tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61894882011-04-22T13:08:07.312+09:00Chris' ThoughtsHopefully semi-frequent updates on my experience in Japan.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.comBlogger851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1104858418814684332005-01-04T11:56:00.000+09:002005-01-05T02:06:58.813+09:00Okonomi-yummy
I had my number one absolute most favoritist food today; Okonomiyaki. I've been waiting for my favorite shop to open after New Year. It's run by an old lady near my previous apartment. It was good to see and talk to her again. We can't communicate much but she treats me like a relative rather than a customer. It's sad though. I don't know when I'm going to be able to come back to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1104856820867835152005-01-03T22:00:00.000+09:002005-01-05T01:40:20.866+09:00Akemashite Omedetou!
You know the Japanese have 2 different congratulations for the New Year. One is for before the New Year, and the title of this entry is what you say after. I however, forget to say either. The Nakamoto's took me on a small road trip to a town called Hagi today. They make famous pottery there and I think the last warlord to govern Hiroshima lived there. I wouldn't be surprisedChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1104855091273980822004-12-30T22:44:00.000+09:002005-01-05T01:14:40.923+09:00Pounding in the New Year
Oh it felt so good to sleep in today. I made it through a 12 hour flight next to a semi-annoying girl from Los Angeles and arrived in Japan and Hatsukaichi alright. It took a longer than I expected but oh well. I started to stress a little when I couldn't get in touch with my friend who had the key to the place I was going to stay at. But a freezing 45 minutes later, I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1104853051282957832004-12-28T06:59:00.000+09:002005-01-05T00:42:49.603+09:00Hisashiburi!
According to my ever so important electronic dictionary. Hisashiburi means "It's been a long time" or "I"ve missed you!". Accordingly so, I leave to visit Japan for New Years. I hesitated to write in my blog again because it seems not only pointless, but vain to think people would still read about anything that happens to me at home. My rationale would have to be that although my Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1092756737870352072004-08-18T00:00:00.000+09:002004-08-18T00:32:17.870+09:00Shang-Hi!
I got off the boat today and flew to my final stop in China, Shanghai. I'm spending less than 24 hours here but I wanted to make the most of it. I made cheap reservations at the Peace Hotel built in 1906. It's nice and sits on the riverbank. The only thing about it is that it's unbelievably quiet in the old halls so it reminds me of the shining. I keep freaking myself out everytimeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1092665731106686632004-08-16T22:10:00.002+09:002004-12-08T03:32:13.786+09:00Victoria Cruise Lines "The civilized way to see the Yangtze"
I've been sailing down the Yangtze river for about three days now on Victoria Cruise lines. I'm really enjoying the Yangtze. It's unexpectedly brown with silt which apparently happens every summer and is the reason why farming along the Yangtze is so good. The views from my room are spectacular and the weather could hardly be better. Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1092278989996308502004-08-12T11:25:00.000+09:002004-08-12T11:49:49.996+09:00Greetings from China!
Hi everyone! I'm blogging from the internet connection from the hostel I'm staying at in Beijing. Where do I start? In Japan I suppose. I left Hatsukaichi by train in the morning. Some of the relatives and friends came to see me (and my travel companions Carly and Hillary) off. It was a teary goodbye for most. Then we took the shinkansen to Shimonoseki where we caughtChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1091836901060769662004-08-07T08:51:00.000+09:002004-08-07T09:01:41.060+09:00Ichi nen kan
I was rushing like a madman this morning trying to get ready and went outside with all my bags and realized I had another 12 minutes until my ride got here. Just enough time to blog. With time short and anxiety levels running high, what can I say or think of to try to sum up an amazing year. I can't believe a whole year has gone by already and it's still hard for me to acknowledgeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1090806709516168472004-07-26T10:00:00.000+09:002004-07-26T10:51:49.516+09:00Seoul... A nice place to visit
Last Thursday morning, I and three friends flew to Seoul, South Korea for the weekend. I had a nice time. Seoul was interesting. Some people have said Korea is like Japan but dirtier. In many ways it is. There's more garbage lying around, the air seemed smoggier, and stores, restaurants, and our hotel rooms weren't disgusting, but they weren't exactly clean eitherChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1090438579750405442004-07-20T19:55:00.000+09:002004-07-22T04:36:19.750+09:00Hatsuka
Hatsuka is Japanese for the 20th day. Today's date. Hatsukaichi translates to the 20th day market (ichi being market). A long time ago, they used to have a big market here on the 20th of every month thus giving the town it's name. Coincidentally, I said my goodbye speeches today to Hatsukaichi high school. How poetically dramatic is that? This morning I had to say something at the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1090436093885430472004-07-17T03:24:00.000+09:002004-07-22T03:54:53.886+09:00Win, Lose, or Draw
I went to the BEST baseball game of my life today! Now I know that's not saying much since I don't like baseball and I've only gone to about 5 baseball games ever. (This is excluding my own little league experiences which don't really count as they aren't real games and I've done everything I can to repress the memories anyways.) There's a tournament going on in Hiroshima Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1090434261755786892004-07-14T02:58:00.000+09:002004-07-22T03:24:21.756+09:00Learning how to deal
It's been a considerable amount of time since my last, somewhat somber entry. I must admit I haven't wanted to write because I've had so many things to do in such a short time and thinking them all out and writing them down has made me feel sad and also anxious sometimes. But since that terrible Monday I've had better days. I've said goodbye to many of my classes, each timeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1089033561631278972004-07-05T21:39:00.000+09:002004-07-05T22:19:21.630+09:00Parting is in no way sweet sorrow
I've had arguably one of the worst days of my Japanese experience yet. And it had nothing to do with culture, or anything specific that happened to me, it was all internal. I woke up today and realized that summer break was soon approaching. Because next week I'll be at the handicapped school, and the week after is a public holiday, today was the last time I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1088885656463277382004-07-03T23:31:00.000+09:002004-07-04T05:15:56.826+09:00A Midsummer's Night
I went to a Beer Garden tonight in the city. Another work party this time to "celebrate the end of the rainy season" but really that's just an excuse to have a party. A beer garden is an interesting thing. First of all, there's no garden, and second, it was on the roof of the biggest electronics store in Hiroshima, Deo Deo. Pay 2800 yen (about $26) and you get another one Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1088882991905484462004-06-27T20:05:00.000+09:002004-07-04T04:31:14.726+09:00Throw Grandma off the Train
I was on my way to the new mega-mall, Diamond City, to do some shopping and watch the new Harry Potter movie with some friends. At the train station I ran into two students. Ironically enough, a month before I'm set to go back to America it seems most of the students have decided to not ignore me in public and actually seem to want try to talk with me, in English no Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1088528067025755442004-06-23T23:15:00.000+09:002004-06-30T01:54:27.026+09:00A slew of birthdays
Thanks to everyone for your birthday wishes! I can't believe how fast the years are starting to go by. I'm glad I'm feeling the sand slip through the hourglass now though so I can force myself to take advantage of it while I can. Interesting thing, here in the Hatsukaichi area it was my friend Simone's birthday on the 18th. My birthday was the 19th. Rob, also in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1087352887394483622004-06-16T10:58:00.000+09:002004-06-16T11:28:07.393+09:00From the Peanut Gallery
Inspired by the blog of my good friend Lianne, (who's coming to Japan with my sis and her boyfriend Friday!) I decided to FINALLY try to figure out how to make it so that you can leave comments on this site if you like. If you look at the bottom of each post it will say "comments", click on comments to take you to a screen where you can view other people's comments or Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1087223160026724742004-06-14T22:59:00.000+09:002004-06-15T21:51:56.453+09:00Engrish
For those of you who don't know, there's a phenomenon particularly among Asian countries called "Engrish". Engrish is made up of signs, graphic T's, books, food products, menus, toys, and the like made with slightly incorrect or strange English on them. I don't know how long it's been around but I think it's becoming more and more popular. There's even a website, www.engrish.com which Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1087221549123623812004-06-12T22:43:00.000+09:002004-06-14T22:59:09.123+09:00A Cultured Day Part 2
Today was the second half of Culture day. The school opened up to the community and over 1200 friend and family members perused the food booths, games, and exhibits. Add in the nearly 1200 students and staff and it was the busiest I've ever seen the school. I had such a great time because everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, the teachers that NEVER enjoy Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1087146722360182792004-06-11T19:24:00.000+09:002004-06-14T02:12:02.360+09:00A Cultured Day
Today and tomorrow my school will hold their annual culture festival. All of the home room classes, and most of the clubs organize an event, performance, or sell food. The English club MC'd the opening ceremony today. Two of the students made announcements in English and I stood behind them MCing in Japanese. I was really nervous but the ceremony wasn't that long and I only hadChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1087224598227601012004-06-05T23:26:00.000+09:002004-06-14T23:49:58.226+09:00Silly Foreigners
A lot of people complain that being an obvious foreigner in Japan gets tiring because people try to practice their English on you even if you're French or Russian or they make you pay for your hotel at check-in when Japanese people pay at check-out, people will get up if you sit next to them on trains, and worst of all, they stare at you. But I have to say I as well as my other Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1086518906219844042004-06-03T19:25:00.000+09:002004-06-06T19:48:26.220+09:00Too good to be true
I'm so stupid for even trying but I went shopping Wednesday night. I basically knew what I wanted, went and got stuff, then I should have been done. But with a little extra time on my hands I decided to browse. You'd think I'd have learned by now that browsing in Japan especially for clothes isn't worth the effort. Don't get me wrong, they have some good clothes here it's Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1086323545192652672004-06-02T13:05:00.000+09:002004-06-04T13:36:37.250+09:00Melon Melee
It's already June! Soon I'll be a step closer to reaching my "mid-twenties". Ew... Other things that are happening this time of year. In Hokkaido, the Northernmost prefecture of Japan they grow and sell melons. Recently, they had an auction of the first "Yubari" melons of the season. (I think a Yubari is like a cantaloupe.) This year, the melons are supposed to be sweeter and Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1086012861432812822004-05-31T22:46:00.000+09:002004-05-31T23:15:03.286+09:00Shame on me
I've already mentioned how my garbage has changed so I can only put out certain materials on certain days. I had a bit of a problem today when I tried to cook using some tofu. It had gone sour already and smelt a little foul. My garbage day for things like that are today and Thursday. So I was potentially stuck with funky tofu for another 3 days. It's bad enough I have fruit Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1085681210984715572004-05-27T20:01:00.000+09:002004-05-28T03:12:41.913+09:00Trying
For my class for the new first year students I've been having them make speeches about their names. Nicknames, what their names mean in English, and why their name was chosen are just some of the things I told them they could talk about. I thought at the very least it would be good practice speaking in front of an audience. I've been getting a little frustrated though. Not only do mostChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1085496574225258862004-05-25T22:53:00.000+09:002004-05-25T23:52:53.800+09:00For the health of it
Today we'll be talking about health issues. I've been trying to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables because for one, the school lunches don't have very many, and recently the main thing I can bother myself to cook at home has been toast. Ok ok I cook other stuff or go out but I still don't get enough fruit and veg. It's hard for me to buy sometimes cause I can't bring Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1085376508483139782004-05-21T20:14:00.000+09:002004-05-24T14:28:28.483+09:00Calligraphy Chris
That's what I will probably never ever be known as despite my best efforts. Today I had my first experience with Shodo or Japanese calligraphy. I went to the calligraphy teacher at my school, he got me a brush, some paper, and ink and let me at it. There's a lot of distinct techniques to painting with a brush and a lot of different brushes you can paint them with. I spent myChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1084846102126141772004-05-16T22:47:00.000+09:002004-05-18T11:16:35.173+09:00Prolonged Purported Paddy Planting
I went to a rice planting festival today and I have to say it was one of the worst things I've ever been to. First of all it was out in the country so it took a while to get there. Secondly, the rice planting festival was not festive, nor was there any rice planting! Granted it rained so all the activities had to be done inside but it the 3-4 food stalls theyChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1084844674335355602004-05-12T22:20:00.000+09:002004-05-18T10:45:07.723+09:00Bula Bula! (aka Bula Pt. 2)
I've been so busy catching up with things since I've been back I haven't had much of a chance to talk about Fiji. Did you know, Fiji is about 50% native Fijian, 45% Indian, and 5% other ethnicities but mostly Chinese. Indians came over to work in the sugar cane industry. Now I think there's tension between the major groups. One of the reasons may be that non-nativeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1084290563919340762004-05-10T19:22:00.000+09:002004-05-12T00:52:14.333+09:00Resenting the Grindstone
Well it's back to the old rat race. Boy does it SUCK. I'm sorry to say it but I just have to, it is NOT fun being back. Nobody wanted to come back from Fiji. We all started complaining about it days before we actually had to come back. It's not so much Japan I was dreading, I was actually looking forward to coming back to Japan, it's the job I wasn't looking forward Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1084288592187795042004-05-09T23:44:00.000+09:002004-05-17T19:52:20.266+09:00Bula!
Bula! Bula is hello in Fijian. We got back from Fiji late Saturday night and hopefully now, I'm ripe with things to say! First of all, I had a GREAT experience! Easily one of THE BEST things I've ever done in my life. It makes me feel so stupid because before the trip I was dreading going. I really didn't want to. During and after though, I find myself sick thinking about what would Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082960709995565302004-04-26T15:25:00.000+09:002004-04-26T15:40:26.543+09:00I got Seoul, I got Seoul
I'm writing from Seoul International Airport in South Korea. They have free internet access for in transit passengers. The inside of the airport is really nice too. How has the travel been so far? So LONG is my answer. We took an overnight bus last night which actually wasn't that bad because I slept most of the way. But then we had to wait 5 or 6 hours in Osaka Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082888331016796572004-04-25T19:18:00.000+09:002004-04-25T19:23:02.373+09:00Bits and Pieces
There are a few hodge podge things that I've been meaning to say but haven't had time to write an entire blog post about. First of all, last Wednesday, the second native English speaker started working. I'm not sure yet how it's going and I'm amazingly stressed out about it because basically if it goes bad, it's my fault. I said we needed another person and we could try to makeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082555496259406052004-04-21T22:51:00.000+09:002004-04-22T00:11:40.450+09:00In the hills of Hatsukaichi
I went to the handicapped school called Hatsuyo again on Monday and today. Monday I had to walk up hills for 45 minutes from the train station again but that was taking my time. There's a teacher at Hatsuyo that used to work at my school 5 years ago and he wants to practice speaking English so he's going to pick me up and drop me off at the train station from now on.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082550964847387862004-04-18T22:44:00.000+09:002004-04-21T21:40:10.670+09:00Gorge-ous
I rode a bus for 2 1/2 hours today with my friend Tenneille from New Zealand. We went to the northeastern part of the prefecture to one of Japans national parks called "Taishakukyo" in the town of Tojo. The parks main attraction is a gorge that was formed by a big river thousands of years ago. There's a gigantic natural bridge made of rock that spans the gorge. It was interesting toChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082473301305220202004-04-17T23:01:00.000+09:002004-04-21T00:13:55.623+09:00The Secret of Longevity
The average estimated lifespan of a Japanese man is 78.07 years, and for a woman it's 84.9 years. Many anthropologists believe it's due to the Japanese diet, others think it's the lifestyle, but I may have uncovered another key to living a long life in Japan while I was attending yet another school ceremony yesterday. As before, on Thursday I volunteered to help set up Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1082470918715124102004-04-16T21:39:00.000+09:002004-04-21T20:48:51.843+09:00Can They do that???
There are various things I notice about Japan that sometimes make me think "Is that safe?", "Is it common", "Is that legal?". But people here don't give it a second thought because it's just part of the culture. I'll try to list some of the things I can remember as there are many. Let's see, is it safe to; 1) not have laws for rear seat seat belts thus allowing even Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081873300561763372004-04-13T11:33:00.000+09:002004-04-14T01:25:35.640+09:00Turning Green
Most of you who know me know that I care about the environment. Saving species, hugging trees, clean air. (Yes I know I have a SUV but my next car I want to be as fuel efficient as possibly repent for all my gas guzzling.) Which is why, I've felt weird the past few months. I live in on the outskirts of Hiroshima city. Until a few months ago, it was one of the havens of hassle Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081533225958769172004-04-09T11:59:00.000+09:002004-04-10T03:48:31.546+09:00A better and safer place
I wish I could see how American news is handling events going on in the world. Last I heard, there was some controversy over how candid the networks were willing to be, and most recently, I read that images of the 4 mutilated engineers in Iraq were shown on international circuits but not so graphically in American media. If anyone can confirm this please let me know. IChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081526425728826132004-04-09T11:58:00.000+09:002004-04-10T03:05:51.436+09:00East meets West meets East again
I hope I didn't give the wrong impression the other day. I'm still having a good time here, the job is just getting me down. If only there was a way to not have to work and still get paid... Anyways, still had nothing to do today and was generally ingnored but out of boredom, I went to the store and bought some stuff. I had told people about chocolate chip Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081474560450685432004-04-08T10:36:00.000+09:002004-04-09T10:46:32.340+09:00Sour Gripes
Permit me to complain a little bit. I've been frustrated lately and I need to vent some things. Nothing huge, just a lot of little things. The new school year has started, students are back in class but the school schedule has not been set yet. We have a general idea but so far we've just had an irregular schedule. My schedule is non-existent. I won't start actually teaching Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081347708176116192004-04-07T23:21:00.000+09:002004-04-07T23:26:04.060+09:00Film Flam
I don't understand it. Japanese people take hundreds of pictures with digital cameras, point and shoot cameras, expensive single lens reflex cameras, disposable cameras and even cell phones. So WHY in a country with twelve gazillion cameras does it cost so much money to get pictures developed?!? I just spent over $25 on 2 rolls of 3 x 5 inch, singles! Maybe I'm just spoiled because Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081320966016092162004-04-06T15:17:00.000+09:002004-04-07T15:59:51.856+09:00They're Baaaack...
Oh thank goodness my students are back from spring break. Part of the reason this job has been so hard to tolerate recently is that I've been left to stew and do nothing for days on end. And since most teachers don't really talk to me, I've been meandering around the empty school fumbling with my poor Japanese. But finally, the smiling faces that make the job worth doing Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081145993247293952004-04-04T21:19:00.000+09:002004-04-05T15:23:57.326+09:00It's getting better, all the time...
I had SUCH a good time today. Japanese people do this thing called "Hanami" which literally means looking at flowers. They basically picnic underneath the trees. While there is some flower viewing, it's essentially just a good time. There was a party I went to with some people from the school on Friday, I went to Himeji yesterday, and today was the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081144377067010202004-04-03T22:39:00.000+09:002004-04-05T14:56:40.140+09:00Sakura
Today I went to Himeji. It's about 2 hours west of Hiroshima city by bus. There's a famous castle there said to be almost 700 years old. One of the English teachers at my school recommended I go with a tour group. There was a special including the bus ride, lunch, a couple of places to stop and check out sakura (cherry blossoms), and all for only 3,980 yen. That's not much more than Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081096014704583982004-04-01T13:06:00.000+09:002004-04-05T01:33:12.060+09:00Changing of the Guard
It's that time of year again in Japan. In April, offices change, companies change and the school year ends. Teachers were told about 5 days ago that they're going to change schools. In Japan, teachers and principals are required to change schools after they've been at one school for 3 to 7 years. I've been told that this is so they have an opportunity to work with many Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1079622233575906522004-03-18T11:57:00.000+09:002004-03-30T23:32:01.186+09:00Facing Off
Ironically, the last 2 days have been stressful for me, but great fun for all the students at my school. They've been doing something called a "Room Match" where each home room forms teams and they compete with other home rooms. Girls can form either volleyball, dodgeball, or foot soul. After watching I still have no idea what foot soul is. Boys can play either soccer or basketballChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1079452410699352732004-03-16T23:47:00.000+09:002004-03-17T19:04:13.576+09:00When things fall apart
Did anyone read "When things fall apart" when they were in high school? I thought it was a pretty good book. Anyways, sorry to bombard you with another possibly negative sounding entry but things have happened that I just need to talk about. As I said earlier, I'm working on how to improve English at my school. It's very frustrating working with Japanese bureaucracy. Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1079448973118500872004-03-16T00:37:00.000+09:002004-03-16T23:59:30.000+09:00Eating pride for Lunch
Usually every morning I pay for and order my lunch through the school office. The boxed lunches are then delivered later in the day. Today, I had 3 classes in a row before lunch, another class scheduled later, English club after school and Japanese class after that. (I hate Tuesdays). So my mind has been everywhere recently because I'm currently discussing how my schoolChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1079284082275492992004-03-15T01:45:00.000+09:002004-03-15T12:14:42.293+09:00Hammers and Nails
There's a saying in Japan. "The nail that sticks up will be hammered down." It glorifies the Japanese value of conformity. It's a strong contrast to sayings like "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." I learned about the "nail" adage when I was taking Japanese in high school. I remembered it recently because I've seen and experienced things which make me think in general, the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1078902401429554792004-03-09T23:33:00.000+09:002004-03-10T16:11:46.763+09:00The Closest Thing to America Part 2
Well I'm finally home in Hiroshima. I realize now that I was so exhausted while I was writing my last entry I not only forgot some stuff but I made a TON of mistakes. (Don't bother looking for them now, I think I fixed most of them.) I did think of another reason why I wouldn't want to live in Tokyo though. The trains while frequent take FOREVER. It's Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1078762459723909462004-03-08T23:51:00.000+09:002004-03-14T18:48:26.793+09:00The Closest Thing to America
What an interesting weekend. I can't believe it's already Monday. This last Saturday I took a four hour bullet train and about 2 hours of local trains to get to Fussa to visit Robin and her friend Ryan in the Tokyo area. I've spent more money on food than I have on the tickets to get here. (The tickets cost a LOT too.) But there are so many reasons why it's worthChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1078113049307042852004-03-01T12:50:00.000+09:002004-03-01T15:41:52.793+09:00Pomp and Circumstance
You know I'm not sure I totally get why it's called "Pomp and Circumstance" or why we graduate to it. But anyways it's graduation time in Japan. The third year students are leaving Hatsukaichi high school for good. Actually, all third year high schoolers in all public schools all over Hiroshima ken had their graduation ceremonies today at 10am. That really sucks for someChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1077563656614899572004-02-22T19:26:00.000+09:002004-02-24T04:20:57.046+09:00Yoko... Oh-no
Robin (my cousin) is in Japan for a few weeks and she took the time to come down to Hiroshima as part of her trip. One of the things we wound up doing was going to the Hiroshima museum of modern art. Sounds so cultured and sophisticated doesn't it? But the main reason we went was to see Yoko Ono's new art exhibition called "Yes, Yoko Ono" or "Yes Ono, Yoko" in Japan. I'm sad to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1076936455702561102004-02-16T22:00:00.000+09:002004-02-16T22:37:17.826+09:00Babel Babble
I have to say, Japanese service is beyond excellent. They're attentive, polite, fast, thorough, and you don't have to tip anyone! I've yet to see anyone who seems to hate their job too. The first thing I noticed when I came home from Christmas (aside from how many stupid conversations are in eavesdropping range) was a lady guarding the exit at customs. She said "Paper please" andChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1076923083100527322004-02-15T16:50:00.000+09:002004-02-18T17:56:39.390+09:00You know you're comfortable when...
You know you're comfortable in Japan when you walk 10 minutes to the grocery store to buy kiwi fruit and bread in your pajama pants. Such has been the case in the last few months. The freezing temperatures have turned into just chilly sunny days. Warm enough to leave the house again, but cold enough to make me not care what I'm wearing. I've also gone to Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1076937232854114142004-02-14T17:03:00.000+09:002004-02-16T22:16:29.623+09:00Valentine
Just a short cultural note. In Japan, women give chocolates to the men on Valentines day. And it's usually just chocolate. Not conversation hearts or anything like that. The boys don't give anything. The situation reverses in March on the 14th I think. It's an unofficial day called "White Day"and that's when it's the boys turn to give. Come to think of it there's a "Green Day" Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1076857997067552972004-02-13T00:13:00.000+09:002004-02-16T00:16:09.763+09:00Vigil
One of the things that kept me so busy last weekend was a Japanese funeral. The cousin of my great-grandma, Kimiko Nakamoto, passed away on February 7th. She was 96 years old and had been hospitalized for the last 8 years I believe. It happened on the day that we were having our bi-weekly dinner/English conversation class. So we skipped the conversation class for the night as the busy Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1076855496967340112004-02-12T23:07:00.000+09:002004-02-15T23:34:41.233+09:00Kyoto Cruising
Hello again everyone. Sorry about being MIA for such a long time. Lots has been happening recently. First of all Kyoto. I went around Kyoto the last weekend of January. It's a really nice city. Not at all like I thought it would be. The first day we walked around for like 6 hours! Most of the famous stuff to see in Kyoto is temples and shrines. There was the longest woodenChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074872244472196682004-01-23T23:50:00.000+09:002004-01-24T00:43:01.750+09:00Snow Falling and Heaters
Forgive me for talking about the cold yet again but it's 11.5 Celsius (52 F) IN MY APARTMENT! It's been snowing a lot in the surrounding areas recently. So much so that the buses and trains are late coming from outside the protected little "valley" that Hiroshima sits in. The best decision I made in Japan is buying an electric blanket which I'm now using to defrost my Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074684406243409692004-01-21T19:12:00.000+09:002004-01-21T22:10:37.750+09:00Working hard for the money
No the above title doesn't apply to ME. Ironically I'm writing this on the most lax day of the week I have. (1-3 classes). But trust me I earn my pay every other day of the week. I'm talking about Japanese teachers. To start off, first year full-time teachers make a LOT less than I do. Furthermore, they put in a LOT more hours. They come in around 7 or 8AM, teachChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074688009600253682004-01-20T20:26:00.000+09:002004-01-21T22:13:58.450+09:00Food Follies
Wednesday's high is supposed to be a mere 2 degrees Celsius. That's roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit! The HIGH! One of the ways to stay warm in my small uninsulated apartment is to cook. Granted, my hands freeze when I wash rice but it's better than walking or biking to a restaurant. Plus the heat from the stove must help a little. Even though cooking is one of my FAVORITE hobbiesChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074690161280797692004-01-18T21:27:00.000+09:002004-01-21T22:08:47.093+09:00Numb-brrrs
Wow it's getting cold in Japan. And Hiroshima is supposed to have milder winters and summers than the rest of Japan too. Jennifer and Juan, who left yesterday, said Tokyo was WAY colder than Hiroshima. I don't even want to think about it. Speaking of being numb, this weekend I went to the Nakamoto's yesterday for a memorial service for my Great-Grandma's brother. It was actually Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074516236435410072004-01-17T18:01:00.000+09:002004-01-19T21:45:54.186+09:00JET's get together!
This last Thursday and Friday the other foreign teachers participating in the JET programme like myself had our Mid-Year Conference. We discussed ways to be better teachers, listened to inspirational speeches, and had several panels for either recontracting for another year or what to do if we decide to go home. I'm not sure where I stand on that decision yet. It definitelyChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1074181206198994802004-01-15T22:06:00.000+09:002004-01-19T01:04:32.326+09:00Mi Casa, Su Casa
I have my first official non-family guests from home that are actually staying in my apartment. When mom and dad came they stayed elsewhere. Jennifer Ikemoto and her boyfriend Juan are here in Japan. They went around Tokyo last weekend for the Tokyo Auto Salon (a very popular car show) and then came to Hiroshima. They've been puttering around Hiroshima while I go to work in Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1073833999774327102004-01-11T11:57:00.000+09:002004-01-12T00:17:18.103+09:00Manic Sunday
I can't believe Sunday's almost over already! It feels like Saturday because tomorrow is a holiday. "Coming of Age Day". I'm not sure what it's about but I've seen lots of bonfires around. I assume they have something to do with the holiday??? Today I went bowling for the first time in Japan. There was a huge entertainment building with a giant arcade, batting cages, karaoke, Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1073742880569078422004-01-10T22:54:00.000+09:002004-01-10T22:54:57.630+09:00The Name Game
I've been trying to memorize most if not all of my first year students' names. While they work I study their namecards and faces and at the end of the period I have them hide their names and I try my best. Sometimes if there's time (and if I feel confident enough) I have them change desks when I'm not looking and we do it again. I've only done about 3 classes so far with 20 Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1073656640734429122004-01-09T22:57:00.000+09:002004-01-09T22:58:22.733+09:00Maybe I can relax tomorrow
Friday. The day people of the world go "Ahhh." for the weekend, and I'm usually among them. But I'm a little on edge tonight. I had another enkai (party) tonight. It was for English teachers only. The supervisor for the English club (Yuka Okazaki) is getting married next month. So this enkai was for her. Incidentally it was also mine and another teachers' "Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1073220047776930062004-01-03T20:51:00.000+09:002004-01-04T21:41:06.416+09:00If You're Happy and you know it Buy a Bag
I didn't know it, but right after New Years is a prime shopping time for Japanese people. There are HUGE winter sales and there were THOUSANDS of people filling the streets around the city. The streetcar was kinda crowded going into the city and when I left there was standing room only. I was one of the last people to jam myself through the door beforeChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1072960926028771152004-01-01T21:42:00.000+09:002004-01-01T23:25:45.310+09:00Happy New Year!
New Years day is coming to a close in Japan. Last night, I went to my relatives' house. We ate dinner and sat around the TV playing cards for about 4 hours. 45 seconds until midnight a small countdown appeared in the corner of the TV screen. At midnight we all said Happy New Year and that was about it. A big difference from the parties, string confetti, and shaving cream I'm Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1072796614619824882003-12-30T11:48:00.000+09:002003-12-31T14:12:00.420+09:00Time Difference
I left Lodi at 6:30 am Monday morning. My flight was scheduled to take off 10 minutes early. YAY! Then we all boarded and they told us we were going to wait for other people on connecting flights that were delayed because of the rainy San Fran weather to get onto our plane. BOO! We sat on the plane for about an hour. After a looong flight and lots of ground travel I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1072060831010662452003-12-22T11:40:00.000+09:002003-12-22T11:40:46.003+09:00Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
After some walking, three train rides, an 8 hour plane ride, and 2 hours in the car, I finally made it back home yesterday. Total traveling time, about 19 hours. Today I slept in a LOT and I've still been exhausted all day. As I type, I sit in my pajama pants or "weekend pants" as I like to call them, which I plan to wear indefinately. My head still feels a Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1071837638178593942003-12-19T21:40:00.000+09:002003-12-19T21:40:52.660+09:00Samui!
Samui means cold in Japanese and it was easily the most often spoken word at school today. It was freezing this morning! I got ready as usual and when I walked outside it was raining a little. I went to the morning meeting room at school where I get to zone out for 5 minutes everyday while all the teachers talk about the days events in Japanese. I looked up halfway through my nap and Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1071410717474834972003-12-14T23:05:00.000+09:002004-06-01T16:31:17.770+09:00A winner in any other country, is still a winner
I neglected to mention that I taught a few of my fellow JET programme participants how to play my FAVORITE card game in the world... POUNCE! They're not terrible for people who just started. All they need is some more practice. They LOVE it too! I'm encouraging them to teach it to their friends in England and New Zealand. So maybe someday, I Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1071334969369842932003-12-13T20:43:00.000+09:002003-12-14T02:03:02.653+09:00A hiking we will go!
If you can believe it. I actually VOLUNTARILY signed up to go hiking today. There's a group in Hiroshima that likes to hike around especially scenic parts of the Ken (a ken is the equivalent to a state in America). Todays hike was really short. Parts were uphill and there were a fair amount of stairs but we only really hiked for like 20 minutes. We went to Mitaki temple.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1071139283325764112003-12-11T19:41:00.000+09:002003-12-16T18:00:46.346+09:00Di-Lemonade
I was asked today to choose the winner of an English essay contest from high schools all over Hiroshima Prefecture. I had already chosen the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners a few weeks ago and now they wanted me to evaluate for 4th place. I hate to say it, but sometimes reading these essays can be a little boring. But I finished eventually and gave the chosen essay back to the Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1071064946579992812003-12-10T23:02:00.000+09:002003-12-10T23:02:39.050+09:00Hello Everybody!
Welcome to what could be the start of something very interesting, or incredibly boring. Hopefully, with the help of blogger.com, I'll be able to provide you with updates that are more frequent, more personal, and that you can access at will. Cool huh? I thought so too. Happy reading! ChrisChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081174342747951382003-10-22T23:12:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:16:19.746+09:00Eighth e-mail "Much ado about NOTHING"
*Yaaaawn* Ugh. It's around 2:30 in the afternoon and I'm already tired. But not to worry, I have now learned three different words for "tired" in Japanese. I found out that I won't be able to get internet access in my apartment for another THREE MONTHS!!! I told you internet access isn't as common in homes like it is in the US. The last few weeks have Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081174264198074272003-09-30T19:09:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:14:55.263+09:00Seventh e-mail "Sports Day, Food, and my Fellow Gaijin"
Ahhh. Where to start... Last Saturday was Field Athletics Day. The closest thing I can think of would be like a track and field day except the entire student body is required to participate. This year, they divided the entire school into two teams, red or white. And in their PE clothes, students march around the track kind of like an Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081174046716937692003-09-24T23:07:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:11:25.436+09:00Sixth e-mail "Return of the Cicadas and Breaking Preconceptions"
Just kidding. For those of you who dont remember what a cicada is, theyre those vile not so little bugs that are crosses between giant flys and crickets. Well they havent actually returned, that was just to get your attention. Actually, come to find out, after theyre done making TONS of noise and peeing on people, they die after Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081173921046165792003-09-05T23:05:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:09:23.686+09:00Fifth e-mail "Jack is back! (and by Jack I mean Chris)"
Hello people! It has been nearly three weeks since I last wrote. To respond to some of your e-mails to me and my cell phone, I am not dead, I am not angry, I am not ill from eating "fugu" sushi. I am well with much to tell. So sorry in advance if this e-mail is inordinately long. First things first though! I do want to clarify Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081173831960770022003-08-18T23:03:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:07:51.420+09:00Fourth e-mail "What time is it???"
Hey kids! Do you know what time it is??? Thats right its update time! I think its been a week so you must be on the edge of your seats right? Sorry to say its been pretty boring here so Ill just have to throw together some miscellaneous fun stuff. But first...
To make things more confusing I have to make ONE more change to my address. Dont worry if you Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081173691258933232003-08-09T09:31:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:05:46.186+09:00Third e-mail (no title)
Ok everyone! Here is some actual relevant information rather than the random babble of stories from the first few e-mails. Dont worry, Im sure the babbles will start up again in a few days...
First. The typhoon that was coming my way didnt hit us directly. Luckily, it swept more into the southern island of shikoku where people are rural so nobody here cares. There Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081173643389491372003-08-06T23:00:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:06:38.843+09:00Second e-mail "You wanted more! Now you got it!"
Hey everyone -
Thanks for all your great responses. I just added some of you to my list so this is the first mail youre getting. But for the rest of you, many of you requested more updates when available so HERE IT IS. First of all, this silly Japanese laptop at school can only do apostrophes as SHIFT [7] so Im probably going to leave them out orChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189488.post-1081173570507396782003-08-04T22:58:00.000+09:002004-04-05T23:13:25.996+09:00First e-mail "Greetings from Japan!!!
Hi Everyone! I'm typing to you from a Japanese laptop that's about the size of my head that the hotel provided for us. So please excuse any typos as many of the keys are squashed together and some I don't even know what they're for.
How are things? I'm well. The flight was looooong and lucky me got a middle seat. The people next to me were nice but a little Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621426484934544360noreply@blogger.com0