Sunrise over Himeji

Sunrise over Himeji,
originally uploaded by stingya.

Just ran into a photo i took almost four years ago. Wow the memories. First year in Japan.

Summer Promo Video

I've just completed a summer promo video for the Festa Shops in Himeji. Should be up and running at Festa soon. Check it out.

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms have been celebrated for many centuries in Japan. There are many cherry blossom viewing parties held all over Japan. The Japanese eat and drink under these trees at some of the most popular viewing spots. Its quite a sight.

We had picnics the last two weekends at Himeji Castle. Unfortunatly the first picnic was marred by the Yellow Sand that came over from China and created a haze. The cold windy conditions that day made it imposssible to enjoy the atmosphere.

A Day at the Asahi Beer Brewery

Today I was able to take most of my Nishinomiya School kids on a field trip. We try to take atleast one trip a season. In the past I've taken my students on excursions to the zoo or the mountains for hiking. With the arrival of spring one would imagine a nice trip outdoors. However, this time the mothers had oddly arranged for a field trip to the Asahi Beer Brewery in Nishinomiya. Why a brewery you might ask?? Well.... you'll probably be able to figure out why later.

Upon arrival at the Asahi Brewery we were greeted by a friendly Asahi staff who seemed a bit overwhelmed by the amount of small children on hand for the tour. I was quite impressed at how well behaved the children were. Preceding the visit, I envisioned many 3-6 year olds scattered all over the place wreaking havoc.

The tour began with a video presentation of how beer is produced. The video was entirely in Japanese and I can't tell you much about it because I fell asleep a few minutes into the presentation. After waking up to the scream in my ear of one of my students, we continued with a guided tour of the Asahi beer facility. The tour was extremely boring and I couldnt catch a word that was being said.

After the tour had concluded, we were all led into a large room where we could drink beer on tap. We were allowed to drink an unlimited amount in a span of 30 minutes. The children were given snacks and soft drinks courteous of Asahi. This of course was a marketing tactic to get Asahi’s name into the hearts of people. After the first beer, I was hesitant to get a second one because I was concerned at what the mothers might have thought of me. However, that quickly changed when the mothers insisted I drink more. I ended up downing five! Many of the mothers had three. It’s not unusual for women in Japan to like and drink beer regularly. I have never been big drinker or an authority on beer, but the beer at the brewery was quite refreshing and easy to drink.

All in all it was pretty good fun. If you can withstand the uninteresting tour for the highlight of chugging down as many beers as you can, then I can definitely recommend you visit Asahi.

Spring Video

Here is a clip of my latest promo video. The theme of the video is Spring Fashion. The video will be running at the Festa shops until the 20th of April. Check it out if you are in Himeji.


Link to Festas Home page.
http://festa.gyoen.jp/

The Four Seasons of Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is the best preserved castle in all of Japan. It serves as a classic example of Japanese castle architecture, having been designated a national treasure in 1931.
The castles remarkable landscape is a grand setting for seasonal scenery.