Burento in Japan

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 – 8:47am

            So, Monday night I did a little trek around my neighbourhood.   Found an internet café near me and went for dinner by myself, which was an experience all on its own.  The cook actually knew a fair bit of English which was good and bad at the same time as I wasn’t forced to use Japanese.   The food was good and I took a picture as I’m getting flak for not having pictures of my daily life and what I see from parties that will remain unnamed.   On that note, I took pics all the way home from work yesterday as well as running around the school taking pics of the kids getting ready for the school festival.  It should be a blast.   From what I can tell the school won’t even look like a school.  I’m going to take tons of pics there too, so there is a before and after comparison.   The walk around the school was interesting.  It showed me that some kids already hate me as they did not look impressed after I took their picture, which I tried to do randomly so that kids weren’t posing or anything.   You’ll notice the peace sign, from what I’ve been told they don’t even know what it means, they just do it when a picture is being taken.  Anyway, some kids loved it, girls squealed with delight (why wasn’t I this cool when I was in high school?) and some of the guys were right into it while others looked extremely pissed off.   But the pictures show it all, as soon as I get to an internet café they will be up, which will most likely be early Thursday morning for you guys, tonight for me.   Until then I’ll just keep getting Mo to upload my blogs for me. 

            Oh, I also went to Judo last night.  I have pics of the place.   It looks pretty good, but I think it’s a place where students go to brush up.  There is no like formal teaching or anything, everyone just gets into pairs and then they go at it.   Will and I will learn a lot as we know nothing.  But I think I’ll have the advantage from my Ju-Jitsu background.   It was weird to watch Will though b/c he doesn’t know any Japanese and these guys don’t know any English and he picked it up pretty quickly.  I have to watch tomorrow night and then Tuesday I can start, provided I can find the place that sells Gi’s.   I’m going to ask around today in the office. 

            Judo made me realize why the Japanese live so long, which has been a question on my mind since I arrived and someone told me that the Japanese have the longest life expectancy in the world ( I don’t know if that’s fact or not but it seems plausible).   So, here’s what I’ve discovered.  They are ACTIVE all their lives.  I’ve seen old old women that could barely walk riding bikes with a 50lb bag of rice tethered to the back and some more groceries in the front basket.   There were 75 year old men at Judo it was funny to watch one balding guy always grappling with the young girls even though everyone else was just practicing stand up.   Every time I looked at him he was rolling around with some girl.  Furthermore, Green Tea, there’s gotta be something in that stuff cuz they drink it like it’s going outta style, cold, warm, with every meal.   Oh, and speaking of MEALS, I had dinner at Yoshinobu (or something like that) last night, it’s like the Japanese equivalent to McDonalds.   K, I had like a battered piece of chicken on rice with some type of egg thing going on and onions or something.   Not that I  knew what it was when I ordered, I just looked at the pictures and pointed, saying koko, which I thought meant this, but I’m pretty sure it means this place, so I’m an idiot foreigner.   Also I paid when the food came, cuz I was told it was Japanese McDonalds, again, not necessary.  So I walked out being the idiotic gaijin (alien).   So ya, that’s why I think that the Japanese live so long, good diets no matter where they eat and constantly active.  A guy at Judo who spoke a bit of English was 30 years old and had been doing Judo for 27 years.   They all stick to something and do it forever, the fact that most of the young people there just got off their Judo club at school and headed directly for this dojo to practice more attests to this.   If one were to try and introduce this into a Western setting the kids would tell you to…well you know.  Ya, that’s it for now.   The pics will say it all.

Peace

B

K, here is a link that will show you all of my albums and then you can go through as you like opposed to having to individually link to each album.   If you google Brent Stirling it’s the 2^nd link…I was 3^rd about a week ago, now I’m 2^nd. If this keeps up I’ll be the most popular Brent Stirling on the internet.

Sunday August 27, 2006 – 3:24pm

            Finally…I’ve been looking forward to writing this blog.  To just set this up…yesterday was by far the best day that I have had in Japan.  SUGOY!!  (Amazing)  But, I have had a pretty kickass last 3 days.   So, obviously in my blogging style I am going to go through everything.  LOL. 

            Thursday after work I went and bought a phone at the electronics store that is on the way home from work.   There are only 2 in the city and this is the smaller of the two but it’s still pretty big.  The phone selections were very limited.   There was one phone for 3000 yen (30 dollars) and then every one after that was upwards of 100 dollars.  There were like 20 phones that ranged from 100 to 400 dollars.   YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME.  I ran into Dave who speaks a bit of Japanese at the store and together we kinda found one for me.   It came with a portable and a base phone for 8800 yen (88 dollars, you guys should be getting the conversion by now).   So ya, now I have a phone.

So, Thursday night I went out for curry with Dave, Alex and Katie (the three people I went to Iwaki with) and a late addition was Sheila, a Canadian in the city that lives in the building that 6 JETs live in.   She was the exact opposite of me.  Very quiet very introverted.  So, I really didn’t talk to her much.   The curry place was in like a building at the very back.  I wonder how anyone ever finds these places or how they survive as businesses.   Anyway, the place was very Indian and apparently the owner Mana also sells cars, which was an alternate point of interest for me.  But he was not there.   We all just sat around and talked about comedians and stuff at this small table which was one of the 4 that this place had.  So, we ended up talking about comedians.   This comes into play later.  Dane Cook has a joke where he talks about Karen, who is a douche.  I’m pretty much only explaining this for you Mom cuz everyone else knows exactly what I’m talking about…but here we go.   Karen is the friend in the group that no one likes but is always around and when she’s not around everyone makes fun of her.  She’s pretty much there so that people can shit talk her.   Every group has one.  In the skit he says…now if you’re sitting there thinking…my group doesn’t have someone like that…YOU’RE THE GUY….you are Karen.   So we talked about this ha ha, very funny.  It comes into play later on…so just chew on that little fact for awhile…delicious.

            So, we left the curry place and now because we’ve had a beer or two in my case, we decide that going for a drink somewhere else is a good idea.  Sheila bailed because…I don’t know why, I think the street lights were on or something and it was past her bedtime…it was about 9.  We got in touch with Will and he met us and we all went to a place called As Seen As (don’t ask me).   It was a swank little bar with couches in U shapes around small tables.  I liked it.  Japanese bars are very different then the bars at home.   There isn’t like an open area where people mingle.  It’s more like a sit down at table kind of thing.  Anyway, we all had two beers and they all made fun of me for not having a cell phone as I am the only one who doesn’t have one yet because I’m the only one from Group B and still waiting on my Alien Registration card.   It was a good time and Will told me about a place that he’s going to take Judo, so I told him I would join with him.  Apparently it’s like a YMCA almost and it’s free to get a membership and it costs you 100 yen (1 dollar) every time you go.   SWEET DEAL.  But apparently they don’t like have classes, it’s more like they just go at it, as Will said, “You just get a partner and see who can kick the shit out of who.”   So, I’m down.  It’s on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 to 8:30.  So, we all parted ways after we finished our big beers and there was talk of going to an Izakaya (a Japanese style bar) Friday night.   I biked the stupid half hour home and that was that. 

            Friday at work was the longest day of my entire life.  I have read the entire New York Times every day for the last week…it gets boring after awhile.   If I didn’t have that gmail chat thing, I might kill myself.   So, during the day I had emailed Katie’s cell and had got her to take my number at home and call me with when and where we were meeting.  So, I got home and just bummed around the house, did a load of laundry, blah blah.   So it got to about 6:30 and no call.  So, I cracked a beer and started playing spider solitaire.  7 o’clock hits…and still nothing.   The night before we had met at 7:30 for curry and I figured it would be the same deal.  But at 7 I’m thinking…k, I don’t want to be that desperate guy and call Katie only to have her say…chill we’re not meeting till 8:30 or something.   So I sit and play solitaire.  Now I start thinking…AM I KAREN??  Are they ditching out on me?   Maybe no one likes me and they just put up with me cuz I’m new?  Apparently Japan Brent over analyzes just like Canada Brent.  So at 7:30 I just can’t take it and I call Katie’s house, I’ve been told land line to cell phone is intensely expensive.   She picks up the phone and I say….hey…what’s the deal?  And what does she say…Thank god, I knew u’d panic and call eventually.   Apparently she forgot to take my number down before she left work and she doesn’t have net at her place so she couldn’t get it from her email.  All I could say was…I thought I was Karen…to which she starts howling as I realize…who couldn’t like me…I am the man!   LOL.

            So, I meet up with Katie and we jet down to where Alex and all the other JETs from the city are.   Group C had arrived that day we got one guy…Mark.  I didn’t talk to him and he and Sheila seemed quite engaged in the corner.   So there were about 20 of us in our own little room.   Katie and I go in and she starts ordering a ton of food for us.  Which I then realize later was a good call, because they just divided the bill evenly.   So everyone had to pay 3000 yen (30 bux).  I felt bad for one girl who wasn’t even drinking cuz she was driving and she had a juice or something.   So after leaving the Izakaya around 9 or so, everyone dispersed, including Will who wanted to get up early and go to Iwaki the next day.  This left me, Alex, Katie, Pete and Dylan.   Pete lives just outside the city and has a car that is paid for by the Prefecture, he’s also new and Dylan is a 2^nd year CIR who reminds me a lot of Dylan Smith…except Japanese Dylan has passed the level one Japanese test, which some Japanese can’t even pass and he has a Kiwi accent.

Dylan takes us to this Jazz bar called Catfish, which is rather dead, but the amount of stuff they had all over was crazy.   It could probably only hold about 25 or 30 people but they had records and posters all over the walls, a cityscape in twilight painted on an entire wall and a random assortment of things on the bar, Barbie in a rocking chair with a Michael Jordan doll hanging off the back of it, a stuffed Gorilla sitting at one of the bar stools with a Cowboy hat, as well as a ton of other stuff that made no sense.   We left after a drink.  The next place was right cool.  I had seen it a few times and thought that it was for Yakuza or something all because of the door.   Down a random street there is a sliding panel in the wall of one building, it’s probably 3 feet high by 3 feet wide.  This is where we went.   Upon passing through the teeny tiny doorway, an entire restaurant is spread out in front of you.   It was amazing.  The place looked like someone from Ikea had come and set up the entire thing from lighting to chairs but they had added a little bit of Japanese flare to it.   It was good we had Dylan because Alex and Katie couldn’t make anything of the menu which wasn’t full of pictures like normal that you can just point to, it was all in some intense Kanji or at least Kanji that they couldn’t read.   So we got some gyoza (dumplings) and a few pitchers of beer (first time I’ve seen pitchers of beer in Japan).  At this point I realize that everyone is wasted….Pete could barely stay awake and Alex was slurring his words, I on the other hand felt like I was on my first beer.   Now Pete, Alex and Dylan did drink at the Izakaya for an hour or so before I even showed up there.  So, we all decide we’re doing a shot of the cheapest whisky they have….BAD IDEA.   It was the most horrible stuff that existed and Alex had to sit quietly for about 10 min after doing it so that he didn’t puke.  I laughed like crazy…but it didn’t sit too well with me either.   After a little while of dealing with the drunkards I tried to get another shot so I could catch up…to which everyone hopped on board and I wasn’t getting ahead but just putting everyone around closer and closer to puking everywhere, which was fun.   So finally we called it a night and the weirdest thing happened…as we were leaving they gave all of us bananas, kind of like the mints you get at the end of a meal when you pay…but they were bananas…weird eh? I got home at like 1 or so and realized…wait a minute, it’s only 1am…so I had the last beer of the six pack that I bought when I first got to Fukushima.  

Now, for the greatest I have had in Japan.  I woke up around 12…so good to sleep in!   I headed to the Internet Café to do a bit of emailing.   I email Katie’s phone when I get there to see if it’s alright if I drop by to pay for Sumo and Canyoning (2 weekends that are coming up for me, sumo in Tokyo and Canyoning and Gunma prefecture).  She says that’s cool.  About 30 min later, Will shows up at the café…looking for me.   He hasn’t left for Iwaki and he wants me to go.  Now, I didn’t have any plans for the day but I knew I wasn’t going to Iwaki.  So, Will and I went for a quick bite at a sushi place at the station and then hung out for about 30 min outside ridiculing Japanese fashion which is always fun.   He jumped on his bus and I headed over to Katie’s to give her cash.  After the transaction I really didn’t have anything specific planned but felt like I should at least go cuz I didn’t want to just crash in on Katie.   (Wow this is getting long and btw it’s Monday at 9:36am and I’m at work now, apparently I’m doing nothing all week again).  So I went to leave and Katie was going to ride with me to a store by my place.   Somehow it came up that she just wanted to get out of her apt so she ended up taking me to the big electronics store on the other side of Mt Shinobu (the mountain in the middle of the city).   There is a tunnel that goes through it, one for cars and one on either side of the road for bikes, although the bike paths are completely separate.  The tunnel is like 1.5 kilometers long and it was so cool, like temperature wise and coolness wise.  Anyway, we came out the other side and went to a huge electronics store.   I ended up buying an ipod nano cuz I messed my other one up and speakers for my computer (look out neighbours!!).  After that I told her I’d take her for dinner and we rode back across the entire city to a place right near my apt.   Although we went to my apt first for me to drop off my stuff and finally an actual human being that is not my supervisor got to see my apt, which was kind of exciting for me.   We then went to this place that I cannot remember the name of nor the name of the food we had, Katie explained it as like a fritter, but New Zealander to Canadian that doesn’t make sense cuz I kept thinking of like an apple fritter from Tim Hortons.   So, we went in and were seated at a table.  Each table had a huge heated section in the center, I want to say like burner or something but it wasn’t like that.   It was like the place we went to the night before I left, so only 3 ppl will get that, although we didn’t have someone cooking for us.  So we ordered like 3 small dishes of random stuff.   They came and you mix them all up and then pour them onto the grill (it wasn’t like a grill either cuz there were no spaces.  Anyway you make the piles of random food into like a square and I realized that it was like making an omelette.   So we had 3 different types and god knows what was in them.  I just let Katie order them cuz I had no idea what was about to go down as the mis-communication of fritter had me quite frazzled.   So we let them cook and talked about how the JET programme does more then just internationalize the Japanese students but also the JET’s and not only with Japanese culture but with multiple cultures.   Like she told me about New Zealand and what it’s like…which has now made me want to go pretty bad and I told her about Canada and we talked about similarities and differences etc etc.   I’ve found that there is no lack of conversation when 2 people from different cultures are in a different culture from their own.  Not that I ever have a problem with lack of conversation, but it’s even easier now.  

So after dinner we called Alex and went and met him downtown at Rag Time, a really small but nice sports bar, at least I think it was a sports bar.   The waitress hit on Alex for awhile and then we took off.  As we were walking down the street we ran into Kume, a tiny Japanese guy about our age that apparently Alex knew quite well as he picked him up and carried him a little while asking him where we were going.   So Kume tried to take us to one bar that his friend owned but they were pretty much full and couldn’t accommodate us.  So Kume called another friend and we went to meet them…at Catfish the place we had been the night before.   This time Catfish was was more busy then it had been the night before but contained about 5 other foreigners, which is overly strange.  Also we had to pay cover.   Apparently the other foreigners teach at James which is a private English school, so they are in essence…the enemy.  It was apparently one guy’s going away party.   After paying cover and having a beer we all did a shot and Alex said, “O.K we’re not the token Gaijin (foreigner, or more directly Alien) here so I say we bounce.”   We all agreed and were out on the street again which was just filled with people.  The weirdest thing is the hostess bars or snack bars.  There are like 9 guys out on the streets in white dress shirts, with black ties and pants on with about 2 or 3 good looking girls.  The girls try and get you to go in to the bar which costs something like 8000 yen (80 bux) for 1 hour and all they do is sit and talk with u and your drinks are paid for.   At least this is what I hear.  I had seen guys earlier that day when I was with Will trying to get girls to work in these bars.   It’s the weirdest thing to watch happen.  They just run up to any girl and talk to them and then they run back to one guy who is dressed in the white shirt black tie get up.   So weird. 

Anyway, we made the decision that we would go somewhere where none of us had been before, which was an easy enough task for me.   It’s amazing that in a city of almost 400,000 people how many bars etc exist.  In Fukushima, there have to be at least triple the amount of bars there are in Hamilton but with far less seating capacity.  So we find a place called Retro Bar, we go down the stairs and go in.  It was not retro in the 80s sense at all, instead it reminded me of Cheers but where no one knew my name and they didn’t look too glad that we came.   This bar on the other had was quite big compared to the other bars in Fukushima with at least 8 or 9 tables that could sit 4 people and a bar about the size of the one at Snooty.   We ordered beers and they came in tall glasses that looked almost like long wine glass instead of pints and I realize we’re in a class joint.  Alex decides we need to do a shot.   I ask if they have Southern Comfort obviously to make a Rocky Mountain Bear Fuck, but obviously they do not.  So we do the next best thing, half whisky half tequila.   Alex explains this to the waiter in perfect Japanese and the next thing you know a Japanese girl is at our table from another table trying to translate.   She says to the waiter exactly what he said and finally we get the shots.  These would become the theme of the night.  We bought the girl who spoke English a drink for getting us the shots and eventually her and her two friends joined us.   All three of them were English students and spoke decent English to say the least.  They told us about being at a wedding earlier that night in a Karaoke Bar, they do love their Karaoke here.   Soon after we were joined by the English speakers a group of about 12 Japanese people came in, 6 guys and 6 girls.  The bar had been slowly clearing out up until this point.   We learned later that this group was on a group date and most of them didn’t know each other at all.  Apparently how it works is like 2 guys get a few of their friends together but they don’t necessarily know each other and girls do the same.   Now one guy may know one girl but that’s about it and they all go out and attempt to pair up.  For the Japanese if a guy and girl are seen alone together it means they are together.   While on my way to the bar the night before some girls had yelled something at us which meant love love (there are supposed to be two) or something and I learned this Japanese idea.  

Back to Retro Bar…we slowly ended up joining this table of 12.  One of them spoke English the rest did not but were hilarious.   The two guys I was sitting near were obviously the most boisterous of the group.  They kept saying stuff like NOOOOO PROOOBLLLEEEMMM!!!!!   Which I found hilarious!  As well, instead of saying sumimasen (excuse me) when they wanted a drink they would turn to the waiter and be like….EEXXCCUUUUSEEE MEEEE!!!   So at one point after we had about 6 of our half tequila half whiskey shots in us one guy asked me if I wanted a shot to which I replied YEEAAAAAHHHH, Drew you’re going to have to do that for Mom so she knows what’s going on.   The next thing I know I have an entire table of Japanese repeating after me WHAAAAT?!?!?!?! YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!! OOOOOKKKKK!!!!!  It was like call and answer, then we started turning it into Japanese, NAAAANNEEEEE!?!?!?!   HAAAIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!  OOOOOKKKK!!!!! (the Japanese use O.K).  It was absolutely the most fun I have had here.   Obviously the entire night didn’t consist of just that Alex and Katie talked a lot in Japanese and translated for me which was nice.   Although sometimes I demanded that they tell them some things.   It was amazing.  So we left Retro Bar at around 1:30 or so and hit the conbini (convenience store) near Katie’s place for some food and I grabbed a beer.   We all crashed out there and I got up yesterday around 12 and headed home.  Now, over the weekend I did spend 1000 dollars, but I paid for a bunch of stuff and had the greatest weekend so far in Japan.  Now I have to wait 5 days to do it all over again….Hope everything is good with everyone.  Peace,

Brent

(I know this was long, but seriously, you all know me, what did you expect?)

August 24^th, 2006, 11:00am

Yesterday I had my phone set up.  So after work, I went looking for a phone.  There’s a huge electronics shop on my way home so I figured I would stop in there.  At 6:00 I pull into the parking lot to see no cars and all the lights off, even though the sign clearly says open until 8pm.  So…I’m like whatever, I’ll go exploring…So I go into a random store that was like….a grocery store minus the food, well it had some food but it was mostly like cleaning supplies…and random knickknacks you need for your house…but no phones.  Then it was to an office place, once again, no phones.  After that, I rode down a random street but did not see any place that would have phones, I did go into a video game store…but obviously they didn’t have phones.  I went into a place like home depot and asked denwa wa doko des ka (I thought it meant Where is a phone?) But after the guy led me outside to a payphone I knew something was wrong.  I made the no no motion with my head and said…a phone, to buy and made the giving money sign.  He shook his head no and I moved on.  I realized after looking it up that denwa means phone call and there was no phone in my English to Japanese dictionary…I explored further and found a 7-11 (they’re everywhere around here, but I hadn’t seen one near me) and a few dry cleaners along with a couple small restaurants, but no place to buy phones. 

So I went to where I always go when I want something random that I can’t find, the grocery store near my house.  So I walk in, walk up a few aisles but see nothing so I turn to a girl, make the motion of a phone and then say doko des ka?  She goes gets another guy and they start to lead me to the front of the store…obviously to a payphone.  I say no no….I look up the word home say that and then make the motion of phone…they continue to lead me outside….I realize this was taken as phone home.  I look up the word for buy and they walk back to where the registers are.  I see a landline phone and I point at it and I’m like….I want to buy that and I say buy in Japanese.  They look around and page someone or something.  I now have about 4 people crowded around me.  Look at the foreigner…he’s so funny with his funny funny words.  So a manager and another guy show up.  The other guy speaks English…SWEET DEAL.  He’s like, I’m Fu Meng, I’m from
China, I’m not Japanese.  I was like, cool man.  I want a phone for my apartment.  He says ya, come with me.  Again, takes me to the front of the store to a pay phone.  This guy’s English was amazing, his pronunciation was awesome, but I still wasn’t getting through.  I see a phone over by where everyone who was helping me was standing and point at it.  I say, “I want one of these for my apartment, you know, so I can call people from home, like my family or friends.”  So he says oh….and turns to the manager.  All of a sudden the manager’s on the phone.  I figure he’s finding out where the phones are.  So awhile goes by and Fu Meng asks me where I’m from.  I figure he’s just killing time.  The manager is writing stuff down and Fu is talking to him.  Then I realize.  I turn to Fu and I’m like…is he finding out if I can call home from this phone?  Fu nods.  I start howling and I’m like…no I want to be able to do this from my apt, you have a phone at your place right?  I just got here and it just got hooked up and I just want to buy a phone.  Fu laughs too…he tells the manager who says mushi mushi, which I can only imagine means…forget that.  Fu tells me no they don’t sell phones, but there is an electronics shop up the road.  I tell him I’ve been there and I thank them and laugh all the way out of the store.  Just goes to show how far the Japanese will go to help anyone out.  Some grocery store chain like Fortinos or The Barn was going to let me call Canada to talk to my family.  How cool is that?

In other news, this morning I gave my speeches.  The speech to the staff was alright, but obviously I butchered it and everyone was dead quiet.  They clapped at the end I sat down.  I didn’t get nervous cuz it was kinda like standing in front of a bunch of people and speaking jibberish.  BADLY PRONOUNCED JIBBERISH.  After I did the speech I realized…wow that is excruciatingly long!  I also realized that my speech for the school was equally as long in front of like 40x the amount of people, so I cut out a ton of it.  Soon after my first speech at the staff meeting, kids poured out into the hallways.  In Japan the kids are the janitors at schools.  They have 2 gardener/handymen but the kids clean the school everyday for half an hour.  Brooms, mops sponges everything came out.  Kids were in the staff room, the washrooms, the class rooms all cleaning.  It was weird.

Then after that we headed to the opening ceremony/assembly.  HOLY 1000 JAPANESE KIDS STARING AT ME BATMAN!!  Every kid that came in was staring at me and laughing and waving etc etc.  I didn’t know what to do.  The English teacher who showed me my seat had disappeared and I was sitting in a chair with two teachers to either side of me with an empty chair in between each of us.  Kids were just staring…all of them…just looking at me…it was like nothing I have ever experienced.  At one point the English teacher came back and I turned and said…ever had the feeling that everyone was looking at you?  She replied, no, but everyone is looking at you.  I KNOW I said.  It was intense.  Finally the assembly started and I headed up on stage with the principal (Kocho-sensei) who then gave my introduction in English, it was short like, this is Brent Stirling, he is from Canada, I hope you all show him respect and study English hard. 

            So after that I did my little, Hi, I’m Brent from Canada, I love Japan ra ra sis boom ba and I was done.  Thank god.  It was really weird.  Then there was about 45 min of speeches in Japanese and some awards were presented.  Then…back to the office.  And here I sit.  I thought that I’d get to do stuff from here on out, but apparently I have to wait until Monday.  So here I sit chatting to Mo on gmail chat, which is the only way around the school firewall.  I imagine I’m going to do this for the next two days at least.  If anyone wants to chat, my gmail account is silverstirling4@gmail.com (sound familiar).

Peace for now,

Brent

I feel like you should send stuff to my home address….cuz…it would be easier for me to pick stuff up from the post office which is way closer to my apt opposed to the school.  And plz wait at least till the 30th when i have internet phone to call because it might cost me a ton.  I feel like calling isn’t a good idea anyway b/c I can easily just talk to ppl on the net and it costs me nothing.

peace

Brent

So, this is the 3rd post I’m putting up, but I paid for 3 hours of net and I’ve only been here an hour….anyway, on thursday I have to give a speech to the ENTIRE school and then to the teachers at the school.  My supervisor is off all week so it should be pretty bad…but here are my speeches….try and say this 5 times fast.  Ya, i realize they’re pretty much the same…but c’mon now…i pretty much wrote them myself.

peace

Brent

Office speech
 

Mina sama hajimemashite. 

Watashi wa Brent Stirling to moshimasu. 

Mada nihongo ga amari hanasenakute sumimasen. 

Watashi wa Kanada no
Hamilton kara kimashita. 

Watashi wa ni-ju-yon sai desu.

Nihon wa hajimete desu ga, zutto nihon ni kitai to omotte imashita.

Watashi wa gogatsu ni Mcmaster University o sotsugyo shimasita.

Watashi no senmon wa rekishi desu.  Sonohokani eigo ni kansurukoto o manande imasita.

Watashi no shumi wa sketobodo des ga, Nihongo ni totemo kyomi ga arimasu.

Mina sama to issho ni oshigoto ga dekiru koto o koei ni omoimasu. 

Oku no katagata to shiriai ni nareru koto o tanoshimi ni shite orimasu. 

Dozo yoroshiku onegashimas.

  School Speech 

Mina sama hajimemashite. 

Watashi wa Brent Stirling desu.

Mada nihongo ga amari hanasenakute sumimasen.  

Watashi wa Kanada no Hamilton kara kimashita. 

Watashi wa ni-ju-yon sai desu.

Nihon wa hajimete desu ga, zutto nihon ni kitai to omotte imashita.

Watashi wa gogatsu ni McMaster University o sotsugyo shimasita.

Watashi no senmon wa rekishi desu.  Sonohokani eigo ni kansurukoto wo manandeimasita.

Watashi no shumi wa sketobodo des ga, Nihongo ni totemo kyomi ga arimasu.

Dekirudake okuno minasan to hanashi ga dekiru koto wo tonoshimi ni shite imasu.

Oku no katagat to shiriai ni nareru koto o tanoshimi ni shite orimasu. 

Dozo yoroshiku onegashimas.

August 21^st, 9:10am

So, I left for
Iwaki on Friday after work.  It took me an 30 min to bike home and 30 min to bike to the station.  I met Dave, Katie, and Alex, who are all Fukushima city JETs.  We hit the train at 6pm and got to Iwaki about 8pm.  We went to Chris’ to drop all of our stuff then went for curry at this sweet place where the Babba the Indian guy that owned it spoke English.  It was really kickass.  Afterwards, Dave went to his g/f’s place and Chris went back to his own place where the rest of us were crashing.  We went and played pool a bit and then back to Chris’.  The next morning, we were all up at 7:30 to catch the train at 7:58 to the beach.  Yes, train, Iwaki is the 3^rd largest city, area wise, in Japan or something like that, but with only 100,000 people.  So we hit the train and were there by 8:30 for a volleyball tournament.  It was extremely hazy…like I couldn’t see the water from the beach and it wasn’t that far away.  It stayed like that pretty much all day.  At some points it got clear and then at others it was soo foggy, but it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining the whole time which was weird cuz you couldn’t see the water.  Iwaki struck me as like the beach bum/hippie/skater hangout, at least at the beach.  There were tons of Japanese hippies everywhere, it was pretty cool. 

            So, I was obviously in the ocean as soon as we got there.  About my third time in, what do I do?  The floor of the ocean was very uneven, sometimes it was really deep and you’d walk four feet and the water would only come up to your knees.  So, one time, running in I dove, from a deep part, obviously where?? Right into the sand!  I ripped up myself pretty bad and did not play volleyball because of it.  We had enough people anyway and it was probably better that I didn’t play.  Eventually the bleeding stopped anyway.  The day went on the drinks flowed it was insane.  They had local bars etc with little shops set up where you could buy food and beer.  The beach was full of tents by about 7…well, not full, but there were a lot.  Everyone was drinking on the beach, people were driving their cars on it everything.  As night came they had about 8 DJ’s and one was really famous from Tokyo apparently.  As well, they had a half pipe and moto-cross jumpers.  I passed out in my sleeping bag on a tatami mat at about 12:30 or so (no tent) as the day of drinking had done me in.  All in all there were about 50 JETs at this thing, which made it fun.  I even talked to one person who worked for NOVA (the enemy!).  There were a ridiculous amount of foreigners, but obviously we were outnumbered by the Japanese. 

            I woke up at 6:30am to some people packing up and realized that my entire body was BURNING!  I put sun screen on about 40 times, the water proof, sweat proof stuff….apparently not good enough or something.  I realized that I had neglected my feet and legs as well.  HOLY RED TOWN BATMAN!!  Everything on me hurts today.  I tried to stay out of the sun yesterday as anytime the sun hit any part of my body I died.  Apparently pasty white boys from Canada should be on a Japanese beach for 12 hours of sunlight.  This is what I have learned this weekend.  The wake up made me realize how awesome Japanese society is.  Alex had left his fold up chair WAAY over by the volleyball courts all night.  While he packed the tent I went looking for it.  Lo and behold it was in the exact same spot with some water bottles and a full beer that hadn’t been opened underneath it, just as he had left it at least 12 hours before that.  As well, Japanese helpers came around and handed out garbage bags and everyone cleaned the beach, and I mean EVERYONE.  Even before we played volleyball, each team got two garbage bags and cleaned up the area around the nets.  Not that it needed to be cleaned up that badly as the beach was pretty much spotless, but still everyone helped.  That’s what’s amazing about Japanese society.  They clean up after themselves and if it’s not theirs they don’t touch it.  It is the coolest thing ever. 

Anyway, we came back on the train, then bus.  And all I did yesterday evening…was nothing.  So, now I’m sitting at work….doing nothing.  My supervisor isn’t here for the rest of the week and I have the opening ceremony on Thursday, during which I will give a speech to the entire school and then the entire staff, all without the help of my supervisor.  SCARY!!  I have the speech written and she’s checked it over.  So, I hope it goes well.  Peace for now.

B

P.S - I get my phone line on August 23rd and hopefully my internet on August 30th…I can’t wait.

Iwaki pics - didn’t take many because I didn’t want to get my camera covered in sand - http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/57346.121a27af0a3

August 18^th, 11:37am

So, here I am at work again.  My two day orientation was good and then disastrous.  Wednesday I had to bike to a hotel that is downtown, about a half hour ride.  There was an opening ceremony and greetings.  They are all about ceremonies here.  There’s a ceremony to open the opening ceremony and a ceremony to close the opening ceremony, along with the actual ceremony itself.  Then we all met with our respective groups in
Fukushima which was good for networking.  I now know some people in the area, but I realized that everyone else is so close to down town and I’m like way out in the boonies.  We all broke into different groups for lunch.  I signed up for sushi and we went to this sweet place at Fukushima station where the plates move around on a conveyer belt and you just pick them up.  I know there are places like this in Canada I’ve just never been to one.  I had like 11 plates and it cost me 14 bucks.  Then we went back for team teaching workshops which were very helpful.  Anyway, blah blah, the thing ended.  That night we went for Nomi-Hodai which is translated as (all you may drink) but for foreigners it means…drink u’r face off.  So, in true Canadian fashion…which is still my nickname I did.  The club we went to was not very big and had no one in it.  But when you’re going out with 70+ people it really doesn’t matter.  A good time was had by all and I had a few people walk me to my bike around 2:30 for an eventful ride home.  I rode the wrong way for about 5 min.  So I passed out around 3. 

This is where disaster strikes.  Apparently Japan Brent and Canada Brent have the same amount of luck.  I woke up to the buzzer of my apartment and realized it was 10:30.  Attendance was mandatory at this orientation and they had warned they would tell our supervisor if we weren’t there.  So, the buzzer was a guy delivering my bank card.  I grabbed it from him and got ready.  I was at the hotel by around 11 or so.  To which I was informed that not only had they phoned my supervisor and she was on her way to my apartment to get me, they had also called the supervisor of all the English teachers in all of Fukushima prefecture….WTF? my only response to that.  So this guy who had given a speech the day before was now coming to talk to me…AWESOME.  So he came we chatted…it was not fun.  They’re going to take 2 hours off of my vacation time and I had to write a letter of apology (apparently that’s the custom here).  So I did that this morning…which was not cool.  Ito-sensei, my supervisor said it should be a page single spaced.  How in the hell do you stretch, I’m really sorry, I won’t do it again, I promise into an entire page??  I’m making a great first impression.  As well, it seems that everyone in the office knows.  Which the office is full today for the first time so it’s great to come in and try and meet people and have them stare at you like a leper.

But anyway, last night I ended up going out for pizza to this sweet place and it was a bit weird, but still good.  After that we went to Round 1.  This place IS INSANE!!  It’s 8 floors of video games, roller skating, basketball courts, bowling whatever you want.  Take every single small amusement park and roll them into one.  It’s like Chuckie Cheese, Playdium, a casino, a bowling alley, a billiards hall and a sports complex all rolled into one.  It was 14 bux for all you wanted to do for as long as you wanted on 3 floors.  Absolutely insane.  But I was so paranoid about being late for work today that I took off around 11:30.  Oh, another crappy thing, we all went roller blading at one point, but you have to wear a ton of gear, so me and Luke, this guy from Melbourne, Australia, started pulling off really crazy falls just because it was fun.  In the process, I completely screwed up my ipod which I forgot was in my pocket and he shattered the display on his brand new cell phone.  It sucked, but whatever.

Anyway, I’m in the office now, classes are going on, but apparently I don’t get to go to any of them.  I even asked if I could just go and sit in one of my supervisor’s classes, but she keeps brushing me off.  So I doubt I’m going to get to go to any classes today.  At least I’m writing this and look busy.  I met the woman at the desk beside me today.  She’s a Japanese teacher and doesn’t speak any English…sweet.  Anyway, I should go.  I’ll post this when I get back from Iwaki, which I’m leaving for tonight after work.  So there will most likely be a post above this one about Iwaki, I hope I had a great time.

Peace

B

2 new entries

School Pics - http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/55770.1292fc81e59

A few new pics here - http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/54901.c8f7ec2b808/overview  

August 15^th, 12:33pm

Ok, I’m really trying not to write something for everyday, but so many things happen that get me all excited or something that I can’t help it.  Yesterday my ride home was incredible.  I did say it had started to rain…well, it rained harder then I have ever seen in my life.  So it was teeming as I walked out the front of the school.  I decided that I would learn from past mistakes and wait it out.  After 30 min of waiting I decided…screw this.  I busted out my little umbrella and hopped on my bike.  As soon as I started pedaling I knew it was a bad idea.  The wind was pushing my umbrella everywhere.  So I stopped in a little alcove just outside the school gates and waited another 15 min.  Still the rain didn’t stop.  So I said screw it.  I took off down to the grocery store and bought a bigger and clear umbrella so I could see through it if it was blown in my face.  By this time my pants were utterly soaked.  I rode like crazy trying to cover my bag more then my body as it had all my important documents, my computer, my camera, my lonely planet book and my jet diary in it.  The ride was insane, it was like I was on the edge of the ocean, waves were crashing up on the sidewalk and I rode through some areas that had to be covered with about 8 inches of water.  Cars zoomed by me and it was like huge tidal waves crashing down on me.  All I could do was laugh, it was so amazing I couldn’t even begin to give details that would give justice to the entire ordeal.  So, as I got home what happens…the sun comes out and it stops raining.  That’s the 2^nd time that’s happened!!!  As much as the rain sucks, you can’t beat what this place looks like afterwards.  So much mist in the mountains and the clouds are the craziest clouds I’ve ever seen they swirl upwards and just look so amazing.  The entire thing is so picturesque and I would have enjoyed it more had I not been completely soaked.  The rain and the aftermath just reminded me of how inferior the human race is to nature, this rain knocked the crap out of me so hard and then in seconds it was gone.  So anyway, I ripped everything out of my bag and papers etc were all wet.  There was a puddle at the bottom of the main compartment so much for my bag being water proof.  Nothing got so wet that it was unsalvageable but I was worried about my computer for a bit.  Everything works now, so it doesn’t really matter, it was just annoying.

            As well, I made my first meal at home last night, dumplings and the big thick fresh egg noodles you can get.  It was sweet and only cost me 200 yen.  And I had a beer, just one though, I’m not drinking excessively by myself, it’s just the only thing I had in the house that had taste.

            This morning it was nice, not sunny but not so cloudy that I thought I was going to get rained on.  I walked outside to check if my clothes from yesterday had dried.  So I grabbed my pants and this huge moth like thing flies out and right at me.  I grabbed my pants right where this moth thing had been hanging out.  It freaked the crap out of me and I let out a little girl like shriek.  The thing was huge, it landed on its back and buzzed around for a bit until it up righted itself.  I took some pics of it, but it was on an angle, but it was at least 3 inches long and about an inch and a half in width, that’s without wingspan. 

            So after that I rode to work.  I wrote my introduction and first lesson plan for my introduction today.  So I feel like I’ve accomplished something.  I’ve also read the entire first year (grade 10) English textbook, so I have a rough idea of where these kids are at.  The interesting part of my day has come from a random old man on the street.  At 9:30 I went to buy a coke from the vending machine just outside the school gates.  This old man pulls up in his car right up the curb and into this little area.  He gets out, I say ohayo gozaimas (good morning) he says it back then starts talking to me in Japanese.  He says my Japanese accent is good (a standard greeting from a Japanese person to a foreigner, it does not mean that my accent is good at all) and then we attempt to talk, but his English is about as non-existent as my Japanese is.  He asked me if I was a sensei at the school, which I am, which is really cool.  Students are starting to call me Burento-sensei and I kinda feel like a ninja when they say it.  Anyway, eventually I bid him sayonara and get on my merry way.  Then about an hour after that, he comes in to the school right into the teachers office.  I figure somehow he works in the school or something.  He gives me a few brochures for places that look really nice but I can’t read anything that is on them and some
Fukushima peaches.  I thank him over and over again in the most respectful way (Domo arigato gozaimas) and continually bow attempting to go lower then him but he’s about 5 feet tall which makes it nearly impossible.  Then just as fast as he showed up, he’s gone.  I ask another teacher if he knows who he is and he says he’s never seen him before in his life.  HOW CRAZY IS THAT?  I talk to this guy on the street for 3 min and we don’t even really have a conversation, I just laughed and bowed a bit and told him I was from Canada and he brings me all this crap.  It was crazy.  I don’t really understand this culture to the fullest yet, but the more I think I do, the more I’m surprised.

Peace

B

Monday, August 14^th, 9:32am

So, I’m at work.  I have to go to the bank by myself in half an hour to try and make a payment to buy my phone line.  My supervisor and every other English teacher are off today and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I’m in an orientation.  Actually, it seems like every teacher is off.  Right now a teacher of something…I think it’s Japanese or something is working on the computer while the only other teacher in the room is snoozing on the couch.  Awesome!  I think this office is just for languages or something cuz I just met a really nice Japanese History teacher, who spoke English and spent some time in
Ottawa, he told me his hobby was hockey and he like the Senators…then he left.  The two teachers that I have in here haven’t said I word to me since I started except the one when I asked him when the bank opened, which I did in Japanese, thank you very much (after I looked it up in my lonely planet guide, LOL, it’s like Ginko something something…lol…at least I’m learning).  Anyway, yesterday I went to a few stores.  I bought a hanger steamer instead of an iron (I know you’ll be happy mom) which I used last night and it worked like a dream, I love the fricken thing, and its travel sized, not that I’m going anywhere real soon, but still.  I also found this sweet place called Tokyo Interior that had some really nice stuff, it’s like Ikea, but not cheap.  I bought sheets for my bed, actually, I just bought the sheet for the mattress, I thought I was getting both, but I’m just happy that I got the right size. 

            So, I spent my entire weekend in the internet café and in random restaurants downtown.  Wednesday should be fun, as all the JETs from Fukushima prefecture (ken) are coming to Fukushima city (shi) for a 2 day orientation.  The only crappy part is that I’m the only one that doesn’t have the hotel paid for because I live in the city, meaning two days in a row I’m going to have to bike to this hotel in a suit and it’s supposed to rain on Wednesday.  The hotel is just as far as my school so I’m looking at a 25 min ride.  After the two day orientation, I have one day of work and then off to Iwaki for a “Beach Bomb” which is just us camping on the beach and partying.  Most of the other new JETs are going on a culture exchange where they live with a family in Aizu for two days and are given beginner lessons in Japanese and Japanese culture.  Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education (my employers) also employs about 30 other JETs and because of this they don’t want to pay for all of us to go.  So…instead I have to go drink on the pacific ocean and camp out there…I KNOW, I KNOW, it’s a rough life.  Anyway, I  still have 15 min till the bank opens but I’ll leave now and go for a little stroll around the school, I haven’t even been taken around it yet.  I really want to explore but with no supervisor it might be seen as weird that I waited until now to walk around…or maybe it won’t.  I’m staying on the safe side, I know that.  Peace

B

August 14^th, 1:50pm

K, so I’m back.  All that’s left is me and one teacher who hasn’t looked up from his desk all day.  The bank took about 5 min.  My supervisor had filled out the transaction form for me and written a note in Japanese.  I wanted to pay out of my account but the bank teller gave me another sheet and told me to copy all the kanji from my bank book onto it, so I opted to pay in cash, as he did not understand that I couldn’t write it.   So I’ve studied Japanese all day.  Among other things I’ve picked up how to say “what is that?” (Kore wa nan des ka?) and what is that in Japanese (Kore wa nihongo de nan des ka?) which I feel will come in handy.  But the main reason I’m here typing again is because in my utter boredom I decided to take a tour of the school, which I have not seen yet.  I have to say, it’s AMAZING.  There are two buildings that are linked in the middle by a 2^nd story walkway.  There are 4 floors in both buildings, and the walkway takes you over a nice little garden like thing.  I’ve taken some pics but I’m going to take more in a bit.  I had 3 guys walk around with me, which was fun because of the language barrier.  Their English is far superior to my Japanese, although they helped me a bit.  When they met me they even stuck out their hand to shake mine, which I haven’t experienced so far since being here, it was nice.  At least I’ve figured out that the guys don’t hate me, they just need to be approached first. They definitely don’t giggle like all the girls do, but they still crack jokes and laugh. 

So anyway, almost every room has a balcony…even the teacher’s lounge or office or whatever, but that I already knew.  There is a soccer field and a baseball diamond although they’re both on like hard sand or something…no grass.  On top of that there are 2 tennis courts on the sand like ground and a huge swimming pool.  It’s a shame I won’t get to use the pool because of my tattoo (it would not go over well if I busted that out in front of the students, seeing as they already told me to take out my piercings.  As well, their gym is gigantic, it’s like the same gym we had at MAC.  I definitely have to find out if the three students will be here tomorrow and hook them up with a Canada pin or something.  All the students are making things out of cardboard etc right now for the school festival on Sept 1^st and 2^nd.  I want to go and help them or at least hang out, but I don’t know how it would look to the one teacher and if he would say anything later on, which would not be good.  Oh, and I did corrupt the 3 kids that showed me around, in the walk around the hallways I taught them Peace for goodbye and what’s up/whaddup for hello.  I am going to be great at this.  In return they taught me some Japanese.  Well, it’s 2pm, only 2 and a half more hours to go of who knows what.  I hope that this random teacher leaves so I can just go wander. I have been already but I’ve only left for about 15 minutes at a time.  Peace

B

3:36pm

K, I’m back, again.  You can only study Japanese for so long.  I took the plunge and went to find some students and possibly just hang out and watch them.  I ran into the 3 students who walked around with me in a group of about 20 kids all painting and cutting large pieces of cardboard for who knows what.  I stood in the doorway and quickly realized…oh ya, I’m a teacher.  Silence fell over the room and they all began to work faster and harder and not say anything. They joked a bit, but that was it.  I found myself asking adult like questions, like…what are you guys painting?  How long have you been preparing for the festival?  I further realized that I can’t just hang out with the students because…I’m a teacher.  Teachers don’t do that.  That’s why this one teacher has been in the office all day randomly reading things, etc.  If he were to go into the hallways he would just make the kids feel awkward like I did and like teachers did to me when I was in high school.  I’m starting to realize that I’m at this in between stage here in Japan.  I’m not a full fledged teacher and I am not a student.  Both of these are easy to discern as I’m still wearing dress pants and a dress shirt while most teachers are wearing short sleeve golf shirts and shorts or tear-aways.  Even the women are wearing normal shirts and either skirts, comfortable pants or Capri pants.  Even weirder, I have been reading JET books and they say…don’t turn down an invite to go out with colleagues as you may not be invited again.  K, I haven’t even been invited once.  Is that because my supervisor isn’t a social butterfly, which I can easily see as she lives in another city and would want to get home quickly after work.  Or is it simply because it’s August and school’s not in and nobody really does anything in August?  Or is it just because this school doesn’t roll that way?  I hope that it gets better when school starts and that I meet some more JETs in the city so that at least I can have a few people with me in this state that is in between teacher and student.

K, that’s it for today I promise.  But, this is my only outlet so…I probably write one like this tomorrow too. LOL.

Peace

B

P.S.  Just my luck that it started teeming down rain about 10 min ago, so that I get a nice wet ride home.  I hate Mondays.

I love access to the net…here are some pics of Fukushima city

enjoy

B

http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/55068.a88a928ba63

if the link doesn’t work, just copy and paste it