Hello all! Another boring week. Nothing out of the ordinary. I did see the movie New Moon on Sunday with another foreign friend, Margo. She is a teacher for the same company but at another school. It was great fun! I also went Christmas shopping on Monday...Hiroko!!! I need to know any information about lacrosse stores you heard about here. I can't do any good research and my friends do not play lacrosse so they do not know where to find any gear. Well, I need to get ready for bed. Love to all!

Hello America!

This weekend I had a nasty cold. I had a fever and sore throat and everything. Luckily the doctor said it was only a cold and nothing more. If I have a fever tomorrow then I have to go back and get more medicine. I have started reading Lord of the Rings this week. I love the movie and so far the book is even better. I was so sick this weekend I did not even want to read the book! I have drank lots of tea, if you see blueberry/raspberry tea, please drink it! Well, I am gonna head off to bed soon. Nite!

Well, what a week I had. I spent most of the week getting ready for a Japanese Speech Contest. I placed exactly in the middle...number 7 out of 13 so i can not complain. It was a great experience and that was why I was doing it. I met a lot of other people there and it was wonderful. Giving my speech in Japanese was very tough...especially since I have a small fear of speaking in front of big crowds. I did do some shaking, but overall, did alright. I won 10,000 yen which equals about $100, so that was an unexpected bonus...I would have tried much harder if I had known money was at stake. But I did it only for the experience and had fun doing it. Some of my students even came and watched me!

Other than that...it's been a nice slow week. I started my holiday shopping. Still have a couple more gifts to buy, but I think everyone should like there gifts. Well, I need to catch some ZZZs, have a great day!

Sorry about the month hiatus

Hello all! Sorry it has been so long. I have been so busy lately! October flew by in a flash. I had an interview for an Emergency Teacher position with AEON. One of the important people from the head office came up and observed my classes. He gave me a lot of good feedback to help me with my classes. I was offered a one year contract to become an ET but I declined it and have decided to stay at Kumagaya for the 3 more months. I thought about the possibility of a long 2 and a half hour commute in Tokyo during rush hour and decided that really wasn't for me.

I also went to a wonderful ikebana exhibition. Ikebana is the traditional flower arrangement art here in Japan. One of my co-workers does it and she invited me to the exhibition. It was very amazing and I learned a lot. I also was served green tea the traditional way.

I am actually feeling a little under the weather today. I have been sneezing and coughing and have a slight temp. I am gonna go to be early tonight after I call home of course! No need to worry about me though....I will be fine.

Thank you so much for the pictures Aunt Pat! You and Uncle Bill look great! Keep them coming!

Aloha aka Hello aka Konnichiwa aka Guten Tag aka Dobry dei

Hello everyone!

Well, Hawaii was wonderful! It was so good to see my family and friends. I had the perfect vacation and I hated to see it end. The flight wasn't that bad either, so that was a relief. I guess after flying to Japan from Pittsburgh (14 hours) a 7 hour flight to Hawaii was nothing!

Well, Sunday was fun, and I first met up with my friends before my family got to Oahu. Alison, Sara, Matt and I went out for a drink, and I got to eat a gyro! YAY! That was wonderful. After that, my family arrived at the hotel. It was so nice to see them all! I ran up to their shuttle as soon as I realized it was their car! I wish that moment didn't end. We had a nice dinner that night and spent a relaxing day.

Monday we went to Pearl Harbor, which was very somber, and probably not a good idea for our first public outing as a family...Michael and I had 18 months of brotherly teasing to get out of our system! The memorial was beautiful! I think all of us had a tear for that.

Tuesday was awesome because we rented mopeds and I FINALLY got to drive a little bit! Sara, Mikey, Matt, Alison and I took the mopeds and drove to some awesome beaches! One of the beaches had killer waves and that was sick aka clutch! It was so nice to be driving again, and I stayed on the right side of the road! I was a little worried about that after living in Japan!

Wednesday the family and I went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and North Shore. That was so awesome! I have never seen so many pineapples! At North Shore, Mikey and I got mom and dad to go snorkeling! THAT WAS COOL! I am so proud of my parents for doing that! I do wish we went to a calmer spot to snorkel! We had a blast anyways and I loved every moment of that day. And what happened but my parents and grandma run into Hany and Stef! What a small world! It was so cool having dinner with them that night! I hope to make it out their way once I am back in America!

Thursday was the Luau aka Polynesian Cultural Center! We had a blast there and learned a lot about the Polynesian Islands. The Luau was a nice treat! Luckily no swine flu! Whew! The dancers were awesome and the canoe show was awesome!

Friday we did the dinner cruise and Mikey and I drank quite a bit! It's not a good idea to mix beer, wine, and mixed drinks...that's a lot of alcohol! The sunset cruise was beautiful even though it was cloudy. It was just nice being with the family. Michael and I danced the Hula in front of the diners during the cruise. All in all, we had a blast. We also went to the zoo earlier that day. They had some amazing tropical birds there.

Saturday was the hardest day...because we surfed and I had to say goodbye to everyone. I did manage to stand up on the surf board once, for like 2 or 3 seconds. Mikey and Matt were much better than me at it. But I had a blast trying. After saying goodbye to everyone I was left alone on the island. It was bittersweet. I wished no one had to leave but it was nice to do nothing and relax. There was a street fair and I went down to it, but I really wanted to be alone. I won't lie, I cried a little in my hotel room after everyone left! I can't believe it is going to be at least another year before I see anyone again!

Well, my trip back to Japan was good. I got to watch the Steelers game at the airport, so that was gnarly! At the airport, everyone at JAL kept asking me if I was on the right flight! I was like, yes! I live in Japan, I have a reservation! Everyone seemed quite surprised. I was the only foreigner on the flight back to Japan, so the stewardesses mostly spoke Japanese to me, and I was finally able to use it back!

Now that I am back in Japan, I had a lot of classes to make up! But in the end, I would do it all over again just to see my family! What a reunion!

Hello! This week has been rather dull, if I do say so myself. We had a small earthquake last night, but it was only a little shake! I wasn't even sure we were having an earthquake until I saw my fan moving a little. And then for the past 2 days it has been raining...we had a typhoon in the area. The sky just now was an amazing orange and now rosy pink. I have never seen the sky like that.

Moving on, only 1 week and 6 days until I am in Hawaii with my family! I can't wait to get there! I even have started packing! YAYAYAYAY! Well, I wanted to let everyone know I am still alive! Hope things are good there!

PS School

Oh yeah, here is my school's website if you want to check it out!

http://www.aeonet.co.jp/school/school.php?sno=1113

Have fun going to town on the website! Be creative and click some of the toolbar buttons and see some pictures of me and the school!

Hello Again

Well, I know it has been a while since I have updated my blog. Sorry about that. I am not really good at this blog thing, am I? Haha! Well, I have had an eventful summer. Last week I had Obon Vacation. So that meant a week off for me! YAY! But I didn't do anything too exciting. I am saving money for Hawai'i! another YAY! I can't wait to go. It will be so good to see my family and some friends again! I can't believe it has been a year and a half since I have seen any of my family! That's crazy!

Well, last week I took a tour of Gyoda. Gyoda is the town right next to mine. One of my friends gave me a tour of it. We went to this really cool place where are a bunch of tomb mounds. Some of these mounds are super old! They had many artifacts from about 400 years ago. Lots of samurai armor. It was awesome. I even got to go inside one of the temple mounds. After that we went to a museum about the history of Gyoda from pre-historic times. That was another really cool museum. Lots more artifacts.

I have been studying my Japanese a lot lately! I conjugate verbs like it's my job lately. So I guess you could say I am having fun with that. It's not too hard, but it's a lot of vocabulary to remember.

We did have 2 earthquakes last week. They were both the strongest quakes I have felt since I have been here. They lasted a couple minutes each so it was kinda scary. All in all, not that bad where I live though.

Well, I am tired, and I have work tomorrow!

Hello America!

So Thursday was a fun day at work. We had a photographer come in to take pictures for our website. That was fun, I just hope I don't look to chubby in the photos! Anyways, the past 2 days have been quite ordinary besides the photo shoot. I had a long day today, 6 classes and I have 6 classes tomorrow. Just wanted to give everyone an update on my life. But now it's time to go to bed, since I have the classes tomorrow. Tomorrow night will be an ALF season 2 marathon after work for me. On Sunday I am having lunch with some friends and then going to Tokyo for the night. On Monday I am going to a BBQ party, so I will give you an update after that! All my love!

Hey everyone!

I hope everything is going good in America! Last week was a wonderful week with Hiroko and the kids! On Saturday, I left work early and then took the train down Hiroko's mom's house. When I got there I got to see the best 2 kids on earth! I loved it! It was so nice seeing the niece and nephew. Shaun took about 10 minutes to warm up to me, but then he was himself!

On Sunday, we went to Ikebukuro. That was a great time. Jason, Hiroko, and I all agreed that portion sizes in Japan are much better than in America. They usually give you the best sized portions, just full enough but not too full. Anyway, Sunday was spent in Ikebukuro and mostly just shopping. I loved spending time with all of them. It was so nice to be with my family again. I can't tell you how wonderful it was!

Monday and Tuesday were spent at Disneyland and Disneysea. We had a great time on Monday at Disneyland. We had a little bit of rain during the afternoon. We rode lots of rides, and had lunch at our hotel. Which by the way, is one of the nicest, if not the nicest, hotels I have ever stayed in. Anyway, after we checked in at the hotel, we went back to Disneyland. We rode Splash Mountain twice, because both of the kids were tall enough to ride it, and they loved that ride. Unfortunately, Space Mountain was closed. But we had a great time without it.

Tuesday we went to Disneysea. This theme park is more geared for adults. Alyssa rode the Tower of Terror and she loved it! Most of our waits were only 5-10 minutes, which was perfect for us. I found out the it isn't as busy during the week because mostly adults go to Disneysea, while families usually go to Disneyland. Anyways, we had another fabulous day there.

I can't believe how big those kids have gotten. Shaun is like a miniature adult. It was so funny! I am so happy to have seen Hiroko, Jason, Alyssa, and Shaun. They really re-energized me. But at the same time, it was kinda sad for me. I really wanted to be with them, but it also made me sad. I realized I won't see them again for quite a while, maybe another year or two....I don't know if I can make it! Hate to cut this now, but I need to get to bed. It is late here.

PS-Thank you Michael! I love the DVDs! I got them yesterday!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! It was great gettin to read all of those! I miss you all terribly! I need to get some shut eye! I get to see Hiroko and Jason and the kids tomorrow! I am so excited for it! YAY!!!! Have a great day everybody!

Hey everybody!

I am really tired but I wanted to let you know I am thinking of all of you! Happy Birthday and Father's Day Dad! I am going to Shinjuku tomorrow so i need to get some shut eye. Hope all is well with everyone! Enjoy Bonanza!

Well, today was the last day of my weekend. The work week starts tomorrow! Joy of joys! I am going to be super busy tomorrow. I have 4 private lessons in a row to start my day off. Can't wait for that.

Today was an average day. Not too much happened. I should have my plane ticket to Hawaii soon. I ordered it from JAL and should have my confirmation soon. I am going to be paying for it at the convini store! How different is that! Not much else happened today. I did eat the best takoyaki (fried octopus balls) today! Have a great one in the US of A!

PS from the last one

That post was just for you Grandma! I miss you and love you very much!!!

Rearranging!

Well well, what a day today. Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I really feel there isn't too much news on my end. Today I rearranged my apartment. It really feels bigger now. I created extra space by moving things around so I am definitely pleased with that. I now have a "kitchen," "dressing area," and "bed/living room!" So that is my exciting news for today!

I went to the John Lennon Museum a couple weeks back and it was amazing! I couldn't believe everything they had. It was a very surreal and sobering day at the museum. When the Feroz's get to Japan, that will be one of our first stops! It is definitely worth the visit. The exhibits were really cool. Lots of Beatles stuff and the museum told the whole life story of John Lennon, from birth to death. It was AMAZING!

Kumagaya school is getting ready to welcome a new FT (foreign teacher) very soon. He will join us in about a week. We are all very excited for him to get here, and very sad to see Greg leave. Tomorrow I will be buying my plane ticket for Hawaii! YAYAYAYAY!!! I CAN"T WAIT! That will be such an amazing trip.

All my love to those in the States!

Well, another boring week. Not much to report on really. Went to work, worked, sleep, go running, repeat. That is pretty much my schedule for right now. Although, mom, dad and Michael went down to see Hiroko, Jason and the kids. Thankfully, Mike took his laptop down and I got to see my whole family! Mom and dad are looking great! Michael .... Michael.... Michael....wow. I love you brother but man, looking a little like an old western bartender! That's all I can say right now. That was really nice. I couldn't believe how big Shaun has gotten. WOW! I have missed a lot. I am so happy he likes his train! I hoped he would like it because that is the train that I ride. I got him a toy train of the Shonan-Shinjuku. If I want to go to Tokyo, that's the train I take. I am also happy Alyssa likes her oragami. Hiroko already made her a crab, and I hope Alyssa takes a shot at it soon!

Besides that, I have been studying a lot of Japanese. I am trying to study an hour or more everyday. At my last lesson, I learned simple commands so that I can help mama-san when Hiroko and Jason plus the kids come over. I want to help do some translating for her! I hope I am up for the challenge.

All my love to the states!

Well, sorry I haven't written in a few days aka week! I have been busy. The end of my holiday was wonderful. Rika's house was so much fun! For dinner we made our own sushi! I have never done that and it was a lot of fun! It was quite interesting actually. I can't wait to do it back in America with my family! Rika's niece was so much fun. She is 6 years old, so kinda around Alyssa's age, so that was really nice. She really liked me and we studied Japanese together as well. She was a show off though and read really fast, while I read really slow. That made everyone laugh!

The rest of last week was work.....and by the way everyone, I extended for another 6 months from the end of my contract, therefore I am here until April next year!

I went to Kawagoe this past weekend. It was really interesting there. They had these really old buildings from the 1700s and 1800s built out of clay. It was really cool to see them. The ceilings were really low and I had fun exploring the city. Now I am going back to my regular work week. Lots of fun. Happy Birthday Alyssa! I know I talked to you on Sunday but I thought I would say it on here too! Have a great day in America everyone. The sun has set on the land of the rising sun for today.

Well the Golden Week vacation is a nice one this year. I'm laying low through most of it. I'm trying not to spend too much money. I want to save money for Hiroko and then Hawai'i. I believe I already told everyone about frisbee golf. So that leaves just a couple days to catch everyone up on. I went shopping on Friday for some birthday gifts. I will be mailing those out on Thursday or Friday, after the holidays that is. Yesterday and today I spent lackadaisical days. Mostly exercise and then movies. I will be watching some Marilyn Monroe movies. I already watched Some Like it Hot. I will watch The Seven Year Itch on Wednesday, after my return from Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture. I will be visiting one of the teachers I work with, Rika. I'm going to spend the night up there with her family. I'm nervous because no one in family speaks English except her. But, I have learned some Japanese especially for this, so hopefully that will help. Well, that's all for now, I will write more when I come back from Gunma!

End Of April

Well, the Golden Week vacation has finally started! Which basically translates to 8 days off for me! It started on Wednesday and I have had a full day today. Greg and I rode our bikes to this really nice park on the outskirts of Kumagaya. We played frisbee golf there. They call frisbees sports disks here. So it was kinda funny seeing the Flying Sports Disk Golf Area. They also made a big mistake with the word par...they said per. So we were at hole 1 per 3...I had a good laugh at that one. I am going to Tokyo tomorrow to go shopping for some birthday gifts for my favorite kids. That's about all for now. I hope everyone has a good day in the states. And a happy belated birthday to Jason!

Hello all! Things are going well on this side of the Pacific Pond. One more day to work and then it's my weekend! Unfortunately things are getting crazy here, with the school and all...so we will see what happens soon. I am at the moment coordinating a bungee jump, white water rafting, and canyoning vacation with some co-workers and students. I think it will be great to get out of the city for a day! As of yet, there is no bungee jumping schedule because the river we jump over is too high...but that is perfect for white water rafting! Right now the river is a grade 4, which means lots of tall waves!

My Japanese lessons are coming along great. I can now write about 20 different kanji and I am learning about 15 more over the next 2 weeks...it's a lot but it's beginning to get easier remembering them all!

Well, time for bed, and sweet dreams! Hope this finds everyone in good health!

Well today was so normal, it was blah. My classes all went well. I had lunch with Rika and that was nice. We are going to be the school leaders for the Self Study program for the spring. We just did the same job for winter as well. So it will be nice working together again. Today it rained all day. I couldn't believe it. But luckily I was inside all day so it didn't affect me except for my walk to and from work. Well that was my daily update. Take care in the States.

And here another day has passed. Today I had a lazy day. I did my normal workout this morning and then took in some movies. An Affair to Remember is now one of my favorite films! What a touching and great story. Rosemary's Baby is another great film I discovered. I made some hummus...which was kinda difficult without a blender or processor. I just mashed everything...but it took a long time to make! All in all, it was good, a nice little taste of home. Well, that was my day in a nutshell. Hope all is well.

Howdy

Sorry it's been a couple of days. All is well here. Mom AND Michael already told me it's been too long since I have posted a blog. It's like Mikey said, once I start writing everyday people expect it. So I am going to try and be good and keep this continually updated. Well work has been work. No new news there. Kept busy with my classes and did a couple of interviews this week. Today was an awesome day. Greg and I took a bike ride to the northern part of town to go to an international food store. The ride took about 50 minutes. It was beautiful! I even wore shorts! The weather here has been phenomenal! I love it. In the 70s during the day and high 50s at night. But anyways, my adventure at the international food store was great...I GOT SALSA!!! YAY! and it's TOSTITOS! I love it! And I also got tortilla chips! Yay! I haven't eaten those in months! I also found Snyder's Buttermilk Ranch pretzel bites! I also bought some beans and chili mix for....wait for it....CHILI! And my most favorite items today were the garbanzo beans (for humus) and nan bread mix! I love it! This store was amazing. I can't wait to go back, now that I know where it is. The only thing on my shopping list right now is flip-flops. I saw some but they had separators for all the toes! That was too weird! So I didn't buy them. I want my original only big toe and 2nd toe separator. Well, I am tired and in need of some sleep. Enjoy your day off mom! You deserve it!

Wow!

Well my day was normal...too normal. Taught my classes, ate lunch, and taught more classes. Nothing major there. But I did see a video for Britain's Got Talent that blew me away! If you haven't seen it yet, go to youtube.com and type in Susan Boyle. She is an amazing singer! It stunned me and gave me goosebumps. Definitely a must see. Trust me, you will be happy that you saw the video. It was shocking and brilliant.

My day today

My day today consisted of running, riding my bike, cleaning and then going to Em's going away party. It was a sad party but I am thinking of going to Australia before going back to the USA. Only for a vacation! And not that long! Maybe a week or two. I think it would be a good time to go because I am already on this side of the world...I might as well make the most of it. I know I have been keeping up with the blog so I will try to write at least 5 times a week!

Anyway, I rented Friends on DVD. It is fun to watch it with Japanese subtitles. It helps me with the kanji that I recognize. Have a good day everyone!

Well it was a very beautiful Easter Sunday in Japan. I ate some chocolate and watched an Easter documentary on Youtube, but that was about it for me in the actual celebrations...there aren't really any churches here in my area. I enjoyed the day at Odaiba and Shinjuku. It was sunny and warm and wonderful! So I had a great time! Not much else to share right now. Tomorrow is Em's going away party. She leaves on Thursday. I still can't believe it's been over a year since I have been here now. Many others are returning to their home countries as well, but I am on for a little longer. We will see what the cards hold for me soon. The pictures were taken in Odaiba, which has a mini statue of liberty! See how sunny it was!

Hello

Well today was a long day. My busiest day and it went by fast, until the last 15 minutes of it. Oh well. We had fun in all my classes. So that was a very good thing. I really do not have anything to comment on today. I didn't get out of work until 8 tonight, so that meant a lot of things to do. I got some movies so I am going to enjoy them. I watched The Passion of the Christ last weekend in celebration of Easter...and that was my holiday. I know Easter is tomorrow but I lose track of time here! Well, I am going to finish dinner and watch some movies. Have a good day all!

And here's another...

Well today was so normal, there is no point in talking about it. I worked all day, that's about it. We were busy with prospective students, so that was nice. All my classes were great! I will need to go to work early to prep for the day, but that's about it in the fun zone for me. I did get my Easter package from my mom and dad! That was really nice! I love all my chocolate! Especially the Reeses Peanut butter Eggs! THANK YOU! I love you both so much! And Dad you were right, the Obama speech book is a big seller here in Japan. Many people are using it to study English, because Obama speaks clearly and his speeches are perfect for every learner. He uses easy English as well as more advanced English so it is perfect for all learners! Many of my students have bought and they do ask me questions. It is always nice to have those questions. YAY OBAMA! It looks like many things are going right in America right now. Iowa and Vermont, welcome to the 21st century, hopefully the rest of the country will follow suit soon. Have a great day today!

Wow....5 Days in a Row

Wowzers! I wrote on my blog 5 days in a row! Take a look at that! Not much to report on today. Things are OK here. My classes went splendidly today. So nothing to report on there. We have a new Head Teacher at Kumagaya. She is very nice and I am very hopeful with her at Kumagaya. I think she will work out fine at the school. Tomorrow is going to be slightly busy for me. I have a Japanese lesson in the morning before work, then 5 classes plus 2 interviews...I'm going to be dog tired! Hope everything is good in the US of A. Oh by the way, the weather here is spectacular! over 70 degrees now! Gotta love it!

I heart Japan!

So Japan has an economic stimulus plan too! Even I am getting a small chunk of change to help stimulate the economy here! I am very happy! I just have to fill out some forms and what not and BAM I got da money! I'm looking forward to it. There was something else I was going to say.... hmm... what was it ....

Now I can't remember. Oh well. I'm sure I will remember it tomorrow. OH YEAH! Now I got it. So I finally got my pass for the AZ building, that's the building AEON Kumagaya is in. I needed to get it so I could get my bike pass. Since the police carted it off once, I wasn't going to let that happen again! So I got my pass, and low and behold, I have to attend a meeting for AZ employees. That is going to be scary. It will be in JAPANESE! With no interpreter! It will definitely be a unique moment here for me. I will let you know more on the meeting after it happens, which is not scheduled yet for me.

DVDs and CDs

Well today was a beautiful day here in Kumagaya. On my morning run, I had a splendid view of the Cherry Blossoms. It was wonderful. I lost track of time during my run...which rarely happens! Rika and I even ate lunch in the park today. There were so many food stalls and we ate yakisoba (fried noodles) and takoyaki (octopus in pastry balls) which was delicious! Then for desert I wanted a chocolate banana on a stick. So it was play rock paper scissors to win a free one too. So I played and I won! So Rika and I both got to eat chocolate covered bananas.

In Japan, DVD rental stores are the best! You only pay like a buck fifty to rent a movie, and then you get to keep it for a whole week! I love it! You can also rent CDs at the rental store. I am so obsessed with it now! I go there way to often, but it is worth it to hear my English movies! Plus I am gettin to hear lots of music now as well, Japanese as well as English! I hope that trend catches on in the States by the time I get back. Have a great day!

Hanami

Well today was a wonderful day of cherry blossoms. I met some friends in Funabashi and we had our own hanami party. Basically you just sit under the the cherry blossoms and talk. It was a wonderful time and the day was beautiful! The park we went to had a nice little river running through it with the cherry blossoms on the banks. It was a wonderful time spent by all! It felt so good that spring is here! Unfortunately for me that means summer is around the corner and the heat of Kumagaya will be all consuming! Gotta love being in the hottest city in Japan!

Top 10 Things I Have Done

Well, I figured a Top 10 list would be in order to celebrate my one year in Japan. So let's get started!

In at number 10 is Hanabi. Hanabi is a celebration of fireworks. There is nothing like watching fireworks in Japan. In America it's ok...but in Japan it's spectacular. Fireworks here last about 2 hours almost! It's just an amazing show. In Kumagaya they are launched over a river (the Arakawa River) and it's amazing to see the light from the fireworks reflected in the water. If you are in Japan between the end of July and the middle of August, find out where some fireworks are going off and go watch them!

Number 9 is Hong Kong! I know Hong Kong isn't technically Japan, but I went there since I have been living here. Hong Kong is a beautiful city. I love it there. Macao is another wonderful city. The Las Vegas of China! Spending 3 days in Hong Kong and Macao was a wonderful experience. I went with Ryuta and we had a lot of fun there. There is so much to see and too much to do in only 3 days! I hope I can go back there again soon!

At number 8 is the Uchiwa Festival! This festival is to celebrate traditional Japanese fans...I think. But to be honest, I'm not sure! No matter what, it was a wonderful time! Food is always best when eaten at a festival. Things on sticks just taste better! For the festival I wore a jimbe which is a traditional Japanese outfit. It is very comfortable and I will definitely be wearing it in the States when I return! A little breezy but wonderful to wear in the hot summer! Anyways, there are lots of floats with drums on them and they are played throughout the streets. It's an amazing site to see! So many people all out having a good time!

For number 7 is my visit to Yokohama. Yokohama has Japan's largest China Town. The place is really amazing and colorful. It's so beautiful. The Chinese food is really delicious too! One funny musing I have is that Chinese food tastes different in every country! In Hong Kong, which has traditional Chinese food it's good. Japan is a little different, but close to it. My favorite Chinese food is gyoza. America seems to have the .... well .... let's just say different version of Chinese food. It's not like Chinese food at all. Gettin back to Yokohama, it is so enchanting with all the Chinese architecture and clothing. It's a wonderful place to go. I even ate at a conveyor belt Chinese restaurant, like the sushi restaurants! It was wonderful!

Number 6 is my Welcome Party at AEON Kumagaya. I had a wonderful time with the students and staff. I can't believe we drank all night. But that's what they do best here in Japan. When you have a party and it goes past 11, you need to stay out all night because of the last train situation. SO, needless to say, we were out for 3 parties plus breakfast at a Denny's type of restaurant. We did everything that night. 2 izakaiyas, karaoke and breakfast! Talk about a party!

For number 5 I had to go with New Year's in Japan. It was especially nice for me because I was with mama-san, Hiroko's mom. She really is like a mother for me here in Japan. We sit around, and try to talk and usually do a good job of it. It's just a lot of dictionary looking or calling Hiroko to help! But we manage! She cooked me a wonderful New Year's dinner and it was very traditional. She even bought me 2 new suits because there are fantastic sales here on New Year's Day! It was very special bringing in the New Year with family, something different from America!

In at number 4 is my trip to Toyota. Really, this is tied with number 5, because it was in the same trip. I got to ride on the shinkansen, aka bullet train, to Nagoya. From Nagoya I went to Toyota on the train. It was great seeing Keisuke there. He and his family are doing well. Their house is AMAZING for Japan. It's so big! I love it! It had 2 huge floors! I haven't seen something like that for so long! I went all around Toyota and Nagoya. I got to Miso Katsu which is surprisingly sweet and delicious. I also got to eat eel. I love eel. It's so tender and I had it 3 ways. The first is eel with rice, then eel with rice and a sauce of some sorts, and finally you have it with a little water added to the eel and rice. The bullet train is what edged this to number 4! It is really quite an experience!

For number 3 I chose seeing Brandon. This was truly special for me! I grew up with Brandon because he is my brother's best friend. So he really feels like a brother to me. Brandon was spending a semester at sea and they came to Japan. He stayed in a hostel with some of his friends. I took them all around Harajuku and Shinjuku aka Tokyo to everyone in the States. We had a great time. They got to see a temple and an illumination. They also got to eat Mexican in Japan as well as have a more traditional Japanese meal. I was surprised! Brandon ate the raw octopus (tako). I was very proud of him. We even did Karaoke too!

My number 2 is Hanami, or the Cherry Blossom Viewing. Really, the idea gets old after a while. Sitting under cherry blossom trees watching the petals fall. But it is a lot of fun! Last year the sight was amazing to see. Really all you do for a viewing party is drink and eat and not even look at the blossoms! I love it! Last year was special because it was my first one! Tomorrow is my next one!

Finally number 1....MINAKAMI!!! Minakami is the city where I went bungee jumping, white water rafting, and canyoning. These were the best experiences I have ever done in my life! Canyoning is fun because you just jump off rocks or slide down waterfalls into the water. One of the best things I have ever done. White water rafting was ok...but it was only a grade 2, I am gonna go back when it is a grade 4! That means higher waves and a little more adventure! Bungee Jumping was the single best experience I have lived through! You feel so free and connected to everything. The excitement can't be matched...even thinking about it again makes my heart begin to pound! I loved it! I am planning to do this one more time before I come back to America!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my top 10 of Japan. In the next year there will be even more things to put in that list! Have a good one in the States!

One year today

Well, today, April 4th, marked my one year anniversary in Japan. I can't believe it's been one year already. Things are fine here. Work was very fun this week and no new news to report on. I am feeling a little under-the-weather today, so I am going to bed early. I will post a longer post tomorrow. Have a great day in the States.

One more day...

Well I have been working for 7 days straight right now, and tomorrow marks my 8th day and then I can rest! I'm looking forward to my Sunday and I am planning on baking! That's right, I finally have gotten a microwave/oven. They are very popular here in Japan since space is a hot commodity. One of my friends is moving to Osaka and her and her husband don't want to take it with them. So they offered it to me. AND I TOOK IT!!! I am going to bake some cookies and muffins and pies and have pork chops for dinner! OH I CAN'T WAIT!!!! If you have any suggestions for what I should bake, let me know! Have fun in the USA! Time for bed here.

Wow...almost a full year!

Sorry it's been so long. I have been tremendously busy! Work is keeping me tied down. Plus, now that it is spring, I am getting outside a lot more often. I am going to be working everyday for the next week (Sat-Sat) straight. YAY! I am so excited....i wish you could hear the sarcasm. Speaking of sarcasm, that was about the hardest unit I have ever taught to my advanced students. I never thought about it, and I had to explain it to them. All in all, it went alright. Most of the students got it by the end of the class.

Today was a beautiful day! I went to The National Museum of Art where they have a Louvre Exhibit. Basically they are copying the Louvre in Paris. It was supposed to rain all day today so I decided to go to the museum with some friends. Afterwards, we went to the zoo because it was such a BEAUTIFUL day! It only rained a little bit this morning and gorgeous the rest of the day. I just made some fruit salad to take to work with me for the next few days...Well, I am gonna hit the sheets, dog tired today.

Not much...again

Well, not much to report here. Our school is getting a new Head Teacher and Manager as well. Things should be gettin pretty interesting around Kumagaya I think. There is a really good Indian restaurant here in Kumagaya and they were closed for a while but they have reopened. They completely redecorated the inside and its really nice now. I love the nan and curry there! OOH! I did learn something about my blanket. There are little ties on the inside of the cover that I can tie to my blanket! YAY! After 11 months I figured it out! Well, I will try to write more tomorrow! Love to all in the states!

Snow!

Well, what a surprise this morning! When I left my apartment low and behold there was snow on every building's roof! It was the first time this winter I saw snow! To be honest, I was kinda hoping to not see it at all. But oh well, this will probably be the only time I will see snow all year. Not much has happened this week. I did find a KFC restaurant in Kumagaya! I was shocked! I didn't know we had one. The chicken is better in the states...and they didn't have biscuits! Thats all I really wanted! It was the first time I have eaten there since I have moved here. I prefer to eat Japanese food instead of fast food on a normal basis. Well, I am tired...and in need of sleep! Hope all is well!

mmm...MEATLOAF!!

So, this might sound weird to everyone in the United States. But, I went to a meatloaf party yesterday! It was so good! I haven't eaten meatloaf in about 11 months. Everything in Japan is a party, i.e. wedding party, drinking party, nabe party....everything has party at the end of it. This basically just means a gathering. We would even say dinner party, but in Japan we are more specific. Anyways, back to the meatloaf. We had a holiday on Wed, therefore a day off work! YAY! So just us teachers got together and the other foreign teacher and I decided we wanted meatloaf. The meatloaf was delicious. It was kinda funny because we couldn't find an actual loaf pan for the meatloaf, so we made it in a basically 8x8 pan. I will say I miss my own meatloaf. I love cooking it...with all the bacon! Anyways, it was a lot of fun, and we played a few card games afterward. That's pretty much the most exciting news in my life, at the moment right now. I can't wait to eat actual meatloaf in the states!

Here we go...

Well, I finally tried shabu-shabu. It is basically boiled sliced meat. At first I was appalled at the thought of it. But in actuality, it is really delicious. I tried pork and chicken boiled that way. Everything was delicious. I also had a meeting today in Shinjuku at the head office. That is about an hour away for me, so yay(!) i had to wake up early. The meeting was an interview workshop, which was supposed to be for new teachers. I have been working here for 10 months and now I have my interview training? Odd....just odd timing. I will say what a nice surprise it was for me to go onto the Derrick today and see my grandma's picture! I hope the cookies were great! Time for bed yall!

My Bike!

Hello all! I can't remember if I had mentioned it, but my bike was taken last week. I wasn't sure if it had been stolen, or if the police had taken it. The police usually ticket bikes, but mine had never been ticketed so I thought my bike was good. Then one day, I saw a policeman writing out tickets, and I thought to myself, my bike is safe, I have never had a ticket. So I parked my bike and went into the train station. After work, I came outside and saw my bike was missing. I checked all the bikes there. My name is written on my bike, so therefore it's easy to spot my bike. But low and behold, the bike was gone! I told my headteacher at the school and finally we both had some free time to go to the koban (a police box by the station). They looked up the numbers for my bike and there it was. Unfortunately, I have to walk quite a distant in order to get it, but it will be an easy ride back to my house. Those are my Sunday plans...it should be interesting. Well, tomorrow is Saturday and that means it is my busy day. I have to get ready for bed. Have a great day and I will have a good night!

Glasses and an eruption

So during the Super Bowl, there was a volcano eruption northwest of Tokyo. Near my city actually. Nothing to worry about though, supposedly there was a little ash but nothing major. We were told to be on alert in case of another explosion. I also got new glasses on Monday after the Super Bowl. It's weird to see the world again through glasses instead of my contacts. I think I look a little "smarter." I will try to get a picture of me in my glasses soon. And they were cheap! Japan's glasses are cheap! I can't believe it! Having the eye exam in Japanese was funny though...and an experience. Hope all is well in the States. Time for work!

Black and Gold

Hello all! What an exciting week! The Steelers made NFL history, 6 Super Bowl wins! And I got to watch the game too! So, I had to wake up at 5 a.m. this morning to catch the train at 6:15a.m. I went to the first bar in Roppongi at about 8a.m. and they were full, so I had to take the subway 2 stations and go to another bar to watch it. Finally I made it there, and I think there were only 10 Steeler fans there, and about 30 Cards fans. It was wonderful watching the game! I felt so at home! I just wish I could have been there to watch it with the Feroz's. All the Polish food would have been great, but eggs and toast were dandy too! I hope all is well, I am really tired today because of it. I need to get some sleep.

Hong Kong

Well, I have had quite a busy week or so. I went to Hong Kong last weekend. Before I left I got a cold, so I was a little miserable right before the trip. It was very nice though. I made it through my cold and beat it! I flew to Hong Kong business class! That was so nice to have someone call me "Mr. Feroz." Free champagne once I boarded the plane, and such a nice meal! I couldn't believe it. Well, once we got to Hong Kong, we walked around Kowloon for a while then took the ferry to Hong Kong Island. It was very nice, there are so many tall buildings in Hong Kong! It was such a trip! The buildings were all lit up and it was such an amazing view. I was in shock. The next day we went to Macao, and I won HK$1,000. That amounts to about US$100. All in all, it was a nice winning. I won it at the biggest casino in the world, The Venetian Hong Kong. We walked around Macao for a while. It was a very beautiful city. We could see the Portuguese influence in a lot of the architecture. All the signs had Chinese and Portuguese on them. It was very neato. That night we went back to Hong Kong Island, and went to the peak and got to see an amazing view of Hong Kong at night. I mean, you are like on the very top of a cliff and you can see so much! It was tremendous! The food was really good everywhere. It was really cool eating all the Chinese food. The servers served us the entire meal, it was very nice. On Tuesday we came back to Tokyo, so it was mostly spent at the airport. Unfortunately on my trip I had a scratch on my eye and got some dust trapped there and now I have an eye infection. So I am not allowed to wear my contacts in my left eye and have to put two different drops in my eye four times a day. I also have to wear an eye patch for a week on my left eye. It is crazy with the students, they are all asking me what happened. But it is ok...it is a conversation starter. Well, I am tired and have to go to bed. Hope all is well! YAY for Obama's inauguration!

PS

Thank you mom!!! The Christmas Stolen tastes great! It is a real nice taste of home!

Happy New Year!

Well, it is 2009 now, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Sorry I have been scarce, but I have been super busy since the Winter Holiday. I took the shinkansen (aka bullet train) to Nagoya and visited Keisuke and his family for a few days. It was a lot of fun! I love riding the shinkansen, but it is so expensive. My first night there I got to eat miso-katsu. It is a dish which is a fried pork cutlet with a dark miso sauce covering it. It was sweet and delicious. The next day I went to a kimono store and got to see many kimonos in different states of being finished. Keisuke's mom and I then picked up his father at the airport. I got to eat eel while I was there and it was delicious too...or oishi! On Tuesday I went to see a castle in Okizawa...I think...and it was incredible. I love traditional Japanese architecture. That was pretty much the big thing that day. I ate at the restaurant Keisuke works at that night with his family. It was wonderful. It is an Okinawa style restaurant. The food was divine. On Wednesday Keisuke and I went to eat with his friend and then went down to Nagoya. Unfortunately that was the day I had to leave. That night I went to Hiroko's mom's apartment. We had a wonderful New Year's Eve Night. We ate a lot of food! I couldn't believe how much there was! I thought everyone was going to bed, so I went upstairs and found out the next day mama-san stayed up for a little bit. Oh well! We had breakfast on New Year's Day of fish and assorted seafoods. It was wonderful. After breakfast, mama-san bought me two new suits! They are Japanese looking suits, so I blend in better now...not that there is much difference! She spoils me so much! But in Japan on New Year's Day, there are a ton of sales...so luckily she spent only the amount of one suit. We spent a few days together and then I finally made it home! Work started right away for me...and I have been busy all week. I can't believe I am still awake right now. Yesterday I got my re-entry permit before I went to work. My friend Chihiro went with me to help. We finished very quickly. I need the permit because I am going to Hong Kong in a week and a half. I am going to go for now. I will write more soon, I promise!