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.