Before I start I should probably write some more things about Tokyo. Washrooms at a 5 star hotel have everything. A Bidet to clean ur but, and part of the mirror is heated, so condensation will not occur when you take a really nice hot bath. It's really nice!
I also met my JET predecssor in Shibuya. I originally went to Shibuya to meet her and her sister at around 9. But couldn't contact her over the phone again and decided to go back to Keio. Once I got to Keio I decided to tell her not to go to Shibuya, but she was already there. Turns out she was traveling by train and she couldn't use her phone (in Japanese trains you're not suppose to talk on the phone). So out of eagerness to meet her, I decided to return back to Shibuya. Actually the train ride to Shibuya is only 7 minutes away from Shinjuku. Harajuku is like 5 minutes travel.
After we met up, we went to some bar in the back streets (it isn't as sketchy as it sounds, backstreets are the only places where you'll find the coolest stores). Turns out this bar was sort of a rip off because it charged us cover (400 Yen), and the drinks were ridiculously expensive for a bar in Tokyo (680 - 1100 Yen) based on what you choose. They're named after movies and comics and stuff, so I guess that made them unique. We only entered the bar because of sheer thirst for alcohol. We bonded for a while and left back to our "homes". It felt like I knew her for a
really long time.
The next day I traveled to Sapporo and then took a 3hr car ride with my Supervisor, Takahata-san, to Kamikawa. He didn't speak English well, so he was glad to have me speak Japanese to him. In fact he was surprised that I was at the level I was at. When we arrived at the Board of Education (BoE) we decided to play a joke on the rest of the staff members. When I first arrived, I pretended to be able to speak only English. We met the superintendent and he spoke to me first in Japanese (being of Asian decent and appearence, they think I can speak Japanese). I replied in Japanese. When Takahata-san told me "O.K." I let the Japanese rip. He almost had a heart attack! Everybody is happy that I speak Japanese, because they're english is minimal. They're all great people and I look forward to spending the whole year (or more) with them.
After that Takahata-san, other Co-workers; Nishimoto-san, Suzuki-san and I headed to an Izukaiya with (Sit-down Bar Restaurant) called Akashi. We at Sushi, drank Beer and Sake, and talked for about 2 Hours. Todo-san joined us in between and it was a great way to talk to people. We headed to another Food place right after, I was stuffed full, and proceeded to keep drinking and eating. I ate a Curry Katsu Don and was officially innoculated in the town of Kamikawa. I hardly at much after being so full, but I plan to go back and order it again.
Today was the first day of work. Takahata-san picked me up at 8:30 and took me around town for a few errands. First was getting the Foreigner Card. We needed to have two photos of me, so we actually had to go a Photo shop, take pictures and then head back to the Town Hall. After that, I got my bank account (I had to deposit 10 Yen) and then he took me on our tour which encompassed the schools, a gym and Espawaarudo, which is Kamikawa's large bell tower that sit on the peak of a smaller mountain nearby.
After that it was back to the BoE for a bit, and then Lunch, where I went to a grocery store and bought stuff for the house. I dropped that off and headed back to the BoE. I finished the rest of my work day studying Japanese (I haven't met the teachers yet so I don't know what kind of lesson plans I should do). I headed to a bookstore run by an nice elderly lady. I ordered probably $300 CDN worth of Comics (its actually alot, about 60 books or so. I'm using comics to improve on my Japanese. Now I'm home, blogging on my laptop.
Well I'll end this blog by saying that I'm glad that to have been placed in a small town. My Japanese is going to be so much better when I come back. I'm also glad that Asahikawa and Sapporo are close by, if I ever feel that the country side is getting too bland for me. The simplicity is nice for a home, but sometimes you need to head to the big city for shopping or something. Anyway, I splurged a bit but the good thing is that I get paid in 2 and a half
weeks. But I still have lots of money left.
The only downfall I can find with this experience is the lack of TV channels, but thats because I'm being cheap and not wanting to pay for extra channels. I might want to do that, seeing on how I feel about not being able to watch the dramas I want. I'll also have to see how much it is. If anything I can always get subtitled dramas from the internet once I get my own. Right now I'm mooching off a neighbor, and I don't want to hog his bandwith. I still have to find Hockey, but I'm sure I'll find it in Asahikawa, the city 1 hour away. (less than an hour if you
take the Tokkyu train). I'll upload some pictures when I can and put them on facebook.
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