I can't believe we already have 79 views on our video tribute to Leo on Youtube. how cool is that?

this weekend was a bit more positive than last - but it was really dull. We didn't end up going anywhere or doing anything. The weather was no good, anyway. Thank goodness we have something to do next weekend - Saturday we're going to Seattle for a wedding of our friends, and M will be playing music for the reception. Then Sunday we'll hang out with the sister's family and he plays another gig Sunday night. We'll drive back early Monday and I'll get a late start for work.

I'm working really long days lately - this week to make up for Wednesday's holiday (Independence Day) and then next week to make up for missing some hours on Monday. so I'z tired!

But I've been meaning to post some pictures that I've taken over the last few weeks. Mostly they're just nature - me practicing how to use my new camera. So I hope you enjoy!

( picture time )

Yes, I changed my layout again. the other one was having issues with the title words smishing up. And now this one may have to go, because I can't get the spacing just right because the commenter's user pics were overlapping with my sidebar and tags. There's just no winning.

Anyway, as promised, here are the pictures I took at the Sengen Shrine on Monday. It's a big post, mostly because I wanted to give lots of explanation for the Japanese New Year's traditions for you all (and especially for nekosensei who requested some photos of Japanese people celebrating the New Year.)

It's all behind a cut, and in clickable thumbnails. Enjoy!! I'm off to get many things done on my last day of vacation before I return to work tomorrow...

( Fujisan Hongu Sengentaisha - January 2011 )

It's time for more pictures!

I had a fairly busy weekend. I know - you're saying it's already Wednesday, what the heck have you been doing? Well to be honest, not much! and that's all I want to be doing. But there have been a few outings since I last posted...

After being done with school (yay!) last Thursday, Masahiko was kind enough to take me out to Fujikawa River on Friday afternoon to meet up with some of the other ALT's for a BBQ/swim. Of course we did neither BBQ nor swim, though I wish I'd taken something to swim in, because the water turned out to be much nicer than I imagined. M didn't want to go at all, because it was a very hot day and we thought we'd be standing in the sun, melting! But as it turns out, the place was very shady, and being near the water, it was significantly cooler.
One of the ALT's, an American named Elton, lives very near the river in a town called Fujikawa (just about 30 minutes from where we live), and he has a little swimming spot where he takes his 5-year-old son Louie. I thought the water would be dirty or that it would be crowded, but the spot was just gorgeous, and the water was the perfect temperature and not dirty at all. Plus, there was only just our group there - no other people around, except a rafting party came through at one point, but they were on the other side of the river. Since I was wearing a skirt, I just waded into the water and got my feet wet, and we enjoyed the scenery for about an hour or so.
Here's some pics of the swimming spot, which I plan to visit again in the future:

( Fujikawa River )

Saturday I stayed home all day and as a treat to myself, I watched New Moon . Twilight haters, don't say a word - but I loved that movie even more the second time around.
I can't wait to see Eclipse - I plan on going when I get to Port Angeles next week! It's only fitting I see it in the pacific Northwest, right? Anyway - after M got back from his music gig, he reluctantly took me out again, this time to meet my friends in Fujikawa for a fireworks display. We drove to M's friend's house, and his friend drove us to the train station - we then got to the very crowded destination around 7 p.m. and after about 20 minutes, managed to meet my friend Fiona. She had run into a friend of hers, another ALT living in Fuji (but working for the JET Programme), and this friend was lucky enough to have a spot inside these gates right underneath the place where the fireworks would be held. It cost 5000 yen (about $50) per person to get in, but we didn't have to pay at all, since Fiona's friend had a VIP spot - apparently paid for by some friend's company. So we got in there, ate some food and watched the fireworks which started a little after 8 p.m. I couldn't get good pictures, sorry! But they were pretty amazing! We started making our way back to the train station just before the fireworks finished, but it was still really crowded, and it took us forever to get into the train station and back to Yoshiwara station. Fiona and her boyfriend missed their train, so they walked to our car with us (about a 30-minute walk) and we drove them back to their bikes. It was still unbelievably muggy and hot even at 10 p.m., and I was hot and sweaty and tired when we got home! But it was really fun - probably the only fireworks I'll see this summer in Japan since I'll be in the U.S. for three weeks in August.

Sunday I stayed home all day in the air conditioning and didn't go out at all. I don't remember much of what I did - just studied Japanese and watched stuff online. I'm trying to step up my Japanese study, and recently ordered an electronic Japanese-English dictionary and a subscription to Hiragana Times magazine, which has online audio files that you can download to accompany the text. So I hope to improve my Japanese soon!!

Anyway - on to Monday. I had planned to go into Shizuoka this day to get my re-entry permit from the Immigration office (the very important stamp I need so that I can get back into Japan with my spouse visa after going to the U.S. for three weeks in August). So M was nice enough to go with me, but since we were already going that direction, we were cajoled into taking Daiki, our 13-year-old nephew to see the Giant Gundam Robot that is stationed at Higashi-Shizuoka station (just one stop east of Shizuoka station, where I would go for my re-entry permit) from now until March. Daiki couldn't wait to see the robot, so we agreed to take him after I went into Shizuoka to get my re-entry permit. We left the house around 9 a.m. and M's dad took the three of us to the train station. We got to Shizuoka around 10-ish, got to the immigration office, handed my paperwork and waited about 30 minutes. The immigration office wasn't incredibly crowded, but there were tons of little undisciplined kids running around making noise - so it wasn't really fun! Anyway, we were out of there by 11:15 or so, then went to the department store inside the train station and had some ramen for lunch. It was delicious, but sadly it ended up causing me stomach problems for the next 24 hours or so! After lunch, we took the train one station back, to Higashi-Shizuoka, and braved the heat to see the giant, 18-meter Gundam statue! We got some photos, then stood in line (thankfully it was shaded by a tent) to get into the plastic model store, where Daiki and Masahiko bought a bunch of models - then we went to the plastic model museum, which housed a whole bunch of really amazing, classic plastic models made by the Japanese company Bandai (which makes Gundam models), going all the way back to the '50s! I took a bunch of pictures inside the museum, and I wish I could show them to my dad - he used to collect airplane models and at one point, he had several hundred (or more) very rare, very cool plastic models made by the Japanese company! I think he sold them all years ago, but I'm hoping that there are one or two remaining at my mom's house so I can give them to Masahiko.

anyway, even though it was hot, we had a good time, and Daiki especially was happy - he got to see a giant Gundam (which he's loved since he was really young), and got a bunch of great plastic models, and a good memory.

Here are the pictures from our day:

( Look! It's a Giant Robot! )

Tomorrow I have my second to last work-related commitment before my real vacation begins - 3 hours at city hall editing and voice recording Japanese junior high schooler's English speeches! *sigh* I have no plans on Friday, but Saturday evening I've been invited to a BBQ at my friend Naomi's house - that should be fun! Then no plans until next Wednesday when I have my last work-related commitment - this stupid teaching training demonstration that I'm for some reason very nervous about. I'm not really prepared, and don't really know what to expect - but I guess I'll just grin and bear it, as the next day, Thursday the 5th, I'll be on that plane for America!!!!!

and sadly I really wish I didn't have to come back here at the end of August! Sometimes I just really want to run away from this crazy place, run away from learning Japanese and dealing with Japanese people - and just run back home to my mom.
Thank goodness I can do that at least for three weeks...

I can't remember when I've had a virus that hung on as desperately as this one is. I've now been sick for 8 days, and though I'm able to get up and walk around, and I still don't have a fever, I feel like death warmed over. I went to work Thursday even though my body was telling me to stay home and rest - and as a result, I ended up feeling much worse that night. So I called my supervisor asking him if I could just teach my classes Friday morning and go home before lunch. He suggested I just stay home for the whole day - so I stayed home all day Friday and rested. Saturday morning I thought I was starting to feel better, but I think it was just an illusion. Still I stayed home all day yesterday and all day today, with the exception of going out to the grocery store for about 30 minutes this morning. I've done nothing but sleep and watch movies (I finally watched that adorable movie Up ) and episodes of Supernatural (from Season 3) and True Blood (I re-watched the first two episodes from season 1)... Yet, even with all that resting, this nasty cold virus won't relent. Thankfully my nose congestion has cleared up a bit - so that I can actually breathe through my nose. But now the virus has moved into my lungs, and I've got that heavy feeling in my chest. And every once in awhile, I get a tickle in my throat, which starts me on a coughing spasm that won't let up for about 3 minutes. Then that causes me to have a headache - from all the coughing! Can someone please tell this virus I don't want to play anymore? I'm not having fun!

I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to teach this week unless I start to feel a whole lot better by tomorrow morning. I've been taking vitamins, and a handful of medications given to me by the doctor I saw Wednesday. But this thing seems determined NOT to let go! Still I felt bad enough missing work Friday - so I'm planning to go tomorrow and see how things go. Sadly I still have lessons to plan for this week, so I can't really relax much tonight. But I'll try to get to bed early...

so, sadly that's all that's been going on in my life for the last week. Hopefully, once I feel better, I can get out and about again. Though with this consistent rain, there's not much to do anyway. Today was at least a bit cooler, and there was a mist covering the whole area this morning that made everything look quite mysterious - and that kind of mist causes such a stillness. It's eerily quiet during this kind of weather. But who's complaining about quiet? certainly not me...

here's a couple of pics of the mist we had a couple weeks ago - today's mist was even heavier than this, ( but just to give you an idea )

But before I bore you to tears with weather reports and more thoughts on my love/hate relationship with Japan... I'll leave you with some pictures that I took two weeks ago at the local Gion Matsuri in Yoshiwara, very near my home. It's a street festival - they close off the street to traffic and have floats and food and other stuff. Here's a little description I found on a Shizuoka guide online: Yoshiwara Gion Matsuri (Fuji City) Early June
Yoshiwara Gion Matsuri -- "Gion Matsuri is an event originated in Gion, Kyoto to quieten down evil spirits that cause disease and disaster and it spread out all over the country. The gorgeous and dynamic festival features a parade of Mikoshi (portable shrine) carried by children and youngsters and 21 decorated floats pulled around the area."

( pictures are here )

So that's it for now. I'm off to finish a few things for my lessons. Wish me luck getting through a week of classes... luck and a little hand sanitizer is what I need!

Hello. Isn't my new icon pretty? It was made for me by wolfpurplemoon from the pictures I took of the koinobori. Thanks Amy! Also thanks to ageless_aislynn and dawnie1970 for the cool virtual sunglasses! just in time for summer - if we ever get a break from the rain!

Anyway, on to business. I thought I'd do another picture post (aka update), since my week is starting to look pretty busy and I'm not sure when I'll have more time. I've been accumulating lots of pictures over the last couple weeks: some were taken when we went to see my husband's friend play a couple of gigs last weekend (the weekend of the 15th), and some were taken at the elementary school where I teach. I finally took my camera to school with me, and the teachers were fine with me taking pictures. so I got pictures of a couple of my school lunches (yikes!), and some of me with the kids. the kids are so adorable - but I might not say the same for me - I look so tired in these pictures! some were taken the day I was coming down with my cold - though surprisingly I look better in those than in the one I took yesterday. for today, I'll post just the 5th graders, and I'll post the 6th graders later.

So here we are, my life over the last two weeks, under cuts to save your pages, with clickable thumbnails, and separated by category (aren't I organized!?)...

( two music concerts on a Sunday in May )

Besides going to those gigs, my life has been all work, and some laying around recovering from a bad head cold and back problems! Thankfully all my health maladies are over with - for now. But with this continuously changing weather, who knows if I might get sick again!

As I said, I finally took my camera to the elementary school last week because i wanted to photograph the kids and my school lunches. You might be a bit surprised when you see the kind of lunches I eat! They're not all bad, but often quite interesting... to say the least! I'll be taking my camera to the junior high tomorrow and photographing my lunch with the 7th graders.

For now enjoy these!

( my lovely 5th graders, and the lunch we shared )

Since this is getting quite picture-heavy and long, I'll leave you with these and post a few more next weekend (or later this week). I have the 6th graders and our lunch from Monday, plus any I take tomorrow. and some other random shots.

This weekend should be busy - it's my birthday Saturday, and M is playing some gig in Asagiri, which is near Mt. Fuji. if the weather's nice, it should be fun - as they're doing a BBQ! But if it's raining, I might opt out! Then Sunday I'm supposed to meet Miki-san for lunch and hopefully some cake!!

Tomorrow I have a busy day - my supervisor is coming to observe my third period class, then I have my monthly meeting at city hall with the other Fuji ALT's. Then some of us are planning to go out for an early dinner after the meeting - should be fun!

So that's my life in a nutshell. HOpe you enjoyed my pics, there are plenty more to come!

happy week everyone!

went for a walk yesterday afternoon - the weather has been gorgeous and spring-like the last two days. I found this little plum (ume) tree that is already blooming - the first sign that spring is around the corner. I know it looks a little small and sad, but I thought it was so pretty:



and here's another pic of Fuji-san. It snowed a lot last week (in the higher elevations, not where we are), and it was quite cold. So I'm sure Fuji-san had much more snow on Friday or Saturday... but we couldn't see the mountain for about five days because of the clouds.

but it was so pretty yesterday I couldn't resist another pic. it's just too bad that the image is somewhat ruined by the ugly electric poles and wires. they're everywhere here!

I thought it was time for me to post some pictures of things I've seen and done lately, as it's been a few weeks since I took some of these pictures, and I'm probably going to forget what they are soon! Also I just want to keep a record of what I've been doing - for posterity I guess ^_^

I've know I've been a bit quiet lately, and that's unusual for me. I guess it's because I'm still waiting to hear about this job that I want, and I'm starting to worry a bit. I've applied for one more job, but so far I haven't heard anything - their deadline is early next week for applications. All I have at the moment is these two prospects. Miki talked to her sister's husband who works at a private school in Fuji, but she found out that they don't even have an ALT (English assistant teacher) working at their school. So that's another strike.
I can apply for other private schools by simply sending my resume and cover letter, but it's not looking too positive, unfortunately. If I don't get a full time job by April, then the chances are I won't be able to get anything until fall or next spring - and that means I won't be able to earn any money to pay my student loan. I can survive without income if my husband works, but I don't know how I can survive not working. I'll go crazy! Jobs are much more scarce here than I'd imagined, and for any job posted, there are hundred of applicants. Another problem is that the people who currently have contracts want to renew, rather than going back to their own countries. I don't blame them - if they're making money, why give that up? I know I'm more qualified than lots of other applicants, and I know I should be hired; the problem is that I have no control over who the companies decide to hire. So I just wait for an answer.

Anyway, in the meantime I am keeping myself occupied as best as I can while my husband works during the day. I watch some tv shows, I surf LJ, I go for occasional walks or do my walking or yoga dvd's, and I study Japanese. One thing's for sure: if I don't get a job, I should become very very good at Japanese. I'm starting to feel a bit more confident already because I need to use Japanese to communicate with Masahiko's parents, and I'm surrounded by Japanese wherever I go, so I'm absorbing it. I'm also spending at least one day a week with my friend Miki, and she's a very good teacher! She's coming over to my house tomorrow to study for a couple hours, so that should be fun. We also spent 45 minutes last night talking on Skype, so that was good for my listening and speaking practice.

Ok now let's go back in time a bit for ( a recap of my last couple weeks... )

Sunday, Masahiko and I went out to buy a new television for our room. His dad has a huge TV that he uses on the second floor, but we wanted one in our bedroom. We got a very small flat panel TV for only about 25,000 yen, (about $250 u.s. dollars) and it's so nice to be able to watch DVD's now. However, I need to buy a new DVD player that will play my recorded DivX movies.

Yesterday I didn't do anything at all - and here it is Tuesday, and I've not nothing much planned this week either. I did some shopping today at the grocery store, and I'll meet Miki tomorrow and have yoga Friday. and I hope by Friday to have an answer on this job. I need an answer very soon!

I had meant to get on here last night and post the rest of my photos from last week - but then Masahiko got home from work early and wanted to go to this little local jazz club and jam with the owner and his wife. So I went with him, just for a short time. It was fun - we were the only ones there, and he played some jazz standards for about 40 minutes, and I drank a glass of red wine and then a cup of milk tea. Since I'd sat at home all day by myself, it was nice to get out and socialize - and every chance I get to practice my Japanese is a good thing:) The owner of the club is actually Masahiko's cousin, and he's owned the place for about 30 years. The owner, who's a bassist, is forming a little band with his wife, a pianist, and Masahiko on guitar and a really good young drummer. They want to practice for a few months and then do some shows. It's so good for Masahiko to get a chance to play jazz with some really good musicians - it makes him so happy!

Anyway, today was probably the warmest day since I've been in Japan - I went for a long walk and sweated the whole way, with my three layers and my down coat (which I was carrying after only 10 minutes). It seriously felt more like April than January - and miraculously the house isn't even all that cold now that the sun has already set. I guess it could be just a fluke though, and we could still get colder weather yet, as it's not February. But we'll see...

My calendar seems to be filling up these days, which is nice. I've got lunch plans with a former student on Thursday - she's coming to pick me up at my house (which is great since I don't have my own car), and we'll eat lunch and catch up after 10 years! The weekend is probably going to be slow and quiet, but Tuesday I will go with my two friends named Naomi to an onsen (indoor hot spring/bath) in Yaizu (which is about an hour's drive or more from here). Then after the onsen we're going to Naomi's house in Shimizu so I can meet her little girl (who is now 4, and the last time I saw her was the day after she was born!) Then next Wednesday I have yet another interview, this one with a conversation school in Fuji. It's the first job I applied to, way back at the beginning of December - but it took them forever to get back to me about it. for some reason, I don't have as good a feeling about this place - the hours aren't so great, and the environment wouldn't be as interesting or rewarding as working for the public schools (which was the job I interviewed for on Sunday). But since I need to keep my options open, I'm going for an interview. On the 30th, next Saturday, Masahiko has a jazz gig at a small club in Fujinomiya, and we've just been invited to a big music party on the 6th of February at a place out near Mt. Fuji. We went to a party there 4 years ago in the spring - it was an outdoor party. This one is indoors, but I remember the house is really fabulous and modern, and surrounded by nature! So it seems I'll be busy at least until the beginning of February... and by then I should know if I have a job, and which one it will be!

Speaking of jobs, I want to briefly update about my interview on Sunday afternoon. This interview was with a company that hires ALT's (Assistant Language Teacher), to work at public schools. This is basically the same kind of job I had with the JET Programme back in 1998. The differences are that with JET, I was working at one high school, and I was directly hired by the Japanese governnment, and worked for the Prefectural Board of Education (which is more like working for a state). With this job, I'd be hired by the recruiting company, and teaching at a combination of junior high and elementary schools, which are run by the city (in this case Fuji, where I'm living). If I get hired, I'll work at more than one school (probably 3 days a week at a jr. high and 2 at an elementary), with occasional visits to kindergartens in the Fuji area. The awesome thing is that with my experience and Japanese language ability (which I thought was terrible, but apparently is better than most who apply), I can get a bit higher salary, and I also get the summer off with pay! My interview was in Shizuoka in the coffee shop of a hotel near the station. I met with the recruiter, a Canadian named Graham and his Japanese associate (I forgot his name!), and we talked for over 90 minutes! Some of their questions were pretty challenging, but I think I gave good answers overall - and I also went through the two lessons that I had prepared. In addition, I was asked to introduce myself and answer some questions in Japanese (only for about 5 minutes). Apparently, they were both impressed with me, and at the end of the interview, Graham said that he had really enjoyed talking with me and that he would like to offer me a position. He just has to wait a couple of weeks to see what kinds of contracts are going to be available, and he won't be able to finalize any contract until sometime in the next month. So it's not absolutely guaranteed yet, because of course at any time the board of education could limit the amount of contracts, or something could change. But it's really promising! So I'm kind of in a bit of a conundrum about the other job. I will go to the interview next week, but I'll probably have to tell them about this job too, and I'll have to keep both options open as long as I can until I can get an absolute answer on the ALT job (because it's the one I want for sure). it's definitely nice to have options, and I'm feeling really positive. If I get the ALT job, I can also renew my contract next year if I want, or even transfer to another part of Japan!

Well I didn't plan to write so much this time, so I think I'll just post some pics under a cut, with a little bit of explanation, and then go and watch the very last episode of Season 5 of Queer as Folk - I can't believe I watched the whole series! Thoughts on that, and some movies and other shows, later...

Here's ( some more pictures )

I've got other photos to post that I took a couple weeks ago around here. hopefully I'll get those up soon!
happy week everyone:)

It's been a few days since I posted, so I guess it's time for some more pics and news.
After New Year's I kind of went into a mini depression (very mini, because I just don't get depressed very easily)... mostly because I was seriously lacking in physical activity, and I'd been eating too much. But also I started to worry that I wouldn't hear from any of the places that I'd applied to for jobs. The weekend was incredibly slow (in fact I don't remember even what we did because we didn't go anywhere or see anyone) - we did watch a few movies, including ( 2012 which was terrible, and Desperado which we'd seen many times before, and which we never get tired of watching), and just hung around and did the same old stuff (i.e. a little internet, a little studying, eating, cleaning, etc...). Monday I wasn't feeling good all day - I've been having lots of intestinal issues ever since I came to Japan (my system still hasn't gotten adjusted to the new climate, diet, and everything else). So I've been trying to take lots of natural laxatives to clear out my system, and they still weren't working on Monday. On top of that, I had a massive headache, so I was feeling sluggish and out of sorts all day.

Tuesday was better. When I checked my email in the morning, I had two messages regarding jobs. One place said they had no university lecturer or ALT positions (Assistant Language teacher), but that they would check with conversation schools around the area for any openings. I didn't feel that one was so promising, but I could still hear back from them, I guess. The other email was from a company that hires ALT's for public schools (kindergarten, elementary or junior high) - they are going to have a representative in Shizuoka city (which is about 40 minutes from where I live) doing interviews this month, and I scheduled an interview with them for the 17th. The guy who emailed me told me that there are going to be openings for full time jobs in Fuji city, which is where I am living, so that might work out very well! The interview will be pretty serious, though: it's 90 minutes long, and I have to take a 45-50 minute lesson plan with me. I don't have to demonstrate the whole lesson for them, but I have to be able to walk them through it. Also, their website mentioned that we might be interviewed a little in Japanese! Hopefully they realize that my level is very basic! I feel hopeful about this one though - I've worked as an ALT before, and I have lots of experience teaching. So let's hope I ace the interview! Now I need to get busy making a lesson plan - yikes!

So I was feeling a lot more relaxed on Tuesday, and my intestinal issues started to sort out a bit. Also that day, Masahiko took me to city hall to get my "gaikokujin" (alien) registration card (which all foreigners need to carry with them and use for work and other issues), and also he set up a bank account for me. So now I feel like I'm more of a resident than a visitor:)
Tuesday afternoon we finished watching a movie that we started on Monday night called Extract It's Mike Judge's latest, and it's hilarious! I highly recommend it!

I haven't taken many pictures lately, but the other day on my walk, I took a few of the surroundings, including a very interesting vending machine that dispenses fresh eggs! ( look, see )

Masahiko starts working tomorrow in a full time temporary job - it might last only one or two months, but he's glad to be earning some money. He'll be gone every day (except weekends) from 7:30 to 6:30, so I'll be on my own with M's parents for a couple days, before the weekend. Sunday, I'm meeting my former student Narumi, and my former supervisor Akiko for lunch at an Italian restaurant. Then Tuesday, I go to Tokyo for my interview and to stay with my friends!

Next time I'll post pics of our little pet bird, and maybe more of Leo...

now it's time for my shower, and bed!

I've been taking lots of photos, but not sharing them. so finally here's some pics for you to enjoy (hopefully)! Just click on the thumbnail to see the bigger picture...

First, of our trip last week to Whiting, Indiana (Whihala Beach), where my husband was able to catch some amazing waves. Here's proof that it is possible to surf on Lake Michigan (though my pics are not so great, and he looks so small):








Here's some shots of the surroundings - notice the lovely BP Oil Refinery right next to one of the surfing spots - lovely!










M in his surfing gear:






some of the seagulls that were waiting for crumbs from my sandwich:






and finally, some art (well it's really just a guitar in the sand):






Going back several weeks, here's some more shots from a previous trip to New Buffalo, MI:

first, some of the lake surfers who won the "paddling contest":






more seagulls hamming it up:








and finally, a shot that I wish I had taken of M surfing in Michigan (it was actually taken by someone and posted on the surf shop's website):





next post will be pics of my cat, for for now, I leave you with "the surfing cat":