October ALT Soccer Tournament

The Gunmatrons

Another weekend jammed packed with soccer. This time there were 7 teams and we played 6 games. We lost a player in the first 5 minutes of the first game (knee injury), but luckily the other teams were generous and lent us some players.

We won 2, lost 2, and tied 2. I scored 2. We played really well together and had a lot of fun on and off the field.

Mt. Fuji

View of Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchiko

My solo trip to Mt. Fuji couldn't have come at a better time. I was ready for some solitude and what better way to spend some alone time?

I was told that the trail to the summit would be closed after September 1st so I was just planning to do the lateral trail at 5th Station. In fact, the sign on the trail head even said that the trail was closed. So I did the planned lateral trail but it was much shorter than I thought. I saw a path that lead up and decided to see where it led.

7th Station

I climbed all the way to 6th station before I realized I was on the trail to the summit. I looked up and was surprised to see hikers all the way up the mountain. Perplexed, I continued to climb. Along the way I met other hikers who informed me that you could, in fact, still go to the summit. I was a bit bummed to learn this so late as I did not have the supplies to stay overnight or the time to reach the summit and return. Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous day for hiking and I made it to 7th station before I had to turn around.

Sunset above the clouds

That night I went to the onsen next to my hostel. I spent most of my time in the outdoor pool laying on my back enjoying the full moon and stars.

Afterwards, I had a few beers with two hikers I had met early. They were on holiday from Ireland and had only been in Japan for 4 days.

Lake Kawaguchiko

The next morning I decided to rent a bike and cycle the 20 km around Lake Kawaguchiko. It was absolutely perfect weather for it and the scenery was stunning. Mt.Fuji is just one of numerous mountains in the area. It was a leisurely, easy cycle on a fairly well-maintained path.

I couldn't have had a better trip. It was an amazing experience.

Taiwan

Back in July I was fortunate enough to able to travel to Taiwan for 10 days. The first part of the trip was solo and full of outdoors activities. For the second part I was joined by my friend Lisa who I know from Korea. Together we explored the city of Taipei. Taiwan is an amazingly friendly, lovely country and is currently battling Vietnam for my favorite Asian country. 

Hualien

The second swimming hole

Upon arriving in Taiwan, I immediately headed south to Hualien by train. I stayed at a wonderfully charming hostel where I met some fantastic people; two local expats from South Africa and 3 boys all from different German speaking countries.After a night of drinking and games at the hostel, the boys and I had an amazing adventure the next day.
 

Behind a waterfall

In the afternoon we set out from the hostel to rent bicycles only to find out that because of the timing it was better and less expensive to rent motorbikes. After a few mishaps and misdirection, we finally got on out way. Our destination was a nature reserve just outside if town where a local said there was a swimming hole. We found the overcrowded 'swimming hole' with knee high water and were a bit disappointed. We tried to go further into the park but were told we needed a permit.

So off we went to find the police station to get the permit. We wound up at the wrong one, but there was a man there nice enough to lead us to the correct one. However, when we got there we were denied the permit. My guess is that we needed a local emergency contact. Just when we thought our adventure was doomed, we were saved by an English speaking local who offered to take us as guests on his permit. Delighted, we agreed.

Jumping at the final swimming hole

Not only did Jimmy get us into the park, he became our unofficial guide. The first stop was a much nicer swimming hole. Then he asked if we wanted to go river tracing. River tracing is essentially hiking up a river as opposed to a trail. So up we went. We jumped from rock to rock, we climbed up robes, we swam behind waterfalls, and finally we got to the ultimate swimming hole complete with rocks to jump off of. It was a most glorious day.



So glorious, in fact, that we went back to the second swimming pool that evening with a large group of people from the hostel.

Taroko Gorge

Hiking in Taroko Gorge was challenging but rewarding. The first trail I did was Baiyan Waterfall trail. Along the way I saw two monkeys helping each other get food from a tree. I wasn't quite sure whether or not they were dangerous so I just hung back and watched them for awhile. Eventually, I walked past them and they scurried up the mountain. The trail went through several dark tunnels and of course I wasn't prepared with a light so I just went slowly.

Much to my dismay, to get to the viewing deck for the waterfall I had to cross this very scary suspension bridge. With all the times I've faced my fear you'd think I'd have gotten over it, but no. 

The waterfall was two-tiered and very tall, but not super powerful.Still, it was a lovely sight. 

The trail ended with a a cave called Water Curtain. Imagine a natural tunnel with water cascading from the ceiling, almost like a shower. 

The next trail I did was a bit more challenging but rather unexciting. I ran into Cory who I had met earlier and he informed me that it was super safe to hitchhike while in the park (and in Taiwan in general). So after lunch, since I missed the bus, I decided to give it a go. I was picked up within minutes and dropped off at the trail head for Swallow Grotto. Even though this trail was a path along the side of the road it was beautiful. The river ran through the middle of the tall pot hole riddled marble gorge. 

The next day I set my goal a little too high. I was planning on taking the Dekalan to the Dali to the Shakadang trail. I even went so far as to get a permit. But alas the Dekalan defeated me. At first I was surprised that I was the only hiker considering the trail head's proximity to the visitors center. Then, I realized why. It was 300 meters straight up stairs and it was grueling. When I reached the top I was beat and since I didn't know how long or hard the Dali trail was going to be, I wimped out and went back down. I took the bus to the Shakadong trail which was a delightfully easy trail that followed the river.

The before shot

Taipei 

Seeing Lisa for the first time in year was great. We picked up right where we left off and had an amazing time together. We met up in the afternoon on Saturday and explored our immediate area which included 228 Peace Park. Then we gussied up for the evening and went in search of food and night life. And night life we found. After a few bars we settled into Carnegie's which was a big open bar with wooden furniture and an almost American feel to it.

Yes, that is me dancing on the bar

We were tempted to relocate as we were surround by old men with young Taiwanese women and even more so when the go-go dancers came out. However, a few shots of tequila can do amazing things. For example, getting Lisa and I to dance on the bar. It was an epic evening.  

The next morning, or rather afternoon, we decided to take the gondola out to the Maokong Teahouse district. It was an amazingly lazy way to spend a hungover Sunday. The gondola ride was about 20-30 minutes and took us over greenery, trees, mountains, and city lights in the distance. After wandering around and taking in the sights we settled at one of the tea houses taking in the scenery and chatting. 

That night we went to Longshan Temple and all the night markets around it. We were told that trying the stinky tofu was a must and that it didn't taste as bad as it smelled. That was a flat-out lie! It was so gross!

 

Due to our high maturity level, Lisa and I decided to have lunch the following day at the Modern Toilet Restaurant. It was exactly what you would expect of a toilet themed restaurant. All the tables were glass covered sinks or bathtubs and the seats were western toilets. Drinks were served in urinals, food in western toilets or squatters. I found it very amusing. 

That night and the next night we spent hours in the Shilin Night Market. It seemed to go on forever. The food was so good and so cheap. They had every type of meat on a stick, fried everything, sandwiches, omelettes, and best of all fresh juice. I tried carrot and apple, starfruit and banana, and my personal favorite dragon fruit. The market was also souvenir heaven and I was able to buy everything I needed in one place. Not to mention all the games you could play. 

Summer Getaways

In June, I went to Tochigi, a neighboring prefecture, to visit some members of my soccer team. They took me to the Ajisai Matsuri which is a flower festival on a nearby mountain. Every color of the rainbow was represented in the flowers and the grueling hike to the summit was rewarded with a panoramic of the city. Afterwards, I had my first ever onsen (hot springs) experience and it was amazing!




The following weekend I went to Minakami with some coworkers. Minakami is a little slice of mountainly heaven that reminds me of Boone located in the northern part of the prefecture. We had lunch by the river before an afternoon of rafting. The rapids were probably only a class 2 or maybe 3 and they made everyone wear a wet suit even though it wasn't cold, but it was still a fun time. There were parts where we got to swim, jump off rocks (of course I choose the highest jump), and slide down the raft like a water slide.

In July, I went to Tochigi again. This time for a widely fun time at a rooftop beach theme party. It was nomihodai--- all you can drink and I certainly took advantage of that. The party included a hula hoop and limbo contest, and beach balls were being batted around the dance floor. The night ended with my first karaoke experience in Japan and I drunkenly sang (if you can call it that) "It's my life".


I was reminded the next day that the amount of hours it takes you to recover from a night of drinking is directly related to your age (and I'm not getting any younger). After a day of lounging about and being hung over, the girls I went to downtown Mibu to enjoy the local festival there. There were drummers being pulled on floats who battled other drummers on floats. There were also many food stands and games you could play. It was pretty cool until the spontaneous downpour and thunder! An hour train ride home soaking wet wasn't the most pleasant experience I've ever had.

I spent another weekend in Tochigi in the beginning of August to say goodbye to some friends who were leaving Japan. First was Rachel's send off. Karaoke, drinks, and dinner. The next day it was time to say goodbye to Dan, my Kiwi friend who moved to London. I met him in Utsunomiya for the big festival there. It was by far the best one I went to this season. As an expat, I feel like you are always saying goodbye.

Back in good old Isesaki, I recently went to the local festival here. The festival itself was rather unexciting, but I got to meet some cool new arrivals. I've since joined them for conveyor belt sushi---so delicious and so cheap!




People always come out of hibernation in the summer and I've made a lot of friends recently. I went to a BBQ back in July where I met a lot of people from my prefecture and have since met up with them. Last Friday, I joined a few for drinks and dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed our slightly intoxicated argument about who would win in a fight, Gandalf or Dumbledore? I'd put my money on Dumbledore any day.

In September, I ventured up to Minakami again. This time to meet up with a lot of other expats for a weekend of outdoor activities. I started my Saturday by going canyoning. We slid down waterfalls (including a 20 meter one), jumped off rocks, and swam down the river. It wasn't terribly intense, but it was a terribly good time. That night there was a BBQ, all you can drink, and a party at the lodge. It was all-round fun weekend.

ALT Soccer Tournament

Couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend. A beautiful drive up into the mountains, 5 soccer games, a BBQ, a quiz show, a dance party, and so many cool people.

After our sole win. 1-0. I scored the goal :)

Day 2. Game Face.

Day 2. How we really felt.

We may have finished last, but I still feel like a champ. It's the most fun I've had in Japan so far. 

Kyoto

First stop was Todaji Temple in Nara. It's the biggest Buddhist structure in the world. And boy was it massive. It made the White House look like a home for dwarves. Inside there was an equally massive statue of Buddha. The temple grounds were also extensive. We walked around for hours taking in the sites and feeding the friendly deer.




At the temple they were doing a traditional tea ceremony. The women were all wearing kimonos which look a tad uncomfortable. Before setting the cup in front of you the server would rotate it 360 degrees. This is so that you appreciate the beauty of the cup.

From there we hiked to the top of mountain that led to this scenic view of Nara.









The next day we went to what turned out to be my favorite temple, Ginkakuji. Ginkakuji means silver in Japanese, but the temple isn't silver. It's a very simple brown and white temple overlooking a pond with beautiful Japanese foliage surrounding it. As with most of the temples on this trip, I enjoyed the temple grounds more than the temple itself. We walked passed zen style raked gravel and through a forest trail. And a lucky coin tossed earned me a wish granted. We shall see.

Next was Kiyomizu, a temple on top of a mountain. It had several towers and pagodas with bamboo cross-hatched roofs.

It also had a hidden orange tower further in.

Nijojo Castle was built for the Shogunate in the 1500s. The castle itself was simple and sparse. The wooden floors creaked on purpose so that the ninjas would be able to hear any intruders. The grounds and gardens were more alluring to me than the castle itself. Especially the lily pad covered pond with a small waterfall. 

Afterwards, Mark and I headed to the Japanese Manga Museum (comic books). It was a bit disappointing; it was mostly a large library. There were a few exhibits upstairs including one that was casts of the artists' hands and the different ways they hold a pencil. 

This is the curtain. No photos allowed otherwise.

I had the brilliant idea of spending the afternoon watching a geisha performance. I'm afraid no one really enjoyed it except for me. Though I have to admit the first half was a bit hard to stay awake for (we were all a bit sleep deprived). It was a play and of course we didn't understand most of it. But apparently neither did our Japanese companions. The 2nd half was more of what I had expected. A lot of dancing and singing and a lot less dialogue. 

Dinner was at the Ninja Restaurant. I expected it to be corny but enjoyable. But it was so much more. We were led through a cavernous maze to our table by a ninja performing tricks. The table was in an alcove and it was tricky finding the way to the bathroom. Our ninja waiter brought a 7 course set menu of delicious food, including an appetizer of edible ninja stars. The best part was when the ninja magician came. Again I was expecting some lame but entertaining tricks. But he was amazing! Some of the best magic I've ever seen. He even slowed down some of his tricks and I still couldn't tell how he did it.  And of course I was super enthusiastic and amazed so he picked me to participate in a lot of the tricks. I even got to keep a signed card that he had used. And the fun wasn't over yet. After dinner we went to the basement to find our way through the ninja maze. Along the way we had to collect stamps and avoid the ninja roaming around. At the end, if you collected enough stamps you played a game for a prize. I won a plastic ninja star.

The next day we started at Ryusnji Temple. Next to the temple was a famous rock garden. It was raked gravel with 15 rocks in it. There was also a fountain that said, "Learn only to be content." This is a Buddhist belief that if you don't learn to be content then you will never be content even if you are materially wealthy.







Kinkakuji Temple. Golden Temple. Need I say more?









The last temple we went to was Tenruji Temple. This temple had an awesome dragon painting and a pond with HUGE fish in it. On the grounds was also a bamboo grove that we hiked through.






All in all, a wonderful but exhausting trip!

Only in Japan...

(well maybe not only in Japan)

Vending machine

• am I a morning person. No doubt the complete reversal of day and night helped, but now I find myself waking up at 8am on Saturdays. Who would have thought?
• are there vending machines in the middle of nowhere. 
• do the neighborhood roads have no names. In order to get somewhere new, you have to already know how to get there or have a smart phone.
• is there one plug per room. And it happens to be on a different wall than the internet outlet making it necessary to buy an extension cord and tape the wire all the way around the room.
• do you apologize for calling someone no matter the reason. Something like I'm so sorry for being rude by calling you. Actually you say something similar even when you were the person called. 
• is the trash so insanely complicated to figure out. Not only is there a different bag for burnable, non-burnable, plastic, plastic bottle, cans, recyclables, and glass, but you need to look at the chart to figure out where everything goes. For example, to throw out a plastic bottle the cap goes into plastic, the label goes into burnable, and the plastic bottle goes with plastic bottles. Once you've got that sorted you have to follow the trash schedule. Now if you're thinking that it's a simple matter of putting the bags out once a week you'd be wrong. It's four times a week, the schedule changes, you need to put it out before 8:30 and it's frowned upon to put it out the night before. If you're thinking 'oh, that's not so bad. You can just take it out to the curb in front of your house'. Well, you'd be wrong. The trash site is a good 10 minute walk from our house. Fortunately, it's only 5 minutes out of the way to take it before work. 

• do I find out about an early dismissal day and say, 'Oh, man. That's going to mess up my lesson plans.'  But just to clarify, it will be an early dismissal for the students only. They go home at 11:30, but I stay until 5:30.
• does the dust collect so fast that a minute after I finish cleaning the surface has a nice new coating. 
• does it take 6 weeks to get internet set up.
• is there such a ridiculous amount of gift giving. You give gifts to everyone at work if you go on a trip, are out sick from work, if a co-worker is out sick from work, as a thank you, as a welcome...the list goes on. It is a seemingly endless cycle. 
• is the typical lunch consist of  several different bite-sized things and rice. For example, a bento, as they're called, could consist of two small pieces of carrots, a small tomato, an egg, a bite-sized piece of meat and a small container of rice.
• are the toilet and the shower in separate rooms. This is a set up that I love. Though it would be nice if the sink was in the toilet room.
• is the bathtub deep, but short. I only fit if my knees are touching my chest. 
• do you take your groceries to a bagging table after you pay. This is a brilliant system that keeps the lines moving. As you shop, you put everything in a basket. At the check-out, the cashier will ring you up, put everything back in the basket, take your money, and give you bags.Then you go to the bagging table and pack everything up. 
• is almost everything at the grocery store sold in one-serving packages. For example, if you buy asparagus it will come in a bundle with maybe 5 stalks. 
• after you graduate from college, do your parents have to go with you to accept a job offer.
• are proposals really uncommon. Most of the time the couple just decides to get married. 
  
• do people typically get married (as in sign the papers) and have their weddings months or even years later. This sometimes happens after the couple has children.
• are iced pickled cucumbers a street snack.
• do you have to go to the dentist at least twice for a standard cleaning.
• do you bike on the left, drive on the left, but swim on the right.
• would this hair bow be considered cool and cute. It's a lot of effort for me to respond positively when my student asks what I think of the hair bows her mother makes her. 
• do you book bus tickets online, but have to go to a convenience store to make the payment at a machine so complicated my Japanese co-worker had difficulty figuring it out.
  
  
  
   
  
  

First Impressions

My Apartment

Besides the rather illogical placement of the one power outlet in each room there isn’t a lot to complain about as far as the apartment goes. The roomie and I have been getting along just fine. She leaves almost every weekend to visit friends of hers in Iberaki so I get plenty of alone time.

Kitchen

Fridge decorated with magnets

The toilet room

The sink and laundry room

The smallest tub ever!

Entrance

My room

My bed

My closet

The School

So far I think I’m really going to like teaching at Felice (that is if I can ignore the Christian undertones which should be pretty easy since that part is in Japanese).  It seems as though I will have a lot autonomy in my classroom which suits me well. There is a ‘curriculum’ to follow (more like a text book) but I am free to order and teach it as I like. Like most schools the administration is a bit disorganized but everyone is willing to help and for the most part have been really pleasant about everything. 

Front door

Playground

Training

The first month was spent doing various training with the obligatory, but time wasting, repetition of information. We began by learning how to use Grapeseed which is our ESL program. On the third day of the exhausting training session I learned that the material for grades 3-5 are almost completely different and thus the majority of the training is inapplicable to my class. Of course.

The week of observations went well and I had a lot of fun getting to know the students. Their English is quite high and they were very interested in learning about me.

That was followed by a week of practice teaching. I practiced in grade 2 with a very laid back and helpful teacher called Mr. Jordan. It was so hard to remember to put the Mr. in front of Jordan, and impossible not to think of my brother every time I said his name. This part of the training was the most beneficial and gave me a chance to interact with the students I will be teaching. 

The Area

My ride to school

I’m living in Isesaki in the prefecture of Gunma. It’s located in the middle of Japan about 3 hours from Tokyo. Isesaki is extremely rural, more so than I thought it would be. There is not a lot to do around here and it has been difficult (but not impossible) to make friends. Gunma is home to many mountain ranges which makes a lovely backdrop, but unfortunately they are only accessible by car. Other than that there are rice fields, grocery stores, restaurants, and a few parks. 

Getting Around

The school has provided me with a much used bike for my transportation purposes. Being that the area is so flat you might at first think that biking around would be easy here. That would be true if it weren’t for the wind. I’m talking an average of 15mph on a good day and 30 mph on a bad day. My legs will be nothing but muscle by the end of my contract.

Everything I need is less than a 15 minute bike ride including the train station. The station connects with all cities in the area and with a few transfers to most of the major cities on Honshu. As with most train systems it is easy to figure out and I have used it a few times without undo complications.

Before moving to Poland three years ago I sold my car and have barely driven since. So I was really happy that school provided a driving lesson before unleashing me on the road. It is a bit disorienting to drive on the opposite side of the road on the opposite side of the car but I make do. I say a little mantra to myself every time I take a turn so that I remember to stay in the left lane and look the correct way. Besides turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal 7 out of 10 times, I seem to be doing just fine. I managed to drive to Cosco and back all by myself last week.

My Social Life

As I mentioned above it hasn’t been easy to meet people here. I take every opportunity that arises to get out there and make some friends. Most of the things I’ve gone to I discovered because of a facebook group I belong to for expats living in the area.

My first week I met a group of ALT’s (English teachers in the public schools) for dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. Yes, I said Peruvian. There is a high percentage of Peruvian (and Brazilian) expats living in the area. Go figure. I was super excited that I could read the menu and order for myself. Thank you high school Spanish. Dinner was yummy and the company was entertaining. But the most exciting bit of info I gained is that there is a soccer tournament coming up in a few months. Yay!

Oh, yes! Polish vodka in Japan

Next on the social calendar was an international party hosted by Gunma University in Maebashi (a neighboring town). I brought a couple of co-workers with me and one accommodating fellow expat, Chris, met us at the train station and showed us the way. At the event, I met a lot of ALT’s and students who are studying abroad. There was food, socializing, and a trivia game. Since then I have been in touch with Chris and an Indonesian grad student named Haru who acted as my translator during trivia.

The following weekend I had my co-worker Katelyn and Haru over to my place where we drank beer, wine, whiskey, and Zubrowka. It was quite a night.

Part of the bar crowd

The next week I had off from work. I wish I could say that I spent it traveling around Japan, but unfortunately weather and money didn’t allow for that. I did met an ALT for dinner that Monday, and attend the going away party for all the teachers of Felice on Tuesday. Other than that I spent a lot of time relaxing, organizing, reading, and watching TV. Friday night I went out with some co-workers to the (as in the only one) bar down the street called Enjoy. It was all you could drink for 2 hours for about $25 with a bit of food. Not a bad deal. I met some cool locals and a pair Aussie’s and had an all-around good time.

Ginko bean I think. Tasted like a lima bean.

This past Saturday there was a failed attempt to go to a fund raiser for Save the Children. Long story, but basically I couldn’t find it. So instead I went to a restaurant with Katelyn, the Aussies, and two locals. We ate, we drank, we chatted. I have a feeling I’ll be hanging out with those cats often. 

The cherry blossoms are out and man are they pretty. My work had a hanami last week, which is kind of like the Japanese word for picnic but I'm pretty sure it always involves the cherry blossoms. Anyway, it was after work at Kazoji Park. We feasted on Cosco pizza and sushi under illuminated cherry blossoms. After dinner we rode a roller coaster and a ferris wheel.

My roomie and I ate at a noodle restaurant to the pleasing sound of other patrons slurping away.The food was yummy and it was the first time I ate Japanese food out. Seems ridiculous, doesn't it? After we ate the owner came over and gave us each a free bamboo toy. I'm not sure how to describe it. It looks like a helicopter blade. You launch it from your hand and it flies.

My Classroom

We were given a week to set up our classrooms and I assumed that would be enough time to get everything done. Oh, how I was mistaken. We had meetings, health checks, and other obligations to do as well. So I wound up working 7-5:30 and 7-6:30 on Thursday and Friday. Even with the help of Katelyn the classroom is still not finished. It’s passable for now, but I have a lot of work yet to do.