Update
First up yes I am alive, and it has been nearly a week.
So here is a run down of what I have been doing.
Thursday December 15
Got paid and headed to Tokyo. I love this place, it is alive and a feast for the senses. I got a train that runs from Numazu to Shinjuku. It is was cheaper than the Shinkansen but twice the time, 2 hours, but I figured by the time I got the Shinkansen to Tokyo Station and then caught the next train to Shinjuku the time it took would been roughly the same, plus it offered an amazing view of Mt Fuji.
I arrived at Shinjuku and like a homing pigeon I head for Kinokuniya Books. I love book stores and this would have to be one of my favourites. I love being surrounded by all those words. I got what I was looking for, a present for a friend and then started looking for myself. I only got two books and I went for an author my students had recommended, Banana Yoshimoto. I got her first book titled "Kitchen" and another called "Goodbye Tsugumi". Will read them on the train to and from Kyoto. I also got a calendar for my wall.
I also visited some shrines and temples so I can more stamps to my temple book. Managed to get to five. My favourite place in Tokyo is Sensoji Temple in the area known as Asakusa, I also visited Asakusa Shrine. leading up to Sensoji Temple is a shopping street, I found these cute little wooden dogs for the two children in one of my kinder classes, they're both 5 year old and we have fun in class. If I ever leave here or they leave I will miss them.
The other temples and shrines that I visited were Meiji-jingu, this a huge complex and another one of those places where you can forget you are in the middle of 12 million people. Yasakuni Shrine, this is the shrine that when the Japanese Prime Minister visits it China and South Korea get upset. The shrine honours Japanese war dead including 14 A class war criminals. Still a nice place to visit. The other one I visited was Sengakuji this Shrine is dedicated to the 47 Ronin who committed seppiku at the site and where there remains are buried.
From the peace of the temples it was off to my last stop of the day. Akihabara Electric Town. This place is amazing with more electronics stores than you can poke a stick at, hundreds of girls handing out tissues and guys trying new and unique ways of getting you to come into their store. I got my brother a web cam, this is more for me so I can talk to and see Mum. My brother has one but it is rather cheap and the focus is crap.
Friday December 16
Had dinner with Student X. It was my first Japanese lesson with him, and after a quick run through at the restaurant he told me I was ordering dinner in Japanese and with no help from him. I did it, so I am very happy. We talked a lot, I got more mixed messages from him. He told me when he was in Canada he heard someone say "Is that a keg in your pants?", he wanted to know if I knew what it meant. After dinner we had a beer at a nearby Izakaya we worked out what train I had to catch we had an hour before the last local one, so we talked a little had another beer and then he told me instead of getting the train he would take me home. He dropped me off and he came up for coffee we talk some more then he left. My next lesson is on Thursday night after work at his place.
Saturday December 17 and Sunday December 18
Work. Had to teach Spawn of Satan. I had received some tips from one of the kids trainers, so I used some of those and surprise surprise he did the lesson. When ever he went back to the usual routine I ignored him for a little while after telling him we would do nothing. He got bored of that quickly, largely because I had his bag and wouldn't let him near it. So I will keep doing things that way and see what happens.
Monday December 19
Work. At least this Monday I had students to teach. One of our regular housewives, who tells every new student she meets that she is divorcing her husband, hit on me. I think she had been drinking at lunch. It was funny. Taught another private lesson, this one was two hours work for 8,000 Yen. There is also the possibility of more work next year.
So that is it for the week, sorry fr being slack. Today I am doing housework and going out for coffee.
So here is a run down of what I have been doing.
Thursday December 15
Got paid and headed to Tokyo. I love this place, it is alive and a feast for the senses. I got a train that runs from Numazu to Shinjuku. It is was cheaper than the Shinkansen but twice the time, 2 hours, but I figured by the time I got the Shinkansen to Tokyo Station and then caught the next train to Shinjuku the time it took would been roughly the same, plus it offered an amazing view of Mt Fuji.
I arrived at Shinjuku and like a homing pigeon I head for Kinokuniya Books. I love book stores and this would have to be one of my favourites. I love being surrounded by all those words. I got what I was looking for, a present for a friend and then started looking for myself. I only got two books and I went for an author my students had recommended, Banana Yoshimoto. I got her first book titled "Kitchen" and another called "Goodbye Tsugumi". Will read them on the train to and from Kyoto. I also got a calendar for my wall.
I also visited some shrines and temples so I can more stamps to my temple book. Managed to get to five. My favourite place in Tokyo is Sensoji Temple in the area known as Asakusa, I also visited Asakusa Shrine. leading up to Sensoji Temple is a shopping street, I found these cute little wooden dogs for the two children in one of my kinder classes, they're both 5 year old and we have fun in class. If I ever leave here or they leave I will miss them.
The other temples and shrines that I visited were Meiji-jingu, this a huge complex and another one of those places where you can forget you are in the middle of 12 million people. Yasakuni Shrine, this is the shrine that when the Japanese Prime Minister visits it China and South Korea get upset. The shrine honours Japanese war dead including 14 A class war criminals. Still a nice place to visit. The other one I visited was Sengakuji this Shrine is dedicated to the 47 Ronin who committed seppiku at the site and where there remains are buried.
From the peace of the temples it was off to my last stop of the day. Akihabara Electric Town. This place is amazing with more electronics stores than you can poke a stick at, hundreds of girls handing out tissues and guys trying new and unique ways of getting you to come into their store. I got my brother a web cam, this is more for me so I can talk to and see Mum. My brother has one but it is rather cheap and the focus is crap.
Friday December 16
Had dinner with Student X. It was my first Japanese lesson with him, and after a quick run through at the restaurant he told me I was ordering dinner in Japanese and with no help from him. I did it, so I am very happy. We talked a lot, I got more mixed messages from him. He told me when he was in Canada he heard someone say "Is that a keg in your pants?", he wanted to know if I knew what it meant. After dinner we had a beer at a nearby Izakaya we worked out what train I had to catch we had an hour before the last local one, so we talked a little had another beer and then he told me instead of getting the train he would take me home. He dropped me off and he came up for coffee we talk some more then he left. My next lesson is on Thursday night after work at his place.
Saturday December 17 and Sunday December 18
Work. Had to teach Spawn of Satan. I had received some tips from one of the kids trainers, so I used some of those and surprise surprise he did the lesson. When ever he went back to the usual routine I ignored him for a little while after telling him we would do nothing. He got bored of that quickly, largely because I had his bag and wouldn't let him near it. So I will keep doing things that way and see what happens.
Monday December 19
Work. At least this Monday I had students to teach. One of our regular housewives, who tells every new student she meets that she is divorcing her husband, hit on me. I think she had been drinking at lunch. It was funny. Taught another private lesson, this one was two hours work for 8,000 Yen. There is also the possibility of more work next year.
So that is it for the week, sorry fr being slack. Today I am doing housework and going out for coffee.