He Lives (Routinely)

     2 weeks isn't too bad.  Brother Dave, this blog will not fall victim to utter neglect like my London experience - I'll show you!

     The past couple of weeks have just been settling into the schedule - personal and professional.  Each class feels smoother than the last.  I only work 6 hour shifts, but never get more than a 15 minute break between kids classes, or 10 minutes between adult classes, so sort of fried on days with three kids classes.  Repetitive repetition results really rock your mind sometimes.  "What's this?  A sweater!  Everybody - - - Sweater!  Put on your sweater!  Everybody!  Put on your sweater!"

     But the turning off the adult filter and playing with kids - getting them to yell, whisper, laugh and act out english, is just too much fun.  Having conversations with adults about their garden at home, or old friend that gave them a Coltrane picture from his one visit to play in Japan before his death is pretty awesome.  Playing, sharing culture, stories, history, and laughs is what I'm getting paid to do.

     That being said, interacting with a native speaker is a rarity - even at work with all three of us gaijins there, with the class inundation there's little time to chat.  I was on a run the other day - 16 degrees out, beautiful - and saw a girl running on the other side - OMG, another Westerner!  Did she see me?  Why is she here?  Should we hang out?  These questions flash through my mind before I even realize it.  At the train station, I walked past another middle-aged foreign guy I recalled seeing at that Australian bar from a few weeks ago - The Drunken Duck - one of the other two gaijin's there.  Before I even realized it, I was saying hello to him, and he responded.  We've never met.  I don't mean to blow things out of proportion, but these almost instinctual reactions are curious, and I wanted to share them.

     The personal schedule fluctuates, though.  Constants involve a rice ball and lunch-smoothie on the way to work, along with a can of coffee (big deal here) to guzzle between kids classes, and some black tea with milk in a bottle.  I'm lovin' it.  Another constant is my cheap dry cleaning for dress shirts ($5.50 for 7 shirts is worth not buying an ironing board and investing time), or the interesting crunchy snack foods I get.  "What are you eating?"  Cait will ask on Skype.  "I don't know, but it's pretty good...tastes like spicy ramen noodles."  Fun!

     Here are some pics from my routine...

     The sleep schedule is something to work on, along with communication schedule, exploring schedule, studying Japanese schedule, cleaning schedule, cooking schedule.  It's quite the bachelor pad at the moment!  Yen coins lying around flat surfaces, clean and dirty laundry strewn on my futon/couch and desk chair (no desk yet), english lesson books open to the latest lesson, a copy of 1001 Nights and the Tao Te Ching, junk mail in Japanese that I scan to read hirigana (I can make the sounds, but don't know what most of it means), and dry cleaning plastic covers and hangars stashed in this corner and that one...I get credit for returning them!  I'd take a picture, but...heh, yea.  :-P

     Here's a picture of my current room situation (that's a bean bag behind my bag on the left), though multiply shit amount by 5:

  

          On the windowsill is my thriving flower/houseplant.  I dont know what it is, but I water it almost every day and it grows really really fast - and "makes the house a home."  I need more, though.

  
     There are too many pics of random treats to count (thanks to Brother Jon, for engaging in said practice) - blog entry idea - but here's one for now.  Two pancakes sandwiching some sweet bean curd.  Mmmm!  It was!

  
     Photo album coming soon.  Along with more entries, more sleep locations, and a "who-dunnit" mystery drama!  Here's two shots of my last visit to Tokyo a week and a half ago - Imperial palace and the Diet building.  Miss you, and America to a degree, I'm surprised to say.  I called Rochester to have some floral arrangements sent to Cait the other day (not on V-day, thank you very much!).  I honestly had some reverse culture shock from Japan after the way I was treated on the phone.  I don't think I would have been as critical without my Japan experience thus far, but customer service and professionalism is so intrinsic here that it was...well, shocking!  Put on hold, asked to call back on a landline, a simple, "oh, ok" with a "I live in Japan" explanation...just rude.  Rude is a rarity here, and it will be a hard thing to leave come 2012.

     Ok, Imperial Palace, trees outside it being pruned to perfection, and the Diet building.  Until next time, kids!

This is just a gate...its something though.  Not sure what the deal is, but the stuff inside that's fortified sits on a massive complex.  I'm sure it rocks.  I taught "hang out" as a casual phrase today in one of my classes.

Dudes were in the zone working on these with ladders, with finger sized clippings strewn about...like large bonsai?  Gardens tend to be pristine here, let alone verdant arrangements in general.  Plum blossoms are blooming in the park in Mito - pics next week!

East meets west design - 1936.

    

Super good, Super bad!

     We've been getting a bit of snow here.  Wet, heavy snow that usually doesn't stick or melts by noon.  Last week on a day off I trekked through a heavy fall to the Mito International Center, only to find it closed for the public holiday; ¥500 for Japanese lessons plus an opportunity to meet other folks here.  With Mark - the teacher I've replaced - heading back to Australia, I'll only know two other native-english speakers that live in the area.  Woot!

     On this snowy day off I also went to Uchihara, one stop from Akatsuka where I'm located.  Take a look at the area on the map...what's there?!  Nothing; this dated map image lacks one thing: just to the NE of the station, there's a gargantuan, three-storie mall.  It's a 10 or 15 minute walk to get there.  I noticed immediately the general lack of care to houses and smaller restaurants/shops on the way - junk piled in front, dead/dying or no plants/bushes, rusting old cars used for storing more junk... the station was smaller than the one at Oarai and was all outdoors.

     This stark difference from the places I've seen - clean, well kept, aesthetically pleasing - gave me a pang of guilt as I fell in line with others from the train, marching like ants towards this local aberration of capitalism.

     Inside, it was just a big mall.  It felt like I was in the city again, navigating through throngs of people.  Shops were geared up for "St. Valentines Day;" not a couple's holiday here (that's Christmas, of course), but a day where women give men chocolate - coworkers, friends, family.  On March 14th - White Day - men return the favor, but with something more expensive than what they received.

     I just window shopped, with most store names being in English, always being greeted by staff directly, despite the crowds.  I wandered through the arcade, sad I couldn't try out a 3-D shooter game since they were all taken.  Surprisingly, it was a little bit much at one point...people stealing blatant looks, clerks giggling at my Japanese attempts, being surrounded by thousands yet quite unable to communicate.

     To cope, I listened to pop music at Tower Records, trying out random artists, whether I could read the name or not.  Yamashita Tomohisa's new release, Supergood, Superbad! was pretty groovy stuff - funk fusion, rock, jazz, techno, pop...it had it all, and in Japanese!  Click the link above to listen to the album then skip to 3:30 to hear a great track.

Then I grabbed a brew and sweet potato muffin at Starbucks, sat, and relaxed in a familiar environment...¥390 for a grande coffee alone.  Convert it.  Its atrocious.

     Just this past Sunday I taught my first three kids classes.  Age of kids, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.  I was quite nervous, but it went well overall.  T'was a blur really, three 1-hour classes in a row with 15 minutes between.  I had prepared previously, so it was a matter of maintaining the energy - plus toning it down for the older kids, who are already too cool.  Some students gave me chocolate, yay!  One of my adult students gave me a set of travel chopsticks; I returned the favor by giving him a "I<3NY" magnet I brought...but of course, NYS being a marketing skank, you can get NY souvenir crap here already.  Thanks, NY, for ruining my gift.

     Mark, Eric and I went to Karaoke here too.  It was this small place...maybe 3 times the size of my apartment, with a few tables, a bar,  and two TV's.  You pay for an hour - all you can drink, all you can sing.  Female servers sit at your table to socialize and constantly refill your drink - Shochu mixed with water, served on the rocks - its clear and refreshing, with a mild, earthy taste when diluted, but it catches up quick, cuz it ain't water!

     Anyway, we sang, along with this older gentleman, singing Japanese love songs - he had a pretty good voice, as did Mark!  "Raishuu, Raishuu!" we said on the wait out - next week!  Eric and I tried to keep up.  I went with Green Day's Basket Case and Oasis's Wonderwall.  Here's a kicker; along with sitting and singing with your female servers, after each song the singer gets a 100 pt. rating - based on singing in tempo, maybe.  The better you do, the more of a photograph is revealed - the photo being a nude shot of a female Japanese model.  Everyone goes along with it, but when Mai ("My") sang a song, I said they should have male pictures for girls...Mark translated, we laughed, but oh well!  Its an interesting dynamic, to say the least.  Fun time singing though.

     I take pictures of everything I eat here...which - again - must be posted.  Here's a taste though.  I've been trying plenty of candy - green-tea chocolate shaped like mushrooms, banana chocolate malt balls, but especially Kit-Kats!!  Here's the most exotic flavor of Kit-Kat that I've found yet - I thought it was Cheesecake, but this won.  Guess what it is!!

     Sweet Potato!!  Mmmm-boy!  It's a popular dessert flavor/ingredient here.

     I've also been cooking a bit, now that I'm settled.  I've made noodles a bunch, then throw in veggies, meat, or mushrooms.  There's at least 10 varieties at the supermarket - mystery mushrooms #1 are below.

     Whatever they were, they were delicious.

     Oh, and the supermarket lists literally every item's price digitally with solar powered displays.

     I'd like to think they change prices wirelessly from the back too.

     Ok, kids.  Until next time!  I gotta take and upload more pics!!  Ahhhhh!

Nesting

     Ahhh...clad in boxers, sipping some Nest Beer - the Amber Ale - as I sit on the floor and post!  The main room is not entirely bereft of tangibile homeliness, though.  Besides the square coffee table that came with the place, I know have a set of three plastic drawers!  I purchased them at the Hard Off store - where things are "Off House!"  It is a second-hand store just around the corner - its better quality than anything I've seen at home though, with locked cases for high-end things and anti-theft devices for others.  I also got some file holders there...such a cozy place I have.  Hard Off didn't have a chair or desk that spoke to me, but I did get a love seat/fold out futon piece that's coming on Wednesday - come visit!!!!!!

     Though I don't have furniture, I do have a house plant and plenty of kitchen items now - including a bottle opener to prevent one from cutting their hand banging beer bottles open and spilling its precious contents.

     Work-wise, I've been finding my groove at the school, getting to know students and coworkers.  I've never been good with names - and my expertise in predominantly Judeo-Christian names doesn't help the process - but I'm getting there.  The students: there are older women and younger men; business men, mothers, managers, miners, whiskey drinkers, baseball lovers, world travelers, local musicians, ultra-marathon runners, surfers, and still more to meet.  The kids I have yet to teach, as I merely observed Marks' bittersweet goodbye's during his final week.  Soon though!

     Work feels comfortable, though quite different too.  As native speaking teachers, English is a must at school and exposure to our Western culture is a part of learning.  Japanese is spoken by other staff members or Japanese teachers to students, though, and students/kids talk with each other - of course - as scheduling and conversation also must occur.  Basically, the school is this outpost of English/Western culture imbedded within a Japanese community - for instance, I shake hands there, but bow everywhere else - though its hard to remember that sometimes.

     I have yet to concert a regular effort towards learning Japanese, but I did get a list of phone numbers of teachers/schools from the government office (in Japanese, of course...).  I've picked up bits and pieces during my required trips to places - like when I registered for national health insurance (Kokumin Kenkou Hoken), needed a home delivery (itsu takuhai?), or needed to find a particular lightbulb (kore arimasuka?).  I have some apps on the ol' iPhone now, and plan to call around this week - since I'll have a couch to do it from.

     On a day off last week, I took the train to Mito City to explore.  It was 12 degrees Celsius (forget Fahrenheit, C is how I roll now), sunny, and Senba Lake was beautiful, despite the naked trees.  Both black and white swans, familiar and foreign ducks waddled and swam near the path.  I didn't walk the full 3k around, but took the footpath to Kairaku-en Park.  The plum and cherry trees were also mostly bare, though in a month or so this one of the "Three Great Gardens" of Japan will be majestic - probably packed too.  The cedar wood forest and bamboo forest were incredible though...

     Entrance to the Cedar Forest...

  

His eyes are red too...another one hissed at me...scared yet?

The Bamboo forest...two hands would get around the trunk.

     With a bit of distance already covered after traversing the park, I decided to walk back home rather than succumb to sweeping my Suica Card at the station - the iPhone helped me decide ;-)  I stumbled upon what was either a museum or a conference center (or both), wandered through a small private college - Tokiwa University - and met many elementary school kiddos in full public-school uniform topped with their yellow hats; many were fascinated by a foreigner and offering me hellos, konichiwas, and some even offering shocked faces and whispers.

     I found myself walking down the main road I live off of, so I ducked into a few stores, corrected some clerks in assuming I was an exchange student, and found my houseplant.  The best part is being able to use the iPhone to Skype a call to the States from pretty much anywhere with a decent mobile network available, which is what I did at a Matsuya I came across - a vending machine/ticket chain place!  Here's the main walk mapped out, which resulted in a 1.5 hour nap - Jon Raab, you're right, walking is tough.

     Today I ventured to Oarai, a beach town via a 20 minute train from Mito.  It was literally one train car that sounded like a diesel engine with a bad cold...and whining about it.  One simply boards the train and pays cash on arrival, not being able to use the computer Suica Card.  The scenery quickly changed to farmland during the trip, with train stations literally in the middle of nowhere (picture an elevated track between cornfields).  All of the sudden we were at Oarai Station, which almost looked like a small office building were it not for the station name plastered on the side - salt was in the air.

Below: Stopping at a train station in...I believe Tom Cruise called it "Bumblefuck"

Below: We're here!  Wait, where?

     After fifteen minutes and a few turns down residential streets, I found myself at a newish looking outdoor mall, packed with surf shops - both chains and local - souvenir stores, and a ferry port next to it (which apparently goes to Hokkaido) all overlooking the Pacific.  I bought a sweatshirt on sale that says "Happy Mon" on it - just as Chinese/Japanese Kanji symbols can be cool in the States, random English can be cool here.  The best shirt read, "A cold does not coming from the cold itself, but a cold is because of the virus!"  I think they were getting at the virus of surfing a gnarly wave, and the cold isn't a bad thing in this case, its...huh?

     On the beach it hit me - I'm standing on the edge of an island nation 9000 miles from home, yet staring right at it; it smells like the beaches I know, looks like the saltwater I've seen, and shells are shells, but its all another world away.

     The Marine Tower offered a 60m view of the surrounding area - nice rolling hills and cliffs on the coast, reminiscent of CA.  From the beach I counted 30 something surfers waiting for waves, donned in full wetsuits.  Two school girls played duets with a trombone and trumpet on the jetty as I milled about the end enjoying the scenery, scavenging for shells and sand dollars, wondering how I'd manage getting a surfboard there from my apartment, let alone storing it; Hard Off has loads of used boards.

     I close with a great shot of some Engrish at a bakery in a nearby train station on the way to some of the best Indian food of my life.  I also close with a promise to upload my loads of pics to an album so one can view much more through mine eyes, since I really only hit the highlights... soon!

     Anyway, perhaps I can advertise myself to stores like this, providing an English correcting service...although, would I have taken a picture were it written correctly?  Despite the grammar, I really do smell the swelled artistan spirit's brown bread after reading it - do you?

 

Setting Up Camp

     Welcome to Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan!  We're known for nattō - a traditional dish of fermented soybeans - and housing one of the "Three Great Gardens" of Japan - Kairaku-en; constructed in 1842, the garden houses plum trees (with beautiful blossoms), cherry trees, and a bamboo and cedar forest.

     This is all I've learned so far really...besides my own observations.  Remember how in Tokyo everything was smaller?  Not as true here...there's more room!  I can stretch my legs, run around lakes, ponds, woods, gardens... houses are bigger, and sort of have yards!  There are spaces between houses too! Whoa!  What a luxury...

     Riding the Shinkansen north was fun, though nothing epic...probably need a longer trip for speed.  Living spaces remained packed for the first 30 minutes out; there were a lot of big apartment buildings that - to a Westerner like me - look like housing projects or Soviet Block Housing.  Check it:

  

     But as the ride continued, the workers on the train walked up the isles - bowing as they entered and left a train car - and the density subsided to larger houses with a bit of room.  It actually felt like I was going to a foreign country, with the glitz, novelty, noise and narrow spaces that make up Tokyo being left behind.

  

     My co-worker, nicknamed Izzy, met me at Mito station on Sunday.  "She'll find you, no problem," I was instructed.  There I was, the only non-Japanese in the station inundated with crap: a garment bag, hiking backpack, messenger bag, 41" skateboard, and gift bag containing Tokyo Banana and Chocolate Turtles from Watson's Chocolates in Buffalo!

     Izzy found me, and proceeded to assist with signing apartment papers, turning on the power there, and setting up the natural gas to heat the place!  The multiple forms in Japanese for 2 of 3 steps, not to mention my lack of Japanese language ability and the gas man's and apartment's lack of english ability made her indispensable in settling in, all with great conversation about travels and international life pursuits.

     Then I met the staff at the school - all are top notch.  Mark (another Auzzie!!!!!  Oye oye oye!!), whom I'm taking over from, assisted me today with trips to the govt. Ward office and Immigration Bureau.  I filled out a form at the Immigration Bureau, where they instructed me to go to the convenience store across the street to buy this particular postage stamp for ¥6000 ($73).

     Basically, you can't be a resident in Japan and leave Japan to travel again without this special mark in your passport (otherwise you lose the work visa and get deported)...it costs $73 for that mark.  So we bought the stamp, but got a snack before returning - the guy from the office called me to make sure we found it, bought the right one, and could find our way back!  Such friendly people here... props to Mark and his Japanese ability.  Anyway...I filled out the form, bought the stamp, signed a second form, put THIS stamp on, all to get the mark to leave the country a few times...Japan loves paperwork:

  
     Oh, and I didn't get my futon/bed set the first night like my employer said, so I ended up buying one in lieu of taking the train to a hotel.  ¥5000 yen, and its worth it, since it's now a 2nd mattress for me, but usable for a slumber party - - come visit me!  So I got the company one today and may get reimbursed for the other one.  Woot!

     Lastly, Mark took me out to have an Okonomiyaki (AKA Japanese Pancake) at this place just a stone's throw away.

     They give you the ingredients...

  

     The meat is tuna.  Then YOU mix'em up...

        And do it up on the grill that's at your table!  Awoooot!!

     You add this bbq-looking sauce, but sweeter.  Then seaweed crumbs, fish slivers, and random powders you can't read and have never had - then voila!  It's almost like a garbage plate, to be honest, but with a twist of ingredients and method to making it.  Now I'm getting creative...

     I already feel at home here.  Sure, there's been some looks at the foreigner(s), but smiles and hellos soon after.  The friendliness, politeness, and helpfulness are infectious.  Now if I can only find the government building where they teach free Japanese lessons...

     Oh, and here's the pad!  Check Slumber Spots for an updated bed situation:



 

Halfway There...

...and we're back!  Vids and Differences were updated too - - -

     Training has been moving right along; we've been covering all the various lesson types offered and then doing demos of them.  Many trainers have been younger (30's), studly and dapper males that are actually featured in the company's ad campaign.  Various trainers have had various training styles...well, most have been energetic, entertaining, positive, humorous, yet still professional and informative.  One was still the latter two, but with a twist of "strict 5th grade teacher," in the way questions were asked and answered; he was also a bit older than the others...

     "Wow, that answer makes no sense," was said in various forms throughout the day.  I was on guard and ready to pounce with my logic probe (Tron reference) activated to the max.  I was open and honest with the training evaluation, stood behind my words by signing, and actually had a chat with this sometimes-disrespectful trainer following our 3 day stint with him; he was very receptive.

     Training has been intense, but fun.  The other day my colleagues and I played the part of certain kind of students as our trainer demonstrated what to do and not to do - Alex and I traded turns acting as a student that "wouldn't shut up, cuz like, I've lived abroad, man!"  We kept the energy high and erred on the side of being a jerk ( a jerk pretend student that is).

L to R: Dirk, Chris, Alex at lunch during training: Aussie, Canadia, Aussie.

     Training has mainly been large doses information injections, with homework, quizzes, and demonstrations to boot - hence my slow blogging!  It's very interesting, because this company has clearly spent a great deal of time considering how to teach ESL to different learners.  The how is rooted and backed up with why, but we're not here to discuss "why" we do this or that, since much of it is prescribed for us down to the minute and we're merely implementing it.

     There is some freedom though, with 80 minute classes using texts NOT published in-house (as most are), using CNN/BBC, business english topics, or technology/media topics.  These classes, along with some other higher level classes, are much lightyears more flexible for the teacher in choosing what do to with the book (no minute-by-minute breakdown), designing activities or discussions using the book - or not - , and using your own outside materials.  Thankfully, I've learned I'll be teaching some of these classes, along with Alex, and we're receiving some extra double-secret-probationary training on them tonight after our regularly scheduled kids training session (kids training is gonna be off the wallzzz, baby!)

     Enough about work.  Here's what little I've done with my freetime, besides laundry:  Saturday night I met a foreign national named Chris, from Sweden originally.  We met via Silverfish Longboarding on a forum, and he showed me around Shibuya and Harajuku from a downhill boarders point of view.  It was crazy!  We shared some some sharp turns, high speed carves, and traffic lights later, and adrenaline rushes - don't worry kids, I had safety lights and a "brain bucket" on!  Tokyo has some amazing hills and he showed me a few of them, along with a skate shop; we had a great life chat as well.  Glad I got his digits!

     I've also been running, which is always a trip when in a new place.  You go out...but can you get back!  Turned right at the dog salon, left at the Denny's/7-11, right by the beauty school, got it.  Every step is taking you further into the unknown... its a rush!  Runners here don't say hi back though...even in Japanese.  No problems yet, minus the lack of grass.  That'll change come Feb.

     Yesterday, our one day off, I took the train to Ueno Koen (park).  Back alleys with shopping (from vintage western clothing, to fresh squid, bloody fish meat, American military gear, knock off brands, real brands), a 7 story electronic store, Buddhist/Shinto shrines, throngs of people that don't look like me - yea it was a hoot, but not-enough-pictures did I shoot   =(   I'll close with a general showing.

  
Above: A Tosho-gu shrine built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, 17th cent.

  
Above: Navigating Ueno shopping alleys...  reminds me of London's Camden Market, but better because of dead octopus.

Above: From one of my many "kid-in-a-candy-store, so grab-anything" trips to the convenient store.  That's an elderly cucumber drinking beer, but on the reverse he's drinking mayo.  You guessed it!  It was wasabi and mayo flavored cucumber puffs!  The right were crunchy ramen noodle snacks.  I had wasabi seaweed the other day too - I'm lovin' it.

And the final pic...  for now its off to work to train for the kids!!  Rawrr!!!

 

Training, Trains, and Pains

     7 days and counting. Training began Saturday with a bang.  Despite some portable steamer/iron issues, I still showed up - like my Canadian and Aussie colleagues - dressed like a champ in a suit, as we'll be wearing them plenty.  Two ladies living in a different guest house were in the new recruit batch too, Amanda and Tam, Canadian and Aussie respectively - so the 6 of us got down to business.

     The first half of the day was literally signing papers, dotting all "i"'s precisely for tax forms, work forms, payment forms... it is surely more painstaking than the States, as in Japan they have "inkan"s, or personal seals with ones name on them to use on all government docs, work docs, bank docs - anything where a signature is required.  We had to create our own "mini signature" to fit in these small circles where the seal would go; if it is not consistent and forgery is suspected in the least bit - denied!  It was more stressful than the SAT's or a cumulative final exam, but probably compares to performing surgery.  Our bouncy British trainer was superb at keeping us entertained with the dry, legalese topics we covered.


     After a lunch of noodles and chicken on our own - my chopstick skillz are not at Karate Kid levels, but close - we jumped right into the company's teaching methods and school structure.  We'll mainly be teaching elementary kiddos (but down to 1.5 y/o), peppered with some adolescents, or even adult business classes.  "Genki" is energy, or cool, or something like that in Japanese, which is what we'll need at all times, so we practiced it with a 2-3 minute presentation on some dry data.  Git yer game face awn!!!!  


     We covered their lingo for teaching methods - like chorusing, warm ups, controlled/free practice, modeling; with an Edu degree or not, its pretty clear.  We also practiced pronunciation correction when students are speaking and common sounds Japanese stumble with when speaking English: "sunglasses" = "sungrass" or "favorite" = "faborite."  As a conversational school, they stress speaking casually.  "What time to you get up?" = "What-ime d'you geddup?"  It's fantastic that this 2 week training is meant to get everyone on the same page with jargon and structure.  I think of teaching in the States and lack of consensus on the meaning certain words, methods, or practices in the classroom, which could lead to widely different interpretations when educators left a conversation.


     Sunday was off, so I purchased a cell phone.  Cho had lived in Texas for 6 years, so the buying experience at SoftBank was a snap.  I had to go home and come back on the JR Train Line with additional documentation from the government verifying my alien status, sign loads of more papers verifying I am me from where I am, but many hours later, I walked away with an iPhone 4!!!!!  Again, the papers and signatures and signatures and whoa!  I learned from Joy, our flat-mate from Taiwan, that I signed a ton more papers than she did - maybe since I'm a non-Asian foreigner.  I bit the dust and will pay the ¥6000/mo. since, well, I'm bloody engaged and living 6500 miles away.  I can Skype anywhere now, folks!


     I've already got some Japanese language apps to help me learn...  Mito, where I move on the 31st, will not have as many English speakers...  Woot!  Not that here has, as it took 10 minutes to awkwardly put a jacket on hold the other day, and another few minutes to explain that I had a jacket on hold upon my return.  "Ima" is now.  "Ato de" is later.  "Watashi wa Will des."  Gestures, writing, pointing... eventually we had a bit of a conversation, smiles and fun =)  Every person - at a noodle place, retail shop, or 7-11 - is so gracious and respectful with customers.  Bows, taking money with both hands, presenting change/receipts with both hands - its very touching, really, as a dirtbag American.


     Oh, and Saturday night we - the 6 of us Native-English Speakers - went to a club called Camelot as led by our experienced Aussie guide Dirk.  Guys had an unexpected ¥3500 cover (that's $42.... I thought 10£ was a lot in London) and received 2 free-drink tokens - OUCH, I wanted a freaking VIP table.  Girls = ¥2500.  Anyway, it was probably one of the best clubs I've been to - not that I'm a regular.


     3 floors, 3 DJ's playing hip hop, house techno, and minimalist techno.  Great dancing, great music, amazing seeing Japanese girls dolled up beyond anything I've ever seen in the States - and more universally too, like all wearing the same thing.  Hair perfectly dyed a darksih blonde, bouncily curled down from a poofy/leathery 80's style small-brimmed hat, with boots/socks above the knee and a short, pressed skirt to boot.  They even had a hair station there for girls to get touched up by club workers.  Guys looked pretty baller, with the European look of slim pants, suit jackets, shirts - but also some of the "express" shiney-design T-shirt stuff too.  Japanese guys hair is freakin' cool, a lot longer and done up like you'd see in anime or manga.  
     Pains = smoking is allowed indoors...like everywhere, unfortunately.  It catches up to you, as did the crowds by 2AM (zero free space).  Though the rest went all night, I walked 5.5k home after asking directions (In Japanese!!!!  Aw yea!!!!) and forgoing cabs.


     Anyway, back to the day.  I head to shadow a teacher today and see many of the things we covered on our first day of training...gotta navigate there too!


     Be sure to check out the other pages on the bar above here, like "Vids" and "Differences Cheese Sees"!!!!!!!!!  I'm gonna post a vid of the where I'm living - 2 blocks from the Shin Okubo train station.

3 days in Edo

    Been sleeping like a rock the past two nights, but I feel like one the morning around 5:30 AM when I inevitably wake up and can’t sleep anymore. 

    

     Anway, after the hotel stay (see the cribs video here!), I met two colleagues (Dirk and Alex) at the airport after my first night, both from "Down Under."  They also both did Asian Studies in Uni and have lived in Japan before, so I feel like a n00b not being able to navigate as they can.  Despite their presence, the train signs were all in English and were relatively navigable solo - Nippori Station might have been frustrating without them though.

     We eventually arrived at Shin-Okubo station and waited 30 minutes for a housing agent to show us to the guest house.  It has a squatter toilet, low doorways (ouch, Will's head!), heat in bedrooms only, and a nice little garden outside - though its out of season currently.  Once we paid our rent (here for 21 days), and the landlord took care of the intermittent power outage in 1/2 of the house (though the internet is still spotty), we grabbed lunch at Matsuya, a noodle bar place.

     At Matsuya, one purchases a meal ticket from a vending machine, sits at a bar, places the ticket and waits.  You don't even have to talk to anyone!  Close your eyes, push a button, pick a meal!  Mine was ¥680, picked by Alex.  Rice, beef, salad, and soup and my awesome chopstick skills.  We went the next day too, where I had a slightly cooked egg to mix in with my rice/beef, in addition to my spicy Korean soup…  lets just say I’m glad to the toilet seats are heated here in Japan.

Here's the vending machine

     Our second day involved a trip to the local government Ward office to register as an alien – we can’t get a bank account or cell phone without this paperwork.  Dirk saved me with his Japanese skills, as we learned of certain details to include in the paperwork in order to be processed correctly.  It’s very bureaucratic here.

     After the government office, we wandered around Shinjuku.  First we went atop the government office building for a view of the city, before going to the shopping district. 

     It’s a pinball machine!  Trucks talk to you when they turn corners, other trucks yell advertisements at you with blaring music.  Lights, flash, noise, people, seizure induction, signs – Capitalism at its finest.  We havn’t even been many places yet, and NYC lights and glitz has already been put to shame.

     Eventually for dinner we hit a 7-11 convenience store for food – I grabbed a new staple I enjoy, an onigiri　オニギリ, or rice ball.  It has stuff like sour plums, prawn, or veggies in the middle.  I grabbed some chips and Japanese wine too.  I love all of this guessing-and-checking at stores for what I’ll eat! It’s like I’m a kid in a…Japanese candy store!  Thank God I don’t have food allergies…