We have contact

Hey just a short one,

I am at a internet cafe, so I figured I may as well make the most of it. I got sick of using my flatmates computer, as the internet explorer on it is really slow and tempermental. I had some email addresses to transfer to my phone, and emails to reply to. Funny thing was, I was walking home from the ATM (where I had got some cash out, to pay for the Tokyo trip, and my trip to Kanazawa etc - apparently my bank will be closed, including ATMs over the Christmas/New Year break, which sounds really dumb to me) anyway, I was mucking around with my phone, and somehow took a wrong turn, and found myself heading towards the place I had been to a few nights earlier (Superfreaks - it has pool tables, dart boards, internet etc). Anyway considering I had been thinking of going there, I decided to stop and email etc.

Today we went and organised our bus tickets to Tokyo, and a hotel.

Some of you will notice this entry has been completed - while I was typing it at the internet cafe, it started typing in Japanese, so I had to save and quit. I have finished it off for you. Kind of defeated the purpose of going somewhere else to email, but hey.

Hi to everyone reading this - it seems my blog has gained popularity, heaps of you are emailing me about it - so thanks - I enjoy the emails, it is good to hear news from home, and gives me something to look forward to after work. I will eventually use my phone for most of my emails, and will check my yahoo address less often, but that will be later - I use my flatmates computer now, so I check it almost everyday, he goes home in February.

Since then (that was last night) it snowed hardcore overnight - everything was covered. It was cool! Today at work, there wasn't many students, many cancelled due to the snow, so I had two free periods. That was cool. Tomorrow I have to start early (10am) because it is a public holiday (which of course we don't get off.)

I have taken quite a few photos of the snow with my phone. I have found out how to text them to the blog, so I will do that soonish. Also, my Japanese friend in Kanazawa has emailed my phone, so now I can contact him easier - I am going to see him on the 28th - 30th. Also my NZ friend in Osaka has just called me, and I will visit him on the 7th-9th, as he has Sundays off, and that Monday is a public holiday (I have Sunday/Monday weekends). So finally I aren't an exile anymore.

I have also made progress towards finding an english-speaking church, I emailed a few, and a couple of them emailed back, one has given me directions how to get to his church, so I will probably go on Sunday, at 4pm. Usually my policy is not to go to church on Christmas/easter etc - as I feel that I go most (some) Sundays, and Christmas/Easter services are for those who don't go regularly and want to redeem themselves... anyway, it falls on a Sunday this year, and I think God is probably missing me - and 4pm is an OK time to have church - no early morning, which is all good.

Losing my voice, I have a sore throat, and a cough. Which is weird for December (in NZ).

Looking forward to Christmas and my days off. There is apparently a Christmas dinner in Nagoya, there is one at the Hilton, and one at Shooters (a foreigners bar) both on the 24th. Will attempt to go in for (one of) them. Failing that, a trip to Nagoya and its nightlife might be a nice way to celebrate Christmas anyway. Or maybe a visit to the 48 waterfalls (really 24, but you see them from the other direction on your way back - dodgy marketing again) or the spa-land - I guess that is one good thing about Chirstmas not being a public holiday here - things are open to enjoy - good when you are by yourself.

This maybe my last email before Christmas, so Merry Christmas! and remember the reason we have Christmas - I am a bit annoyed at how we are made to teach the Japanese kids etc about Christmas (I want a bike - what do you want? - I want a bike) yet all it is to the Japanese is a marketing promotion, most won't celebrate it, let alone respect the true reason behind it. Im a bit jaded about that...