One of my students is from a rural area north of Kyoto and last weekend we had the pleasure of visiting his fathers house while returning from the beach along the Japan Sea coast. Plenty of other bikers, like myself, were out touring in the sunshine, especially from Osaka. It appeared that I was the only one in a t-shirt but to me the weather these days feels like a Canadian summer so I`m loving it. After relaxing at (and cleaning the bugs off my teeth) a local hotspring in front of a large dam on the river we were treated to a generous feast for dinner. My student’s father explained that he had been to England before on business and was pleased to be involved in more English discussion. The next morning I took he and his son for a ride on my bike followed by a hike up the mountain behind their home. When I taught English at an international college back in Vancouver I encouraged my students to visit parts of Canada `off the beaten path` – to get out of the city and experience places more unfamiliar when they had a chance. Those who made the effort always came back to me with a “thanks for the advice”. Same case for me here in Japan…..I owe my students a big thanks for their advice!
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