First of (maybe) many posts
Hello friends! I'm gonna be writing a series of longer entries mostly about my winter vacation. And they're for my own records as much as for the rest of you so sorry in advance if they clog up your friends pages. Mwa haha.
Ok, let's see. I'm gonna be orderly about this.
Dec 20: On Wednesday night I had my end-of-year enkai (drinking party) with the other teachers at Joto. I love these things cause you eat and drink as much as you can, and everything's really high quality. Nothing makes me happier than a feast ;) But it was a school night so i didnt get too trashed or anything, plus Anya was coming over later to spend the night so i wanted to be a sober-ish hostess. Throughout the evening they played some games, had some raffle prizes, things like that. At one point I was given two really nice boxes of chocolate and then I was coerced into joining a "bowling tournament" on stage. The M.C. of the evening, the colorful basketball coach, who was wearing an orange blazer and kept running through the tables of people holding the mic in peoples' faces and saying "Where ya from??", literally pushed me on stage and told me that the other men on stage were "champion bowlers" and that i was here to "CHALLENGE THEM!". They set up a set of mini plastic bowling pins on one end of the stage, and gave me a pink plastic ball. Amazingly, I knocked all but one down. The Champion then followed, and was able to knock all the pins down. Since I didnt beat him, I was about to walk off stage, when the bball coach called me back to give me my prize.
Now here's the crazy part, I was sure they were gagging me but apparently it's real, they gave me a baseball (in a little glasss case) signed by Matsuzaka. Now, I didnt know who this guy was till he got signed to the Red Sox, and it was all over the news here how Boston offered 50 million dollars to the Seibu Lions for the right to even negotiate with the guy, and then shelled out another 50 million for his 6 year contract. So he is, as Will Ferrell says "kind of a big deal". It was explained to me later that the signature really is genuine, and the bball coach got it signed by him (along with a bunch of other balls i guess) because he himself used to be a relatively famous bball player in Japan, and he has lots of "sports contacts" and apparently he's buddy buddy with another Seibu Lions guy.
So yeah, it's all very confusing, and I dont know why they wanted to give it to me so much, especially for NOT beating the Champion of a freakin mini plastic bowling pins competition...but it looks nice in my apartment, so cool!
A few days later, I was in Osaka meeting up with Tristan to start our two week vacation. We stayed at the same place as last time, a hostel / hotel called Raizan. We only had one night in Osaka, and we had heard about this German Night Market thing the were doing for Christmas so we checked it out. It was awesome! It was right at the foot of the Umeda Sky Building and was full of Germans selling sausages, beer, christmas knicknacks and pastries. I was just in such a good mood, getting to be with Tristan, the excitement of starting our much-anticipated vacation, it was great. There was a huge Christmas tree with lights and were timed to music. And performers at the base of the tree who sang Xmas Carols in Japanese accents while dressed up like reindeer and elves. We got our buzz going, had two sausages each and shared some interesting little pastry puffs dipped in honey and sugar. Then we walked over to a different Christmasy celebration of lights, which had some interesting outdoor christmas-related light sculptures and landscaped gardens. On our way back to the hotel we decided to walk along the river and i was so surprised to see a mural...of Greek gods and goddesses along the wall!! The great thing was, they were all Japanified. So like...Dionysos was sitting there with his legs folded, with long Buddha-ears and holding a wine cup. The Japanese caption said, im pretty sure "Sake Buddha". Ares was spelled "Ales" (awesome example of Engrish) and he was all colorful, wielding this like...flame sword or something. When I get internet, i will post pics on facebook :)
Ok, that's all for December 20-23. I'll finish up later, I have to go to lunch! :)
Ok, let's see. I'm gonna be orderly about this.
Dec 20: On Wednesday night I had my end-of-year enkai (drinking party) with the other teachers at Joto. I love these things cause you eat and drink as much as you can, and everything's really high quality. Nothing makes me happier than a feast ;) But it was a school night so i didnt get too trashed or anything, plus Anya was coming over later to spend the night so i wanted to be a sober-ish hostess. Throughout the evening they played some games, had some raffle prizes, things like that. At one point I was given two really nice boxes of chocolate and then I was coerced into joining a "bowling tournament" on stage. The M.C. of the evening, the colorful basketball coach, who was wearing an orange blazer and kept running through the tables of people holding the mic in peoples' faces and saying "Where ya from??", literally pushed me on stage and told me that the other men on stage were "champion bowlers" and that i was here to "CHALLENGE THEM!". They set up a set of mini plastic bowling pins on one end of the stage, and gave me a pink plastic ball. Amazingly, I knocked all but one down. The Champion then followed, and was able to knock all the pins down. Since I didnt beat him, I was about to walk off stage, when the bball coach called me back to give me my prize.
Now here's the crazy part, I was sure they were gagging me but apparently it's real, they gave me a baseball (in a little glasss case) signed by Matsuzaka. Now, I didnt know who this guy was till he got signed to the Red Sox, and it was all over the news here how Boston offered 50 million dollars to the Seibu Lions for the right to even negotiate with the guy, and then shelled out another 50 million for his 6 year contract. So he is, as Will Ferrell says "kind of a big deal". It was explained to me later that the signature really is genuine, and the bball coach got it signed by him (along with a bunch of other balls i guess) because he himself used to be a relatively famous bball player in Japan, and he has lots of "sports contacts" and apparently he's buddy buddy with another Seibu Lions guy.
So yeah, it's all very confusing, and I dont know why they wanted to give it to me so much, especially for NOT beating the Champion of a freakin mini plastic bowling pins competition...but it looks nice in my apartment, so cool!
A few days later, I was in Osaka meeting up with Tristan to start our two week vacation. We stayed at the same place as last time, a hostel / hotel called Raizan. We only had one night in Osaka, and we had heard about this German Night Market thing the were doing for Christmas so we checked it out. It was awesome! It was right at the foot of the Umeda Sky Building and was full of Germans selling sausages, beer, christmas knicknacks and pastries. I was just in such a good mood, getting to be with Tristan, the excitement of starting our much-anticipated vacation, it was great. There was a huge Christmas tree with lights and were timed to music. And performers at the base of the tree who sang Xmas Carols in Japanese accents while dressed up like reindeer and elves. We got our buzz going, had two sausages each and shared some interesting little pastry puffs dipped in honey and sugar. Then we walked over to a different Christmasy celebration of lights, which had some interesting outdoor christmas-related light sculptures and landscaped gardens. On our way back to the hotel we decided to walk along the river and i was so surprised to see a mural...of Greek gods and goddesses along the wall!! The great thing was, they were all Japanified. So like...Dionysos was sitting there with his legs folded, with long Buddha-ears and holding a wine cup. The Japanese caption said, im pretty sure "Sake Buddha". Ares was spelled "Ales" (awesome example of Engrish) and he was all colorful, wielding this like...flame sword or something. When I get internet, i will post pics on facebook :)
Ok, that's all for December 20-23. I'll finish up later, I have to go to lunch! :)