I really didn’t care to much about who I was with, and I think that worked out really well as I'm now with a group of people that I don’t know all that well, but that’s good coz it will give me that chance to really get to know them as well as lots of others in my class, in al I am really looking forward to camp.