Hahaha well I haven't done a very good job updating this for all of you have I? I do think about it often, I just haven't done it yet!

I am going home in a few days. Very bittersweet. After things calm down, I will be putting up installments of awesomeness (hopefully. November IS National Novel Writing Month and I'll be busy smashing the keys away...)

Free Willy

I was sad to leave behind my first garden at home, which was blooming readily and giving us many goodies to eat.
So I took it upon myself to have another one! We have a rare and lovely little plot instead of a plain balcony behind our apartment.



So I bought a little shovel and rake and put all my energy into making a nice little area.



I know it is a little late to plant things, but since weather is a little milder here, I'm hoping for the best. In the meantime, I have also planted some of them indoors to keep them growing.



In the garden I have: Cosmos, Marigolds, Morning Glories, Mini tomatoes, Mini carrots and one potato.
The indoor pots are: Cosmos, Marigolds, Mini tomatoes, Mini carrots, and basil.

It's been 3 days, and the Cosmos have 4 sprouts indoors and one in the garden. It's very exciting!

Also in the garden, there is a little brown lizard that hangs around, comes and goes. I see him about every two days and then he scurries off. I've named him Willy.
Last night, Ed and I were watching a movie when he says something very quickly and looks toward the wall. I look and see a flash of something big and brown before it dives behind some shelving. Thoughts of a cicada or other horrible exoskeleton-ed creature flashed through my head. Before I could scoot away and quell a scream in my throat, he said it was a lizard.
A lizard I can deal with! (It's only the creatures with over 4 legs that want to eat your face!) I assumed it was Willy, a three inch long little lizard with curious black eyes. He must have come in earlier when the wash was being hung up. Roles were reversed and Ed brought me some tupperware and stood a small distance away. I scooped him up and set him free outside. I freed Willy!


Where's Willy?

Pictures

I've added a slide show of the current month's photos to the side. You can click the link underneath to see older photos too!

Back in the saddle again...

Well, I made it to Japan a week ago today. It is very hot and muggy.
Organizing the apartment is coming along fairly well. I will put up pictures and a video when everything is where it should be!

I am now living in Nabari in Mie Prefecture. This is about 2 hours south from where I was living before in Komono. I now live in an actual city (a small city, but still, there is stuff actually around) and conveniently right next to the train station. Although I have left my gorgeous mountain scenery behind in exchange. There are some mountains here however. I can see them if I peak over our balcony between the other buildings. Still, all is well to be surrounded by friends, a social life, and my boyfriend whom I’ve been away from for a year.



Friday all our friends were here- saying goodbyes to the couple who we took over the apartment from and giving greetings to us.

Saturday was the welcome beach party to all the new JETs in Mie. Everyone (so far) seems actually nice and normal- a welcome change from the many socially inept weirdoes that have come over the past two years.
After the beach party, a bunch of us went to an onsen- a natural hot spring. The ritual of going to such a place is: men and ladies go to the respective separate areas, get naked, take a shower, then once you’re clean you may enter the hot water and relax. We were sort of on a hill and had a nice view overlooking the area while lightning flashed in the background. I stayed in too long and compounded with the fact of seeing the most naked people ever at once, I nearly passed out. I barely managed to dry off and get dressed without falling over, and grabbed the closest fizzy drink to get my blood sugar up. That happened to be a grape Fanta. It was completely disgusting, but I drank it and I did perk up.
After this adventure we went to a small Chinese restaurant. I ordered a tofu stir-fry, asking if there was any meat in it. She said it’s just tofu, I reconfirmed it by repeating “only tofu?” and she says yes. Of course it had bacon in it. Bacon is considered ok for vegetarians here. Oh Japan… We spent the night at a friend’s place- 7 of us in one room.
Sunday I saw a few more old friends, went home and had a chance to relax with Ed alone in our new place.

This past week has been lots of cleaning up, rearranging, doing domestic chores and getting some must-haves for the place. I also bought a mini-sewing machine and will be making new curtains!

Tuesday we went to my favorite restaurant, Moku Moku.

It is an all-you-can-eat organic buffet, and it has soy ice cream. It’s a little expensive, but well worth it for the variety of fresh food. After we ate too much, we went to the Melting Pot. This is a bar that was holding the JET welcome party, so I was able to meet some more new people there too.

Thursday we went to the Nara lantern festival for Obon. Every year spirits return home and the lanterns help them find their way back to their families.



Ed and I bought & lit candles at the Big Buddha (daibutsu) and I saw one of Nara’s prominent deer population ambush a small child’s shaved ice. Just snuck beside him and stuck her muzzle right in his cup! The family let her eat it in the end.



That is about all for now!

I'm baaacckkkk

So... I guess I'm a liar!
I am going back to Japan for a minimum of 3 months! I leave in three days!

*doki doki*

"Doki doki" is the sound of your heart pounding in Japanese. That is your culture for the day!

I am nervous because it is approaching so quickly, but after not seeing Ed for 3+ months, I am happy about it too! We will be living together in a new apartment in Mie Prefecture (about 2 hours from where I was living before, but still in the same prefecture).
I'm going to play it by ear, but probably end up teaching English again and doing chocolates on the side. Write me!

The Store is now CLOSED

No more updates here, hope you enjoyed the year-long ride.

My new blog is here: http://dayofthewanderer.blogspot.com/.

~Jhenn~

The Rest!

Empty train! I couldn't believe no one else was on it!



Autumn time food I conveniently bought!



Cool buildings in Osaka



Us

Going Home:


Kansai International Airport is an island


A sprawling Osaka city


The patch of green is Osaka Castle grounds. The rest... a cement jungle!


We were 35,000 ft up and Mt. Fuji was poking out of the clouds to see me off.

BYE BYE JAPAN!

For all photos click here, or browse by month off to the side.

Final Countdown

I have a little over a week left in Japan. I have just finished polishing up my resume to send out to a few places. It's crazy to be stepping out of one phase of life into another.
Recently Ed and I have been enjoying NHK a lot (Japan's public broadcasting ie-PBS). The kids shows improve our Japanese in the morning, and at night there are segments to learn English, French, German, and Hindi. Even the English learning shows are interesting because we reverse-learn what the Japanese phrases are.
Although, I did opt out of NHK news in lieu of watching "How much my sex change operations cost." That is a little more interesting.

Ok, I WILL organize my stuff to see how big another bag I need to buy will be. I bumped myself up to business class on the flight home, I wonder if I can bring extra ^_^

August

August is here. (and so is the new Aug 07 photo set!) I am now unemployed and living with my boyfriend until September at which time I will be returning to the motherland, probably still unemployed (but I hope not). It's also super hot and humid.

I saw the best fireworks ever in Osaka. 45 minutes of non-stop environmentally damaging eye candy! And the there were sooooooooooooo many people.





Videos of the finale!



Aug 13-15 is Obon, a time when spirits come to visit. Lanterns are used to guide the spirits home, and on the last day bonfires are made to cast them back. Nara had a huge beautiful light up. I went with some friends and brought the new JETs along!





There was also a beach party to welcome the new JETs.


AUGUST PHOTO SLIDE SHOW

Baseball and Bootcamp

Right now, Japan's national high school baseball finals(?) are going on and clogging up the airways. Also clogging up the airways is Billy's Boot Camp. it's the Tae-Bo guy's new thing, Japan can't get enough of his great big foreign-ness.

To help everyone, I have included a slideshow link of all the JULY photos. This includes the tour with my mom in Komono, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo, amongst other Japan-esque things.

CLICK HERE!!

One year

It's been one year and one day since I moved to Japan.
And it feels like it. It didn't fly by at all!

I have moved out of my lovely apartment into one about 1/3 its size. With my boyfriend. It's tight living quarters! But I did find finally find vegan ice cream here, so everything will be ok!

I am jobless now. I miss the people I worked with, but don't miss the insaneness of it. Glad to be able to relax with Japan for a month until I go home. Then I do need a job. I'll go anywhere, any openings?!

pictures still pending.

I've been noticing zucchini a lot in the discount bin lately. I don't think Japan knows what to do with it.
Mom went home yesterday, will post pictures later. I've been cleaning my apartment like mad. Everything but the kitchen is clean. But the kitchen is still 60% done. I'm attempting to pack now. wow. it's tough!

Last Day

Well, yesterday was my last day of being a teacher. I was sad, but also felt a weight lifted, but also unemotional about it all at the same time. I have 2 more official work days left this week, where I will be going into the Town Hall at the Board of Education and sit at my computer all day. Exciting I know. I will be finishing the plans for Mom's trip. She gets in tonight, I will ask to leave early, and do it anyways. I even cleaned all last night.

It was weird this morning to think, "Ah!!! I get to sleep in til 6:30!!!" Sleeping in until 6:30.... AM? I've entered adult life...
I'm so excited about this extra time I even made a smoothie, a small bowl of oatmeal and some french toast!

So I'm here! Sorry for the lack of postings, been pretty busy what with going on beach vacation and having parties and whatnots.
After a lovely week at the beach, arriving back in rainy season, and nearly having a heat stroke on the train back home, I get to see this guy flailing about on his back in front of my door.



Japan, and especially Japanese kids, are obsessed with any and all bugs, especially these giant beetles. A very popular pet. I screamed and ran inside before it ate my face.

As I said, it's right now is rainy season. Wednesday is also my last day of being a teacher. It's kinda sad, but I'm glad to be doing it at my favorite school, even if I have to walk 20 minutes through the rain every morning to get there.

Proof:



Last weekend I went and saw sumo again with Ed and his friend from home Jonny. It was a good time. The gym in Nagoya was smaller so even our seats in the back were great!




On the way out there were these guys at the top of this giant wooden structure (traditionally made, no metal in it!) playing drums and chanting as everyone left. I'm assuming it has something to do with Shintoism, since everything else associated with sumo has to do with it (such as throwing salt to purify the ring before they enter it).



Next week my mom is coming to visit for a week and a half! It's gonna be non stop action of touring I think.


Here I am looking masculine with the elementary baseball team:


Side of Komono Elementary:

At the schools, there is lunch. then cleaning. then break time. Cleaning involves landscaping:


Here are some of my socks I've purchased here:


Yes, it says "Love Tomato" and has a vampire on it.

In front of most every restaurant there is a display of (sometimes quite real looking) plastic food to show what they offer.

Displayed: waffles and pudding, hot cakes, pizza, curry and rice, spaghetti, omelet and rice, fried pork, etc.

The best bento (lunch container) ever:



And finally, what kind of mysterious land am I living in?


I get to see variations of this landscape everyday. love it.

Only in Japan

Last week a girl erasing the chalk board turned around and bumped into her friend’s white shirt leaving a chalk mark. She felt bad and offered to mark her black uniform up with chalk as repentance. Thankfully the chalk came out really easily, but what an offer!

Last weekend I went to Tokyo with some friends.
Friday night we took over a bar. And then some yakuza showed up. I never knew gangsters loved Red Hot Chili Peppers so much. The bartender’s friend laughed hysterically for way too long when we said we were from Mie Prefecture.


(Gangsters not pictured)


Cemetary

Saturday morning was spent trying to find a vegan bakery on a street that didn’t exist. We ended up at a café deli that sold the best veggie burger I’ve ever had. Freakin delicious. That evening was spent seeing Kabuki and eating some form of Mexican food. The man sitting next to us also laughed hysterically when he found out we were from Mie. Why is it so funny?!?!





Sunday was action packed, finding the only other letter box in Japan at the Meiji Shrine, and going to Harajuku (super pop culture district) and Akihabara (Electronic town). Then I went home, the end.


Just this guy and his boombox, dancing and singing, intensely.


No one could figure out what this guy was doing, just seemed to be getting ready to run a marathon...


Awesome dude


Train in Tokyo


Cloudy Fuji


In a temple back street by my place