Still A Lotta Lands To See

Goodbye Tokyo

2010-05-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

I have about 3 days left in Tokyo and I thought I should finish the way I started:

Things I will miss about Tokyo (in no particular order):

1. sushi

2. the convenience

3. the shopping

4. karaoke

5. the people, my god, the people

Things I am excited about at home (again, in no particular order):

1. mom's cooking
2. real nature
3. my bike
4. my bathtub
5. the people, my god, the people

Non-Tokyo

2010-05-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

The parents have come to visit and I've been doing a bit of traveling and sight-seeing with them. Check out the photos of our trip to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, and Nara:

Dad hilariously trying to figure out Japanese TV in the hotel

Hiroshima, the a-bomb dome

School children paying tribute to the kids lost in Hiroshima

Miyajima, the floating tori

Gion, Kyoto

The holyhock festival in Kyoto

4km of tori at Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kiyomizu love-stone

My Last Days of Work

2010-05-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last day of work and it was a bit painful saying goodbye! I got flowers and gifts and letters and one of my students even came in to say goodbye even though she didn't have a lesson (it turned into a big cry-fest).

I had no idea I would become so attached to all my students and coworkers! Whenever I travel I make temporary friends who I keep in touch with and have a good time with but I know inevitably we will all go home and so I don't let myself get to into any deep relationships. I came to Japan thinking of it just like all my other trips but longer...but Tokyo turned into a home.

After work we had a karaoke farewell party with the staff in Ikebukuro but I'll likely stop by there to give a proper (more sober) goodbye before I leave, so those goodbyes were not that bad.

Here's a few photos from the last days:

Flowers I got from one of my regular students
(in my make-shift thermos/vase)

More gifts

The amazing scrapbook Akina (my fav student/friend) made for me

Karaoke with the Akabane staff

Manager, counselor, and instructor

Adrian being witty again

Okinawa!

2010-04-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a (too) short vacation in the southern tropical islands of Japan, Okinawa. I spent a day in Naha, the main city, then I headed out to a tiny island off the coast (Zamami jima) and spent 3 days relaxing and doing next to nothing. Check out some of the crazy photos of this strange and wonderous place:

Pig face for sale in the Naha market

Awamori - Okinawan liquor. Yes those are real snakes

Goya chyanpuru: one of the local dishes.
Basically, crazy bitter gourd (goya) stir-fried with pork, egg, and other veggies

Okinawan souvenirs - frog purses. Yes, those are real frogs.

Vacation calls for excessive desserts

Japanese style room in Zamami Jima.
Wicked awesome hotel, but I could have told you that by just looking at the name: Joy Joy

Furuzamami beach

Mount Fuji etc.

2010-04-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

A few photos from the last few days:

Came across a wedding at Meji Jingu shrine

Met up with my friend Will at a crazy
dungeon/science/haunted house/prison izakaya (pub).
He's mixing his drink.

Mount Fuji hiking trail

Shrine at the base of Mount Fuji

Hiked to the First Base Camp

Pooped on the train after a couple days of hiking

Vacation!

2010-04-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

My first visitor (Jamie) is here!!! She arrived yesterday morning and yesterday was also my first day off in 13 days!!!!

Anyway, here are some photos from our first adventures in Tokyo!

Akina and Yuuta making hilarious faces at dinner

Odaiba: old Japan, futuristic Japan, and imitation Japan

Easter Hanami

2010-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Spent my Easter Sunday doing Hanami (picnicking under the Cherry Blossoms)

Hilarious Student Conversations episode 2

2010-04-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

Conversation Student #1:

Me: What are you doing after the lesson today?
Student: I am going to the hospital for my eye, it will shoot lasers.

Japanese Oddities

2010-03-30T06:34:00.001-07:00

hot fries, onion rings or onigiri from a vending machine

Are you on the party train?

Green tea flavoured kitkat

Sakura

2010-03-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is only the beginning

My Home

2010-03-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

This is my street

And my front door (plus the stairs leading up to mine and 3 roommates' rooms)

The ghetto shower

The kitchen

The living room

Hilarious Student Conversations episode 1

2010-03-27T07:56:00.001-07:00

Just a sample of my daily life:

BUSINESS STUDENT #1:
Me: So I will see you for our second lesson in about an hour. Enjoy your break. See you later
Student #1: See you later alligator

BUSINESS STUDENT #2:
Me: (role-playing a business small-talk situation) How are you? What's new?
Student #2: I'm good, I just got back from Hawaii
Me: Oh that sounds great, how was it?
Student #2: It was great. I met a whale.

BUSINESS STUDENT #3:
Me: (role-playing a coworker having trouble with the photocopier) Something's wrong, can you help me?
Student #3: Yes. Let me teach you the ways of the photocopier.
Me: You sound like a jedi

j-pop: the devil's music

2010-03-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

Almost every single one of my students, when I ask what music they listen to, tell me they like J-pop. I get it, it's in their own language. BUT OH MY GOD it's the worst music on the planet.

Here's just a sample (I challenge you to get through this complete video):

or the backstreet boys of Japan "Smap":

and then one of my students told me they listen to more "hard-core" stuff and he recommended this band, probably the most hilarious terrible of them all:

another comical dialogue I had with a student:
Me - "what kind of music do you listen to?"
Student - "I like rock"
Me - "Oh! Do you listen to English rock?"
Student - "yes"
Me - "Great, what's your favourite band recently?"
Student - "Ace of Base"

Then again I have the odd student who gives good recommendations, but in the past 6 months of teaching I have only received 2 good recommendations. Check it out:

and this crazy giant Japanese jazz jam band:

and again

2010-03-24T06:56:00.001-07:00

my favourite is the questions the japanese girls are asking:

Time Flies

2010-03-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Plum Blossoms are in bloom and my friend Konrad went back to Canada today. We celebrated with a Nabe dinner and some Karaoke in Shibuya last night.

In other news one of my students showed me this hilarious comic that speaks quite poignantly to many of the foreigners in Japan:

Mental Zen

2010-03-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today was an odd day

First of all, last night was the strongest wind storm I have ever experienced. My house is an old wooden house that was a tad drafty over the winter. Last night I found out "drafty" was a severe understatement.

I woke up at 3 in the morning from the noise. Literally, even with my windows closed, my curtains were blowing and my bed was rocking. This was the wind equivalent of the crazy snow storm of 2008 (?) in Saskatoon.

By the time I had to work this morning the train stations were in complete disarray - my train was delayed 25 minutes. Usually, a delay of 3 minutes on Japan Rail Tokyo trains is odd.

As well, usually Saturdays and Sundays are crazy busy at work (i.e. I work 10-8:30 with one 45 min break). Today however was super slow for almost all the instructors.

To add to it all, the soundtrack to my day was Air's Talkie Walkie album

I only now realized the comedy of my listening to air on such a windy day

To top it all off, I've definitely already entered the vacation head space,
check out my roommates blog on Okinawa. I have tickets for the end of April but my mind has already departed

It's definitely time for spring to be here,
bring on the sakura

Su-no-u Bo-di-n-gu

2010-03-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Just got home from an AWESOME snowboarding trip!

We (myself plus 10 other instructors/instructors friends) left Tokyo at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday and took a 3 hour bus ride to the alps in Niigata. We boarded all afternoon Sunday then me and 3 of the guys did some night riding that evening while the rest of the crew hit the onsen (hot springs). Sunday night we definitely a good time (perhaps a touch too good).

The next day was another full day of boarding plus taking it easy in the evening, and today we headed out to another mountain by a 20 minute gondola ride and we checked out some more runs. The fog started coming in pretty crazy today. After today's riding we onsened it up and caught the bus to get back into town.

The snow was wicked, the weather was great, the food was delicious, and the company was even better. On top of all of that, I definitely improved my snowboarding skills.

Sleeping Beauties on the bus ride out

Relaxing on the deck at "Whistler Cafe" after some night riding

Some intense concentration playing the mushroom game

Kampai!

Me and Rie (the only other girl on the trip)

Some of the boys near the top of Mt. Naeba

Nabe dinner

The injuries I sustained (well worth it)

natto!

2010-03-10T05:55:00.001-08:00

I have discovered the most delicious snack!

Everybody warned me that natto (fermented soybeans) was stinky and quite an acquired taste. Apparently most foreigners don't like this Japanese staple and I've had a few picky-eater kind of students who have told me they don't like it as well.

Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when I finally ventured to try it and it was so delicious!

Particularly, natto is super good with rice, a touch of soy sauce, and a raw egg all mixed together. This evening (on my roommate's advice) I tried natto in half an avocado and I fell in love.

Plus this wicked awesome snack has loads of apparent health benefits (nattokinase - seriously, that's what the enzyme is called - is supposed to be great for reducing unwanted blood clots). Check out the wikipedia page for more.

here's a photo of my evening snack:

And an adorable video of a little Japanese girl attacking the sticky substance (I look just as cute eating it by the way):

Disney!

2010-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

I just returned from the happiest place on earth!

Today, me and 4 friends went to Disney Sea (which is the more adult version of Tokyo Disneyland - which means it's Tokyo Disneyland plus alcohol). I never thought I would be a Disney kind of girl, but oh my goodness, it was SO COOL! There was so much attention to detail and it really was like a completely different world!

We met there at 9am and stayed until 10pm so I'm SUPER exhausted and it was freezing all day so that tired me out even more but here are some photos (which, as usual don't even show the half of it - it was such a wicked day):

Phoenix!

2010-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

I went to the Pheonix concert in Shibuya the other day and it was SO GOOD!

It was definitely in my top 10 concerts ever, probably in my top 5. The crowd was SO energetic (which is saying a lot for the Japanese) and the band was really feeding off of that, so the show turned into a giant dance party. And in the end they invited fans to come on stage and it was just pure joyful insanity

You can tell Phoenix are genuinely good musicians and their straight-ahead unpretentious song writing just makes me smile. Check out the video of part of their opening song "Lisztomania" (I could see the security guards about to hunt me down as I was taking the video, so it had to be short):

and for those of you who don't know the band you can check out their wicked skills here:

February Fun

2010-02-23T03:19:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been pretty busy with work but also with meeting friends

The other night I went out for food with one of my favourite students, and even though she speaks barely any english and I speak barely any japanese, somehow we had a hilarious and fabulous night (not to mention the food was AMAZING):

On my first day off this "weekend" (aka Monday and Tuesday) me and some Canadian friends headed out to Yuzawa in Niigata. Niigata is known for good snowboarding and close proximity to Tokyo.

In the morning, to catch the shinkansen (the bullet train) we had to meet at Tokyo station downtown which meant taking the local trains with ALL of my gear at the peak of rush-hour. It was ridiculous - there were definitely a few business men angry with me.

The Shinkansen

We caught the shinkansen out for the day snowboarded/skied and headed back in the evening. The snowboarding was wicked! Exactly what I needed, some time outside, away from the cemented in habitat of Tokyo. Plus, it was the first time I had snowboarded in mountains when it HASN'T been -30. The weather was perfect and the snow pretty fabulous as well.

The main lodge was actually called "Cowabunga station"

I'm giving the peace sign (especially for Jenna)

Snowboarding & a crepe - Could I be any happier?

The Japanese Alps

On the train ride home we relaxed with some beers and snacks. When we got back into Tokyo we met up with another friend for an okonomiyaki supper (which is basically like a traditional japanese veggie/seafood pancake-y thing) and we ended the day off with some karaoke before catching the last train home.

A successful beer run

Okonomiyaki

Now I'm incredibly sore and tired but happy as a clam :)

I love Cooking!

2010-02-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

I know, you're probably thinking: "What?! who has hacked Pola's blog and writing crazy titles?!" or perhaps you're thinking: "Oh that crazy Pola, so long in Japan she is mixing up her verbs, she means Eating not Cooking!"

Nope! I just made onigiri! They're basically balls of rice wrapped in baked seaweed with a special surprise inside (mine were tuna onigiri). Not too difficult, but delicious.

The problem I kept finding with buying them at my local combini (7-11, etc.) was that the special surprise was usually something awful that I was not expecting at all - I swear to god one day I had one either filled with chicken-heart or some other dense granular non-western meat, it made me a tad sick.

So I just looked up a you-tube video (god bless the internet) on how to make them and I made them all by myself! I'm posting the hilariously-Japanese-awesome video here:

p.s. I've basically just been working a ton and nothing else special lately. The next little while I have quite a few day-trips planned (snowboarding, and Disney, etc.) so I'll post more photos soon

I've settled in

2010-02-09T04:26:00.000-08:00

I finally have my stuff unpacked and somewhat organized in the space I have in this old wooden house. Check out the video of my room:

The Move

2010-02-02T04:59:00.001-08:00

Hooray!

I moved today!

So the good news is I've only talked to 2 of my 4 roommates and they both seem wicked cool. Definitely in the small percentage of REGULAR foreigners in Japan.

Also, this area is totally a WICKED location.

I'm 20 minutes walk to Shinjuku (the main shopping/business district - basically the area you think of when someone talks about downtown, neon-lights, Tokyo)

and 20 minutes walk to Harajuku (the arty commercialized district - the area you think of when someone talks about crazy Japanese fashion)

and 20 minutes walk to Shibuya (the area you see in lost-in-translation)

and 20 minutes walk from Shimo-kitazawa (the area that isn't necessarily in the guide books but once you get to know the city, it's totally the most understated, happening place, cute cafes and pubs, great little hidden gem boutique shopping, etc.)

basically, I'm psyched.

Yeah, the house is a bit old, and yeah I can't figure out how to work my heater right now, and yeah it might be broken, and yeah I'm writing this in ALL of my merino-wool long-underwear and a few extra layers and a toque....BUT! I'm excited :)

I'll post photos soon

p.s. I crossed another adulthood milestone this evening again - I bought my first set of bed-linens! (my last place came-with really terrible bed-linens about as soft as potato sacks, so I ran out to the Japanese version of Ikea - MUJI - tonight and bought the coziest bedding)

Back on the Road

2010-01-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

I had a long, kinda crappy couple of days at work so I decided to turn things around today!

This morning I got up and caught a train to Nikko. Nikko is a town about 2 hours North of Tokyo that's renowned for it's historical, religious sightseeing. There is a group of about 5 temples and shrines that are part of a World Heritage Site in the town.

So I splurged a bit on a more rapid train 'cause I woke up a bit late (you didn't think I'd get up early on a day off did you?!) and I got to Nikko in less than one and a half hours while chatting with an older lady and her friends who were heading to Nikko for a spa-day (it's a great place for onsens as well as temples).

Nikko was BEAUTIFUL. It was nice 'cause not only were the temples and shrines breathtaking but it was a day finally OUT OF THE CITY. I forget sometimes how much I miss nature until I'm actually IN a forest. I spent the afternoon walking around temples and their surrounding giant trees. Then I took a break for a soba noodle/tempura shrimp lunch and warmed up. I checked out a few more sights and headed back.

On the train home my energy for travel was definitely rekindled. Seeing a real sunset for the first time in months and rolling through dormant rice fields while studying a bit of Japanese and listening to Neil Young reminded me how much I love to travel and WHY I'M HERE. I can get wrapped up in what's surrounding me really easily and lately I've been working a lot so I've been getting bitter.

Today was a rejuvination...and best of all, I still have tomorrow off as well :)

Check out the photos from today:

The only snow I've seen in months. I had to take a photo

The original "see no, speak no, hear no evil" monkeys.
Who knew that started here?! I sure didn't

Clearly a Tokyo girl
(please note it was about -4 today and
there's about a 30 minute hike to get to these Shrines
...ridiculous)

A new house and much more!

2010-01-24T19:01:00.001-08:00

Hooray!

I've found a new place to live!

and I saw Patrick Watson!

and I got a new snowboard!

The area I'm in now is pretty crappy. Uguisudani (my station and area) is known for it's love hotels. So if I want to leave my house I have to take the train to somewhere that DOESN'T have Korean prostitutes and drunk businessmen. charming. Plus, the place I'm staying has a common room that feels like the stairwell of an old cement building - cold and awful. This was good for a while (it's really close to work and at the same time, still on the main train line to get around the city) but I'm totally going crazy here. So I found a place super close to Harajuku and yoyogi-park (see previous posts for the good vibe-ness of said places)! It's a bit priceyer (if that's a word), but I'm willing to pay a bit more for some sanity.

Secondly, I saw Patrick Watson in Harajuku this past week! SO GOOD! it was so charming and intimate, especially because there were very few of us whiteys that could understand his stage banter. For the encore the band came down into the crowd and I was literally standing right next to them (OMG that percussionist is amazing!) and it felt like a campfire sing-along. BEAUTIFUL.

Lastly, My favourite student GAVE me her snowboard, bindings, boots, snow pants, and a snowboard bag to carry it all in!!! Like most Japanese, the second something is out of style (her gear was 8 years old) they just chuck it and buy new stuff. She just bought brand new everything so she just gave me all her stuff! I'm planning on heading out to the area near Nagano for a daytrip in February and possibly to Hokkaido (the northern island) for a few days in March!!

Basically, life is good :)

YYYs

2010-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Last Night!!!!

I remember getting their album in high-school! And I finally got to see them live last night - and in Tokyo!

It was WICKED!!!!!! The band was not disappointing in the least - the drummer is CRAZY good and Karen O's voice is dead-on. They played every song I wanted to hear. You should have seen the crowd and during "Pin" - the place turned into an INSANE (friendly) mosh pit. I think that song was particularly well received as the thrashy chorus' lyrics are the language-less "bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum de-doo de-doo de-doo de-doo"

The song I wanted to hear most (Date with the Night) was the encore with Karen O rocking out in a giant tinsel coat (think of an extravagant fur coat and replace the fur with silver, red, blue, and green sparkles) really, would you expect anything different from her?

Although I went to the show alone, waiting in line I started talking to a couple British girls and we ended up sharing a locker and I met their friends and generally we all had a great time.

I took a video of part of "Gold Lion" and I took some photos but of course the quality isn't the greatest. Just believe me, the blur in the middle is Karen O :)

Unfortunately the night had to end pretty quickly as I taught a ton of lessons today, but afterward I met up with a friend for dinner. It was extravagant:

Out and About in Tokyo

2010-01-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

A friend that I met in Peru last summer happened to be traveling through Tokyo last week so she stopped by. We ended up going out clubbing downtown on a Monday night (which you think would be dead, but it's Tokyo so there's ALWAYS someone around) and it was bizarre, and awesome, and definitely memorable. Unfortunately, I caught a bit of a head cold as a result but the worst of it ended yesterday, so all in all, I think it was worth it.

Me, Konrad, Karam, and a friend she met in Kyoto, Phil (from Oz)

You know, just two dudes dancing on the stripper pole
that was in the middle of this club's dance floor

Most of the night was just some wicked DJs but at one point there was all of a sudden a dance-off by these two guys, followed by a terrible J-pop concert. Odd...

As a side note, my skin is drying out SO BAD 'cause of all these damn space heaters - seriously, you'd think the Japanese are so ahead of the game that they'd make central heating a more regular thing, but no.

It's 2010! We're supposed to be wearing silver v-neck jumpsuits!

2010-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

Wowzas! When did it get to be 2010!? Remember Y2K? Yeah, that was 10 years ago!!

time flies

Anywhoo - thought I'd update you all on my fabulous New Years celebrations. Here, everybody goes home and spends time with family for New Years so my workplace was closed and I expected to just stay in studying Japanese, reading books, drinking tea and sitting in pyjamas but I got the exact opposite and boy, was it awesome!

New Years Eve day I headed out to Yokohama. Yokohama is technically a separate city from Tokyo but when you're on the train out there, you wouldn't know the difference. Yokohama is a port city that is supposed to have a good shopping area, some interesting sights, and an intense China town. Since it was January 31st when I headed out there, it wasn't too bustling.

The perma-docked ship at Yokohama's port

Afterward I headed back into central Tokyo to do a tiny bit of shopping for the evening out. For New Years eve, I met up with my Polish-Canadian-friend and his visiting girlfriend to celebrate the countdown in Roppongi. Roppongi is (one of) the major area(s) for partying in the city, but it definitely is the gaijin (foreigner) party district. Being that most people celebrate New Years here with family, Roppongi really was our only hope for a New Years eve party. At first we headed to a small bar, that was a bit of a dud and we headed later to another bar that was CRAZY. I've never seen such a packed bar. The place was DEFINITELY breaking a few fire-codes - everywhere you tried to move was like being crushed in a person-vice.

You can barely see my purple zebra print dress I bought that day :)

After getting home at 5 am the next morning (although we could have been home earlier had we known the trains were running all night) and sleeping for about 4 hours, I headed out with my roommate to his Japanese teacher's parent's place. I had met this teacher when we had our all-night Christmas dinner but I never thought I'd be so incredibly welcomed into her family's home just after one meeting.

We were invited to Fujisawa (which is about 1 hour away by local train) and south of Tokyo. We got out to Fujisawa for dinner, along with my roommates other classmate. OH MY GOODNESS is all I can say. Although the teacher spoke outstanding English, her parents (who prepared the extravagant meal) did not, somehow, through translations, body language, etc. we were able to have quite meaningful discussion along with an AMAZING dinner of traditional Japanese fish, meat, rice, vegetables, and everything you could desire. We stayed up until about 3am again, eating, drinking, and generally being merry.

The sun setting over Mount Fuji as we arrived in Fujisawa on New Years Day

Our hosts
(my roommate's teacher on the left and her two parents,
with her father doing most of the cooking)

The next day, January 2nd, Japanese people still celebrate the new year so we joined in. We headed out to Kamakura. Kamakura is a city with a particularly high concentration of shrines and temples, and over new years that is exactly where everyone heads - to pray. Kamakura is also famous for being a surfing town and for having the biggest non-covered Buddha statue. The day was BEAUTIFUL. The weather was PERFECT and we spent half of the morning on a natural high on the beach just chilling and enjoying the beauty that is this life.

If you click on this image, and look closely, you can see Mount Fuji

Afterward, we visited the big Buddha, ate some okonomiyaki (basically delicious veggie and seafood pancakes), visited a couple other temples, said our prayers, got our fortunes (mine of course suprisingly telling about my character) and eventually headed back into the city.

crazy crowds at the temples over new years

Since we had all just had such a fabulous couple days and we didn't want the high to end, we headed into Shibuya (part of downtown Tokyo) to do some glow-bowling :) And get this Saskatonians, we bowled on the 4th floor of a skyscraper.....so bizarre.

loving the kimono-bowling shoe combo

The last little while were probably some of the best days since I've been in Japan. Hooray for life!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

For me, the 27th of December was more of a Christmas than any Christmas day could have been.

After work we celebrated a bit of a Bonenkai(end of year)-like party with work. We had drinks and food and gift exchange (and tears, as some of the girls are getting transferred) and good vibes. The food was delicious, the drinks were alocholic and the company was fabulous; it couldn't have been better.

We all caught our last trains home but my night was not yet through. When I got home, I celebrated a proper Christmas with some roommates and friends. And did we EVER celebrate! My French roommate cooked an AMAZING 4 course dinner, including bacon-wrapped scallops, mushroom chicken with potatoes, yams, and carrots, plus of course baguette, cheese, and fabulous wine. Dinner started at midnight and we ate, drank, and talked until first train at about 5 am.

Only the first course

An American and a Japanese washing dishes
Sam in heaven with his wine and cheese

With a group of people I barely knew I had one of the most memorable Christmases - how lucky am I

Me-ri Ku-ri-su-ma-su!

2009-12-25T06:51:00.000-08:00

Even the Christmas trees are smaller in Japan

The Festivities for this year's Christmas are over. I had yesterday (Christmas eve) off and I spent the day skype-ing with family then cooking and watching Christmas movies all day.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL yesterday but it was bizarre trying to get into the Christmas mood when I was cooking with the windows open, and running to the corner store without so much as a sweater on. I never thought I would say this, but I really miss the snow and the cold! My good spirits were bolstered when I checked the mail in the afternoon and received a package from home (what perfect timing Ms. Rugg, thank you!!!) After eating quite a bit for supper I went out to Roppongi to a Catholic mass - so I could at least do a little caroling. After I got home, I watched Home Alone 2 with my roommate and ate and drank a little more.

This morning I have to admit I was a bit bitter and depressed - not only a Christmas alone but having to work on Christmas, what was I thinking when agreeing to this schedule?! On the train this morning I got my first creeper too. Some dude totally creeped and sat down RIGHT next to me and stared directly at me; I cranked my ipod and took no (visible) notice and, lucky me, he left in about one station. The day was off to a rocky start.

I've been feeling like this city is a bit soul-less lately and the lack of reverence of Christmas (even though there sure is a commercial presence of the holiday) started to irritate me this morning. Somehow though, my sky is never cloudy for long lately. As soon as I got to work I was laughing and relaxing with students and coworkers alike. It probably helped that it was payday today (Merry Christmas indeed!) but by the end of the day, after we had an international potluck, my mood had changed. Even the students I was not really looking forward to today were incredibly pleasant and the work today flew by.

All in all, I can't possibly be more thankful and sincerely grateful for the people I have. How lucky am I?! I live in this fabulous city, with absolutely no one obliged to support me, but somehow, someway or another, someone always cares.

A few more photos for all you worry-warts *cough*mom*cough* to prove I'm doing ok:

One course of my delicious Christmas Eve dinner, the other two courses being perogies and wild-mushroom soup - all from scratch!

My Christmas gift to myself - REAL COFFEE!!

Christmas dinner - Oishii!

Celebrating Christmas with one of my favourite students

It's That Time of Year

2009-12-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

These are some images of Harajuku all lit up with Christmas cheer. I went shopping today in the area it was the first time I felt all warm and cozy and Christmasy. I can't wait for Christmas eve I plan on making a traditional Polish Christmas eve dinner while listening to some cheesy Christmas music, splurging on good food, and watching the must-see Christmas classics: Home Alone and A Christmas Story. I'll post more about that after the fact.

For now, I hope you all are feeling as warm and cozy as I am :)

Your Japan Survival Kit

2009-12-19T06:09:00.001-08:00

For anyone wanting to visit/stay in Japan for any period of time I suggest the following:

1) a phrasebook - ughhhhh the language barrier is the worst

2) AN IPOD! - the other day I was riding the train home from work and this old crazy dude got on and he looked a little spazzy but, whatever, it's Tokyo right? His full crazy would only come out the second the doors would close between each stop. As soon as the warning tune ended and the doors shut he would procede to go into his own little freak-out world and grind his teeth like teeth have never been ground before. I'm not just talking you-can-see-the-jaw-tighten type of grinding, this was FULL ON screeching with sound effects to the max. Needless to say this sent me into my own spazzy world (wouldn't it you?) and the only thing to block out the noise was to play some Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Fleet Foxes was not going to cut it with this guy - too many quiet bits.

Earthquake!

2009-12-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

I was woken up this morning by an earthquake!

It was probably a good 15 seconds at 5:40 in the morning and after google-ing it I found out it was a magnitude 5.3

I remember once being in an earthquake before this, when I still lived in BC. I remember all of a sudden just feeling a little dizzy or disoriented. Today's earthquake was MUCH stronger. I woke up as if someone had literally been shaking my bed with the force of their whole body. I happened to be incredibly disoriented due to some unfortunate fever dreams and aspirin the night before but even through that I had already hopped out of bed and was heading for my door-frame. After it stopped there were a few tiny aftershocks but those just felt like someone rocking me to sleep in a cradle.

weird

Birthday

2009-12-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I thought my birthday without my regular friends and my family would be somehow, incomplete. I just returned home from celebrating with new friends and it's amazing how inexpressibly grateful I am. I am speechless at the love that exists in this world.

I maybe thought someone might buy me a drink today, but I did not expect this much. Yesterday I was not only cooked a fabulous dinner by some fabulous Canadian friends but I was also treated to some cake (with singing and everything) and Canadian-style gifts (cozy clothing and beer - how perfect with few places having central heating here). Then today, after having a nice sleep in I did a little non-window shopping (finally!) and bought myself a few articles of clothing that I've been dying for. Afterward, I met up with some Japanese girlfriends from work to spend the day in a novelty-theme-park kind of shopping mall (with house-of-horror and all). After much food and treats and birthday surprises, we headed to my area for an AMAZING meal of real korean barbeque. I was treated to dinner and on top of that friends of friends brought not only gifts buy cake as well!

How amazing the human spirit is - we are all the same, we all want to be happy and the joy of others just magnifies our own. It's amazing how lucky I am to not only be here, but to secondly to have so many people show they care about me so much!

Life is beautiful.

Days off

2009-12-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

I find myself often just wandering around town when I have days off and the weather is nice. Yesterday I discovered an area quite close to my house that had some of the coolest little shops and cafes. One shop had amazingly beautiful shoes that were handmade (unfortunately all for the low low price of just $500).

And then sometimes I find myself just wandering through cemeteries. They're a great place to get away from the crazy neon signs of Tokyo. It's always incredibly peaceful there.

Autumn Foliage

2009-12-07T00:00:00.001-08:00

Hello all,

The reason I haven't been blogging lately is 'cause really, even though this may seem like a cool thing to do in premise (move to Japan), I'm just living my normal life (plus a couple more challenges) but half-way across the world from home. Lately, I've just been going to work, coming home, cooking dinner, doing my laundry, running errands, etc, etc.

But today I had a day off and it was BEAUTIFUL outside and I met up with a new friend to go check out Mount Takao. Mount Takao is only about an hour away (which is nothing here, that's like driving across the city - in fact it IS driving across the city, the city never ends). So we headed out and took a chair-lift like thing up the mountain and got an amazing view of the city. At the top there was a really cool temple which we checked out and then we got some lunch - soba (buckwheat noodles) and tempura veggies and shrimp. After a while we hiked back down the mountain and took in some more amazing colors in the autumn light (yes, I know it's December 7th and I said autumn).

Anyway, thought I should post some pics. Check them out!

As usual, the pictures DO NOT do it justice

Nihongo

2009-11-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

I've started to discover that learning Japanese is like playing Mad Gab (remember that game? Where you had to put together "A Stump How Hers" to figure out you were saying "Austin Powers" *Shout out to the Ruggs there*)

Anyway, let's see if you are any good at that game. Can you figure out the English equivalents of these Japanese words? (tip: think in a Japanese accent - change your V's to B's, L's to R's and add an U sound at the end of words that end in consonants)

1. Oosutoraria
2. konpyuutaa
3. toire
4. combini
5. hoteru
6. chizu
7. bokushingu
8. garufurendo
9. gorfu boru
10. remon

Figured them out?
Give up?

Ok, here are the answers:
1. Australia
2. computer
3. toilet
4. conveni(ence store) *ok that one was a little tougher*
5. hotel
6. cheese
7. boxing
8. girlfriend
9. golf ball
10. lemon

There we go, speaking Japanese isn't so bad after all. Now if I could only figure out that crazy writing....

Recently (In Photos)

2009-11-26T02:48:00.001-08:00

I love terrible translations in Japanese advertising. This was just an egg salad sandwich in a hot-dog bun. Note the catch phrase at the top.

I made these!

The commercial is just as funny here as it is in Canada

A Day Off!

2009-11-18T23:38:00.000-08:00

Hello hello!

I've been working a lot of hours lately and today was my first day off in a while so I spent it a traditionally Japanese way.... shopping! (But seriously, almost everytime I ask a student what their hobbies are I get "shopping" as an answer)

It just so happened that today was probably the coldest day yet since I've been here - consistent gray skies with intermittent rain and a temperature that chills you to to the core. Shopping really was the only option for today :)

The good new is, I finally figured out how to use the heater in my room (please refer to the ridiculous remote control in the photo below) , so I won't have to sleep with a sweater on. Woo hoo!

More Proof

2009-11-10T06:16:00.001-08:00

Yes, this is me in a suit.

A Photo for Proof

2009-11-08T03:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is my supper, and yes, I made it (eggplant, chicken, cashews and all) ! I'm not so helpless in the kitchen after all.

November Evenings

2009-11-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Oh Tokyo, I cannot count the ways I love thee.

Yes, that's right, it's a November evening and that building's flashing sign says 21 degrees Celsius!

More Japanese Stuff

2009-11-03T05:57:00.002-08:00

Even the ironing boards are made so that you sit on the floor to use them!

Illiteracy and Obesity

2009-11-02T04:44:00.001-08:00

I've completed some highly scientific research that has revolutionized my perspective on obesity in North America:

I'm functionally illiterate right now (there are three different alphabets in the Japanese language!!) so as you can image, grocery shopping is functionally challenging. Since I cannot read what I'm buying, I generally have to stick to stuff that's in similar packaging to products at home or I have to go through the process of trial and error. The error part is not fun - last week I thought I was buying peanut butter, it turned out to be some sort of weird sweet peanut jelly. So, if one is out and about, and hungry (as one often is) stopping into a restaurant poses a problem. Either you need someone who can read Japanese with you, or you need a restaurant with pictures on the menu. Yes, the latter is common, but the menus with pictures are often only at the cash register so your lunch decisions are made after 1) already waiting in line 2) being faced with the pressure of ordering now and 3) not being able to politely back down if you all of a sudden realize "this place is WAY too expensive!". Therefore, from time to time, when one is just god-damn hungry your safest/only bet is to eat at the places you know and of course McDonald's is always just around the corner.

Therefore I now see the connection between stupidity/ignorance and obesity. Thank you McDonald's for your worldwide consistency.

Beauty in Nuances

2009-10-29T04:23:00.000-07:00

I bought a blow-dryer the other day and I got this gift with it (this just goes to show you the little details that make this culture so fascinating and beautiful):

P.S. No, I don't know what they are either.....toothpics? They're not chopsticks 'cause they're shorter than one of my fingers. Either way, they're pretty :)

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is my place:

Busy Busy Busy

2009-10-25T04:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while 'cause everything has happened all at once for me and almost every moment of every day lately I've spent running errands.

On the job front, I spent most of last week in training at our company's headquarters downtown where we were taught how to "teach English the GABA way." Of course, all that did was stress me out about lesson timing, and doing things according to the book. Saturday I actually got into my "Learning Studio" (Gaba's balogna name for a school) and everything is much more chill there than they made it sound at training. I was told I would have a 2-3 hour in-studio training, but really all it was was a tour and they threw me in head-first to teaching. That poor first student - I did terrible. I taught 4 lessons yesterday and another 6 today, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

I got home in time to (attempt to) make myself a proper supper tonight! woo hoo!

On the housing front, my roommates are all clean and kind (I'll put up a video tour soon). Apparently there have been a few cockroach sightings in the building but what bothers me more is the CRAZY INVISIBLE MOSQUITOES with the VENOM FROM HELL! check this out:

Yeah. That's a bite on the KNUCKLE of my FOOT. worst. I have to sleep with one sock on just so my sheets won't tickle me awake

Man my feet are ugly

It's Official

2009-10-16T04:06:00.000-07:00

I feel like today started my first day of real Japanese life. After finding out I GOT A JOB (!) yesterday afternoon, I started frantically compiling all the paperwork etc. needed to be a valid Canadian in Japan.

I bought a proper suit and a proper pair of reusable chop-sticks 'cause everywhere you go, if you buy food they give you a new set of disposable chop-sticks. worst.

Tomorrow I will spend hunting for an apartment.

Now all I have to do is start wearing heels all the time and I'll fit right in.

Life has begun!

Sundays in Yoyogi Park is where my heart resides

2009-10-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

Sundays in Harajuku are a bit insane. The wildest of the wild come out to play but the vibe in Yoyogi Park is particularly fabulous. After walking around for a bit, we discovered a group of people dancing and listening to a guitartist in the park. We stopped to take just one photo and listen for a while but we were soon accosted and told "Come join us!!" in broken English.

As soon as we agreed, we were offered wine, beer, and home-brews, and more food than we could possibly eat. After listening to one musician playing the Shamisen (the three-stringed guitar-type instrument you would often associate with traditional Japanese music) and chatting with him via a translator for a few minutes the jam session began. A couple guitarists started in on a repetoire of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and everything in between. We sang, we ate, we danced, we were merry. I couldn't imagine a better Sunday afternoon.

And of course, we ended the evening with a little Karaoke:

Tokyo Clubbin

2009-10-10T02:54:00.000-07:00

I'm watching hilarious Japanese TV right now as my Saturday evening entertainment. I definitely needed a night in tonight as yesterday evening blew my mind! We headed out to Shibuya for a Friday night out with a group of us (a Brit, a couple Americans, and a couple Canadians - myself being one) and it ended up being pretty epic in my books.

After having a couple drinks from the local 7-11 and checking out the insanity that is Shibuya on a Friday evening (with free hugs and all) we headed to a club called "Womb." The club was anything but womb-like. It had the craziest DJ, dance floor, and atmosphere I've ever seen. I cannot possibly explain the intensity of this place in terms that anyone who's only seen Saskatoon's bar-scene would understand. Like....the bar was selling single kiwis for $6!! What?!

I'm not much of a big partier and I thought I would be home pretty early. We ended up getting to bed at 4 am.

So after a very little sleep and a move to a hostel that is a bit less rat-y (I hope), I spent the afternoon at an onsen (a public hot-spring) and I'm heading to bed early.

No photos were allowed in the club, and I didn't take too many last night either but check these out:

"Club the celebrity"

"The Pratinum Spa"

Tsukiji Fish Market

2009-10-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

A 4:30 am wake-up well worth it:

Tuna bigger than me

Yeah, that dude is cutting that fish with a sword!

Breakfast afterward

My Good Fortune

2009-10-07T00:19:00.000-07:00

When visiting Senso-ji temple in Asakusa the fortune I received read:

GOOD FORTUNE:

Repent what you've done so far, and you should hope again. Then you will find happiness in future with a help of your seniors, everything will go well you'll be satisfied with better position and wealth

* Your wishes will be realized. * A sick person will recover. *The lost article will be found. *The person you are waiting for will come. *Building a new house and removal are good. *Making a trip is good. *Marriage and employment are both good.

A Japanese woman came up to me and translated some of the Japanese characters of the fortune for me and said "It says that you have good people around you"

JOY IS ABUNDANT!

Harajuku! Shibuya! Asakusa!

2009-10-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm posting a few photos for you to creep on, enjoy!

Sensoji Temple in Asakusa

Prayers and Incense

Washing my hands in holy water? I dunno, everyone else was doing it

Sensoji Temple

The bane of my existence

Shibuya crossing (the Times Square of Tokyo)

RUSH! @ Shibuya

Shibuya Crossing once again

Rockabilly dance troups of Harajuku....such a bizarre phenomenon (check out the video below)

Harajuku girls

Just a casual Sunday stroll through Harajuku

A terrible Japanese take on rock music

Who knew Tommy Lee Jones is big in Japan?

Mushi mushi!

2009-10-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

I have arrived in Tokyo and I haven't stopped sweating since I got here. It is SO humid and SO warm that every time I get into my room alone I start stripping. I walked around today in clingy jeans - worst! Everybody here carries around a face-cloth to pat down there upper lips from time to time (it seems gross but I'm getting to the point of contemplating it).

After getting a bit jet-lagged and messed up, I started the day a bit early and headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens (kind of like Tokyo's answer to Central Park - but with more bonzai trees) 'cause they're within walking distance of my hostel. I spent the morning there and realized I NEED AN UMBRELLA! The rain jacket was making me just as wet from my sweat as I would be from rain if I weren't wearing the jacket at all (so attractive, I know).

The food so far has been typical - typical for me that is, not typical Japanese food. I had the traditional cheap hostel breakfast (blech!) of whiter-than-snow bread with sugar-dyed-red-raspberry jam and a cup of weak tea (which some of you will notice, coincidentally was T-daddy's first single). For lunch I discovered a McDonalds (woo hoo!....?), but it was a bit bizzare as it was all in Japanese, the place was styled all retro, and they were playing trippy obscure Beatles tunes (for the Benefit of Mr.Kyte...that whirring/carnival part of the song was too much to handle in the situation).

After taking a couple wrong trains due to an address that is now obsolete, I finally found the Japan Association for Working Holiday Makers office - basically, they're supposed to help me with finding a job, finding a proper place to stay, and all that jazz. The woman who helped me out gave me a warning before she even started my registration that jobs are scarce. I looked through their listings for a bit but nothing looked great. I'm going to keep looking and remind myself that I've only been here 2 days.

Japan can be a bit overwhelming - there's so much to look and it's so vast that it feels like my first day at University again. But instead, there's 13 million people in this city.

sayonara for now,
Pola

Japan!

2009-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

My restless soul has settled on another destination: Japan.

Why? My idealized vision of the country tells me this:
Cherry Blossoms!
Tea!
Onsen baths!
Zen Buddhism!
Fashion!

Is there any other country that calls my name MORE than Japan?

perhaps Canada... oh the things I'll miss:
Family! Friends! World class musicians! Stunning landscapes! CBC!

2009-07-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

My Infinite Inspiration