Well, well. It's the last day of the year and what a year it's been. I don't wish to get sappy here but I think I need to say a few words to some of you.
Thanks to those of you helped me get to where I am today. I might forget someone here but I'll try not to. To Gaylyn for allowing me a fairly easy opportunity to get back in school and as always for putting up with me. To Rigel for giving me a way to get out of a situation I didn't like three years ago and getting this whole ball rolling. To Carla for pushing me to sign up for school that one day three years ago. To Nancy for being a great boss and giving me hours of enjoyable conversation. To Dr. Adjaye, Dr. Troup, Dr. Case, and Dr. Hemphill for being not only my teachers but my friends too. I actually learned a few things in your classes and had a good time doing so. To Ray, Judy, and Matt for being the coolest family a guy could have, for giving me some of the most enjoyable moments in my life and for showing me that baseball really is a great sport (go Giants!). To my mother and father for generally just being good parents and friends but also for helping me in the financial department when needed and for braving the LA traffic to get us to the airport in July. And to Amy for deciding to do this whole thing with me, putting up with me, showing me that relationships aren't all that bad, and for accepting my restlessness.
There are others to thank, I am sure, but I am drawing a blank right now. I know many people have helped me along my way and I do appreciate that.
Anyway, enough about all that. Starting to sound like one of those annoying awards show speeches.
But thanks to all.

I don't think I've mentioned my neighbor, Mashi, yet. So let me do so now.
Mashi is a Japanese guy, maybe in his mid-fifties or so, who lives in one of the houses just below my apartment complex. There are two ways to get to my building (by bike or on foot, there's only one by car) and I usually take the way that basically cuts right by his house. I'm not sure how many people live in his house but at some point I started recognizing faces and we took to greeting each other as I passed.
Then, back in October, Robin invited Amy and me to that neighborhood sports festival I wrote about in here a while back. It was there that I really "met" Mashi and he seemed like a really nice guy. His English is only a little better than my Japanese but we were able to communicate using a few words and gestures. So ever since the festival Mashi and I sometimes stop and try to talk. Our conversations are tough but it's really nothing more than how are you?, nice day today, and stuff like that.
More than once, though, Mashi has given me small presents. Once, Amy and I were biking home from somewhere and were within about two minutes of home when a scooter pulls up along side of us and the guy in the helmet starts speaking to us. It was Mashi, he had a bag of oranges and persimmons by his feet, and was asking us if we'd like some. So after stopping and figuring out what it was he was getting at, I said that I did like the fruit and he told me to pick some out for myself and Amy. So I took about three oranges and two persimmons.
Then another time I was coming up the driveway and he was pulling out in his car when we both stopped to "talk". We had said a few words to each other when he suddenly started fumbling around with a bag in his passenger's seat and pulls out five pieces of bamboo. Turns out that Mashi made these five small vases by cutting and burning (possibly more) them. So he offered me one. I looked at him and remember thinking, "You were obviously taking these somewhere. Wasn't that important?" But I figured that if I didn't take one he might think I didn't like them or some such thing, so I took one and then he offered me another for Amy. So out of five bamboo vases he left with three. (Ok, I just took a picture of it...see if it comes out below...I don't have anything in it)




Another time Mashi and I were talking when out of nowhere he asked me if I like apples and then disappeared for a minute into his house and came out with three large apples for me.
So after all this, I am having Amy bring him something from the States upon her return. I hope whatever she gets he likes it. But really I think that to the Japanese the act of giving the gift is a much more important aspect of the whole transaction.
So, my point in introducing you to Mashi is this. The other day, after my bike ride, I went to the grocery store and was returning when I ran into him in his driveway. We did the usual verbal struggle when he asked me where Amy was. So I told him and he asked me what I was doing for New Year's eve. I said I didn't know about that, but told him of my plan for New Year's Day, which involves getting on my bike and going up to the Takeda shrine (if I can find it) and seeing what the good people of Kofu are up to. I hear the Takeda shrine is the busiest one in Yamanashi on New Year's Day.
So upon learning that I had no plans for the eve, he asked me if I knew about the events at the Tokoji (my area of Kofu) shrine. I said I didn't and he mentioned that they will ring the bell 108 times (why 108? I don't know) at midnight and asked if I would go with him and his family. So I said, "Hell, Yes!" without the "hell" part and he took my number so that he can call at 11:45pm and I'll go down and meet him.
You see, this is why I stayed in Japan. All my friends left to go home or on vacation which, I guess, is one way to do it. But my attitude is that I moved to Japan to see the culture, meet some of the people, and explore the country. Why would I leave on the biggest holiday of the year? That would be like living in America (or the West in general) and leaving during Xmas week. I think that this is a great opportunity to see how another culture celebrates it's most important holiday of the year. Seems to me that missing this would be tragic. But, to each their own and all that.
Anyway, tonight I am going to the Tokoji shrine with Mashi and his family to see and hear the sights and sounds. Should be fun.

So that is all for today. Happy New Year to all.

This not working stuff is great. Today I got on my bike and headed out to get lost. Unfortunately it took me a while. I have a pretty good sense of direction and Kofu is surrounded by mountains so all you have to do is look up, get the lay of the land, and you know pretty much where you are.
I went east on a major road, got near the next town and then turned south. The day was perfect for riding around and taking it easy. So I headed south on a road I'd never been on before thinking that if I kept going I'd soon achieve my goal of not knowing where I was. But just as things were starting to look unfamiliar I came upon a road I'd been on many times before. Damn.
So I turned west and passed by the clothing store I like (which appears to have shut down and moved) and then passed the electronics store I've been to a couple times. So at this point I decided the major roads were not going to serve my purpose and turned off onto some small side road.
I biked along for a while turning this way and that but generally heading west and south. The roads were small and the intersections blind so I took it slow and steady. But I figured I knew pretty much where I was even though I'd never been on these road before and was confidant that I was not lost. Then I found the Minobu train line and biked along it looking for a way to cross, finally found one, and crossed it. So I biked on.
Then a few minutes later I was going through a neighborhood on a road about the width of a car when I looked up and noticed a large Ogino sign. Ogino is a chain of grocery stores. They are all over the place around here. So thinking that I knew roughly where I was I figured this was one of the stores I knew of and figured that getting lost just wasn't going to happen this day. But as I passed the store I realized that this was not an Ogino I knew. "Hmmm," I thought, "Where the hell am I?" and then rejoiced at my lack of knowledge regarding my whereabouts. I had finally done it.
So I biked on thinking that now my mission was to figure out where I was. Looking at the mountains I knew which way I needed to head for home, but I wasn't sure just how far south and west and I had come. Turns out I was a bit further in that direction than I thought I was. I found a major road and headed north when I saw a sign indicating that the Kofu train station was about 2km ahead. This was the road I take to Sundai junior high and was way more than halfway there from my pad. "Damn," I told myself, "You actually did get lost. Well done!"
So I think the bike ride took me about two hours and now know where some restaurants are that Amy and I will have to check out. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me so I can't share the sights of today's Kofu with you, but rest assured that I will be doing this sort of thing again and next time I will remember to take it.

More haiku. These are from my first of three classes at Sundai junior high. All three classes are second graders (8th grade to us) and consist of about 40 students. These classes I teach with Yamashita-sensei who is the guy that took Amy and me on the day trip up to northwestern Yamanashi. He is a great. Whereas my other classes just wrote their haikus on any old scrap of paper they had, Yamashita made up a page with lines for the haiku, under that put a couple lines for any notes to me that the students wanted to write, and under that printed my example haiku and even translated it. Some of the kid's notes are funny and I will print them here in a seperate section.
I will post the haikus from the other classes in the next few days.
Again, these are exactly as written on the paper.

I have a cold.
I have a headache.
I am very painful.

Bummer. Hope you feel better soon.

It began to snow
children were playing outside
warm smils were born there

Not bad.

Back to Japan now
We say "Don't forget me, please".
as hard as possible

Not sure if this is about me or not.

You'll be champion
believe your ability
try hard Matsui!

Not sure which Matsui this is for, but obviously written by a baseball fan.

Kuromuti high school
is interesting. becasue it's
very interesting

Isn't that circular logic?

I like apples very much
Red apples are like me a little
I'm eating it now

I think I need some explanation on that second line.

He was feeling the cliff
He think "I'll be a dead body"
The rope held his foot.

Son, you don't know the words he'd be thinking in that situation. And I can't teach them to you.

The pencil is very nice
But I do not like the pencil
Because it is not useful

That's because it's the pen that is mightier than the sword, not the pencil.

The old man is running.
He is old, but he is fine.
He is greater than me.

Keep trying and you'll be old and fine one day too.

He is foolish.
I am foolish, too.
We are foolish.

What?

Ok, so those are the better haikus from the first class. Here are some of the notes to me they wrote.

My English Haiku is the best in the world. (this is from the kid who wrote that last haiku)

I fun your lesson---English Haiku is very difficult (for me).

I like baseball and my favorite team is Yomiuri Giants in Japan. How about you? I want to talk with you about baseball more. (from the kid who wrote about Matsui)

Hello, Mr. Marcus.
I enjoy your class every time.
Please give interesting class to us again.
See you.

Mr. Marcus's class is very interesting.

I like sports.
I like summer and fall.
What season do you like the best?

Do you understand a Haiku? Writing a Haiku is difficult. But it is interesting a little.

So there you are. Stay tuned and classes two and three will be up shortly.

Found a good site that mentions shochu and put the link on the left. It's a website on sake by John Gauntner who also happened to write the book about sake that I am reading. Interesting stuff. Anyway, the site includes a page on shochu, the stuff I drank last night, if you are interested in learning more. You can access that page from the front page.

Ah ha! Last day at the Kencho this year. Tonight....I hit the bottle.

So Xmas came and went without much hoopla. In fact, absolutely no hoopla at all. It was only mentioned once to me by one of the girls in the office. "Merry Christmas," she said to me unsure of her English. "Same to you," I said. And that was the extent of the social part of the holiday.
As for my birthday...not a peep, but then again I am not like other people I know who announce the imminent arrival of their birthday and then expect to be treated like royalty. Heh heh. No, I just sit back and think about the fact that I have now made 33 trips around the sun. And if life stays this good, I hope to make at least 33 more.

I did end up going out last night. The five of us (I used to think there were four but have since learned otherwise) went around the corner to my favorite hoto place. We sat at a low table on tatami (my legs are gradually getting better at this) and started off the night by ordering five beers. Perfect. So we talked as best we could and drank the beers and eventually started ordering food. I had thought I would just order my favorite and be done with it but Yamaki-san said we would order the actual hoto later. First we would have a few appetizers. "Hmm," I thought, "a few appetizers and I won't be able to eat that hoto." But I figured I'd had the hoto plenty of times in the past and would be having it plenty more times in the future and dug into the appetizers we ordered. I think we had at least 10 different plates of all kinds of food: pickles, salmon eggs, different kinds of yakatori, eggplant, seaweed with vinegar, boiled pork with some strange but good sauce on it, and various other things. I tried most of it, but some of it came in very small portions and I left it for the others. So Yamaki and I ordered more beer during all this and next thing I know the waitress (who was quite cute and had eyes that...well, you know) brings over a tray with a bottle of alcohol, two containers of water, some glasses and a small bucket of ice. Because I don't speak Japanese things like this happen all the time and seem to happen quite suddenly. I'm sure they had ordered this but to me a waitress showing up with yet more alcohol is magic, "How did she know we wanted that?"
So anyway, the alcohol turned out to be shochu. Now, I have heard some awful things about shochu. Things like "it takes like rubbing alcohol," "I use it to remove paint," and "Yuck!" come to mind. But really it was quite good (granted I do like alcohol, in case you haven't figured that out). Yamaki and I had a short discussion about shochu and I learned (if the translation is valid) that it can use several main ingredients as its base: rice, wheat, potato or sugar cane. The kind of shochu you get depends on the base. Last night we had one bottle made from wheat and one from "dark sugar cane" whatever that means. So Ono-san was over there mixing up the drinks which were made one of two ways. First he would pour the shochu into a glass mug to about the halfway point and then he would either pour in hot water the rest of the way or he would add cold water and a couple cubes of ice. I had mine cold and the first bottle of wheat shochu tasted of nothing more than straight vodka without the burn. Later we ordered the sugar cane shochu and he mixed one for me in exactly the same manner and this one tasted more of whiskey and water. Anyway, both were good although nothing flavorwise when compared with good beer. And since we didn't get to finish the second bottle they gave it to me to take home. Amazing, aye? You can leave the restaurant with a half finished bottle of alcohol. So I learned a little about shochu and it has left me wanting to learn more. I can't find any websites on it but perhaps if I try harder I will. Anyway, I'd drink it again.
So after all the appetizers we did eat some hoto (pumpkin hoto) but I could even get close to finishing it. Was good though. So between all the talking, drinking, and eating I had a pretty good time. This Bon Enkai was not like the others in terms of the party, kareoke, bingo and all that but it was nice to just sit with these four guys and talk a bit.
Oh and I learned that Bon Enkai means this: bo means "forget", en means "year", and kai means "meeting"; thus a bon enkai is a "forget the year meeting" (or party).

So for today's lunch I was asked if I could stay in the office because we were having a traditional final work day lunch feast. "Hot damn," I thought. It's things like this that I stuck around in Japan at this time for. While all my friends are away enjoying their homes, family and friends or away on vacation, I am here because I wanted to see how the Japanese celebrate this time of year. I've read many things about it and would like to see if for myself. So I was pretty excited about today's soba lunch. Soba is a kind of noodle for those of you who don't know.
Well, the lunch time announcement over the speaker arrives and three of the girls in the office start passing out the food. But immediately I could see that this wasn't exactly what I had thought it would be. I got a small plastic dish/tray with the soba noodles in it, and two paper bags, one of tempera and one of some kind of caked potato. Didn't look like much but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. And the girl that always talks to me brought me over a small cup of hot green tea. So I was set and dug in. But alas, it really wasn't all that flavorful and everything was served cold. "Hmmm," I thought, "This isn't exactly as great as I thought it would be. In fact, it's not even close." But I ate the entire bland meal with the knowledge that I was taking part in a traditional Japanese custom (did the samurai eat cold noodles in the winter?).
I also thought that lunch together would be full of life, people talking and laughing and generally having a good time, but no. Everyone ate at their desks in near silence and read their papers or watched the small tv they usually turn on at lunch. There was only some light and quiet conversation and lots of slurping.
Next year? I think I'll go somewhere.

But I don't wish to leave you on a bad note (not that I'm taking the above hard in anyway whatsoever). As many of you know, beer is one of the hubs of my world. Without it life becomes dry and boring. And I'm not talking about getting drunk on the stuff (although that ain't too bad either). I like good beer. Beer with flavor. Beer with smell. Beer that isn't the same color going in as it is coming out. And quite frankly it is quite hard to find the variety and quality of beer over here that I grew used to back in California.
So armed with that knowledge, my father, who I love very much and even more so now, took it upon himself to rectify my problem. I don't know how it all went down but somehow he learned of a small brewery over here in Japan run by an American. All I know is that upon my return from Tokyo on Tuesday there was an email from my father telling me that a box for me might be arriving soon, if at all, and that he wasn't exactly sure how it was being paid for but that I might have to pay for it COD. And then he goes on to say, and I quote, "What a gift huh? Maybe not ordered and if it is you have to pay for it!" Yeah, thanks, dad.
Well, lo and behold, about two hours later a delivery is made to me and I am not asked for a yen. I feel the weight of the box and notice that there is a warning sticker on the box indicating glass. So I think to myself, "Could this be beer?" excited at the prospect. But I controlled myself and put it over with the two boxes mom sent, not to be opened until Xmas Eve evening.
In the meantime dad ruins the surprise, which really wasn't in the first place, by sending me the two or three emails between himself and John (the owner of the brewery). John says that to transfer the money to Japan and pay in yen would cost dad more than the beer itself costs so that it would be wiser to just have me do a bank transfer from my bank account over here to the brewery's account. Now, in dad's defense he did say he'd pay me back but I just want to point out the fact that I have never had be reimbursed for my own gift. That along with the fact that John sent this beer without any payment whatsoever strikes me as a rather strange sequence of events.
But hell, the beer is good. Got a box of twelve bottles which held various kinds of beer. Three bottles each of stout, pale ale, and brown ale, two bottles of lager, and one bottle of something labeled "rice beer." I have only had one of the lager and it was pretty darn good. Tonight I will try the others. Anyway, thanks, dad. Great gift even if I do have to struggle in Japanese at the bank.

Ok, so those are my not-so-xmas stories. I've had a good time and am anxious to see the Japanese New Year celebrations. They just have to be better than the non-existent Xmas celebrations. But perhaps next year I will take that trip somewhere.

Well, I think that picture below turned out a bit too well. I was hoping it would be smaller. Have to look into how to adjust sizes. I think about a third that size would have been ideal.

Anyway, I am beginning my three day work week here at the Kencho. It is Xmas Eve. Funny how for two months I've been seeing Christmas decorations go up and been hearing the Christmas songs when walking into stores but now that the two days are actually here, it is business as usual. Nothing is happening at all regarding Xmas. Not that I expected it to be like it is in the U.S. Just that if you are going to have the build up, then let's all at least drink eggnog and brandy on the job. Hell, man, either that or forget about the whole thing altogether. Oh well, just another difference (albeit this one is really just strange) about this culture.

We did have a Bon Enkai on Friday night last week. It was fun and I wasn't "forced" to drink as much as I was at the Yuda party. Just had a few beers and a couple small cups of Sake. We ate and talked and played bingo, which brings me to the best part of the night.
For some reason the Japanese seem to be big on bingo at these Bon Enkais. I have now played at the two I've been to, and I know Amy also played at hers. They just play one round that keeps going until everyone has gotten a bingo. Getting a bingo entitles you to a prize from a large table with many gifts on it, all wrapped. At Yuda's party I won a small umbrella, no big deal. At Amy's party she won a kitchen appliance that makes these small fried Octopus ball things; funny since she doesn't cook at all.
So anyway, we have this bingo game and people are getting bingos and going up to claim prizes. But rather than picking a wrapped box from the table, like we did at Yuda's, Ono-san has an envelope with small pieces of paper in it that have numbers on them. Each gift has a number and you get which ever one you pick. Make sense? Ok, so I finally get a bingo and go up to pick my number. I pick #12. So Ono hands over a box that is about the size of two large shoeboxes and is a little heavy. Now, I had been seeing everyone else getting and opening their prizes and most of them seemed quite useless: a stuffed animal, a large rubber horse mask, a small musical keyboard (this did seem a bit cool), and various other things that I'd probably not have any use for at all. So Ono motions to me to open my gift and I do so. And what do my eyes read on the white box? Get this............"Playstation 2 racing pack"!!! Those of you who know how much I love video race games will know how I must have felt. Turns out I won a Japanese playstation 2 game console that came with a "prologue" version of Gran Tourismo 4. Needless to say, I was ready to go home right then and there to hook this thing up and get to driving.
But I controlled my excitement and stuck around and after everyone won something, Ono came over to me and asked me what I was going to do for the holidays (he already knew I was doing nothing) and after I said, "Not much," he said, "You can play racing for winter break." Yes, Ono, that's exactly what I probably will end up doing.
So after the Bon Enkai some of us headed over to a whiskey bar, and I mean just that, and drank some more, sang kareoke (that's right...Yesterday yet again), and laughed a lot. It was great fun and these people (as do I) really loosen up with a few drinks. They were loud and laughing and wanted to talk to me. It was great as we are all usually fairly quiet at the Kencho and I am usually left alone by everyone (in fact today it is back to normal). But that just seems to be the Japanese way of doing things.

So Amy and I spent Saturday night at her place so that I could haul her suitcase into Tokyo for her on Sunday. Thing was heavy but it has rollers so only the stairs at all the stations were troublesome. We left on Sunday morning, rode into Kofu via the Minobu line, then rode the Chuo line to Shinjuku and then hopped a subway to the stop near the hotel. I think that this time I really learned how to work the whole traveling thing in Tokyo and could probably get myself and you all anywhere we'd want to go so long I was armed with a map and some yen. I love mass transit when it is convenient and not too hard to figure out.
We went all over place: to the Sensoji temple, Roppongi, Akehabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku, the Tokyo Tower and one or two other places. We also managed to stop by the Sumo place to get tickets for Gaylyn's visit and made hotel reservations, so that trip is all set up. Also, and this might be the highlight of the trip, we found, in Shibuya, an El Torito. It had been five months since I'd had Mexican food and although it was rather pricey, it was well worth it. I had fajitas (what else?) and a large margarita. Funny thing was that I wasn't really all that hungry when we went in but I ended up eating chips and salsa plus my entire meal. I sure as hell wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. So it was good and I know that when need be I can find that place again.
Aside from that there is just too much to tell. We went all over the place, ate well, drank well, and had a great time. I really like Tokyo. It is a great city with many places to go, lots to do, and a great system of transportation.
And then the fun ended yesterday when Amy and I grabbed our stuff, checked out of the hotel, and took the subway to Shinjuku where she was to catch the Narita Express to the airport and I was to catch a train back to Kofu. So we parted after she was all set up on the correct platform for her train and now I have two weeks of loneliness or freedom (however you choose to look at it).

Ok, I might write more later. I have a full day here and it is still early. Happy Xmas to all if I didn't send you an email saying so.

I wrote a note to the good people at Blogger and inquired about posting pictures. Much to my surprise a lady sent me a note back telling me she had upgrading my account so that I would now be able do just that. So this is a test to see if I know what I am doing and if it works.
Somewhere near these words should be a picture of the beer vending machine I frequent. It is a four minute walk from my place. None of it is particularly good beer but it does the trick when needed. Large 500ml cans are 200yen each.

I have finished my first run at teaching over here. My last day of this year was Wednesday. So I thought I'd write a bit about each school and my general job at each along with a thought or two. This might bore you, but then again, you might be highly interested in it. If nothing else I can look back at this in the future to remind myself of what once was, not to mention that with a tweak or two I might be able to just copy this and send it to the person who replaces me when I move on. Not sure if I'll do all the schools today, have to see how detailed I get.

Mondays I go to Minobusan. This is a Buddhist school down near the town of Minobu and right next to a famous temple by the name of Kuonji. I usually stay at Amy's place on Sunday nights before heading down there the next morning. With the change to the train schedule in October, I now have to take an express train at 9:11am from Ichikawa-daimon station to Minobu. It takes about a half hour and costs 1,110yen (about $10). If I left from Kofu I'd have to catch this same train at the Kofu station at 8:51am, meaning I'd have to leave my place around 8:25am. Staying at Amy's saves me a half hour in the morning and I get to see my delightful girlfriend for an extra evening (isn't that great?).
After exiting the station I wait out front, where the taxis and buses are, for a school bus from Minobusan to come pick me up. I usually have to wait about 15 minutes and then another 10 or 15 sitting on the bus. I have taken to watching the hawks that hang in the air as a way to pass the time. They are quite beautiful. There are also usually about three others, all students at the college, I think, heading up there too. The bus driver is very friendly and smiles a lot. The ride up takes about 15 minutes and I am usually at the school by around 10:20am.
Kobayashi-sensei is the teacher I work with at this school. He is a very nice guy but of all my teachers speaks the least amount of English. I don't wish to knock the guy here but I have no idea how he has become an English teacher. Seems to me that if the teacher can't really speak the language he is teaching, then the students are only going to be worse. But far be it from me to point this out. Probably couldn't communicate my point anyway.
So upon my arrival I go to my desk and sit and quite soon Kobayashi will come over and go over the day's lesson with me. It seems that he wants to do the work regarding lesson planning. This is probably a good thing as it is only I, during class time, that end up being the one confused. If the lessons were mine, I imagine the entire class and Kobayashi himself would be lost. So I really just show up and do what he asks me to do. Makes my job easy, but it is rather frustrating at times. There is nothing like standing in front of a group of people that you readlly don't know with no clue as to what you are supposed to be doing. And yes, I do try to get it all ironed out with Kobayashi before class, but with his lack of English and my lack of Japanese, sometimes it is just hopeless. He sometimes, no, usually approaches me speaking Japanese. I don't know if he forgets that I don't know his language or what, but I just give him that same lost look that his students give me and then I can see his wheels spinning on English words. It is all quite interesting.
Anyway, we have two classes together. The first class is nearly always a struggle for me and the second class is a bit less of a struggle and a lot more fun. The second class students are much more prone to joking around with me and we have a good time. All the kids are nice, it's just that I don't think they, with the exception of one or two, really want to be trying to learn English. I don't think they give a damn and I really don't blame them. Many of them want to become Buddhist priests and don't really need to know English. I know that schools all over the world have to force kids to learn certain things but the Japanese government makes English mandatory for all junior high and high school kids and I wonder if it might be better to give them a choice. Perhaps these kids would rather learn Chinese, I don't know. Anyway, it can be a struggle for all parties involved when I go up there. But, it could be much worse.
So after the classes Kobayashi and I head over to the small cafeteria and have lunch. It's 350yen for a big plate of curry rice and it's actually pretty good. So we eat and try to have small conversations and by 1:00pm we are back in the teachers room where he gets on the phone to order me a taxi and I go to my desk to read or make notes about the classes.
The taxi then picks me up by 1:25pm and drops me off at a bus stop just down the hill in a small area of town (not Minobu, and I don't know the name of it) just outside of Kuonji. I wait there for about 15 minutes and board the bus when its doors open (it is usually already there when I get there) and before long we are on our way to the train station. The school picks up the taxi fare but the bus is on me (Kencho pays me pack though at the end of the month) and I pay 280yen as I get off.
Then I just buy a ticket for Kofu, 820yen, and board the train which leaves at 2:07pm. We make 21 stops on the way to my stop and it takes about one hour and fifteen minutes. It's a long ride and sometimes I doze off slightly but usually I look out the window and/or read. I get off at Kanente and then walk the fifteen minutes to my place which means I am home on Mondays by about 3:40pm.
So that's Mondays at Minobusan.

I'll save the rest for next week. I have something here I need to do and I just remembered I want to look up a few things on Shinjuku for my couple days down there with Amy starting Sunday. I am here at the Kencho three days next week so will have plenty of time to continue this.
Have a good weekend.

Three days this week and three days next week at the Kencho. Kind of a drag but it could be worse. Yesterday was my last day of teaching for the year. Went to Yuda and attended three classes I've never seen before. Usually I always see the same three classes but for some reason Yazaki-sensei asked me if I could say hi to three new classes. So I did three short self-introductions (I am getting quite tired of introducing myself) and then took questions in each class. The last class was the craziest. Were around 35 first year (10th grade) girls and a few of them seemed quite outgoing. One girl wouldn't stop staring at me, another seemed highly disappointed when I got to the part about having a girlfriend, and another said she wanted to come with me when I travel around Japan. Then at the end of the class two girls cut me off from leaving, one pulls out a camera and the other and I posed for a picture. I hope I never get famous, I don't think I'd like this all the time. And this is on a very small scale. But hell, it was fun while it lasted; just strange.
So now I have today and tomorrow and then the 24th, 25th and 26th of next week here at the Kencho. Monday I am taking the day off to be with Amy in Tokyo on her way out of here for xmas (she leaves Tuesday), and Tuesday is a national holiday (the Emperor's birthday). I've never had to work on my birthday before. That will be new. But I have been informed by Watanabe-san that we have a Kencho Bon Enkai tomorrow night but the night of the 25th is a small Bon Enkai for the five of us in the private schools division. So that will be ok. As far as I know they don't know when the hell my birthday is and I don't intend to tell them. Why would they care? Hell, I don't really care either. I just look forward to the following week (starting the 29th) when I have the whole week off.

So Sunday Yamashita-sensei (from Sundai junior high) took Amy and me on a day long tour of a part of Yamanashi. It was damn cool.
Amy and I left the apartment around 7:50am and walked up to the exit of a tunnel about five minutes away. He and I had set up meeting at the exit of the tunnel at 8am. So we got there, stood there for about two minutes and up drove Yamashita. We piled in, I introduced him and Amy to each other, he offered us hot tea, and off we went.
We had talked a bit about where to go, but the problem was that he asked me to choose where I wanted to go and I told him that since I just moved here I had no idea where there was to go. He speaks very good English but there are still small misunderstandings between us now and then and I think the day's agenda was one of them.
He asked us if we had ever been to the Takeda shrine. I told him I'd heard of it but that we'd never been there. So we drove up to it with him pointing out things along the way and I realized that there is a whole section of Kofu I've never even begun to explore. I usually go south and slightly west or east from my apartment. Since I am on the side of a hill there is nothing to my north, except that tunnel. But if you go west and then north there is a whole area of things.
So we got up to the shrine and walked up to the main building. We didn't go in (I'm not sure you can or do) but we did learn how to make the small prayer. Two bows, two claps and another bow. Funny thing was that before this we walked towards a small structure that had water and dipping cups in it, very beautiful. Yamashita said to us that you were supposed to use this to purify yourself before you approached the shrine. So I was thinking, "well, ok, I'm not religious but if you do it I'll do it." But then he said to us, "But it is very cold this morning so....." And I said, "We are already pure enough?" He laughed and said "Yes."
So after the shrine we took a long drive in a north western direction up to the very corner of the Yamanashi prefecture. Yamashita asked me on the way, "What do you want to do?" I was looking around at all the mountains, some of which had snow on top, and said, "Let's climb a mountain!" He seemed a little shocked by this and I later found out that Amy wasn't exactly excited by my answer but it ended up being great for all. We drove a solid hour through small towns and villages, and up hills on curvy roads and finally got to some place where we parked and got out. The day was cold but it felt good and wasn't windy at all. So we followed him on foot to a set of stairs made of wood and stone that went up the side of a hill. Amy looked up and then made some noise at me, but I knew she'd love it once we got going.
The climb was actually quite short and we got to the top, stopped and looked around. The day was clear except for the angle of the sun which made looking at a gorgeous Mt. Fuji a little painful, but in all other directions were mountains of various heights. Some had snow, others did not, but they all had naked trees. After we took a few pictures, Yamashita asked what we should do, head back down or walk on the trail a little. The trail headed west and up. I wasn't going to give Amy a chance to answer and said, "Let's walk a bit." So we set out and walked a ways. We talked and made jokes and it was great fun. There was snow on the trail and eventually we came to a sign which Yamashita said indicated that if we kept going there would be a pond. "Sure," I said, "Let's find it." So we kept going and the trail turned corner after corner, each revealing that we had more climbing to do. Amy was doing that false complaining she likes to do and Yamashita was breathing hard at points, but we pushed on anxious to be the first foreigners to this pond (ok ok, probably not). So after much climbing we made it up to an area surrounded by a small wooden fence that looked like it might have, at one time, surrounded a small body of water. "Hmmm," I thought, "Amy's not gonna like this when she gets here." She was lagging, of course. The "pond" had a three foot high wooden fence, the kind you can easily scale, and just on the outside of the fence was a wooden walkway that went all the way around. So we took a picture and walked around the place and did discover that there was some water in there amongst all the weeds that had frozen over. I found a couple rocks to try to break the ice with but it was frozen solid.
On the far side of the pond was a trail that ascended the mountain we were on. I made a suggestion but it was quickly shot down and we all headed back the way we came.
After getting back to the car we drove down to some small resort/village that was founded by some Polish guy many years ago. We used the facilities and then Yamashita showed us the way over to a place named Jersey Hut and we had some ice cream. It was actually a really nice area with Fuji in the distance, the snow covered mountains, and the chill in the air.
Then, I think to appease Amy, Yamashita said, "Do you want to go shopping?" Amy screamed out, "YES YES!" And off we went. He took us to some outlet center which, oddly enough, seemed to sell mostly foreign goods. It was ok, but nearly all the stores sold nothing but clothes and most of you know my aversion to clothes shopping. I did find a pretty good pair of shoes and a warm hat that I liked so it wasn't a total loss. Amy seemed interested in the whole affair so I was happy she was happy. Yamashita and I talked and joked around during much of this time and eventually we got out of there.
Next we went to eat Hoto at a place up there and not too far away. Mmmmmm.....hoto. I had a kind I'd never had before which was damn good but I still like my usual better. The place, I think, is a branch of the place here in Kofu that I am always going to, but I'm not sure about this. Anyway, Yamashita insisted that he pay for the whole thing (as he did all day long--except for my shoes and hat) and we left the place stuffed.
Then we headed down the mountain and ended up at some park, the name of which in Japanese translates to water park. I think this is because of all the water around it, there is a river and a small pond, not because you can ride water based rides. So we explored the area in there, found a pretty cool outdoor theatre, and then a man-made waterfall. The water fall section had a large beach looking are below the waterfall and I could see that the water never got too deep. Turns out this was designed to be a play area for families in the summer. It's really interesting how the Japanese don't fight nature the way we do in the west. They use nature. Here was a mountain river/stream and they built a waterfall with a small slide, an entryway and exit that go behind the falls, various other areas for kids to play in the water, and a beach. It was all so well incorporated into the whole mountain setting that it didn't look out of place in the least, even though here it was, a man-made structure.
I actually can remember, from my first venture in Japan, going to a place like this and playing in the water. I stood there wondering if this was the place. It seemed like it might have been, but then, I'm not sure that my family and I ever made it to northwestern Yamanashi. So I don't know.
We left the park and continued down and back towards Kofu when we stopped and parked. We were being treated to none other than a tasting experience at a sake brewery. OH Yeah!
We walked into the all wooden building and it felt more religious than any shrine ever has to me. Here was where they made that stuff I was reading about and was drinking more frequently these days. So we looked around a bit and then headed into the tasting room. Now, I thought it would be like the wine tasting places I've been to in the past. Either free or a small charge, and then you have to ask for what you want with the person putting five drops in your glass and then wanting to discuss something about what it was you were tasting. I can't stand those places where the they speak like they have a good education and need to use the big words they learned. And then, of course, they always want to sell you something. But this was different.
On a table in the middle of the room were two long glass(?) boxes in which was ice and about six to eight different bottles of sake. You just had to pay 150yen (about $1.40!), they gave you a shot glass, and then you went over to the table and did your damage. It was great! I think I tasted all 16 bottles on that table and some more than once. I asked Yamashita if there was a time limit for your 150yen and said that there wasn't. "I guess that's why they don't have chairs then," I thought.
But in regards to the sake, this was the first time I got to taste more than one kind of sake at a time and I could definitely tell the difference between some of them. Some were sweet, some were quite strong, and some were very smooth. Amy ended up buying a bottle for her father and I bought three: one as a gift to Yamashita, one for my own father and one for my uncle Ray (both of which I am saving here for you two so that we can drink them when you come visit).
After the heaven on earth I had just experienced we went across the street "for Amy-sensei" as Yamashita said. The sake place had been for me and the sweets shop we now went to was for her. We sat down in the small shop and Yamashita ordered us tea and some small cakes. It was all very good, but I kept eyeing that place across the street vowing to be back again one day.
And after that, he dropped us off outside the tunnel right where he had picked us up. I gave him the bottle of sake at this point (it was the least I could do for this great day of touring where I wasn't allowed to pay for a thing) and he nearly looked like he wasn't going to take it. But I gave him that look that says, "Listen, buddy..." and he accepted it. So we said our goodbyes and arigatos and walked home.
A great day and Yamashita is already thinking about next time, "maybe the other side of Fuji?". Can't wait.

A week ago today, last Tuesday, I attended a Bon Enkai (end of year party) for Yuda high school. They had asked me if I would be interested in coming the week before and I had said, "Sure." So they explained to me where and when it was and I assured them I could find it.
So last Tuesday I took off around twenty till 6pm and arrived about at the destination a little early. This was a strategic move on my part due to the fact that this was a large building with many different rooms and I figured I'd have no idea where to go once inside the building. So I waited in the lobby for about five minutes, waiting for a familiar face to show up and lead me to the proper room. But alas, no one showed up. Either they were all early or going to be late. So, I approached the info desk trying to think of how I was going to get my point across. The young woman, who was, by the way, quite easy on the eyes, looked up at me and I said, "Ummm....Yuda Bon Enkai." To which she replied with a smile and a "Hai, ni kai" (which means second floor). I thanked her and set off, thinking to myself that my small amount of studying Japanese counting systems had actually paid off.
So I got up there and was waved down by a lady I recognized. "Marcus-sensei, Marcus-sensei," ah yes, that would be me. I paid my 3000yen and then was prompted to draw a small paper out of a large envelope that would indicate to my helpers where I was supposed to sit. Table D held four other people at this moment but sat about 7 of us in total. Yazaki-sensei helped me find my chair and informed me that he was sitting next to me. "Ah good," I thought, "at least one other person here will be able to speak English."
He introduced me to the others already sitting and then left. Turns out he was the master of ceremonies for the whole event and really wouldn't be sitting next to be for much of the time. But the others and I managed to do ok and the night got underway.
First, there were two speeches, of which I didn't understand a single word. Then there was the Kampai toast, of which I understood the Kampai part. Then the food was brought out and the noise level went up as everyone was talking and having a good time. One of the ladies at my table (probably about my age) who turned out to be my friend during the entire evening came over and asked me if I wanted some sake (I was drinking beer at this point). I told her I would love some cold sake and she set off to get me some. Things were going to be ok.
Now, before I move on I should tell you that it is a no-no to fill your own glass at official Japanese events. As a JET I've learned this from the time I was in LA. It is also a no-no to drink anything before the official toast, but that's not my point here. Filling each others' glasses is a sign of friendship and seems to strengthen the bond between the two parties. In fact the guy next to me, who I had just met, filled my beer glass from the large bottle just before the toast and I filled his. It's just the way it's done over here (that is until you and everyone else are properly pissed, at which point it seems that anything goes). But this small factor was to have a big effect on my night.
So my friend came back with my bottle of sake and a glass and filled it for me. I thanked her and took a drink and the evening flowed on. About this time, and out of nowhere by my perceptions, a kareoke machine appeared. I didn't notice this until the first guy was up there and hit his first couple notes, but as he was doing so the profound realization hit me, "Uh oh."
And yes, a few minutes later Yazaki-sensei came over to me and said, "Ah, Mr. Marcus, will you sing a song for us?" "Dammit dammit dammit," I thought to myself, "How the hell do I get myself into these things?" I'd sung kareoke before but with friends, not with a bunch of people I work with, most of whom I don't even know. "Uuhhhh.....I guess so," I said instead, then added "But can I do it a little later? After a glass or two more sake?" He just smiled and said that would be alright, "Can you sing Yesterday?" Sure, what the hell?
But later ended up being only two songs later and although I still wasn't "properly" ready I went up anyway and began to sing....
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.
Now it looks as though they're here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Profound words at that moment, but I wasn't thinking about that. I was only thinking about nailing the right notes to the right words. There were about 60 people in this room (I counted later) and I sure as hell wanted to be as good as my non-trained voiced would allow for. Not all eyes had been forward during the other performances, perhaps because they knew each other, perhaps because they were singing in Japanese, but at the moment I started, everyone stopped to watch and listen. It was all very surreal. And when I finished they all gave me an enthusiastic round of applause and I even had to stop and shake a few hands on the way back to my seat and booze.
But as crazy as it sounds, it was rather fun. I had paid my dues and now have a great story to tell. So hey, bring on American Idol.
So the rest of the night got crazier and more blurry as various people, the principal, vice-principal, teachers I'd never met, teacher I knew well, all came over to top off my glass of sake. I talked (and I use that word lightly) a little baseball with the vice-principal, taught some English words to those interested, and learned a little Japanese (which I have now forgotten). We played bingo (yes, bingo) and won prizes and generally had a good time.
Eventually our time for the room ran out and we had to disperse. But about six people came up to me inviting to Bon Enkai part II. So I went with them up the street and we proceeded to get damn drunk. I thought just us lowly teachers would go, but it turned out that the vice-principal was there, and some other big-wig whose position I don't know. But I sat right next to him and anytime I took so much as a sip of my sake, he'd top it off again. It was madness.
By the time we left there it must have been around 11:30. I remember looking at the clock at 10 and again at 11 thinking, "Damn, that seemed like five minutes." But we did finally leave and I walked back down the big building, grabbed my bike, and set off for home.
Bon Enkai number one down. I have another this Friday with the people from the Kencho. I hope that one doesn't get as crazy.

Sorry about the big pause. Busy or lazy...take your pick.

A couple months ago in the paper I get daily, I read about some Van Gogh exhibition over in Shinjuku that sounded like it might be worth a trip. I read the entire article and it mentioned (if memory serves correct) that at this exhibition they were doing something a little out of the ordinary. Apparently Vincent drew a small sort of scribbled drawing, perhaps on a letter to his brother, I'm not sure, that depicted two of his eight sunflower paintings flanking a portrait he had done of Madam somebody or other, I forget her name. Anyway, a museum in Osaka owns one of the eight sunflower paintings and this museum in Tokyo somehow got the rights (temporarily) to borrow the painting of the Madam and another of the eight sunflower paintings from a museum in Amsterdam. So in essence, this museum in Tokyo recreated in reality an idea Vincent had in his head and doodled onto some paper. Pretty cool idea really. I think I also read that they are pretty sure they got one of the sunflower paintings dead on, of course they got the Madam painting right, and they're about 50% sure of the other sunflower painting. Problem with all this is that the sunflower paintings look a lot alike and since he did eight of them, the two in his doodle could be any of them. But they had "experts" look at the drawing and determine this and that, so I don't know, maybe they did get it right. Or maybe Vincent didn't give a damn which of the eight flanked the Madam. That's what I think anyway. But it is always cool to see these paintings by these guys you've read about and/or seen documentaries on. They also had many "flower" painting by other artists, Monet, Renoir, and a few others.

So after that we headed over to the big bookstore and I got three books: two Japanese literature books (in English), and a book on Sake. One of the literature books I started yesterday and is a bit disturbing. It's about some program by the fictional Republic of Greater East Asia for which one junior high school class every two years is selected to take part in. This program consists of taking the kids to an island, fitting them with explosive collars (just in case), arming them with various weapons, and informing them that they have 3 days in which to kill each other until only one is left. Sounds fun, aye? Anyway, I'm not far into it and there are still 38 of the 42 students to read about. So I'll let you know. Book is called Battle Royale in case any of you are interested.
Anyway, the bookstore was quite large and about half of one floor was dedicated to books in English. Some of them were a bit pricey but that's just the way it goes over here, I guess. Battle Royale cost me 1945yen (about $18.00) and I can see on the back of it that it would cost me $15.95 if I had bought it in the States. So two dollars ain't bad. But I did find a Sports Illustrated, that is what? usually 3 bucks in the States, going for about ten dollars. So I didn't buy that or any other magazines.

After the bookstore we wondered over to the Shinjuku Imperial Gardens, paid 200yen to get in, and were treated to a beautiful display of Japanese gardens, changing leaves, and all kinds of trees. It was really nice (and I'm not much of a "let's go walking in the park" type guy). The cool part (to a guy who's never been to New York's Central Park) was that you felt as if you were out in "nature" but if you looked up and over the trees you could see the skyscrapers and other large buildings of Shinjuku right there. Kinda interesting.
So we wandered through it all for about an hour and a half until 4:15pm came along and the loudspeakers told us, first in Japanese and then in English, that is was time for us to get out. Apparently they were bringing in a bus load of teenagers that would be armed and forced to kill each other. No no, just kidding....
.....or maybe I'm not......

Then we had no idea where to go so we found our way to an extremely busy part of the town, wondered around, dodged people, bikes, and cars, and decided it was time for a beer quest. Or I decided it was time for a beer quest. Bars in Japan are either easy or hard to find depending on your perspective. It is easy to find small, hole-in-the-wall places to sit down and drink. But it is hard to find places that feel like a bar should (at least to me) and have a selection of beer beyond Asahi, Sapporo, and Kirin. I'd had enough of those beers in the past few months and was looking for something with more taste.
So eventually we found a small "beer bar" and went in. It was pretty crowded but lucky for me there was one table for two left. So we sat down, the waiter brought the menu over, and I prepared myself for what I thought would be a nice long decision about which beer to get. As many of you know, in America, or let me correct myself, in California, it is pretty common to go into any "good" establishment and have 6 to 12 to 20 beers to choose from, and that's just the "on tap" stuff. Deciding from the bottled selection could take a while longer yet. So I was ready to challenge myself and relish the moments I would spend trying to figure out just which beer I was in the mood for at just this moment.
But worry you not, it took me less that one minute to decide. You see, they only had four beers to choose from (not including the Japanese brands I was sick of). And they were all in bottles. Granted they were good beers to have to choose from, I'm not complaining about that, just that this was a "beer bar" as the sign said, so where were all the beers?
But, oh well, I chose a Belgian White (can't remember the brewery name) that cost me 850yen for a 12oz bottle (that's $7.87 at today's rate) and enjoyed every drop. The place was small but nice. Lots of wood and lots of pictures of famous writers, Presidents, and various other people. We were sitting right under a picture of Ernest Hemingway(perfect) who was standing next to a large swordfish he caught as it was being weighed. It had a line from The Old Man and the Sea written on it too. Amy drank her Vodka and Ginger Ale with lime (called a Moscow Mule) and I ordered another beer, this time a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (another 850yen down the old gullet).
About this time Amy mentioned that she was getting hungry and we set off in pursuit of food. But first I wanted to make sure that the train station was where I thought it should be so we walked up the street in that direction.
On our way Amy, to my ever lasting appreciation, looked up and noticed a second floor window that announced Dubliner's Irish Pub (you see, sometimes it does pay to have a girlfriend). So we continued on, found the station was right where it should be, and then went back to the pub.
We ate and I drank two pints of Guinness and the world was a happy bubble in my glass. It was great. It's been many months since I've been in a British/Irish/American style pub, with pub grub type food, and good beer. No, the beer selection, yet again, wasn't that extensive, but when you have Guinness you don't need too many other types. So Amy was my hero for a few hours over that one.

So after the pub we headed back to the station, caught the 8pm train back to Kofu, and made it back to my apartment around 1015 or so. All in all, a great day.

So I do have more to tell you, but as I will be spending three full days at the Kencho this week, I think I'll save it for then. So have a good weekend and appreciate the beer the selection most of you have access to.

So what the hell? I am back. Short easy day for me today and I got a couple hours before I head downtown to meet Tomoko and Dilek for a hoto dinner. Mmmmm....hoto.

So about that teacher at JAA (aviation academy). Every Thursday I go out to the academy and find a small note on my desk telling me what my schedule for the day is. Usually I have 3 classes and it will say something to the effect of "2p: Ito 3-1," next line, "3p: Goto 2-3," next line "5p: Ito 1-3," or some such thing. What this means is that 2nd period I teach with Ito-sensei and the class is the 3rd grade (our 12th grade), classroom one. Then the 3rd period I teach with Goto-sensei and the class is 2nd graders (our 11th grade), classroom 3. So you can figure out the pattern, I assume. It gets quite confusing at times due to the fact that Ito's 3rd period class might be the exact same students as are in Goto's 4th period, for example. But slowly I am figuring it out. It just kinda sucks to not know exactly which class is which and what activities I have done in what class, etc. But I'll get there by April, I assume, just in time for the new school year and a total change. Ah well.
So anyway, last week I get out there and there is the typical note on my desk only it has a name on it that I don't recognize: Wakao. So Ito comes over and introduces me to Wakao-sensei and informs me that I will be teaching a class with her this day. "Ok," I think, "no big deal," after meeting her and exchanging pleasantries. So we head off to her class and have a short chat about where I'm from and what we will be doing in her class. She is very organized and had plenty lined up for me to do so that I didn't have to think about anything other than introducing myself to this new class. So it was a nice short chat, nothing out of the ordinary.
But the instant we entered that classroom, nice little Wakao-sensei turned into a raving, yelling drill sergeant. She was screaming at her class, about what? I have no idea. But she was loud. It seemed as though some demon had suddenly possessed her. At first I just stood there, in shock, wondering what the hell the class had done to piss her off so much. I wondered if perhaps they had failed the last test, or if they had made a joke about her that she had overheard, or if they had egged her house last night. I had no idea. And those students responded to her. I've never seen a class sitting so straight, eyes forward, not a smile in anyone's face. It was madness. They all raised their hands in unison (and all right hands) when she asked them something, they all stood on her command, and they all bowed and sat as if flying formation. "What the hell?" I thought.
Then after about three minutes of this, she turned to me and said, in the voice reserved for me, I guess, "Ok, will you please begin now?" So I nodded, still wondering if this was real, and began my introduction. At this point everything was back to normal and the class went well. That is....up until it was time for the activity she had planned. At this point she comes back up to the front of the room and explains to them about the activity using her drill sergeant voice. "Man," I thought, "this lady's nuts."
So that was that and I truly thought that maybe that class had screwed something up and not to her liking. But this last Thursday we had another class together. This group of students is one I have seen many times before, usually with Ito-sensei. So we are chatting in our normal voices on the way to the classroom and everything is going fine when we come around a corner just before the classroom and there is this girl from the classroom bent down, getting something from her locker in the hall. Well, obviously this was too much for Wakao-sensei to take and she just laid into this poor girl. I have no idea what she was saying but it must have been something like, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE HALLWAY? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN YOUR SEAT AND READY FOR CLASS WHEN THAT BELL RINGS! YOU WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN! YOU HAVE SHAMED OUR WHOLE SCHOOL IN FRONT OF OUR MUCH RESPECTED TEACHER FROM AMERICA!" And it wouldn't surprise me if she had added, "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" to all that. It was crazy and I felt sorry for this girl who had obviously merely forgotten something in her locker (it wasn't like she was smoking or kissing a boy, which, by the way, are probably offences that are punishable by death in this lady's eyes).
Funny thing is that I know this class pretty well and I've seen them out of the presence of this teacher and they are not usually like they were. We followed the little felon of a girl into the class and the rest of the class were all sitting up straight, eyes forward, and obviously on edge. We went to the front of the room and she, true to form and foaming at the mouth, laid into them. I thought, "Ah shit. Not again." But yes, again.
And that's just how she is. She is very nice to me, speaks in a normal voice, jokes with me and the other teachers. But put her in front of a classroom and something happens. I've never seen anything like it. And it was funny after this last class because after yelling and raving and just generally terrorizing the entire room, she and I walk out and she turns to me and says, "Thank you. That was very fun. I had a good time."

So in college I took a class called Anthropology 101 or some other such number. Basically it was an intro-level class to cultural anthropology. Interesting in parts, obvious in others. But in it we learned about individualist based cultures and collectivist based cultures. Now, it doesn't take an A level student to figure out that the USA leans more towards the individual side of the spectrum, "What can you do for me?," "Get out of my way!," "I am the king of this castle." You know, we all like to think that we are special and that we matter and that the world would be a lesser place without us (all this as individuals, mind you). But you might not know (or maybe you do) that Japan is considered a collectivist society. This means, in general, that they work together as a team much of the time, putting the good of the whole ahead of the good of the individual (or that is the theory). Neither way is right or wrong and neither way is without its faults. They are just different. Which brings me to my point. How do you take an individual sport like running and make it a collectivist sport? Well, I suppose you could have a relay race; the 4 by 100 and the 4 by 400 from my high school track days come to mind. But there is another way....How about you just take thirty individuals and tie their legs together and make them run some short distance? Why, yes, I suppose that might work. And so, I was flipping through the channels tonight and came upon a show where thirty junior high schoolers are lined up, each tied to the next at the ankle, and made to run about 50 meters. Imagine a three legged race times 15 and you can begin to appreciate this. Each team represents a school and they run alone, are timed, and the winners move on. Funny thing is that there is probably no really good way to stop all thirty kids at once so they have a long padded mat at the end of the 50 meters on to which the team falls when they cross the finish line. So I am sitting here enjoying the new sport I have discovered. Two things though...one, I can't believe this exists, and two, I can't believe even more that this is being televised. There are refs, announcers, an audience....it's madness I tell you. And everyone seems to be taking it quite seriously (I've seen one or two kids crying!). But perhaps if the Japanese knew that we have cheerleading competitions on ESPN, they might feel as I do.

Tuesday I received about 120 more haikus from Sundai junior high. I will get to posting them soon.

Other than that. Life is good. I do have a story about a teacher to tell you but I think I'll write that later this weekend. Amy and I are going to Tokyo on Saturday to a Van Gogh exhibition. Should be fun. And after that we hope to find a large bookstore we've heard about. Apparently it is quite large and one floor is filled with English language books. We will be back that night and I'll enjoy a lazy Sunday, I hope.
So that's all for now.

Doing fine. Blah blah. Here's more haiku...

This is my nice desk.
It has many pens and notebooks.
It is very old.

Interesting topic.

Books is on the his desk.
But he is not reading it.
He is playing games.

My kind of student.

We have silent rains.
And I listen to classical music.
They are my special music.

I know what you're saying.

Only one persimmon
At the top of the tree still
remains the blue sky

Quite profound, aye?

She eats an cake
strawberry cake very very much
so another eat.

Stop eating and start studying.

He goes mushroom gathering.
He eatet a lot of mushroom.
Its mushroom is a poisonous mushroom.

And did you write that after eating a mushroom?

I lige ginkgo nut
In bowl stean very much.
I love ginkgo nut!

And you are what you eat, buddy.

My mother is making.
I am sleeping in my home.
I was scolded by my father.

He should have scolded your mother for "making".

And here are my four favorites from this class.....

He is eating a curry.
It is very hot and not good.
He can't speak after that.

That must have been some damn hot curry.

The cheese stands alone.
Big mouse eats the cheese.
Big cat eats the mouse.

"The cheese stands alone"??!!

I have a dog
It is very very cute
But a little thick

No comment needed, I think.

Today is English class.
I forget my homework Haiku.
I was scolded again.

Looks like you recovered quite nicely though.

And there you are. We arn't exactly saving the world over here, but we're having a damn good time.