I've managed to catch a cold this past week so for some reason this means I'm awake at 5 in the morning and can't fall back asleep. At least this gives me ample time to catch up on emails and update my blog.
Last weekend I had to say goodbye to my friend who is going abroad for three months. We had a nice day of driving all around Tokyo. He actually gave me a bike I have named Jiminy. And true to the idea that everything in Japan is small, Jiminy can fold in half and is very small. I have not tried riding Jiminy as I'm afraid I'll get hit by a car.
I also did a bit of exploring this weekend. My coworker and I went on a massive hunt to find this "rumored" Aeon mall in our area. We found it after walking over 7 kilometers! The mall was pretty cool but unfortunately I was with my male coworker so once we found it, we basically turned around and caught the train home.
So Golden Week has come to an end meaning Obon will be here in August. Recently I've been looking into taking a trip abroad during Obon. I'm looking at Vietnam, Thailand or Bali. My coworker is going to come with me so now all we need to do is find a deal. My first choice is Vietnam as I really want to see Ha Long Bay.
In other news, I have been offered another contract extension. The manager told me she would like to see me stay at the school for a long time. I'm torn. I'd dearly love to stay but also get to see my family more than once a year.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Happy Japanniversary!
So today marks a very special day for me. It has been exactly one year since I moved to Japan! It's been a very interesting year full of new experiences, I'm lucky to say I've met a lot of good people along the way. Hopefully this is the first of many years to come in Japan.
So what have I been up to as of late? Nothing outrageous.
For Golden Week I went to Osaka. I decided to do something a little different regarding mode of transportation down there. Instead of taking the bullet train or highway bus as I have done before, I took the local trains. The bullet train usually takes two and a half hours and the highway bus (depending on traffic) takes about six hours. The local trains took roughly ten hours, 8500 yen and nine train transfers. It was a fun experience and definitely worth the time. By taking the locals I got to see a lot of the countryside and because of all the transfers it kept things interesting and gave me the opportunity to walk around and see some small towns. Osaka was fun as usual and I saw some people I met last month. I can't say I did anything special or noteworthy. I ate a lot of food, sang Karaoke and walked around parts of Osaka.
Last weekend I spent my entire weekend alone. It was a first for me as I tend to be a socail butterfly but for some reason I just felt like being alone and having a relaxed weekend. It was great! On Sunday I went to Shinjuku and just walked around Kabukichyo and Shinjuku-sanchome, I also went to Shinjuku park which is a hidden gem in the city! I've been to the bigger, more popular parks like Hibiya, Ueno and Yoyogi but I had never been to Shinjuku park before. It's truly beautiful! It has a good sized lake with bridges and koi fish, a traditional tea house and thick forests. It was great to see the contrast of a serene lake against the back drop of the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. I'm looking forward to returning soon for a picnic! I went home and made myself some Japanese food for dinner!! Nothing too crazy, just some yakisoba.
On Monday I decided to do some more exploring. I went to Nakano (a little bit west of Shinjuku) to see this shopping arcade they have (It is said that Nakano is the new Akihabara but I didn't see that at all). Apparently in this arcade they have a store where you can things people have found on the train! Unfortunately I did not find this store. I got bored of Nakano quickly and went to a regular spot of mine called Kichijoji, it's good for shopping and funky little cafes. I just wandered around there and found a foreign food shop so I bought a couple western food items and cooked myself dinner. I'm seriously impressed with myself as I have cooked myself dinner four nights in a row now (if you know me, you know that this is quite rare).
Needless to say, nothing really noteworthy has been happening. Life is good! :)
So what have I been up to as of late? Nothing outrageous.
For Golden Week I went to Osaka. I decided to do something a little different regarding mode of transportation down there. Instead of taking the bullet train or highway bus as I have done before, I took the local trains. The bullet train usually takes two and a half hours and the highway bus (depending on traffic) takes about six hours. The local trains took roughly ten hours, 8500 yen and nine train transfers. It was a fun experience and definitely worth the time. By taking the locals I got to see a lot of the countryside and because of all the transfers it kept things interesting and gave me the opportunity to walk around and see some small towns. Osaka was fun as usual and I saw some people I met last month. I can't say I did anything special or noteworthy. I ate a lot of food, sang Karaoke and walked around parts of Osaka.
Last weekend I spent my entire weekend alone. It was a first for me as I tend to be a socail butterfly but for some reason I just felt like being alone and having a relaxed weekend. It was great! On Sunday I went to Shinjuku and just walked around Kabukichyo and Shinjuku-sanchome, I also went to Shinjuku park which is a hidden gem in the city! I've been to the bigger, more popular parks like Hibiya, Ueno and Yoyogi but I had never been to Shinjuku park before. It's truly beautiful! It has a good sized lake with bridges and koi fish, a traditional tea house and thick forests. It was great to see the contrast of a serene lake against the back drop of the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. I'm looking forward to returning soon for a picnic! I went home and made myself some Japanese food for dinner!! Nothing too crazy, just some yakisoba.
On Monday I decided to do some more exploring. I went to Nakano (a little bit west of Shinjuku) to see this shopping arcade they have (It is said that Nakano is the new Akihabara but I didn't see that at all). Apparently in this arcade they have a store where you can things people have found on the train! Unfortunately I did not find this store. I got bored of Nakano quickly and went to a regular spot of mine called Kichijoji, it's good for shopping and funky little cafes. I just wandered around there and found a foreign food shop so I bought a couple western food items and cooked myself dinner. I'm seriously impressed with myself as I have cooked myself dinner four nights in a row now (if you know me, you know that this is quite rare).
Needless to say, nothing really noteworthy has been happening. Life is good! :)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Bum's a Bet - Hair Salon
I was rudely woken up at 4:30 this morning to some alarm blasting over the loud speakers in my town and some man on the loud speakers announcing something... the echo is so bad I cant understand a word he says. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in the book 1984 and I'm just supposed to wake up at 4:30. I've woken up that early almost every day either by an announcement or by an earthquake. In the past week we've had quite a few large aftershocks (I've counted five). They were all up north so they weren't too strong down here but I've definitely felt them. The big earthquake started off pretty small and then built up pretty strong so when the aftershocks hit I keep waiting for it to get stronger. A few people I've talked to say the plate near Tokyo has been weakened a lot from all the quakes and we should expect a relatively large one to hit sometime soon.
I went to yet another hanami party and I think it's safe to say I've ingested enough sakura petals for one year. The blossoms have begun to turn into leaves now and the weather is getting warmer and warmer. I'm not looking forward to summer if it's going to be anything like last summer!
This last week has been eventful enough I suppose.
I broke things off with the guy I had been seeing for about eight months. He was pretty good about it, as I knew he would be. He said I was too good for him and deserve someone nicer. We're going to try and be friends, I think that's better for us because it has removed all the obligations to see each other regularly.
In other news, my new band went to the studio last Monday and it was pretty successful, we started writing a song even! (Did I mention I started a project band with my friend?) We have a gig at the end of June and we need to perform ten songs then. We dont have a name for the band yet - we cant find one we both really like... any suggestions?
Work is going well, we just started new kids classes this month and so far... some are great and some will be a test of my mental strength.
What's on the cards coming up? Golden Week is rapidly approaching so I'm trying to hammer out some plans of what to do. I'm mulling about going back to Osaka and/or maybe going to Izu Shoto or Kyushu. I'm still not sure if I want to travel with a friend or just go alone and have all the say in what I do. It might be nice to have a translator though. Thoughts?
I went to yet another hanami party and I think it's safe to say I've ingested enough sakura petals for one year. The blossoms have begun to turn into leaves now and the weather is getting warmer and warmer. I'm not looking forward to summer if it's going to be anything like last summer!
This last week has been eventful enough I suppose.
I broke things off with the guy I had been seeing for about eight months. He was pretty good about it, as I knew he would be. He said I was too good for him and deserve someone nicer. We're going to try and be friends, I think that's better for us because it has removed all the obligations to see each other regularly.
In other news, my new band went to the studio last Monday and it was pretty successful, we started writing a song even! (Did I mention I started a project band with my friend?) We have a gig at the end of June and we need to perform ten songs then. We dont have a name for the band yet - we cant find one we both really like... any suggestions?
Work is going well, we just started new kids classes this month and so far... some are great and some will be a test of my mental strength.
What's on the cards coming up? Golden Week is rapidly approaching so I'm trying to hammer out some plans of what to do. I'm mulling about going back to Osaka and/or maybe going to Izu Shoto or Kyushu. I'm still not sure if I want to travel with a friend or just go alone and have all the say in what I do. It might be nice to have a translator though. Thoughts?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Rodeo Crowns - Brand Name
Hanami season is among us! That being said I've already been to two hanami parties. (Hanami literally means "flower watch", so what we do is get together in a park and drink all day.)
My first hanami party was also a goodbye party. The aftermath of the earthquake took its toll on my friend so he decided to move back to America. He was my first friend at my hometown and really went out of his way to show me the ropes and make sure I settled in nicely. He doesn't really speak any Japanese and was quite bothered by the lack of information getting to him regarding black outs, water contamination etc so he decided it would be safer for him to return home. I can see what he means, it's frustrating being here and in a way trying to compete with people to get water and food while everyone around us is panicking and getting information before us. My Japanese is ok but I dont know the words for things like "radiation", "evacuation", and "contamination" hahah. I guess I should try to learn those at some point hey?
At my second hanami party I got to see my friend who lives up in Sendai right by the epicenter for the big earthquake. I cant imagine what it was like up there. He said his building was swaying about four meters back and forth and people were flying across the school into walls. He also said that twelve of his students are missing. It's really amazing the fragility of life, one day you're doing the same thing you always do and the next it's all over. I still cant believe it happened.
My first hanami party was also a goodbye party. The aftermath of the earthquake took its toll on my friend so he decided to move back to America. He was my first friend at my hometown and really went out of his way to show me the ropes and make sure I settled in nicely. He doesn't really speak any Japanese and was quite bothered by the lack of information getting to him regarding black outs, water contamination etc so he decided it would be safer for him to return home. I can see what he means, it's frustrating being here and in a way trying to compete with people to get water and food while everyone around us is panicking and getting information before us. My Japanese is ok but I dont know the words for things like "radiation", "evacuation", and "contamination" hahah. I guess I should try to learn those at some point hey?
At my second hanami party I got to see my friend who lives up in Sendai right by the epicenter for the big earthquake. I cant imagine what it was like up there. He said his building was swaying about four meters back and forth and people were flying across the school into walls. He also said that twelve of his students are missing. It's really amazing the fragility of life, one day you're doing the same thing you always do and the next it's all over. I still cant believe it happened.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Arise Therefore (Dont remember where I picked that one up)
So I made it back to Osaka and then Tokyo safely without major incidents.
I must say my flight to Osaka was a lot more pleasant than my flight from Osaka.
On my way into Seattle I was sandwiched between an overly talkative middle aged Japanese woman on one side and an American man who would not stop talking about plane crashes and radiation poisoning. How lovely. While on one hand I was able to practice some Japanese but it was rather frustrating trying to get to sleep when all she would do it tap me and show me origami and ask me to fold her some. The only one I know how to fold is a paper crane so I taught her how to do that. The American man was fleeing the country with no intentions of returning and was telling me that we were all going to get leukemia. He was from Nagoya which is (I think) roughly 600km away from the Daiichi plant. Needless to say I was happy to get off that plane.
On my way to Osaka I was pleasantly surprised with a seat in Economy Plus right beside the emergency exit, the bathrooms and a chatty but interesting British man who lives in Kyoto. He and I managed to talk for the entire eleven hour flight while getting slightly pissed. As luck would have it the flight attendant missed us with drinks during the first service and felt so bad she was smuggling in things from first class for us and giving us extra drinks. All in all... one of the better flights I've been on.
I arrived in Osaka and was able to get out of the airport very quickly... through customs, immigration and baggage claim in under an hour! I hopped on a bus headed towards my hotel and managed to find it without incident. After that I went out for dinner with one of my new Osaka buddies, we went to two restaurants - one was kushikatsu (like kushiage - meat and veggies on skewers) and the other was Okinawan food (a lot of goya and tofu) both were delicious! After that I was exhausted so I called it a night and went to my hotel and crashed.
The next day (Saturday) one of my Osaka buddies and I went to Kyoto because we plain old had nothing better to do. It was really great for me because I had never been there before and had a tour guide to show me his favourite places. We didn't end up staying too long as I wanted to get back to Tokyo that evening. I saw some temples and wandered around Gion where I was able to catch a glimpse of a couple geisha/maiko (I dont know which one they were) so I can cross that off my list of things to do in Japan.
I bought my shinkansen ticket and boarded the train only to find that I was on the really slow one when I had paid for the fastest train... how nice. I ended up transferring to a faster train half way and arrived about a half hour later than planned.
It was eerie arriving in Tokyo. I couldn't even tell we were approaching Tokyo because it was dark out and the majority of the lights in the city were out. As I walked through Tokyo station the atmosphere was subdued and cold. The heaters on the train seem to be out and almost half the lights in the stations and in the city are also out. It left me feeling pretty uneasy. That night I had a terrifying nightmare about trying to escape radiation by scrambling to find a fall out shelter where I live. It was a mass exodus of people trying to out run an invisible poison. Of all the dreams to remember...
I have started work again. My students and most of my coworkers are happy to see me. My one twat of a coworker is griping and moaning about how I left and what a martyr he is for having stayed.
In the end the trip home was really good for me. It made me realise I want to stay in Japan as long as possible. I guess while I was gone I had been glorifying Vancouver and how great it is. While it is great because my parents live there and the food and views are phenomenal, my home is Japan for now.
I must say my flight to Osaka was a lot more pleasant than my flight from Osaka.
On my way into Seattle I was sandwiched between an overly talkative middle aged Japanese woman on one side and an American man who would not stop talking about plane crashes and radiation poisoning. How lovely. While on one hand I was able to practice some Japanese but it was rather frustrating trying to get to sleep when all she would do it tap me and show me origami and ask me to fold her some. The only one I know how to fold is a paper crane so I taught her how to do that. The American man was fleeing the country with no intentions of returning and was telling me that we were all going to get leukemia. He was from Nagoya which is (I think) roughly 600km away from the Daiichi plant. Needless to say I was happy to get off that plane.
On my way to Osaka I was pleasantly surprised with a seat in Economy Plus right beside the emergency exit, the bathrooms and a chatty but interesting British man who lives in Kyoto. He and I managed to talk for the entire eleven hour flight while getting slightly pissed. As luck would have it the flight attendant missed us with drinks during the first service and felt so bad she was smuggling in things from first class for us and giving us extra drinks. All in all... one of the better flights I've been on.
I arrived in Osaka and was able to get out of the airport very quickly... through customs, immigration and baggage claim in under an hour! I hopped on a bus headed towards my hotel and managed to find it without incident. After that I went out for dinner with one of my new Osaka buddies, we went to two restaurants - one was kushikatsu (like kushiage - meat and veggies on skewers) and the other was Okinawan food (a lot of goya and tofu) both were delicious! After that I was exhausted so I called it a night and went to my hotel and crashed.
The next day (Saturday) one of my Osaka buddies and I went to Kyoto because we plain old had nothing better to do. It was really great for me because I had never been there before and had a tour guide to show me his favourite places. We didn't end up staying too long as I wanted to get back to Tokyo that evening. I saw some temples and wandered around Gion where I was able to catch a glimpse of a couple geisha/maiko (I dont know which one they were) so I can cross that off my list of things to do in Japan.
I bought my shinkansen ticket and boarded the train only to find that I was on the really slow one when I had paid for the fastest train... how nice. I ended up transferring to a faster train half way and arrived about a half hour later than planned.
It was eerie arriving in Tokyo. I couldn't even tell we were approaching Tokyo because it was dark out and the majority of the lights in the city were out. As I walked through Tokyo station the atmosphere was subdued and cold. The heaters on the train seem to be out and almost half the lights in the stations and in the city are also out. It left me feeling pretty uneasy. That night I had a terrifying nightmare about trying to escape radiation by scrambling to find a fall out shelter where I live. It was a mass exodus of people trying to out run an invisible poison. Of all the dreams to remember...
I have started work again. My students and most of my coworkers are happy to see me. My one twat of a coworker is griping and moaning about how I left and what a martyr he is for having stayed.
In the end the trip home was really good for me. It made me realise I want to stay in Japan as long as possible. I guess while I was gone I had been glorifying Vancouver and how great it is. While it is great because my parents live there and the food and views are phenomenal, my home is Japan for now.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Starvations - Kid's clothes store in Nanba, Osaka
So for the past week or so I have been observing the Japanese nuclear situation from afar at my parent's house.
The trek back home was a long adventure. Kansai airport was really busy with all the departures, but all in all it wasn't too unpleasant. I had to fly from Osaka to Seattle and then to Vancouver with a six hour layover in Seattle. I had an interesting time waiting around Sea-Tac airport and had a "Talking to Americans" moment with the gentleman sitting next to me. He asked where I was flying so I reply "Vancouver" and he asks "so that's what... a four or five hour flight?", I give him a dead pan stare "What?! No, it's 35 minutes."... his response? "I was always under the impression that Vancouver was directly above New York."
Excellent.
The week home has been relatively uneventful. It was good to catch up with some old friends, see the family (of course) and eat some delicious Canadian cuisine. It's funny how different everything looks, everything is so green and trees are everywhere, not to mention the mountains and ocean. Needless to say I was taking a lot of pictures. It was amazing how hard it is to tune out people speaking when they are speaking in English!
I'm on my way back to Osaka tomorrow morning bright and early. I know a lot of people are concerned for my health but after staying as updated as possible about the situation and a deal of consideration I've decided to return home to Japan. I wouldn't feel right staying in Vancouver much longer. I'm going to spend a day or two in Osaka and see how things are going up in Tokyo before I return. I'm really looking forward to seeing my adopted family in Japan. :)
The trek back home was a long adventure. Kansai airport was really busy with all the departures, but all in all it wasn't too unpleasant. I had to fly from Osaka to Seattle and then to Vancouver with a six hour layover in Seattle. I had an interesting time waiting around Sea-Tac airport and had a "Talking to Americans" moment with the gentleman sitting next to me. He asked where I was flying so I reply "Vancouver" and he asks "so that's what... a four or five hour flight?", I give him a dead pan stare "What?! No, it's 35 minutes."... his response? "I was always under the impression that Vancouver was directly above New York."
Excellent.
The week home has been relatively uneventful. It was good to catch up with some old friends, see the family (of course) and eat some delicious Canadian cuisine. It's funny how different everything looks, everything is so green and trees are everywhere, not to mention the mountains and ocean. Needless to say I was taking a lot of pictures. It was amazing how hard it is to tune out people speaking when they are speaking in English!
I'm on my way back to Osaka tomorrow morning bright and early. I know a lot of people are concerned for my health but after staying as updated as possible about the situation and a deal of consideration I've decided to return home to Japan. I wouldn't feel right staying in Vancouver much longer. I'm going to spend a day or two in Osaka and see how things are going up in Tokyo before I return. I'm really looking forward to seeing my adopted family in Japan. :)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Waiting Game
Wow. So unless you've been hiding under a rock somewhere you have probably heard about the big earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Dont worry, I'm safe and sound.
The earthquake hit about 200km north of where I am so there wasn't a lot of damage here. The quake itself was the strongest I've ever experienced and our building shook for a good two hours because of all the aftershocks. The quake hit at about quarter to three in the afternoon and immediately after all the trains stopped running. We spent most of the evening wandering around near our school expecting the trains to start back up again. A lot of people were stranded all over Tokyo and the line ups for taxis and payphones were huge. A student of mine said he walked for six hours to get home on Friday night.
The atmosphere here is really strange to say the least but I guess that can be expected. Everyone is kind of panicking and buying as much food, water and candles as they can get their hands on. Most stores have run out of bread and water... of course I do not have any water haha.
So today Tokyo has scheduled rolling black outs for each area... we were told 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. but the lights did not go out and again at 12:20p.m. to 4 p.m.... the lights are still working. We're wondering if it's all a hoax. It would be nice if the company I worked for would contact me and let me know what is going on. My coworker and I were saying this feels a bit like pergatory or limbo. There have been quite a few announcements over loud speakers today but I can't understand them so hopefully it wasn't anything too urgent. I've spent the whole weekend staying very close to home and just waiting to hear some news or for something to happen. I'm not quite sure what I'm waiting for but a lot of people have said there is a large chance of another big earthquake to hit within the next few days. There was a relatively large one in Ibaraki this morning which woke me up.
I've heard through some friends that a lot of foreigners have decided to just leave Japan all together and go back home. I cant say I really intend to do that, either way I've heard that the airports aren't operating so everyone who's flocked to the airports are just sitting there waiting.
The earthquake hit about 200km north of where I am so there wasn't a lot of damage here. The quake itself was the strongest I've ever experienced and our building shook for a good two hours because of all the aftershocks. The quake hit at about quarter to three in the afternoon and immediately after all the trains stopped running. We spent most of the evening wandering around near our school expecting the trains to start back up again. A lot of people were stranded all over Tokyo and the line ups for taxis and payphones were huge. A student of mine said he walked for six hours to get home on Friday night.
The atmosphere here is really strange to say the least but I guess that can be expected. Everyone is kind of panicking and buying as much food, water and candles as they can get their hands on. Most stores have run out of bread and water... of course I do not have any water haha.
So today Tokyo has scheduled rolling black outs for each area... we were told 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. but the lights did not go out and again at 12:20p.m. to 4 p.m.... the lights are still working. We're wondering if it's all a hoax. It would be nice if the company I worked for would contact me and let me know what is going on. My coworker and I were saying this feels a bit like pergatory or limbo. There have been quite a few announcements over loud speakers today but I can't understand them so hopefully it wasn't anything too urgent. I've spent the whole weekend staying very close to home and just waiting to hear some news or for something to happen. I'm not quite sure what I'm waiting for but a lot of people have said there is a large chance of another big earthquake to hit within the next few days. There was a relatively large one in Ibaraki this morning which woke me up.
I've heard through some friends that a lot of foreigners have decided to just leave Japan all together and go back home. I cant say I really intend to do that, either way I've heard that the airports aren't operating so everyone who's flocked to the airports are just sitting there waiting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
