laurainlimbo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laurainlimbo) wrote2010-01-16 06:24 am
laurainlimbo) wrote2010-01-16 06:24 am
a grand day out - with pictures of Tokyo!
Hi! I've been super busy all day getting my sample lessons and other stuff prepared for my interview tomorrow. I had to go and get some passport-sized pics taken, photocopy my passport, visa and immigrant card, and then finish and print my two sample lessons (which I'm supposed to demonstrate, or at least walk through). But of course I had trouble getting everything printed: I had to send all my stuff to M's computer in order to print anything because I can't get the software and drivers for the printer to work on my laptop. Japanese printer and software, American laptop - they don't understand each other. And M's computer doesn't have MS word, so once I opened my documents in Works, the formatting was all screwed up and it took me forever to fix everything! But after dinner I finally printed my last document, and I should be all set to go! So wish me luck! I may have another interview on the 27th too - but the one tomorrow is the one i really want:)
Anyway, I thought I'd finally post some pics, and give you a little rundown on what I did in Tokyo on Tuesday and in Saitama on Wednesday. So
My interview was scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in a part of Tokyo called Higashi Koenji. I'd never been there before, but the girl at the company gave me very good instructions on how to get to the station, and from the station it would be literally a minute's walk. So it seemed easy! And it was, really. The only problems I had were that it was raining and bitterly cold all day, and that I arrived at Higashi Koenji station wayyyyy too early. and it's not really good manners to arrive 2 hours early to an interview is it?
But I'll back up a bit. We live in Fuji, which is located in Shizuoka prefecture on the Tokaido-sen (train line). The Tokaido line runs along the coast between Kobe and Tokyo, and we're about 3 1/2 hours from Tokyo using the local line, not the bullet train (or Shinkansen). If I'd chosen to take the Shinkansen, it would take just 1 hour from Fuji to Tokyo, and i'd only have to take one train. But efficiency costs money (over 4,000 yen or $45.00 one way), so I chose to take local lines (about 1/2 the cost), which meant that I took one train from Yoshiwara (our local station) to Atami, and then another train from Atami to Tokyo station. I left Yoshiwara at about 9 a.m., arrived in Atami around 9:40 and then arrived in Tokyo around 11:30. From Tokyo station, it was just one more subway line to my destination. But since it was lunchtime, I was hungry, and I had lots of time... so I decided that it was best to eat before I got on the subway. I didn't want to leave the station and didn't see any restaurants (of course!), so I opted just to get something from the little convenience store. I grabbed a sandwich and an onigiri (a rice ball with tuna/mayo wrapped in nori - which is dried seaweed). but once I got my snacks, I realized that there was absolutely nowhere for me to sit and eat! Even though it was raining and cold, I just found some seats on a train platform, and ate quickly. It wasn't fun, but I didn't know what else to do. I'd been to Tokyo station before, but never realized that there are no restaurants or places to sit and eat. maybe if I'd gone outside the station I'd have found a ramen shop or cafe, but I didn't want to get lost before my interview. Anyway, after I'd eaten, I went to brush my teeth, and found the Maranouchi subway line easily enough. Tokyo station is crazy busy with people rushing everywhere, but everything is clearly marked, and in English. Unfortunately, the train's last stop was Shinjuku, which was before mine; so I got off, asked some nice ladies about my destination and got on the next train going in the right direction. I arrived at Higashi Koenji a little after 1 p.m. and had nothing to do. The area was really quiet and pretty, and I wished that it was clear and warm because there was a little park right behind the station, and lots of nice places to walk and window shop. I walked down the street, found the building where my interview would be, but decided to walk around a bit to kill time.
A view of the street corner across from the station:
A little side street:
The building where my interview would be held (the big ugly grey one on the right):
Unfortunately, there was nothing much to see besides the wet, empty park, and it was bitter cold and raining quite heavily (and my suit was getting wet), so I ducked into a little restaurant called Kohkien to get dry and see if I could get some hot coffee (which isn't always the easiest task in Japan).
you can see their sign advertises food, bar and more! - I never found out what the "more" was, sadly:
I wish I had known that this restaurant was here, because in order to buy a cup of coffee, I had to also buy a set lunch, which included a drink bar (which is basically nomi-hodai, or all you can drink of whatever they have available, in this case tea, juice, and yes coffee!!). So I had to pay 800 yen and eat a big lunch of fried chicken in chili sauce, rice, soup and a very small potato salad (and you remember, I'd already eaten a sandwich and a rice ball). The food was okay, but the coffee was awesome - I picked at my lunch, drank two cups of coffee and left the restaurant around 2 p.m., after brushing my teeth yet again! Even though the restaurant was nearly empty (there were two people there when I arrived, and three when I left), I didn't want to draw attention to myself by taking pictures inside. But it had a funky ambience and was decorated really modern and hip, and it looks like it might be a fun place at night, with more people.
Anyway, I had a little bit of trouble finding the staircase to go up to my interview - I found what I thought was the right place, but there were a bunch of people on the stairs taking photos, so I ducked into the bento shop downstairs and asked them how to get to the fourth floor (where my interview would be). The girl was so nice and walked with me back to the staircase, and told the picture-taking group that I had to go up. So they dispersed! Yay!
I got to my interview a bit early (maybe around 2:20), but my interviewee, Lynsey, was waiting for me, and we talked for about 30 minutes. It seems that they place high-level teachers (like me, with Master's degrees and experience) in private schools, mostly junior high and high school, and maybe some elementary. But they mostly work with schools in the Kanto region, and Shizuoka prefecture is just east of Kanto. But since I'm qualified, Lynsey (who's British), said that they would do some research for me in my area and see what they could find. She said she'd contact me in a couple weeks... So by the time my interview was done, I still had four hours before I would be meeting Mr. Yoshino in Saitama - which is about an hour by train from Tokyo. Lynsey suggested I go back to Shinjuku station, which was going in the right direction anyway on the same subway line, and find a department store near the south exit. So I hopped onto the subway and rode a few stations and got off. But as crazy as Tokyo station is, Shinjuku is crazier, and I couldn't find the south exit. I spent a lot of time walking in circles around the outside of the station, looking for something to do. There wasn't much, sadly. Tokyo can be such an exciting city, but not when it's raining, and not when you don't go to the right places, apparently! But I did take a few pics, just to show you what was around there:
I got tired of walking around, and wanted something hot to drink, so I found a little coffee shop where I could just get a cup of joe and a piece of chocolate cake!
I sat by the window in the cafe for about 45 minutes with my expensive coffee and cake, and watched people walking by outside, and then decided I'd better get back to the station and find my train. It was getting dark, so I got some shots of the neon lights:
I got to the Maranouchi subway line, and took it to a stop called Korakuen where I transferred to the Nanboku line which took me to Saitama - and miraculously, just as I was going through the ticket gate, I ran into Mr. Yoshino. Fujiko, his wife, picked us up at the subway station and we went back to their house and ate dinner. We talked a bit, ate and drank tea and went to bed by 10 p.m. I was of course tired from walking all day, so it was great to just relax, and be in a nice warm house (that is, after their heated floor started working!)
Well, since it's late and I'm tired (and have a busy day tomorrow), and I've posted a lot of pics here, I'll post the rest of my pics tomorrow night. Those will be of the John Lennon museum and the Yoshino family - otherwise I didn't get any other pics on this trip.
happy weekend everyone!
Anyway, I thought I'd finally post some pics, and give you a little rundown on what I did in Tokyo on Tuesday and in Saitama on Wednesday. So
My interview was scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in a part of Tokyo called Higashi Koenji. I'd never been there before, but the girl at the company gave me very good instructions on how to get to the station, and from the station it would be literally a minute's walk. So it seemed easy! And it was, really. The only problems I had were that it was raining and bitterly cold all day, and that I arrived at Higashi Koenji station wayyyyy too early. and it's not really good manners to arrive 2 hours early to an interview is it?
But I'll back up a bit. We live in Fuji, which is located in Shizuoka prefecture on the Tokaido-sen (train line). The Tokaido line runs along the coast between Kobe and Tokyo, and we're about 3 1/2 hours from Tokyo using the local line, not the bullet train (or Shinkansen). If I'd chosen to take the Shinkansen, it would take just 1 hour from Fuji to Tokyo, and i'd only have to take one train. But efficiency costs money (over 4,000 yen or $45.00 one way), so I chose to take local lines (about 1/2 the cost), which meant that I took one train from Yoshiwara (our local station) to Atami, and then another train from Atami to Tokyo station. I left Yoshiwara at about 9 a.m., arrived in Atami around 9:40 and then arrived in Tokyo around 11:30. From Tokyo station, it was just one more subway line to my destination. But since it was lunchtime, I was hungry, and I had lots of time... so I decided that it was best to eat before I got on the subway. I didn't want to leave the station and didn't see any restaurants (of course!), so I opted just to get something from the little convenience store. I grabbed a sandwich and an onigiri (a rice ball with tuna/mayo wrapped in nori - which is dried seaweed). but once I got my snacks, I realized that there was absolutely nowhere for me to sit and eat! Even though it was raining and cold, I just found some seats on a train platform, and ate quickly. It wasn't fun, but I didn't know what else to do. I'd been to Tokyo station before, but never realized that there are no restaurants or places to sit and eat. maybe if I'd gone outside the station I'd have found a ramen shop or cafe, but I didn't want to get lost before my interview. Anyway, after I'd eaten, I went to brush my teeth, and found the Maranouchi subway line easily enough. Tokyo station is crazy busy with people rushing everywhere, but everything is clearly marked, and in English. Unfortunately, the train's last stop was Shinjuku, which was before mine; so I got off, asked some nice ladies about my destination and got on the next train going in the right direction. I arrived at Higashi Koenji a little after 1 p.m. and had nothing to do. The area was really quiet and pretty, and I wished that it was clear and warm because there was a little park right behind the station, and lots of nice places to walk and window shop. I walked down the street, found the building where my interview would be, but decided to walk around a bit to kill time.
A view of the street corner across from the station:
A little side street:
The building where my interview would be held (the big ugly grey one on the right):
Unfortunately, there was nothing much to see besides the wet, empty park, and it was bitter cold and raining quite heavily (and my suit was getting wet), so I ducked into a little restaurant called Kohkien to get dry and see if I could get some hot coffee (which isn't always the easiest task in Japan).
you can see their sign advertises food, bar and more! - I never found out what the "more" was, sadly:
I wish I had known that this restaurant was here, because in order to buy a cup of coffee, I had to also buy a set lunch, which included a drink bar (which is basically nomi-hodai, or all you can drink of whatever they have available, in this case tea, juice, and yes coffee!!). So I had to pay 800 yen and eat a big lunch of fried chicken in chili sauce, rice, soup and a very small potato salad (and you remember, I'd already eaten a sandwich and a rice ball). The food was okay, but the coffee was awesome - I picked at my lunch, drank two cups of coffee and left the restaurant around 2 p.m., after brushing my teeth yet again! Even though the restaurant was nearly empty (there were two people there when I arrived, and three when I left), I didn't want to draw attention to myself by taking pictures inside. But it had a funky ambience and was decorated really modern and hip, and it looks like it might be a fun place at night, with more people.
Anyway, I had a little bit of trouble finding the staircase to go up to my interview - I found what I thought was the right place, but there were a bunch of people on the stairs taking photos, so I ducked into the bento shop downstairs and asked them how to get to the fourth floor (where my interview would be). The girl was so nice and walked with me back to the staircase, and told the picture-taking group that I had to go up. So they dispersed! Yay!
I got to my interview a bit early (maybe around 2:20), but my interviewee, Lynsey, was waiting for me, and we talked for about 30 minutes. It seems that they place high-level teachers (like me, with Master's degrees and experience) in private schools, mostly junior high and high school, and maybe some elementary. But they mostly work with schools in the Kanto region, and Shizuoka prefecture is just east of Kanto. But since I'm qualified, Lynsey (who's British), said that they would do some research for me in my area and see what they could find. She said she'd contact me in a couple weeks... So by the time my interview was done, I still had four hours before I would be meeting Mr. Yoshino in Saitama - which is about an hour by train from Tokyo. Lynsey suggested I go back to Shinjuku station, which was going in the right direction anyway on the same subway line, and find a department store near the south exit. So I hopped onto the subway and rode a few stations and got off. But as crazy as Tokyo station is, Shinjuku is crazier, and I couldn't find the south exit. I spent a lot of time walking in circles around the outside of the station, looking for something to do. There wasn't much, sadly. Tokyo can be such an exciting city, but not when it's raining, and not when you don't go to the right places, apparently! But I did take a few pics, just to show you what was around there:
I got tired of walking around, and wanted something hot to drink, so I found a little coffee shop where I could just get a cup of joe and a piece of chocolate cake!
I sat by the window in the cafe for about 45 minutes with my expensive coffee and cake, and watched people walking by outside, and then decided I'd better get back to the station and find my train. It was getting dark, so I got some shots of the neon lights:
I got to the Maranouchi subway line, and took it to a stop called Korakuen where I transferred to the Nanboku line which took me to Saitama - and miraculously, just as I was going through the ticket gate, I ran into Mr. Yoshino. Fujiko, his wife, picked us up at the subway station and we went back to their house and ate dinner. We talked a bit, ate and drank tea and went to bed by 10 p.m. I was of course tired from walking all day, so it was great to just relax, and be in a nice warm house (that is, after their heated floor started working!)
Well, since it's late and I'm tired (and have a busy day tomorrow), and I've posted a lot of pics here, I'll post the rest of my pics tomorrow night. Those will be of the John Lennon museum and the Yoshino family - otherwise I didn't get any other pics on this trip.
happy weekend everyone!
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*hugs*
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Love the lights at night!
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thanks!
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*Hugs*
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*hugs*
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*Hugs*
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*hugs*
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*hugs*
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Those pictures are great! It all looks so different, doesn't it? And all those neon lights make it look so exciting!
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Tokyo (and most cities in Japan) is a neon-filled fantasy. it's crazy the first time you see it.
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It looks great!
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Good luck on the interview darling
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thanks!!!
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Hope they get you a good position! *hugs*
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I hope I can get something soon too!! might have some news in a couple weeks...
*hugs*
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I'll be keeping good thoughts that Lynsey the Brit can find you something suitable!!! *fingers crossed*
Sorry you were bored but happy for you that the day turned out good with your friends! :-)
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thanks - LOL I hope Lynsey can find something too, but i'm not as positive about that as I am about the interview I had yesterday. I'll be updating about that soon - *crosses fingers with you*
oh I wasn't really bored in Tokyo but it was just kind of a bummer that the weather was bad and I didn't know where to go:) it happens in a huge city like Tokyo. I did have a great with the family though - they're always so nice!
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Sounds like a you did a lot of wandering around. I think I would have been insanely stressed by it, though...
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I did a lot of wandering around, and I was a bit tired, but not really stressed. Tokyo is crazy, but I just go with the flow.
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I try not to stress myself out, as I know I can handle things better, but I cannot help myself in strange or busy locations. Then again, I used to have panic attacks just walking through the mall with a minimal amount of people... so I'm getting better?
I think if I were alone it would be a very unpleasant experience for me!
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I'm glad you're getting better about being out in public and going places though:)
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Wow... you've travel a lot, eh?
Maybe one day I can try it and feel that empowerment myself, that would rock. XD
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doing stuff alone in foreign places, even in the next town over, is empowering and it's fun. I suggest you start close to home, then try other states, then other countries:)
*hugs*
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