[Had to post this again, so it's out of order]Kameyama "castle" that was built along an ancient road that linked the eastern and western parts of Honshu (main island of Japan) in feudal times.

FYI

Just a quick note to let you all know that anyone can now post a comment to the blog. This will save you the few minutes of signing up for an account on blogger, or writing me a separate email. Yes, everyone will be able to read what you said, but if it's witty, that many more people will recognize your genius.

Typhoon!!!

So I had this really long and elaborate post, but then the typhoon ate it. Just when I thought it was going to pass me over. I guess I can check that off of my list of things to do. "Typhoon" was right above "experience earthquake", but I guess now I have an extra story. Speaking of which, I thought there was an earthquake the first day I got to Kameyama. This massive siren started wailing, and I was getting ready to duck-and-cover, but everyone around me just seemed to be ignoring it. I figured that they had either resigned themselves to their fate, or maybe it wasn't an earthquake after all, but perhaps a prison break or something. As it turns out, massive sirens go off every day at noon indicating that it is lunch time. The sound is right out of a war movie. It's really loud. And everyone eats at the same time; it kind of feels like living in a communist country. Crazy.

Anyhow, below are some pictures of Kameyama (where Louis lives). I'll include more details about stuff I've been doing when I get less lazy, and the typhoon goes away. Next up will be a story about me hanging out with some jellyfish. Don't worry mom, I made sure to stand behind all the girls, and let them get stung first.

As for now, I'm happy to announce the "name-louis'-new-plant" contest (scroll down to see a picture of it). Winner will recieve an all expenses paid trip to Japan*. "Winner" will be judged solely on the whims and fancy of Louis, and will be purely subjective, most likely based on funniness or appropriateness of the name (but most likely not both). "Poochie" has already been taken for Louis' new laptop. Any name devised solely for the purposes of insulting Louis will not be accepted (unless it's funny).

*"all expenses" refers to lodgings and food while at Louis' apartment. Actual cost of getting there will remain the responsibility of the "winner". Unless Louis wins the lottery. But first he has to learn how to buy a ticket, and check the numbers.

For Becs. Yes, I'm actually in Japan, see Japanese lantern and sign as proof (I was later informed that the sign reads "stupid foreigners stand here for photo op"). And I'm carrying a laptop bag, which kind of looks like a purse (further proof of me being in Japan).

Most interesting room in Louis' house. The entire room is a shower! The bath is deeper than it is wide, and the toilet is in a separate room. Oh yeah, and the sink is in the hallway.

Photo contest: name this plant!!

Pond on the way to work

Pictures!!!

So...I learned how to post pictures.

I posted them in reverse-order, though, so scroll down to the bottom and work your way up to see them in the order that I took them in.

These pictures, by the way, are of the trip I took to the Ise Shrine. The Ise Shrine is where the Sun Goddess lives, and has traditionally been considered to be the direct ancestor of the Japanese Emperor (though he had to formally renounce his divine ancestry after WWII). Basically, this place is the Mecca of Shinto, and Japanese people strive to come here at least once in their lifetime. The whole place is in this really well-preserved park, and the scenery was gorgeous. I mostly included shots of the shrine and such, and left out random tree-and-mountain shots.

Also, I wrote another rather lenghty post just before I put up these pictures (ie below the last picture) for those of you inclined to read it.

I met this really tall Aussie...

...others are poetic (these were in the train station, by the way).

Some translations are hilarious.

There were a good dozen of these minor-type shrines.

Just in case you forgot what country I'm in. Also, mountains are everywhere here.

Entrance to Outer Shrine.

Where the Morlocks live.

Inner Shrine (taken from the side)

Entrance to inner shrine. Unfortunately, one cannot enter or photograph the shrine.

Where you wash your hands so that you don't get your filthy gaijin germs all over the place.

Bridge over sacred waters. Greg and Lisa in foreground.

Entrance to Ise Shrine

Life in Kameyama

So by now I`ve mostly settled in to my new place. Despite buying an alarm clock that runs way too fast (I set the clock`s time at 10:00 pm last night, and when my alarm went off at "8:00 am", the time was actually 6:30 am) I pretty much have everything I need. Except for peanut butter, and oranges that don`t cost $2 each.

My days at "work" consist mostly of me spending half the day on the computer doing stuff like this, and the other half trying to learn Japanese. By the way, for those of you who expect me to be a walking-talking Japanese-speaking guru, I have some bad news: not gonna happen. It`s friggin` hard. Besides the fact that they have 2 alphabets (each of which is about twice the size of ours) and that they have a couple thousand other characters in kanji besides that, the grammar and sentence structure is completely different. For example, I know of some people who have live here for more than 2 years, consistently study while they are here, and are hoping to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test level 2. There are 4 levels (four is easiest, one is hardest, and Japanese people speak at level 1). I am hoping to pass level 4, which basically means that the elementary school kids that I`ll be teaching will have a larger vocabulary, and better grammar. But, I have decided to commit to studying the language, so as to better appreciate everything that`s going on around me. It`s kind of humbling having to bring in every piece of mail that I recieve to my office to get it translated. Also, I want to be able to read the comic books here.

I saw my first insect in the apartment the other day. It was one of those jumping-bugs. Whaddya call them? ... Grasshopper, that`s it. I let it outside. I haven`t seen any cockroaches in my place (yet), but I did kill one that was trying to get inside my neighbour`s as I happened to walk by. They make a really loud popping sound when you kill them; I think it`s the sound of their exoskeleton being crushed. Yum. Also, they`re quite large. Put two loonies next to each other. That`s a big bug.

In other news, Louis bought a digital camera. Thanks to Lisa for basically telling me everything I know about cameras. You`ll all be glad to know that I picked the camera based on its features, and not based on how shiny it was in the store. I`m quite happy with my purchase. I`ll start putting up pictures as soon as I figure out how. Luckily, I got to go to Ise shrine the day after I bought it to try it out. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, and I took about 70 pictures, I`ll wait until I upload the pictures to describe the trip (don`t worry, I won`t upload every single picture).

Finally, the park next to where I live has this wicked-cool slide. Where you slide down, it has rollers (like at the beer store) so you slide down faster. It`s also really long, and multi-coloured. Very cool. It`s also situated in the middle of this really beautiful park with gorgeous scenery. I`m sure I`ll take pictures at some point.

So that`s pretty much it for exciting moving-in-and-getting-settled news. Every time I do something fun, or take a neat picture, I`ll post it here. In future episodes, look for: "Louis goes rice-picking at his boss`s house", "Louis goes sea-kayaking" and "Louis gets his ass kicked as he tries to learn judo".

sayonara for now

Shinkansens and Inkans

From Tokyo, we were all shepherded through various local trains, which were litterally crammed with people. They hire these people called `pushers` to stuff people into the trains. Basically, when the little bell rings that the doors are about to close, these people come out, and stuff people in, so as many people can fit on the train as possible. Lisa was (litterally) swept off her feet, and was left dangling for a minute or so as she was pushed up, and then jammed between several people. The good news is that when the train starts/stops you don`t have to worry about falling over, because you`re already touching the person next to you, and you just kind of get pushed against them a little harder. Very funny stuff.
Eventually we made it onto the Shinkansen (bullet train), which (besides being air conditioned and having assigned seats) was kind of disappointing because it was such a smooth ride. Going so fast, I was hoping to be mashed into the back of my seat, astronaut-style. When I finally got settled and looked out the window, were already going break-neck speed, and I hadn`t even noticed that we were moving.

Crazy thing about Japan (or at least the area we were travelling through) is that there seems to be no spread-out rural areas. As we left the city, there would be highrise, highrise, compact one-story dwellings, rice-paddy, rice-paddy, highrise. No space was `wasted`. It was either built upon with compact housing, or was used for agriculture. Crazy.
After the Shinkansen, we had a brief layover, where I got changed into my suit (going through that ordeal in anything less than shorts and t-shirt would have been killer). So, after changing in a squatter-style bathroom stall, we boarded the last train, which took us to Tsu. Most of us got off there, and were greeted by our bosses.

My self-introduction was kind of awkard, as it was through a gate, and I think the guy was just trying to tell me how to get out. So, I repeated it again once I got out, and seemed not to mess it up too bad. I was met by Soga-san (my designated babysitter, whose English is better than anyone else`s), Joe (second year JET who, quite simply, rocks), Tom (an elementary school teacher who part-times it, seems cool, but I haven`t seen much of since the first few days), and Matsuoka-sensei (my boss; seems really nice, but there`s kind of a language-barrier thing going on).

They drove me back to Kameyama, and showed me a few sights (which I promptly forgot about, being thoroughly overwhelmed), then took me grocery shopping and plopped me at my apartment. I got familiar with my place, then they took me out for dinner and the questions about vegetarianism began to fly. Apparently vegetarianism is a foreign concept around here; I`m sure I`ll rant about this later, but basically, you have to be VERY specific when ordering food, as bacon and sausages aren`t considered `meat` (they`ve been processed after all), and anything in a sauce (including ground beef, small hunks of pork, etc) don`t count as meat (they`re only little bits, after all). Fish is also not considered meat, nor or are many sea creatures considered fish. Already I`ve eaten fish twice accidentally (that I know of). Basically, when you order food, you have to pull out a list and say `I would not like any of the following things in my meal: meat, which includes pork, ham, ...., any type of bird,... no fish or sea creature of any kind,... etc, also, please do not garnish my meal with fish flakes`. I`ve been eating a lot of noodles. Grocery shopping is not so bad, but sometimes they sneak some fish in there without telling you. Already I`ve found some really kick-ass desserts, though.

The highlights of Louis` apartment:
-10% cockroach free. Apparently, cockroaches are EVERYWHERE in Japan, regardless of how clean you keep your place (one of the essential gifts Joe gave me upon my arrival, besides a sweat rag and a phone card, was bug spray). They also say that for every cockroach you see with your own eyes, there are 9 others that you don`t. I haven`t seen any in my place yet, so I figure it`s 10% cockroach free.
-hot water heater that you have to turn on by pressing a button. This is actually kind of neat. It`s only turned on when you need it to be, so it saves energy.
-washer/dryer
-Japanese-style washroom. Huge shower area, and a funky tub.
-Wetern-style toilet (in a different room from the washroom).
-tatami mats (straw mats) in my living room and bed room. Neat stuff.
-HUGE place. It`s bigger than my place in Hamilton was. I have a den, a living room, a kitchen/dining room AND a bedroom. Here, most people`s living rooms double as their bedrooms (they put their futons away during the day)
-a bed
-a balcony (albeit with limited room, though good for drying clothes)
-a fridge which is 1/3 the size of the one back home, but about 4/3 the size of a `normal` one here

Things Louis has gotten since being here:
-inkan (a stamp, which necessary for conducting business, and is equivalent to a signature)
-bank account (what kind of funny bird are you?)
-signed up for a post office account (all by myself!!!)
-internet at home is in the works

Okay, this is getting long, so I`ll leave the office life, and highlights of Kameyama for another time.

Hope all of you are well.

Thanks to those who have posted comments so far. I don`t have a digital camera yet, though some people have promised to send me shots of events which I was present at. Once I get one (and figure out if I can/how to post pictures) I will.

sayonara for now

From Toronto to Tokyo

So we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare for Lisa`s flight. The only hang-up for me was that my flight didn`t leave for several hours later. Needless to say I was early for my flight. After checking in with the JET people, and getting into 2 lines that ended up being the wrong ones, I passed through check-in/security in under five minutes. More waiting on the plane, as the flight was slightly delayed, but we took off in good time.
The plane ride itself was fine. Three movies were played (Hellboy, Man on Fire, and Shrek 2), and there always seemed to be something playing on the screen (they do weather reports, news, sports updates, etc). Our flightplan was to head Northwest from T.O., go up through Alaska, cross the Bering Strait, and head down Russia`s coast to Japan. The flight was about 13.5 hours, and the time difference is also 13 hours, so it made for a long day (when I fly back, though, I`ll get there at about the same time I left Japan).
The flight itself was fine. A little turbulence at the beginning, but overall pretty uneventful (well, besides the fact that a vehicle larger than my house can fit over a hundred people on it, and fly halfway around the world without stopping to refuel - blows my mind). Met some fellow JETs, and enjoyed the ride. Seeing as I was busy getting ready, it was kind of nice to do nothing for 13 hours straight.
Smooth landing into Narita airport, and they had what seemed like bus-loads of JET volunteers in black shirts directing us at every turn. It would have been almost impossible to get lost. Then took a 2 hour-ish bus ride to the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. Fortunately, the bus was air conditioned, which was good because it is HOT in Japan. Think of the hottest day we`ve had all summer, then increase the humidity by a factor of three, and that`s what it`s like on a cool day. I`m not exaggerating. Lucky for me, I worked in a greenhouse in a summer, and slowly worked up a tolerance.
Back to the hotel: this is probably the nicest hotel I`ll ever stay in in my life. Five stars, and right next to another hotel where "Lost in Translation" was shot. They treated us like royalty there. Granted that JET was putting up over 1300 people from all over the world (and was thus probably paying a large sum to the hotel), but we had most of our meals catered to us, and friendly staff available to help us with anything we needed. I bunked with Tan and Ryan, two guys who are in a prefecture North of where I am now.
Basically, we spent the most of our time in Tokyo learning stuff we`d need while we are in Japan, and doing our jobs. School`s out right now, so I`m spending the first three weeks at the Board of Education working on my Japanese, preparing for classes, and getting my apartment set up with the necessities.

Highlights of Tokyo:
-going out for dinner the first night and realizing that I don`t speak Japanese. Fortunately there was a picture-menu, and I could just point.
-going for drinks to this heaven-and-hell themed restaurant. We hung out on the hell floor. The urinal at this place was hilarious. I laughed out loud when I first saw it. It`s this giant two-headed statue that sings music at you. When the `good` head faces you, it sings `nice` music, but when it rotates, and the `bad` head faces you, you get some `bad` music (kind of hard to tell what they were singing). Also, the part that you actually piss into is this giant bowl that`s incorporated into the statue that swings back and forth in time with the music.
-the hotel food. buffet style, and plenty of it. Yum.
-wore a suit for a few days. Damn I was hot. Five points to anyone who picked up on the ambiguity of that last sentence.
-learning how to iron a shirt in under 40 minutes.
-using the wireless connection for the first time on my laptop between seminars to email home
-Tokyo!!! A whole other world. Lots of flashing lights which advertise signs I can`t understand. Trying to get a Japanese-English dictionary was fun too. Unfortunately, they kept us pretty busy, so I couldn`t sightsee too much, but just walking around the area I was in was pretty neat.

Wednesday morning, I woke up early, got my stuff together, and joined my group for a ride on the shinkansen (bullet train). I`ll save that for a later time, though...

Ohayo Gozaimas

Not really sure how this thing works, so I`ll keep it short in case I screw it up.

I`m in Japan, using my work computer to update this. No internet at home yet, though I seem to have some free time at work to do stuff like this.

Crazy Japanese Adventure-type stuff coming soon...

konnichiwa