Homeless?

From the BBC World News. If your in Kyoto, go don your kimono and seek tourist attractions now! Wonder why theyve decided to do this promotion now - Id have thought it would have been better in say, April, May or June when tourists flood to Kyoto... (Not that tourists'll where kimonos, just for them to see natives wearing them) ...

Ha! English are Language Barbarians...! I guess its true. As English is an international language now, you dont really need to learn another language - especially for tourists. But teaching a language at school is useless - I was taught French. But even in the exam, the French used was below basic level - I couldnt express simple sentences without a dictionary. Maybe it was just that my school was bad - the main reason I never really learnt French was because in every French lesson, the teacher was more occupied trying to discipline the students than to teach. It was the same in all lessons.

But, even so, in order to learn anything, you need passion. You need to want to learn it. Otherwise, theres just no point. - Japanese study English until they are blue in the face. But when that essential exam is over - how many really do remember everything they were taught and expanded their knowlegde 5 years on?

Okinawa was good, on Saturday and Sunday it was wet, windy and cold. Sounds just like a typical England March day! It was horrible, but Friday and Monday were brilliant. Sun, sun, heat, sun... :)
I got talking to a man on Monday. First of all, it was a conversation in my very broken Japanese. Then, he started speaking English, so I spoke English too. He told me of how he lived in London - Seven Sisters!!! (Small world?) and in New York. He had been to many places. He told me how he prefered listening to BBC World than to CNN. I asked him if he lived in Okinawa, or just on holiday. He said, "I used to live in Tokyo, but I like Okinawan weather, so I came here. Well, Im homeless you know, my sleeping bag is over there, I washed it this morning." I was shocked! He didnt look homeless - he was well dressed, well shaven, short hair, clean, smelt OK... Its really wierd the difference between English homeless people and Japanese homeless people. In Japan, many choose to be homeless. And they dont do it to beg like in England - they dont need to beg, they have money.

Gonna hopefully be setting up a picture link of Takayama, Sapporo, Okinawa, Tokyo soon. Check back in 2 years and itll be up... :)