Sensei Suse

2 February 2007

2007-02-02T16:03:00.000+09:00

Now that I'm back from Japan and settling back into Brisbane, I've decided to quit posting on Sensei Suse and move back to my previous home at Laziest Girl.

So, if you are looking for me - try this link - Laziest Girl.

Thanks everyone.

Monday, 15 January 2007

2007-01-15T09:53:00.000+09:00

I haven't done a single thing since we got back from Japan - we've been staying with my mum with frequent trips down to the beach to stay with Mark's parents. Mark on the other hand has been busy working hard while I loll around on the couch reading. It is a credit to my time management skills that I still find time for a two hour nap in the afternoon what with all the reading and tea drinking going on. Indoor soccer has also started up for Mark on Sundays so after his game we've spent the last two Sunday afternoons lying on a rug under the trees in New Farm Park by the Brisbane River.

I've also been to the doctor and they've redone all my blood tests and on Tuesday we are off for our 19 week ultrasound. I'm glad we came home from Japan when we did because we are having a difficult time finding an obstetrician- normally you book in with your specialist as soon as you are pregnant and finding one to accept a new patient this far down the line is problematic.

But the best thing about being back in Brisbane is being able to spend time with our family and friends again. The possibly the second best thing is being able to buy underwear that fits and maternity clothes that aren't Princess-Diana-style floral smocks. In Japan, the maternity clothes are all designed to be huge sack like outfits that positively scream "I'M DOWDY" or skinny legged jeans with an enormous stretchy bit at the top that goes over the stomach. At least here I've managed to track down a couple of pairs of shorts that are low cut to fit under the belly - much more appealling and far more practical.

Saturday, 30 December 2006

2006-12-30T08:43:00.000+09:00

We made it back to Brisbane in one piece early Christmas morning. It was a bit of a long trip because the only flight out of Japan we could get was through both Bangkok and Singapore. We left Takasaki at 3pm on Saturday and arrived at Narita by 6pm. Daisuke had arranged for us to stay at the hotel in Narita where he used to work which was great because we had to be at Narita by 7.30 the next morning.

After paying $330 excess baggage (don't ask!) we took about 35 minutes to walk to our departure gate! I was knackered before we'd even begun. So 7 hours to Bangkok, a 1 hour stopover, then 2 hours to Singapore, a 2 hour stopover in Singapore then 8 or so hours on to Brisbane.

We stayed with my mum for a few days and now we are down at the beach staying with Mark's parents. Mark's four nieces and one nephew are also staying so it's a bit of a full house. They spend most of the day swimming or messing around with a little boat down in the creek so you only see them when they are hungry.

Here are two of the triplets messing around with the boat - Laura is steering and won't let Jessica climb in the boat.

Here's where the creek meets the ocean - thankfully none of the kids have drifted out to sea yet.

17 December 2006

2006-12-17T19:05:00.000+09:00

You'll be pleased to know that all is well in Takasaki. I haven't posted for ages because my hugely exciting news was a secret until last week. We've had slight change of plans and have decided to head home early.

We're leaving Takasaki at the end of this week because Mark and I are expecting a baby in June. Needless to say we are both equal parts incredibly excited and absolutely terrified.

So I thought I'd post a picture of my soon-to-be guest blogger looking remarkably alienesque.

This is the latest ultrasound - this was 1 December 2006 at 12 weeks and 3 days..

Sunday, 29 October 2006

2006-11-01T12:25:00.000+09:00

Last Sunday was our school apple picking day in Numata. All the families met at the apple orchard to pick apples, have a bbq lunch and then we all played games and had a few different competitions.

The apple picking itself went well, no one fell off a ladder or got sconed by falling branches and the kids enjoyed themselves immensely. After everyone had picked their apples, we all ate lunch in a rice field (sorry, a field formerly known as a rice field because all the rice has been harvested now) and then played games.

Here I am with some of my kids. Back left to right is Yuna and Yuzuki and at the front left to right is Rizu, Kanata and Asato.

Here I am with Yuki and Hiroki (in the blue shirt).

One of the games was a centipede race which is two long planks with rubber attached – you slip one foot through the rubber on one plank and then your other foot through the corresponding rubber piece on the other plank and there are about about eight kids per team. This was the cause of much hilarity among the parents as most of the kids couldn’t all lift their feet in synchrony and so the whole team would keep falling over in a big heap.

Here's Sarah leading the (tiny) troops in the centipede race ably assisted by Kazuha and Ryoko.

We also had the deadly serious “Longest Apple Peel Competition” which is pretty self explanatory. I think the longest was around 2.4 metres which is one long apple peel.

After all the kids and their families had gone home, we got to go the orchard shop and try a bunch of different types of apples some of which were nearly as nice as my favourite “Pink Lady” apple. Apparently one of the biggest problems for an apple farmer at the moment is the bears. Yes, those hungry bears can almost clean out an orchard over night and will attack you if they come across you. Last year saw really good bear breeding conditions in the mountains and this year the conditions aren’t good enough to support the increased number of bears. So the bears are coming down from the mountains in search of food.

When Mark and I were in Tsumago, we were told to take a bell with us if we walked any of the post road because then the bear can hear you coming and get away before you run into each other. The bears usually only attack if they get surprised, frightened or think that their cubs is under threat. The apple farmer said that he also wears a little transistor radio on his belt if he is doing any work where he stands still for more than a few minutes so he doesn’t surprise a bear. The day that we were in Numata happily picking apples, four bears came to a sticky end in the vicinity. One of the girls asked what is the best thing to do if you come across a bear and apparently you have to stare at its face and hope that it is so cowed by your inner power, that it runs away without trying to get a taste of you.

Here's Ryoko practicing her bear stare on me.

After all the excitement, I felt like I could sleep for a week.

Sunday, 15 October 2006

2006-10-15T13:19:00.000+09:00

So we had a great time on our trip to Kyoto - even though I feel like we walked a squillion miles. Here's a brief overview,and remember, if you want to see the rest of our photos, just have a look at our Flickr site.

We spent our first day in Kyoto wandering around and not doing anything in particular. Mark and I are pretty hopeless tourists - we don't tend to plan things very much - so we walked to the Higashi-Honganji Temple which isn't far from the train station.

Higashi-Honganji Temple.

Then we walked to the Imperial Palace Gardens to have a look around and I met a lovely litte Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Meron.

Meron - a real sweetie who at no time tried to bite me.

On Tuesday we caught the train to Himeji and visted the Himeji-jo Castle which is said to be one of the best castles in Japan. And it was pretty fantastic. The thing I liked the best was the smell. I know that sounds weird but the beams and all the wood in the castle has this wonderful smell. It's a kind of cool, cedary smell which makes me wish I could have been there when the castle was built in 1580. It's amazing that something so old can still be around in such good condition.

Himeji-jo Castle.

Next to the castle are the Koko-en Gardens which are a reconstruction of the former samurai quarters of the castle. There is a central part of the gardens with a big pond sporting the obligatory koi. Even though nearly every pond/moat/stream in Japan has more koi than you can poke a stick at, I still end up watching them for ages. And the koi at Koko-en Gardens were beautiful.

I took this photo from the bridge as they were all swimming towards me, hoping that I would feed them.

By the time we got back to Kyoto, I had a blister on one of my toes the size of a pygmy. So the plan was to rent bikes for the following day and ride around Kyoto. Unfortunately, I forgot to advise the weather of our plans and it was bucketing down rain for most of the day on Wednesday. But we went ahead with my grand plan and we were soaking wet within 5 minutes. But the good news is that once you are throughly wet, you can't get any wetter, so it wasn't so bad.

Here I am in the driving rain at Nijojo Castle.

Unfortunately because it was so wet, most of my photos came our hazy and more than a little murky. After Nijo-jo Castle we rode up the hill to Chion-in Temple. We took off our shoes to walk around the verandah of the temple building and for some reason my wet socks left an Adidas imprint on the floors as well as footprints. The funny footprints caused much mirth in an old Japanese Nana walking behind us. Also gave one of the Monks a fit of the giggles.

Amusing footprints.

Here's Mark wishing that he didn't have to visit another Temple ever again.

And then, as the rain let up, onto Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. This temple is quite big and a popular tourist spot with visiting Japanese and school groups.

Kiyomizu-Dera Temple.

We didn't do anything very exciting on Thursday morning, just ambled around the shops and stuff. We took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and then the train out to Maihama and spent the night at one of the big hotels near Disney Sea. On Friday we went to Disney Sea and had a great time. I've never been to Disneyland or Disney Sea before so I was very excited (Disney Sea is like Disneyland (in fact, just next door)).

Here's the big mountain that is smack in the middle of Disney Sea.

Here I am!

Here's our singing Gondlier - ever heard Santa Lucia in Japanese?

Anyway, Disney Sea was a lot of fun. Can't really compare Disney Sea with Kyoto - it's like the two extremes of Japan.

Saturday, 14 October 2006

2006-10-14T10:54:00.000+09:00

Just got home. No blog post written but Flickr site has been updated.

Will get to blog soon.

Saturday, 7 October 2006

2006-10-07T10:44:00.000+09:00

I've had tonsilitis so I've been a total misery guts and uninclined to blog. But now I'm much better and even have stuff to blog about.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, technically speaking, it was my birthday, on Wednesday. And it was good. There were many gifts, lots of eating, some tv but no drinking (remember, antibiotics for the tonsilitis). My mum sent me a massive care package full of stuff that you can't buy in Japan.

Here's the box of goodies from my mum - and yes, she included both Twisties AND Violet Crumbles! Birthdays don't get much better than that.

Jammin' J sent me a beautiful shell pendant

Nice huh?

And Dan sent another box of deliciousness including a new book.

Look - an English language book! Yay!

And I'm now on holidays for a week and we're going to Kyoto on Sunday. I'm quite excited about it and I've charged both the batteries for my camera, so you can all start thinking up excuses why you can't come to slide night.

Monday, 18 September 2006

2006-09-18T19:12:00.000+09:00

Yesterday we went to Ota. I have no idea what is actually in Ota except for a big shopping centre as it was bucketing down rain and the whole point of us driving all the way to Ota was to visit said big shopping centre. As far as shopping centres go, it wasn't that big, but I suspect it was reasonably big for Japan. But it was worth the drive as we located a big book store with more than the usual selection of English language books (the usual selection being the apparently de riguer copies of Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham and the ubiquitous Dan Brown selection).

These are the books I bought in Ota.

I was pleased to pick up a couple of books that I've wanted to read for a while - the Zadie Smith book and the Haruki Murakami book. I was also pleased to find another Paul Auster book that I haven't read yet. The Bill Bryson book was a birthday present for Buster that he is already enjoying (or so he says). I've never read it but I listened to the audio book last year and I loved it. I've just finished reading the Robert Goddard book "Sight Unseen" and it was pretty good. Essentially, if you've read one Robert Goddard book, you've read them all but they are an enjoyable way to spend a rainy day (luckily today was rainy).

We also came across an imported food store that housed a treasure trove of edible delights - the most exciting of which was Terry's Chocolate Orange (Dark Chocolate). If you've never had a Terry's Chocolate Orange - you are seriously missing out on one of life's joys. It's pretty much orange flavoured chocolate but it's orange flavoured chocolate that has transcended this world of pain, agony and inferior chocolate treats. It is the chocolate that Buddha himself would eat.

Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Then you open the box, remove the "orange", bang it on the table, unwrap ...

Voila.

And look - each segment is molded to look like a real orange segment! Sheer genius.

So I've managed to restrain myself and only eat a tiny bit so far but I dare say that my resolve will rapidly crumble and I'll be travelling to Ota again in the not to distant future.

Tuesday, 12 September 2006

2006-09-12T09:55:00.000+09:00

I've received a couple of excellent presents in the mail recently and thought I'd share them. Most recently, the lovely Tracey sent me a packet of Ginger Nut biscuits with a new picture drawn by her little girl, Charlotte, in commemoration of Charlotte's recent Harry Potter themed birthday party.

The best biscuits in all of Christendom. Yes, even better than Tim Tams. And that's a big call to make.

Early in the year I also received some Easter cards from Mark's nephew and neices.

Aren't they lovely? Thanks Riley, Maddison, Laura and Jessica. The top picture was drawn by Charlotte.

Maddison also painted me this picture and gave it to Mark to bring to Japan for me.

The flower that Maddi painted and Charlotte's Harry Potter picture on display.

But the best gift of all was from the Invisible Lizard who sent me a copy of Freddy and Fredricka. I read it and I loved it.

Thank you again Lizard.

Saturday, 9 September 2006

2006-09-09T10:28:00.000+09:00

By special request and for MC Etcher:

"10 Things I hate about Japan"

10. The only place one can buy baked beans is in Tokyo. That sucks.

9. Fruit is too expensive. I can buy bananas but apples are about $2 each. I refuse to pay that much for a substandard, floury-tasting apple.

8. The speed limit on main roads is 50 km/hr. The speed limit on the expressway is 80 km/hr. This drives me crazy because I am incredibly impatient and it takes forever to get anywhere.

7. Bowing. I am sick to death of frigging bowing.

6. The humidity in summer is hideous. It's like living in one of those dome things they have at the botanic gardens.

5. I hate that in Japan I have freakishly large feet and it's nearly impossible to buy shoes other than sneakers.

4. Nearly everyone in Japan smokes and I hate sitting next to smokers in restaurants.

3. The dogs in Japan hate me. I've probably found about 4 dogs since I've been that have let me pat them without threatening to remove my hand with their teeth.

2. That I can't speak Japanese and therefore answer people when they ask me a question.

And the number one Thing I Hate About Japan

1. Everything frickin beeps all the time. The washing machine beeps when you turn it on and when it's finished, the microwave keeps beeping until you open the door, the car beeps if you turn the lights on, don't shut the door probably, reverse or leave the keys in the iginition, the photocopier beeps incessantly and I can't figure out why. The beeping is probably what will drive me over the edge and I'll end up running screaming down the street in my pajamas. Watch the international headlines folks.

Wednesday, 30 August 2006

2006-09-04T09:32:00.000+09:00

Today we went to Tsumago which is a few hours from Matsumoto. Tsumago is a little village in the Kiso Valley that has been designated by the government as a protected area for the preservation of traditional buildings. So there are no power lines or tv aerials to mar the streetscape. Although, in true Japanese fashion, as you cross the bridge to enter the village, all the tv aerials and power lines are clearly visible because they've just run them all along the back of the village. But it's a nice little place.

Here's a picture of the street in Tsumago.

I like this photo although the mist that was coming in makes everything look a bit murky.

Some of the markers in the little cemetery.

We stayed the night in Tsumago in a little minshuku which is slightly less flash than a ryokan (more like a western B&B). That being said, the dinner and breakfast were really nice.

Tuesday, 29 August 2006

2006-08-31T18:36:00.000+09:00

I'm on holidays this week so we had planned to spend some time in the neighbouring prefecture of Nagano but unfortunately Mark had a whole bunch of work to do which curtailed the project scope of the holiday. But on Tuesday we packed up the car and drove two hours to Matsumoto in Nagano-ken for an overnight stay. We went to Matsumoto Castle which is the centre-piece of Matsumoto. The original castle was built in 1595 and was on a hideous tilt when they began restoration in 1950 (but some bits have been completely rebuilt). Apparently the town was on the verge of pulling the whole thing down and selling the bits for scrap until someone decided it might nice to keep it (and it's now a National Treasure of Japan).

Here's Buster standing by the moat at the front of the Castle - it's beautiful isn't it?

Here's another view of the outside. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any good photos of the inside but it was suprisingly cool - who'd have thought that those tiny windows for firing arrows and guns out of would let in so much breeze?

We also visited The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum which houses a bunch of wood-block prints. What were initially one color wood-block prints in 1710's developed to the multi-colour prints by 1760's. They are described as mass-media for the common man. They were quite beautiful and we even bought a woodblock print to take home with us.

We stayed at a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn - kind of like a bed and breakfast) near the centre of town.

Here's our room at the ryokan.

Usually you get dinner and breakfast at the ryokan but we opted to eat out because Matsumoto is quite big and we were staying near the posh bit. We wandered around town for a bit and ended up having dinner at a fabulous Indonesian restaurant. Which sounds weird I know. If it's any consolation to you, we had a traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryokan - rice, grilled fish, pickles and miso.

Friday, 25 August 2006

2006-08-25T20:09:00.000+09:00

Yes, I am a slack cow. I have no idea what I’ve been doing since I last posted. Working I think. We did have our big camp “Kangaroo Republic” a couple of weeks ago which saw us all do a lot of hard work.

We took about 170 or so kids to a big hotel at Mt Naeba which is a huge ski resort in winter. We left Takasaki on Thursday morning and arrived back on Saturday night absolutely exhausted. For the most part, we had a great time. The kids were generally very well behaved although there was the odd one that could have done with fatal beating or two. We had 12 extra non-Japanese staff who basically were there to talk to the kids in English although only a few of them were native English speakers.

My favourite part was the dance contest on the Friday night. All the kids were split up into eight groups depending on their ages and each group was given a specific dance and music that formed the basis of their entry in the dance contest. I was working with the orange team and our dance was the Macarena. Most of you will know that I am spectacularly uncoordinated, so the Macarena was a challenge for me. But the kids had the best time.

Here's me with one of the kids practising our dance moves.

Here's me and some of my kids - from front left is Ririka and Airi and at back from left we have Suzuka, Itsuki and Yuri. Ririka is one of my favourite students - she's not the smartest but she always tries hard and is a nice kid. On the bus on the way up, the kids were playing a game in Japanese and she asked one of the Japanese staff if I was bored because I couldn't understand what was going on. She's a real sweetie.

Unfortunately I don't really have many photos because I was too damn busy to get my camera out. And Mum, before you ask, I was wearing a bandana so I didn't have to brush my hair.

Sunday, 5 August 2006

2006-08-16T09:39:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was the Takasaki Festival so we all met at Megan's house to get dressed together - you may recall that it is near impossible to get dressed in a Yukata on your own. We got our Yukata's on and tied at the right length but then couldn't figure out the obi from the instruction sheet. Thankfully Mark came to our rescue and deciphered the instructions and soon tied all the obi's.

We all walked into town and partook in the festival spirit by eating and drinking far too much. I had a baked potato with a huge slap of butter and then I had a mini toffee apple which was delicious.

This is me, Sarah, Canadian Emily and Megan at the Takasaki Festival..

Here are some of the Taico Drummers at the festival.

Thursday, 27 July 2006

2006-07-27T22:06:00.000+09:00

Ipods. Everyone has one. And those who don't, want one. The Lizard just shared his igenious method of sorting and listening to his favourite songs and I realised that the ipod has changed something deep inside me. Actually, maybe the ipod has just facilitated the transformation that already existed at a subconscious level. Actually it wouldn't be a transformation if it already existed would it? Anyway, I refuse to be sidetracked. My point is that the ipod has actually turned me into the worst type of consumer.

Picture this - I spend at least at hour each day in the car driving to and from my schools. During this time, I like to listen to music (and Japanese radio is truly horrific) so I plug in my ipod. I have around 2400 songs on the damn thing. In the last week, I've only listened to three different albums.

The problem is that there is too much choice - I am no longer capable of deciding what I feel like listening to. So I only listen to three different things. But I keep telling myself that I need 2400 songs in case I need to (read life or death situation) listen to that obscure Dexy's Midnight Runners song or that Stars cover of This Charming Man.

Honestly, it's truly pathetic when I think about it.

Saturday, 22 July 2006

2006-07-23T11:56:00.000+09:00

Last night we went to the Shibukawa Heso Matsuri (or Shibukawa Festival) for the very good reason that we were dancing in the parade dressed all fancy in our Yukata (which is essentially a summer kimono - less formal and cooler (well, in theory)).

We got to Shibukawa (which is about an hour away) around 3pm and met up with Michelle and Canadian Sara by a stroke of luck (we got a bit lost but then just happened to drive past them walking down the street). We then went to Kimiko's house who had kindly agreed to help us dress in our yukatas. And, to be honest, wearing a yukata is easy - it's getting the length even and tieing up the obi which is troublesome.

The yukata is like a very long bathrobe with no ties. Basically you put it on and it is folded over at the waist with a cloth tie to get the length right. For women it is barely touching the tops of your feet and for girls it is a bit higher up - around the ankle. Then the obi, which is a long strip of fancy material about six inches wide, is tied around the middle with a bow at the back. It's worn around the abdomen - between your breasts and waist. Some use padding to keep the obi flat and to stop in wrinkling and bunching. There are several different types of bow - a girl will have a different bow to a married woman for example. And most gaijin don't have the best body type for a yukata. A straight up and down body is perfect but hips and breasts just get in the way.

The yukata is worn with the left side over the right side (the other way means you're dead or something). The yukata meets right below your neck but is meant to gape at the nape of the neck. It's also difficult to sit down and keep the obi flat which is the reason for all the kneeling in Japan. You are also meant to walk modestly - normal walking will make the yukata gape at the front and people will see your legs which is not modest. The correct walk is achieved if you imagine that your knees are tied together and take tiny, princess-like steps. This method of walking makes it hard to keep up if everyone else is walking like an immodest foreigner. It also means you have to kind of shuffle your feet, hence the slip on wooden shoes. Unfortunately I couldn't find proper shoes to fit (damn you wide gaijin feet) so had to wear thongs (flip flops for you Americans).

So here I am having my obi tied by Kimiko. Immediately after this photo was taken, Kimiko's father (Papa) untied my obi and re-tied it twice before deciding it was perfect.

Here's the finished product.

And here are the three of us looking gorgeous and ready to go.

Here are all the girls ready for the festivities to commence.

After getting all dressed up, the whole group of us wandered down to the main street to check out the sights. I felt a bit like a monkey in a zoo because everyone stared at us. At one point we all stood out the front of the meeting point and had eight different strangers taking photos of us. A bunch of the boys and two other girls (Kate and Jess) were going to be doing the belly dance as part of the festival so were having their bellies painted. Girls are allowed to participate but have to wear a t-shirt with a face painted on it.

Here are the belly dancers ready to go.

They have fake arms tied around their middle complete with little jackets. They also wear enormous hats that hide their faces so it looks like their stomachs are actually their faces as they dance.

So at 6:30pm we all line up and start the dancing. I'm not very co-ordinated but by about 7:30pm, I had the hang of it. The others had it nailed in about 10 minutes. And dancing is tiring folks. We danced for about 20 minutes then there was a 10 minute break where drinks were handed out. Then more dancing, and another break until 8:30pm. I had a fantastic time, thanks go the Chau for organising it and Sarah for volunteering me to participate.

Here's Megan and I with two of the guys handing out drinks. And yes, they are dressed in French Maid costumes. And no, I have no idea why. Weird huh?

I've posted more photos on my Flickr site if you are interested.

Friday, 21 July 2006

2006-07-22T01:37:00.000+09:00

Change of plans. Mark will be arriving in Japan on Saturday, 28 July 2006. I can't wait.

Thursday, 20 July 2006

2006-07-20T22:45:00.000+09:00

And it is still raining. Seriously, I am so over the rain. My hometown of Brisbane has been in drought for the last six years and are currently on pretty tough water restrictions. My mum is watering her trees by bucket because hoses are banned.

Japan seems to have so much damn water that it scares me a bit. Where ever you go in Takasaki you can hear running water - there are irrigation ditches, rivers and creeks. At the moment you have to slosh through the lake that was our carpark. I suggested to the boss that we should include Ark building as one of our craft activites at Kangaroo Republic. A tie-in could be a scavanger hunt to find all the animals two-by-two. I guess I'd need to develop a drinking problem for some true authenticity.

It started raining on Saturday night and hasn't stopped yet. Just when it eases up for a few hours and I think that I won't need my umbrella, it buckets down again. The only bright side is that at least it isn't boiling hot. Oh, the rice paddies look all pretty and green.

And I nearly forgot - on Wednesday night when we all went to Canadian Sara's to watch American Idol, there was a tiny little bat flying about inside her building. As I left I spotted it sleeping upside down in the corner so Emily and I quickly swung into bat catcher mode. I trapped it with a bucket and Em cover the top with a big paper fan and we carried it outside. It was so cute and so tiny. No bigger than a slightly obese mouse wearing a dark chocolate fur coat and wings. I wanted to touch it but Emily said it would bite me and then I'd get rabies. Do they have rabies in Japan???

Saturday, 15 July 2006

2006-07-20T22:17:00.000+09:00

Today was our last Saturday night with our dearest Emily. The lucky cow has finished her contract and is now on her way to Mexico for three sunny weeks. Although she will be swanning back through Takasaki before she flies home to Brisbane, it was her greatest wish that we have a small sending off at the beer garden. This time we decided to try the beer garden at Montres. It's much the same setup - all you can eat and drink for a set price.

We'd been there about an hour or so when the weather turned wet. Unfortunately there really isn't much of an undercover area so Sarah went downstairs and stocked up on a bunch of umbrellas from the 100 Yen shop. So, armed with our umbrellas, we returned to our table and continued drinking. See, that's dedication folks.

Here's Sarah and I before we got too damp from the sudden downpour.

Sarah amusing the locals with her singing and dancing.

Here are the girls at the beer garden.

The beer closes at 9:30pm so we all headed over to Odessa to continue the festivities with Karaoke. I managed to straggle home on my bike (and it was still raining) by 3am.

Emily, we are really going to miss you.

Sunday, 16 July 2006

2006-07-16T22:00:00.000+09:00

Ipod High Rotation Notification:
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire

You need to listen to this CD.

Current Fiction Being Imbibed:
DBC Pierre - Ludmila's Broken English

The man writes very nicely.

Most Recent Film Watched:
Happy Endings

Recommended by Invisible Lizard. I liked it.

A Day In The Life

2006-07-16T21:54:00.000+09:00

The 8:15am alarm is usually required to jerk me into wakefulness from whence I leave my bed bursting with joy at the thought of the day that lies ahead. Actually, I usually hit the snooze button and go back to sleep briefly before dragging my cranky arse out of bed by 8:30am. Hit the shower first up then have breakfast while chatting to Mark on Skype. Sometimes I’ll blow dry my hair or do a load of washing before leaving the house at a dead sprint by 10am. Drive to work fuming about the people who do 25km/hr down the main road and by 10:15am, I’m installed at my desk.

In the mornings the native teachers either talk about any problems we are having, lesson plans that we have to write, actually write the lesson plans, make materials for our lessons or, if we’ve got a big event coming up, we’ll talk it through as a group.

Around 12:30, we all gather up our things and wander off to lunch. Depending on how much time we’ve got and when our first lesson starts, we gaijin usually eat lunch together. My personal favourite is the French restaurant near my house, but the pasta place near work is nice too. We’ve got to be at our schools at least an hour before class starts, so if I have a kindy class, I need to be there by 2pm. We each go to a different school every day and our schools are spread out all over Takasaki and other nearby towns so we need to factor in travel time so we get to school in time.

Our littlest 3 - 4 year old kids have class from 3pm to 3:30pm. The next class up start at 3:40pm and go until 4:10pm, so I see these little kids each week. The older kids I only teach once a fortnight (the Japanese teacher teaches them the week I don’t see them) so each week I teach the alternate group. We teach three classes in the afternoon and the last class finishes at 6:40pm. We then tidy up our classrooms and then write up our class reports. Usually the Japanese teacher and I will also talk about any problems or difficulties that the students are having.

We usually finish work between 7:15-7:30pm so I’m usually home by 8:00pm or so. Sometimes I stop on the way home and pick up some groceries. Then I talk to Mark on Skype while I eat my dinner. I try to do my email after work or I read or watch a movie. Unless it is Wednesday night when we all head over to Canadian Sara’s for American Idol (and I'd appreciate it if we pretend I never said that). I try to get to bed by 11:30 or so because I get too cranky if I’m tired (or hot, or hungry, or pretty much anything else).

Wednesday, 12 July 2006

2006-07-14T20:19:00.000+09:00

Today started like any other ordinary day. Until I started driving to work and notice that there were policemen lining the road and people with little Japanese flags on sticks. When I got to work, I found out that the Crown Prince of Japan was going to be driving through Takasaki this very morning. I'm not really clear on why he was driving (or more accurately, being chauffered) through Takasaki although he must have presumably been on his way somewhere. We asked Yukari if he was a hottie and she said (and I quote) "he's not very handsome, but he is very kind".

Anyway, it's not everyday that the Crown Prince comes to Takasaki so the boss agreed that we could all walk across to the main road and wave at him (the Crown Prince, not the boss). The rumour was that he would be passing by at 10.29am with his assorted hangers on and secret police (or whatever they are called in Japan). At about 10.25am the policemen started closing down the road to regular traffic and changed the traffic lights to green (apparently the Royal Family never get red lights). And sure enough, at exactly 10.29am, the motorcade drove past. First there were more police, a limo of body guards and then the Crown Prince. It was a bit odd though. I mean there were sooo many police, a circling helicopter for pete's sake but the Crown Prince had his window down and was waving in a very casual and relaxed manner. I swear the car passed within a metre of where we were all standing.

Oh, and if you want to see a picture of the Crown Prince - have a look at Megan's blog.

Sunday, 9 July 2006

2006-07-14T20:15:00.000+09:00

Nothing much happened today. Emily and I had Freshness Burger for lunch and then came back to my place where I made her watch Lost Boys for the sole reason that she hadn't ever seen it. I have a new appreciation for bad 80's synth let alone the bad 80's sax.

It was absolutely bucketing down for most of the day but still stinking hot. Much like home really.

Then we went to Sarah's and watched Dusk til Dawn.

Saturday, 8 July 2006

2006-07-09T08:37:00.000+09:00

So last night was the beer party hosted by Canadian Sara's work. We all got dressed up nice and fancy and had a great time. The gig was pretty much just chatting to the school's students so they could practice their English with foreigners. It was fun and I really enjoyed myself although I nearly died from lack of food and water. I couldn't really get near the food table because everytime I moved, I ended up talking to someone else.

But it was fun and some of the students we chatted too were lovely. We were even given little presents by the students that we talked to!

Look at all the beautiful gifts I was given by the students.

After the party went to Odessa for a while and had a few wee glasses of lemonade.

Here's Emily, Sarah and I at Odessa after the beer party - our new friend Megumi is in the middle looking a bit wide-eyed and terrified at being surrounded by slightly drunk gaijin.

Saturday, 1 July 2006

2006-07-04T08:52:00.000+09:00

It's getting so damn hot here that I bought a fan today. I already had one here, but it's currently up in the loft and I don't think I'm up to moving it up and down the pool ladder every day so I went crazy and bought another fan. Yep, it cost the equivalent of about AU$20.

On Saturday night there was a big JET party at the summer beer garden on the roof of Takashimaya (which is a big department store). The beer garden is only open from June to August, it costs 2400 yen (for girls) to get in and it's an all you can eat and drink deal. We all rode our bikes in (which takes about 25 mins on bike from my house) so that we could all have a drink or two. It was also Canada Day on Saturday, so many of the local Canadians were keen to celebrate.

In the spirit of Canada Day, Canadian Sara made Australian Sarah and I honourary "Canadians for a Day".

After the beer garden closed at 9pm, we all hopped on our bikes and rode over to Odessa for a few more pints. It was a fun night even if I did have to ride my bike home in the rain.

Here's all of us at the beer garden.

Wednesday, 28 June 2006

2006-06-29T00:05:00.000+09:00

Big news of the moment - Mark has decided to come back to Japan again and is planning on leaving Brisbane on 3 August which means he'll arrive in Takasaki on 4 August which is exactly 37 days away. Hooray!!

I think he's only coming back to Japan because he's not happy about having slipped back to page 2 on my Flickr photo page.

Suse's Flickr Page

Sunday, 25 June 2006

2006-06-28T23:58:00.000+09:00

Today I did some house cleaning and then met up with Heather for lunch and shopping. You remember Heather, we met at Minakami at the Full Moon Party. Anyway, we had lunch at Freshness Burger where I caved in to my desire for a strawberry smoothie.

I also bought a nice pair of silver earrings (from Vivre, not from Freshness Burger) to wear to the upcoming fancy beer party thing that Canadian Sara's work has organised (should be fun - foreigners get free entry and the Japanese students pay about $40 - it's basically a meet and greet and a chance for the school's students to practice their English on real, live foreigners).

Nothing much else happening.

Saturday, 24 June 2006

2006-06-28T09:39:00.000+09:00

So this week has just flown by and it seems like just yesterday that I posted something here.

Tonight, Emily and I drove out to Isesaki, which is about 40 mins away from Takasaki. We went to the London Bus Bar with a bunch of the Isesaki (and other neighbouring towns) Nova people. Don't be fooled by the name, the London Bus Bar is actually a bar in a bus. And the bus is in a carpark. You get your drink from the bus and then sit outside in the carpark either in a foldup chair or at a picnic table. It was fun though and the guy who owns it, Akira, was really nice. After a few tequilas, it didn't take much to persuade him to bring out his mandolin. He also had a zippy, three wheeled scooter that he let me have a go on. It was so much fun - kinda like a regular scooter crossed with skiing.

Here's me reliving my childhood in a carpark in Isesaki.

Oh, and the accurate observer will notice that I had my hair cut too. All thanks go to Shimoyama at Nano Hair. Especially as he speaks about as much English as I speak Japanese, he did a wonderful job.

Here's Emily and I, right before I popped her head off like a grape.

Sunday, 19 June 2006

2006-06-21T08:21:00.000+09:00

I didn't do anything exciting today. I did however go to Cainz and buy a nice curtain to hang in the doorway that seperates the kitchen/dining room from the bathroom, toilet and washing machine.

My new dual function curtain.

Not only does it hide that unsightly washing machine, but now when you stay at my house for the night, you can get dressed without having an audience.

Saturday, 17 June 2006

2006-06-19T20:01:00.000+09:00

Today we went to Tokyo to do some shopping. How cosmopolitan does that sound? Yes, we just popped down to Tokyo to pick up some little gorgeous things from the shops there. Well, we went to the book store anyway. And I bought a few little books.

I love books.

I got a couple of books that I'm really excited about. I've decided that David Mitchell is one of my new favourite authors so I'm keen to read Black Swan Green. I've read two of his other books, Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten, and absolutely loved them both. I'm also pretty excited about the John Irving book, Until I Find You, because I just finished reading The Fourth Hand. I've also got a Margaret Atwood book and a new Peter Carey book. I also bought a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as I haven't read them in years. I love books.

Sunday, 11 June 2006

2006-06-11T18:53:00.000+09:00

Last night we drove up to Minakami and went to a full moon party with a bunch of other gaijin and some Japanese friends.

Minakami is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and in winter it is apparently an excellent location for skiing and snowboarding. It's mountainous and green and has the most gorgeous river running through it.

We didn't get there until about 9ish and Aki had arranged accomodation for all of us in a guest house just down the road from the party. There were about 15 of us all together - us four girls, Kevin, Nick, Aki and three of her friends, Heather from Maebashi and a bunch of miscellaneous guys from Isesaki and Maebashi. Heather and I straggled home at about 3am and the rest trailed in after that.

Heather and I got up early and went for a walk along the river. My photos don't really do the place justice. It's pretty spectacular.

Here's Heather and I standing in the rain by the river in Minakami.

The river in Minakami is the most beautiful colour.

After our wander around Minakami, we went back to the guest house and asked the landlady if we could get some coffee. "No problem", she said (in Japanese obviously) and offered us a choice of two types of instant coffee. That's ok, I thought, I can handle instant coffee. What I didn't count on was the unspeakably vile beverage in a coffee cup that was given to me to drink. How she managed to make unremarkable instant coffee into a cup of pure evil is beyond me. Anyway, I forced it down and then we all drove home and I watched TV for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday, 10 April 2006

2006-06-11T18:12:00.000+09:00

This morning Yukari and I had planned to go and have a massage but she wasn't able to get two appointments at the same time so the plan is nixed until next Saturday. So I called Emily and the two of us decided to go shopping in Takasaki central. Just as we had parked the car and were walking out of the carpark we bumped into (almost literally) Megan who had just finished her Japanese lesson.

So with empty stomachs we headed to Freshness Burger for a quick lunch and I am pleased to whole heartedly recommend the strawberry smoothie. Then we sauntered over to Vivre and eagerly perused their vast array of clothing/shoes/jewellery etc. All a girl could need. I bought a pair of red and white shoes and a couple of new shirts.

Then, while still bonding like teenagers, we decided to get naked together and go to the onsen. We went to one quite near my house that is huge. It has a bunch of different inside and outside pools and we stayed until I was fully cooked. I've never been so damn clean in my whole life.

Wednesday, 7 June 2006

2006-06-07T08:23:00.000+09:00

Tonight we had a cable party at Sarahs to celebrate the arrival of her Cable TV. So how can you too throw a cable party??

1. Get cable
2. Invite 3-5 otherwise unoccupied females to your place of residence
3. Provide plenty of cushions
4. Provide plenty of snacks
5. Seize control of the remote in a bloodless coup and make us all watch American Idol auditions.

Actually it was really fun. At first, as a terrible singer, I felt some kind of misguided kinship with these people on the telly and I felt bad about making fun of them. Then I gave in to the spirit of the evening (evening-geist?) and made fun of them with my heart and soul.

Sunday, 4 June 2006

2006-06-05T22:40:00.000+09:00

Here are the girls all pretending to be asleep. In fact this photo was taken mere moments before we all leapt out of bed, full of joy and love and bursting with excitement at the thought of the traditional Japanese breakfast that was awaiting us downstairs. Not.

Today we woke up bright and early and all traipsed along to the proposed venue for our yearly school camp (otherwise known as "Kangaroo Republic"). The new hotel is a ski resort in Winter so we wanted to check it out minus the snow. Our camp is in August and involves a couple of nights away with the kids.

Here's a picture of the mountains right next to the hotel. You can see ski lifts and there are still a couple of patches of snow near the top of the mountains.

Saturday, 3 June 2006

2006-06-05T21:27:00.000+09:00

On Saturday, my work hosted a BBQ and fishing day for some of our kids and their families. And although I was completely knackered by the end of it - it was kinda fun. It was also very Japanese.

The day started early with a long drive to the fishing place. We car pooled and Emily and I rode up with Yukari. I even remembered to bring my ipod adapter thing so I tortured Yurkari and Emily with the Sensei-Road-Trip-Mix. The weather was pretty crappy and it was drizzling when we got there.

The fishing place is in the middle of nowhere and all I knew about it was that the fish were farmed. Here's a picture of one of the fishing ponds.

This is one of the natural looking fishing ponds that was quite pretty considering it was raining and I was freezing cold.

Our area was located up the steps and we had three ponds in a row. Basically you get a bamboo fishing pole with fishing line tied to the end, a hook and a float. You use a weird flour and water mixed into a paste as bait and you squish it onto the hook and then you dangle the line in the water and bring in the fish. Early in the day, the fish were being caught very quickly but the catch rate slowed down as the fish gorged themselves on lost bait.

Here's Megan and I in front of the ponds helping to set out the fishing poles before everyone arrived.

This is where we did all our fishing. Miraculously, we didn't have a single kid fall in the drink.

While we supervised the fishing extravaganza, Carl (our boss) was busy firing up the mud oven. Yes, you read correctly. Last year the girls got roped into helping to make a genuine mud oven. Unfortunately the fishing day was rained out last year, so this year was the triumpant debut of the mud oven to cook home-made bread. All of the families that came to fishing, were given the instructions for preparing bread dough to bring along to be cooked in the oven. It was a tremendous success and the kids were so excited to see "their" bread being cooked.

Here's Carl with a couple of kids, showing off their mud-oven cooked bread.

In the afternoon, Carl opened the water drains on each of the ponds and drained them. Of course there are some fish left in the bottom and all the kids take off their sneakers, put on thongs and jump into the sludgy water in the bottom and catch the remaining fish with their hands. While we didn't have to get in the pond, we all did. I was really freaked out at first because the water is so muddy and the fish touch your feet as you slosh around. Actually, it was horrific at first, but by the time we got to the third pond, I wanted to catch a fish of my very own. In fact I was so eager to actually catch one that I ended up on my arse in ankle deep sludgey water. Nice one. Needless to say that I didn't end up catching a damn fish.

All the fish that we caught during the day were taken down to a little shack where half of them were salted and the other half deep fried. Every family got three of each to take home with them. All in all, it was an excellent day.

When everyone one had packed up and gone home, we all piled into the cars and drove to a traditional Japanese hotel for the night. We had an awesome banquet meal when we got there and the only that could have improved was if my arse hadn't still be damp.

After dinner, I joined the girls for my first onsen experience. For those unfamilar with the onsen, essentially it is just communal bathing (usually segregated). You firstly scrub yourself clean whilst sitting on a little stool in a long bathroom. Unfortunately there were seven of us girls and only six sets of taps and stools so Emily and I shared a stool. Needless to say that I've never shared a small stool with a naked co-worker before. Once you are all clean, you get in the hot water pool which is usually piped hot spring water. The hotel we stayed at had an outside onsen (with big tall fences to ensure our modesty) so it was kinda nice to look up at the stars. It would have been even better if I could have seen the lovely garden too, but without my spectacles grit and fleas look alike (although why a flea would be wearing my spectacles....*).

After onsen we had a quick drink and I collapsed into bed.

*Thankyou Vyvyan, for that pertinant quote.

Friday, 2 June 2006

2006-06-03T07:54:00.000+09:00

The last week has just whizzed by so here's a quick summary:

On Saturday night (after buying my bike) we had planned to go to the rooftop beer garden at Montres at Takasaki Station. There are a couple of these rooftop beer gardens around and they are only open in summer. You pay about $20 to get in and it's pretty much all you can drink. But our plans of riding to the station were dashed when it rained nearly all day.

So, plan B came into effect. Emily came and picked up Sarah and I and we met Megan at an isekaia (spelling is wrong - but the pronunciation is right) with a bunch of JET people. JET people are native english speakers who come to Japan under a special program and work within the school system as language teachers. They are a very friendly bunch and we drank far too much beer because it came in enormous steins. After dinner we went down to Odessa for a few more wee drinks and I finally got home around 3.30am.

See, 3.30am sounds late, but in Japan time seems to disappear. No sooner than you sit down to eat - it's time to go to the bar. No sooner than you get there - it's 3am. So I didn't do very much on Sunday except lie around watching Series 3 of Six Feet Under.

On Tuesday night, we were all invited to the bar for a curry night. Kauri is a superb cook and the curry was the best I've had since coming to Japan and all for only $15!

For lunch on Friday, we found a new Thai restaurant near work that was really good. There were about 4 tables in the place and the green curry was beautiful. On Friday night I didn't have any plans but we ended up having dinner with Sarah at her house. Sarah and Emily had steak and I had salmon.

And so ends the litany of what Sensei Suse has eaten during the week.

Saturday, 27 May 2006

2006-05-27T15:42:00.000+09:00

Today I bought a bike. I like it. And it's purple with a basket. And a bell. How exciting.

So this is it. And, Mark, the fact that it is purple is a positive feature not a negative feature thank you very much.

Friday, 26 May 2006

2006-05-26T09:25:00.000+09:00

After my most recent lack lustre post, I think it's time for me to come clean about what I've been doing. This is hard for me to talk about. Not everyone will be able to understand why I doing this, but I'm hoping that you all love me enough to be able to just accept it without thinking any worse of me.

I've been watching old episodes of The Greatest American Hero. There, I've said it now. It's true, I've been spending an awful lot of time with Ralph Hinkley, Special Ed Teacher, Whitney High and part-time Super Hero. He of the red long-johns, cape and blond afro. The man who is not only taming the Special Ed class and encouraging Rhonda to go back to school, but a caring father of the annoying Kevin (who's mother is an international super model and wants custody) and devoted boyfriend of Pam (poor woman is probably emotionally scarred for life after being a victim of eigties hair and make up). Mr H is a cool guy and even veteran tough-guy, Tony Villicana (he of the tight, black t-shirts and medallion necklace), "digs" where he's coming from.

I think I need some time alone now.

Wednesday, 24 May 2006

2006-05-24T08:42:00.000+09:00

I can't believe my last post was 6 May. I have no idea what I've been doing since then. Going to work I think. I'm also just getting over a horrible stomach bug that one of those wretched children gave me.

Anyway, I expect something exciting will happen soon. If not, I'll make something up for your reading pleasure.

Sunday, 6 May 2006

2006-05-14T19:20:00.000+09:00

Today our plan was to take a picnic lunch and go to Gunma-no-mori park and lie in the sun and read our books. It was an excellent plan but nearly fell to bits when we realised that we didn't have a picnic rug. You'd think that an emergency visit to Cainz would easily remedy the problem but it was not to be. They didn't have picnic rugs. In fact, people in Japan don't generally use picnic rugs - they use leisure mats. A leisure mat is essentially just a small plastic tarp printed with snazzy pictures or cartoon characters. So in order to try to assimilate, we duly purchased a leisure mat. A Poo and Coo leisure mat to be precise.

Here's Poo and Coo.

And here's us lying on said Poo and Coo leisure mat.

We had a great day. We ate cake and got stared at by everyone. Small children dared each other to run up and look at the crazy foreigners.

Friday, 5 May 2006

2006-05-14T19:14:00.000+09:00

On Friday we went to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. Ueno is about a half hour train ride from Shinjuku where we stayed.

Oh, here's the subway map for Tokyo! Thankfully we didn't get lost, although it's a bit hard to figure how much the fare is when you can't find yourself on the map and you're not entirely sure which is the station you need to get off at.

The Museum was fantastic although it didn't take long for me to reach complete cultural overload. There is soooo much to look at - we spent nearly 4 hours there and didn't even get to one of the buildings or the special exhibition. Anyway, there aren't any photos because I had to leave my camera in the lockers.

Tokyo was fun but I was glad when we got home to Takasaki. The weirdest thing is that I think I missed being stared at. In Takasaki, I feel like a celebrity because there are so few foreigners that everyone stares at you but there are so many foreigners in Tokyo that no one even says hello. Ahh, it's good to be home.

Thursday, 4 May 2006

2006-05-14T17:35:00.000+09:00

On Thursday we went down to Tokyo for a couple of days. We had a huge itinerary of stuff to see so be prepared to feel overwhelmed.

Thursday - The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and the Lulu Guinness shop
Friday - Tokyo National Museum

I know, I know - a massive list of stuff! Not.

So on Thursday we caught the train down from Takasaki to Shinjuku (it was an express train) and walked around for a while. Then we caught the Yamanote Line back to Ueno and walked to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. The gardens were quite beautiful and it's fantastic that they are smack in the middle of Tokyo.

Here's the map for the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace - I've decided I want a moat.

Not all Japanese gardens are tortured trees and ponds. This one is a replanted Edo Period garden - looks like a forest doesn't it?

We wandered around for a couple of hours and lay in the sun for a bit and then had lunch at little cafe in Ginza. After stuffing ourselves with cake we then we took the subway to Roppongi Hills and went to the Lulu Guinness shop. It was very exciting and Mark bought me a lovely Lulu Guinness purse.

Isn't it just gorgeous?

Then we took the train back to Shinjuku and went up the observatory tower of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices which is the tallest building in Tokyo. After that we wandered around Shinjuku before finding our hotel. We had dinner at a French restaurant across the road from the hotel because I was knackered and refused to walk any further.

Wednesday, 3 May 2006

2006-05-06T09:40:00.000+09:00

Today we visited the Gunma Prefectual Museum of History which is in Gunma-no-mori Park (which means Gunma Forest) about 10 minutes drive from the Chicken Coop (which is what I now call my apartment).

The museum was really good - they had little pages you could get in each gallery that had an English explanation of what was there. They had it set out in chronological order and concentrated mainly on the history of Gunma so it was pretty interesting.

After the museum we wandered around the park in the sun admiring the huge trees and watching all the little kids riding their bikes and playing badminton (which is big in Japan).

The park was really beautiful and it was such a lovely warm day - look mum - no jacket!

There's also a small river that runs through the park with really big carp living in it.

The ugliest carp in the park contest begins.

Tuesday, 2 May 2006

2006-05-03T22:18:00.000+09:00

We woke up this morning in Nikko to bucketing rain. Buster dragged me around the Botanical Gardens and I bitched and moaned because I was cold and wet.

Then we decided to visit Jako Falls even though it was pissing down because Chiji had said it was very beautiful. And it was. Even though it was wet and I was wet, I really enjoyed it. We drove for miles up this tiny, winding road wondering if we were lost and finally reached a carpark. Still not sure if we were in the right place, we just followed the arrow sign post into the forest.

These are the steps going up to the falls.

Up and up we went, climbing the stone steps in the rain. The forest was quiet but we could hear a waterfall up ahead so figured we were in the right place.

Jako Falls.

There was a shrine at the falls and also another path that continued upwards. So upwards we went as the weather began to close in around us. It was so quiet and the only noise was our footsteps and the waterfall in the background.

The clouds coming in around us.

After Jako Falls we had lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant that served Buddhist dishes - ie. sixty different tofu dishes. But it was kinda cool. All tatami mats, kimono clad waitresses, tiny little dishes and all overlooking a Japanese garden with Bonsai.

Thank you Nikko.

Monday, 1 May 2006

2006-05-03T21:33:00.000+09:00

On Monday we drove up to Nikko to visit the temples and shrines. Even though Nikko looks pretty close to Takasaki on the map, it was quite a long drive because the roads are so narrow and the speed limit is 50 km/hr. But the scenery is pretty nice and there are lots of tunnels to drive through so I felt a bit like James Bond (but in a Minica not an Aston Martin) and I kept waiting for the light plane to zoom into the tunnel.

When we got close to Nikko, a whole bunch of monkeys (is that the correct collective noun??) ran across the road. We stopped to take a photo of them but Buster is too slow on the draw so we ended up with a photo of the roadside minus the monkeys.

The photo without the monkeys.

Nikko is a bit of a strange place to visit. All the guidebooks list Nikko as a must-visit destination but we were a little freaked out by it all. There were so many tourists and the whole temple complex was more theme park than place of worship.

The Buddhist shrines are incredibly ornate.

The National Park where all the shrines are is so beautiful.

There are about nine big shrines in Nikko and I can't remember which one this is.

After traipsing around all the big shrines with about 16 million people, we wandered down to the inn where we were staying and they suggested that we visit the Nikko Museum because it wouldn't be open the following day. The museum turned out to be the fully restored Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park. I think this was our favourite part of Nikko because it was so quiet and serene - it felt far more magical than the extravaganza that was the shrines.

The villa was huge and very beautiful.

After the Imperial Villa we walked down along the Daiya River and looked at all the Jizo statues at Gamman-Ga-Fuchi Abyss (which isn't an abyss at all, just a bit of river). These statues are the traditional protectors of travellers and children.

All the Jizo sitting quietly and gazing out over the river.

We also stopped by the Shinkyo Sacred Bridge (which is actually a modern reconstruction of a 17th century original but still pretty cool).

The Shinkyo Sacred Bridge.

We had dinner at little restaurant that I can't remember the name of. We walked in the door and the whole place turned and stared at us. Which was odd because they were all gaijin (foreigners - like us). Luckily the lady who runs it ushered us through to the other dining room where we met this great Japanese guy, Chiji.

Kampai!

Chiji was in Nikko on his own and had spent the day climbing one of the mountains around Nikko. We invited him to sit with us and we shared a few rounds of sake while eating. We were stunned when he told us that he was 70 years old - he seemed so young and full of life - on top of all the damn mountain climbing.

Saturday, 29 April 2006

2006-04-30T10:40:00.000+09:00

Today we went out for lunch on our way into central Takasaki. We just picked a place at random and it was incredible. It was a traditional Japanese restaurant with little lockers by the front door for your shoes. The tables were in individual little rooms with sliding doors and rice paper window shades. It was all tatami mat floors and little chairs with no legs.

We managed to order a sashimi meal and a fish meal (to order say "sakana ok, sashimi ok") with chilled sake. The sake was the best I've tasted - kind of like champagne without the bubbles.

This is the lunch we ordered more by chance than by design.

Anyway, after eating all this we dragged our sorry, partially drunk arses down to the art gallery where we looked at a collection of 200 year old French political cartoons called Le Charivari. Because we can't read Japanese, we ended up half-translating the French captions. And my French is the result of one year at school when I was 13.

We then went and looked at Takasaki City Gallery that had a bunch of calligraphy and stuff (I'm such an art buff aren't I?). On the way there I patted a Golden Retriever that slobbered all over me thus disproving my theory that all dogs in Japan hate me.

We also went to the patisserie on the way home and bought some cakes. A very successful day all in all.

Friday, 28 April 2006

2006-04-30T08:04:00.000+09:00

Today was the last day of work before Golden Week holidays. Golden Week is the time when Japanese people traditionally return to their family home and visit with their relatives so it's a pretty big deal. After work we all went out for dinner then we went to this huge amusement arcade called U-Para. They are open 24/7 and they charge you by the hour so all the games are free. They've got all manner of video games, pool tables, a small indoor soccer court, a basketball court, table tennis, darts etc. We played pool for a bit and then wandered upstairs and found the massage chairs which were awesome. They also had foot massager machines but they tickled like crazy.

Here's me two seconds before the tickling started and three seconds before I had to remove my feet.

Wednesday, 26 April 2006

2006-04-26T08:03:00.000+09:00

The coffee situation in Japan is dire. No, really dire. I've been reduced to imbibing the next most addictive substance after crack.

Yes, I drink Blendy coffee. Firstly, it is not real coffee. It is a coffee flavoured beverage. Well, it tastes like a coffee-like flavoured beverage. When I first arrived, I drank a cup of Blendy and decided that I'd rather eat my own eyeballs. But it is strangely addictive. Now I think "Oh, I've got ten minutes before I have to leave for work - just enough time for another cup of Blendy!"

So how do you make Blendy? First you buy it in a big bottle at the shop. Then you pour some into a cup and nuke it for about 2.5 minutes (a trap for young players: if you heat it for three minutes it superheats and you are risking burns and deformity). Then you top it up with milk and it tastes foul. Lovely huh?

When Buster arrived in Japan, I made him a cup of Blendy to drink with his breakfast. He despised it. But now the tables have turned, and this very evening after dinner he said to me "how about a cup of Blendy and a biscuit?" So I've throughly corrupted the coffee purist.

But it gets worse. He is now also drinking vending machine coffee. Even I draw the line at hot coffee IN A CAN from a vending machine. It's just wrong. Wrong I tell you.

Here's Buster ruining his life in the fruitless pursuit of the perfect vending machine coffee. I know, pathetic isn't it? Let your glance take in the momentary look of hope on his face. Maybe, just maybe, this could be real coffee and not just the ultimately disappointing coffee flavoured beverage that is the reality of vending machines in Japan.

Sunday, 23 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:56:00.000+09:00

Nothing much exciting has been happening this week. Just been working and getting to know all my kids at school.

Buster arrived for a short visit on Friday and caught the bus up to Takasaki from Narita airport late on Friday night. Next week is the Golden Week holiday so we are planning to visit Nikko and Tokyo and a few other places close to Takasaki.

On Sunday we went up to Kannonyama which is on a hill overlooking Takasaki. It's a huge big statue and you can climb up the inside to it's shoulders.

The huge statue at Kannonyama.

There's also a shrine and a temple right next to the statue where you can light insense and leave prayers.

Suse washing her hands at the temple.

Buster being a tourist (idiot).

We also visited a traditional dye factory where they make the dyes from different types of plants (which was kinda cool - some of the colours are incredible). To get to the dye factory we had to walk for miles and then cross a suspension bridge which was odd because it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, not just 10 minutes out of central Takasaki.

Buster and Sensei Suse about to risk life and limb by crossing the suspension bridge.

Mark ("Buster") and Sensei Suse with the last of the cherry blossums at Kannonyama.

Sunday, 16 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:34:00.000+09:00

Today Megan, Nick and I went to Tokyo to look at new laptops. We caught the train down which took a little over an hour and a half. We went to Electric Town and prowled around the computer stores for a bit and then we went to a huge bookshop that had an ok English language section. I got a little excited and spent the equivalent of about $230. The good news is that the bookshop can post you stuff (free of charge) that you’ve bought so my new books will arrive on Tuesday – hooray!

Megan and Nick on the train.

Luv Machines - not what you might think.

After the bookshop we walked to Tokyo’s tallest building and went up to the observatory. And it’s pretty damn high. And Tokyo is pretty immense. It’s hard to express how fecking big it is – but you pretty much can’t see the end of it. Unfortunately the weather was pretty crappy so we couldn’t see Mt Fuji from the observatory.

Where Mt Fuji should be (it's probably still there to be honest).

We had lunch at an English-style pub (except they showed you to your table and then bought you drinks – so essentially it was just the décor that was English-style) and caught that Shinkensen home (which is the bullet train). It costs twice as much as the regular train but gets you there in half the time. And I got to pat a little Dachshund-in-a-bag at the ticket office.

Friday, 14 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:08:00.001+09:00

Today Saori and I were together again but I had the blondest day in history. At the beginning of the lesson we are meant to hand out the new textbooks to the kids but I totally forgot to do so for my D class. And the boss was there. Good one Suse.

After work I picked the girls up and we went to Thai night at Odessa which means that you can order Thai food until 11pm. Our beautiful Japanese co-workers joined us which was a lot of fun. Yukari and I (being the sober ones) played darts so appallingly that one of the boys (Adam) came over and gave us a two minute tutorial. And I’ve got to say that Yukari has the makings of an excellent dart player.

Saturday, 15 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:08:00.000+09:00

Today I did some washing and cleaning stuff and then I went shopping – on my own. I bought two pairs of Chuck Taylors (one pair are dark pink, light pink and white and the other pair are navy, orange and white) at the shoe shop just down the road. Then I went to Bic Camera which is a big electronics store near my work. I bought a spare battery for my camera and I got a bunch of my favourite photos printed out for my notice board. I didn’t know how to work the photo machine (what with it being in Japanese and all) so I wakarimasen’ed the lady who worked there and she showed me how to do it. Then I went to the supermarket and bought some sashimi for dinner.

But I think I’m actually turning Japanese. At most of the big shops they have parking attendants whose job it is to direct the incoming cars to available parking spots and to move the cars leaving the car park in an orderly fashion. I’m now so used to being directed in a car park that when I went to Humpty Dumpty (a shop full of little gorgeous things) and realized that they had no parking attendant I had a momentary panic and thought “Oh God – where do I park, where do I park?

I called Sarah when I got home and then we all spent the rest of the afternoon all lying under the doona watching a british TV show called Brass Eye and eating Violet Crumbles. An afternoon well spent all in all.

Thursday, 13 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:07:00.000+09:00

Today I’m meant to be teaching with the new Japanese teacher but they haven’t found one yet so I’m teaching with the boss today. It was a bit boring though because I only had one class – an EPC2 class with five students. So for the rest of the afternoon I wrote up name tags and read this dreadful biography of Maria Montesorri. On the bright side, I didn’t get lost going home.

Wednesday, 12 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:04:00.000+09:00

Today I was at a school in the next town – about 40 minutes away – with Saori again. After yesterdays navigatory disaster, I wrote down the directions on the back of my hand as we drove there, much to Saori’s amusement. So here they are:

Turn left at Yamada
Turn right at Carnival Buffet onto Route 27
Turn right onto Route 104
Turn left at the Flying Garden and the 7-11
Turn left at the greenhouses and the radio tower

Tuesday, 11 April 2006

2006-04-24T10:03:00.000+09:00

Today I was at a school about 15 minutes from the office and my teaching partner was Saori. She’s really good and the kids all love her. Unfortunately the way to the school is a bit twisty and turny so I consequently got lost coming home. Honestly, everything looks different at night and in the rain. But I eventually found my way home just in time to meet Megan at Cainz. I bought a double futon, bed linen and a quilt so that when I have guests we don’t all have to squish into my bed.

Sunday, 9 April 2006

2006-04-24T09:45:00.002+09:00

I slept in this morning and after lunch I drove over to Megan’s and we all went to a Hanamai party by the river. Hanamai is basically a party to admire the Cherry Blossums but most people just get drunk. It was freezing cold and the wind was horrific. I wore my leather jacket and Megan loaned me a pair of gloves.

The best part of the day was that I saw the local branch of the Japan Hawk Society (or whatever they’re called). I asked the guy if I could have my photo taken with him and the hawk and he nodded and smiled. So I stood next to him while Megan got the camera out. His friend saw what I was doing and took his glove off and put it on my arm and then they sat the hawk on my arm. All these Japanese people were laughing at the crazy gaijin but then they all started lining up to have their photo taken too. The hawk was huge with an enormous beak and the most incredible talons. It was fantastic.

When everyone at the party was good and drunk, we started to play soccer which was fun. Eventually I trailed home because I was cold and tired.

Saturday, 8 April 2006

2006-04-24T09:45:00.001+09:00

I slept in this morning until about 9am and then I went out for walk. I went further than I usually go – I went as far as the 100 Yen shop which is about a 3km round trip. Then I did some washing which is really exciting and I bet you are glad that I shared that. I also bought a new hairdryer from Cainz. I visited the pet section again and saw that they have baby squirrels or chipmunks (I’m not sure which) that you can buy as pets. They’ve also got little mouse-like things but without tails. I want one.

Megan came over to my house and I followed her in my car to her house. So now I can get to work, to the supermarket and to Megan’s house. Megan and Nick (her sweetheart) live in the same block of flats as Sarah’s boyfriend, Kevin. So I picked up Sarah, Megan and then Emily (who lives about half way between me and Megan) and we went to a party at a friend of theirs – another Sara, but this one is Canadian. Her boyfriend is a kiwi so had quite a bit of Australian and NZ music so we commandeered the stereo and bored everyone else to tears. We didn’t end up leaving there until about 3am.

Monday, 10 April 2006

2006-04-24T09:45:00.000+09:00

Today was my first day with the kids. My classes went pretty well, and generally speaking, the kids are really good. The littlest of them is about 4 and the oldest is about 11. Yukari was my teaching partner today (although the company calls the Japanese teachers Japanese Assistants). Yukari is great with the little kids although she has only been with the company two weeks longer than me. She was really nervous I think, but then we had fun. She assists me in two classes with the small kids and then she teaches three of the six afternoon classes on her own. My school today was at Tobu which I think means Head Office. So all I had to do was walk to the building next door for my classes. It was also freezing cold and wet so the whole standing outside the building and greeting the parents was no fun at all.

I still don’t have internet access but Nobuko sent away the form for me so it can’t be much longer – can it?

Friday, 7 April 2006

2006-04-24T09:44:00.000+09:00

Today was another beautiful day and I went for my walk a bit earlier. I also went down the side streets and had a lovely time terrifying all the small school children. Because the footpaths are so narrow, they all walk to school in a line and they are so damn cute. Of course they all stared at the crazy gaijin and then when I looked at them, they all stared at the ground and grabbed each others hands. Ahh, it was fun.

At work we sorted text books for the kids and then the boss took us out to lunch at an Italian restaurant. I had a delicious smoked chicken pizza and a lycee and soda drink followed by chocolate something. We then did a practice run through of the three lessons I’ll be doing on Monday. I even had to practice greeting pretend parents and Sarah was my student. If I have any students like Sarah, I’m going to put Ritalin in the water.

After work I was too knackered to do anything exciting so I just went home and ate steamed veges and sashimi before collapsing into bed.

Thursday, 6 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:58:00.000+09:00

Today I went for a walk along the main road near my house. I swear I can feel myself getting fatter by the minute here. Everyone eats so much. When we go out for lunch, I only ever eat half of what’s on my plate but I’m still stuffed full. We had lunch at a French restaurant today and it was truly divine. I had the sea bream followed by a crème brulee and a café au lait. I was dubious at first, my fears were unfounded – it was real coffee. And real bread with our meals. Not this squishy, sweet white stuff that the Japanese call bread. And the whole meal cost about $13.50. Which is insanely cheap.

I spent most of the day learning more songs for the kids. Today I learnt “I can count to five”, “Up, down, turn around and jump” and “Good morning, my name is Benny”. Buster thinks it is hilarious that I have the worst singing voice ever and here I am torturing Japanese children with it for a living.

After work, Megan and I went to the supermarket but we couldn’t find any sultanas. I soo miss sultanas. I’ve told Buster to bring some when he comes to visit. We did manage to get some more edamame though. Then she took me to the 100 Yen shop which was awesome. I bought a pencil case, some coloured pens and some little dishes for soy sauce and wasabi when I have sashimi. After that we went to Cainz Home and she bought a folding table for her new apartment.

Wednesday, 5 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:56:00.000+09:00

I was going to go for a walk this morning because I seem to be eating so much I think I need damage control. But all my fine intentions went out the window because it was bucketing down outside. There go all the Cherry Blossums.

Sometimes the Japanese are so weird. In the bathrooms at work, we have heated toilet seats which sounds a bit strange until you’ve tried them. It’s so nice on a freezing cold day. But then they don’t have hot water at the sink so you have to wash your hands in this freezing, practically glacial water. And then there are no hand towels (you are meant to bring your own) but if you are lucky there might be a hand blow dryer. Well, I don’t really mean lucky because they are not heated so you get blown away by an artic wind and your hands nearly drop off from frost bite.

For lunch we went to an Indian restaurant that was ok. You don’t actually order a bunch of naans to share, you get one each with your meal. And they are massively, huge. It’s so strange, tiny weeny cars and huge naan bread – how can they co-exist in such harmony?

Tuesday, 4 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:55:00.001+09:00

Today is a beautiful day. It’s warm enough that I’ve opened the balcony sliding doors and I can hear the birds chirping and the neighbours chickens clucking to themselves. Last night I was woken up by another small earthquake. It only lasted about 20 seconds but it’s strange to go from totally asleep to wide awake to totally asleep again. Buster woke me up again this morning when he called. I’m so looking forward to getting my broadband on then we can have breakfast together on Skype.

I had a kitchen disaster this morning when I burnt the toast. Ok, I burnt two pieces of toast. Ok, I actually set fire to the first bit and then subsequently burnt the replacement piece. But the tea tasted good.

I did a couple of practice lessons today with some of the others acting like naughty little kids. For lunch we went to the Take Out Kitchen and then took our lunch to the park to look at the Cherry Blossums. Parks in Japan are a bit strange – they don’t actually have any grass. Most of the ground is a weird gravelly dirt mix – even under the swings and other playground equipment. There were a bunch of kids playing and one little girl was riding a unicycle around.

I also got my car today. It’s a tiny, weeny little three door white car called a “Minica”. Seriously, that’s the type of car. I think it’s a Mitsubishi. So I got to drive home from work all on my own. It doesn’t have a cd player or even a cigarette lighter so I’ve bought a tape convertor thing for the ipod.

Monday, 3 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:55:00.000+09:00

Today was my first day at work but we are doing training and prep stuff this week so we don’t actually have any kids yet. I spent the morning with the boss going through things and trying not to freeze. It was so windy that even though I wore my Mary Tyler Moore / Skinned Yak coat - I was still cold.

Sunday, 2 April 2006

2006-04-24T08:54:00.000+09:00

This morning I was rudely awoken by the phone ringing. It’s pretty disorientating to wake up with no idea where you are, realize that the phone is ringing and then realize that you’ve got to get down the damn ladder before the phone stops ringing (because I can’t figure out the answering machine). So, if you phone me here in Japan and I don’t answer, please call again in case I just haven’t made it down the ladder in time.

It was a bit cooler than Saturday so I watched a movie while wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. Then I went for a walk around my neighbourhood. I found my way around the block ok which is harder than you might think because there are so many little alleys that all look the same that it’s easy to get lost. I saw a Beagle, a tabby cat, a Shibu Inu and a puppy of indeterminate breed. Then I walked down the main road about ten minutes and went to a big shop that is like the bastard child of K Mart and Bunnings. They have a little garden centre out the front so I wasn’t sure how to get in the damn shop. After lurking in the carpark for a minute or two, I followed some people to where the entrance was. My mission was to secure coat hangers and a pair of slippers. I wandered about for a couple of minutes then I heard a dog barking and found that they had a pet section! There was a little Corgi and a Maltese cross and a Dachshund and a bunch of miscellaneous kittens which were exceedingly cute.

But I had a task to complete so I tore myself away from the little furry ones and went in search of the coat hangers. I got sidetracked briefly by some lovely little lacquered bowls that are perfect for miso but eventually found the coat hangers I needed. Now slippers - a search which was to prove ultimately disappointing. They only had slippers with the covered toe, none that actually had a back to them so they probably wouldn’t actually keep my feet that warm. And seeing it was 13 degrees this morning in the lounge room, I think I need slippers that keep my feet warm. I successfully negotiated the cashier and even counted out the right change and got rid of all my 10 yen coins with a minimum fuss.

On my way home I noticed a shop on the other side of the road that looked like it might sell slippers but I couldn’t figure out how to press the button to get a walk signal to cross the road so slippers will have to wait to another day.

I got home just as it started to rain and had salmon sashimi and miso soup for lunch while watching Walk the Line.

I also experienced my first Japanese earthquake at about 9pm. It was only tiny and if I hadn’t been watching a dvd, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

Saturday, 1 April 2006

2006-04-23T21:33:00.000+09:00

I was woken up early by a fecking rooster. Who the hell has a rooster? Rooster, if you are reading this, be warned that your days are numbered.

I called Buster (previously mentioned as “The New Boyfriend” – keep up folks) and I called my mum to let them know that I hadn’t fallen off the face of the earth. I spent the morning unpacking my stuff and then Sarah called me at about 12pm to let me know the lunch plan. Megan and Sarah picked me up and we met Emily at a little restaurant where you get a bowl of stuff, they crack an egg into it, you mix it up and then cook it like an omeletey-pancake thing on the hotplate in the middle of the table. We got four different types and they were so yummy.

The girls also gave me a little gift bag full of wonderful wee things to welcome me to Takasaki.

My Gift Bag.

After lunch we went to a big electronics store and I bought a couple of convertor plugs and a speaker thing with an Ipod dock which is fantastic even if it did cost an arm and a leg because now I don’t need a stereo and it charges the Ipod while playing it. Hooray!

We went out to a girls night dinner at a restaurant near Takasaki Station with a bunch of other Gaijin and some Japanese friends. We ate mostly western food but it was fun getting to know the other girls. After dinner we went down to Odessa which is the bar that the girls and most of their friends frequent. I met even more new people but have to admit that I was fading fast. Megan felt sorry for me and gave me a ride home at about midnight just as I was turning pumpkiny.

Friday, 31 March 2006

2006-04-23T21:32:00.000+09:00

So I arrived at Narita Airport at 7.30am and practically whizzed through immigration and customs. They didn’t ask me any questions or even ask to look in my back pack, so while I certainly looked disheveled, I must still have had an aura of honesty. I managed to pick up my unaccompanied bag without too much trouble, if you call spending an hour traipsing around the cargo part of the airport a trouble-free experience. Actually, it was ok and everybody was helpful even if they only had limited English, which, let’s face it, is still more than my Japanese.

I even managed to get on the right bus to Takasaki. They let you put one bag in the baggage compartment of the bus but I had to take my backpack on the bus with me. So I lugged it up the stairs and tried to lift it up onto the overhead baggage shelf but I just got the giggles because it was so heavy. There was a young Japanese couple in the seat across the aisle and the guy asked me if I wanted help getting my bag up and then I realized that it was actually too wide to fit in the gap. I said thanks for the offer and then went to sit down and promptly whacked my head on the ceiling. After that stylish introduction to Japan, I just left my backpack on the floor and rested my feet on it. Then the battery ran out on the Ipod. Damn thing. I wish I could describe the view of Tokyo from the bus but frankly I was so knackered that I went to sleep almost straight away.

My new boss, Carl, met me at Takasaki Station and drove me straight to my new apartment. I’ve moved into Megan’s old apartment because she has moved in with her sweetheart, Kevin. Wait, wait, wait. You guys know Megan? No? Ok, Sarah, Megan and Emily are the girls that I’ll be working with for the next year. All three are from Brisbane and both Sarah and Megan have signed up for another year in Takasaki. The apartment’s pretty small but nowhere near as cupboard-like as I had expected. I have a kitchen and dining room in one and a lounge room through a big sliding door. The tiny, submarine-style toilet and bathroom are off one side of the kitchen and the bedroom is up in a loft and only accessible by ladder. And when I say ladder, I mean ladder. Not just a couple of rungs but nine of them - I swear I get vertigo from halfway up.

This is the lounge room in my apartment.

And this is how big it is if you stand at the window.

After dropping my stuff off, Carl took me to the supermarket to buy some supplies. It wasn’t as bad as I feared and I even bought the same jam and the same instant miso soup that we have at home. They have so much stuff already prepared that I’m frankly surprised that anyone cooks. I bought bread, butter, jam, instant miso soup, edamame, miso paste, salmon sashimi, tea, milk, salad and some diet coke. The shopping list of champions. The only thing I really need help to identify was the low fat milk because they don’t have pictures of skinny cows on the cartons.

After I got back to the apartment I had a shower and went to bed at 6pm.

So, here I am in Japan

2006-04-23T21:28:00.000+09:00

Ok, a brief word.

I'm here in Japan and I am teaching English to kids aged 3 to 12 years old. I work at a small juku (or a cram school) here in Takasaki which is in Gunma Prefecture. I've been here about three weeks and my internet access has only just started working.

So, here we go I guess.