My school has confirmed cases of New Type Influenza (Swine Flu). Student populations seem to be dropping pretty quick.
I have also been lazy recently, and wish I wasn't. Today I decided to come home, watch a movie, and go to sleep. Just to wake up at 11PM so that I can prepare to go to bed at 12AM. Hopefully the extra sleep will keep my body's immune system strong to keep away the SWINE!
I think living in a foreign country can be extra stressful on the brain, because everyday life and work is just a little bit harder and more complex than in your natural environment/language. It amazes me that I can sleep for 10-14 hours and still be tired some days.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Silver Week
Time to finally talk about what I did during my Silver Week vacation. Right now I am at work writing this blog, yes it is probably bad work ethic, but right now I am not really sure what to do for the next hour or so and I am EXTREMELY tired so my brain is not functioning very well to think critically for lesson planning.
Anyway, as you can read in my previous entry, I arrived in Fukuoka on Saturday 19th. After my long bus ride I figured it was time to get clean. The awesome thing about Japan is you can go to an onsen (hot spring) for an average price of about $3 - $20 depending on how resort like or classy it is. I for one am actually not a huge fan of Japanese onsen. I just can't relax fully when sitting completely naked in a warm bath filled with other naked men. But if the time is right, such as really needing a bath after a long journey or the onsen seems extra awesome or has a long history, I usually will take a venture in. Actually I find it easier for me to do onsen hopping alone instead of with friends, just because I know I will probably never have to see the strange naked men in the onsen again.
At about 8AM I went out to search for a pretty nice onsen that cost about $15, but alas it turns out the onsen didn't exist anymore. It was actually a really odd conversation I had at a convenience store trying to ask where this onsen was, when technically I was standing over it.
Me: "Can you tell me where Shiroyama-onsen is?"
Clerk: "Shiroyama? This is Shiro...do you know the address?"
Me: "No... But I looked at a map, and it was suppose to be around here."
Clerk: *consults co-worker* *pulls out map* "Oh, it is this building?"
Me: *confused* "This building?! What floor is it on?"
Clerk: "No...the onsen doesn't exist anymore. This convenience store was where the onsen was."
Yeah, I was a bit embarrassed and I am sure the clerk was thinking "What the hell was that?," not to mention this was all in Japanese, which probably made it more amusing...for him.
So anyway, after about 3 hours of wandering around and taking a wrong train, I arrived at an onsen in Futatsukaichi city, normally only about 20 minutes outside of Fukuoka city. After a bit more wandering and talking to another convenience store clerk for directions, I arrived at what I think I was looking for. In all reality I think I was suppose to go to another onsen which had outdoor pools and stuff for about $5 but I ended up at one that cost about $1 to go into and only had two pools. It was weird to, because when I walked in it was mainly old people and a Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) covered in tattoos. Anyway, I didn't care too much, just figured get clean and get out. So after scrubbing down and sitting in the hot spring for about 10 minutes, I decided it was about time to leave before the Yakuza got enough courage to start talking to me.
Onsen Entrance
After feeling refreshed I wandered around Fukuoka for a couple more hours and got some food. Then decided, I better be on my way to Kumamoto.
About this time I found out I was super tired. Got on the bus and basically wanted to sleep the 2 hour ride away. After laying back for about 10 minutes, plugging in my ipod and falling asleep a cute girl sat next to me on the bus. WOW, that has never really happened to me in Japan before but although I was like "sweet" my mind was more focused on the rhythm playing in my ears and the nap to come. After about an hour, I was awoken to realize that cute girl that was next to me must have been equally tired because she was basically passed out, half laying on me... This would be surprising in a place like America, but in Japan people will literally sleep anywhere (or on anyone in this case) whenever they have the chance. Later she got up and left to get off the bus, not one word was exchanged between us.
Arriving in Kumamoto I paid for a coin locker to throw my backpack, although small and not very heavy, the heat and humidity makes wearing one...sweaty. Then I was off to get some drugs (read that as lots of caffeine) and wander around for a couple hours before I was to meet up with friends at 7PM for dinner.
The city lights of Kumamoto
Dinner was great! Well, I am not too sure about the food, but the company was awesome! Afterwards we went to my old hangout place "Jeff's Bar" talked to the owner, Jeff, and had a few drinks. Even ran into some people I knew when I was a student there. Honestly this bar is a place I really wanted to go to while I was in Kumamoto. Lots of memories.
Some friends and I at Jeff's Bar
After this, about 1AM it was time for me to find a place to stay. Unfortunately most of my friends had plans the next day or had someone else at their house, so it looked like they were going to help me find a hotel. But because it was Silver Week, every place was booked full. I was just about to say, "Hey no worries, I will find a place." Then go find a nice patch of grass by the castle wall and call it a night. But just before the search was about to end, my friend Yoshino said I could stay at her place. It was an hour drive out of the city, but I was really thankful. Also Yoshino's parents are super cool, and somehow her father wanted to speak philosophy with me in Japanese. Somehow I could understand most of that, but still can't understand how to pay my rent when my supervisor talks to me...wtf?!
Anyway, a few hours talking and it was off to bed. The next day I just lazed around Yoshino's for a while, and even had an awesome breakfast made by Yoshino's dad and mom. Then it was off to the city where I went to visit the international dorm (my old home). I met some of the new students and hung out a bit. Then I was off to try to find another place to stay. After no luck, my host sister called me and said, "Are you staying at my house tonight?" So obviously, I said yes.
It was good to see my host sister and host father although the other sister was gone and the mother was too.
The next morning I left early to catch a train into the city for a festival. I was suppose to be meeting one of the new exchange students from Montana, Lauren. After a bit of searching I met up with Lauren and we watched the rest of the festival, got some coffee, wandered around even more (I was looking for another shirt because I ran out of clean ones), and went to visit the castle. I love Kumamoto Castle!
A parade of horses
The festival continues.
This ninja wears glasses.
The night was finished off with meeting back up with my sister and her friends for Karaoke. I also remembered how lonely and isolated it was when I first got to Kumamoto, so I invited Lauren along. It was a good time, I think I sang the most I ever had at Karaoke, and I also ate Basashi! Basashi is a delicacy in Kumamoto, and for the whole year I lived there before I never ate it. I guess I couldn't get over the cultural barrier of EATING RAW HORSE!!! When I left Kumamoto last year though, I promised myself I would try Basashi if I ever returned. So that I did, IN KARAOKE from a styrofoam plate. Very classy...especially for your first time trying something so...weird?
Karaoke Time
Anyway, although some people might hate me (I even hate me a little), raw horse is not that bad. It may even be tasty...although hard to admit. To get over the cultural shock of eating horse, I had to remember... If I eat cows, chickens, fish, etc. What is the difference? If I was in India, eating a cow would be insane! In the U.S. we don't even have holy horses, so it shouldn't be that taboo. And when thinking about animal intelligence between different species, who are we to judge the intelligence of certain animals? I think it is near impossible to even understand their "culture" "language" etc., if we even acknowledge that they have one. Anyway, enough about horses.
In Japan the saying, "I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse," is taken pretty literal.
My last day in Kumamoto, September 22nd, was basically spent saying goodbye to everyone I could. We were thinking of going to Mount Aso to see some flowers that were blooming there but instead I decided to have lunch with a friend before she left for exchange to Australia. We ate okonomiyaki (it is like a savory pancake) at a place called Daimonji where I went often as a student. It was weird, she was the last person I saw last time I left Kumamoto and dropped me off at the bus station, just like this time.
My size is very apparent when standing next to my host sister and father.
But before I jumped on my bus I needed to get some drinks (non-alcoholic ones) so I stopped at a convenience store (you may notice Japan runs on convenience stores). Then I was off to the bus stop, I missed the bus by about 2 minutes. This was a very good thing though, as it turned out I didn't have my wallet. This was dangerous because I had no way to get money, or have extra money, my credit cards and bank cards were in there and my Foreign Registration Card was also in there. It is illegal for a foreigner to not have their passport or registration card on them at all times. Police can stop you whenever and ask for it, and if you don't have it, you can be arrested. So LUCKLY I remembered, I probably left it at the convenience store. So I ran back, and thankfully it was there, money intact.
Caught the next bus back to Fukuoka and endured the extended bus ride thanks to Silver Week Traffic.
My last day was spent in Kyoto going to two temples and trying to find some cool stuff to buy. I even had the chance to run into a toothless old Japanese man when I was sitting in a small temple alone, he offered me a Nashi (Japanese pear) and some traditional Japanese sweets and told me something about an old saying, "If you eat sweets made of anco (sweet azuki bean) you will not get sick." I figured with all the swine flu in my area, I needed all the help I could get.
A view of Kiyomizudera, one of my favorite temples in Kyoto.
Anyway, as you can read in my previous entry, I arrived in Fukuoka on Saturday 19th. After my long bus ride I figured it was time to get clean. The awesome thing about Japan is you can go to an onsen (hot spring) for an average price of about $3 - $20 depending on how resort like or classy it is. I for one am actually not a huge fan of Japanese onsen. I just can't relax fully when sitting completely naked in a warm bath filled with other naked men. But if the time is right, such as really needing a bath after a long journey or the onsen seems extra awesome or has a long history, I usually will take a venture in. Actually I find it easier for me to do onsen hopping alone instead of with friends, just because I know I will probably never have to see the strange naked men in the onsen again.
At about 8AM I went out to search for a pretty nice onsen that cost about $15, but alas it turns out the onsen didn't exist anymore. It was actually a really odd conversation I had at a convenience store trying to ask where this onsen was, when technically I was standing over it.
Me: "Can you tell me where Shiroyama-onsen is?"
Clerk: "Shiroyama? This is Shiro...do you know the address?"
Me: "No... But I looked at a map, and it was suppose to be around here."
Clerk: *consults co-worker* *pulls out map* "Oh, it is this building?"
Me: *confused* "This building?! What floor is it on?"
Clerk: "No...the onsen doesn't exist anymore. This convenience store was where the onsen was."
Yeah, I was a bit embarrassed and I am sure the clerk was thinking "What the hell was that?," not to mention this was all in Japanese, which probably made it more amusing...for him.
So anyway, after about 3 hours of wandering around and taking a wrong train, I arrived at an onsen in Futatsukaichi city, normally only about 20 minutes outside of Fukuoka city. After a bit more wandering and talking to another convenience store clerk for directions, I arrived at what I think I was looking for. In all reality I think I was suppose to go to another onsen which had outdoor pools and stuff for about $5 but I ended up at one that cost about $1 to go into and only had two pools. It was weird to, because when I walked in it was mainly old people and a Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) covered in tattoos. Anyway, I didn't care too much, just figured get clean and get out. So after scrubbing down and sitting in the hot spring for about 10 minutes, I decided it was about time to leave before the Yakuza got enough courage to start talking to me.
Onsen Entrance
After feeling refreshed I wandered around Fukuoka for a couple more hours and got some food. Then decided, I better be on my way to Kumamoto.
About this time I found out I was super tired. Got on the bus and basically wanted to sleep the 2 hour ride away. After laying back for about 10 minutes, plugging in my ipod and falling asleep a cute girl sat next to me on the bus. WOW, that has never really happened to me in Japan before but although I was like "sweet" my mind was more focused on the rhythm playing in my ears and the nap to come. After about an hour, I was awoken to realize that cute girl that was next to me must have been equally tired because she was basically passed out, half laying on me... This would be surprising in a place like America, but in Japan people will literally sleep anywhere (or on anyone in this case) whenever they have the chance. Later she got up and left to get off the bus, not one word was exchanged between us.
Arriving in Kumamoto I paid for a coin locker to throw my backpack, although small and not very heavy, the heat and humidity makes wearing one...sweaty. Then I was off to get some drugs (read that as lots of caffeine) and wander around for a couple hours before I was to meet up with friends at 7PM for dinner.
The city lights of Kumamoto
Dinner was great! Well, I am not too sure about the food, but the company was awesome! Afterwards we went to my old hangout place "Jeff's Bar" talked to the owner, Jeff, and had a few drinks. Even ran into some people I knew when I was a student there. Honestly this bar is a place I really wanted to go to while I was in Kumamoto. Lots of memories.
Some friends and I at Jeff's Bar
After this, about 1AM it was time for me to find a place to stay. Unfortunately most of my friends had plans the next day or had someone else at their house, so it looked like they were going to help me find a hotel. But because it was Silver Week, every place was booked full. I was just about to say, "Hey no worries, I will find a place." Then go find a nice patch of grass by the castle wall and call it a night. But just before the search was about to end, my friend Yoshino said I could stay at her place. It was an hour drive out of the city, but I was really thankful. Also Yoshino's parents are super cool, and somehow her father wanted to speak philosophy with me in Japanese. Somehow I could understand most of that, but still can't understand how to pay my rent when my supervisor talks to me...wtf?!
Anyway, a few hours talking and it was off to bed. The next day I just lazed around Yoshino's for a while, and even had an awesome breakfast made by Yoshino's dad and mom. Then it was off to the city where I went to visit the international dorm (my old home). I met some of the new students and hung out a bit. Then I was off to try to find another place to stay. After no luck, my host sister called me and said, "Are you staying at my house tonight?" So obviously, I said yes.
It was good to see my host sister and host father although the other sister was gone and the mother was too.
The next morning I left early to catch a train into the city for a festival. I was suppose to be meeting one of the new exchange students from Montana, Lauren. After a bit of searching I met up with Lauren and we watched the rest of the festival, got some coffee, wandered around even more (I was looking for another shirt because I ran out of clean ones), and went to visit the castle. I love Kumamoto Castle!
A parade of horses
The festival continues.
This ninja wears glasses.
The night was finished off with meeting back up with my sister and her friends for Karaoke. I also remembered how lonely and isolated it was when I first got to Kumamoto, so I invited Lauren along. It was a good time, I think I sang the most I ever had at Karaoke, and I also ate Basashi! Basashi is a delicacy in Kumamoto, and for the whole year I lived there before I never ate it. I guess I couldn't get over the cultural barrier of EATING RAW HORSE!!! When I left Kumamoto last year though, I promised myself I would try Basashi if I ever returned. So that I did, IN KARAOKE from a styrofoam plate. Very classy...especially for your first time trying something so...weird?
Karaoke Time
Anyway, although some people might hate me (I even hate me a little), raw horse is not that bad. It may even be tasty...although hard to admit. To get over the cultural shock of eating horse, I had to remember... If I eat cows, chickens, fish, etc. What is the difference? If I was in India, eating a cow would be insane! In the U.S. we don't even have holy horses, so it shouldn't be that taboo. And when thinking about animal intelligence between different species, who are we to judge the intelligence of certain animals? I think it is near impossible to even understand their "culture" "language" etc., if we even acknowledge that they have one. Anyway, enough about horses.
In Japan the saying, "I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse," is taken pretty literal.
My last day in Kumamoto, September 22nd, was basically spent saying goodbye to everyone I could. We were thinking of going to Mount Aso to see some flowers that were blooming there but instead I decided to have lunch with a friend before she left for exchange to Australia. We ate okonomiyaki (it is like a savory pancake) at a place called Daimonji where I went often as a student. It was weird, she was the last person I saw last time I left Kumamoto and dropped me off at the bus station, just like this time.
My size is very apparent when standing next to my host sister and father.
But before I jumped on my bus I needed to get some drinks (non-alcoholic ones) so I stopped at a convenience store (you may notice Japan runs on convenience stores). Then I was off to the bus stop, I missed the bus by about 2 minutes. This was a very good thing though, as it turned out I didn't have my wallet. This was dangerous because I had no way to get money, or have extra money, my credit cards and bank cards were in there and my Foreign Registration Card was also in there. It is illegal for a foreigner to not have their passport or registration card on them at all times. Police can stop you whenever and ask for it, and if you don't have it, you can be arrested. So LUCKLY I remembered, I probably left it at the convenience store. So I ran back, and thankfully it was there, money intact.
Caught the next bus back to Fukuoka and endured the extended bus ride thanks to Silver Week Traffic.
My last day was spent in Kyoto going to two temples and trying to find some cool stuff to buy. I even had the chance to run into a toothless old Japanese man when I was sitting in a small temple alone, he offered me a Nashi (Japanese pear) and some traditional Japanese sweets and told me something about an old saying, "If you eat sweets made of anco (sweet azuki bean) you will not get sick." I figured with all the swine flu in my area, I needed all the help I could get.
A view of Kiyomizudera, one of my favorite temples in Kyoto.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Bus Hotels
So I am going to make two entries about my Silver Week Holiday (September 19 - 23). This one will mostly be about my experience taking an overnight bus.
First of all, for those who don't know, Silver Week is an extended weekend that strings together 3 holidays (Respect for the Aged Day, National Holiday and Autumnal Equinox Day). This combined with the weekend allowed me 5 days off of work. I was lucky this year since usually these holidays are not consecutive, but happen only every 10 years which it is then called "Silver Week" as compared to "Golden Week" which usually happens in early May every year and is a little longer. Silver week seemed like a good time to do some domestic travel to Kumamoto to see my friends there. Golden Week will probably be when I go to Thailand, a journey I have been waiting 2 years to do.
Anyway I decided to take an overnight bus from Kyoto to Fukuoka (9.5 hours) the night after working on Friday. Kyoto is about 1.5 hours from my house by train, and Fukuoka is about 2 hours from Kumamoto by bus. All together the journey took me about 13 hours, longer than my flight from Seattle to Tokyo.
By 10PM I was waiting at the bus station in Kyoto and ready to board the bus. Luckily, my Japanese is best when it comes to traveling and food, two of my most favorite things. So getting on the bus was pretty painless. I am not too sure of everything that was announced though, but it wasn't a big deal.
The bus arrives!
In the States I had quite a few experiences riding Greyhound buses for extended periods of time, and I can confidently say this was WAY better than that. My ride from Kyoto to Fukuoka went pretty well. I actually slept about 6 or 7 of the 9.5 hours, so it was great! Sure when I woke up I felt like I was run over by the bus though. I was actually surprised on how far the seat reclined back, and that I actually had legroom, which is impressive because I am 6'4" in JAPAN! So it wasn't as uncomfortable as I was expecting. Considering for about $100 you can get from point A to B and also have your hotel/hostel expenses included for one night isn't a bad deal. Granted for this trip, I wasn't really planning on paying for a place to stay since I know quite a few people in Kumamoto.
For now I will skip what I did in Fukuoka and Kumamoto, and describe my return journey.
From Kumamoto I took what was normally a 2 hour bus ride to Fukuoka. This time it took a little over 3 hours though, since we were traveling about 15MPH since there was an incredible amount of traffic on the roads because of Silver Week. I wish I had a picture, because honestly this would put LA and NYC traffic to shame. Just imagine, a country of about 130 million people in about the square mileage of Montana all trying to travel by car within the next 4-5 days. INSANE! Anyway, thankfully I anticipated this and left a bit early imagining my bus might be a little slow.
So about an hour waiting and picking up drinks and snacks at the bus station in Fukuoka and I boarded my return overnight bus. Definitely not as nice as the first one, but much better than a Greyhound bus. The seats didn't recline near as far and there definitely wasn't much leg room. Thank the gods though, that I probably got one of the best seats on the bus. There was no one in front of me, just a short wall, so I didn't have to endure the reclining wrath of the person in front of me. This time I heard the driver say they will be making a couple stops at some rest areas along the way. How long they were, I wasn't sure. At first I thought them say 110 minutes or something like that, which was definitely wrong.
Anyway, I didn't sleep well. I maybe slept about 3 hours on my 10 hour bus ride. Thankfully it wasn't any longer, most traffic must of died down around 1AM. I also did get off the bus when we stopped for about 10 minutes two times to stretch my cramped legs. I think it was basically the return trip that made me decide not to ever take a night bus again. I honestly think I got lucky this time, if I had to ride two of these "older" buses, I say older because they weren't as comfortable, both times and was stuck in a normal seat behind someone else, I would have probably died. Considering taking a night bus didn't save me money on lodging I think the 3 hour bullet train ride for $100 more would have been well worth it, but I am happy I had this experience!.
So after 10 hours of practicing my contortionist arts and 3 hours of sleep, I arrived in Kyoto and wandered the city for 9 hours...these events still have to be written.
First of all, for those who don't know, Silver Week is an extended weekend that strings together 3 holidays (Respect for the Aged Day, National Holiday and Autumnal Equinox Day). This combined with the weekend allowed me 5 days off of work. I was lucky this year since usually these holidays are not consecutive, but happen only every 10 years which it is then called "Silver Week" as compared to "Golden Week" which usually happens in early May every year and is a little longer. Silver week seemed like a good time to do some domestic travel to Kumamoto to see my friends there. Golden Week will probably be when I go to Thailand, a journey I have been waiting 2 years to do.
Anyway I decided to take an overnight bus from Kyoto to Fukuoka (9.5 hours) the night after working on Friday. Kyoto is about 1.5 hours from my house by train, and Fukuoka is about 2 hours from Kumamoto by bus. All together the journey took me about 13 hours, longer than my flight from Seattle to Tokyo.
By 10PM I was waiting at the bus station in Kyoto and ready to board the bus. Luckily, my Japanese is best when it comes to traveling and food, two of my most favorite things. So getting on the bus was pretty painless. I am not too sure of everything that was announced though, but it wasn't a big deal.
The bus arrives!
In the States I had quite a few experiences riding Greyhound buses for extended periods of time, and I can confidently say this was WAY better than that. My ride from Kyoto to Fukuoka went pretty well. I actually slept about 6 or 7 of the 9.5 hours, so it was great! Sure when I woke up I felt like I was run over by the bus though. I was actually surprised on how far the seat reclined back, and that I actually had legroom, which is impressive because I am 6'4" in JAPAN! So it wasn't as uncomfortable as I was expecting. Considering for about $100 you can get from point A to B and also have your hotel/hostel expenses included for one night isn't a bad deal. Granted for this trip, I wasn't really planning on paying for a place to stay since I know quite a few people in Kumamoto.
For now I will skip what I did in Fukuoka and Kumamoto, and describe my return journey.
From Kumamoto I took what was normally a 2 hour bus ride to Fukuoka. This time it took a little over 3 hours though, since we were traveling about 15MPH since there was an incredible amount of traffic on the roads because of Silver Week. I wish I had a picture, because honestly this would put LA and NYC traffic to shame. Just imagine, a country of about 130 million people in about the square mileage of Montana all trying to travel by car within the next 4-5 days. INSANE! Anyway, thankfully I anticipated this and left a bit early imagining my bus might be a little slow.
So about an hour waiting and picking up drinks and snacks at the bus station in Fukuoka and I boarded my return overnight bus. Definitely not as nice as the first one, but much better than a Greyhound bus. The seats didn't recline near as far and there definitely wasn't much leg room. Thank the gods though, that I probably got one of the best seats on the bus. There was no one in front of me, just a short wall, so I didn't have to endure the reclining wrath of the person in front of me. This time I heard the driver say they will be making a couple stops at some rest areas along the way. How long they were, I wasn't sure. At first I thought them say 110 minutes or something like that, which was definitely wrong.
Anyway, I didn't sleep well. I maybe slept about 3 hours on my 10 hour bus ride. Thankfully it wasn't any longer, most traffic must of died down around 1AM. I also did get off the bus when we stopped for about 10 minutes two times to stretch my cramped legs. I think it was basically the return trip that made me decide not to ever take a night bus again. I honestly think I got lucky this time, if I had to ride two of these "older" buses, I say older because they weren't as comfortable, both times and was stuck in a normal seat behind someone else, I would have probably died. Considering taking a night bus didn't save me money on lodging I think the 3 hour bullet train ride for $100 more would have been well worth it, but I am happy I had this experience!.
So after 10 hours of practicing my contortionist arts and 3 hours of sleep, I arrived in Kyoto and wandered the city for 9 hours...these events still have to be written.
Monday, September 14, 2009
It Rains in Old Capital
This Saturday I made another journey to Kyoto, Japan's old capital. The more I think about it, the more I realize I am lucky to only be 2 hours away from Kyoto. Granted, I really do wish my small town had SOMETHING that could hold my interest, but I could be far from all civilization. Well, actually in Japan (because it is a few small islands) I guess you can never be too far away from civilization. But still I could be more than a 15 minute bike ride to the nearest train station, even if that train station boasts that it is super expensive to take a train anywhere, slow, and filled with spiders. Kyoto is by far one of Japan's most majestic cities. It has some of the oldest temples, and the most. It also has an amazing dynamism of modern and ancient. Honestly, McDonald's or a 40 story building next to a 400 year old shrine?! It's actually quite amazing really! Although I would have to say I enjoy the shrines more than the McDonalds'. So what I am trying to say is the 2 hour, 1 way trip costing $10 is worth it.
Modern: More than 3 minutes in this store...and you will become sad?
Anyway, this trip was made to finally pick up my overnight bus tickets to Kumamoto. This Friday I leave Kyoto at 10PM and head to Kumamoto. It is a 9.5 hour bus ride to...Fukuoka, which is then 2 more hours to Kumamoto by bus. Yes, I will be riding buses for 11.5 hours! Thats longer than my flight from Seattle to Tokyo! So why I am doing this instead of spending 2 hours to go by bullet train? Well, it is simple. It is $90 cheaper. $90? That isn't that much right? Well, it is, but I guess saving more than 9 hours makes it almost seem worth it. But I am doing this for the experience. I have flown domestically in Japan, taken normal local trains from Kumamoto to Tokyo, taken the Shinkansen (bullet train) and a boat from Fukuoka to S. Korea! One of the last few modes of transportation for me to tackle in Japan is the overnight bus! Because I am so tall though, I feel I might regret this afterwards. But, I have a motto in life, "Regret not what you have tried in life, regret what you haven't, as long as you cause no harm to others." Our time on this earth is so finite, and there is so much to experience. Who knows what crazy person I might have the opportunity to sit next to on the bus. Most likely it will be an extreamly drunk 50 year old salary man, but hey, how many people can say they experienced the company of a lunitic for 10 hours!!! Right!!! Think positive!
Anyway, I wanted to go to my favorite temple in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera (pure water temple). Honestly I don't know why I like this place so much, but there is just something about it. Unfortunately I had enough pure water during my day while accomplishing the business I had in Kyoto. It rained and rained. But I still managed to stop by a local temple and seek a little shelter from the downpour. Something is amazing when sitting on the steps of a zen temple listening to the rain hitting the earth.
Ancient: The glow of a temple lamp in the rain.
I also picked up a wireless router! YAY, I don't need to have a cord drawn across my apartment. If no one has heard of "La Fonera" before, I would highly recommend getting this. http://www.fon.com/en/ First of all, it is a relatively cheap wireless router, AND if you like sharing and recieving it is even better! The smart people at La Fonera thought of a way to make a safe and secure wireless network. Basically you have your normal secure internet connection, and your "public connection." If you chose to broadcast a public connection, which is actually only available to other La Fonera account (the account is free) users, you then in turn can log onto any La Fonera hotspot that someone else is broadcasting for free, IN THE WORLD! They also have a map that shows where these hotspots are, and I was really suprised at how many there really are. I think if I go to any major city I can basically find a handful of them around. So yay, free wireless anywhere in the world, by sharing a bit of mine, sounds like a good deal to me.
Other than my Kyoto adventure, teaching classes today was...well interesting. I taught the 8th graders, and one in particular tried to steal my wallet, and then grabbed another student and kept pushing his hand into my "package." I didn't know who to feel more sorry for, the student or me...haha. Of course there were some other slight antics, but I guess those are the memorable ones for today.
I will probably not be making another blog entry until I return from Kumamoto on September 23rd. Until then, I hope all is going well for everyone reading this...and even for those who are not!
Modern: More than 3 minutes in this store...and you will become sad?
Anyway, this trip was made to finally pick up my overnight bus tickets to Kumamoto. This Friday I leave Kyoto at 10PM and head to Kumamoto. It is a 9.5 hour bus ride to...Fukuoka, which is then 2 more hours to Kumamoto by bus. Yes, I will be riding buses for 11.5 hours! Thats longer than my flight from Seattle to Tokyo! So why I am doing this instead of spending 2 hours to go by bullet train? Well, it is simple. It is $90 cheaper. $90? That isn't that much right? Well, it is, but I guess saving more than 9 hours makes it almost seem worth it. But I am doing this for the experience. I have flown domestically in Japan, taken normal local trains from Kumamoto to Tokyo, taken the Shinkansen (bullet train) and a boat from Fukuoka to S. Korea! One of the last few modes of transportation for me to tackle in Japan is the overnight bus! Because I am so tall though, I feel I might regret this afterwards. But, I have a motto in life, "Regret not what you have tried in life, regret what you haven't, as long as you cause no harm to others." Our time on this earth is so finite, and there is so much to experience. Who knows what crazy person I might have the opportunity to sit next to on the bus. Most likely it will be an extreamly drunk 50 year old salary man, but hey, how many people can say they experienced the company of a lunitic for 10 hours!!! Right!!! Think positive!
Anyway, I wanted to go to my favorite temple in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera (pure water temple). Honestly I don't know why I like this place so much, but there is just something about it. Unfortunately I had enough pure water during my day while accomplishing the business I had in Kyoto. It rained and rained. But I still managed to stop by a local temple and seek a little shelter from the downpour. Something is amazing when sitting on the steps of a zen temple listening to the rain hitting the earth.
Ancient: The glow of a temple lamp in the rain.
I also picked up a wireless router! YAY, I don't need to have a cord drawn across my apartment. If no one has heard of "La Fonera" before, I would highly recommend getting this. http://www.fon.com/en/ First of all, it is a relatively cheap wireless router, AND if you like sharing and recieving it is even better! The smart people at La Fonera thought of a way to make a safe and secure wireless network. Basically you have your normal secure internet connection, and your "public connection." If you chose to broadcast a public connection, which is actually only available to other La Fonera account (the account is free) users, you then in turn can log onto any La Fonera hotspot that someone else is broadcasting for free, IN THE WORLD! They also have a map that shows where these hotspots are, and I was really suprised at how many there really are. I think if I go to any major city I can basically find a handful of them around. So yay, free wireless anywhere in the world, by sharing a bit of mine, sounds like a good deal to me.
Other than my Kyoto adventure, teaching classes today was...well interesting. I taught the 8th graders, and one in particular tried to steal my wallet, and then grabbed another student and kept pushing his hand into my "package." I didn't know who to feel more sorry for, the student or me...haha. Of course there were some other slight antics, but I guess those are the memorable ones for today.
I will probably not be making another blog entry until I return from Kumamoto on September 23rd. Until then, I hope all is going well for everyone reading this...and even for those who are not!
Friday, September 11, 2009
999 and Jumping Rope While Running
Unfortunately this will be another post with no pictures. Due to circumstances, it is frowned upon to post pictures that have my students in them on the internet, which makes some sense I guess.
The last week or so has been interesting here in the land of the rising sun. My crappy bike that I mentioned earlier is sending me a message that it wants to retire. I woke up one day to a flat tire. How this happened, I am not sure. I could get it fixed but considering the brakes are worn out, the chain keeps falling off and it is a pretty small bike, I might as well spend about $150 getting a new bike instead of spending $100 to get this one fixed. So needless to say, I have been walking to work the past few days which isn't that bad since I only live about a 10 - 15 minute walk from my school where I work.
Speaking of work, I have continued giving my self introduction to my students. I have now finished all the 7th and 9th graders and just have the 8th graders left next week. The students seem about as unenthusiastic in class as ever. But outside of class they always seem to have plenty of energy. I was even lucky enough to get what is called a "kancho" which can be roughly translated as a "poop needle." It seems like the cool thing to do in Japan (and I guess Korea too), to try to sneak up behind someone (I guess a teacher is double points) and jab your fingers into their butt. Pretty weird if you ask me, and honestly I hope it doesn't happen much more after this...
I also taught a special education class to about 12 students. This was definitely a challenge since, they really don't know any English and either have a short attention span or are just super energetic (hyper). But since I kept the English really simple, I could fill in some gaps with some simple Japanese. Also the Japanese homeroom teachers were really great in trying to help me out. Although I was nervous about this class, honestly it may have been one of the more fun classes that I taught. I felt less confined by curriculum and some of the students seemed more enthusiastic than most other classes. I got asked all kinds of questions such as "Do you like pear? I like pear" and the infamous "Do you have a girlfriend?" "How tall are you?" "What size shoe do you wear?" and even some pretty challenging ones like "Who is your favorite historical character?" Granted most of these questions were fired at me in Japanese, not English. Oh yes, and of course all the kids wanted to feel my arm muscle before I left class. Like I said, it was fun...I think because it was a little crazy!
Anyway this week has been filled with preparations for sports day. So most of the time, I am doing nothing because I am not told to prepare anything. But a couple days I just decided to watch the kids prepare their "dances" for a completion that happens on sports day. It is interesting, I think Japan is the only country where I will see a 14 or 15 year old strong wrestling kid waving around pink pom-poms...and these kids are usually the trouble makers that try to act like bad-asses in school...part of me laughs inside, and part of me finds this awesome at the same time! I will go into further details about the sports day which was held today (09/11/09) but first I want to talk about what happened on 09/09/09.
999, not to be confused with 666, is the day I turned 24 years old. It is actually pretty weird to have a birthday in early September. It seems that around this time I am always in a new place with few (if any) familiar faces. Last time I was in Japan when I turned 22, I had a relatively lonely birthday since I only arrived 2 days prior, and when I turned 23 I returned to the U.S. only about 2 weeks before. Anyway, this birthday wasn't bad though. Another JET who also lives out in the middle of nowhere Japan decided to drive up here (she just got a car, she lives farther away from a train station than I do) and have dinner. At first we were going to cook something at my place, but after not having any good ideas on what to make, we just went to a local restaurant. After a little chit-chat and finishing our meal, I got a call from one of my English teachers from my school. She is pretty cool and I also consider her my friend. She is also about my age so is a good resource on things to do in the area, although she actually doesn't live in my speck on the map but in a city about an hour or so away. Anyway, it was a relatively quiet birthday, but I was in good company so it was satisfying in that respect.
Anyway, back to sports day (today). I would have to say, Japan LOVES its sports. Sometimes I think it is more important in Japan for students to learn and play a sport than it is for them to study English. Actually, I am almost positive about this. The amount of effort and time put into practicing and preparing for a sports festival in Japan is almost ridiculous. But, I did have a fun time watching, minus the crazy sunburn that Japan always seems to give me.
Maybe the most amazing thing I saw was a race that combined all kinds of crazy things. Running while tied to about 6 other people, 3-legged race, etc. But the most impressive I thought was watching a kid run super fast around the track while jumping rope. I mean, he was running FULL speed and swinging this rope around him. I would say it was a sight to behold. Then I also helped judge the dances I talked about earlier, and helped cheer some students on in some tug of war. Overall I felt pretty useless, but eh...it was a good experience even if my students were saying I looked like a gangster when I wore sunglasses.
After sports day we had an "enkai" which is like a party, but formal and done with all your co-workers. I was both looking forward to this and dreading it at the same time. Super formal things don't allow for me to relax, so it is kind of tiring. I was hoping to get to know more of the teachers though. Anyway the place was nice, and very traditional Japanese style. It reminded me a little something out of a yakuza movie or something like that, where there is a large room, one end there is a scroll hanging on the wall, sliding doors, tatami mat floors...very Japanese! Unfortunately I didn't really get to know many of the teachers though. It seemed that either they just didn't want to talk to me, or they were too afraid to (language barrier thing, which I guess I can understand the intimidation).
My problem with Japanese is it is hard for me to start a conversation, basically because my vocabulary is limited. I am much better off answering questions and miming a topic that someone already has brought up. With this being said, I could carry on short conversations with a few people that approached me, which was great. But for me to try to talk to teachers that haven't talked to be before and get to know them better, it was a little impossible. I think I am going to try to memorize a few simple sentences that would be good for approaching co-workers at these types of meetings.
One thing that bothers me in Japanese society is all the social rules in the workplace that are never spoken about, but somehow known. This makes it hard for me to just approach some random co-worker and be like "Sup, hows it goin'?" like I did with most of my Japanese University friends. I mean, my co-worker might be my superior and then, oh shit! Now I am thought of as that rude foreign guy with no respect for Japanese culture.* Anyway, I will try to figure something out before the next one of these "enkai" things. It was my first time to a party like this, so I will take it as a learning experience.
*I would like to note that I am not calling Japanese people snobbish or uptight. Part of this opinion probably comes from my own phobia of disrupting harmony or something like that. I would point out though, that the Japanese people of the island of Kyushu (where I lived before) generally seem way more laid back than the people of Honshu, the mainland (where I live now). Granted I am lucky to live in Kansai which probably has some of the most easy going mainlanders in Japan.
Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow I am heading to the beautiful city of Kyoto to purchase an overnight bus ticket for my upcoming trip to Kumamoto to see some old friends! Hopefully my next entry will have some awesome pictures.
The last week or so has been interesting here in the land of the rising sun. My crappy bike that I mentioned earlier is sending me a message that it wants to retire. I woke up one day to a flat tire. How this happened, I am not sure. I could get it fixed but considering the brakes are worn out, the chain keeps falling off and it is a pretty small bike, I might as well spend about $150 getting a new bike instead of spending $100 to get this one fixed. So needless to say, I have been walking to work the past few days which isn't that bad since I only live about a 10 - 15 minute walk from my school where I work.
Speaking of work, I have continued giving my self introduction to my students. I have now finished all the 7th and 9th graders and just have the 8th graders left next week. The students seem about as unenthusiastic in class as ever. But outside of class they always seem to have plenty of energy. I was even lucky enough to get what is called a "kancho" which can be roughly translated as a "poop needle." It seems like the cool thing to do in Japan (and I guess Korea too), to try to sneak up behind someone (I guess a teacher is double points) and jab your fingers into their butt. Pretty weird if you ask me, and honestly I hope it doesn't happen much more after this...
I also taught a special education class to about 12 students. This was definitely a challenge since, they really don't know any English and either have a short attention span or are just super energetic (hyper). But since I kept the English really simple, I could fill in some gaps with some simple Japanese. Also the Japanese homeroom teachers were really great in trying to help me out. Although I was nervous about this class, honestly it may have been one of the more fun classes that I taught. I felt less confined by curriculum and some of the students seemed more enthusiastic than most other classes. I got asked all kinds of questions such as "Do you like pear? I like pear" and the infamous "Do you have a girlfriend?" "How tall are you?" "What size shoe do you wear?" and even some pretty challenging ones like "Who is your favorite historical character?" Granted most of these questions were fired at me in Japanese, not English. Oh yes, and of course all the kids wanted to feel my arm muscle before I left class. Like I said, it was fun...I think because it was a little crazy!
Anyway this week has been filled with preparations for sports day. So most of the time, I am doing nothing because I am not told to prepare anything. But a couple days I just decided to watch the kids prepare their "dances" for a completion that happens on sports day. It is interesting, I think Japan is the only country where I will see a 14 or 15 year old strong wrestling kid waving around pink pom-poms...and these kids are usually the trouble makers that try to act like bad-asses in school...part of me laughs inside, and part of me finds this awesome at the same time! I will go into further details about the sports day which was held today (09/11/09) but first I want to talk about what happened on 09/09/09.
999, not to be confused with 666, is the day I turned 24 years old. It is actually pretty weird to have a birthday in early September. It seems that around this time I am always in a new place with few (if any) familiar faces. Last time I was in Japan when I turned 22, I had a relatively lonely birthday since I only arrived 2 days prior, and when I turned 23 I returned to the U.S. only about 2 weeks before. Anyway, this birthday wasn't bad though. Another JET who also lives out in the middle of nowhere Japan decided to drive up here (she just got a car, she lives farther away from a train station than I do) and have dinner. At first we were going to cook something at my place, but after not having any good ideas on what to make, we just went to a local restaurant. After a little chit-chat and finishing our meal, I got a call from one of my English teachers from my school. She is pretty cool and I also consider her my friend. She is also about my age so is a good resource on things to do in the area, although she actually doesn't live in my speck on the map but in a city about an hour or so away. Anyway, it was a relatively quiet birthday, but I was in good company so it was satisfying in that respect.
Anyway, back to sports day (today). I would have to say, Japan LOVES its sports. Sometimes I think it is more important in Japan for students to learn and play a sport than it is for them to study English. Actually, I am almost positive about this. The amount of effort and time put into practicing and preparing for a sports festival in Japan is almost ridiculous. But, I did have a fun time watching, minus the crazy sunburn that Japan always seems to give me.
Maybe the most amazing thing I saw was a race that combined all kinds of crazy things. Running while tied to about 6 other people, 3-legged race, etc. But the most impressive I thought was watching a kid run super fast around the track while jumping rope. I mean, he was running FULL speed and swinging this rope around him. I would say it was a sight to behold. Then I also helped judge the dances I talked about earlier, and helped cheer some students on in some tug of war. Overall I felt pretty useless, but eh...it was a good experience even if my students were saying I looked like a gangster when I wore sunglasses.
After sports day we had an "enkai" which is like a party, but formal and done with all your co-workers. I was both looking forward to this and dreading it at the same time. Super formal things don't allow for me to relax, so it is kind of tiring. I was hoping to get to know more of the teachers though. Anyway the place was nice, and very traditional Japanese style. It reminded me a little something out of a yakuza movie or something like that, where there is a large room, one end there is a scroll hanging on the wall, sliding doors, tatami mat floors...very Japanese! Unfortunately I didn't really get to know many of the teachers though. It seemed that either they just didn't want to talk to me, or they were too afraid to (language barrier thing, which I guess I can understand the intimidation).
My problem with Japanese is it is hard for me to start a conversation, basically because my vocabulary is limited. I am much better off answering questions and miming a topic that someone already has brought up. With this being said, I could carry on short conversations with a few people that approached me, which was great. But for me to try to talk to teachers that haven't talked to be before and get to know them better, it was a little impossible. I think I am going to try to memorize a few simple sentences that would be good for approaching co-workers at these types of meetings.
One thing that bothers me in Japanese society is all the social rules in the workplace that are never spoken about, but somehow known. This makes it hard for me to just approach some random co-worker and be like "Sup, hows it goin'?" like I did with most of my Japanese University friends. I mean, my co-worker might be my superior and then, oh shit! Now I am thought of as that rude foreign guy with no respect for Japanese culture.* Anyway, I will try to figure something out before the next one of these "enkai" things. It was my first time to a party like this, so I will take it as a learning experience.
*I would like to note that I am not calling Japanese people snobbish or uptight. Part of this opinion probably comes from my own phobia of disrupting harmony or something like that. I would point out though, that the Japanese people of the island of Kyushu (where I lived before) generally seem way more laid back than the people of Honshu, the mainland (where I live now). Granted I am lucky to live in Kansai which probably has some of the most easy going mainlanders in Japan.
Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow I am heading to the beautiful city of Kyoto to purchase an overnight bus ticket for my upcoming trip to Kumamoto to see some old friends! Hopefully my next entry will have some awesome pictures.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The New Kid at School
So the last few weeks have been relatively good I guess. I am poorer than dirt right now and really hope that I can make it to payday on September 10th. If not I might have to withdraw some money from my American bank account which is both expensive and currently the yen is worth more than the dollar causing more losses.
Anyway, I started teaching this week. On Tuesday I gave a speech to about 600 students, which was quite frightening so that took a lot of courage, but everything went relatively well. I then began teaching, and well all I can say is that it was a new experience. I am basically just giving my self introductions but it seems harder than it should be. I am not sure if the kids enjoy it or if they are bored to death! The unfortunate thing is that this is the only time I really have a chance to dazzle the kids since the rest of the things I teach will be based off of the pre-existing curriculum. Surprisingly too, I still feel uncertain about my duties. I am not even fully sure of what will happen in each class. One thing I am getting used to is the lack of knowing what lies ahead of me though.
School has become a lot busier, but for some reason the weeks seem to have gotten longer. I taught 4 classes today which was actually quite tiring. I also have been grading tons and tons of tests and homework assignments which is interesting since the English is sometimes so incomprehensible that I almost would rather be reading Japanese.
Soon there is a sports festival and it seems like a lot of the students are preparing as well as the teachers, but I usually just sit in the teachers' office like usual because I have no direction when it comes to these things or even if I am suppose to be doing anything. I know I was told by JET before to be proactive about things at school, but honestly I don't know when to ask because teachers are always buzzing about and if it isn't an English teacher I really don't feel I can get my point across. So I guess I will just play it out and see what happens. Hopefully they just don't expect me what is going on in a new school, job, country and language.
So as it turns out my town is pretty small, about 23,000 people. It is fine for everyday living such as going grocery shopping etc., but to do anything with my spare time is another thing. As I said before I am running low on money, but for a while I tried to do some exploring in my town for a hang out spot. In japan cities of about 100,000 people are considered to be small and "rural." Even Kumamoto which had 600,000 people was considered a more rural city. So I guess 23,000 people is really out in the sticks! I was hoping to do Iaido (a sword martial art) or Kyudo (Japanese long bow archery) but alas, my junior high school doesn't offer it. They offer Kendo (another form of sword fighting) which is the only thing I have heard of so far that I would be remotely interested in. Honestly Kendo doesn't interest me much, but it will probably beat going home after work and watching TV, taking a 2 hour nap and then eating dinner and watching some more TV. It seems like TV is a good way for me to passivly learn Japanese, since my brain is usually pretty tired by the end of the day so I can vegge out and also try to pick up what is being said.
But most of all, I think it is just pretty lonely being out in the middle of nowhere, isolated due to a different culture and language. I really don't know how to meet people and make friends here. Although I have been in Japan before, the university setting was much easier because you were constantly around people your own age. I actually deeply regret that I didn't take better advantage of that situation last time I was in Japan. So I really hope that I can find a few people in my town to do stuff with. It would even be better if I found people my own age. Honestly, I think it would be impossible for me to stay here longer than a year (I planned on 2 years) if I can't have a social life with people my own age. But, only time can tell.
Anyway, I started teaching this week. On Tuesday I gave a speech to about 600 students, which was quite frightening so that took a lot of courage, but everything went relatively well. I then began teaching, and well all I can say is that it was a new experience. I am basically just giving my self introductions but it seems harder than it should be. I am not sure if the kids enjoy it or if they are bored to death! The unfortunate thing is that this is the only time I really have a chance to dazzle the kids since the rest of the things I teach will be based off of the pre-existing curriculum. Surprisingly too, I still feel uncertain about my duties. I am not even fully sure of what will happen in each class. One thing I am getting used to is the lack of knowing what lies ahead of me though.
School has become a lot busier, but for some reason the weeks seem to have gotten longer. I taught 4 classes today which was actually quite tiring. I also have been grading tons and tons of tests and homework assignments which is interesting since the English is sometimes so incomprehensible that I almost would rather be reading Japanese.
Soon there is a sports festival and it seems like a lot of the students are preparing as well as the teachers, but I usually just sit in the teachers' office like usual because I have no direction when it comes to these things or even if I am suppose to be doing anything. I know I was told by JET before to be proactive about things at school, but honestly I don't know when to ask because teachers are always buzzing about and if it isn't an English teacher I really don't feel I can get my point across. So I guess I will just play it out and see what happens. Hopefully they just don't expect me what is going on in a new school, job, country and language.
So as it turns out my town is pretty small, about 23,000 people. It is fine for everyday living such as going grocery shopping etc., but to do anything with my spare time is another thing. As I said before I am running low on money, but for a while I tried to do some exploring in my town for a hang out spot. In japan cities of about 100,000 people are considered to be small and "rural." Even Kumamoto which had 600,000 people was considered a more rural city. So I guess 23,000 people is really out in the sticks! I was hoping to do Iaido (a sword martial art) or Kyudo (Japanese long bow archery) but alas, my junior high school doesn't offer it. They offer Kendo (another form of sword fighting) which is the only thing I have heard of so far that I would be remotely interested in. Honestly Kendo doesn't interest me much, but it will probably beat going home after work and watching TV, taking a 2 hour nap and then eating dinner and watching some more TV. It seems like TV is a good way for me to passivly learn Japanese, since my brain is usually pretty tired by the end of the day so I can vegge out and also try to pick up what is being said.
But most of all, I think it is just pretty lonely being out in the middle of nowhere, isolated due to a different culture and language. I really don't know how to meet people and make friends here. Although I have been in Japan before, the university setting was much easier because you were constantly around people your own age. I actually deeply regret that I didn't take better advantage of that situation last time I was in Japan. So I really hope that I can find a few people in my town to do stuff with. It would even be better if I found people my own age. Honestly, I think it would be impossible for me to stay here longer than a year (I planned on 2 years) if I can't have a social life with people my own age. But, only time can tell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
