時旋風 (time whirlwind)

Apparently I've been in Japan for over a month- this came to my attention the other day, and I'm a little bit blown away. Not so much by the fact that I've been here a whole month, but because I have been here for only a month. It feels like it has been a much longer span of time -mostly in a good way. My system is taking some hits from always being on high alert, but if I actually go through and look at all my individual experiences, they have been agreeable.

Weekend:

My weekend was divided between a trip to Sanpoku, picking up some necessities in Arakawa, and poking around Murakami-shi some more.

Sanpoku is a small coastal town about an hour north of Murakami by train, which is fairly unremarkable except that it extraordinarily picturesque (apparently the highway that runs along the coast in that region is considered a famous scenic route, even by Japanese standards), and that there is a JET there with whom I could stay. The stated purpose of the trip was to go see the Dark Night (the ticket said "dakko naito")in a Japanese theater. The movie (graciously) was subtitled, not dubbed, and was just as good as when I saw it in America. The reactions of the Japanese in the theater were probably actually more interesting than the movie- people here just don't gasp laugh or cringe the way we Americans did in response to the movie.

Going all the way up north just to see a movie seemed like a waste, however, so I decided to stay for a while, go to the beach, take pictures, collect rocks, et cetera. I was also introduced to a standard (read: tasty) noodle restaurant by Sanpoku station, where I got the normal ramen bowl, which n'er disappoints. I'll cap off this section with some pics of Sanpoku- it's not the most famous part of the coast, but it's pretty awesome all the same.






After I arrived back from Sanpoku, I mumbled around Arakawa a bit, and did some grocery shopping. Shopping has become more of an activity for me here than in the U.S., because here I am buying bananas and yogurt wearing a 9-foot tall neon LOOK AT ME hat. Not only do I get the stares (which I really don't mind, although I have to wonder to what extent the town's residents are discussing my banana purchase), I also get the kids pointing with a big "Hoy! Jessu sensei!" It's flattering and endearing, but it also means that if I forget to buy milk the night before, I have to bathe, shower, and otherwise preen myself before slinking down to the Enomoto (Nippon no Seifuwei) to pick up some milk. I've also had kids ask for autographs in a number of my classes, and I'm waiting for the first out of class one...

I also made some impulse purchases at a local floral boutique- a pitcher plant (which is awesome- it belongs to the family "nepenthes"- the name of the draft of forgetfulness), and a venus flytrap, which are just blatantly cool. Other than only costing a total of about $U.S. 4.50- I think that if the necessity of this purchase is not self-evident, then words would be wasted in defending it here. Suffice to say, my apartment is more of a cheery, savage, primordial garden than it was.

Partly seeking a break from stardom, and partly to get some English companionship, I caught the 18:27 to Murakami. The trains here run ON FREAKING TIME. If you get on a train on track #3 at 7:50, and the train you want is scheduled at 7:53, you are probably on the wrong train. That said, I haven't had any trouble with that since my Katakai adventure- and the trip to Murakami was full of fun and relaxing English conversation that doesn't really make for interesting blogging. The points I will highlight are:

1) Going to a bar called "Pakistan," which was about as Pakistani as Tom Cruise was Japanese in "the Last Samurai." The walls and floor were traditional Murakami wood architecture, and the walls were adorned with paintings of Geisha. The beers available were all from Japan, except Guinness, and if I had to guess I would say that the proprietor spoke precious little Arabic. All the same- the service was good, as was my drink (a passionfruit and orange liquor concoction: laugh it up if you like, but it was deeeelicious). So, for all the aesthetics, I will probably be returning to Pakistan some day.

2) This poster (as ever- click to enlarge- I'd really encourage it on this one):



Other posters I have seen have advertised dramatic adaptations of Beauty and the Beast, as well as an all-Japanese cast adaptation of Driving Miss Daisy (Duraibingu Misu Deizi). I am going to buy a ticket for the latter.

Today has been business as usual at Hounai Shogakko- more self-introductions. Today I was actually bold enough to bring my banjo for the 1st graders, however, which was fun. It also will be a good motivator for me to practice if I know I will need it for work...

As teachers in Japan, the kids are allowed to touch us (and we them) much more than in American schools. Today, some of my genkier kids discovered that I was capable of doing air launches and "kata karuma" (shoulder cars). What followed was a half-hour of activity that, if sustained, will make my trips to the sports center very unnecessary. Teaching in general seems to be going well- the kids are responding well to my lessons, and I keep moving so that they don't get bored. However, my schedule is pretty packed at my elementary schools- even by JET standards, so the real test may be whether I can keep it up into and beyond the bleak December (or whether my ghost will be wrought upon the floor...or just body).

(Finally) as you might have noticed- I now have links up and running (ooooooooh- you type it in here, stupid). More linkage to follow as opportunities present themselves.