Shock and Amazement, A POST!
Yes.. I'm finally posting. I figured two and a half weeks in Japan was long enough to go without giving everyone a thorough update. And what better time than 9:30 pm in a hotel room? I warn you now, this is a LONG image intensive post!
Tokyo went by quickly. Within four days, I was on a plane again, headed for Chitose airport in Hokkaido. I have to say, JAL is the best airline - they offer good service and decent food, and there were no incidents like the one with United Airlines on either flight.
Once I arrived in Chitose, I was directed to a room where I met my first JTE (Japanese teacher of English). Her name is Kouno-sensei, and has excellent English. She drove me to Muroran straight away (and has kindly been driving me around ever since). We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening getting my luggage, paperwork, and some items for my apartment. She even treated me to sushi, which was very nice and delicious. But then I was dropped off at my apartment... and I'll get back to that. I want to talk about fun events first!
The second night in Muroran, I was invited to an onsen. I instantly jumped at the idea, because it was a real, natural hot spring, not just a bath house (the only thing I experienced last time) and it also meant that I wouldn't have to use my shower. It was a beautiful facility on the 7th floor of a hotel, overlooking a lake with a volcano in the center of it, in the neighboring city of Toyako. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside of most onsen establishments... and I can understand the reason why. I don't want naked pictures taken of me!
The next day I met all of my JTEs, which speak varying amounts of English, but all of it is intelligible. They have helped me in various ways, helping me open bank accounts, my cell phone account, and also with simple things like getting groceries. I appreciate them a lot!! Thanks to them, I am also not very worried about doing the job.
That night, I went to Karaoke, and met Natsumi and Shinya. We had fun, and just this last Sunday, I was invited to Natsumi's house for dinner, which was delicious. Her family was surprised by the fact that I liked seafood, and the fact that I can speak Japanese. I even got into a discussion with her mom about Glass Mask, a manga that began in the 70's and is still running now (yes, those 42 books I read last year). Natsumi also wants to take me to see the stars at the top of a mountain nearby, and I definitely want to go!
I explored downtown, using the train, which unbelievably runs about 7 times a day in Hakucho-dai (my area of the city). Here is what the station looks like, I think you can see why I thought it was abandoned at first:
Thankfully the trains are still new and don't look like the train station. ^^;;;
Then there was the jazz cruise. This is an annual jazz festival held in Muroran, on a wharf, not a boat (I don't know why its a cruise...). There were some awesome bands, and good food too! Not to mention the weather reminded me of a perfect San Francisco summer day; it was certainly a relief from the humid heat of the days previous. However, it ended late and I could not catch a train or bus back to my area of the city, which meant I had to spend the night at one of the other foreigner's apartments. To simplify things, lets just say that people were drunk, a Japanese guy tried to molest people, and I was shocked. I think that sums it up...
So, back to the apartment. The only thing I have a problem with so far with my life in Japan is my old, rickety apartment. For the entire first week I was in Muroran, it seemed like one thing after another broke. The first night, I noticed that the washing machine smelled moldy and the shower room was actually molding (Like something out of dark water!!!). These things were both fixable, and therefore Kouno-sensei helped me buy cleaners to use in order to clean up the mold. She and my neighbors also thankfully taught me how to TAKE a shower - no easy feat considering there is no hot water plumbing, and I must use a machine in order to get hot water:
The next day I noticed a soft spot in the floor near the bathroom, a sure sign of dry rot. I told the school, and thankfully they fixed it, although no new linoleum has been added to the spot yet, and it is covered in waterproof contact paper:
When I was watching TV the night after, the light went out over my head. Figuring it was the bulbs, I bought new ones and replaced them, but it still wouldn't work. The light in the other room had just been fixed, so I moved that in and took the other one to school to be fixed. The day after, what happens? The one that was fixed before breaks again, leaving me with no light in my living room. I'm not sure what will happen to the lights now, but the vice-principle of my school has kindly lent me a light from his house!
I also moved the bed in my bedroom, discovering that there is a crack in the wall under the window big enough to put my index finger in! It doesn't seem to be letting in air, but I'm sure it will be cold in the winter! The whole thing is off centered and crooked...
The icing on the cake was when my neighbor living in the apartment below me, called John to tell him that there was water coming in from her ceiling! The cause: my shower floor - from the 70's, rusty, cracked and separating from the wall!
Luckily, the problem will be fixed and I get a new shower floor out of the deal. When a pro looked at it, he simply said, "it all has to come out."
Not all of the apartment is bad though. The only other inconvenience is not having running hot water from the kitchen tap:
The rooms are large by Japanese standards, the closets are huge, I also have a shed and a storage closet, as well as a balcony. The night view from the balcony is pretty awesome as well, although no picture from my camera will do it justice:
The toilet amuses me:
And I'm eating pretty well for myself (this zucchini is as long as and fatter than my forearm!) Yes. I'm eating Zucchini.
Alright, more later, but this is insanely long as it is. I need more fun pictures, and ones with people in them!!
~V~
Tokyo went by quickly. Within four days, I was on a plane again, headed for Chitose airport in Hokkaido. I have to say, JAL is the best airline - they offer good service and decent food, and there were no incidents like the one with United Airlines on either flight.
Once I arrived in Chitose, I was directed to a room where I met my first JTE (Japanese teacher of English). Her name is Kouno-sensei, and has excellent English. She drove me to Muroran straight away (and has kindly been driving me around ever since). We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening getting my luggage, paperwork, and some items for my apartment. She even treated me to sushi, which was very nice and delicious. But then I was dropped off at my apartment... and I'll get back to that. I want to talk about fun events first!
The second night in Muroran, I was invited to an onsen. I instantly jumped at the idea, because it was a real, natural hot spring, not just a bath house (the only thing I experienced last time) and it also meant that I wouldn't have to use my shower. It was a beautiful facility on the 7th floor of a hotel, overlooking a lake with a volcano in the center of it, in the neighboring city of Toyako. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside of most onsen establishments... and I can understand the reason why. I don't want naked pictures taken of me!
The next day I met all of my JTEs, which speak varying amounts of English, but all of it is intelligible. They have helped me in various ways, helping me open bank accounts, my cell phone account, and also with simple things like getting groceries. I appreciate them a lot!! Thanks to them, I am also not very worried about doing the job.
That night, I went to Karaoke, and met Natsumi and Shinya. We had fun, and just this last Sunday, I was invited to Natsumi's house for dinner, which was delicious. Her family was surprised by the fact that I liked seafood, and the fact that I can speak Japanese. I even got into a discussion with her mom about Glass Mask, a manga that began in the 70's and is still running now (yes, those 42 books I read last year). Natsumi also wants to take me to see the stars at the top of a mountain nearby, and I definitely want to go!
I explored downtown, using the train, which unbelievably runs about 7 times a day in Hakucho-dai (my area of the city). Here is what the station looks like, I think you can see why I thought it was abandoned at first:
Thankfully the trains are still new and don't look like the train station. ^^;;;
Then there was the jazz cruise. This is an annual jazz festival held in Muroran, on a wharf, not a boat (I don't know why its a cruise...). There were some awesome bands, and good food too! Not to mention the weather reminded me of a perfect San Francisco summer day; it was certainly a relief from the humid heat of the days previous. However, it ended late and I could not catch a train or bus back to my area of the city, which meant I had to spend the night at one of the other foreigner's apartments. To simplify things, lets just say that people were drunk, a Japanese guy tried to molest people, and I was shocked. I think that sums it up...
So, back to the apartment. The only thing I have a problem with so far with my life in Japan is my old, rickety apartment. For the entire first week I was in Muroran, it seemed like one thing after another broke. The first night, I noticed that the washing machine smelled moldy and the shower room was actually molding (Like something out of dark water!!!). These things were both fixable, and therefore Kouno-sensei helped me buy cleaners to use in order to clean up the mold. She and my neighbors also thankfully taught me how to TAKE a shower - no easy feat considering there is no hot water plumbing, and I must use a machine in order to get hot water:
The next day I noticed a soft spot in the floor near the bathroom, a sure sign of dry rot. I told the school, and thankfully they fixed it, although no new linoleum has been added to the spot yet, and it is covered in waterproof contact paper:
When I was watching TV the night after, the light went out over my head. Figuring it was the bulbs, I bought new ones and replaced them, but it still wouldn't work. The light in the other room had just been fixed, so I moved that in and took the other one to school to be fixed. The day after, what happens? The one that was fixed before breaks again, leaving me with no light in my living room. I'm not sure what will happen to the lights now, but the vice-principle of my school has kindly lent me a light from his house!
I also moved the bed in my bedroom, discovering that there is a crack in the wall under the window big enough to put my index finger in! It doesn't seem to be letting in air, but I'm sure it will be cold in the winter! The whole thing is off centered and crooked...
The icing on the cake was when my neighbor living in the apartment below me, called John to tell him that there was water coming in from her ceiling! The cause: my shower floor - from the 70's, rusty, cracked and separating from the wall!
Luckily, the problem will be fixed and I get a new shower floor out of the deal. When a pro looked at it, he simply said, "it all has to come out."
Not all of the apartment is bad though. The only other inconvenience is not having running hot water from the kitchen tap:
The rooms are large by Japanese standards, the closets are huge, I also have a shed and a storage closet, as well as a balcony. The night view from the balcony is pretty awesome as well, although no picture from my camera will do it justice:
The toilet amuses me:
And I'm eating pretty well for myself (this zucchini is as long as and fatter than my forearm!) Yes. I'm eating Zucchini.
Alright, more later, but this is insanely long as it is. I need more fun pictures, and ones with people in them!!
~V~