JT`s still in the game

Another week down, 26 more to go...

Since Friday...

Friday night I went to Nagoya for tea with Lee, Miyuki, and Alex. We met Miyuki`s friend, who is a cop. He wants to have a party sometime, and also wants to show us the police station. Sounds good!

Saturday, I worked and I had organised with some friends to meet them in Nagoya at Shooters, but all but one cancelled on me, so I went to Kanie instead (to my friends place) and had some drinks with him, and his friend. I caught the last train home (just! - I was waiting on the wrong platform, so when the train came I had to jump the barrier and cross the tracks)

Sunday, Japanese lesson, and then lunch at Kumar. I was going to go to Nagoya and meet a friend (one of the friends that I was going to meet on Saturday) but she blew me off again. So I wasn`t impressed, mainly because I had wasted my afternoon getting ready and killing time. So in the end, I went and had a coffee (ice cocoa) with Anandia, at a restaurant thats owned by the same people as our local bar (Aggi`s) and the all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant.

Monday, Kevin and I decided to go to Akame 48 waterfalls(http://www.akame48taki.jp) which was about half way to Osaka. It was interesting, roughly worth it I guess. Nice to be out of the city again. From the train station we shared a taxi with some Japanese girls from Osaka, so we only had to pay 400yen each. Unfortunately we didn`t hang out with them for the rest of the day.
When we got back to Yokkaichi, we were going to have tea at the Mexican restaurant I had heard of (I had tried to go there before with friends, but it had been shut) but what do you know... it was closed. Kevin said that he had seen another Mexican restaurant somewhere near our house, so we tried to find it for while, before giving up and going to the all-you-can-eat Italian place, and Anandia came and joined us. Following that I went home and changed and went to another restaurant for Krysta`s (my workmate that is leaving) leaving party. That was OK.

The next day I had my 6 month observation. I felt the lesson I did wasn`t a good example of my ability, but the observation went OK, and was fair. I actually got three compliments, so that was good.

Wednesday night there was another party for Krysta at a Karoke bar. Me and 2 of my Australian workmates actually stayed there until about 3am, belting out songs. Luckily I still had a voice the next day.

Thursday I was in Yatomi, working with Anandia, so after work we went and had Coco Ichiban (Curry), we just chilled and watched a video with part of a series of Friends on it.

Today, I woke up at about 10:30, but then slept again to about 12:45. Rather tired. I seem to never have time to do stuff in between having fun, sleeping and working, and doing the bare-minimum necessary things. Its a hard life. Anyhow, this coming month, June, I will be only having 1 day weekends, except for the 5 day trip to Hiroshima/USJ etc so hopefully I will be able to get the place totally tidy, and do all the things that have been put off because they are not so urgent.

Anyway, this weekend - another party for Krysta on Saturday night, Japanese lesson on Sunday, and on Monday night I have to work.

6 Months of exhilarating exile

To think it was about this time 6 months ago I was on a plane flying here.

Today is usually my half day, however I have done a shift swap, so it a full day off. Im trying to give my room a good clean, however its a slow process.

Since last time - On Saturday night I went to the international party, it was OK, nothing special. I came home and hung out with the rest of the gang here, as they were celebrating one of the teachers birthdays.

Sunday I had the Brazillian cooking lesson - that was pretty cool - made some tasty stuff. One of the things used reduced cream - so now I know I can get it here, except, it is labelled in Spanish or Portuguese. Once I get hold of it, I will make some chip dips, and also give the recipe a go.

Following that I had my Japanese lesson, and then following that, I went to a bunko pottery festival one local train stop away - hence the photo. It was OK, and provided an opportunity to partake in eating Japanese festival food again (pretty much fried chicken etc, same as what you would find in Chinatown in Kobe, ironically LOL)

On Monday, instead of going to Suzuka Circuit, me and Kevin decided to go to Mt Gozaisho. So I finally made it there!

It was awesome. Kevin and I walked from the train station up the hill to the "ropeway" (the gondala/cable car) which took about half an hour. However that was a good idea, not only did we save money, but we also got to see some lizards, and some snakes! We got some lunch at a bakery at the foot of the cable car - and they asked where I was from - turned out that the woman there had recently been to NZ, and subsequently they gave us extra food (for free), about the same amount that we had had brought. The cable car was cool - it was about a 12 minute trip, apparently travelling at 3 metres a second. It pretty much went straight up. We walked around the top, and took many photos. It was awesome. It was a little hazy however, so we didnt see great distances, for example, we couldnt see Mt Fuji. The good thing was that being spring (and due to the recent weeks of rain, that we managed to avoid that day) it was very green. I got a funny feeling, and realised that it was basically the first real time I had managed to properly get out of "the city" in 6 months.

We didnt go to an onsen, (I don`t need to explain why) and went home, getting off the train 2 stations early - which was the road where the all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant is, also where the Indian restaurant is, and the imported food supermarket (they sell Tip Top Ice cream! albeit not in 2 litre containers!) We did that so I could show Kevin where it all was.

Since then, yesterday (Thursday) I had to go and teach at Tsushima (which is quite a way-away). However, it was OK, on the way there I got talking to an American guy, and I got there really early, so I had a good breakfast of pizza (at a cafe I had lunch at when I went there with Anandia last month, when I went to see where it was). The students were quite good, and I had an empty lesson. I got on well with the Japanese staff member (I was the only teacher there, and she was the only staff - its that small and rural) and we walked back to the station together. Anyway hopefully we are going to meet up for a beer sometime in Nagoya.

Anyhow, after this I`m going to get some groceries - I checked out the prices at a near supermarket, and they looked a bit cheaper. Hopefully I will have enough time to cook a set of meals before I go and have tea in Nagoya with Lee, Miyuki, and Alex.

This weekend - Im meeting up with a Japanese friend that I met back on Christmas eve, and hopefully also with my old Australian workmate. Sunday, my Japanese lesson, and Monday is a open book.

Have a good one!

What I just said

After almost completing a fantastic post - the computer lost it -so now I have to start again, after my inspiration has been drained.

I`ll start with some interesting facts -
It was my half birthday the other day. Im now 26.5 years old.
Before that, it was this websites birthday - its 1 year old!
Also in 8 days, I will have been here 6 months - then I can take holidays! but it also means another observation.

Recent observations include:
Lately it has got hot all of a sudden. Its like someone has hit the hot switch here. After 5 months of coldness it is reasonably welcome, however its rather sudden. It reminds me of the Mount in January, except for the rain - the other observation - all winter it didnt rain, however when spring came - it has rained almost every second day.

This week I have being sending idea notes from phone to my internet email - like a journalist, so I remember to add them to the blog. My phone is useful in that regard - I use it as a diary, and a information storage device too - by taking photos or emailing to/from it.

Since the last entry -
On Saturday I went to the "Japanese Gilmours" (Amica) and got some hash browns, maple syrup, and mixed veges - to make life easier. Sunday then was used to organise my freezer and cupboard space to fit it in (without infringing on the other`s space). Also I made some changes to the contents of the cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom. I went out and brought a casserole dish - so now I can cook cool stuff. Dinner was a joint effort with Anandia, and then we went to a work do (that of course we had to pay for).

On Monday I had lunch at the all-you-can-eat Chinese place. I also watched 2Fast, 2 Furious again, however with the badly translated subtitles on - which was quite funny - they didnt make sense. That night I cooked scalloped potatos in my new casserole dish - and saved 2 teas for this week. Later I went out for a drink with an American friend, and got ripped off - 1000yen/$10 for a flat coke in a thin tall glass filled with ice, about 10 nuts. Basically here, if they provide you with a snack, they charge you with a sitting fee.

Anyway same old stuff until tonight - I worked with Anandia today, so after work we decided to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant at Yatomi, and then caught a later slow train home. We then came here to the internet cafe to hang out with the others (as this is also a darts and pool hall.) I managed to clean up in darts - thanks to a standing technique that my last flatmate showed me. So I have ended up here.

Plans for this weekend - Saturday is another international party, Sunday is a Brazillian cooking lesson, and hopefully Monday, Kevin and I will go to Suzuka circuit - a race track and amusement park. Should be fun.

Tonight I also organised a 5-day weekend in June, to go to Hiroshima, Universal Studios etc. Sugoi! (this is "Great!" in Japanese. My intention is to make it popular in New Zealand. Previously I had a failed attempt in introducing a new word to the kiwi vocabulary - "Kempt" (Cool - as in the opposite of unkempt - messy) mainly because I didn`t use it myself. However now I say sugoi all the time, and I have a website.)

Anyhow, have fun till next time.

Up and down, and around the bend

I managed to go and meet our flatmate (Kevin, from the USA) OK, after a quick tidy of the house. After dropping off his stuff, the three of us went out for lunch.
Kevin seems pretty cool - we get along well.

The next night (Saturday) me and Kevin went to the international party at Nagoya. We met an Australian girl and hung out with her for the night. She was going to come to Kabuki theatre with us the next day, but had to go and teach a private student.

Anyway, on Sunday Kevin and I went and met up with Miyuki (Lee`s girlfriend) and Akira and went to Kabuki theatre. It was an interesting experience. Then we met up with Lee and Anandia later and had dinner in an Italian restaurant. Kevin brought a cellphone, and got a number at the same time, if you get my drift.

Monday, I went for a bike ride to have lunch at an Indian restaurant - which was awesome, you can have unlimited Naan bread, and icecream - for roughly $10. It was also nice in the fact that they spoke English - a nice change. Anyway, after having my fill, I explored a little - ended up hitting 100 golf balls at a driving range, had a haircut, and got back home at about 5:30. I then had a Japanese lesson. Kevin and I went and had tea, and then after that had to pick up Anandia`s bike, as she was in a rush to get to Osaka.

The rest of the week has been reasonably boring. We went to Nagoya for a teachers night at Shooters on Thursday. It was OK, but I have been feeling sick all week so it wasnt fantastic. We missed the Kintetsu train home, back luckily we managed to get the JR one home.

Anyway, thats about it.

Kia Kaha