Archive for June, 2005
Saga Train Routes
Figuring out train routes in Saga can be tricky, even if you’ve been here for a while. To help, here’s a route map (PDF) for all the JR lines in Saga. If you still need more help, you can go to a handy, English train schedule search page.
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Hockey in Saga
During my pre-departure preparation for Saga, I asked my soon-to-be DR if he knew of any ice hockey teams in the vicinity. He said he would check around for me, and a week or so later I got an email from him saying that he didn’t think there was. Since I am a size 12 shoe (size 30 here in Japan), I knew that skates in my size would be hard to come by, so I packed those just in case and left the rest of my gear behind.
It’s a good thing that I did because I was pleasantly mistaken. After about a month of settling into my new surroundings, I got a phone call at my school from someone I had never met before: Jeff Potter, a “lifer” who is married with three cute girls and has been living in Saga for 14 years now. He had heard that there was a new Canadian ALT in the area and was wondering if I could play hockey. Every year he looks for new foreign recruits to join the team. There are only two hockey teams in Saga Prefecture: Saga Club and Saga University. Of course, the Saga University team is restricted to university students and so the only real team to join is Saga Club.
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