Dog Crazy!

Americans are known for their doggy-dog love but the Japanese people take their love for "man's best friend" to a new level! About a week ago I saw a man riding his bike, which had two baskets. Here it's not uncommon for most people to have one basket in the front and another in the back. The funny thing about this guy on the bike was the fact that he was carrying four dogs; two in each basket! At the time I noticed it, I was going home in Hiroko's car. I couldn't help but point and say "Oh my gosh! LOOK!".

Lauren also showed me a special toy store. Half of the retail space is alloted for children's toys while the other half is for dogs. Special dog strollers are very popular here as are dog clothes (sweaters, hats, boots, shirts, and probably pants too) and anything else you could ever imagine for your dog. Yes, even specially doggy hair ties.

By the way, Hiroko's daughter-in-law is named Harumi and she will start helping out with the business type jobs at the school on September 10th.

Baby Steps

8.29.07
To say that today was an adventure would definitely be an understatement! After chatting with some friends on Skype, I left the house around 1pm for the train station. I wasn’t scheduled for a lesson until 4pm but I didn’t want to emulate the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Especially since it was my first time taking the train to school by myself (without Lauren). I live in Sodegaura, which is right in between two train stations. If I want to go to Tokyo, it’s best to go to the Tsudanuma train station and there is a bus stop right near my house to get there. If I want to get to school in Makuhari, I have to go to the Shin-Narashino train station and I have to walk to that one. With my leisurely pace, it took me about 30 minutes to get up to the platform. It probably would’ve taken me less time but like the “alien” I am, I had to stop for some pictures.

Because I wasn’t paying attention, I missed the first train and waited about 15 minutes for the next. I wasn’t in a hurry so it was ok. I stepped off the train in Kaihimakuhari and put my memory to the test as I tried to get to school. I took a wrong turn but soon realized my mistake. Eventually, I made it to the park right near the school. I desperately wanted to take a picture of a little boy pushing his father in a stroller but I didn’t want to look too obvious. It was adorable! I was going to go right to school and then decided to go to a little bakery around the corner from school called “Lazy Afternoon”. Hiroko always points it out because she likes the name. I picked out a loaf of bread (maybe Marco Polo bread?) for 250 yen and headed back to the school for my 4pm lesson. I got there safely...YAY!

Over the bridge.

I'm going to have to explore this path later...

School is just past those far off steps.

For both my 4pm and 5pm lessons I taught a group of very quiet little girls. If you though I was a quite person, than these girls definitely put me to shame. Despite their hushed voices, they were very cute and intelligent. For my last lesson of the night, I taught Keigo. Keigo is a very good talker but needs help preparing for the SAT. I could tell that he was worried about it and tried my best to be supportive. He has four or five years until he takes the test! We had a lot in common which makes conversing easier and much more fun for the both of us. He’s a HP nut too!

After my lessons, it was time for Leah’s going away party/Lauren’s welcome party. Lauren and I told Hiroko that we would ride our new bikes home from the school, take the bus, and meet her and the rest of the gang (Leah, Peggy, and Hiroko’s daughter-in-law) just outside the Tsudanuma train station for dinner.

We were off! Did I mention it was the first time going home from school on foot and my first time riding a bike in a skirt? It was also dark out but Hiroko had just outfitted my bike with a new light for this situation. I think we ended up asking for directions three times and I fell off of my bike in front of five Japanese guys working at a gas station. I was so embarrassed until I realized that I wouldn’t ever see them again. It also started to rain, which was refreshing because Lauren and I were hot. We couldn’t help but laugh when we arrived home from the opposite direction that we had intended to come. We took the bus to Tsudanuma, met Hiroko, and walked into the restaurant.

It was almost 9pm by this time and I was starving! Dinner was so delicious. It was great to see Peggy and meet Hiroko’s daughter-in-law (I can’t remember her name for at the moment). And of course it was good to see Leah one last time before she left Japan for the U.S of A.

I have decided that I love the simplicity of Japanese food. We had: sliced fresh tomatoes with optional salt on the side, cucumbers with sesame oil and salt, raw salmon with avocado slices, edomame, some various meats which I didn’t try but Lauren seemed to like, these fried cheese dumpling like things that reminded me of Chinese food but much creamier, and some other yummy food. There was so much!

We said our goodbyes and went to bed with full stomachs.

Peggy, Leah and Hiroko at dinner.

8.30.07
Today I woke up at 8am to finish my lesson plans for the day. Lauren and I headed out of the house around noon. We wanted to ride our bikes to school but it was starting to rain and we didn’t want to chance it. The weather forecast also called for showers all afternoon. We made it to the train station in 20 minute; beating yesterday’s record.

Lauren headed off to meet a friend for lunch and I headed to school. The previous night at the going away party Leah told me about an Indian food restaurant down the street that I should visit. She said the waiters are all from Tibet and Nepal and they speak English. She told me to tell them that she sent me.

As I walked into “Jap Nepal” I was welcomed by the aroma of Indian spices, mainly curry. Expecting to speak English and be understood, I said thank you to the waiter for offering me a seat. In hind-sight, this may have not been the best choice to make but I was craving something that reminded me of home. The waiter, who later introduced himself as Bhesh, explained the menu to me. I chose the lunch buffet and ice tea for 1050 yen (about $10.50). He also pointed out the vegetarian dishes.

It was all so delicious and I wanted to try everything! I had some rice of course, curried beans (Indian style curry), thin French fries with a hot sauce on them, sweet fried bread that was slightly undercooked inside and so good, and salad (like in America). Japanese salad is very different from salad in America. As I ate, I told Bhesh that Leah has sent me and that I was a new teacher at Hands On English down the street. He smiled and spoke with a heavy accent as he brought me out a special bowl of vegetable curry just because I was a “visitor”. Along with the buffet we were also given this liquid yogurt type drink and a fruit salad with yogurt and spices. The fruit salad was so good! I’ll have to figure out how to make it. I was just about ready to pop at this point so I was very happy when Bhesh brought out my cold tea and gum syrup, which I didn’t use. In Japan they don’t use sugar packets. Instead they use liquid sugar for sweetening tea or coffee. Bhesh must have spoken to his fellow workers because Leah’s friend Sury came out to introduce himself. He was a very nice man and older than Bhesh. He asked me about my family, how long I was staying, and other causal information. They made me feel at home.

Yay for making two new friends! I also have to mention that I picked up this wickedly awesome free English magazine in at the train station. It pointed out lots and lots of really interesting sounding places that I will certainly have to visit. I also saw some familiar band names in the concert section. Bands like Less Than Jake, Ozomatli, and Rise Against! They also listed some Japanese bands and some jazz club. I’ll have to see if I can go even if the shows are a little pricey. Also, 192 Panasonic batteries make this the fastest car in the world (they talked about this in the magazine)!

My students were very rambunctious today and I almost thought I was going to lose my voice but luckily all went well and I think/hope they all learned something while having fun.

( I had a video of some breakdancers in the Kaihimakuhari train station but it was too big to load...sorry!)

Angry Cows and Ogres

8.27.07
Wastashi wa Nihon ga suki des! Ananata wa Nihon ga suki des ka?

I like Japan! Do you like Japan? Today was my third day of teaching, but realistically, it was more like my second day since the first day was so short. My classes have well and the kids have responded positively for the most part. Often, it is difficult to judge the skill level of the students, especially the younger ones, even with the brief notes from the previous teachers. Most of my first lessons have been spent trying to figure out the student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Sheila Sensei's Notes and Schedule

Monday was my busiest day with five, one hour lesson. Here’s how it went:
Sample baby lesson at 11am – Mothers brought in their 2-3 year olds to see what the school was like. These kids were seriously the most adorable thing in the world.
Lesson with Ga at 1:30 pm– Ga has an amazing imagination. I asked him how he was feeling and he said that he was happy. I asked him if he was sad, drew a sad face, and then crossed it out. He added to this by drawing an angry cow (that’s what he said it was) and crossed it out as well. Leah told me he likes the Hokey Pokey so I’ll have to work that in next week.
Lesson with the brothers at 3pm – These two little brothers named Shogo and Yuki enjoyed running around, throwing things, and saying caeru (say “kie-eh-lu”) instead of “frog”. The lesson turned around when we started writing. Many of the kids are mesmerized by writing; it makes them focus.
Lesson with the 4 year-olds at 4pm – These guys were so cute and so strong! I had them put the alphabet cards in order and then I took a few away and was sitting on them. When they found out that the cards were underneath me they started pulling them out with all their might.
Lesson with the 8 year-olds – These guys were a little challenging to teach simply because they did not know me. The girls kept chattering in Japanese and looking at me like I was an alien (Well I suppose I am but still…geesh!). They are just starting to act independently and question the authority of grown-ups like me! I’ll have to think of some things that they would have more fun doing for next week. Once I’m on their “cool list” teaching should be easier.
Lesson with Sao at 7pm – If I had any negative thoughts about my classes today, Sao’s lesson wiped those all away. She was very well spoken and we had a good conversation about her love of gymnastics and my love for skating.

By the end of the day both Lauren and I were feeling drained and a little delirious as we sat in our living room and giggled over our make-shift dinner. We had something like taco salad, but because we weren’t able to find tortilla chips at the store, we used toasted bread. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.

8.28.07
Since I didn’t have a lesson until 1:30pm, I slept in until 9am! Hiroko picked us up at noon so we could go get my mystery package at the post office. Thank you Ali (shout out!)!! I shared the chocolate with Hiroko and Lauren. Hiroko laughed when she read the saying on her Dove wrapper.

My lessons made me really happy today. Yesterday had felt off, but today was great. I just had to be myself. I taught a new student named Ririka the birdie song. Her family is moving to the U.S. soon so she will be having two lessons each week in order to prepare for her new home. I felt like a big goof singing by myself but she really loved jumping around. Hiroko was giggling at me while I sang and Lauren came out from the back just to watch. Thanks guys!

I had a bunch of 11 year old boys today and I was able to hold their attention relatively well despite their desire to crack jokes. All it takes is a good competitive game involving two teams (New Yorks vs Japan), a white board, and a race to write down the correct answer first.

Leah found some lemonade called “Lemogre” and it had a big hand grabbing a lemon on the carton. We laughed about it. When I went into the convenient store with Leah the other day she pointed out the orange chocolate and melon chocolate KitKats. She also told me that they have a cherry blossom ones during the spring. Oh, they have grape Mentos and specially iron fortified cheese (that is advertised as such) here too.

"Fe" + Cheese = Yum!

Did I mention that I saw a man in a business suit riding a metallic pink, three wheel bike with a basket in the front today?

:)

The day of rest.

8.26.07

With all the running around I have done over the past week, I decided that today was a good day to sleep in (until 9:40am), work on Monday's lesson plans, and talk to family and friends on Skype.

Lauren went out to visit some friends and I decided that after a lazy morning it was best for me to get out and go somewhere on my own. I was a little apprehensive at first since going out would be my first time around Japan completely alone. Previously I had either gone out with Leah, Hiroko, or Lauren. So I made my way toward the bus stop, which is literally a thirty second walk from my apartment door. I saw the bus coming so ran the last few steps and was able to make it just on time. I took the little ticket as I got in (Lauren learned the other day that we had to do this) and took a seat. After getting on the bus, I walked to the bookstore because I wanted to pick up these two books that Lauren and I had found a few days before. Guess what kind of books they were!? Hiragana and Katakana writing books so I can learn how to read and write some of the many Japanese characters.

I walked around the bookstore for a little while. I found a really awesome map of Tokyo with lots of tourist information. I might have to go back and purchase it. After leaving the bookstore, I walked around the area and into a music shop where I saw some familiar and some not so familiar guitars. I walked into some other shops and decided that it was about time to go back home and meet Lauren. When I got back home I took a side trip to the park right near my house. I wanted to walk around and scope it out. I found a nice bench and started reading about the four different types of Japanese characters: Hiragana, Katakana, Romanji, and Kanji. I felt a little silly tracing the Hiragana letters as little children rode past me on their bikes. Everyone has to start somewhere right?

With Lauren's help I got through my first five Hiragana characters (a say "ah", i like the "ii" in Hawii, u say "oo", o as in oak, e as "eh"). Only 41 more to go!

I saw this today and I was trying to reason it out: "imagination is more important than knowledge". Don't you need to have knowledge before you can even begin to think imaginatively? Or would knowledge cause your thoughts to become corrupted, and therefore, unable to imagine? For example, I have often thought back to the days when I was able to spend hours and hours playing outside while now I seem to get bored so easily.

What do you think?

Sheila Sensei

8.25.07

Today was officially my first day of teaching and I think it went pretty well for the most part. Lauren and I were given our schedule for next week and even though I felt a little overwhelmed I know I will be able to handle it. Once I get through the first few weeks I will be ok. Right now I just have to hold on, come up with some good ideas, and see how they work in the classroom. I have had some experience with teaching, but today I finally understood why some teachers talk about how they learn just as much from their students as their students learn from them. As a teacher, you have to be very flexible and learn to adapt to the needs of the students.

After Lauren and I got back from school we decided to clean the house. From what we could tell, our apartment hadn't had a thorough cleaning in, Oh, about a "coon's age". It just about sparkled when we were finished with it. By the time we were done, I was time for dinner. We decided to eat the left over pizza that Hiroko had given us from lunch. Picture this: broccoli (ok), shrimp (a little odd but still ok), and squid (?). As weird as it sounds, it was quite good. And did I mention it was from Pizza Hut?



Oh and I finished Harry Potter 7 tonight. Good stuff.

Discovering Japan!

8.24.07

Lauren and I set out early this morning for Meguro, a city on the Yamanote Japan Railways (JR) line. The Yamanote line also takes you to the Imperial Palace and outlines all the popular stops in downtown Tokyo: Harijuku (think Gwen Stafani), Shibuya (chalk full of shopping fun), Akihabara (tech heaven), and many more. Even though Meguro was not as popular as some of those previously mentioned stops, Lauren and I were in the mood for some natural site seeing. Our destination? The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum and gardens. The grounds was built in 1933 for Prince Asaka and his wife who were inspired by the designs they saw at an International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925. The museum and gardens opened to the public in 1983 for all Japanese people (and foreigners like me) to enjoy! The current exhibit in the museum featured Russian “designs for theater, opera, and dance” between 1900 and 1945. The costumes were just as beautiful as the initial designs they were created from. I was intrigued by the French influence on the Russian arts during this time.

After going through the museum, Lauren and I decided to head for the gardens. We stopped to eat our lunch underneath the trees (ki) while watching out for huge black crows. I was terrified by their size and Lauren also told me that they will actually remember you, and try to come back a second time, if they happen to see you with food. Eeep! All I could think of was “The Birds”.

We walked around the lawns and the Japanese gardens complete with a pond of carp, a bamboo bridge, and a little teahouse that must have once been one of Prince Asaka’s favorite spots.

After leaving the gardens, we walked around Meguro. We found a cute teddy bear shop called “Dear Bear”, a florist where you could buy Japanese crickets, a 100 yen store ($1 store), and lots more. It was close to 2pm at this time so we decided to head to Shin-Urayasu to visit Lauren’s host mother. She needed to pick up her Yucca plant and some other affects that she had left. I tried my best to communicate with her host parents; speaking as slowly as I could. I came into some troubles when I tried to explain what a bioengineer was and what I had studied. The electronic Japanese translator that her host father had did not include the Japanese word for bioengineer. :) Just before we left, Lauren’s host mother asked me if I wanted to try a Japanese pickled plum. She warned me e t it would be sour, but I thought it would be polite to just try it once. Let’s just say that I won’t be trying them for a second time even if they are supposed to be good for your health.

Hear the Japanese crickets?
(Chester Cricket's long lost cousin for those of you that read the "Cricket in Times Square")

The Japanese like seaweed.

The Japanese also like lines. Very different from your typical NYC train station.

Lauren and I were really getting tired after being out all day and decided it was best to begin our long journey home.

Upon opening our apartment door we discovered that we had some mail. A few papers from Hiroko explaining the two lessons and students that we each have to teach tomorrow as well as a package slip for me! I wonder who sent it and I can’t wait to start teaching! At 9am I’m teaching a college age student. She is studying sociology and just needs help with conversation. At 1pm I have a class of four 6 and 7 year olds. I will also have a meeting with Hiroko to go over our schedule for next week.

I’ll let you know how it goes…

Hello Japanese Paperwork!

8.23.07
Chiba “The Flowery City”

Lauren, my apartment mate and the other teacher at Hands On English, finally arrived last night around 7:15pm from the Narita Airport. It was very windy but both Hiroko and I were glad to help her off the bus and into our apartment. Hiroko promised to pick us up today at 10am so that we could go to City Hall to fill out our Alien Registration Application. Lauren and I talked a while before heading off to bed.

As my 8am alarm snapped me back into reality (Reality. Perhaps you may wish to argue that dreams are just as real as some of the images that our brain assumes while we are awake, but for now let’s get back to Lauren’s breakfast.), I staggered out into the living room and was welcomed by Lauren sitting at her laptop. She had set the table and was all ready for breakfast. I had the Sheila classic: crunchy peanut butter on toast. Lauren had some rice and we shared a Japanese pear (na-shi), which is greenish-brown and shaped more like an apple. We cleaned up, did some laundry and got ready for Hiroko to pick us up at 10am (in her Mercedes compact car with the steering wheel on the right side).

The first stop on our list was Chiba City Hall so that Lauren and I could become official aliens. Yes, my favorite color is green and I think it would be awesome to have green skin, but do I really need a card to affirm this? The answer is yes! As a side note, I should also mention that Lauren is basically fluent in Japanese. We walked up to the Alien Registration Application window, filled out some paperwork, and I was given a bunch of papers and a welcome booklet explaining everything you would ever want to know about Chiba, “The Flowery City”. We also had to fill out paperwork for health insurance. Unlike America, everyone here in Japan has to have some sort of insurance. However, many people receive health insurance benefits from their employer. I think Hiroko told me that we would be paying 5000 yen per month ($50) and Lauren also explained that we would also have to pay 30% of the bill.

Chiba City Hall

Next, we went to the Citibank (bank = ging-ko) branch here in Chiba to see if we could open an account in order to send money back home. Our trip there didn’t last long when we found out how expensive this process would be for us. The lady in the bank recommended that we open a savings account at the post office (yu-bin-kyo-ku).

Off to the post office! Post offices here in Japan are a bit different in comparison to the US mainly because you can send mail and also save money. Our mission: to open a free savings account with the post office so we could send money home! So as I stood there listening to Hiroko chatter away in Japanese with the postal worker, I tried to make sense of what she was saying. It’s funny how I find myself listening inventively, imagining that I understand what is being said, when really, I have no clue. When the lady at the desk wasn’t sure of what we needed she asked her male coworker for assistance. After he handed us our paperwork, Hiroko pulled both me and Lauren to the side. Lauren had understood most of the conversation, but I had no idea what was going on and was very surprised to find out that I had to write in kanji. Hiroko and I had a good laugh considering I have no experience in kanji writing and she was not allowed to fill out the form for me. I was able to finish the form with a lot of confusing nods and pointing from Hiroko and the post office man. Because the form was in Japanese kanji, I felt strange filling the boxes with numbers, without any idea of the meaning behind them. Eventually, I got my little savings account booklet complete with a complimentary package of tissues. Yay!

After all that, the three of us were awfully hungry. Hiroko treated us to a sushi lunch. I tried all the weird types of fish first so that I could say I had at least tried octopus, squid, crab eggs, and sweet egg. We were also served a little salad, miso soup, and green tea. Delish!

Lauren enjoying her miso soup!

After our yummy (hoy-shi) lunch, we went to the phone store and asked if my phone could be switched from Japanese to English. Because my phone was unable to do this, Hiroko paid for a new one that would. I couldn’t thank her enough for making the switch. I can actually understand what my phone says now. One less thing to be anxious about and Hiroko agreed. While I waited for my phone to be ready I saw a cute little bendy ducky.

Bendy the duck

Hooray! I placed my first order at Starbucks where I ordered a Red Bean(Azuki) Slushie in Japanese. The waitress smiled and nodded at me. I must have been beaming. It was good, sweet, but good. After we finished our drinks Hiroko departed and Lauren and I went to explore. We went into a department store and looked around for some good deals. I thought it was funny when I heard the “Buy you a drink” song that is so overplayed on the radio back home. It made me think of home when I heard it.

Ordering at Starbucks

(Rhinoceros beetle fights are common in Japan.)

Qoo or Fruity Orange anyone?

We walked around for a while and finally came home, bought some food for dinner, make fried rice and salad, ate, and planned what we were going to do tomorrow as it is our last day off for a while. We start teaching this Saturday!

Lauren just screamed. Mr. Gross the cockroach has decided to grace us with his presence. Woot!

Engrish and all its silliness!

8.22.07
Engrish Lessons

For all of us gaijin (the Japanese word for foreigner) here in Japan, one of the most interesting past times is trying to decipher the meaning behind various English translations. Because it is difficult for many Japanese to make an "l" sound, we get the word "Engrish". Yes, it is true that I have no understanding of Japanese and perhaps shouldn't be giggling over these things, but sometimes you just can't help it. Here are a few "Engrish" examples that have caught my eye over the past few days (most of these are t-shirts by the way but are no way limited to this):

• "Explicit Action"
• "Kicked, Clash, Rumble Another Myself"
• I saw something about "Fairytale Dreams" and how they had something to do with the "purethoughts" of a child.
• While looking over a man shoulder on the train I saw an article in a paper he was reading. It talked about a Halloween "pumpkin slaughtering fest". Sounds kinda intense if you ask me!

Japanese Living Lessons
That's all for now but I thought you might like to see my apartment! Oh and if you want to look at even more cool pictures please visit Leah's blog.

Before

After!

And now for some other pictures. We have my shower, which is a little different from its American counterpart. You can see the little , cream water heater that I have to light whenever I want to take a hot shower. Basically you stand on the wooden platform, hold the sprayer thing, and soap up! The little blue tub/bath to the right is just used for soaking. No soap allowed in there and you MUST be clean before you get in.

Leah was cool enough to get Lauren and I some new dishes for our apartment. Guess where they're from!? Ikea! Pretty small world right? She got us some chop sticks, some bowls, plates, glasses, and even a vase! Thank you Leah!!

I also went shopping at the Peacock grocery store that is very close to my apartment. I think it took me about two minutes to walk there. In the little plaza there is a post office, a photo developing place, a police station, and some other little stores that I have to explore. The super market was nice and cool. I picked up some bottled water, iced tea, strawberry yogurt, bread, Kleenex paper towels (Yes, Kleenex makes paper towels, but only in Japan!), and some sushi for my lunch. I thought it was tuna but my Japanese dictionary didn't agree. I'll have to ask Lauren. As I ate my lunch I looked up a few Japanese words.

peach = mo mo
tuna = ma gu ro
water = mizu

I also figured out that my cereal box says "granola" after spending about five minutes looking up the hiragana and sounding them out. :)

Lauren arrives at 6pm tonight! I'm really excited!

Welcome to Japan!

8.18.07
Welcome to Japan!
I， Sheila-san have arrived in Japan and what a beautiful country it is. My flight to Chicago (from Buffalo) landed on schedule and I was able to stop to get something to eat before boarding my flight to Tokyo. I even helped an older American lady use the sink in the bathroom. For some reason she just didn't know how to use automatic faucets. Maybe it was just a test of my teaching skills, which I seemed to have passed since she was able to finish washing her hands after I helped.

As I was getting on the plane, I realized that this stop in Chicago would be my last time standing on American soil for a whole year. This thought made me a little nervous at first, but that feeling soon subsided when I boarded the plane. I was doing it! I was on my way to Japan to teach English for a whole year!!!

The flight was pretty uneventful. I slept, read Harry Potter 7, walked around from time to time, and ate (it seemed like they fed me every two hours). As far as vegetarian food goes, it wasn't all that bad (Thank you for the warning Marilyn Goodyear! I brought along some snacks just in case).


8.19.07
Di-jo-bu! Suh-me-mah-sen! Ah-ri-gato! (Ok! Excuse me! Thanks!)

Well, here I was in Tokyo and a wave of excitement came over me as I stood up to get my carry-on, headed off the plane, and into customs. I was all ready to take the bus by myself to meet Leah, when she appeared to greet me in the arrival hall! It was so great to see a familiar face! I used the bathroom. Side note: Toilets here have like twenty million buttons that allow you to play music while you go and flush in new (to me) innovative ways that I would've never imagined.

Leah and I took the "Friendly Airport Transport" bus to the stop near her apartment and we hulled my bags through the town's Obon Festival, which was literally happening right outside her door. I also wanted to mention that cars in Japan always keep to the left rather than the right like they do in the United States. It's going to take me some getting used to while riding my bike, but it should be ok!

Paper lanterns were hanging up and down the park as people crowded around tents waiting in line for noodles, meat, and slushies. We decided to stop at Leah's place and then head back out to the festival for some food. Walking into Leah's apartment, I took off my shoes and couldn't believe how tall I felt. The ceilings here are so much lower than at home. After I dropped off my things and sat on what would be my bed for the next few days (I'll be staying with Leah until August 21st when my apartment mate comes.), we went back out and watched the Obon festival. It was great!

We went to get some more food at a deli down the street called "Mother Deli". Basically, all the food was presented to you and you walked around and scooped what you wanted into these little serving dishes that were then weighed. We paid and asked for extra ha-shi (chopsticks). After heading out of "Mother Deli", we stopped to eat our food in a park and went to a internet cafe where we checked our email and surfed the internerd. I'm about ready for bed and excited for some of the things that Leah was suggesting for the next couple of days.

8.20.07
Big Budda

Hoping to get me somewhat acquainted to the Tokyo area, Leah took me on a train ride through Tokyo to a city called Kamakura. Kamakura is famous for it's many temples, shrines, and statues of Budda. Many of these statues were very huge! We took this cute little train to the town of Hase ("ha-say") where we saw a gorgeous Japanese garden and several shrines.



















When you enter a shrine or temple Leah told me that it is customary to toss some change into a collection box, clap twice, and fold your hands in prayer. I also noticed people using the long tin spoons like in the picture below to either cleanse the statue or themselves before entering the sacred shrine/temple area. The Jiz0 statues, which are small statues that are usually presented in remembrance of babies that have died (see "In Japan" section of wikipedia article link).

We stopped at a little lunch rest stop inside the Japanese gardens for a quick bite to eat. Oh, I also have to mention that we also decided to eat because the restaurant was air conditioned :) It is very hot and humid here right now!

I had miso soup, fried rice with seaweed, and green tea. Leah had udon noodles served warm. After that we went to see the giant Budda (still in Hase). As you can see by the pictures he was very giant, and also very hollow. You had to pay to get inside but the experience was way worth the cost (200 yen or about 2 dollars) despite the heat.






















We wanted to see the caves in Enoshima, but before we went, Leah and I decided to stop at a beach. Unfortunately, we did not have our swim suits with us, but we did get to dip our toes in the water, play in the sand, and watch the surfers. We decided that one of the surfers, who was wearing a hat was our new "friend" even if he didn't know who we were!


We walked towards Enoshima but it was really hot and Leah and I were tired after a long day in the sun. We didn't get to go into the caves, but that just means we will have to come back later.


While Leah was buying something in one of the shops I heard a Red Hot Chili Peppers song and it made me think of home. :) On the train ride back to Leah's apartment we passed by Tokyo Disney Land and Sea, a huge lit up ferris wheel and ate Chunky Kids candy, which is basically like a baby Krackle bar, about half the size. They come in a box.

8.21.07
Birfday wishes!
Ok! Well I have finally had the chance to catch up on my posts! It's close to 10pm and even though I don't feel any older, I do feel tired. To make a long story short, I had a great birthday even though most of my friends and family are on the other side of the globe (shout out to y'all!). I woke up around 9am and rather than bothering Leah, I decided to get some quality HP reading time! That lasted a little while until I heard Leah's tiny voice beckoning me out for breakfast. We had decided the night before that she would make "birthday French toast" with the really thick wheat bread that the Japanese are fond of. Seriously, like one of their pieces of bread is like as thick as three of ours (ours being America). Oh and they don't really believe in multigrain, but we were able to find wheat. Good thing! So we had our French toast and read our books before heading off to the movies.

I couldn't resist taking this picture just because of the Japanese kanji. First we tried seeing Ratatouille, but because it was not playing with Japanese subtitles, meaning English dialog, we decided upon Transformers. Leah and I walked into the movie to find our assigned seats, sat down, and as the movie was just about to start we realized that we had been lead into the Oceans 13 movie instead. I didn't mind and neither did Leah so we stayed put. It was nice and cool inside the movie theater and after it let out we went to Tully's cafe so Leah could work on some things for school. I read HP.



















Hiroko (Peggy and Hiroko own the school I'm teaching at) met us at the school and showed me around. The classroom was so adorable and very well decorated. Even without the students it seemed like it was alive and exciting. Leah pointed out the many teaching resources that would be available to me and Lauren.

(Hiroko and I in my new kitchen!)

Hiroko then took Leah and I back to Leah's place to get my things so that I could move into my new apartment! As I walked through my apartment door I couldn't help but feeling excited, and a also a little overwhelmed as Hiroko showed me how to light the water heater for a warm shower and start up the washing machine. Leah, Hiroko, and I all had a laugh when Hiroko sprayed herself showing me how to do both those things. All I could think of was Mom Hensen "playing fireman". :)

As a surprise, Hiroko offered to take me, Leah, her, and Peggy out for dinner! We went to a Japanese pub. There is a Japanese word for pub, but I can't remember it right this moment. We ordered lots of food including: tofu, raw cabbage leaves with dipping sauce, raw salmon, "Buffalo" chicken wings, another style of chicken, salad with some sort of root too, and garlic bread sticks. We all shared everything and had a few laughs. It was good to spend time with Hiroko, Peggy, and Leah (Hiroko and Peggy, shown below, are sisters.). I went to use the bathroom (aka toilets as they're called here. Just like Australia!) and when I came back this is what greeted me!



















I can't say I've ever had a salmon and ice cake! We couldn't stop laughing. Afterwards, they dropped me off at my apartment, gave me a Japanese phone which I don't know how to use because it's in Japanese, and left me alone.

It's hot and late, so until another time, Kampi! (Cheers!)


Up next...
Engrish and all it's silliness!

An Introduction...

After much careful consideration, I have wholeheartedly decided to begin a blog. Simply put, I am dedicating this blog to my travels and the "amazingness" of life in general.

Thank you for reading,
Sheila