Teaching

I think I now know the full breadth of my responsibilities here. The first thing that I was asked to do was translate the calendar and activities handout into English. Two of the students at the school are from non-Japanese speaking families, so they needed English calendars. That was not easy. Someone once said that translating is not just a=a and b=b. It's also creative interpretive writing. So that took me a while. It was not a small calendar. But it was fun, and that's the first bit of official translating I've done.

In the afternoon, I had my normal English lesson with Hara-sensei. She helps me teach on Thursdays. Before the class, she approached me with a question. She wanted to know if I might be able to assist with teaching the students at the elementary school near my house. I said yes, because it's only one Monday per month. No problem. She's a super nice woman, and I like teaching with her. She's like the motherly teacher that you had as a kid. Kinda' wacky and fun.

Encho-sensei (the manager of Kouto) had scheduled a meeting with a different elementary school in the afternoon. This one is just down the street from the pre-school. We went and met the Principal, Vice Principal, and three of the teachers at the school. The meeting itself was mildly overwhelming, if only because I didn't understand a lot of it. We went over when I would be teaching there, which students I would be instructing, the curriculum, etc. The text that they want me to teach is written for native Japanese speakers to teach English. The textbook is written in Japanese, naturally. Encho-sensei informed me that two teachers will be assisting me. She also pointed out that they really just want me there to pronounce words and speak to the students in English as I would speak to any students. It shouldn't be too bad.

So my schedule for the next six months will be as follows:

Monday - English lessons at the elementary school once per month
Tuesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Wednesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon for the pre-schoolers, and an English lesson after school for 2nd grade students
Thursday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Friday - At Kouto until 1:30, then two English lessons in the afternoon the elementary school, an English lesson after school for 1st grade students, and another for the 3rd & 4th grade students.

It will be busy. Most of the time I get three-day weekends, though. And I just like being here in general. I think I will survive.

Today's drink of the day:

Lucky Cider


Lucky Cider is, as far as I can tell, not cider at all. It tastes more like Ramune (like a Japanese cream soda) than anything else. But it is delicious. The dolphin at the top says, "Fruity Smell, carbonated heart, Lucky Cider." And the added benefits can be seen in this video:



"Have a lucky morning, my friend is unlucky,
Sun is shining for me, handsome guys want me,
Big money hit me, I am a lucky girl,
Because I drink Lucky Cider!"

Which probably explains why it is sold out so often at the vending machine around the corner. But I totally got one! And I'm already feeling more lucky... Not really.

On another note, I realized that for some reason I had disabled comments. I have remedied that situation, so now anyone can comment on the blog. Just click on the link that says comments. Easy.

Sick in Japan

I have been terribly ill the last few days. Okay, maybe not that bad. But I haven't been feeling well. I had a fever a couple days ago, along with a nasty cough and congestion. It was the fever I was most worried about. So, needless to say, I have confined myself to the interior of my house. Lots of water and sleep. And today I felt much better, so I thought I'd venture out. It is a holiday, after all.

I heard that there was a flea market happening in Tatsuno, so I thought I would check it out. Tatsuno is only a few stops away on the good ole' JR line. I hopped on the train and arrived in no time. I failed to realize previously, however, that I had no idea where the flea market would be. So I looked around. For a while. And I did not find it. But I did take a very pleasing stroll by the river.





It was nice. There was a cool breeze and almost no clouds. Eventually, though, I gave up on the flea market and decided to head back to the station. On the way I hit up a Lawson's. There, I grabbed a Pocari Sweat and a Wiener Katsu. Now, eating a Wiener Katsu was a brand new experience for me. For those of you who know what tonkatsu is, you may already get what this is. For those that don't, allow me to explain. Katsu means fried, but there's a bit more to it than that. You take your meat (or whatever) of choice, and dip it in salt and pepper, then in flour, then in egg, and finally in panko bread crumbs. Then you fry it for a few minutes on a side, and eat it. So, yes, a Wiener Katsu is basically a breaded and fried hot dog in a bun. It was delicious. I'll try to capture it's essence in photographic form on the next occasion.

It was still a little early, and I didn't really want to head home yet. So I went to Himeji. It's close. I think part of me just wanted to play a couple of arcade games. Anyway, I made my way up to the castle to see if maybe there was a flea market going on there, too. No flea market. But a farmer's market, yes. And a Doraemon Stage Show!



At this point, I just wanted to sit down. I headed behind the stage and found an interesting thing happening. A trio of dudes practicing their flatland BMX skills.



After all of my running around, I decided I'd had enough of the outside world for the day. So I went home. And walking home from the station, this:



A good day out after two days quarantine, I reckon. Back to school tomorrow, then more vacation. Golden Week! I'll explain that tomorrow.

Takoyaki

What a busy week it's been. I began doing after school tutoring for elementary school students. I mean, I've only done one class so far, but I can see how I'll be in for long days in the next few months. But I like the kids, and teaching English isn't very difficult. Mostly it involves just speaking in English to the children all day.

I went to Himeji yesterday to pick up a birthday gift for Ikki. He told me shortly after we met that he likes the puzzle game Puyo Puyo. In America it was released as Puyo Pop Fever. It's a fun game. I was in Uniqlo a week ago, and I spotted a new spring/summer line of t-shirts called Japan>Game. They are shirt designs based on Japanese video games (most of which are also in the US). So I picked up a Puyo Puyo shirt for Ikki, and a Mega Man shirt for myself.





After getting back home and wrapping Ikki's gift, I went shopping with Nakamura, Miyazaki and Shon-kun in preparation of the takoyaki party. We bought a bunch of stuff, then came back to the house and made some takoyaki. A bunch of people showed up. And, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, I forget some of their names.



Joe is another teacher from the US that lives in Kamigori. He teaches at the Junior High School. He took this shot for me. If I look a bit drunk, well, it's because I was totally drunk. Everyone brought stuff, which was very cool of them. Shuu-chan (in the blue jacket) brought me a bottle of wine and a 12 year-old bottle of Scotch. He's super nice, but quiet. I have to say, my Japanese was tested last night. I had to ask people to slow down, but I was able to get along for most of the evening. I had to ask Joe for help a few times, though.

Joe actually gave me a lot of insight about Kamigori. He told me about the giant spiders, poisonous snakes and amphetamine-inducing effects of centipede infused sake. He also gave me a bit of local history, and posited some interesting opinions about Japanese culture in general. For example, when you say to a Japanese person that you like Japanese culture, they almost always mention the seasons. As if this is the only country with all four. Interesting.

Today is just cleaning and relaxing. I did get out to take a shot of Kamigori after the rain. It's really pretty here. This is a couple blocks from my house.



Today's drink of the day is to address concerns that I may not be getting a sufficient amount of vitamin C in my diet:

Dekavita C


It's another "power drink" from Suntory. That's how everyone here refers to energy drinks. This one is mostly vitamins, and it tastes pretty good. Better than a lot of energy drinks in the US, anyway.

Osaka and Pre-School Kouto

Apologies for the brief lapse in activity. It's been a busy few nights.

On Monday I went to Osaka. Finally. I have always wanted to check it out, and I finally had the chance. I rather enjoyed it. Took me almost two hour to get there by train. While passing through Kobe on the train, I went beneath Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Unfortunately I was unable to get any pictures of it. Next time I pass by, I'll be sure to sit on the right side of the train.

Arriving in Osaka, I was immediately struck by how different it is than Tokyo. I mean, aside from the size. Tokyo is this gleaming metropolis, full of tall buildings and charming side streets. Osaka was more like a gritty, older city. Like the New York that I imagine (I've never been). There are definitely some interesting things, though. Take the HEP 5 Building, right outside of Osaka Station.



It's like a ten-story department store with a giant ferris wheel sticking out of the top. I went inside, but it was a bit upscale for me. Like a vertical version of The Grove in Beverly Hills. As I ventured further afield, I didn't find too much that was very interesting. I didn't look that hard. But I eventually arrived at Osaka Castle.





That was awesome. Given a choice, though, I prefer Himeji Castle. I didn't go into the castle this time. I want to do that with Jen when she comes out to visit.

After Osaka Castle, I went across the city to Shinsaibashi, the shopping district. Basically one long-ass shopping street. I had to find some shoes for school. And I did! I'll try to remember to take a picture of them when I get back to school. Anyway, I found some shoes and tried to win a toy or two. I did not win any toys. After Shinsaibashi, I went to Den Den Town (Osaka's answer to Akihabara in Tokyo). It was a small area, but I saw some interesting things.





After that I came home. And I got soaked in the rain. And I'm fine with that.

No drink of the day, today. Here are some pictures of my school, instead!









More to come.

Manju and Penguins

So, I didn't end up going to Himeji today. I woke up early and talked to Jennifer. While I was watching Dragonball Z, I heard some noise outside. I put on my shoes and went to check it out. Turns out there was a baseball game starting soon at Kamigori High School, which is almost literally behind my house. As I stood watching the warm-up, a player from Kamigori High waved and said, "Good morning." I waved back. He then said, "Today baseball game. Please look." I said okay, and went to the nearby vending machine to grab a bottle of green tea. I watched the game for an hour or so, then went home to meet Imaoka-sensei and her family.

They showed up right on time at 11. Which I totally expected. Everyone in Japan is very punctual. I jumped in the car and off we went. First, to pick up Otaro from his grandmother's house. Then lunch. I don't know the name of the place we went, but it was good. This is Imaoka-san and I:



He loves early Americana. He even showed me his oil can collection. American oil cans from the 50's and earlier. It was pretty cool. After lunch, we went to Ako to find me a pair of shoes for school. Slippers are no good for running around with kids all day, and I can't wear my outside shoes inside. We went to a shoe shop, and there were all kinds of awesome shoes. I saw a pair of Onitsuka Tigers (which I wear now) that I really wanted. They are way cheaper here than in the States. The shop did not have any shoes in my size. I have giant feet. Size 12US is a 28.5cm, and that's big for Japan. Maybe I'll find some shoes tomorrow.

We then made our way to Ako Castle. Or rather, the remnants of Ako Castle. The main castle is gone, but the walls are still there. It was pretty.





Ako Castle is home to the legend of the 47 Ronin, or 47 Samurai. An old tale of loyalty that is very famous in Japan. Read about it here.



After leaving the castle, we went across the street to a shop that sells manju. Manju is a Japanese sweet that is made with wheat flour, salt and sugar, wrapped around sweet red bean paste. Ako is famous for their manju. It was delicious. Imaoka-sensei asked if I'd like to try some traditional green tea, but she warned that it is very bitter. I said yes, because I want to try everything here. I found it to be quite tasty and refreshing. We left the manju shop and walked down the street to a Japanese antique shop. Antique toys. It was sweet.





It reminded me of my dad's office, except everything was Japanese. There, I tried a kendama for the first time. And I totally won!



Imaoka-sensei wanted to show me her English school, so we came back to Kamigori. She has a small school near my house. I dig it. Then we went back to the Imaoka house and drank a few beers and ate some delicious food. Imaoka-sensei wanted to see some of my art, so I showed her an old website with some of my spraypaint art and drawings. She saw a picture of penguins that I painted and asked me to paint them on her front step. So I did.



After playing with Otaro a lot, I taught Imaoka-san how to juggle. If he practices he'll be good at it. He's a natural. Then I came home. It was an awesome day.

And the drink of the day is:

Kirin Chu Hai Strong


It's like Sparks, but better. This happens to be grapefruit flavor, but it also comes in lemon. I like both.

Aioi

Today was pretty mellow. I slept in after a late night of sushi and drinking. No hangover, though. I win! I got to talk with Jen, which was awesome. Then I spoke with Mike and Dana, who offered some useful tips for this blog. Then I decided to get out of the house. Which I've been doing a lot.

I didn't want to go to Himeji, because I'm going tomorrow. I definitely considered Osaka, but it's not super close, and I got a late start. So I figured I'd go check out Aioi. Aioi is two stops away on the train, but it's much larger than Kamigori. That being said, there's not a whole lot to look at. I wandered around for a while, then stopped by Lawson's to pick up something to eat for lunch. Lawson's is like 7-11. I ended up down by the river, and it was very nice. Not the river itself, just sitting by it with my tonkatsu sandwich and Chu Hai.





I then made my way back to the station to return to Kamigori. On the way, I stumbled upon Aioi Sky Lanes, the local bowling alley. I had very little interest in bowling, but I happen to know that bowling alleys usually have an arcade. This was no exception. But the arcade here was small. The only real standout was a machine called Densha de Go! 3, or Let's Go by Train! 3. It's a train simulator.



After that I went home and watched Howl's Moving Castle, and an awesome show with a ton of stand-up comedians.

Today's drink of the day is:

Real Gold


Real Gold is an energy drink that tastes like gummy bears. It's delicious. There's nothing super special about this drink. It's just that every time I see it, it instantly reminds me of Jennifer. When we were in Tokyo in October, we found an arcade just so we could smoke a cigarette. We ended up in the back by the vending machines, and we bought a couple cans of Real Gold and played Taiko Drummer. Except the cans we got had an angry looking dude on them.

Valuable Lessons

Things I learned today:

- Being from California, I slur my words. This makes speaking Japanese difficult (for example, kawaii = cute, kowai = scary)

- Despite the above fact, I've been told that my Japanese pronunciation is excellent

- Numerous people have told me that I use chopsticks like a Japanese person



- The eye is the best part of a broiled fish head



- Japanese pre-schoolers learn way more than American pre-schools teach, like piano, Go and Kendo







I also learned a few new useful words, thanks to Ikki. Also, while at sushi tonight, I was introduced to a bunch of people from all over town. Shon-kun, Miyazaki, Nakamura and Ikki are coming over next Friday for a takoyaki party. And tomorrow I may go to Osaka to check it out, as I've never been. I'll let you know how it goes.