Last weekend was amazing. After the fish marketing, we spent a rtelaxing evening in a park on the outskirts of Tokyo, listening to a trumpet player practicing his scales, while I messed around on the guitar. A lazy afternoon was in order after our early rise and the coming celebrations. These were to mark the birthday af a guy who became affectionately known as the 'pink lion.' We went to an 'all you can drink' bar until midnight, and an 'all you can drink' club until 5am. I fell asleep at some point. It was great fun.

Another weekend, another city. I just got back from Kyoto (big city, lots of temples and shrines. Historical type place.) It was (once again) fantastic fun spent in the best of company, including a friend visiting from Newcastle for a couple of weeks.

We took in some of the famous temples including my second visit to Kinkaku　 http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/travel/golden_pavilion.html) and Sanjusangendo (http://japan.chez.tiscali.fr/Kyoto/Japan/Sanjusangendo.htm) which I had seen way back in 2001. They were well worth he 2nd trip, and we also went to a few knew sights, before eating copious amounts of meet at a yakiniku (cook meet at your own table) restaurant and singing the night away at a karaoke bar (by far the best value bar in town!).

Tokyo!

I am in sunny Tokyo!

I arrived last night on the bullet train, which was pretty damn cool, although I did have to sit
on ther floor in the smoking area, but I didn't really care. It only took 1hour 20mins. to get from Nagoya to Yokohama, so comfort wasn't really an issue. Trains are pretty darned fast over here (the fastes in the world, no less) so the journey literally flew by. Happy days.

This morning, my host Rachel and I awoke bright and early after what was probably an unhealthily small amount of sleep. Tonight promises birthday festivities, so I'll have to see how the fatigue pans out. Nothing a few beers won't solve, I'm sure.

Anyway....this morning we awoke bright and early to visit Tskiji- an area of Tokyo packed with markets, the most significant of which being the fish market. It was crazy- hundreds and thousands- even millions - of different types of fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, lobster, crab and so on. The atmosphere was manic (there were fish-guts splashing here and there; nice!) both in and outside the market area, as everyone went about their business- be it buying, selling or preparing. Fascinating stuff.

So...you're in the fish market area of Tokyo and you need some lunch. What do you choose? Of course, it has to be pancakes and maple syrup. Ok- that was breakfast- a little later we took the plunge and ordered some fresh-from-the-market sushi. I quite like sushi as a rule. Never been crazy for it, but I think I could learn to love it pretty quickly. Rachel and her co-teacher friend didn't seem quite so keen- indeed it was their first proper sushi experience in Japan. However, I think we all enjoyed at least some of the food we ordered! (NB; sushi in England doesn't taste, look, smell or feel anything like the real thing!).

Having not updated for a while - a quick note on last weekend.

Last weekend was amazing. I went straight from work to Gudjo, a town about 90 mins out of Gifu by car, famous for its dancing festivals during the Obon Festival, which was in full swing at the time. I have never seen so many people dancing together. Traditional Japanese dancing seems to involve a series of repeated steps, which result in the participants moving steadily in a direction dictated by the music. I tried my hand in a few dances, and found it oddly calming. There must have been thousands upon thousands of people in the town, the vast majority in traditional dress. The atmosphere was incredible- I hgad an amazing time.

Following the all night dancing, my hosts (students at the school) and I grabbed a couple of hours sleep in the car, before driving up into the mountains to see the Amidaga Waterfall. We waited an hour for the rains to stop, before venturing up to see the waterfall, and standing so close to it that we all got soaked to the skin anyway. It was beautiful. In fact, the whole weekend was wonderful- and we capped it all off with some ten pin bowling. Which I lost.

All is well.

2 days until what promises to be a vry exciting weekend. I could go all out and attempt all day teaching tomorrow, all nigh karaoke in Nagoya saturday night, all day teaching in Gifu on Sunday and then all night at a traditional dance festival about 2 hours away on Sunday night. I think I may skip the karaoke- there will be plenty of opportunity for that, but we shall see.

So far, this week has been pretty good. I am now finding most of my difficulties around the business side of beng a teacher (paperwork, contract renewals and the like) rather than the teaching (although that's still tough!). I have a good track record on interviews though. I have had to give a 'model lesson' to 4 students over the last week or so, and 3 of them subsequently signed contracts- so I must be doing something right. I was surprised by today's sign-up. She was 2 and a half years old, and spent the entire lesson laughing at the top of her voice, but speaking no English. To be honest, she an't speak Japanese yet, so that was no surprise. The mother must have been pleased with it though, so happy days.

The festival is in a place called Gujyo this weekend, and is a traditional dance extravoganza. I am really looking forward to it. Then it'l be back to work for week number 6! Time flies when you're having fun, eh?

All is well in sunny Gifu.

I am back, seated, in the familiar surroundings of the Blue Giraffe Internet Cafe, Gifu.

This week has been great. I did my first all-nighter in Naoya city, whch consisted of a few quick bowls of rice (I arrived at the restaurant quite late as I was teaching) in a very pleasant bar, and then a few (by few I mean 7) hours at 'Joy Joy', an all you can drink Karaoke bar. t was really good to put face to all the names I had heard during my first month here. All of my co-eikawa teachers seem to be really great fun, and I had a fantastic night. It was a little odd to leave the bar at 6.30am and walk out into 30 degree heat and blazing sunshinr, and the jounney home on the commuter train was probably just about the opposite of fun, but the night itself was great.

I spent today sleeping, mostly. This evening I went into central Gifu with my new co-teacher, and got some food before visiting (for the first tim) the gaijin br. Gaijin literally means 'outsider,' but it basically translated to English as foreigner. Tere were a few fellow westerners hanging around, ne of which provided us with genuinely enjoyabe conversation for the duration of the evening. The bar is a very relaxed palce- I will go there again.

Wow...already Friday night.

This week has been fun. I feel more at home because (joy of joys) I am connected to the world again. My mobile phone is pretty nifty, complete with a television built in. This isn't really too important. I need to be able to send and receive calls and text messages. This I can do- as well as receiving and sending emails, which is really cool- although I am a bit of a technophobe, so I don't really understand how it works.

I am no longer the newby. A new teacher arrived on Wednesday, so I am now officially an old hand at this job. Man, I wish it felt like that! It is nice to see someone completely new to the whole game though- it brings back the problems and worries of one's own first week. I was seriously scared. So is the new teacher, but coping fantastically well. I think we will have some fun this year.

Tonight was beer and pizza- pretty anglified I know, but tasty none the less. Sunday night is my first venture to an all night sesion in Nagoya. which should be a lot of fun. Fingers crossed...

Frustration

Today was a bit frustrating. Nothing disasterous, just a little annoying.

I had made it my mission to get a bank account and, subsequently, a phone. First of all, it seems like I ned to have a phone number in order to get a bank account, and I need a bank account in order to get a phone. Stupid bloody catch 22. Oh well...I soldiered on, gave my company phone number to the bank and continued filling out the form. I had a printed bill with my name and address on it, a receit cinfirming my alien card was on its way, my passport, complete with visa and my newly purchased hanko. I was also offering them about 300 pounds of my money. If anything, I should have been asking for their ID, since it was me who was handing over cash, but they didn't seem happy with my substantial number if forms of identification. They said I couldn't have a bank account unless I had another form, which was to be collected at City Hall. To make things more frustrating, the banks here close at 3pm every day, so there was no chance of me getting a bank account today. This also scuppered my plans to buy a phone.

At city hall, I requested a copy of the form that I had been told to get. It was basically a certificate to prove my application for my alien registration card had been passed. They were 300 yen each, so I bought 2 in case I needed them. The idiots then informed me that my alien card was actually ready, and I could pick it up today. What is the bloody point of paying for 2 certificates to prove the existence of a card if I can actually get the card itself for no money at all? They knew what they were doing. They knew I was getting the certificate to open a bank account, because I told them. They must have known that the card would have been all I needed. Oh well....I didn't make a fuss.　Maybe the certificates will serve some othe purpose.

There was a festival outside my school building yesterday and today. Somebody (a student) told me it was to comemmorate the end of WW2. It seemed a strange way to do it tome. There were stalls selling goldfish and various face-painting outlets, as well as goldfish for sale. Kind of like a funfare with no rides. There was also dancing- all be it a slow, repetitive dance conducted in a large circl by some 50 people. All a bit confusing to me, to be honest.

Yesterday was fun. After work (the last day of my 3rd working week!) I went out for okanomiaki with 2 students and my manager. Okanomiake is a kind of Japanese omlette-pancake with your choice of ingrediants. They bring the batter mixture and the filling to your table, set into which is a large rectangular grill, on which you cook your own food exactly to taste. There is a lot of sooking at the table in Japanese restaurants. I like it. I also like okanomiaki....a lot.

Tomorrow...bank account and phone. Well, that's the plan. Again.