Stupid gaijin moment #1 (of many I'm sure)

For those of you who don't know, gaijin means foreign person. The polite term is gaikokujin (foreign country person), and gaijin is kind of rude if a Japanese person calls us one, but many of us refer to ourselves this way. Since I am so lacking in Japanese ability, and don't understand how things work here most of the time, I am prone to doing stupid things occasionally that make me look like a stupid gaijin. Last night for example, I was on my way home from my school in Ise, and I managed to find the train station on foot, and change trains when I needed to, so I thought everything was going fine and I'd soon be home. Little did I know that at Oka Station, the tiny train station closest to my house, you have to go to the very front of the first car in order to get off. So, here I am, trying to figure out why the door isn't opening, while people are getting on through a door in the next car, and then I realize it's not going to open, and I turn to a nearby girl and cry "Sumimasen, how do I get off?". She helped me get into the next car, and tried to open the door that had just closed, but it was too late and the train began to move. Now the thing is, where I live is very country, so if I were to stay on the train and get off at the next stop, it's too far to walk, and I'd probably have to wait about 2 hours or so for the next train. Cut to me running up the aisle yelling "Sumimasen (excuse me)" over and over to the conductor, who stopped the train (we had only moved like a foot or two), looked at me like I was a madwoman, and when I said I wanted to get off, he began explaining (in Japanese that I couldn't understand for the most part) that I should have gotten off while we were stopped (obviously). Anyway, he let me off after he scolded me for a minute, and I got off, feeling like the biggest tool. At least now I know what to do at that station:)

I hate trains!

So, I was super stoked about the fireworks down in Kumano last night, and I ran to catch the train after work yesterday. While I was waiting, thunder and lightening began, and as soon as I got on the train it started pouring. Kumano is like 3 hours further south, so I figured it could still be nice there and wasn't to worried. Until the train arrived at Misedani Station, where Chito and Ryan got on, and they announced that the train was delayed due to the storm. They kept saying to wait just a little longer while they checked the train and the tracks, but about an hour later we got fed up and went to a ramen shop, giving up on the train. After the boys ate (I ate earlier) we headed back to the station to see if the train was by some chance, still there, and it was!! We decided to get back on, even though we were almost guaranteed to have missed the whole fireworks by the time we finally arrived, and after having been delayed 1 hour and 55 minutes, we were off. When we got off the train 2 hours later, we actually did see a couple fireworks from the station, and when we met up with everyone on the beach they announced that there was one last session. So we did end up seeing about 10 minutes worth of fireworks, and they were still by far the best I've ever seen. They lit up the sky in spirals and showers of light, and there were ones shaped like cats, faces, hearts and mickey mouse. Unfortunately I was too mesmerized to snap any photos, so the one you're seeing here is just a little one I saw after leaving the station. We stayed over in Kumano, and woke up at 6, a whole group of us stumbling, half asleep, to the train station to catch early trains home. Now I'm at work, and feeling like I might crash pretty soon, since I only slept for maybe an hour and sort of dozed (uncomfortably) on the train. Next time I'll bring a pillow.

See, already I'm getting lazy with the posts and school's not even in yet. I went to Tsu last Wednesday night and stayed till Friday at Debbie's house for orientation, which was ok, but the party on Thursday night was lots of fun. Expensive though. We had to pay about$30 for all you can eat and one drink, but there wasn't nearly enough food for us, and what was there was pretty disappointing. Add that to all the chocolate martinis I drank, and well it was a pricy night, tbut alot of fun too.

On Saturday I went to see Miyazaki's new movie, which was all in Japanese, no subtitles, and apparently terrible, according to Chito, who speaks Japanese, although I didn't understand enough to form much of an opinion. I also bought a new microwave/ toaster/ oven combo so now I can bake!! I might make cookies as omiyage for my other two schools if I can find time.
Afterwards, we went to Matsu to play tennis, and even though it was raining, it was the most fun I've ever had playing a sport I think. It seems like it might be a regular thing, so I might even buy my own raquet. Speaking of sports, I also joined the Mie JETs womens soccer team, because it isn't very competetive, and sounds like alot of fun. We get to go to Nagano at the end of September for a tournament.

On Sunday, we went swimming in the river at this beautiful spot with rocks to jump off into the really deep water. I'll definitely be going back there often. Just need a car, or people to bum rides off of. I finally got paid yesterday, so we went for payday drinks in Matsu last night, and ate lots of yummy food in a little izakaya near the station. Apparently the last train to my town leaves Matsu at 10:30, so that's late enough for weeknights.

Finally, tonight I am off to Kumano, about 3 hours away by train, to see what are supposed to be the best fireworks in Mie. Anything can beat what I'm used to; 10 minutes of disappointment. These are supposed to go for 2 hours and be amazing, so hopefully the trip will be worth it. I'm staying over and taking the early train back in the morning, so I'm only taking 2 hours vacation.
Anyways, I gotta go catch the train!!

Shopping spree in Nagoya!!

Well, I did alot this weekend, so this may be a long post, but since it''s almost the end of the work day here and I'm falling asleep at my desk I need something to do. Let's see, on Friday we all met up in Matsusaka for curry dinner and then drinks at my new favourite bar, Hunky Dory's. It's like a really laid back jazz bar, and they serve Guiness. Can't go wrong with that! And it's within stumbling distance from Doug's house, and therefore very popular among the Matsusaka JETs. We didn't drink much and went home early because we were all tired from a long week of work (and by work I mean doing nothing all day of course), and were prepared to get up early for the long haul to the beach in Shima.

On Saturday I caught a ride with Brian to Shima, and I had a fantastic time at the beach party. We cracked open the beers as soon as we got there, and I quickly discovered the joy of swimming in the ocean with a can of beer (and later a bottle of wine) in hand. The water here is so much warmer than at home, I really spent most of the day in the water. We basically just sat around and chatted, ate and drank, and I made some new friends, including a few other wine drinkers and I believe a wine party is in the making. We all got tired of sitting in the sun by around 5 and drove back to Matsusaka for dinner at an izakaya (japanese bar). I love eating at these because basically everyone orderss a bunch of small dishes and shares, which is a great way to try new things whe you can't read the menu and don't know what to order. Then the bill gets split evenly. No fuss. Around 11pm we drove up to Tsu, about 30 minutes away for a party at another JET, Debbie's, place, where we were greeted with blender drinks:)

On Sunday, I went to a local festival with Brian and his supervisor, and we watched people dancing with dragon heads (it has a name, really, I just forget what it is). We also got to catch goldfish, which I was terrible at ( I caught one very tiny one and another one that jumped out of my bucket!) We ended up giving them all back anyways because they were dying in the plastic bags they gave us. We played a couple more games and I tried Takoyaki (little fried balls of octopus and batter), which were delicious!!

Since I had Monday and Tuesday off, I decided to go shopping in Nagoya on my own. I went early Monday morning and took the Rapid Mie train to Nagoya and the the subway to Sakae, a really nice shoping district. This is definitely the place to go if you're into shopping for designer clothes! Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, there's even a Tiffany's! Fortunately I also found some cheaper shops and managed to buy quite a bit. I even shoped at the GAP which I always avoid at home. My new favourite store though is Zara, which I think we have in Canada, but not Halifax. Kind of like a slightly more expensive Jacob, but with good sales too. They had some really nice winter coats, so I'll definitely be going back before it gets cold. I also found a bookstore that sells english books (I bought 3!) and a Starbucks. It took me awhile to find it, but was I ever glad when I did! I bought espresso beans to use with my new espresso machine, and the barrista spoke really good english so I asked her for recommendations on places to go in Sakae. Already I get excited when I come across someone who speaks English, especially after having to point at pictures in McDonald's to order the egg mcmuffin meal (that's right, mickey d's for breakfast).

Somehow I didn't get lost, even without a map or asking for directions, but I did almost fall flat on my face at one point as I was walking along the sidewalk and suddenly got distracted by one of those underground car parks where machines lift the cars and put them away. I tripped over my own feet, and although I didn't actually fall, I did give a Japanese man on a bike a bit of a fright I think.
There were also two occasions in Nagoya when I realized how foreign I actually am. The first was in a shoe store where I found some shoes that looked like they might fit me and was about to ask for a size when I realized the section I was in was the Queen Sized section, and I got embarrassed and left. The second was after I ordered my Venti Caffe Latte, and while I'm used to walking around with a coffee in Halifax, I have heard that it's rude to drink while you're walking here. However I could only sit in Starbucks for so long, and eventually left with half of my drink remaining. I figured I could sit down once in awhile and take a sip, but I think the very act of carrying a cup of coffee was enough to get me many strange looks. It seems strange to me that walking and drinking can be frowned upon in a place where there are vending machines everywhere on the side of the road!

In the early afternoon I took the train back to Matsusaka to meet Doug. A teacher that he had taught with in the past had invited him over to her place in the mountains to drink and sleep over, and feeling awkward about such an unusual request, Doug invited Ryan, Chito and I along. We went to this teacher's house for dinner and then went to a local festival where I met some teachers and a student from my high school in Taki,and learned the Bon Odori dance, a traditional dance done at festivals at this time of year. Then we went back to the teacher's house (I forget her name) where she invited us to take baths. In Japan, you wash thoroughly outside the bath and then soak in the tub. The bath water is shared. I'm not sure if it's common to be offered a bath in this situation, but in order to prepare myself for onsens and public baths, I figured I may as well. All in all, the night wasn't as weird as Doug warned us it might be. I think he was worried that she was going to get wasted and talk too much, but it was ok. We woke up early and tried to sneak out before she woke up, but her mother caught us and woke her up.

Yesterday wasn't nearly as exciting as the rest of the weekend. I mostly just biked around town, bought groceries, and cooked my first meal. Now I'm back at work, although only for one day. Tonight I'm off to Tsu to stay with Debbie for orientation. Two days of learning how to teach and get by in Japan, complete with an all-you-can-eat (and drink?) party tomorrow night. So many parties, I love it!!

Four day weekend!!

Usually I'm not so good at keeping a journal, but my days at school are so long and I have nothing really to fill them with yet, so here I am, wrtiting every day. I'm sure I'll fizzle out once school starts.

Dinner at Dr Azuma's house was pretty nice. His wife is a fantastic cook, and I learned that she's a red wine drinker as well, so if I get invited back, I know what to bring! They also have a daughter about my age, and a golden retriever that made miss Molly back at home.

Monday and Tuesday of next week are a holiday, the Bon festival, so I have a long weekend because there won't be any teachers at school. I don't have a clue yet what I'll do with these extra days, but I might see if I can tag along to the river for a swim and/or do a little exploring in nearby towns. We'll see.

Tonight we're going for yakiniku (korean bbq) in Matsusaka, and tomorrow is the beach party, so it will be at least a good start to the weekend.

Survived the trains!!

Yesterday I went to my school in Ise, and although I was scared to death of taking the train by myself, I actually didn't get lost! Now I know how to pay, and transfer between lines, and I even learned how to take the bus. I'd say I'm now confident enough to escape from my lonely little town anytime I please. As for the school I visited yesterday... it's a school for part time students, and apparently the english level there is, well, I think the teachers there called it "the lowest in Japan". In fact, one of the teachers admitted to having very poor english, and barely said two words the whole time I was there. So, I'm a little worried about this school. I have to make super easy lessons and make them as fun as possible b/c the students hate english. Well, at least they have a stack of dvds I can pick scenes from to study, including Back to the Future 1,2 & 3!!!

Last night my friend Chito, who REALLY lives in the middle of nowhere, hosted a BBQ welcome party for the JET that arrived in Matsusaka yesterday, only he couldn't come. So, I guess it was more a party in honour of this new guy that no one's met yet. Whatever it was, it was fun. We BBQ'd and drank wine (or at least Chito and I did), and lit fireworks!! (Aww, the fun that can be had for $3.)
Tonight I'm off to Dr. Azuma's house for dinner with his family. I met him last week, and his English is excellent, so it should be a good time. It'll be my first homemade Japanese dinner, and I can't wait! As long as they don't try to feed me Natto (fermented a.k.a rotten bean curd). Ewww. Or whale.

Wimpiest typhoon ever!!

Or, more accurately, it changed course and missed us completely. I was really starting to get scared last night when the sky turned yellow and the clouds looked so ominous, but apparently I needn't have worried. So today I am off to my second school, Ise Manabi High School in Ise, although I'm not sure when. It'll be my first time on the train by myself, so hopefully I won't get lost. Wish me luck!!

Week 1 in Taki-cho!

So, here I am in Japan, after about a year of planning for it. Tokyo orientation was a blast, besides all the boring, mandatory meetings, we did alot of partying and wandering around Shinjuku. Then, last Wednesday all of us JETs bound for Mie-ken boarded the Shinkansen(bullet train), which wasn't as impressive as I thought it'd be. We were ushered onto a new train in Nagoya, and one by one got off at stops where there were excited Japanese people holding signs bearing Western names. I was among the lucky(?) group of prefectural ALTs that got off in Tsu and walked to the Board of Education (BOE) where our supervisors were waiting to drive us to our new homes. I introduced myself to the 3 teachers who were there to retrieve me, and promptly forgot their names (just now starting to be able to remember Japanese names). They took me to school to meet the kouchou-sensei (principal), and finally to my apartment. After showing me where everything was, they left me to my own devices for all of half an hour before coming back to pick me up for dinner, where I amazed everyone with my chopstick skill and ability to eat sashimi. They also thought it was funny (in an amazing sort of way, I think) that I could speak a little Japanese, and one teacher in particular almost fell over laughing when I said Hajimemashite (nice to meet you) to him.
Due to all the partying in Tokyo, I crashed my first night in Taki-cho at about 8pm and slept until the excruciating heat woke me up at 6am. Taki-cho looks like a tropical resort, with all the lush greenery, but it feels like one too, without the luxury of swimming all day. The heat, combined with the conservativeness of everyone here, may actually drive me mad before the summer is over. I'm used to wearing tanktops when it gets hot in Canada, but I definitely can't wear those at work, and even walking around town, I feel naked compared to everyone else.
So far, work has mostly consisted of Tamai-sensei (my supervisor) taking me shopping for food and things for the apartment, registering as an alien (that word really makes me feel foreign), getting a cell phone, etc, and showing me around. He and the other teachers have also been treating me to lunch everyday, which must be getting expensive, but I've given up trying to pay.
My first weekend here was alot of fun, and a relief from being super polite all the time, because I went to Matsusaka (the nearest city) to eat and drink with other JETs. We ended up drinking at the site of an old castle that is now in ruins. Then, on Saturday, I went with Brian (the other JET in Taki-cho) and his supervisor to Miyagawa (Miya river) for a children's festival where we went swimming in the river, catching fish and eels that they released, which they then BBQ'd for us, and hitting watermelon blindfolded (like a pinata). After that we went to a school festival and ate curry prepared by the cooking students at my school, watched a Taiko drum performance and dance performance, and saw some fireworks. I'm planning on joining both the Taiko team and the dance team if they'll let me.
Now I'm back at school, and they are forecasting a typhoon for tonight, but I don't think it'll be too bad. They measure wind in m/s here, so I converted what they said on the news, and it'll probably only be around 110km/h, which isn't too terrible, right? I was supposed to go to one of my other schools (I have 3 now!) in Ise-shi tomorrow morning, but my appointment has been changed to the afternoon b/c of the storm. Well, at least I'll have my first typhoon under my belt early.
I guess I've written enough for now, I'll write again tomorrow if I get a chance and tell y'all about my first storm here in the inaka.
Love