I forgot to mention last night that I finally got my internet connection at home up and running. Very long story and I won't bore you with the details here. But at last, it's up. So the next thing I want to be able to do is post pictures on this thing. Apparently you can. You just need to upgrade your account and pay 5 or 10 dollars a month depending on how much space you want. I am going to go for the 10 dollar thing cause it's cheap and cause I might need the space. Only problem right now is that I tried to sign up and the "this site under maintainence" screen comes up. Been trying it for a week now with no luck. So this morning I emailed the site and asked about it. So maybe soon. But the internet is up, that is good.
Also, just to fill you in on the more mundane aspects of life, I have got my satellite dish up and running. Did that about three weeks ago. I am able to get some English stuff (the reason I got it): National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Fox (although the damn Simpsons isn't in English), Animal Planet, History Channel, CNN, the BBC, and maybe one or two others I am forgetting. Some programs are in straight English with Japanese subtitles, others are translated into Japanese but you can hit a button on the remote to get the English feed, and then others (like the damn Simpsons) are given to you in Japanese only. For most of the channels I mentioned above, option two is the reality. There are also, of course, many Japanese channels. I don't normally watch these as I figure what's the point until I learn some of the language.
I did sign up to get most of the sports channels. So I get about 10 of them. So far it's been mostly Japanese baseball, some kind of fighting, European soccer, rugby, golf, some Japanese auto racing series, darts, billards, table-tennis, and maybe a few other kinds. I have gotten a couple of this year's pre-season football games, but they seem to be tape-delayed from a few days ago (possibly a week). Maybe when the regular season starts, I will get more up to date stuff. Nearly all the sports are commentated (is that a word?) on in Japanese, but for some you can hit the little button and get its regular feed. This means English for many sports (though not all) and I've gotten French a couple times for soccer games.
I do get Formula 1 (the real reason I got the satellite dish) but it's in Japanese only. Luckily, I follow the sport quite closely and have been for quite a while so that when something happens on the track or in the pits, I can make a pretty good guess as to what's going on. I've only been present for one race here (next one is Sept 14th for those interested) but it was live and was shown with no commercials. So that was damn nice. Of course, live here and live in California (what I was used to) is quite a different thing. Most races in Cal were aired live at 5am Sunday. Here it's 9pm Sunday. Have to get used to that.
Baseball is fun over here except that it, of course, is in Japanese only. I am less knowledgable about baseball than I am about F1 so I am still learning the game itself. But I like it. The Japanese professional league is made up of 12 teams in two sub-leagues, if you will: the Central League and the Pacific League (six teams each). This may sound a bit small to Americans, and I guess it is, but their playoffs consist of only the Japan Series. The top team from each league plays in this. The season (this year's anyway) runs from March 28th to Oct 1st, with the Series taking place Oct 18 to the 28th (a best of 7 series). I don't know too many facts about the sport that differ from our version other than that each team is allowed only two foreigners. Though I did talk to a Japanese man who told me that one difference is that they employ the bunt much more frequently over here. Speedy guys, I guess. Each team's uniform seems to be based (some nearly indentically, other a bit more loosely) on some Amercian team's version. The Yomiuri Giants look almost exactly like the San Francisco Giants, the Chunichi Dragons look exactly like the Dodgers, the Hiroshima Carp look like the Cinncinnati Reds, etc. I will have to make it to a Japanese game sometime. From the tv, the crowds at the game sound more like a soccer crowd than they do an American baseball crowd, meaning that I hear choruses of cheers. Some of you will know what I mean by this.
So that's the internet and the tv deal.
Phone is up and has been up and running. Can't work the answering machine though. Have no idea what each button says. Had a fellow JET leave me a message about a party a couple weeks ago and it's still on there as I have no idea how to erase it. I've pressed every button on there, but no luck. So if you call, keep the message short as I don't want to use all the space yet. I'll have to make a friend and have him/her help me learn how to erase messages. It's the simple things that get you over here. Fun fun.
By the way, I am putting up a link to the Kofu city webpage for two reasons; one, to see how to do it, and two, in case you are interested. Hope it works.

So Monday I start the teaching. Gonna be interesting. I am ready though. I am ready to start doing something. Sitting at the Kencho all day hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be on that first day, but I am ready to get rolling with my classes.
Next week will essentially be “self-introduction week.” Some of you would laugh to know what I have lined up for that. And I mean at me, not with me (although I am laughing at myself too). Which begs the question….if you are laughing at yourself and others are laughing at you too, are they laughing with you or at you? Food for thought.
Anyway, I got this whole basic introduction thing to do. I’ve figured out that I’ll have about 18 classes, thus 18 self-intros to do. I am going to be damn sick of myself in a week’s time. “My name is Marcus. I am from California. I like baseball and jazz.” Ok, it’s not quite that basic but pretty darn close. Blah Blah! Hopefully I don’t bore the kids to death cause I know I’d be bored by all that. But then again, I am the exciting gaijin (Japanese for foreigner). So maybe they’ll be riveted by the fact that I like baseball and jazz. Guess I’ll find out.
After I talk for what I hope will be at least 20 minutes (gotta kill some time). After that, I have made a little bingo game for everyone to play, based on what I will have just told them. I plan to put them into groups (so as to not intimidate them too much with my first visit) and then pick questions out of a hat (my San Francisco Giants hat that will also serve as an interesting, I hope, prop). The answers to the questions will be written on a bingo graph that I have already made up and they will have to mark the answers based on memory. Hopefully I explained that well enough for you to understand. Anyway, that will hopefully take at least 10 to 15 minutes and will serve to loosen up the class, and then I’ll just open it up to questions. Classes normally run about 50 minutes. So I figure with all that, we will fill up the time. I am also planning on taking pictures of some of you (namely my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, and Amy, oh and my cat too), some American money, and, if I can find anything around the apartment that I think they might find interesting, a thing or two more. All this is mere time filler to me but maybe will serve to liven up the bunch and keep their eyes pointed in my general direction.
So there you have it……or that’s the plan anyway. Reality might be entirely different.
Ono-san took me to four of the schools today, just to show me where they were, I guess. Very nice though. Went by Yuda High (the all girls school). Didn’t see any of the girls but I met a few of the teachers, although none I will be working with. Was shown the teacher’s room, talked with one person (the guy showing me around) and we were out of there. It was an unexpected visit and one that wouldn’t have happened if, as we were pulling out of the parking lot, I hadn’t asked Ono, “So next Wednesday, when I get here, where do I go?” If you’ve ever wandered onto a school grounds and looked around, you’ll know why I asked.
Then we went to Sundai Junior High. It is one of my every other Tuesday schools. Mr. Yamashita (pronounced Ya-ma-sh-ta, I think and hope) is the only teacher I will be working with here. He was the reason for Ono taking me out in the first place as he, on the day all the teachers came to meet me at the Kencho three weeks ago, had asked if I knew how to get to his school. I told him that Alaina (my predecessor) had left instructions and that I’d probably bike out there some day just to make sure I could get there. So then he asks me when I was planning on coming. I told him I didn’t know and I tried to make it clear that I was just going to bike out there and then bike back. I had no intentions on staying or meeting anyone. I kinda wanted to do this at my own pace as I had no idea how long it would take to get there and thus, didn’t want to make any kind of appointment. Plus, I’d have to do it on a weekend when I wasn’t at the Kencho. Well, he didn’t seem to get the hint and asked if I could come out on the 29th of September (today). So, of course, I said “yes” and he said he’d call me to make arraignments. I had forgotten all about this (cause I never heard a thing more about it) when this morning Ono says to me that Yamashita would like us to come out today. So ok, what am I gonna say?
Mr. Yamashita is great guy, though, and I think working with him will be quite fun. After the tour and the short chat we had today, I wish I was going there every week. He speaks very good English and seems to be enthusiastic about having me there. In fact, today he asked if I could stay a little longer next Tuesday to help him review some speeches the kids wrote, and then he told me that there will be a school festival on Sept 21st (a Sunday) and asked me if I might be able to attend and help judge the students’ speeches. It’s only 2 hours that Sunday and I don’t get live football anymore so I told him yes. What the hell? I think it will actually be rather fun. I just hope the students who don’t win don’t hold it against me.
Yamashita also asked me not to bring a lunch next week as he and I would be going out if that was ok. Yes, again. So all in all, it was a great visit, although I still have no idea how long it takes to bike there!
Then, this afternoon, Ono and I made the trek out to the Japanese Aviation Academy and then to Shizen Gakuen High School. The JAA is only 2 stops west on the Chuo line and then short walk (10 minutes ?). I go there on Thursdays. No one was expecting us and we didn’t really stop. So I just saw it. Looks nice though.
Shizen Gakuen is my other Tuesday school and is a Chirstian boarding school. I will try to remember not to bring my religious philosophies into my classrooms as I don’t think they’d go over real well but if it comes up, I am going to be honest. Anyway, this school is the one that will require quite a bit of travel. Three stops west on the Chuo line, then a fifty minute bus ride, and then a 15 minute ride in a small bus/van. I have to make the change from the one bus to the other in a town that looks like it has no more that 100 people living in it. Quite beautiful up there though. It’s up in the mountains with small villages along the way, a small river flowing down, and many many trees. But this will also, I imagine, serve as the most dangerous part of my Japanese experience—Ono told me that in winter, the road gets icy, of course, then he told me that it is well maintained, but that might have just been a cover.
So we finally get to the school, look at it, and then start the drive back down the hill. It didn’t look as if anyone was there, but then again, this is a school that has, I believe, a student body of about 40. My second class has only 3 people in it. Gonna have to approach that class in an entirely different manner than I do my other classes at the other schools which seem to be averaging about 40 students per.
So there you have it. That was my day today. I actually feel much better about next week. Why? I’m not sure. But at least I know where I’m going. Besides my Monday school, I have now at least laid eyes upon each of them.
One more quick note. On the way to that last school, we passed two buildings that looked rather out of place. One was up on a small hill and had a small replica of the Statue of Liberty on it. The other had some rather castle-like features on it. Frankly they both looked like they belonged in Las Vegas without all the neon. I had read and heard about such structures and had a pretty good idea of what they were. But I decided to ask Ono anyway just to see if he would first, answer me truthfully, and second, confirm my suspicions. And sure enough he did both. Both he said were “hotels for….(searched for the word here)….lahvahs” (aka. lovers) Ah yes, the famous love hotels. We both had a good laugh and I thought to myself, “hmmmmm, perhaps a future story for the journal………….?” Rated less than X, of course. My mom is reading this too, you know.

Yesterday I called my parents and my father asked me about prices over here. Also, many of you commented about how expensive it was to live over here when you found out I intended on moving here. I guess you'd heard things. So here is some information with rough prices of things.
Food--we all have to eat, right? Grocery store prices vary, just like in the US, depending on what you want. Rice is expensive, this I will say. I don't know the weight of the sack I bought but it was probably about the same weight as the kind I bought in California for about 3 bucks. Price here--800yen (about 7 dollars). And that was the cheap sack. Most sacks of that size look to sell for about 1000 to 1200yen. Fruit? Again expensive. I've seen peaches that sell 5 for about 1000yen, and I think that those are the ones on sale. But bananas arn't bad. 5 for about a buck and a quarter. Kiwis are expensive in the US. Here they are 70yen each (60cents). Haven't really looked at other fruits. Vegetables are perhaps a little more expensive than they are in the US but not too much more so. I think carrots and mushrooms are roughly the same prices but snow peas and green peppers are perhaps 150% the price of what they'd be there. Chips and quick meal things are probably the same prices as back home. Milk is about the same, perhaps a little more. So I'd say all in all most things in the grocery store are a little more costly over here, but it ain't bad.
Music--is a little more expensive. Whereas a fairly new cd in the States costs 17 bucks, a new one over here is anywhere from 2000 to 2500 yen (18 to 22 dollars). But I was shown a used cd store where I can get some pretty good stuff at anywhere from 800 to 1500yen.
Gas--I don't drive but I did the math for both yen to dollars and liters to gallons and came up with a figure that was about $3.05 to the gallon. More, but not near Europe's level from what I hear.
Clothes--I haven't bought anything except three t-shirts that were on sale for 1000yen each (9 bucks). I need to buy some pants so I'll report my finding back to you later.
Resaurants--I'd say eating out here is a bit like eating out on the coast back in California. I've gotten complete meals for 1000yen. But I've also paid 1500yen for a bowl of some damn fine food whose name I don't know but is like a Japanese version of stew. Some meat, a couple pieces of potatos, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, big thick noodles, sweet potatos, and maybe a few other things as well. Damn good! I gotta learn its name. I've also, reluctantly, eaten at mcdonalds a couple times (there's no in-n-out here), and pay about 630yen for a big mack (though it's not too big), fries and a soda. There's also a small cafe I like to eat lunch at close to the Kencho. They give you a small sandwich, a salad, and a drink for 840yen. And one girl there speaks English (worth the price right there).
Household stuff--things like soap, dishes, towels, batteries, tools, clothes hangers, pens, pencils, paper, etc. For all these things I shop at the 100yen store. And they mean 100yen. They simply add up how many items you have and multiply by 100. You can't beat that.
Beer--this deserves its own category (but you know that). Beer is a little more expensive here. Six packs of Asahi are about 1100yen. Individual beers in a vending machine are around 250yen. I usually get the big bottles of Asahi either out of a machine (330yen) or at the discount liquor store (280yen). So beer is a bit more. And the selection is not nearly what they offer you in California. I usually only see Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin, Suntory (another Japanese brand), and, that's right, you guessed it, Budweiser (my uncle Jack would be happy about that) in the stores and machines. I have seen Heineken but rarely and I think I've seen Guinness too. Mostly though, it's just the regular old Japanese pilsner. But hell, I didn't expect to get Sierra Nevada, or Gordon Biersch, or Stone's IPA, or Fat Weasel, or........ok, I'm suffering here. I'll survive though, I'm trying to learn more about sake.
So there you go. Certain things are a little more expensive, a few things are much more expensive, but it really ain't all that bad. When I start getting bills, maybe I fill you in about them. I can and do rejoice, though, in the fact that my rent is only $50 a month. It gets subsidized by the Kencho.

Now, where was I? Ah, yes, having trouble with the shower. Well, you'll be pleased to know that the next morning I was able to get hot water and all was right with the world. Still not sure what I was doing wrong except that I will say that the knob is very sensitive and you must have touch when trying to get the whole thing to work. Can't press it down too hard but you do have to press the knob slightly in while turning. Too hard to explain here, but I got it figured out now. So if you come to visit me, I'll get it going for you.
Went down to Fujiyoshida this weekend. Had the last of our welcoming parties for us Yamanashi JETs. Went to a place called Michael's Amercian Pub. Beer selection was a little thin (Asahi, Bud, Corona and Guinness) but it was still fun. Most of the time when we go out as a large group we get what is called a Nomihodai. Nomi means drink and I guess hodai means all you can because that is what we do. You pay a flat rate, say 3000 yen per person and then you've got a set amount of time, usually 2 to 3 hours, to drink all you want. It's a good deal if you are a drinker like me. Sometimes a little food might be included too, but usually not. So most of us guys (and many of the gals too) drink like, well, like we only have 2 to 3 hours left to do so. Of course, you can buy drinks individually after your time runs out, but usually one of the JETs will warn us all when we only have about a half hour left and we will really start pouring it down. It can get quite sloppy. Also, nomihodais come in a a few variations; some are limited to beer, some give you beer and sake, some allow you to order anything on the drinks menu, and like I said, once in a while you'll find one with food. Tabihodai is an all you can eat deal. We haven't done that one as much, for obvious reasons.
Ok, that's all for now. I might write more later this afternoon. By the way, if you are seeing repeats of my friday input to this thing, I am aware of it. I had to edit something and for some reason it decided to publish the thing 3 times. I have taken the steps I am supposed to to get rid of the two extras but for some reason they are stil there. Perhaps they will disappear soon.

Ok, I must finish up this first day stuff.
So after about 2 more minutes on foot we met up with Ono again and jumped in the car. This time we drove all the way to my new apartment, a large concrete building like any other apartment building. They showed me the place, gave me the keys to it and a bike, and we again left. They wanted to take me for a quick shopping trip.
Not much to say about the rest of the day except that we must have looked rather funny walking around the grocery store. In Japan women do the food shopping, with a few exceptions, of course. So here we are, two Japanese men and me wondering aimlessly around the store. It wasn't too bad, I'd pick something up and say, "what's this?" and Yamaki would try to tell me by reading the box or bag or carton. I got the feeling that they weren't regulars in the supermarket and, of course, I couldn't read a thing. So I picked out a few items: some frozen dumplings, some bananas, a small tray of sushi, a carton each of orange juice and milk, a pringles-like container of chips. Then I told them I needed soap, as in shower soap, and I motioned like I was cleaning myself. "AAHH," they said, and the search was on. We found some without much trouble and then Ono told Yamaki (in Japanese) that I didn't have any toilet paper. He had checked. So we went to the toilet paper section and stood and looked. Now, I am a guy. And I have lived alone. So I know how long a 4-pack will last me. And lets just say it will last me a while. So I reached for the four pack at about 250 yen, but when I picked it up Yamaki made it clear that I was not doing right and he motioned down to the end of the isle where they had stacked many 12-packs of the wipy stuff. He pointed to the price which was also about 250 yen and said, "better deal." But that wasn't all. Immediately ensued a broken English discussion about whether to go with the one-ply pack or the two-ply pack. So here I am, in a supermarket with my supervisor, whom I met maybe 3 hours ago having a discussion about toilet paper. "This is surreal," I thought to myself as I paid and we left with enough food to last me till maybe tomorrow and enough toilet paper to get me through till next spring.
But we weren't done yet. Back at the grocery store and near the end of our little shopping experience Yamaki had asked me if there was anything else I needed. "Well," I thought, "why not?" and told him that yes, there was something else--beer. To which he exlaimed, "AAHH, we go discount liquor store."
We arrived a few minutes later and let me just say that is was strange (yet again) but damn nice to stand in the isle and discuss the beer in front of us. He pointed out where I could find the alcohol content on the cans and bottles, told me what he did and didn't like, and made a couple of suggestions. I picked out four cans (yes, only four, I didn't want to look like a lush just yet) of different kinds of beer and we left.
So after all that, they took me home again where we met the gas man and a guy that was dropping off my futon and all that goes with it (sheets, blankets, pillow, etc). In my apartment are three devices that use gas: the two-burner stove, the hot water gizmo for the kitchen, and, of course, the shower. So the gas man filled out some paperwork, showed me how to use everything (no English except for Yamaki's) and then left. Soon after, Ono and Yamaki left and I was finally, after the flight and 3-day orientation and bus ride and first visit to the Kencho, alone and in Japan.
Alone and in Japan. Finally. After all the effort and time. It was hard to believe I was actually here. I'd had dreams, real dreams, not those sappy hopes and dreams kind, but real nighttime dreams about living over here. They'd been strange but pretty realistic dreams from which I'd awake to find myself still in America and say, "Shit!" At times it seemed like it would never happen. Even when I turned in the application, it didn't seem likely. Even when I had the interview, it didn't seem likely. Especially when they told me I was an alternate, it didn't seem likely. Hell, even when I did get accepted, I thought something might happen to blow the whole plan out of the water. But indeed, here I was. Sitting in a room with a tatami mat floor, and a rice paper window, and Mt Fuji somewhere behind those clouds. I don't want to get sappy here, but I'd made it. I was having trouble believing it. I've been here almost four weeks now and I still wonder if I'll wake up. But so far so good.
But it wasn't like I was the first person to Mars or something so I soon got over it, unpacked a few things, grabbed a beer, and decided to take a shower. Now as I said, the gas man showed me how to use the gas. He'd turned this valve this way, then turned this nob to here and then to here and whalaa! hot water! Ok, then why isn't any hot water coming out? Ok, turn it all off and try again. Turn, turn, twist, and.......no, just cold water. HHmmmmmm......
I tried it for 15 minutes after which time, frustrated and sweating and swearing, I took a cold shower. FUCK!

Ok, so, my speech didn't go too well. But I tried. And when I bowed my head, smiled and said "arigato," they all applauded. Probabaly more out of a feeling of "thank god that's over" but what the hell.
Next I was introduced to Ono-san and Yamaki-san who are the two I'll most be working with when at the Kencho and not teaching. Yamaki is my supervisor and Ono is...well, I'm still not sure what he is, but he works hard, or seems to, and has been assigned to help me. Problem is he speaks very little English. When he needs to tell me something he often thinks quite hard about the word he is looking for. Sometimes it takes us five minutes to communicate something that should probably take only 20 seconds. But we make due. Quite often he uses a program (not sure if he's online or not) on his laptop where he writes what he wants to say in Japanese then clicks on what is obviously the "translate" button and it comes up in English. This usually works quite well except that it is a literal translation, which means I have to make sense out something like "Please document residence to post office day in front of this day." And mind you, that's an easy one. Ono-san is great though. He seems a bit shy but is very helpful. Probably about my age.
Yamaki-san is great too. He's the type of guy (sans the language barrier) that you'd want to go the bar with and have a few drinks while you watch the game. His English is better than Ono's but I think he likes me to believe it's not. Maybe so I won't ask too many questions or for too many favors, but I could be wrong. Hell, I might act the same way if I was in his position. It's hard to know what the 3 people who've had my job before me were like.
Anyway, after my mangling of the Japanese language, Yamaki showed me my locker and my desk and then said we'd go to lunch at noon. It was 11:40. So I sat at my desk and sweated (hot and humid here with no air conditioning) and read through a few of the handouts I had gotten at orientation.
Lunch was good but awkward. It was me, Yamaki, Ono, Watanabe (the guy who picked me up), and Naito (the guy who translated what the big boss had said). I think Naito was asked to come along because his is the best English in the office. The other three I mentioned work for the Private Schools Division (my new employers), but Naito works at something else.?@I think he's a programmer or something. A very nice guy though.
So we sat there and Naito translated for me and them and we made small talk. Where are you from? When did you get to Japan? Have you lived in Japan before? Stuff like that. Eventually we finished our steaks (which, by the way, I ate with chopsticks) and left the restaurant.
After a short while at the Kencho, Ono and Yamaki told me it was time to show me my apartment. Now, Alaina (my predecessor) had left some paperwork for me which included a map with the route I was to bike between my apartment and the Kencho done in highlighter. Very helpful.
So I grabbed my stuff and we left. But whereas Ono got in a car, Yamaki and I walked. "Well, this is confusing," I thought to myself. Yamaki and I walked for about five minutes and out of nowhere Ono appeared. Yamaki motioned for me to get in, so I did and we were off. Now I was wondering if this would be the only time I was going to be shown the way to my apartment so needless to say, I paid extremely close attention, all the time looking back and forward to be able to recognize where I was when I was both coming and going. If you've never been on the Japanese streets, it doesn't do justice just to think in terms of the streets we have in America. The streets are not only narrow, but they twist and turn, have odd intersections, and overall seem to be designed to get you lost. In fact, they are. Or at least that's what I read somewhere.
Apparently the streets of Tokyo are designed in such a way as to confuse any would be invaders. It is a labrynth inside a labrynth. Also apparently, Tokyo has been destroyed two or three times by earthquakes, and each time instead of rebuilding with some amount of order, they decide to build based on the old system of confusion. Now, Kofu is nowhere near the size of Tokyo, but whoever built the streets of that great big city took it upon himself to hop a train to Kofu and help out with the layout over here. Ok ok, actually the main streets don't seem too bad, but get lost in a residential neighborhood and be prepared to wonder for a while.
So I was paying very close attention when Ono stopped the car and Yamaki and I got out again. No, we weren't there yet, we were walking again. "What the hell are we doing?" I thought to myself. It was bad enough to think I was only going to be shown this once, but with the combination of riding and walking, I would surely not make it back to the Kencho until sometime next month. But on we walked.
We crossed some train tracks where Yamaki stopped on the first track and pointed down, "Minobu line," he said. Then he walked to the next track, "Chuo line," he said pointing down. And on the last track, "also, Chuo line." The Chuo line runs east/west. It will get me to Tokyo someday, and in the opposite direction to Nagoya. The Minobu line is the line that provides Amy and I with easy access to each other. On this side, it's last stop is Kofu. Amy is only about 15 kilometers south of me but the train makes 11 stops between me and her and you end up riding the train for about 33 minutes. But that ain't bad considering we might have been placed anywhere in Japan.
Anyway, about this time Yamaki turns to me and asks "Do you like sake, beer, whiskey, vodka?" To which I said (you all know what's coming, don't you?) "Yes, I like it all!" He laughed and then with my complete and everlasting appreciation pointed down a street we would not be taking and said, "One block, discount liquor store." Ah yes, I was going to be alright after all.

Ok, I didn't mean to cut that last post short. Just hit a key that started making the keyboard type in Katakana or Hiragana or whatever it was. Thought I might loose everything so I just hit the "publish" button and figured I'd figure it out without the danger of wiping everything clean. Anyway, you'll be pleased to know that all you have to do is hit the button to the left of the "1" key and all is righted.

So, where was I? Work, apartment....ah yes, I was going to mention my arrival in Kofu. We (all the JETs of group A) spent 3 nights in Shinjuku upon our arrival in Japan. Orientation. Orientation itself was not all that noteworthy. Some good information was passed on to us but some of the information wasn't really all that informative. Lots of seminars (some ok, some not), a few speeches, and many many introductions to each other. That was one good part, you got to meet people from all over the world: England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, and of course from all over America. I know there were South Africans and Jamaicans there as well but I didn't meet any. And this is only a small cross section of the countries represented, I think I heard there were about 40 countires represented by at least one individual. Pretty damn cool.
Anyway, on the third morning all of us JETs headed for the Yamanashi prefecture met in the lobby and boarded a bus. There were 23 of us and most of us had already met each other so the ride out was quite nice and light. The landscape grew and grew as the buildings of the greater Tokyo area subsided from our view and it actually got to be quite beautiful. So Japan wasn't just a mass of concrete and steel after all. There was actually some green stuff out there. We passed though mountains and as we climbed valleys opened up on both sides giving us some great views of rivers, farm land, and the frequent small towns/villages. This was Japan.
After about an hour and a half we drove into Kofu. The town itself didn't look all that impressive. Some big buildings, some small buildings, and everything in between. In fact, to me it didn't look all that different than Bakersfield. Just some taller buildings, green hills, and clouds.
But then the bus pulled into the International Center and the real fun began. Quite suddenly the JETs all forgot about one another as we looked out the window at a large group of Japanese people. Some were holding signs saying "welcome" and then the name of their new JET. Others were just standing there looking into the windows of the bus. All seemed excited, and some looked very nervous. And I can say that at that moment all of us felt the same.
Amy and I looked outside and said our goodbyes there on the bus. I had no idea what would happen to me as I exited the bus, but she had seen one of the ladies from the video her predecessor sent her standing out there. Amy's ride was there. So we said "goodbye, call you when it's possible" and got off the bus.
As I left the bus it seemed that all my fellow JETs had been found by their new employers/workmates, but no one was approaching me. We had been told that they had our pictures and knew what we looked like. But here I was, standing there wondering things like...did I catch the wrong bus? this is Kofu, right? shit, there's been a big mistake! I ended up standing around for less than 2 minutes, albeit a very LONG two minutes. But finally one of the experienced JETs who had been helping us all the way from Tokyo found me and told me my man was there.
So up walks this average looking, but tall for a Japanese, guy. I think he was more nervous than I was now that I think about it, but we exchanged greetings, me in English, him in Japanese and next thing I know I'm being led to a car. Goodbye JETs, goodbye security, and just like that, I was all alone in Japan.
We drove to the Kencho (aka government building). I knew where we were going cause I asked. And no, I was not excited. Well, that's not entirely true. I was happy to be starting the real thing, but first I wanted a few beers and a nap in my yet to be seen apartment alone. I wanted to do all this at my pace. But that was not to be and we drove into the Kencho complex, parked the car, and I followed him up some stairs and through a hallway.
Then we entered the room. A large room with many desks, and quite a few people. Oh, shit, I thought, here we go. This is all really a blur so bear with me. I remember kind of being ushered to the front of the room where two desks are placed. The rest of the room has four rows of desks lined up with two desks sitting back to back and so on down the row. But at the head of the room are two more desks that face the others. Obviously the two men sitting behind those desks are in charge here, I thought. I wondered if one of them was my supervisor. Anyway, I get ushered the front and then everyone in the room stands. Uh oh! The room boss looks at me, bows his head and says something. Then he hands me a piece of paper with Kanji on it (I am saying Kanji where I mean Japanese writing, which is made up of Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji). It was obviously a document of some kind, so I took it and bowed saying thank you in Japanese. Then, and I'll always be grateful for this, a man in the room came forth and told me what the paper was and what it meant. In broken, but very good nonetheless, English. Then, and I'll always be the opposite of grateful for this, the pit boss says something to me which when translated came out as, "please, you make small speech now." I'd heard I was supposed to do this part in Japanese and I can only say two things about this. 1) Thank you JET for the one page in your little blue diary on introductions, and 2)?@I really have no idea what I said and I'm not sure the room did either.
I'll continue this later.................

I guess it's about time to start this thing for real. My internet connection at home is not yet set up (should be any day now), but I was told today that there is a third computer in the office that I can use. So now I won't feel bad about tying it up for stuff like this. Two ladies in the office use the computers a lot for whatever kind of work it is they do and I thought I shouldn't be on too long. But hell, now I know I can use this third computer (and it's only one desk over from mine) so let the words flow.

Anyway, Japan has been good so far. Some hardships but nothing that can't be handled by either patience, thought, gesturing or any combination of such. (by the way, I don't have an English dictionary close at hand so excuse any typos). Right now, my mission is to figure out how to use the ATM. By the end of the day, I should have it down. And that's how it's been....one or two more things conquered everyday.

The teaching begins for me on Sept 1st, except that I do have to visit one of my schools on Aug 28th, the Japanese Aviation Academy. Not really sure what I'll be doing that day except that I think I have to make a short self-introduction to the 700 students and how ever many faculty they have there. That should be an interesting experience as I've never addressed more than say, oh, 20 people. But I just keep telling myself that most of them won't understand most of what I say anyway. What did Eddie Izzard say? 70% how you look, 20% how you say it, and only 10% what you say? I think that's it. See? I can get through. Just smile alot and act like I've done this a thousand times before. No problem.

My apartment is pretty damn nice. Imagine a big square divided into four smaller squares and that's the basic layout of it. Two rooms are six tatami mat rooms, the bedroom and livingroom. Then there's a kitchen with all the basic necessities, fridge, rice cooker, two-burner stove, etc (no coffee maker though). And the last fourth consists of the entryway and the bathroom. Bathroom is actually two rooms though, one for the toilet and the other for the sink and shower. Pretty nice place. And I'm up on the top (fourth) floor with a pretty nice view of part of the town. And on a clear day I can see the great MT. Fuji. All in all, I like it.

Ok, just another quick test. I am in Japan now and by next week should have an interent hookup at my place. Then I will write in here more frequently.