Day 46.

Nagomi, the cafe i wwoof at:

Day 43.

So today i switched my place and i arrived at my last host this year. It's in a small city called Omaezaki in Shizuoka prefecture...

Every travel this year, every host, every single place had its own surprises. I left Kyoto late at night, short before midnight and i arrived at Shizuoka in the early morning - at 5 am, so i saw still sleeping city. I didn't sleep too much, maybe 3-4 hours tops, so i was still tired. I found a comfortable bench and i had another hour of sleep, while the city was still, resting after long day and just slowly waking up for a new start. I haven't explored the city at all because of my heavy baggage (damn you, stuff!!!), but it's not as rushing as Tokyo. People in white and black (all the employees) spread through the whole train station relatively late and walked with a tiny grace, even with their heads down. But it's not like in Tokyo - with blood boiling and crazy eyes they're running from a platform to another, trying to squeeze themselves in the trains.

While the first host didn't surprise me with the view and surroundings (it was in Tokyo area...), it managed to give me a big shock cause of its hygiene and how things go there. It wasn't as bad on one hand, but on the other hand it was just terrible. When i left to my second host, i didn't even know what to expect. And then the mountains, valleys, rivers and greenery made me wipe my tears off while still on train. The place itself had its minuses and pluses, but i found peace and was enjoying mountainous view every day. Here, when i was going to my spot, my attention was caught by neatly planted tea bushes - there's a lot of them in this region! I never knew that Shizuoka is famous cause of its tea! So it was a nice surprise... The town i work in, doesn't have tea farms, or at least i haven't seen them yet, but they trip on the train was an interesting one!

It didn't take too long until i met with my host which is an alternative type, listening to reggae, surfing, warm and that also took me by surprise. After lunch we went to Nagomi (that's how the cafe is called) and i went to check out the beach and that was yet another thing that made me smile! The ocean is beautiful, the beach is amazing! I cannot see the sea from the cafe, but it takes tops 2 minutes until you can dive in the water. It's so beautiful here! You wouldn't believe. It's not just a simple random sea, it is the ocean! It's my first time to be so close to the real ocean. The feeling is overwhelming.

You climg up the dunes and while doing that the ocean just open ups right before your eyes. In the evening the whole beach is covered with this mellow warm yellow sunlight, at the sides of the beach you can see mist chewing on sand and you just want to explode into million peaces and fuse with the mist. And never leave.

Cafe is really beautiful as well. It's pretty alternative, just like the owners! It's always filled with reggae or ska music, bright colors and friendly decorations, so i feel totally welcomed here. It's almost like at home. The whole village is interesting. Even though it's really small, but on the way your eye catches reggae posters, shops, paintings of Bob Marley, rastafari flags. There are many events to support the rastafari culture - it's gonna be interesting to explore the neighborhood.

I'm the only wwoofer at the moment, so i enjoy the quiet when i'm not doing anything. It's quite the opposite from Sasayama where you're always surrounded by other people. It is of course nice, but also tiresome. One girl might join me here, if my hosts still need someone. She wants to leave Sasayama and i suppose we both want to work together again, before our ways split for good. She's australian and so after Japan she is going back. So this thing is a little bit of an inner conflict inside of me - to stay alone or not. Tomorrow's my day off ( just like in Sasayama, despite the fact, that we have 2 days off there), so i'll have time for myself, for my blog, for sea, pictures and the rest.

I still haven't really experienced the work here, since we didn't have many customers today, but i'm a little bit worried about working hours. We close with the last customer which might be really late, but the starting point is always the same. So we'll see.

The house where I stay is really nice and big. I have a nice room and a really comfortable futon - today i was barely to be woken up after my afternoon nap. A little bit embarassing!

My host-mom's parents have a super market which used to be a fish shop, so I suppose we're going to have lots of fish, which makes me really happy! Not just because i love fish, but also because i have to take care of my health and i didn't quite have this chance in Sasayama. It's my first day so i really cannot say much, but it seems i won't have any problems with food. It's of course not just about food, but give a worked better food and you'll have better results! Today for lunch we had delicious sushi. I guess a day with raw fish is a successful one, so I'm glad.

It's gonna be interesting for me to work here, since i wanna have a cafe on my own on day. There's already one recipe from today that i'm gonna memorize!

Before my host picked me up from the station, i had couple of hours of spare time, so i just found a place in a shadow, which happened to be some kinda empty lot between houses and just crashed on the rocks and slept. Oh boy, i slept so well! That's the test for you - if you can fall asleep in less than 3 minutes on rocks, that means you are really tired... Just like i was.

Day 6.

Today is the day when my true self came out - i'm the most stupid person in this world. Really, i'm not kidding. Even though it is really funny... The story is rather simple. So there i was, going to Zushi beach today, which is by the way really nice and not far from Yokohama. I wanted to get tanned a little bit, because during this trip i got tanned unequally because of different t-shirts, so i'm lying in the sun for an hour or so on my back, then i went to swim and came back with the plan to sunbathe some more, because my back still hasn't gotten any sun. And you know what?? I started packing and went home!!!! I FORGOT to turn around, so my back gets tanned. So right now, my front side is completely red and my back side is completely white. That's what i get for an equal tan, huh? I'm pretty much pissed at myself, because from tomorrow i'm working, so i don't know when (if at all) i get the chance to lie down in the sun. I really hope i can get my day off soon, so i can go to any park and just lie down and i won't care this time about being considerate towards japanese culture. Normally, they wouldn't lie down in parks just in bikini, but i don't have any other choice!!!

Despite my huge fail, i have to say, that i enjoyed Zushi beach except that huge wind. Because of the wind, i really had to leave earlier than i planned (maybe that's why i forgot to turn around) - it brought sand really everywhere: my hair even my ears were full of sand, not very nice. But the sea was really cozy if i may use this word, water was salty just as it has to be in the real sea, really warm and welcoming. It's a pity i was alone, so i couldn't just relax - i had to observe my things all the time. I really suggest this beach for everyone who's in Yokohama/Kamakura area. It was strange though, for a foreigner, to pass the Kamakura station and go to the beach, but since i've been to Kamakura already, i decided it's ok not to visit it this time. The whole Zushi city is a real seaside city - almost everyone's tanned, you can see people in beach outfit, with inflatable balls and so on. It has a nice shopping street, where you also can eat out - sucha big variety! So it is recommended by me, yes.

In the afternoon i just had dinner and fell asleep... This night i had really unpleasant dreams (killing people, seeing people killed and stuff), so i didn't rest too well. So that nap was just about what i needed. For dinner i had nattou. It's probably like a curse for most of the foreigners because of its smell, structure and taste. For me it's not as bad, but i have to admit - it's not my thing. I can eat it, but there's no pleasure. It's a shame though... Because i've tried it once back in Europe and i kinda like it, but that one was slightly different than this one i had in Japan today. And i wanna believe that this nattou is more original, than the one i had. For me the smell is ok and i like the structure, but the taste was a little bit to intense. But then again - maybe there are different sorts of nattou.

Today i also met Kenjiro in the evening... It's been a long time since i've seen him! Last summer was the last time... We went to eat unagi (eel), which i actually like very much. I have eaten that before already couple of times, but today again i got upset stomach. I always do, so probably i should make some conclusions. Well, when i'm eating it it's really delicious, but afterwards i get upset belly and this sweetness taste in my throat all the time, so i think i should stop eating it. Maybe it's just too rich for me... It's a shame though, because it's tasty.

Today was a strange day. And it's my last day before i start working... I got my last host in Kansai, Sasayama ind Hyogo prefecture and i'm really happy about that! I was worried, i might not get a place for August, but now it's all ok. Also, i'm gonna meet Natsuko's brother, because i'm staying at his place for night in Kyoto. I'm sure it's gonna be just splendid! I also bought the tickets today from Tokyo to Osaka and from Kyoto to Shizuoka, so right now it's really just the last thing's left - start going there and here. The first week was full of experience and good memories, i hope it's not gonna be ruined.

I would like to work next year in Japan a normal paid job, but for that i need good japanese, so maybe i'm setting my goals to that one. It's always easier to learn or do something when you have clear goals... Who know's how it's gonna go in the future. Today i a strange day as i mentioned before, i feel somehow gloomy, upset, confused... I cannot say i feel bad, i wouldn't even dare saying that i'm being treated wrong, because i feel like at home here! Even better, they're all taking a good care of me... So it's not the cause of my mood, but something's ruining it a little bit. I've noticed that i'm becoming pissed and annoyed really fast the whole day, i feel a little bit empty. Maybe it's just pms, coming on me again, but it kinda feels different than normally. Anyway, right now it's time to sleep and not sit at the computer, so i'm saying a warm good night to everyone...