I can think of no more fitting reception upon my return to Kagoshima than a massive plume of ash from Sakurajima. Here you can see the cloud being split by the Takakuma mountain range. This was the view from my kitchen window just after the taxi dropped me off at my apartment.

A deceptively gentle looking [...]

Currently writing from an Internet Cafe in Nagoya where I will spend the night. If I get H1N1, it won’t be from any of my classrooms,  co-workers or students, but rather here in this cracked, fake leather recliner.
The trip thus far:
12/25： Kagoshima to Haneda, overnight in Kawasaki at Takashi’s place.
12/26: Used camera shop tour around [...]

Hello!
Sorry for the overwhemling gap between posts. Writing in my journal AND on this site during the trip proved to be too time consuming. I had a few drafts, but nothing worthy of a full post. I will be going back through day-by-day and recounting all of the steamy and scandalous events of the past [...]

Guess I’m ready!

Here is our Itinerary:
May 6: Arrive at Narita, Tokyo overnight
May 7: JR to Kagoshima, Kyushu overnight
May 8-11: Ferry to Yakushima, explore Yakushima (!)
May 11: Ferry to Kagoshima, JR to Hiroshima
May 12: Hiroshima & Miyajima
May 13: Hiroshima, JR to Kyoto
May 13-16: Kyoto
May 16: JR to Mt. Fuji, stay overnight near Fuji-san
May 17: JR to Tokyo
May 17-19: [...]