> Easter approaches.
>
> How are *you* planning to spend your Easter weekend?

I'm spending it sitting in the corner of the lobby of a cheap hotel in the village of Masuho in Yamanashi in Japan. My laptop is plugged into a pay phone and I've just finished work for the day. I'm drinking a bottle of a really weird Japanese drink called Bikkle which I bought for 110 yen from the vending machine next to this phone. Yesterday I went to the Shingenko festival in Kofu City, in which 24 guys dress up to represent the 24 Famous Generals of Lord Takeda Shingen and ride horses in a parade all around the city for five hours, accompanied by 1500 chanting guys in yellow outfits who haul a gold shrine along. I followed them the whole five-hour route and my feet are sore. It would have been cool if they allowed random gaijin bystanders to dress up in armour and be a Famous General on horseback, especially up the steep bits. Today we went to Mt Fuji. Tomorrow we're going to Shoshenkyo to do some hiking. I've collected some indescribable lines for "Things People Said". And that's what I'm doing for Easter.

Brunnen-"so far all the religious aspects of it have been somewhat different from what you would expect"G