Merry Christmas -- Japan to the U.S.A.

Happy Holidays from the Land of the Rising Sun!! My 5th graders learned about Christmas today and got to make these awesome creative Christmas tree ornaments. I love doing creative projects with them because they are a riot to talk to and joke around with, which is what ends up happening more often than not. Some of them made pretty ingenious ornaments, too! I won't be seeing them again until January, so it's a great send of for both them and me.

School's Out for Summer

Today was the last day of classes until the beginning of September. After the closing ceremonies tomorrow, summer can officially begin! It’s been about 4 months since I arrived in Japan and I am looking forward to a month of summer fun! This weekend was the start of the exciting things that I hope to accomplish this summer. 

On Sunday I travelled to Takarazuka to see another of the performances of the amazing Takarazuka Revue. This time the play was「ファントム」or “Phantom”, the Takarazuka rendition of the Phantom of the Opera. The day started early when I boarded a train towards Kusatsu at 7:30 am with my good friends Lauren and Ann. We arrived in Takarazuka (after a few transfers) at around 10am and met up with some other friends before heading towards the theater.

Pre-show curtain

Compared to the first Takarazuka performance I saw, “Phantom” was much easier to understand. “Phantom” was fantastic. Although similar to the Broadway interpretation, the Takarazuka version was closer to the book that it is based on (or so I have been told). The costumes were amazingly ornate and the dancing and acting was very well done. The songs were stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and I don’t even know the words!

Following this adventure, we all took another train heading back to Kansai and stopped by Aeon Mall and...

COSCO! the capital of all things U.S.A. in Japan. It was literally like being back in the states. It was a slightly disorienting experience to be in a warehouse that looked exactly like the one in Vermont while being surrounded by people speaking Japanese. Also, I think it was the largest number of foreigners in the same area that I have seen since being in the U.S. When I decided that I needed a picture next to the Pretz (something very Japanese in a place that seemed very “American”), a passing shopper said “Would you like me to take that?” IN ENGLISH!!! It was his native language! So strange… In addition to selling lots of American bulk foods, Costco also serves the same horribly unhealthily delicious hot foods as it does in the states. Hence, for the first time in three and a half months I ate a piece of pizza. A COSTCO intense piece of pizza. It was amazing.

In other news, my couch arrived yesterday! I specified cash on delivery, so I was stuck waiting in my apartment impatiently all of Monday morning. Luckily, Lauren was there to distract me from my impatience and help me set up the couch when it finally arrived. I am so happy with my choice! The couch is soft and cushy, and it reclines to several different levels, including flattening out so that it can be used as a bed. I feel like my apartment is becoming more and more mine, especially now that I have a comfy place to sit!

Super comfy new couch!

Monday also brought the amazingness of typhoon force winds and rain. The school day was shortened today to let the students go home early in light of the weather situation. While it's a little frightening to hear the gales outside, I feel very safe and cozy in my apartment. The rest of this week has been forecast as rain and wind, thanks to the typhoon. I guess I can forgive the sky for wanting to throw a party.  It just wants to say, "Welcome to summer!"

Exciting Adventures Return

It's been a while since I updated. It isn't for lack of new things happening in my life, but more due to a lack of time or motivation on my part >.< Recently I have heard back from Interac, a company that employs ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) to teach English all across Japan. This March I will be returning to Shiga, Japan! In light of this development I thought it would be a good idea to restart this blog.

Since I have last written I finished my last semester of college and graduated with a B.A. in Asian Languages and Cultures. Although it seems like college went by in the blink of an eye, four years have passed. I miss being in Geneva and I miss all of my friends there, but we have all moved on to a very exciting chapter of our lives. I spent the summer in Vermont and traveling to see family in different parts of the country. With my goal (to teach in Japan) in mind, I took a month long course to help me be able to better teach English. What I initially considered as a simple stepping stone was an amazing experience in which I learned so many things about myself. I met some great people and had a trying, amazing, and horrible experience. I ended the month of September with many new friends, great memories, and a Trinity CertTESOL certificate.

In the interim between Toronto and Japan I have been working at the local health food/grocery store in the Deli. I slice meats and cheese, make killer sandwiches, and other related odd jobs. It's a great place with good people and I am lucky and grateful that I was able to find such a good place to work. I have two weeks left at City Market and I will hate to say goodbye, but I am excited for the next exciting adventure that is in store for me.

Although I don't know too many exact details about my job in Japan yet, I do have a tentative location. I will be placed in Koka in the Shiga prefecture. Koka is known for being the home of the Koga ninja clan  and for it's unique ceramics.

In the map above, the highlighted area is the city of Koka. The white section in the middle of the map is Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake.

Minakuchi Castle in Koka, Shiga, Japan.