Byrdie's Travels - Japan

My first real kimono

2008-03-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the graduation ceremony for the 6th graders. It was quite a boring ceremony, but I was still so sad to say goodbye to some of my students.
My teachers dressed me in kimono & hakama (special skirt worn w/ kimono on graduation). The kimono belt (obi) is tied SOOOOOOO tight, you can barely breath or walk or eat or do anything. And it makes you sit up really straight. There are 2 robes you wear, one underneath the actual kimono and then the kimono. They fasten it all together with these elastic belts that clip all the robes in place. Its quite a difficult process and it took a while to dress me but I had an expert! One of my teachers does tea ceremonies and so she wears kimonos all the time. She strapped me all together. I joked with the other teachers that I felt that at any moment all those elastic belts would come unclasped and POING POING POING!! My kimono would be on the floor at my feet and I would be running out of there butt naked!! HAHAHA!! But it looked awesome and I felt all pretty pretty princess! Then when they undressed me and undid the obi, I felt like i had just given birth or something! It was such a relief to take it off!! I got some full body shots on my camera, but I thought I would just post this one on my phone for now. I got to wear the little socks and sandals and everything! It was fun.

Why?

2008-03-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Why do Japanese people sit through all the credits at the movies!!??? It is so annoying! The movie is over...get up! Every time I go to the movies I am amazed that no one gets up at the end of the film, literally EVERYONE sits in the dark theater staring at the credits until the very last name graces the screen, and then and only then, does everyone get up!! Whats with that? Every time I go to the movies and I get up to leave at the end of the film everyone looks at me as if I am walking out in the middle of the movie or something. Like I am disturbing their credit watching AND the credits are all in ENGLISH anyway (or they always are for the films I go see) so its not like anyone is really reading them or anyway!!

Its all very silly.

A sad day and happy day

2008-03-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

I just had a good cry.
The 6th graders threw a farewell party for all the teachers this afternoon. I have never fully appreciated the Japanese fondness for sentimentality until now. The children, about 50 6th graders, who are going off to Junior High school in a little under a month, threw us the best farewell party ever! They gave us each invitations to the party yesterday. A student I am very fond of, Keita, delivered mine. Then this afternoon after all the other students had left school, a group of 6th graders filed into the staffroom. They each called out the name of the teacher they would be escorting into the party. We all marched out of the staffroom and into the gym. Waiting for us there, applauding were the rest of the 6th graders sitting around a cluster of tables. I was taken to sit at a table with the principal and a 4th grade teacher and about 5 students. At our seats were little bags or treats. The party began and we chatted briefly with the kids and ate our sweets. Then the children got up onto the stage in groups and presented a PowerPoint of their classes threw the years accompanied by a little skit corresponding to each school year. It was like a self roast about their time in elementary school. Trips they took, things that happened, their visit to the zoo in third grade, their trip to Mt. Tsukuba in 4th grade and so on. The first picture put up on the screen was one of the students in first grade at the opening ceremony. There they all were as little first graders in their best dresses and suits. I began to cry then and didn't stop until it was all over. But the real tears came when the students all gathered at the front of the auditorium to sing to us, the words were simply, "Good bye teachers, thank you" Then as the pianist continued to play the melody of the song, various students from the chorus shouted out each teachers name and then thanked them for something. This really made me and everyone cry. A very shy sixth grade boy called my name, I had to do my best not to break down! HAHAHA. Then when all the teachers had been thanked the students left the front of the stage and we teachers took the stage and sang a song for them. Thank goodness I have been practicing this song with the other teachers for the past 2 months, so I got a chance to really participate. Unfortunately I left my song book in the staff room so I didn't have my English translation of the song and clung to Aida sensei for help and he shared his and I had to make do with the hiragana version. Unfortunately Aida sensei was not the person to rely on and I should have know it. He sang all the wrong words and lead me totally in the wrong direction! Then we both started to laugh which made it worse.
After singing for the kids we all sat back down and where given gifts by the students. We all got flowers and a hand made picture frame. Mine is really cute. Inside all the packages was a card or letter thanking us.

Anyway I am just really happy and sad and emotionally exhausted right now. I keep thinking about all those kids moving on and growing up. It has reminded me how special my job is. I need to take care of these kids and do my best for them. Its really important.

Setsubun

2008-02-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

(The yummy dried fish snack served with lunch today)

Yesterday it snowed all day. It was so nice. The snow just kept piling up. I wandered around Tokyo a bit and my town taking pictures. I went across the street to a shrine that I can see from my window but have never visited. It is a very small shrine on a hill. Yesterday also happened to be Setsubun.
Setsubun is a Japanese holiday celebrated on February 3rd (yesterday. Families usher good luck in and cast away bad luck. Often someone in the family will dress up as an oni or devil, probably dad gets this job and he tries to sneak into the house. But mom and the kids catch him and they throw beans at him and yell at him and tell him to go away. Then they ask good luck to come in. Also people eat as many dried beans as they are old. I don't know why they do this. Anyway, so yesterday was Setsubun. When I went up to the shrine to take some pictures of the snow, the shrine was busy with preparations for Setsubun. A bunch of old men were stuffing bags full of mochi and mikan and beans. The Shinto presets and other old men were not very welcoming, but one man was very kind to me and he invited me in. I guess they thought I was a tourist, so when I told then I lived across the street and was a teacher they were suddenly very kind and we chatted for a bit. I was very proud because I spoke completely in Japanese!! I did pretty well too. After our visit as I was heading out, they gave me a bag of Setsubun beans, mochi and mikan. So when I got home I decided to do Setsubun properly. I cast the beans outside and (in English) told all the oni to go away and then I asked the good luck to come in. It was pretty hilarious considering I was all alone. Am I sad? Then I ate the mikan, don't think your supposed to. I think you have to put the mochi and mikan in your ancestral alter, but I don't have one so I ate them. I tried to eat 26 dried beans, but they were gross so I ate 15. maybe I will finish the rest tonight, hope it does not make a difference. And anyway it's too late for me to drop dead at 15. HA!
After celebrating Setsubun I went to Tsutaya (video store) and rented Lost, I have only seen season 1, I gotta catch up!
That was my Sunday.

Brief Encounter

2008-01-28T22:33:00.001-08:00

I just watched this oldie for the first time a few weeks ago. Apparently everyone already knew it was one of the best films ever made. I don't know how I was not in the loop!! But anyway, I bought it and watched it and it was AMAZING!! I'm not at all familiar with classic British cinema (apart from some early Hitchcock). I need to get more acquainted, so I don't know who the actors are, but they were both unbelievable good. Its a love story about two married people in the middle of their lives who meet accidentally and fall in love. Most of the film takes place in a train station. The main female character did a really impressive job portraying someone who is really torn. She was so believable. She is not a very pretty actress which struck me at once, I must admit I love the beautiful glamorous Hollywood starlets of the 30s and 40s. She is not glamorous or beautiful. She is kinda mousy. She reminded me of the little monsters Ursula the sea witch turns people into for her garden. But I fell in love with this actress after this film. Man she was so amazing.

Anyway rent it or buy it if you have never seen it. It comes on TCM now and then. Its a really amazing film.

Today

2008-01-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Its raining and that sucks. BUT its 3:00 which means the day is almost over. I have taught my last class, and today is Thursday!! Do you know what that means......? Its the day the baker lady comes to school and sells her stuff for cheap. Its the best day of the week!! She makes these chocolate croissant things that are TOOO good. I am so excited about buying like 10!!

Not much else happening. My computer should be up and running again soon so I will be able to post some pictures to go with the last few posts.

later!

My safty drill story

2008-01-24T23:47:00.000-08:00

Today my experience with Japanese school safety drills was greatly expanded. Today we had a fire drill. Or at least that's how it was listed on my schedule. But it was far more than any fire drill I had experienced in Elementary schools, the bell ringing and all the children having to leave school out the fire exists in "single file" lines.
To begin with the Japanese don't seem to do single file. There system is based around a double line and a "mainarai" were the kids stretch their arms out in front of them causing all the children to spread out and the line to move backwards. Its quite ingenious really. ANYWAY, At exactly 9:43, simulated earthquake sounds could be heard over the intercom. The principal scurried past my desk looked down at me with a smile and said "escape." So I got my coat on and followed him out of the staffroom. We converged with a steady stream of children also "escaping" all with seat cushions strapped to their heads.
****I must make a side note about these seat cushions. These chair pillows serve many many purposes. The primary one is that they simply make the classroom chairs more comfortable. They are strapped either to the seat or the back of the chair. But they are often removed and used as floor cushions when the children are attending an assembly in the gym, as there are no chairs for them to sit on in there and they always sit on the floor. Today the cushions were being used to protect their little heads from the falling debris of a fire or earthquake. Considering the Japanese talent for finding multiple uses for every day objects, I would not be surprised if these pillows were not also life vests and parachutes!****
Anyway, the kids looked adorable with their seat cushions strapped to their heads squatting on the playground in front of the school. (were is my camera!)
Safety vehicles of all kinds were parked around the school grounds, ambulances, fire trucks and a truck with a large later on the back could be seen. Our attention was directed to the 4th floor, left side corner of the building. A 6th grade teacher and 2 of his students could be see waving down on us from the balcony. The uttered a feeble and comical "taskete!" (help). Then the fireman's latter attached to one of the trucks rose up and loaded them into the small bucket attached to the top of the ladder and they were brought to the ground.
By now a crowd was building of parents (mostly mothers) neighbors, and emergency volunteers. The the swelling crowd and children were moved to the far end of the play ground, to face the front of the building. Our attention was directed to the roof and waving down on us was a 1st grade and a 2nd grade teacher. Then we heard a humming in the distance. Suddenly a helicopter was in view. It was speeding towards us. It made a few low and dramatic laps around the school grounds and then hovered over the main school building. Two men jumped out attached to zip lines. Soon both teachers were "rescued" from the roof. They were strapped to the emergency workers and hoisted up into the hovering helicopter. It was such an exciting show!!! It was like an emergency circus, an rescue fair! After the helicopter each class in groups went around to different stations set up all over the school grounds, to see more safety stuff. There was a van with a set of chairs and a table and the students were invited to come into the van and sit at the table. Then an earthquake was simulated within the van and the chairs and table and children slid about and shook as the earthquakes classification grew higher and higher. There was a tent filled with smoke which the students all had to run threw. There were other "attractions" too. The kids got to inspect the helicopter and the fire truck more closely and they got to use a chair saw? I though this particular event belonged in the 'unsafely fair' as opposed to the 'safety fair', but that's just me. 4th graders operating a chain saw sounds pretty dangerous. Anyway for the finally 3 large toffs were laid out, filled with gasoline and set on fire. Then some of the mothers came forward and were given fire extinguisher and the had to put the fires out. It looked really fun. I wanted to do it.
Anyway THIS was the "fire drill". It was the most intense and interesting fire drill I have ever witnessed.

The G-String Murders

2008-01-24T23:35:00.000-08:00

So as you all know I love collecting classic films on DVD. I recently watched a pretty funny one. it was called, The Lady of Burlesque. Though it was based on a book "the g-string murders"!!! HAHAHAH (which is rumored to a fictional tale who's main character is modeled after Gypsy Rose Lee, famous strip tease artist of the time)
Released in 1943, it stars Barbara Stanwyck. its about a burlesque troop who are plagued by a series of murders within their theater were the female victims are strangles by their own g-strings.
Man what a great plot. I had not thought g-strings had been around that long!! But when you see there see through costume's you realise they MUST have been wearing them.

The film was OK. Barbara Stanwyck, I thought was cute in it and she did a really cute song and dance number. It had some great lines and was very funny, but there was nothing amazing about it. What is amazing though is just the overall idea of the film AND its theme song. "Take it of the e-string, play it on the g-string" HILARIOUS!

Rent it if you can. Its funny.

Random happenings

2008-01-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

There is this kid in one of my classes who when he knows an answer and has his hand raised, if I dont call on him immediately he begins to wine, squeel and howl as if he is being beaten. It is so unbelievable and annoying. The other kids get so mad at him. Its really strange.

I saw my first pair of braces yesterday. One of my 3 grade students (That seemed a little young for braces to me. You still have a lot of growing to do at 8.) As you probably know the Japanese typically have terrible teeth. Even models and actresses and its very rare to see a big brace face around. but maybe its catching on. I think if I was in orthodontics I would move out here and set up shop, I bet you could make a million.

So today the two first grade teachers where away from school for the day. Im not sure why. So they scheduled me to teach a joint English lesson with both 1st grade classes....in the gym. at first I was excited and then when I thought about it a little more I was like, 'OH man this could suck.' All those tiny kids running around the gym while I try to teach them "How are you?". Anyway, I made a kick ass lesson and when to the gym armed to the teeth with my best games and distractions. When the assistant teacher Tamura sensei let the kids loose on the gym they immediately swarmed in like bees and made a few laps around the perimeter, screaming with glee. The lesson went OK. But it was hard to keep their attention and they were all very excited. Half way threw I looked down at the first row and saw two kids fighting. The kids often play fight so I didnt notice really. But then I realized it was real. Tamera sensei swooped in just as one of the little boys made contact with the other's face. It was like in slow motion for me. The little boy that took the punch was fine for a minute he stared back at his assaulter, hatred in his eyes. And then I suppose he realized it hurt and he began to cry. Tamura sensei whisked them both away to a corner of the gym to talk to them both. I carried on with my lesson, all the while watching them from the corner of my right eye. Later they emerged the little boy who had taken the punch was sufficiently humiliated. He sulked there the next few games, but the won the last game "Money Janken" as I call it. I was so happy for him.

Elementary schools in Japan and I would bet all other public schools, do not have central heating or AC. They cool with standing fans and heat with the most horrible contraptions. The stove, as they call it, is a humongous old, dusty, rusty thing. Its powered by kerosene and the fums make you ill, literally. Its cold in the winter here!! It snows and many of the boys are dressed in SHORTS and there is no heating. Its crazy.

Poor Kid

2008-01-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

Today has been strange. First, I woke up early this morning and was running around trying to get laundry done before work. I ran out of the house a little later than usual and looked around and realized that a thin coat of snow lay over everything. It was so bright and beautiful. It the first snow I have seen in Japan. In fact it has been years since I have seen snow I think. so I rode to work in a jolly mood. I was sure that today was off to a good start. As I sat on the train waiting for it to leave the station, I noticed a man of about 50 sitting across from me. He was concealing some thing behind his briefcase and he was acting strangely. Then I saw him take a sip of his secret beverage, SAKE! it was 7:45am. I also noticed the young boy next to me talking softly to himself. Once I got to school the day continued to be strange. An alarm of some kind kept going off all morning causing the staff to run about and fret as the phone range and they attempted to figure out why it continued to sound. I tried to find out what sort of alarm it was, but never did. All day long there seemed to be something wrong. One of the teachers was absent from my class. And all the others seemed on edge. Then at lunch I spoke to the principal and asked her what was going on. She told me that one of the students was in trouble. His name is Akira and he is in 5th grade. She told me last night he ran away from home and spent the night outside in the cold (Its snowed last night too) finally he was caught this morning by his step mother and when he was brought home his father hit him. She told me that when Akira was in 2nd grade his Father walked out on his mother and there 3 children. His father returned 2 years later with a new wife and baby, and kicked his previous wife out of the house. So now he lives with his father and step mother. You can imagine that this kid is going threw stuff. He no longer wants to live at home with his father. He has told the principal that and requested that he be brought back to like a foster care home, were he was a few years back.

Its very sad. Poor kid. I think all of this must be so shameful for him, ESPECIALLY here in Japan, where instances like this are far more uncommon. Well i am in the middle of my day so lets see what else happens. I hope nothing else bad or shocking!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

2008-01-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

I had a really good New Years. I met up with friends and we went out to a bar/restaurant and ate soba which the Japanese eat for longevity on New Years Eve. Then we all went to a club for the countdown and to dance tha night away. I found a 10,000 yen (almost $100.00) note on the floor, so that was awesome, I owed J 5,000 so i gave that to her, I bought some drinks for friends and then pocketed the remaining 3,000. But when I checked my pocket later, it was gone, HA! So someone else found that and was glad, I guess you got to share the wealth. I met some new people. I had so much fun.

Then we all headed home around 5am. I came back to my flat, slept for 4 hours, showered got ready and my principal S sensei came and picked me up. She had invited me over to her house for a New Years day lunch with her family. Her brother his wife and their 2 kids where there. Her daughter and her husband and her son and his wife and baby where all there also. I have met S sensei's son and his wife before, im very fond of them. But it was nice to met the rest of the family, almost everyone spoke English, even the kids. But they where all shy to speak to me at first. But after some beers and food they warmed up to me. Well the men did, but most of the women were still deathly afraid to talk to me. Oh well. We had a lot of very interesting traditional Japanese food. I ate herrings eggs which were gross and I ate the biggest shrimp I have ever seen, that was very tasty, it was almost as big as a lobster. Traditionally over the new years holiday people eat preserved foods, like picked things, the Japanese love pickles like no other people on this earth, they are called tsukemono, and they pickle all kinds of things. S sensei also served sashimi and salads. Things that dont have to be cooked, so that more time can be spent socializing with the family (This is so different from the western holiday tradition, where we all spend ALL our time cooking food that is particularly time consuming and difficult) Also each preserved food has a special meaning. The herrings eggs are supposed to give you lots of babies, YIKES!! There where about 20 different little foods, I cant remember all the meanings and the family did not know many of them, but im gonna look them up. It was really really fun. I had the best of both worlds this New Years, the only thing i didnt do is visit the shrine, but their is still time. There is a shrine across the street from my apartment, maybe I will pop over their tomorrow and get some praying time in.

First meal of the New Years : Ducky Duck (Its an Italian food chain out here) I had karubonara with a raw egg on top. Man they love their raw eggs, but im beginning too as well. Im surprised it didnt make me sick though considering it was 5am when I ate it and I had been drinking a fair amount. Maybe im getting used to it.
OK well I hope you had a good New Years.

2007-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well I have had a very unconventional Christmas this year. But I have to say it has been a really REALLY great one.
Typically Christmas day is spent having dinner at home with family, opening presents and lazying around. Which is fine, its wonderful in fact. I love Christmas for these reasons. But when you dont have family around, its great that you can turn to friends to share the holidays with.

First there was Js house party on Xmas Eve Eve. It was a mellow secret Santa thing with dinner and drinks. Everyone ended having such a good time I guess cause everyone just ended up crashing at Js. I met some new people which was great. The next day, Xmas Eve, I took myself Xmas shopping. I hit up my favorite used English bookstore out here. I bought 5 books and a CD. Its nice to buy your own presents. Then you get just what you wanted.

Then I met up with a group of friends on Xmas day. We had dinner at a shamelessly American restaurant in Ropongi, which was what everyone was in the mood for. Then we crossed the street to relax and keep on drinking in a sheesha bar. The bar cleared out at around 12 (Last train) but we just decided to keep on going. We danced and danced and some smoke. Then we left the sheesha behind in favor or more dancing. We went to some bar/club and continued to dance. Even though western pop/dance/hip hop in Japanese bars and clubs is usually 3 years old, it was still an awesome night.

And now I an exhausted and will need a vacation from my vacation.

Hope everyone had a great Xmas too!

Pencil Smashers

2007-12-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

So of course on my last day in school, my last class before my break had to be 6-1 (A senseis class).

They surprised me today by being relatively behaved and quiet in comparison to other lessons we have had together. Also to my surprise A sensei actually graced us with his presence!!! What a shock for me, he usually sends an assistant teacher to sit at the back and stair into space, in his place. So we made our way through my fun filled lesson. (It is a fun lesson! I have done it with EVER class i have and they all love it) After one of my activities I collected my pencils (I have a bunch of pencils in the classroom for the kids to use, instead of having them bring their own pencil cases to class. It saves a lot of time for everyone and I thought it would be easier for the kids.) After collecting my pencils I looked down and saw that about half the class had smashed the tips of the pencils, very obviously on purpose. I was so pissed! I stopped the lesson and yelled at them for a minute. Still A sensei coward at the back of the class. He felt no need to interfere in any way. They were shocked and embarrassed that I did not just per tend not to notice. They got very quite and serious after that. We moved on and played another game, but the group of kids I know was involved in the pencil smashing (heehee) were noticeably sulking in the corner, not participating. At the end of the lesson I took another minute to tell them that smashing my pencils was very rude. It sucks cause I know they dont understand exactly what I am saying. They know what I am saying, but if they understood me fully, I feel like I could get a lot further with them. What I wanted to do was yell at them and then make them all stand up and in true Japanese disciplinary fashion, make a deep bow to me and apologize in English. Perhaps I will do that next time. Anyway I am so pissed. And I am even more angry because A sensei took absolutely no interest in my lesson or in disciplining his students. And I can do nothing about it. I cant talk to anyone at the school and my company has been of no help to me on this matter. I really want to talk to some of the other teachers about it, but I am afraid they will just go tell A Sensei and then I will look foolish.
You cant ever tell anyone how you feel, which results in all this passive aggressiveness! Obviously I have offended A Sensei, I wish he would just man up and TELL me what I did already so he can move on with his life, and I can have a chance to enjoy teaching his kids who are obviously very bright. BUT NO. he cant tell me how he feels, and so his only option is to disrespect me in front of his kids, leaving me feeling frustrated and confused and to day dream about spitting on his "onigiri" or into his green tea, while no one is looking. ITS So STUPID! I never thought I would value the more open system of communicating we have in the West.

Anyway, in response to my classes and co-workers own passive aggressive childishness, I decided to respond with my own passive aggressive move by displaying the collection of 20 broken pencils on my desk in the teachers lounge. Next year, I will very humbly and respectfully request that H sensei, a 3rd grade teacher in charge of me, buy me more pencils as the 6th graders "keep on braking them, I dont know why, heehee(smiles very shyly)". And adding a little salt in the wound, I realize I have to buy this stuff that they ripe up, with my own money!! anyway, then next year I will request that each child in 6-1 bring their own pencils to class from now on, as they are incapable of respecting my things.

Dont judge me, im angry.

To be fare though, I work with about 40 teachers and I only ever have a problem with this one man. So those are pretty good odds.

"Xmas" in Japan

2007-12-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Japan. Maybe you have heard that they celebrate Christmas out here. Well do they EVER! The Japanese LOVE Christmas, but they have sort of re-invented the holiday a bit to better serve their own cultural purposes. And here is a brif description of my observations of the Christmas season thus far in Japan.

In Japan as you might imagine, the religious aspect of Christmas has been completely removed. People often refer to Christmas as "Xmas" not in the sense of an abbreviation, as we might do in the west, but in spoken English, as in "Merry Xmas!" You will see no images or Jesus and no manger sense. But it is still an incredibly popular holiday. And my guess is that Christmas in Japan seems to be gaining popularity each year.

Santa Clause is obviously the major symbol of Christmas here. But dont call him Santa Clause, cause hes "Santa san". The Japanese have brought over all the other symbols and characters associated with Christmas as well, elves, reindeer, snow, stars, bells, the Christmas tree, presents all of it. In my schools I often get to sit in on other teachers lessons, like calligraphy or reading or social studies, what have you. Last week I attended a 1st graders music lesson. They sang the Japanese version of "Rudolph the red noise reindeer" and another song about Santa-San which was complete with a very funny dance.

Christmas however, in past has been a holiday associated with couples, not children. Its a holiday where lovers get together and go on dates, or visit love motels, or go on mini break vacations together. Its not even really a family oriented celebration. But now it is clearly expanding to include children, families and young singles more and more.

Can you guess what the most popular thing to eat on Xmas eve is??? Its Kentucky Fried Chicken.!! Yes. the fast food chain, and its as horrible here as it is at home. But its so popular that the fast food chain puts together a special Xmas take away menu, and people are advised to pre-order their dinners far in advance, perhaps a month before Xmas!! I think the reason this is a popular choice for Japanese people is that they are aware of the western Christmas tradition of roasting a turkey, or a ham, or whatever you eat over the holiday. They have seen it many times in holiday films and TV. But Turkey is hard to come by here and even harder to come by is an oven. Most apartments and even homes don't have them. So people would have no means of cooking a bird even if they got there hands on one. Hence the "Kentucky" trend.

Another strange Japanese Xmas trend is the Christmas cake. In all the grocery stores huge displays are erected with ingredients and decorations for making the perfect Christmas cake. My guess is that the girl makes a cake (Japan is still very much a chauvinistic society) and then the couple enjoy eating it on their Christmas date.

Right now and for the past few weeks, tons and tons of twinkly lights have been put up everywhere. And a Christmas tree can be found in all the major shopping districts around Tokyo. Even in Toride around our station there is a nice little "illumination" as they like to call it out here, of blue lights draped in the trees lining the street leading you away from the station. (It looks very festive and cute.) The favorite color for Xmas lights is blue here for some reason.

Sat night out

2007-11-18T03:52:00.000-08:00

Note: a wise fellow blogger creates nick names for those she writes about, so that their identities stay relatively anonymous. So from now on I have decided to do the same so that I can write more freely about my social circle over here.

I had a pretty awesome weekend.
I dont often write about the sort of normal nights out that I have here in Tokyo. But I think I will start to document them. They wont be of much interest to you guys, but its fun for me to write about them and have them documented here.
It was a friends Birthday. We all met up in Shibuya at the Elephant Cafe, sort of Asian Fusion, we did a set menu and nomihodai (all you can drink). It was a really good time. I met some new people which is always great and got to hang out with my lil group of girls who I am growing to love more and more each week we spend together. A, You, JJ, T-cat, & M. After dinner we moved on to karaoke. I have to say I really love karaoke.
(If you come out to karaoke with me the things I am most likely to sing are: Norah Jones "dont know why"; Dusty Springfield "Son of a Preacher man"; Stevie Nicks "Dreams"; something by Madonna or Fiona Apple and probably Micheal Jackson.)
It was a really large group of us though, maybe 20 in all, so I only sang two songs, but still had such a good time. At some point we were joined by a few more folks including a young man dressed as a dinosaur. That was weird, but funny. After karaoke about 7 of us went back and crashed at JJ place. The party kept on going when we got there, drinking game, scrabble and lots of horsing around till about 4am. I fell asleep on the couch and kind of half participated in it all. Everyone slept till about 10. I woke up not feeling too bad, but everyone else was suffering. I cleaned JJs flat while everyone else went back to sleep. I felt really bad for JJ cause she lives with roommates and we kinda trashed the place, and they are all always so nice about letting people stay over and so I decided to give back a little by scrubbing their kitchen sink.
After cleaning, me and T-cat headed out together for the station around 3. But we decided to stop of at a kombini on the way, which turned into having coffee, which turned into having dinner at Zest a tex mex place, which turned into having desert at the kombini and finally hopping onto the Yamanote line and heading of on our different routs home.

I am back at my flat in inaka Japan. But its always nice to come home, even if no one is here. My little loft bed is so comfy and I am reading a really good book right now, The Northern Lights. I like it a lot. I am going to crawl in bed now and read it.
Oyasumi

Halloween 2007 We ROCKED IT!

2007-11-17T04:19:00.000-08:00

I have not had the chance to write about Halloween yet. It was a while back but better late than never I always say, so a quick entry about Halloween.

I had a particularly good one this year. I went out with my Nihongo gurupu of gals. We all met at JJs place and got ready. We decided to revive the 80s for that night. When I got to JJs, T-cat was already there and we started getting dressed. A few other kids trickled in gradually and we had a rather large party happening. All the girls were dressed in 80s regalia and T-cat and I became the hairdressers teasing and spraying every ones hair into amazing 80s dos. T-cat did an amazing job with eye shadow too. After that we took cabs up the street to a bar near Ebisu station. The crowd was very international and EVERYONE was in costume which was really fun. I bumped into Navi who strangely knows a friend, who knows T-cat. The world is so small. We danced the night away. We closed the place down and were some of the last to leave the bar! Then we all took cabs back to JJs and slept. I had to wake up at 9am that morning (Sun) and rush back to Ibaraki to meet my IC and move apartments. It was such a rough day. After only having slept a few hours I had to spend the day lugging all my stuff from my old apartment to my new one. And let me tell ya, that hairspray did not want to come out. I washed my hair 3 times that day and it STILL felt sticky!!

Its serious business people.

2007-11-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

I have neglected my blog in the most horrible way. I am truly sorry. I am just busy and lazy and lame.

Anyway, I went to Nikko yesterday. It was beautiful. It was the most perfect day to go. I had the day off, Tuesday, I am not sure why, but no one that works for my branch had work that day. well i took the opportunity to miss the weekend crowds and trek up to Nikko for the day. Nikko is a small town in Tochigi prefecture. Its famous for its shrines and temples. One in particular, the Toshogu shrine. It is a very flashy temple you might say. Its covered in intricate carvings and painted bright colors. Its very uncharacteristic of some of the other Buddhist shrines I have seen here. It reminded me of the sort of Buddhist shrines we saw in Darjeeling.

The train ride up took 2 hours. I love riding on trains though, so that was a treat for me. It was SUCH a nice day too. The sky was so blue and I had the best time just looking out the window.

The town of Nikko is not very interesting. I basically headed straight for the temple complex as soon as I arrived. Its about a 15min walk from the station. On the way you pass a very famous bridge called the Shinkyou bridge. It is very beautiful.

Then you enter the temple complex from near the base of the bridge. Its a bit like a temple park. There are several temples and shrines on the grounds. Both Shinto and Buddhist. The most famous is the Toshogu Shrine, but another really interesting one was the Rinnoji temple. I also saw a Buddhist service of sorts. I really wanted to take pictures, but it would have been inappropriate. But there was a monk and he was chanting in front of a fire. It was really interesting.

I wondered around the grounds and visited all the temples and shrines. It was a really nice day. Its fall so many of the leaves where changing, which was especially nice in this area.

I was pressed for time so i did not visit Nikkos other famous attraction which its National Park, with waterfalls and a lake. I must go back. Also wanna visit one of the onsen!

Oh yeah, and there was this little shrine for children. I dont know what little children pray for. Maybe good weather so they can play outside. Or maybe toys or candy, well you got me, but it was really cute.

OK well this is a pretty boring entry. The only funny thing that happened was when I was riding on the train home I fell asleep and put my foot up on the seat across from me. Only a little bit of my shoe was touching and it was not even touching the seat itself, it was on the front of the seat. Anyway, I got yelled at by the man sitting across from me. Old men are always yelling at me.

If you wanna see more pictures of Nikko check out my Picsa gallary. Just follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marjoriebyrd/Nikko

Harajuku on a lazy Saturday

2007-10-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

I was just bumbling around Harajuku on Saturday. I had never visited the shrine there in Yoyogi park so i decided to go have a look. Its such a beautiful park and the shrine is amazing. Its so quiet there. you dont feel like you are in Tokyo at all. I happened to be there while a wedding ceremony was being held. It was beautiful. I dont know much about the traditional Japanese wedding. The wedding party was marching around the grounds of the shrine and then the took photos on the side of the building and then finally disappeared into one of the restricted courtyards.

After that I bought a box of Pretz and a C.C.Lemon and sat down to watch the circus by the overpass by Harajuku station. This is where all the teenagers come in their crazy costumes and sit around and get their pictures taken. Saturday is not really the day for this. Sunday is when all the major cos players are out, but Saturday was interesting enough. I sat next to this man who did not face the crowds of people, but instead faced the street and put on a rockabilly lip singing performance. Even when a group of Scottish tourist decided to be his backup dancers and twirled onto his imaginary stage doing a Scottish folk dance, he still did not turn around to face the crowds of people now watching, but continued to sing (scream) into the street as cars merged onto the overpass. It was very strange.

There where quite a lot of performers and painters and this man dressed in a pink heart costume.

Undokai "GO SHIRO KUMI!"

2007-10-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Lets go shiro kumi lets go!!

I got to participate in one of my gakkos undokai (sports festival). Its kinda like field day but way more intense. The whole school is divided into two teams. White and Red. I was on the white team (*we won, by the way!!! YEAH!) The kids participate in a series of races and games. Some of which are a bit scary and very dangerous!! Then the grades do dances. The 1st and 2nd graders did a dance with pompoms to some Jpop tune. The 3rd and 4th graders did a dance with wooden sticks from Okinawa. And the 5th and 6th graders did a marching band thing, with color guard and all. I also ran in one of the races!! I ran my butt off. It was called "Lets Run" or something like that. The kids run up and grab a card. Each card has a teacher or students name on it. Then the kid racing has to run and find that person and they have to both run across the finish line together. I laughed so hard i think it slowed me and my partner down. I also lead one of the games. I called out a color or a fruit to the 3rd graders and they had to run up and grab the right ball and then do like a spoon and egg race with it. Anyway, I had a great time.

Visit my Picsa gallary for more pics, I have tons of cute ones.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marjoriebyrd/Undokai

Toride Matsuri

2007-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

On my way home on Wednesday I spotted a bunch of girls in yukatas getting off at my stop. I knew this meant that there was a festival going on in in Toride (how could I have not known about this!!). So I followed them and the building crowd, down one of the side streets, near the river and found the matsuri!!! Yippie! There where tons of stalls, selling toys and lots of games. One that seems very popular is catching goldfish or koi fish or small turtles. There where stalls selling masks, shaved ice, octopus on a stick, and okonimiyaki.

As I walked along the stalls I spotted a stage on which a group of masked performers where putting on a play, maybe it was Noh theater, I am not sure. They where accompanied by a small group of musicians and it was a wonderful performance. I continued to walk to the end of the block, and much to my delight, I saw a large group of men preparing for a ritual that is performed at many festivals year round. Its the carrying of a small wooden shrine. About a hundred young men (and some women) hoist a small, but obviously heavy shrine onto their shoulders and then into the air while chanting. I am sure you have seen video of this kind of thing on TV. I was so excited to get to see the real thing. It was pretty intense. The group of men slowly make there way down the street with the shrine. Accompanying them in the persuasion are, priests, lantern carriers, the man leading the chants, and a small band of drummers and flute players. The men carry the shrine on there shoulders chanting, and because its so heavy it sways and it is clear they have little control over it, so another group of men are in charge of pushing the shrine and directing the group in the right directing and keeping it from hurtling into the crowned, which is what it almost did a few times!! The men chant and then begin to bunch slightly while walking, then all of a sudden they hoist the shrine into the air, straitening their arms. It looks incredibly painful and difficult, but it was really thrilling and exciting to watch.

It was such a fun thing to stumble upon! I also got to see many of my students, as I work in this city, many of them where there with their families. It was nice to see them.
to veiw more pictures check out my Picsa gallary: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marjoriebyrd/TorideMasturi

Hanami in Asakusa

2007-08-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

So its summer time here and that means matsuri (festivals) and hanami (fireworks). Last weekend I met some friends in Asakusa to watch the annual fireworks display over the river. I got to Asakusa earlier than everyone else and hung out in the festival and took pics. It seems to me that these festival are basically about food and dressing up, which are two very important things in my opinion. The women looked beautiful in there yukatas (summer kimono). I wanted to wear mine, but i still have not figured out how to put it on, it is confusing folks. I hung out in the shrine and ate and watched everyone getting settled to watch the fireworks while i waited for my friends. More and more people kept showing up until it was a virtual mob on the street and you could hardly walk down the side walk. My friends showed up and we started to make our way towards the bridge where some other friends had space for us to sit. Well there where so many people trying to make it across the bridge the police had to block it off and send us across in groups. This meant we were standing on the crowded street for ages slowly making our way up to the bridge. It was hot and we were all feeling claustrophobic, but still having a good time and then the fireworks began on both sides of the bridge and we ended up getting an OK view. Then we walked to a yakitori restaurant on the other side of Asaksa after the show was over. They had closed down the streets all around Asakusa and the shrine and people had set up picnics and where camping out in the middle on the street, it looked really fun and next year, thats what I am doing!!!! Anyway we had yakitori (grilled meats on skewers). I ate lots of strange chicken pats and liver (which i hate). Then we headed over to Shibuya on the last trains of the night for some karaoke. There where about 10 of us in the group. We booked the karaoke box for the rest of the night (12-5am) and sang our hearts out. Then at 5am we made our way with the rest of Shibuya to the trains station to all split off into our different directions of Tokyo. Was a good night and a fun festival.

My fellow adventurers!

Jimbocho

2007-08-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Im on summer vacation!!! Its so awesome to have summer vacation again!! So having August off has given me ime to continue my exploration of tokyo and the suronding areas.

Yesterdasy I went into the city to do some exploring which is something I truly love to do. I just love cities I guess. I used to do the same thing when i lived in London. I would go in on a Sunday and wonder around for hours and hours, never buying anything or doing anything in particular, not going anywhere, just seeking to discover secret places.
Tokyo is so vast and divers, I find I am constantly stumbling accidentally into these new and beautiful areas of the city. I keep having these amazing walks were I find a hidden shrine or a lantern lined night market. Today I explored Jimbocho, an area known for its abundance of used book shops. They have truly ancient books for sale here, costing hundreds of dollars. Aswell as newer used books and a strange number of highly specialized stores only selling things like, play books from musicals, or antique sheet music, or pornographic books from the 50s and 60s. I found one tiny store tucked down an ally, it was so full of old moldy books that the stacks where literally to the celling. I am certain that the shop keeper was actually a toad who had magically dissguised himself as an old grumpy man. This shop specialized in old and beautifully illustrated antique books. Most of the stories seemed to be Japanese folktales, many of the pages covered in ornately and likely hand painted, color illustrations. Some of the books were not books at all, but actual scrolls!!! The books impressed me so much that I have decided to treat myself and purchase one. I had my eye on a small one costing $50 or so. I will probably go back with my mom to pick one out. There where soooo many beautiful ones I could not decide just then. Anyway, the sun was shining and I spent my day leisurely walking down the crocked alleyways of Tokyo's book filled lanes. I sat for a while on a bench on the tree lined bank of a river corsing threw the city. I watched the people bussling past on their way to work on one side of me and one the other side, people in paddleing boats floated along. I have spent many, many days just like this one, and I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to be here.

YAMANBA!!!

2007-07-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things that is so fascinating about Japan is the outrageous youth culture. We know about Harajuku girls for instance. But there are tons of other weird subcultures, tribes almost, particularly among girls. They are so noticeable because they seem to adhere so religiously to the fashions prescribed by their "tribe". I really enjoy spotting these groups and classifying them. heehee. Different areas of Tokyo are good for spotting different groups, as is the case in most cities. Though there are tons of subcultures to discuss, today I think we will focus on my personal favorite: the Yamanba.

These are Yamaba.

I saw pics of these girls in magazines around, but I had never seen one up close. Then yesterday, in Shibuya (a yamanba mecca) i saw a real one! You should have seen me when i saw a real yamanba!! The subculture peeked around 2000 and there are supposed to be no more yamanbas, so when i saw one I got really excited! I turned to my Japanese friend as we were passing her, walking threw Hachiko crossing and i said "Jenny look, a Yamanba!! I want my picture with her!" Jenny pushed me forward, hurrying me along without a word. Yamanbas are scary girls I guess.

I did some research online and found out about why they are called yamanbas. Its really interesting. The where giving that name because they resemble a character in Japanese folk lore called "yamauba". Stories about yamauba are a common theme in Noh theater. A Yamauba is a mountain crone often portray with a large moth and an ugly face, she has wild white hair and a tattered old (usually red) kimono. She is often a character in Noh plays (plays performed where the actors where masks) who prays upon travelers. She tricks them in various ways and then eats them. She can change form, often making herself look like a beautiful young girl or a helpless old lady and can animate her hair sometimes using it to grab her victims, pulling them into her nest of hair. She is like a female boogie man sort of.

(This is what a yamauba looks like when she is depicted in a Noh play.)

The fashion yamanbas of today are a spin off of the ganguro girl. Ganguro girls have tans and bleach their hair, they were bright clothes and platform shoes and crazy fake nails. The yamamba wear all of this stuff tooo, but they have crazy messed up hair usually and awful make-up (what is referred to as "panda" make-up) and intense tans.They are known to be dangerous girls who would maybe pull a knife on you or something, and they are also supposed to have bad hygiene (whatever that means, we can only guess).

Well there is my lil japanese culture lesson of the day. Out comes the sociologist in me.

Crying

2007-06-19T03:51:00.001-07:00

My heart is broken.

My closest friend here is going back to London cause she was offered a much better job.
I am so depressed.

She was someone i really grew close to.
I have other friends out here, but most of them live far away, or in Tokyo. I can see them on the weekends, but it was so nice to have someone close by to meet up with when I had a bad day and needed a drink, or when I was lonely. We always had such a good time hanging out and going sightseeing and had planned to do a lot more traveling in Japan.

It can be hard out here cause I dont have friends at work or family or any other friends in my area. So I spend a lot of time on my own. Sophie was my family out here. Now she is going and I am going to miss her so much!!

I would always say "what would i do if you were not hear?". Well now she is going! What will I do????

poo poo

2007-06-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

More purinkuro fun! This time with Jenny. We hung out this weekend. I crashed at her place she lives one stop from Shibuya, which must be so awesome!!!!

(and yes, in case you are wondering that poop has a moustache)

midori or chairo

2007-06-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

Today was fun. My Principal brought in his Japanese sword for me to see. First thing this morning I was swinging a samurai sword around the principals office. It was really heavy and looked REALLY sharp. Then I sat in on a second grade class to observe their home room teacher. It was really interesting. This particular teacher is really nice and we get along well so she sat me down next to 2 other kids in the back row, I had my own text book and my own little desk. It was a kanji lesson and I learned how to write: wing, face, home, black, and sugar. The teacher told the class at the end of the lesson that I had good penmen ship so all the kids ran over to see my work. They were very funny critiquing my kanji.
I spent recess hanging out with these two 1st grade girls. They recruited me to help them collect grass hoppers in a field on the side of the school. So we chased after grasshoppers for what must have been half an hour. It seemed to make a difference whether they were brown (chairo) or green (midori) and I dont know why we collected them all in the end.
I like to play with the younger kids cause the speak a lot of Japanese to me. Even though I dont understand most of it, I per tend to so they will keep talking. I learn the most Japanese this way and I get to try out new words. I dont feel as apprehensive trying out new words with a first grader as I would say, in the teachers lounge. So its really good practice for me.
2 new words I learned today:
zembun -everyone, everything, all of it
and
owari - finished

Well now I am headed out to meet up with a friend for drinks, talk to you guys later.

Marjorie

She means business

2007-06-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

(This is a picture of the entrance to one of my schools, this is where guests and teachers remove their outdoor shoes and put on their indoor ones.)

Today, I received a business card from a 2nd grader.
I also attended ping pong club and discovered that I am AWESOME at ping pong (again this is against 10year olds, but still, I am pretty awesome at it.

Kashiwa

2007-06-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

"Limu sawa."
"Limu sawa futatsu?"
"Soo desu, futatsu desu, onegaishimasu."

Sake

SAFE!

2007-06-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

While playing "Duck Duck Goose" (which I modified slightly "goodnight, goodnight, good morning!) today with my first graders a little boy did not make it into the spot in time. He did a proper home run slide and held there for a minute. The other kids laughed and while reclining he pretended to smoke a cigarette. I am all about a first graders sense of humor! I love this kid.

Also today on my schedule, a fire drill was listed during 3rd period. When I asked the other teachers about it they said "No fire drill" They spoke amongst themselves trying to figure out how to say it in English. "Earthquake drill?" I guessed. "No" and then the Secretary pretended to shoot me. They all laughed and then one of them drew a picture of a man holding a knife. I was confused so she looked it up in the dictionary. "Take shelter training." she said. Take shelter from a crazy man who runs into the school with a knife, training??" I asked. She nodded.So this afternoon the students where prepared for this possible occurrence. I was told to wait in the teachers lounge while the kids rushed about quietly with there teachers. WEIRD!! What where they doing?? I hope they dont tell me to wait in the teachers lounge if that really happens. And why on earth are they rehearsing something like that?? I know things like that happen in the stats, but in Japan???

Lately I have noticed the Japanese using English words like "Safe!" They yell this randomly when they have just avoided something bad. Or "Lucky" again used when you have avoided something bad. And then there is adding "desu" to everything. Desu is a verb, it means to be.
"OK desu." "How are you desu?" "Hello desu."

See you tomorrow desu,

Majo

Janken

2007-06-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

The Japanese love "purinkuro" or "print club". The "purinkuro" here are amazing! You can draw all over them and put clip art on them and you can make them for only a $. The girls here have these tiny photo albums FULL of "purinkuro" pictures.

Forgot to tell you about the Japanese obsession with "rock, scissors, paper" or "Janken Po" as it is known here.

"Janken po aiko deshou" is what the kids chant. They are really obsessed. If it's a tie during one of my games in class or if the kids are arguing about who gets to drink my milk at lunch (I always put it back, which I am not supposed to do) I simply say "janken" and they go to it. Hey make this huge display of it, as if they are battling for their life. It's hilarious. And they never argue over the issue after "janken" has settled it, it's done, over. I probably preside over 10 "janken" matches a day.

It all reminds me of a video game I played as a kid, what was it?? At the end of each stage you had to have a rock, scissors, paper, match with an evil gigantic hand person. Darcy do you remember which game it was? Was it Alex Kid?? Well it all makes sense now, clearly it was a Japanese game originally and of course they had to have "janken" it.

Juku Kids

2007-06-07T08:07:00.001-07:00

I have been slacking with the blog lately, I know. But whenever I wanna write I am at school and I can't just hop on the computer and start typing a way. Let see, what's going on…..

I love the tea lady at one of my schools. She is like my grandmother! She has this sweet face and she helps me study kanji when I have time in between classes. She even brought in a kanji work book for me to study out of! What a sweet lady. She is always teasing me and talking to me. She speaks no English and I don't speak Japanese so I just listen to her and throw in the "uhh hu" and the "really" when I think they are appropriate. She is lovely.

OK so sometimes when the kids are acting up and playing around and not focusing on the lesson, it makes me mad. As you can imagine. I don't yell at them or anything, but I get frustrated. Well today I was on the platform waiting for my train to go home after school. I always see these kids with different backpacks (blue) from the standard ones the kids in the public schools use. I always thought they went to privet school that's why their bags were different. But I was looking at this one little boy also waiting on the platform and I realized he went to my school and is one of the kids I have a hard time with always acting up during my lessons. I realized that those kids don't go to a different privet school at all, but are attending "juku" or cram school after school gets out.

For those of you not familiar with Japanese society, juku is a privet school that kids attend for often several hours, for advanced study. Seeing him made me think about the whole juku situation and his situation in particular. He has just been at school from 8 – 3:30 or something and now at 5:00 is going back to school and will probably be there till 9 or 10 at night. I have seen kids riding home on the subway at 11 at night with juku backpacks on. So what happens is that kids play during school hours. They don't pay attention, they sleep and mess around during lessons because they are attending class at night. It's a really messed up system. But it has taught me not take it personally when the kids screw off in my class because, like that 4^th grader, they are probably going to have to be in class all evening while I am at home watching TV. Poor kids!

I don't know what the deal is with all that. But the Japanese really do work hard! I see kids in their school uniforms on Sat and Sun. and on holidays all the time. Obviously they are still going into school for club or sports even on weekends and holidays. It makes me realize how lazy we are. I could not handle all of that. A Japanese friend of mine said when she was new to her job at a Japanese marketing firm she would have to be there at 7am and would catch the last train home sometimes at 12:00 at night!!! That is standard! WOW.

Well I will try to be better at posting on here, don't give up on me! I love writing in this blog.

See you tomorrow desu.

Marjorie

I wore the mask!

2007-06-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

I have been gardening with my principal lately. In the afternoon, when I don't have class and have done all my lesson planning, he is outside planting away and I ask to join him. Japanese schools often have rows and rows of flower boxes and they require a tremendous amount of work. So my principal is outside a lot caring for the plants (this is the case at my other schools too!! Seems to be what you do, when you are the principle). I have been offering to help lately cause the weather is nice and I get bored sitting around. My principal at this school is a really funny character. He is really into traditional Japanese art and culture. He carves No masks as a hobby. No is a form of Japanese theater, where the actors wear masks and the stories it seems often center on the same characters. I mentioned him in one of my previous posts. He also Plays kendo (Japanese sword fighting) He performed in front of the school last month with another kendo expert. They did a routine of sorts, it was amazing! But anyway my principal is really funny. He is always saying to me 'I play Kendo" "You like kendo?" "Very Beautiful" "I make mask" "You like mask" "Very beautiful" "I plant flower" "You like plant flower?" "Very beautiful" And he kind of yells these questions and statements at me. He makes these same statements about 3 times a week. He is obviously a very proud man and very showy. He likes his ego stroked and he always want to hear you say "Yes kendo is very beautiful!!" But the questions never END! No matter what I am doing, he comes over to me all day long and asks. "You eat lunch?" "You eat Japanese food?" "Which you like bread or rice?" "You like konyaku?" "You like natto?" "You like book?" "You like teaching?" "You like Japan?" "You like Kendo?" "I play kendo." "Very beautiful." "Yes, your masks are very beautiful" He wants a certain answer from you. You can tell. He is funny. I hope he does not hit on me!!!

I got to go to a regular class and observe one of the teachers teaching their lessons today. I have many of these scheduled throughout next week. I have really wanted to do this! I wanted to see how the kids are with their home room teachers and how the teachers handle them. The class I sat in on was 1^st grade, music. OH My Goodness these kids where so precious. I love this class in particular. They are a very obedient class but they are also really relaxed and fun to be around, they have a great sense of humor and get all my jokes! They are very genki (a word the Japanese use a lot, there is no good English equivalent, but it kind of means lively or spirited) Anyway I love this class. They sang all there little Japanese songs beautifully. One about Mickey mouse (set to the tune of the Mickey Mouse club theme song!!) One called Zoou San or Mr. Elephant, that one was my favorite, one about a snail, one about a flower and one about shaking hands. During the last song I almost lost it though. I really almost cried when they sang "I believe in myself" It was in Japanese but the chorus was in English and the children had learned how to sign the words in sign language. It sounds really cheesy, but they were so cute!! It makes total sense that the Japanese love karaoke, they spend most of their childhood singing. The kids must have music class 4 times a week!

They were also playing these piano horns (they were weird; don't think I could have figured it out!)

As far as an update; I have just been working during the week and then going into Tokyo on the weekends. Going out in the city shopping and sightseeing with my friends and all that. I got a cold this week and yes, YES, I wore the mask. HAAHHAHAHA I did. I felt like such a jerk the first day I was sick, not wearing a mask and spreading my sickness all around, so the next day I donned the mask. It was weird, they are very hot. But definitely a must. I need to take a pic of me in it! It was a cute mask too, had to be!!! On it was a picture of a donut and a candy bar who are friends. HAHHAAHHAHA

The kids were so sweet about it too. They kept coming up to me and asking if I had a cold "Kaze?" One little 2^nd grader ask "Do you have a cold?" Me: Yes" him: "Is majori sense OK?"

Well I am off to bed, going into Tokyo tomorrow to meet up with friends, I hope we do karaoke!

Oyasuminasai

Marjorie

Little Letter

2007-05-11T03:37:00.001-07:00

I got a letter from one of my students today, a 4^th grader!

It was a little note (in Japanese) about how she loves to study English.

In the envelope was the letter, some drawings and some pressed flowers. It was so sweet!

But I felt so bad because I had her in class today and she was just so eager to speak in English it was almost disruptive. She kept on jumping up to answer questions and the other kids were getting annoyed. So another little girl told her to cut it out and she teared up a little. I felt so bad cause I had to keep going on with the lesson. Poor kid.

Kurejito Karudo…….SUWAIPU!

2007-05-07T09:40:00.001-07:00

Kurejito Karudo…… SUWAIPU!!!

Well for those of you who are not familiar with this "adorable" little trick Japanese children like to play on each other and TEACHERS such as myself, I will tell you about it.

The kids put their hands together, like in prayer, and run up to you, wedging it in your rear. Sometimes a cute little phrase accompanies the act. "kurejito karudo…SWAIPU" (credit card….swipe). Sometimes no phrase is necessary; the act is funny enough on its own. Anyway, I had my first experience with this the other day.

A very enterprising little boy set out a carefully planned trap and caught me hook line and sinker. I was outside waving goodbye to the kids and they gathered together in there walking groups(the kids don't take buses, but gather in groups of students walking in the same direction and a parent comes and picks up the group and walks them both to and from school) So I was waving goodbye and a little boy stopped. He turned around and removed a notebook from his bag. Smiling slyly, he chucked it in my direction and it slide just past me. I bent down to get it for him I should have been suspicious) just as I bent down he CHARGED for my butt, hands clasped. I stud up just in time and did not get it too bad, but yeah. MAN it was weird. They told us about it at the orientation and I knew about it from before. But for some reason, I never thought it would happen to ME! That little boy was SMART! I got it from a little girl a day later!!!! EEEK! And I have heard that boys have it a lot worse. The kids grab them in another place as well!!!! Not Joking!

Welcome to Japan, where the kids molest there teachers!

Another variation is the kanchyo. This one is carried out slightly differently. The fingers form a gun.

Sleepin in the Park with 200 Japanese in yukatas

2007-05-07T07:04:00.001-07:00

Lately Sophie and I have been having some pretty crazy adventures together exploring Tokyo.

Yesterday we set out for Odaiba and the Tsukiji fish market. In the afternoon I found out the fish market would be closed because it's a holiday, so we decided to just go into Odaiba and come back.

Odaiba is a manmade island in Tokyo bay built in the mid 1800s. It was used as a military fort for some time until the early 80s when privet developers began to convert the island for recreational, residential and commercial use. But the project never really go of the ground because not long after they got started the bubble burst and the Japanese economy experienced a rather severe recession. But in the late 90s they again began to work towards recreating Odaiba. Now it's quite the place to be seen. It has nice views of the bay and the Rainbow Bridge at night, there are tons of shops and restaurants and other sites like a massive ferris wheel, museums, so on. Well we traveled out there mainly to visit the Oedo Onsen. I read about this place ages ago and had to visit. It is an onsen (Japanese hot springs) theme park of sorts. It is themed in the Edo period (the height of Japanese culture)

Sophie and I wondered around the many impressive (and themed) shopping areas, and board walk. The weather has been beautiful here and it was the perfect day to be outside window shopping and sitting at a café on a board walk looking out at the Tokyo bay. We had an awesome time we did not want to leave and ended up wandering around for longer than we had intended. After shopping around we sat out on the board walk looking at the Tokyo sky line all light up, drinking wine from a can and eatin cheeseburgers.

At around 10pm we decided to head over to the onsen and because it was getting late we decided to stay for the night there. For about 15 more dollars you can sleep at the spa, I was not really sure what that meant, or what kind of facilities there would be, but we just went anyway.

You enter the onsen (the building is really cool looking) and immediately remove your shoes and pay about $15.00. You are taken to a room were you select a yukata (Japanese robe) to wear. Everyone is in these robes, it really adds to the atmosphere!!! Then the men and women separate into changing rooms. You get a locker and you take off your clothes and change into your yukata. Then you enter the main building which houses many different shops, restaurants and games themed around the Edo period. I must admit I found this part a bit cheesy and staged, but it was really fun anyway (*also, we were the ONLY foreigners!!). It feels like being on a movie set. Everyone is in themes costume it's kind of cool, but also really corny, but the Japanese LOVE themed stuff, so it's no surprise. Anyway, you can enter the baths from here. Men and women bath in different complexes. The bath houses were amazing. Really amazing! Sophie and I got a bit freaked out by the nakedness of it all, but you get over it really quickly. There is a whole set of rituals you perform before entering the bath. First you bath yourself at these vanities were you sit on a stool in your own lil stall and shower off, clean yourself thoroughly (even brush your teeth!) All of the products are provided (towels, toothbrush, soap, face wash, shampoo, EVERYTHING) after that you may enter the bath. There were a series of different baths (not sure what they all did, the signs were in Japanese) some had jets, others tiny bubbles, some water was yellow, some pools white. We bathed in all of them and then we went to the outside baths, which are set in a Japanese garden. It was so awesome!!! Then we hit the sauna, and steam rooms. In-between baths you can take a dip in an icy cold bath to cool off (otherwise it all just gets too hot and it's hard to enjoy it), after that you shower off AGAIN. There were also tons of massages and other treatments you can get done for an extra charge. After that we went into the locker room where all the women were drying their hair putting on makeup, whatever. Again lotion, hair products blow-dryers were all provided.

The whole thing is SO WONDERFUL and relaxing. I LOVED IT!!!!!! Like I said, we spent quite a long time sightseeing and window shopping around Odaiba, that it was probably 10pm before we got to the onsen. The onsen is open all night, but no one may enter between the hours of 2am and 5am. So Sophie and I decided to stay all night (the onsen is not a hotel though). We had dinner and drinks in one of the restaurants and by 2am we were tired so we went to the resting room. This is where the story gets funny. So there is this HUGE tatame mat room in the complex. They turn out the lights in there after 12, and people sleep there, just on the floor. We did not figure there would be too many people doing this, but by the time we were ready to take a lil nap the place was packed. Image a HUGE tatame mat room full of snoring Japanese people sprawled all over the floor wearing nothing but yukatas. It was HILARIOUS. Well we found a little spot on the floor and joined them. I felt like a refugee or something. It was just so unlike anything I had ever done before. This was a really nice place. Image you visit a nice spa, or mall or something and everyone just decided to crash in one of the back rooms cause they don't wanna go home. Its not like it was just drunk young people out for a bender, there were grandmas and little babies and everyone all sleeping together. It was at least 200 people. It was so weird, but great at the same time. It was hard to fall asleep at first. People were snoring babies crying and the floor was hard. But we managed to get some sleep. Just as I was falling asleep a huge wooden and paper room divider fell on my head! (We were sleeping in the mothers and children section, and some guy in the main area snuggled up to the divider) I could have killed him! Anyway we woke up at about 5:30, and went back into the bath. It was so nice in the morning. A lot less people, and the air was cooler outside. I was so great! We got dressed and headed back into the city.

But our train ride home is quite long (Odaiba is in the south, we live in the north) so we decided to stay in Tokyo for the day. By this time Sophie and I were SO tired. So we decided to go to Ikerubukuro to a park there and take a nap and then walk around the area. So we bought some breakfast and a mat from the $1 store and looked for a park. Tokyo does not have an abundance of green spaces; the best we could find was kind of a dingy courtyard with a bit of grass on the sides. But we pulled up alongside the bums, literally. Some of them came over to talk to us. I my experience homeless people in Japan are VERY different from the States. They tend to be REALLY friendly and jolly; they NEVER ask for money or food and get kinda touchy if you give anything to them. We hung around for a bit, snacking and whatever and then we laid and took a nap!!! HAHAHAHAH We slept for a few hours and woke up and got lunch. We walked around Ikebukuro which is a really neat area; I would like to live there. And now I am home again. I have been away from my apartment for about 30hrs! I had an awesome time.

Masks

2007-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Principal at my current school makes Noh (Japanese theater)masks as a hobby. They are absolutely beautiful. He has made dozens and they are hanging all along the walls at the school. I love them. I have such a thing for masks. He carves them and paints them, I think its so cool. I want to learn about the art from him, he is really into it so maybe he will help me to purchase a set, I would like to buy one or a few, over the course of my stay here. They are going to be expensive, but it is totally worth it.

Below are pictures of my visit to another one of my principles houses. We had a wonderful lunch and her family was so nice and her son and his wife had just had an ADORABLE baby!

gray jelly, GAGGING!

2007-04-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

I am hating the school lunch lately. Everyday I dread 12:20. It is my own personal culinary torcher chamber! Oh man, I am shuttering just thinking about it. There is this weird vegetable/mystery that they seem to serve in everything. (dry heaving) You fellow ALTs tell me if you know what it is. Its gray and jelly like and has black speckles. I can not handle it even on my plate let alone ingesting it. (Hold on, I need to take a minute)

I was in the grocery store today and had to leave cause I was getting nauseous at the sight of all the school lunch foods I hate. Like daikon, it does not have any flavor really, but I cannot stand it. Or the soup, every day the same soup, it has this smoky taste, and those weird gray things floating in it, AHHHHHHHHHHH Tofu everything has the worst tasteless tofu in it. I like tofu OK its just every day, its driving me mad! Even rice is making me a bit queasy now a days. I think its cause I must eat it every day and its usually the only thing I can stomach so I make sure to finish the entire portion even though i did not even want it in the first place. Today I just could not do it. I could not force down ANYTHING and as usual the kids at my table all commented on the fact that i had not eaten anything and the teachers giving disapproving looks. One little girl asked "on a diet?" NOoooooo, I'm not on a............yes! YES! I am on a diet! Yes that is it! So now that is going to be what I tell everyone. I think it is easier to understand and except rather that "Your food makes me gag." And the Japanese are ALWAYS asking you "Can you eat Japanese food?" When I first got here I was like "Yeah! I love sushi and udon, ramen, tempura, yakiniku, yakitori, yum yum gimme some! " but those are the Japanese foods that made it to the states and those specific ones made it for a reason. Cause they appeal to our western pallets. Now, everyday I eat things that are so unappealing, my body feels the need to let me know that it will not, not hold that gray jelly down for long, so dont put in in here cause it aint stayin!!

I mean I knew there were things that would gross me out. But honestly I did not realize how much I would grow to hate the food here. Shhhhh...dont tell anyone.

I eat Japanese food EVERYDAY and I think that is why i have developed such an aversion. Plus I am "encouraged" to finish my meal. (I never do, unless its curry day!) If I was having Japanese food every week or so, things would be different, but well obviously there is a problem because I have now been writing for the past 20min about how horrible the food is!!!

Not like there is something wrong with Japanese food in particular. I am quite curtain I could wipe up a meal full of Southern staples that I would find delicious, but would make the average Japanese person shutter.

Anyway, I just needed to vent about all of that.

OH! And I also hate squat toilets, but I am not going to go into the details about why those suck. You can use your imaginations.

I am having a great week though. Teaching is going really well. Tomorrow is my last day at Togashiranishi. And Tue will be my first day at my third school (Ina). Its a holiday and so will only be working Tuesday and Wednesday next week! So thats awesome!

Below are pics of me getting my fortune at the temple in Asakusa. You put 100yen into a slot, then you pick up that canister and shake it. There is a hole at the bottom and a chopstick comes out. On the end of the chopstick is a number in kanji. You find the corresponding number on the chest of drawers, pull your fortune out of the draw and VIOLA!

I got another good one! Yippie!

It said that I have been traveling since I was a child and that I will continue to do so!! WOW! And some other good stuff, cant remember now.

Well have a good week and be glad you dont have to use a squat toilette, or eat all of your own personal gross out foods everyday for lunch. HAHAHHAHAHAH

Talk to you soon.

The Collective Sleep

2007-04-18T03:31:00.001-07:00

Today was my first day at my next school Togashiranish Sho Gakko. I have 3 schools and I rotate between them.

I went to the sneakers and suits convention today! At 1:00 all the teachers in Toride City came together for a meeting. There were about 250–300 teachers all together. A few ALTs (which is what I do) came as well. We all met at one of the local Junior High schools and sat in the FREEZING cold (I don't think Japanese schools are heated!!!) gym for speeches. This is what I observed: It is perfectly acceptable to sleep during assembles and meetings. About 3 minutes into the assembly during the first speaker's speech, about half the auditorium began to nod off. It was hilarious to watch every one's heads bobbing forward as they fell asleep! One guy even started snoring!! HAHAHAH. Apparently this happens in meetings and assemblies like this ALL THE TIME!! As soon as someone starts talking the Japanese start to get sleepy, even if they are not actually tired. I think this comes from when they were in school. They often let kids sleep in class here and so I think this behavior is ingrained in them since childhood. At one point I am sure 80% of the audience was sleeping!

The teachers really pulled out all the stops for today's sneakers and suits convention. One of my principals was wearing this lace turtle neck with a hot pink track suit Jacket, and pencil skirt, white stockings and Nikes!!! It was pretty awesome.

Hot Dog Soup

2007-04-17T04:21:00.001-07:00

I eat lunch with the kids every day. I love it. I eat what they eat, which is the school lunch. In Japan, the kids don't eat in a cafeteria, the lunch is brought to their class room and the kids serve the food to the other kids, even the lil ones serve it up! I love the whole thing. I sit at one of their tables and they all talk (in Japanese) about what they should ask me, and how to say it in English. We never talk about much, but it's just fun to hang out with them. The questions they ALWAYS ask me are: Do you have a boyfriend? (I was even asked this in a 2^nd grade class) What is your favorite color? and What is your favorite food? After lunch is teeth brushing time. It is literally a time designated on the schedule. After lunch they play this one song over the P.A. All the kids get out their toothbrushes and off they go. It makes a lot of sense actually; we should do that in the States!!

Sometimes the lunch is great, sometimes it's bad and sometimes it's just strange. Like today for lunch I had cold broccoli covered in a dressing of some kind, hot dog soup????????? (It was soup with tiny cocktail weenies floating around in it!!) and a dough nut. That was my lunch. It was weird. Good but weird.

I love teaching. It's the best when the kids see you coming down the hall towards their class and they run towards you to carry your bag, or some run back to the class and yell "Majori Sensei!!!" and the other kids run out to see. What a stroke to your ego to make an entrance like that every day!!! And sometimes when I walk into the girl's bathroom some of the girls scream when they see me!!! HAHAHAH it's so funny! Or if I say hello to the kids sometimes the shy girls scream.

Also I need to tell you all that the hooky poky has saved my life!! Every time I finish my lesson and there is still 5 minutes of class, I pull out the good ol' hooky poky. The kids freakin LOVE IT!!! I have done the hooky poky more times in the last week than I ever did as a kid. I don't have it on a CD so I sing it. Man I am so glad you guys can't see me jumping around in the middle of a circle of a bunch of 4^th graders, screaming "ya do the hooky pooky and ya turn yourself around" and shaking my butt!! I laugh to myself every time.

The Mecca of Cute

2007-04-17T04:08:00.001-07:00

This weekend I worshiped at the shrine of Snoopy and hung out with the Harajuku Girls! Me and S went to Harajuku on Sunday.

Sunday is when all the kids come out and dress in crazy cosu-pure at the entrance of Yoyogi Park. We also shopped around; there are a ton of fun stores in Harajuku. Kiddyland is probably the best place on the planet, it is a 7 floor cuteness Mecca! Each floor has different souvenirs from different characters; Disney, Pink Panther, Sanrio, Random Japanese characters, Totoro, My Little Pony and so on. You can buy everything from umbrellas, to toilet paper holders. It's AWESOME!!! We also went to the huge Snoopy store (probably the biggest in the world) then the 5 floor 100 yen shop ($1 store).

Something I found really strange about Japan is that people wear surgical masks if they are sick. So you will see people in public wearing them ALL the time. Even if they are all dressed up, old, young, EVERYONE. At first I really thought it was weird. But now I totally get it. And if I see someone like sneeze on the train without and mask on, I get all grossed out and upset. Because you are in such close proximity to people all day, especially on train and at rush hour (which is when I travel, there are not pushers on the platform, but it feels like it!!!) it's out of courtesy that you cover your mouth if you are sick. Maybe I will wear one when I get sick!!!!! I will take a picture if I do. I should. I will.

6th graders

2007-04-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!!!

WOW I have had the CRAZYEST WEEK!!!! I taught for the first time on Tuesday. I was really nervous, but so excited overall. I had all these fun games planed and I just could not wait. I was teaching the 6^th graders and I had been warned that they were really going to be hard. But, you know, I figured I could handle it. Well my lesson fell on its face. They did not want to participate, they thought it was lame. Their teacher sat at the back and read a book giving me NO help whatsoever. I sped through my lesson and got out of there!!!! Ran straight for the bathroom and cried. I spent the next period in there, and then I had to come out and teach ANOTHER 6^th grade class. I was so upset. But I pulled myself together and went in there. This lesson did not go quite as badly, but it still did not run smoothly. At least I got them to play one of my games. But again the teacher left the room!!!! Could not believe it!! The teachers are never supposed to leave the ALTs alone with the students for a long period of time. I was really frustrated with my situation. I felt like if I had their support it would have made it easier. Anyway, I got to leave school early, (THANK GOD!!) to go pick up my alien registration card. Yes, I am an alien. I got home and just felt really badly about my whole situation. I was feeling like teaching was going to be like that every day. And that would have been unbearable. I went to sleep which is what I do when I can handle what's going on.

I got up the next day and revised my lesson plan. I usually have a few periods off in the morning which is great because it gives me a chance to prepare for the following days lessons and it means I don't really have to do any work when I get home. So I changed my lesson plan a bit. I was armed and ready for the 3^rd graders. I was ready to be humiliated and again and to run out or f there crying. But my lesson went really well. The 3^rd graders were delightful. They participated in all my games they sang along with the corny CD I used to play "my name is.." Hot Potato and they were just generally wonderful and into the whole thing. Plus there teacher was so helpful and supportive!!! She was great she explained what I wanted them to do in Japanese; she organized them and kept them from getting too rowdy. The rest of the day I taught another 3^rd grade class and a 5^th grade class as well. Both went really well. Having the Japanese teacher there to help you and support you makes all the difference!!!

So my week continued on like this. After the first week I have now taught each class once (except for the 1^st and 2^nd graders) and had a really great time doing it!!! Eating lunch with the kids is a blast too. It sucks I don't know more Japanese! They are really cute and funny and ask you the craziest questions.

My day usually goes like this:

Get to school at 8:00.

First class at 10:45

Class

Lunch with one of the classes at 12:30

Then there is recess, I usually go outside and play with the kids

Then it's clean up time, I don't clean up but usually prepare for the final lessons of the day

Then I teach a class
p>Have the last period off

Go home at 5:00

It's a pretty great schedule. I usually teach 3 or 4 lessons a day. Then I have the rest of the day to prepare.

Overall I really love teaching. It is hard, but it can be so much fun. I taught 6^th grade again on Friday and they weren't so bad, so maybe I just need a little experience. I definitely need more experience. The first time I teach a lesson (I usually teach on lesson 4 times) It never goes too well, but the second time I have had a chance to think about what works and what doesn't and make the changes. So when I go in there a second time and give the lesson again things are a lot more organized and planed out. Teaching Elementary School is so wonderful, but it is really exhausting. I get home and crawl right in bed.

Last night was the teacher welcoming party. It was really expensive to go (the Japanese often entertain at restaurants so when you get invited to a party its usually going to coast you the food and drinks and coast of renting the room) It was a lot of fun though. It was one of those traditional Japanese restaurant layouts, long tables, tatame mats, soji screens and chairs on the floor, but the food was Chinese. This kind of saved me because, had it been traditional Japanese food, I might have offended my Principal (who I was sitting next to!!) by not eating the raw egg and seaweed salad. I LOVE lots of Japanese foods, there are just others that would have made me lose my lunch right there on the tatame mats!!

So anyway, it was an all you can eat all you can drink deal. The food was great and so was the beer. Suddenly the door slid open and one of the male teachers walked in dressed as a Geisha!!!! HAHAHAH it was so funny, he did this dance to a pre recorded traditional Japanese song that was about Ino Sho Gakko (my school) it was so funny. Then another teacher came in dressed as a high school girl (kinda sick I know!!) and had a big stick and was yelling at us all about something. It was apparently very funny, but obviously I did not get the jokes. But a middle-aged Japanese man in a sailor suit and a wig is funny enough for me. They also had me and the other 2 new staff, come up front and make speeches. I got a Japanese friend to help me with mine and I read from my lil piece of paper and all the teachers were very impressed. Then they brought in these HUGE flower potted things, and gave them to us, which was very sweet of them!

I got home at around 9:00 at night and crawled straight into bed. I woke up this morning at 6:00 to a slight vibration. Yes that's right folks I felt my first earthquake!!!! It was very miner, but still very exciting. I had heard people describe feeling the earthquake as being thrilling. I thought that was absolutely ridiculous, and was dreading feeling one. But its kinda true. It is very exciting to experience one!! HAHAHA I was very sleepy and stayed in bed because I knew it was a small one.

Anyway, I am going to stay in today even though it is so gorgeous outside, because I need to save my money. I am possibly going into Tokyo tomorrow to do some sightseeing.Im going to take advantage of the good weather and hang out some laundry.

Ja mata!

Pogo sticks and unicycles….why?

2007-04-08T08:54:00.001-07:00

(Me and Kika climbing Mt Tsukuba (Sophie came too). Well we did not really climb it, but we ate lunch at the top.)

(YES...that is a Totoro doughnut. He was cream filled and delicious)

So I have had my first two days. They have been interesting. I have not actually taught yet, I have just interacted with the staff and worked in the staff room, but boy has it been something else.

Yesterday, after my first day, I had a meltdown. Yesterday was really heard. I had my first case of sever culture shock and home sickness. It was crazy. I just felt like my school and the people that worked there were really unfriendly. They weren't really that bad, but this was my day.

Yesterdays experience:

I came in and barley got a hello. The entire day I sat at my desk and fiddled around because I did not know what else to do. No one ever told me what I was meant to be doing and really I had no idea. I read over the previous ALTs lesson plans that had been left for me. That was interesting and helpful, but it only took up a few hrs. The rest of the time I farted around. The people at my school don't speak English so they barely spoke to me. I guess no one had been given charge of me because no one looked after me, showed me around the school or introduced me to everyone. I was left on my own all day. And I guess that's just how they do it here (I later found out that is totally normal here for ESL teachers). I was so surprised though!!!! Anyway after spending the day pretending to write lesson plans and being talked over, I was a bit on edge. By the time I arrived home I was so home sick and feeling lonely and lost. I had a tantrum and could not get in touch with anyone. It sucked. But after a time I cooled down with the help of friends and boyfriend.

Today was so much better. I guess I knew what to expect today. And…I brought candy so at least they had to talk to me!!!hahahahahah

Yeah today was so much better. I brought stuff, work to do and I worked on some Japanese phrases to use and I think the teachers felt a little more comfortable so they used the little English they know. That all made it better.

Now….here is my little story: I have read a lot about peoples experience teaching in Japan. They all talk about how the Japanese ask the English teacher to do this really last minute, like pull games and activities and entire lessons out of there ass's. Well I experienced that fist hand today.

I was sitting in the teacher's lounge doing work, when I looked up and all the teachers were gone except for me and the other new teacher (a women who teaches 3^rd grade) she turns to me and says "I so nervous, you too?" hummmmm…..nervous about what I think to myself…?? Suddenly the vice principle runs over and say to me "you make speech now?" What? WHAT?????!!!!!

I get up and he leads me and the other teacher into the gym where everyone…EVERYONE….the students, teachers, staff, moms….everyone is sitting patiently waiting for me. I think OK, this will be OK. Then he leads us onto the stage!!!!A series of bowing ensues with each speaker. The proper hierarchical order is followed with me last (obviously) so I get up and do just as the other teachers have done. Bow to the others on stage, bow to the stage, walk, bow to the podium, walk forward, bow to the students (and almost hit my forehead on the mike, wish I had, it would have been really funny) I stumble through a Japanese introduction of myself (which the Japanese are always impressed with, even if you spit out "hi, I Marjorie. Good days", they think you're a genius). So then I go into this cheesy speach about learning English!!! YEAH!!!! (No one claps, which was weird) then I do the whole bowing ritual again and go back to my seat. (Note: I am a bowing freak now, anytime anyone bows at me, it is like by body takes over and we do this dance of bowing deeply then the bows become smaller and smaller until it's just a nod. I bow a lot in the day.)

The whole thing was pretty hilarious; I wish you all could have seen it. Here is the thing though. How could I have not seen that coming? Like I said I know they do this. I got totally blind sided though. WHY!!!????

Other things about school: Snack time. It's AWESOME! AWESOME I TELL YOU! At about 3:30 all the teachers start to rush around grabbing cups from your desk. (I drink about 8 cups of green tea a day, not by choice mind you!) They start making the rounds, they drop off your tea (they always make mine weak, I don't know if they think I can't handle it, which I can't, or if they just don't like me) Then they start dropping of little individually wrapped snacks. There is always 'osembee' (Japanese rice crackers which I LOVE!!!!) and cookies, and then there is always something really strange and awful which I eat anyway and then spend the rest of the day trying to figure out what on earth it was!!! But it's pretty wonderful; there are usually about 5 different snacks on my desk by 4:00. What a great thing.

OK, all Japanese children can ride a unicycle. What is with THAT?? All day while I am at my desk and I looked up and like little girls in pig tails ride slowly by the window on unicycles followed by a boy or two on a pogo stick. They all look in at me and wave and yell "hellllooooo". Their play grounds here are pretty bleak. It's a gravel field with an ample supply of unicycles and pogo sticks and then this strange jungle gym that goes way too high and looks really dangerous and that is it.

Overall I am loving it all. Even though I don't get to talk to anyone EVER, I rather like just observing all the Japanese behavior and rituals. It's the sociologist in me I guess. Sometimes I even take notes. DORKY! At some point I will either lose my mind or become a mute if I continue to be unable to communicate things like "I am going to the bathroom"

I wish I could send pics but we are not allowed to take pics except for on festival days.

Well wish me luck for my second week. I will be teaching finally. I am so nervous. And on Friday I have my first staff drinking party to attend. I hope we Karaoke. My new favorite to do is Stevie Nicks 'Dreams' HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH…………. it is though.

I will write again about my weekend which was also really interesting.

Love you all,

Byeeee

White sneakers and suits!!!!!!

2007-04-03T08:07:00.001-07:00

取手
Toride

So much has been going on these past few days. Today I had a meeting with the board of education in 取手. Two other teachers and I introduced ourselves to the board. Then my Japanese helper and I rode around and went to all my schools. We went in and I introduced myself to the teachers and principal and had a chance to ask questions and everything. It was really fun and I started getting really excited about work. There was a great difference in how the schools received me... The first school we visited and the one I will be working at the most, initially did not seem very interested in me at all and they kept talking about the last ALT. That kinda sucked. I have my work cut out for me there. I brought some candy from home, I only have enough for one school and I think that is the school that is going to get it, cause they seemed pretty unimpressed with me. But the other two schools were very welcoming and nice.

After touring all the schools my Japanese helper got in touch with the previous teachers at two of my schools. So I will be meeting with them this weekend. Hopefully they will give me some tips on the schools (both of these teachers are still with the company and both still living in 取手).

Something that frustrates me, it's really petty, but whatever. OK so the teachers are all dressed in really casual clothes like sweat suits and track suits. They are dressed much more casually than Elementary school teachers at home would be even. I have still got to wear a suit because my company makes us. But the problem for me is that, you know in Japan you take your shoes off when you come inside; well all the teachers buy indoor shoes which for some reason MUST BE SNEAKERS!!?? So they want me to be in a suit and white sneakers!!!!?????? WHAT??? I don't know if I can do that!! It just hurts my fashion sense too much. It's not like I am this really fashionable person or anything but WHYYYYY??? WHY must I wear white sneakers with a black suit?? It is just so tacky!!! My Japanese helper and I were out shopping this evening and she was pointing to all the shoes that would be appropriate for indoor shoes. I was asking, how about these nice black flat slip-ons, or these casual loafers?? NO, NO these and these (hideous white sneakers, hideous sneakers)

This all goes back to an overall idea in Japanese schools, which is really different from schools back home. Here in Japan the teachers do not do things that the kids cannot do. For example, they don't want you to ware designer brands, they don't want the kids to see you eating candy, chewing gum or drink soda or juice. They don't want you to eat your own lunch when the kids must eat the school lunch. It's so different from at home were we have this attitude that "I am an adult you're a kid, I get to do it and you don't cause I am older and I paid my dues" It's not like that at all here! We are really discouraged from doing things that the kids are not allowed to. Like for instance I will be buying into the school lunch program, only cause its really cheap and so I will have a chance to hang out with the kids, otherwise they will not let you sit with the kids if you bring your own lunch, anyway they serve milk with the lunch and I had to ask special permission to have water with my lunch. They can be so strict about those sorts of things. The school said it was OK, but to please not drink anything else but 'tap water' I cannot even have bottled water. I will also be expected to finish my meal cause the kids must. Over all you don't get any special treatment. The whole idea is pretty interesting!

So in other news, I received my first bill today. It was a water bill. I found this process quite interesting too. The water company comes out to the building and goes around and checks the meters on all the apartments and then prints out a slip (that is your bill) and puts it in your mail box. Then you go to the convenience store and pay the bill. It's so different!!!!

I am doing all my banking through the post office, which is very different from home. Can you even bank with the post office at home? But I like it OK. You get what looks like a check book in the mail after you have signed up for a postal account. When you go to the ATM you insert you checkbook (it's not a check book but looks like one, there are no personal checks in Japan) into the machine. Then you type in your code. And make your transaction. Then the ATM digitally writes your transaction onto the bankbook and gives you your cash or whatever. It makes so much sense cause then you have a record of all the transactions on your account with you at all times. And every time you use the machine it will update your lil book so it records any transactions made on your account like deposits or withdrawals or whatever.

Another thing that fascinates me: in the bathroom when you flush the toilet the water that is used to rinse the toilet first comes out of the top of the toilet out of a faucet and into a hand basin so you can wash your hands with this water. It is really smart design and so eco friendly.

I have become more accustomed to the trash system, but I keep missing my trash pickup times so the trash is gathering in my kitchen!!! It will get better soon though.

Ummm..Let's see…..what else……OH there is a public bath down the street from me!!! I am dying to try it out! Maybe I will do that tomorrow night! It is only $5 and it is open till 1am. My Japanese helper said its great to go to the bath and then hit the bar afterwards. She said there is a nice bar inside. Having a beer after a hot bath sounds AWESOME!! I will write you guys about my experience with that!! HAHAHA

Tomorrow I am going into Tokyo to do some last minute sightseeing before I have got to start work. I have made a new friend who lives in my town and we are going exploring together. I think we are going to go to the Sony showroom to play with all the latest gadgets. It should be fun.

OK well I will write you all later,

Byeee

My Neighborhood

2007-03-29T02:02:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures I took of the area I live in, Toride. Like I have said, it's very boring, but the place is growing on me. Its quiet and the people are nice. Today I had a cute little girl run up to me in the 100 yen shop to practice her English. She was so sweet.

I rode the train towards Tokyo and got out at Kashiwa about 3 stops from Toride. It is a good area to have nearby. There are lots of shops and restaurants and a few bars.

Hanami and the interview

2007-03-28T06:12:00.001-07:00

I went to the interview for the privet school first thing this morning. The other girl going for the job (also with my company) was a British girl from London and she actually lives in Richmond!!!!!! I used to live like a few street away from where she lives now!!! SMALL WOLD!! Anyway she was really nice. We will be living and working really close to each other (she is also going to be living in Toride) which is so nice because I really wanted to have a friend out here. I'm so far from all my other pals.

The interview was SO interesting. It was at this really nice all girls privet school. We got a tour of the facilities and wow, they have 2 gyms, an Olympic sized swimming pool, like 5 piano rooms, and the BEST part......a set of traditional tatame mat rooms, with traditional Japanese gardens. It was so beautiful and impressive (they also said that the teacher chosen would receive traditional Japanese training with the other students in that room, learning how to wear Kimono, tea ceremony and so on.

Our boss and another translator came with us to the interview. It was fascinating to see all the Japanese etiquette I have read so much about, actually performed. There is this thing about where you sit during meetings. You must sit in certain seats that define your place in the social hierarchy. When we all went into the room there was this uncomfortable moment where my boss had chosen the wrong place to sit and we all had to scramble around and re position ourselves. It was SO funny. Then the interviewers came in (the principle, vice principle, 2 other teachers, and the head of the English department). We did the whole exchanging business cards thing. There were a ton of people so it was a lot of bowing and arigato-gozaimashita. I collected all these cards and then did not know what to do with them. hehehehehe

They asked us all these question and then the translator conveyed them to the principal and they would all talk about us while we were sitting right there. WEIRD!!

After all those antics I went to Ueno Park for the Hanami (cherry blossom Festival) it was beautiful!!!

Here are some pics from that.

I Leo Palaces are AWESOME!

2007-03-27T02:52:00.001-07:00

(I took this pic with my cell phone!!, I am being Japanese in my apartment)

The bike shop just dropped off my new bike!!! They were SO sweet and the owner was such a nice man I am going to buy him a present and bring it to his shop. My bike is so cute!!! I will post pics on here soon. I bought it used for what would be $60.00. It's really nice, it has a basket and a light that turns on automatically when it's dark and the nice old man gave me a lock for free! I have been getting a lot of free stuff lately, I guess because people feel sorry for me (when I bought my phone the sales girl slipped me a phone charger for free. Heehee). Tons of people here in Japan ride bikes. The bikes are so cute out here too. They all look like they were made in the 50s, even the new ones. But they don't have gears, and that kinda sucks.

Well Toride is pretty boring. Not much out here, but I think it is going to be really good. First of all it's really cheap. Secondly the people are so nice out here and they don't speak much English (in fact no one seems to speak any at all) but this is going to be really good for me, I will learn Japanese more quickliy this way. I need too anyway, I feel so lost sometimes. It is really hard not knowing the language. You really take for granted how hard it can be to communicate without good language skills. I am doing my best. Thank goodness the ICs are so helpful and nice. The area is very suburban, a little rural even. I live in a very quiet and uninteresting neighborhood. Some parts of the area are quite ugly even, but it's the kind of place Japanese people live, most Japanese people I would say live in areas like this. The area seems kinda sad to me, but that could be because it is so unfamiliar to me, also it has been really overcast the past week, everything looks kinda ugly when it's overcast. I also don't have any friends yet, so its kinda lonely. But in the sunshine the area will hopefully look diffrent.

My apartment is a 9min walk from the station and a 4 min bike ride. It's not the main station in Toride, but that is about 5min away on the train. East Tokyo is about 40min from here. It costs about 700yen about $6. I will definitely be going into the city A LOT because there is nothing going on out here. I am going to be busy with school during the week and on the weekends I will be exploring Tokyo. It would be nice to make a friend out here, someone to go out to eat with or watch a movie with. Hopefully I can meet someone.

My place is really nice though. Its brand new, I have internet, TV I can also do like a pay per view thing. The place is TINY, but it is plenty of space for me. There is lots of storage space and the bathroom is really nice. I have a big deep tub. HOWEVER…..Let me tell you about Japanese futons. They are nothing like western futons. At home we have futons and they are pretty thick and hard. In Japan the futons are REALLY thin. I bought mine yesterday. My bed is basically on a loft type platform. My futon lays on this platform. It is HARD let me tell ya! I kinda like slightly hard beds, but this is really hard. I am sure lots of the other teachers are having a hard time, because they complained about the hotel beds being hard, and that was a mattress. This is a thin pad on top of a wooden platform!!! I am getting used to it, but I must admit my back is a little sore. Maybe in the end it will help my back, that's what the Japanese say. Another thing that SUCKs about Japan is the trash pickup system. Well it's really great for the environment, but it sucks for me. You have got to sort your own trash, so it all can be recycled. You can only put trash out before 8am, and certain stuff goes out on certain days. It is SO confusing. For example, cans every other Tuesday, burnable garbage on the 1^st and 3^rd Monday, unburnable garbage on the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesday and so on. AHHH It does my head in just thinking about it!

My cell phone is SO awesome though. Its red and the screen swivels all around. The camera is AMAZING!! And I have all these crazy features (even a bar code reader!!!) it has this finger print reader too, so to turn on the cell you have got to scan your finger print so no one can access your cell but you!!

Over all I LOVE my apartment, I don't love the area, but it's OK. I have everything I need out here so that's good.

Tomorrow morning I have an interview for a privet schools job.

Wish me luck…or wish me unluck, I don't know if I want it or not.

Talk to you soon

what baby eels taste like.....

2007-03-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

So I just had my first go at Karaoke here in Japan. It was HILARIOUS!!!!!
First of all EVERYONE in into Karaoke here. And when I say everyone I mean everyone. The people in the line behind us to book a room were a group of 3 middle aged business men, a young couple, and a 6 year old child's birthday party group and this was at 9 at night!!! The lay out is basically like a hotel, you book different sized rooms for like $20 for a hour split up between four. The drinks and food are cheap, and sometimes it's all you can drink.
Well it was a laugh anyway.

OK so yesterday I had a nasty surprise with my lunch. I was eating rice balls, which I love (its a ball of rice with different things inside) I grabbed one with seaweed and sesame, I was munching away in my room really enjoying it when.......I looked down and noticed that one of the pieces of rice looked funny. I pulled it out to have a closer look, it had two eyes and a little tail with fins!!! FINS PEOPLE FINES!!!! I looked closer at my rice ball and saw it was filled with this little baby creatures, they looked like tiny eels!! YUCK! YUCK YUCK!!!! that thing went in the trash and I almost lost the rest of my lunch to the toilet. The food here is really exciting and delicious, BUT it can be really unappetising too. They put raw egg on just about everything. I had it yesterday on my rice and fried chicken. Right now, I am not a fan, but I just need to get used to it. It is the way people eat here.

Two more days of training left. Honestly I will be really said. I am going to miss being around everyone that I have met in training. I also really like the area.

x-rays on the road side

2007-03-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

So I learned more about my post yesterday.

I will be teaching in 3 elementary schools. I am so glad about that. I really wanted to be with the younger kids. Everyone says its the BEST!! And I am really glad I only have 3 schools cause some people have got like 10!!!! It will not be too confusing so thats good. I also decided to buy into the school lunch program. It costs 250yen per day, which is really cheap and I will be eating with the kids so that will be fun.
OH! And I was asked to go on an interview for an all girls privet middle school job. This is an honer because privet schools are very selective about who they higher and I was specifically chosen. BUT, I probably will not get it cause they really want the other candidate (this British girl) but they always ask the company for two candidates and I was asked to be the other. So they told me to be prepared to have this job, but not to get my hopes up because I probably will not get it. I go to the interview on Wednesday. I am kinda nervous, but like 5 people are coming with me from the company, along with my boss (EEK!) so we will see. If I dont get the job, thats fine, I just want to do a good job at the interview.

OK so we had health checks done today. It was a hilarious experience!!! They basically set up a hospital in the banquet room here at the hotel. All these Japanese nurses and doctors had different stations and we went around to have blood taken, check our eyes, check our heart and finally.....have a chest x-ray!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH it was so funny cause we had to walk down the street to a bus parked on the side of the road to have it done. Today was a national holiday and the streets were so crowded with people visiting the Senso-ji temple that is right by the hotel and there I was in this bus getting x-rayed. It was weird and really funny.

Last night I went to Roppongi which I really did not want to do, but everyone else was going so I did too. Roppongi is kind of a tourist hotspot and the place were lots of foreigners hang out. But I had a good time anyway.

I think tonight I want to go to Akihabara or Ueno, even if no one else does.

OK well I got to get ready to go to training. Today is when they crack down on us! EEK, its been pretty easy so far.

Ja mata to ne!

the pee pole

2007-03-20T15:16:00.001-07:00

I am writing this from Tokyo Japan.
Finally, the trip I have been preparing for SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long is happening. I have emailed a lot of people some of this text, but some is new. From now on I will post my updates on here.
So much has happened so this is going to be a long one.
I am staying at the Asakusa Central Hotel, which
is in the really great area of Asakusa. Right around the corner is a temple and lots
of shops and places to eat. AND PEOPLE......there is a Studio Ghilbi
shop, which means there is a shop full of My Neighbor Totoro and
Kiki stuff. I was freaking out!!

This morning I woke up at 5am which was good and had to be at the
training at 9am. I started my day off right by watching a children's morning
show complete with Hello Kitty cartoons!! It was the best EVER! So
cute and the commercials are so funny. Today I had training alllllll
day. It was really overwhelming and tiring. So much info to go over
and so much to prepare for. I signed my contract today which makes it
official. I am feeling really good though. It is going to be a hard
job, but I am going to love it and its going to be really good for me.
I am going to learn a lot, I can tell.
One of the things that is a little over whelming is all the procedure and etiquette we must follow. And there is just all this etiquette you are not aware of. Like we have to do all this stuff at the school to be polite, but it is going to be
hard to remember and some stuff that is just going to be hard to adjust to, like you cannot be sick in Japan. Well you can be sick, but you have got to come to
work anyway. They would prefer you to come in, vomit all over your
desk and then tell you to leave. You can take sick days, but you
better be sick because they want to see a receipt from the pharmacist
saying you bought a bottle of aspirin or they want to see a note from
the hospital. It is a little intense.
OH yeah like today me and this Canadian girl were crossing the street,
but we did not realize the pedestrian sign was on so we just
walked across. We looked up and an old man yelled at us. I felt so
bad, but that is part of living abroad. You have got to make a lot of
adjustments in the way you live and act. It can be hard.

OH I almost forgot! I did something really fun today. At the shrine around the corner you can do this really fun fortune thing for a $1. You shake up the tin can full of chop sticks, then you
pull one out and it has kanji written on it. You make your kanji to
the kanji to a drawer. Inside is your fortune, it’s kind of long and
written in English and Japanese. I kept it. I got the best fortune.
Literally that's what the title was "the best fortune"!! HAHAHA It basically said my life is going to be good. The Canadian girl got a really bad one though so she had to hang it up so it does not come
true.
Also, everything here is cute. Like everything, everything everywhere. Case in point: I have got to give a urine sample. The package of the stick you pee on is SO CUTE!!!!!!! It is called Pee Pole, it has two funny characters on it!!! HAHAHAHAHAH
The stuff in the 100yen sore by the way SO cute, and they have everything you could want or need. They even sell Hello Kitty stuff in there. And the commercials!!! Don’t get me started. There is this one with a girl that runs up to a gigantic lemon and jumps on it and squeezes it and the lemon sort of moans in pain and she just keeps squeezing it. It is so weird and cute at the same time.
The bath tub, when you sit in it comes up to my chin which is so great. In fact everything fits me! YIPPIE! When riding on the train, I reach up and can actually grab on the little handles dangling from the bars, to help you gain your balance. That was really great for me.
WOW I just realize that I am totally experiencing the first stages of culture shock! HAHAHAHAH Which is seeing everything as being great, or better than your home country. Whatever I am enjoying it.
OK got to get in the shower and start my day.

Ja mata to ne!

Good Bye peaches…hello kaki

2007-03-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

It's time to go.

I am sitting at my laptop now, uploading some last minute CDs. I am so sad all of a sudden. I have spent the last few days saying good-bye to all my pals. It has just really hit me now that I am going. I don't know, I am just really going to miss all of you. I wish I could bring someone with me. Just one person would do. Anybody. OK…who wants to go…? I finally finished packing. I am taking SO much stuff with me!! I HATE IT! I hate having to lug my life around. It's the worst part about traveling. I feel like I am always having to do it too. I am only bringing the important stuff, but it's still SO MUCH!! Basically its clothes A LOT of work clothes. Then I am bringing a lot of toiletries and medicine that I like. Bringing my laptop and all the accessories that go along with that and my camera and accessories. I am bringing a small collection of classic movies and really that's it! WOW, that's IT! How can that be it! Man I have a lot of clothes.

Gosh, I don't know if I will be able to sleep tonight. I am too excited and nervous.

OK well I am going to go get more CDs to upload (That is one thing you don't have to lug around anymore!! You can carry more media around with you in your pocket NOW then you could in a moving truck a few years back. I definitely love that!)

Talk to you all when I am in LA maybe,

Otherwise…see you in Tokyo!

Ladies of Retirement

2007-03-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

OK I watched a really great oldie yesterday.
"The Ladies of Retirement". It was really scary. Well it probably was not that scary, but it scared me!!
Made in 1941 staring Ida Lupino, Edith Barrent (those bug eyes of hers really freak me out!!) and Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein)
Ida Lupino is REALLY GOOD! I want to see more of her films (and boy she made her share of movies!). You never hear about her, but she is really an amazing actress. There is this one scene with her, when she is about to kill her boss, she is going to strangle her and she creeps up behind her and brings the rope up to her face. She freezes there for a second and gets this crazy look in her eye and it is just brilliant.
Interestingly, Ida later became a writer producer and director. She directed her first film in 1949!! There were not many female directors around during that time and she is widely considered a pioneer for women in this field. She went on to direct many TV shows during the 50s and 60s. she was also the only women to direct episodes of "the Twilight Zone". One of my all time favorite shows! And she directed episodes of Bewitched and Gilligan's Island.

I freakin love old movies! What am i gonna do without TCM when I am in JAPAN! Someone help me! I am so dorky!

HEY LADIES!!

2007-03-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

*the cheesy music kicks in*
I have been thinking lately about all the cool pals I have here in ATL. I have a lot of great friends. I am so lucky! *sniffle, sniffle*
(I am always friends with the girls who dont have girl friends! Whats with THAT! And I have so many gal pals.)
I am gonna miss all of you so much. But dont worry, no, no... dont cry. There is a really easy way to heal all the loneliness and pain.........COME VISIT ME!! You can stay with me in the closet I will be calling home.

*OH* I almost forgot to tell ya'll that I got the info on my apartment. It is a Leo Palace which means it will be furnished!! YIPPIE! That means I can spend more money on clothes and drinks! WHOOHOO! Its a tiny place but cute and close to the train station.

Nothing

2007-03-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

OK so I will be in Japan in one week!!!!!
7 days!!!
I have a lot to do. Most importantly, I got to get an extra pair of glasses! But I have done most of my shopping so that’s good. I have got to thank J for taking me clothing shopping the other day. We went to half off day at Last Chance thrift store. I was great I got some cloths for work and the BEST 80’s pink flats. LOVE THEM! I still need to get more bras though. You know these 36C/Ds will be havin a hard time in Japan! HA!
I got a bunch of Easter candy that I am gonna deal out to all the teachers at my school (you’re supposed to bring presents).

I am excited about my going away party. Beer at Brew House and dancing and The Star Bar. Be there or be square.

I am just excited. I will be in Tokyo in a week. That is so cool.

Toride here I come!!

2007-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

FINALLY I know where I will be living and teaching during the next year.

Toride City in Ibaraki Prefecture in the Northern Eastern part of the Greater Tokyo area.

Toride City is probably a pretty boring pace. It will most likely have everything I will need (I HOPE!!), but overall it’s probably kinda rural/suburban. But who knows, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.
Toride is a bedroom community of about 113,475. It is on both the Tokyo subway line (the Chiyoda Line ) and on the commuter train system line (the JR Joban Line).
By commuter train its about 40 min from Ueno station and all that eastern Tokyo has to offer such as the burrows of Royogoku (Sumo town) Akihabara (the electronics district) Asakusa (Old Tokyo) and Jimbacho (a district famous for its book shops).

Even though Toride is probably going to be industrial, suburban and blahhh, I am THRILLED to have received this post because of its close proximity to central Tokyo. I will have a quiet place to come home to and work in, but in the evenings and on weekends I will have tons of time to explore Tokyo. There is SO much to see, let me tell ya!!
I definitely did not expect to be placed anywhere near Tokyo. I really thought I would be posted to some place far FAR from civilization. And this would have been OK with me. What is most important to me is that I have the opportunity to see Japan and teach. But I feel really lucky to have been placed in Toride because I am a city mouse and really do love the hustle and bustle. I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while I was in Tokyo for my week long training session. This list was getting longer and longer and I was beginning to feel a little sad cause I felt like I would not have enough time to see and do everything. Now I don’t have to worry about that!!
There are 52 weekends in this year. I will be able to do a fair amount of exploring during that time. Though I have to say, I lived in London for 4 years and there is so much of London I never saw (I sure tried to see everything though). Anyway, a year is not enough to know Tokyo, but its better than the week I though I would have. I am really looking forward to it.

Here is part of my "to do" list for Tokyo:

1. Visit the Yushima Tenjin shrine for the Kami of Learning. This is a shrine that dates back to 458 BC. It is often visited by students who pray for success with there entrance exams. I figure I should pay my respects and start things of right by clapping my hands and ringing the bell for the god of learning.
2. Visit Ryogoku which is a suburb of east Tokyo that is ruled by all things Sumo. The major sumo stadium is here as well as many sumo stables and sumo restaurants.
3. Visit the suburb of Mitaka. This is going to be a VERY important excursion. It is where the Studio Ghibli Museum is located. I CAN NOT WAIT to see it.
4. I definitely want to see a baseball game, and a sumo match, AND I wanna check out Keirin. Keirin is a track cycling race. It’s kinda like horse racing but with guys on bikes, you still bet though. (there just so happens to be a stadium in Toride)

More adventures to come. I can not wait till I am writing you about what it is like to actually be in those places!!

Going into TOXIC SHOCK!

2007-02-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

GO GREEN GO GREEN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREEN!!
So we did derby today. It was a good time, my throut still hurts from screaming. S and I decided to stop off and have dinner on the way (OK I made her stop even though she said we would be late, Sorry S!).
Anywayz we were late, but we got a good spot anyway. My team was not competing (the APOCALYPSTIX) It was the Toxic Shocks VS the Denim Demons. So of course we had to root for the Shocks. And you know they won. That 'Skate Outta Compton' was really pretty good.

S and I tried to get a lil buzz going but you cant drink inside the rink so everyone goes outside and tailgates. I had brought me some vodka in a flask and some cranberry juice (courtesy of my momma, so 'Thanx Momma!') There was not really enough time to run out to the car and slug a few down in between periods. So next time ladies (sniffle sniffle, I will not be here to enjoy it with you) make sure to get there early so you can get a prime spot in the parking lot. Dont forget to bring chairs and S, dont make everyone stop to get dinner next time!! GOSH! (heehee).

so much stuff and no suitcase to put it in!

2007-02-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have SO much to freakin do before I go!

Here is my list:
1. Get contact lenses, tons and tons of them.
2. Do my taxes for 2005 AND 2006 (Its a long story)
3. Buy a suitcase. A really big one.
4. Save up another $5,000. That would be good. (HA)
5. Clean out and pack up my room.
6. Get my work visa from the Japanese consulate here in Atlanta.
7. Get a check up and get my doc to sign some paper work saying that I am healthy.
8. Oh and I need to borrow all of your CDs so I can rip them onto my computer.
Thank you.

Leavin on a jet plan...dont know when i'll be back again.

2007-02-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

I bought tickets people!!
Its happening. I am going.

My Itinerary (as of right now):
Friday March 16th - Leave for L.A.
Stay two nights in L.A. (My folks are gonna come to LA with me!)
Sunday March 18 - Fly to Tokyo Japan. Arrive at Narita airport Monday March 19th at 4:00pm.

I am both excited and scared and even a little sad. The other day at work N was talking about like St. Patric's day or something and then we both realized I would not be here for that. We looked at each other and I almost cried.

Well wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I get a cool post so you can have fun when you come out to visit me!

Lana Turner

2007-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

(pretty sure this is Lana and Johnny Stompanoto)

OK, what a life Lana Turner had!
I dont know if any of you will be interested in reading about classic film stuff. I know I said I was gonna do travel stuff, and I will, but I am not traveling yet so I am writing about movies right now cause I am into it. Also, I need to be writing more to prepare for my job, so I am putting a lot of random stuff up just because I need to keep writing every day.

So Lana Turner was in all these great famous movies, my favorites:

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" - Really good

"Imitation of Life" - Soooo sad, the original (with Claudette Colbert) is better; but this one is still good.

"Peyton Place" - So trashy and so good.

She had all these horrible boyfriends, lovers, husbands (7 husbands to be exact!)

One of which was actor Lex Barker (famous for his role as Tarzan during the mid fifties) who molested her young daughter (Cheryl) for several years during the time they were married. She divorced him when she found out.

Shortly after her divorce to Lex Barker she begins to date a gangster (Johnny Stompanato) who was both verbally and physically abusive to her. She was filming a movie with Sean Connery in England (in 1957) and Stompanato was suspicious that Lana was having an affair with Connery. He stormed onto the set with a gum. Sean Connery punched him in the face and took his gun. Go Mr. Bond!

Anyway, back to my story. So one night (in 1958) Lana's 14 year old daughter (Cheryl) can hear Lana and Johnny fighting in their bedroom. She is afraid for her mother so she runs to the kitchen and grabs a knife. Not really intending to use it but she is just scared. So she is outside their door listening to them fighting and the Johnny goes to leave the room; he swings open the door and walks right onto Cheryl's knife!!! She kills him. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! Better than a movie, huh. It was a hug scandal at the time, as you can imagine.

Gitai-go or onomatopoeia

2007-01-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

The Japanese tend to use onomatopeia SO much more than we do. They have words for all kinds of sounds that we dont have a defined onomatopoeia for.

ban = bang!
bara bara = rattle, rattle
guooo = a roar
buun = buzz, whir of an insect
chu = kiss
eeee = cry, wail
gapu = big bite, chomp
gebo = throwing up
wan, wan = bow wow of a dog,
piyo = peep, of a chick
hiso hiso = whisper, whisper
jan jan = tada!
shuuuu = fog, mist, steam
kan = heels going click, footsteps
kehen, goho, kon, koho = cough
kuha = yawn
gashan - crash
ogya ogya - crying baby
pin-pon - the sound an ambulince makes

Fun Facts Time!!

2007-01-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

(this is a shot of a vending machine that sells beer and wine)

~It is usually mandatory to give a landlord a gift of money of $1,000-$2000 when moving into his apartment building. (Yes, I will be giving this gift myself. It will suck.)

~KFC is the place to be on Christmas Day.

~At many businesses in Japan, they offer alcohol to the employees after six pm. (Its the least they could do!)

~On 'Respect for the Aged Day', tobacco companies will hand out free cigarettes to the elderly outside of train stations and department stores. (What "respect!")

~There are no 24 hour ATMs in Japan (closed on holidays and many only open during normal bank hours). (so convenient!)

~The Japanese love corn, sesame seeds, and mayonnaise on their pizza. And it will always take one to two hours for a pizza to be delivered. (So do the Brits! the corn anyway.)

~Japan has roughly 200 volcanoes. (this is of great importance to my life!!)

~You can buy batteries, beer, wine, condoms, cigarettes, comic books, hot dogs, light bulbs, and used women's underwear 9a very gross fetish over there) from vending machines. And there is at least one vending machine on every corner.

~Japanese junior high school students do not need to pass any of their classes to graduate. Education only through junior high school is compulsory. (Good, that takes the pressure off of me!)

~There is almost no vandalism in Japan.

~It is socially acceptable to pick your nose in public and urinate at the side of the road, but you cannot blow your nose in public.

~Japan is the home of the world's largest phallus festival. (This is why I am trying to get over there people!! Now do you see?!)

2007-01-06T02:54:00.000-08:00

I have been watching a lot of classic films lately.
A LOT of TCM. I have always been into classic films, but recently, I am obsessed.
It’s all I do. (My mamma knows all the funny stories about the actors and films; she is a classic film expert!!)
I just love the movie fashion of the 20s 30s and 40s. I love the way people talked in the films. It was all quick witted, sarcastic one liners. I love the strong, funny, smart female leads.
The world was just so much cooler in black and white.

Recently I have seen some good films.

“It happened one night” with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Did you know: he had horrible halitosis breath. He used to gross out all his co-stars. (You can see the gross out on Vivien Leigh's face in some shots in "Gone with the Wind")

“Swing Time” With Fred and Ginger. This is an old favorite of mine. It has some of their best dance sequences. I love all the songs and Ginger Rodgers is one of my favorite actresses of all time!
In this film the pair performed one of their most famous dance scenes over 30 times (it’s up and down a flight of stairs mind you). Gingers danced till her shoes were full of blood. (YEAH! The girl is dancing in heels!) They had it almost perfect on the first take but the shot was ruined cause Fred’s toupee fell off at the end of the dance!! HAHAHAHAH

“Red Headed Women”
WOW what a movie! They recently re-released this film on TV with added racy scene that were taken before censorship. It’s about a slutty gold digging secretary played by Jean Harlow. She was married to a director (Paul Bern) who was probably gay and possibly impotent; anyway he killed himself 2 months after they were married!! She was only 26 when she died. You hear about her a lot, but she only did a few movies. (and in the short time she was alive, she managed to have three husbends.)
Do it girl, do it!

2007-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Things I want to do in 2007/Japan:

Go to a sumo match.
Climb Mt Fuji
Go to a baseball game (in Japan)
Go to a hot springs resort
Work on my Japanese
See a real geisha
See a real Yakuza (Japanese mafia)
Go snow skiing (I have never been and really want to go!)
Go to the Miyazaki museum
Picnic under the cherry blossoms

Man, I have a lot I need to get done.

Happy NEW YEAR!!

2007-01-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

I had a great time on New Years Eve.
I spent my night partying with my girls N, St, L and Sa.
Sparklers are the best. Wine is better.
I crashed on L's couch. I felt like a college student.

First meal of 2007: Cheeburgers.
Its going to be a good one folks!

documenting my travels

2006-12-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

I will be headed for Japan soon. YEAH!!
I wanted to be able to share my adventures, experiences and photos with all of you. This blog is how I plan on doing it. I miss so many of you who are scattered all over the globe. Now I am about to leave the few people that I still have close by and go someplace were I am completely alone. I don't know anyone in Japan and I am going to stick out like a sore thumb. They are going to stare at me point and say "gaijin! gaijin!" (not really, but I hope they do!! hehehe) It is going to be CRAZY. I am already terrified. But more than anything I am excited. I can not wait to start teaching.
I still have a few months before I get on that plane, but going is ALL I think about. I spend so much time researching cities I could live in, activities to do with my classes, Japanese etiquette; the whole process has completely consumed me!

Anyway, right now I will probably be posting a lot of boring stuff about preparing to go; what to take, weird facts about Japan and the like. Eventually I plan on posting and uploading my photos and thoughts on teaching and living in Japan every week or so. Check it whenever you get a chance.