Patience

Hi All

Sorry but you'll have to wait a bit longer for the next update. Our home PC should be up and running by Monday or Tuesday. Updates will be about :
Shimogo goodbye parties
Clara's graduation
Moving from Shimogo to Tokyo

Bye
Kane

Graduation Time

It is graduation time in Japan and is really does not feel like 1 year since my last graduation ceremony at Shimogo JHS. I think that graduation ceremonies in Japanese schools are carbon copies of each other with only small details that differ.

Most students took their high school entrance examinations on the 8th March. Graduation from JHS was yesterday (13th March) and the results of the high school entrance examinations were published today. All the students at Arakai JHS managed to pass their entrance examinations for the high schools of their choice. I'm not surprised that they all passed as they hardly ever made mistakes in class. A clever group of students. Many of the students visited school today to confirm their success at the entrance examinations. Then they all did a tour of the staff room and thanked all the teachers individually for the care and education they received over the last 3 years. They all looked happy and there was a distinct air of triumph and satisfaction within the staff room today.

At my most recent visit to my other school, Hisawa JHS, there was a school event held in honour of the soon to graduate 3rd grade students. The 1st and 2nd grade students, and teachers took part in a couple of plays and sang a few songs to wish the departing students luck in their future endeavors. There was also a slide show documenting the 3 years that the students spent at school and video messages made by all the students and teachers.

I took part in singing a couple of songs which are popular around graduation time. One song was called Okuru Kotoba and the other was called Nagori Yuki. I practiced hard for my part in these songs but my singing was really disastrous! I listened to the songs many times on CD but when it was time to sing on stage, the accompanying guitar sounded completely different and it was impossible for me to sing the words in the correct time to the music.

Because I have been in Arakai JHS for nearly 2 weeks, it meant that I missed the Hisawa JHS ceremony. It was a shame not to see them graduate but I don't have the same attachment to the students as I had at Shimogo JHS.

Anyway, yesterday was graduation day at both the schools I work at. I went to the ceremony at Arakai JHS and prepared myself for the flood of tears which is obligatory at graduation time. I was trying to decide whether I would wear my kilt with all its accoutrements or whether I would wear a suit and tie for the event. In the end, I opted for the suit. I'm sure the kilt would have been a big hit but I really did not want any attention and tried to blend into the background as much as possible.

As expected, the ceremony was quite moving but the British stiff upper lip came into play and I think I was the only person (out of about 150 people) who managed not to shed a tear. It was touch and go, but I managed to keep the Ice Man facade throughout. I was called an Ice Man by a previous teacher at Shimogo JHS because I have managed to keep a solid composure at previous graduation ceremonies. I don't think it was meant as a compliment.......but I liked it anyway.

Anyway, the sequence of events was much the same as last year at Shimogo JHS. At the start of the ceremony, everyone stood and sang the Kimigayo (the Japanese National Anthem) to the sound of snow sliding off the gymnasium roof. We have had as much snow over the past few days as we've had over the course of the whole winter. It seems like that anyway.

After the Kimigayo, the students were onto the stage in alphabetical order to receive their graduation certificates from the Principal of the school. Some of the students looked shell shocked and bewildered that they would no longer be students at the school. Their home room teacher called out their names when from the class attendance book when it was their turn to go up onto the stage. When the last student was called, the teacher closed the book for the last time.

Perhaps the most moving part of the ceremony was when the 3rd grade student president (Naoki) made a speech on behalf of his fellow students. He found it really hard to compose himself and cried a lot. This set off everyone else which meant that there were 78 students, 20 teachers and about 100 parents all blubbing at the same time. I very nearly joined in but took some photographs to distract myself.

The tears soon changed to smiles as the students left school for the last time. Another great bunch of students that I have had the pleasure of meeting in my time in rural Japan. I can't overemphasise how great the students have been during my time here.

In the evening, there was the graduation party which all the parents and teachers attended. It was a pretty good evening although I've felt really tired today and even managed a quick nap at my desk. I think I drank a lot of beer but am not sure exactly how much. It's really hard to tell how much you are drinking at Japanese parties because you drink from really small glasses that are constantly refilled by the people around you. Japanese parties can be really fun and a bit crazy at times. Various performances are arranged and that usually means people making complete fools of themselves in front of a large audience. I was coerced into wearing a pink bunny rabbit costume! No comments on this please!

I have been cycling a few times recently and I was hoping to cycle a bit more before our move to Tokyo. Any further thoughts of cycling have been clearly annihilated by the heavy snow which has fallen over the past few days. We plan to move on the 24th March, immediately after Clara's graduation ceremony at nursery school. Only 10 more days in Shimogo. Our move will create plenty of challenges for us, but it is time to move on.

I plan to join a gym in Tokyo called Rondo which is about 5 minutes walk from the flat. I'm aiming to do a lot of swimming and climbing as I am keen to get fit again. I'm thinking about doing the Tokyo Marathon next year but that all depends on the ratio of time spent in the gym and pub. There is also a nearby cycling route although it can't be as nice as the places I used to cycle to in Shimogo.

We have LOTS of parties to attend over the next 10 days. I'll try and do another post or two before we leave Shimogo.

Professor Yoshimura

Professor Sakuji Yoshimura visited Hisawa JHS today to give a 2 hour talk about his career as an Egyptologist and to explain what sparked his interest in Egypt when he was a young boy.

As well as talking to the students from Hisawa JHS, there was also a live link up with other schools in the local area so as many students as possible could benefit from his visit and have the chance to ask the Professor some questions. Judging by how many students wanted to ask a question, they were very interested in his life and work.

Professor Yoshimura is a household name in Japan and his visit to our school was eagerly awaited. There were TV cameras from about 5 stations and a host of newspaper reporters and cameramen. As you can see, his visit made it on to the TV.

Professor Yoshimura has fame comparable to that of Sir Patrick Moore in Britain. He's a household name and an international authority in his field. I managed to understand portions of his talk and I was really pleased to see such a positive reaction to him from the students.An interesting 2 hours at school and one which I shall always remember when I see Professor Yoshimura on TV in the future.

Gremlins, Guns, and Greensleeves

The week has passed quickly and has been fairly enjoyable. Classes have been fun and I have managed to get a lot of things done.

Today (Friday) proved to be an amusing day for a couple of reasons. Firstly, an Associate Professor (with the obligatory tweed jacket) visited Hisawa JHS to watch a live online English lesson which our school does in conjunction with Benesse Corporation in Tokyo. What would be the worst thing that could happen when an esteemed professor comes visiting? Yes, gremlins. We were not able to carry out the class today as our connection to Benesse HQ in Tokyo had crashed. It was so funny watching the embarrassment and awkwardness of the professor and other teachers that I nearly soiled myself. Quality!

At lunchtime, I decided to eat with the 3rd grade students. They all seemed to be in good moods despite the pressure of upcoming high school entrance exams and their looming graduation in March. Whilst eating, I sat and chatted with the students and made the odd joke. I asked the boy sitting next to me what he had planned for this weekend. The student answered that he was going to shoot me on Saturday. I assume that he was joking and therefore will give him 10 out of 10 for originality. Usually when I ask this sort of question I get some sort of stock answer e.g. I'm going to watch TV. It's not often you manage to get a joke from a student so it made my day in a Clint Eastwood kind of way.

This week I have been irritated by the general level of noise that goes on around the staff room. My irritation has been triggered by the new ring tone that plays on the school phone every time it rings. The tune is Greensleeves but is reproduced in a tacky electronic way - I'm sure you can imagine what it's like. Not only is the tune annoying but it is really loud.

Because the phone noise has been annoying me, I've become more sensitive to the other noises in the staff room. This week I have noticed the lack of noise control exercised by the teachers in the staff room. Frequently, teachers communicate by shouting, even when they are standing next to each other. I didn't really notice this phenomenon before and I'm hoping that I will cease to notice again next week. On one occasion I was sitting at my desk listening to various shouted conversations and considering borrowing the decibel reader from the science lab.

What do I have planned for this weekend and next week at work? Hopefully I'll go to Takatsue ski area on Saturday if it doesn't rain. We'll probably go to Aizu Wakamatsu on Sunday (although I have forgotten the reason for the trip).

Next week seems to be a very easy week at work. As you can see by my schedule, I only have 5 classes in total with none on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The classes that I will attend are shaded in yellow on Wednesday and Friday. I am not bothered about having so few classes next week as I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied at the moment. Monday will also be really interesting as a very famous Egyptologist will visit Hisawa JHS and give a lecture on his work and findings. I'm really looking forward to this as I have always had an interest in Egypt and its history. Even though the lecture will be in Japanese, I'm sure I'll be able to glean plenty of information from the Egyptologist.

While the cat's away.......

Yuki and Clara are both in Tokyo at the moment and will return to Shimogo on Wednesday. As they are in Tokyo, I thought it would be a good idea to invite Alan (a friend from Scotland) and his girlfriend to Shimogo. It proved to be a busy 2 days.

On Friday at about 9.30pm, I drove to a station called Aizu Kogen to pick them up. While I was driving through the town of Tajima, I noticed that the small van in front of me had stopped on the train level crossing. Seconds later, a woman got out of the van and ran towards my car. She told me that she had just broken down! I can't think of a worse place to break down, apart from on Haifa Street in Baghdad.

I got out of my car and managed to push the van off the tracks - seconds later, along came a train. I was in the right place at the right time. If I hadn't have been there, the train would certainly have collided with the van. Exciting stuff!!

We got back to Shimogo at about 10pm and then headed to Wakatsuki for some food and drink. Alan and Akie seemed impressed with Wakatsuki and were surprised that such a place existed in Shimogo. We left Wakatsuki fairly late and this probably has something to do with our late start on Saturday.On Saturday, we drove to a town called Tadami for the snow festival. The drive took about 90 minutes but it was a good opportunity for Alan and Akie to see the real Japanese countryside. I think Tadami probably is the most charming town in the local area. I was expecting the festival to be really busy, and so was very surprised to see few people at this event. It was raining and I think that drove a lot of people away. Another bad point of the Tadami Snow Festival was the smell of cooked mutton - the smell was really strong and making us all feel nauseous.

After our brief visit to the Tadami Snow Festival, we drove to Yurari Onsen for a bath followed by lunch and a nap.

On Saturday night, we went to a newish place called Doronko in Shimogo for dinner and more beers. I would like to go to Doronko more often but it is too far from the area where I stay. The food at Doronko is excellent. Doronko is run by a young couple called Rie and Nozomi. New businesses run by young people are rare in rural Japan but are vitally important for the future survival of Japanese rural settlements. I wish them luck.

Alan and Akie planned to return to Tokyo at 2.30pm on Sunday. This allowed me to show them another snow festival in Ouchijuku (technically part of Shimogo) and also show them a place called Tonohetsuri with its interesting rock formations. They were really pleased to see Ouchijuku with its charming houses with straw roofs. After lunch in Ouchijuku, I drove Alan and Akie to Tajima so they could catch their train back to Tokyo. A good couple of days but I'm certainly pretty tired after the visit (and a lot poorer).
There has been quite a lot of snow over the past couple of days so I paid a brief visit to Daikura today (Monday) for a spot of skiing. It was really busy today as it's a national holiday (Foundation Day) in Japan.

Next week will see me visit 3 different elementary schools for the last time before we move to Tokyo. On Tuesday night I'll be busy cleaning the flat in advance of the return of Yuki and Clara. Bye for now.

1st Anniversary

It is now exactly 1 year since I started my blog recording the trials and tribulations of living in the Japanese countryside. I've enjoyed writing the blog and it's nice for me to be able to look back at the events of the past year. Thanks to all those who have read the blog and to those who have left messages in the comments section.

The Clustr map which was added in November has been particularly interesting to watch. It shows a fairly healthy number of hits and indicates where in the world the visitors live. So far, I have had readers in over 20 countries. I've no idea who all the visitors are or how they found the blog address - feel free to tell me.

It's now nearly the end of January and the clock is ticking towards our move to Tokyo in March. January has ended on a bit of a high. The last few days have been very entertaining with a selection of work and non work related parties. On Friday I had the Hisawa JHS New Year party in a Japanese izakaya called Home Run in Tajima and on Saturday we went to a party for the girl (Shiori) who we took to Scotland. The party was to celebrate her securing a place in a good high school.

I didn't have the time or inclination to go skiing this weekend but I'm sure to go skiing again soon. Today was a relaxing day. I read my Daily Yomiuri newspaper in the morning and went for a drive around Shimogo in the afternoon. The roads are not covered in much snow so I think I'll start cycling again next weekend. I have now worked out how to add text to my photos so that will help smarten up the blog for one more year. Next week will be fairly quiet. I'm looking forward to February as I have a friend from Scotland visiting Shimogo on the 10th and 11th - perfect timing for the Shimogo and Tadami snow festivals. Yuki will finish her job next week so that we can get organised ahead of the big move. She enjoyed working over the last 2 years and I'm sure she'll get a job no problem in Tokyo.

Thanks for reading over the past year.

January

Hello to all. Sorry that I have been fairly quiet recently. January has been a pretty run-of-the-mill month to be honest. There's been a little work, a little play, and only a little snow. I haven't been skiing much at all. I've been to Daikura ski area four times but didn't really enjoy it. What snow there was, felt pretty bad to ski on. This January at Daikura has felt like the end of season skiing days of previous years i.e. deteriorating skiing conditions that take a lot of fun out of the experience and also make it a lot harder. I'm pretty bored of Daikura - familiarity breeds contempt.

However, today I went to another ski area called Takatsue because I was lucky enough to receive 5 free day passes. I enjoyed the slightly lengthy drive there and managed to see some fairly nice scenery along the way (and also a carload of monkeys). The sky was blue today which was also another plus point. Conditions were excellent and I had a great time. Despite the car park looking full, the slopes did not seem too busy, possibly because it is bigger than Daikura. The only downside of Takatsue was that there were a lot of snowboarders, the nemesis of the skier. I have 4 more free passes (with the possibility of more to come) so I'll probably head to Takatsue again next weekend.For the next 2 weeks I will be at Hisawa JHS. Wednesday will be the Hisawa JHS ski day at Daikura which means I get to spend some time out of school and on the slopes. Hopefully the conditions will be okay, although I'm not very optimistic. If conditions have improved, I may also go to Daikura again for a bit of night skiing on Wednesday.

On Friday I have another shinnenkai (New Year party) and then it will be the weekend again.

2007 - Year of the Boar

Happy New Year to all. In Japan, people send New Year cards which are usually adorned with the creature from the Chinese zodiac that represents the forthcoming year.

After spending Christmas week (including Xmas Day) sitting at my desk at school, I was really looking forward to a good 5 day break in Tokyo over New Year. The break was pretty good. I met up with a friend from the Isle of Skye for a curry in Shibuya - we met at the Hachiko statue which is a famous meeting place in Tokyo. The curry restaurant was called Raj Palace and was cheap but the food was nice. As usual, I ordered one of the hottest dishes on the menu and therefore I ended up leaving half of it. Will I ever learn my lesson?

What else did I do in Tokyo? Well, I bought a good suit which will hopefully assist me in finding a plumb job in Tokyo. I spent a lot of time watching the new Sharp Aquos 65 inch TV which Yuki's Dad bought. I went to my favourite local bar a couple of times which was nice and I found out that one of the customers is host to a weekly TV programme - I thought he looked vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name or that of the programme he presents so you'll just have to take my word for it.

On the 3rd, we drove back up to Shimogo as I needed to do two half days of desk sitting at Arakai JHS. Today (Friday), I drove to Daikurayama ski area with the intention of picking up the new area ski pass which gives access to 4 ski areas. I was disappointed to be told I was not eligible to buy this type of ski pass and now I have to settle for a ski pass at the same cost but that gives me unlimited access to Daikura only. Pretty disappointing really, especially after being told yesterday by staff at Daikura that I would be eligible for the new style ski pass. Oh well......I either have to accept the situation or change into the Hulk and sort them out. I'll probably accept the situation and buy the same pass that I've bought for the past 3 years.

I went skiing today to Daikura and it was not great to be honest. Although the weather was wonderful, the snow was pretty light and icy in most places. I'm worried it won't change for the rest of the season. In previous years the snowfall has been REALLY heavy but not this year. Snowfall in the European Alps has also been pretty bad and many people blame global warming. I'm praying for heavy snow but I have to face the possibility that this skiing season will be short and conditions poor. If I had the ski pass that I wanted, I would have been able to go the ski ski area with the best snow. Grrrrrr........Classes start again next week although we are lucky that Monday is a national holiday. I'll probably go skiing to Daikura.

Clara's Christmas Greeting

The Governor of Fukushima

Today, Yuhei Sato, Governor of Fukushima, visited Hisawa JHS. Governor Sato has only recently been voted into office (with 51% of the vote) after his predecessor resigned over allegations of accepting bribes during his 18 year tenure. The previous Governor, Eisaku Sato (no relation of Yuhei (I hope)), and his brother are accused of receiving a ¥170,000,000 bribe (nearly GBP 1 million) from a construction company involved in the building of hydro dams. I'm sure he'll also be be linked to other construction projects as the investigation continues.

Bribes and other fraudulent practices have long been a recognised, if unspoken, aspect of the Japanese construction industry for many years. It seems that the Japanese Government is trying to clean things up although many Government members have strong connections to the industry. The Japanese construction industry has been well covered in a book called 'Dogs and Demons' by Alex Kerr.

The main aim of the visit to Hisawa JHS was for the Governor to observe an online English class. He seemed impressed with the class although I have my own doubts about their usefulness. I'm a great believer in using technology in the classroom, but only when there are very real benefits. Everything that is done in these classes can be taught more effectively in a normal class. Being a natural cynic, I think someone is getting rich from this project (probably the old Governor). Still, it was nice to have the new Governor in school for a couple of hours and good to see all the newspaper reporters and TV crew taking an interest. Maybe I'll be on the front page tomorrow....

Bonnenkai - End of Year Party

It is now party season in Japan. These parties are called Bonnenkais - end of year parties. This year, I attended the Arakai JHS bonnenkai party. The food is always very traditional at these parties (mostly fish) and is made up of several small dishes, each with a different kind of food.

These parties cost about ¥15,000 (about 75 quid) and are paid for out of the teachers' club fund which each teacher pays into every month. The price includes food, alcohol, accommodation, and unlimited visits to the hotel onsen. This picture shows the standard food served at Japanese end of year parties. As you can see, there's a lot of fish.......

The Marumine Kanko Hotel is massive and is extremely busy at this time of year. It can accommodate about 800 guests and is furnished to a very high standard. ¥15,000 seems a very reasonable price to pay. I have heard from other foreigners in Japan that their work parties are terrible value. I guess I'm lucky to be in an area where the local hotels are plentiful and whose standards are high.

There are many school parties throughout the year in Japan. If I don't want to attend, I make some kind of excuse and feel no guilt about non attendance. However, I feel sorry for many of the Japanese teachers. I'm sure some of them would prefer to spend time with their friends or family. It seems impossible for many teachers to spend any time at home as they are often in school from 8am to 8pm. Most usually go to school on Saturdays as well. I also feel sorry for single teachers. If must be impossible for them to have a social life or find a spouse (outside of the world of teaching). I don't really understand why Japanese teachers are so willing to sacrifice their family life for their work life. Teachers in Japan seem to spend most of their time looking after other peoples children, instead of looking after their own.

After the first party, we went to the second party in a room reserved for karaoke. I was coerced into singing a couple of songs and had a fairly good time. At this party there was whisky and another Japanese spirit called shochu. As I'm not a drinker of spirits, I went to the bar and ordered a couple of bottles of beer. My individual decision to order beer probably caused a few teachers to have a sharp intake of breath, as being in Japan, decisions should be made as a group and not as an individual. However, I weighed up my options and decided to go it alone and order beer. It was either that or sitting in the karaoke room for 2 hours drinking oolong tea and listening to some bad karaoke.

After eating some noodles in the hotel noodle shop, we had a third party back in my hotel room on the 7th floor. Here the food was more suited to my tastes : pot noodles, crisps, nuts, beef jerky, and chocolate.

Next week should be fairly quiet at school although we do have a visit from the Governor of Fukushima. The Governor of Fukushima is Japan's equivalent of Jack McConnell. More about this later in the week.

Cooking Class

The cooking class went well. I was a little apprehensive that things would not work out, but in the end, it was all fine. About 16 students turned up and I think they were happy with the class and with the end result.

Today I taught the class how to make traditional Scottish shortbread. It's not all that difficult. In fact, it's extremely simple. Mix 190g of butter, 90g of fine brown sugar, and 235g of flour and divide this into 12 small balls. Flatten the balls and place in the oven at 170C for 25 minutes. Voila!!! Traditional Scottish shortbread, guaranteed to give the eater a cardiac arrest within seconds. I don't think I'll ever eat shortbread again, now I know how much butter and sugar goes into them.

The class went well because the recipe was simple and was great for fitting into a one hour slot. I had to be on constant guard because the hoods on the kitchen extractor fans were really low and had very sharp corners. Obviously the kitchen was not designed for a 184cm tall Scotsman.

I have two more classes to lead before the community course finishes. On the 12th of December, I will teach the class English which will be useful for their visit to British Hills in January. I've mentioned British Hills in a previous post. My final class will be on the 19th of December and will be about Christmas (language, traditions etc). Thanks for reading.

Monkey Business

Today has been pretty cold and the drive to work was slow because of ice on the roads. I arrived at my desk 10 seconds before 8am. Being late for work is frowned upon in Japan and I have not been late in over 2 years. During my time in Japan, I have only been late for work twice (at my previous school). Once I was 10 minutes late because I was stuck behind a useless driver who didn't have the confidence to turn right at a semi-busy junction, and the other time I was 1 minute late because I overslept. I like the Japanese way of being on time - it's a cultural strong point that other countries around the world could learn from. I need to leave for work a bit earlier though as I've been really close to being late recently on a number of occasions. The mountains now have a sprinkling of snow and I am hoping the snowfall will become heavier soon. I really CAN'T WAIT to start skiing again.

I was told today that the ski pass I usually buy has changed. Over the last couple of years, the ski pass which I bought cost about ¥18,000 (about 90 quid) which gave me unlimited skiing at Daikura Ski Area (not too far from Shimogo and really close to the schools where I now work). I thought this was a pretty good deal. However, this year, the ski pass will cost the same but allow me unlimited skiing at 4 ski areas. That's fantastic news!!! In truth, I was getting a little bored of Daikura and now I have the opportunity to ski at other places for no extra cost. Excellent!

I hope to go skiing 3 or 4 times a week. I'll probably go to Daikura Ski Area every Wednesday after school. Although it will be dark by then, you are able to ski under the course floodlights. I also plan on skiing every Saturday and Sunday. In February, I'll take a half day holiday on each Friday and head to the slopes straight from school. Friday skiing is excellent as the slopes are usually deserted and conditions are often perfect. On occasions, I have been the only skier on the slopes. It's a great feeling to ski and not have to worry about colliding with other skiers.

The previous 3 years that we have lived in Shimogo has seen some pretty harsh winters with heavy snow. Unfortunately, the winter this year is expected to be relatively benign and I am worried that this will be a poor season. Last year, I went skiing over 30 times. Hopefully I can match or exceed that figure this year.

I will really miss the skiing when we move to Tokyo, but I will try and visit Minami Aizu (where we currently live) a couple of times a year for skiing. It should also be easy for me to travel to Nagano on the bullet train. I've decided that swimming will be my main hobby once we move to Tokyo.

Anyway.......monkeys. Today I really knew I was in the Japanese countryside when the school grounds were invaded by monkeys! From the staffroom, the other teachers and I saw a large pack / family / herd of monkeys making their way down the side of the mountain next to the school. One was really big and looked like a gorilla. Apparently they've started roaming around now because they're searching for food. What is the collective term for a large number of monkeys? Okay, according to this link, a group of monkeys can be called either a troop, barrel, carload (!!??!!), or tribe.

The school janitor chased the carload of monkeys away by firing several shots from the school starting pistol. He also took a wooden sword with him (as seen in The Last Samurai) which are used in Japan for practice sword fights. I stayed safely in school as I could not stop thinking about the monkeys in the film '28 Days Later'. In the film, monkeys were infected with some deadly and contagious virus which results in them attacking people. It's a good film but not a good thing to watch if you have primates living in close proximity to you.

I'm fairly busy this week (again) and I shouldn't be spending my time writing my blog as I have more urgent matters to attend to. However, if feels good to get these words down and I feel a bit of stress ebbing away. I'll try and post a short blog about my conversation class tomorrow. I am teaching about 14 students how to make shortbread in the kitchen of Tajima Town Office. It's ironic that I am teaching people to cook as all I have 'cooked' in the past were Findus Crispy pancakes and the occasional peppercorn steak at Aberdeen University. The security guards always knew when I was having steak for dinner as I would always cause the fire alarm to go off because of the smoke in the kitchen. Anyway, watch this space for an update on Kane's cooking class. Bye.

Yakiniku and Onsen

We were lucky to have the Labor Day holiday in Japan on November 23rd. Yuki's parents and brother visited Shimogo for a few days, arriving on Thursday morning and leaving this morning at 9am (Sunday). I think they had a good time in what was probably their last visit to Shimogo before we move to Tokyo in late March.

On Thursday, we drove to Yurari onsen which is in a town called Tadami. I really love the onsen when the weather gets cold and I felt really refreshed after the bath - very good for your circulation. The water in Yurari onsen is a reddish colour because of the high level of iron in the water. After the bath, we relaxed in the lounge on zabuton (Japanese cushions) and played cards on the low tables. Because it was a holiday and I was not driving, I was also able to have a couple of Kirin beers. Lucky me.

Yuki's parents took us to a yakiniku restaurant on Friday evening in the next town called Tajima. Yakiniku is a Korean style BBQ of meat and vegetables, cooked over a charcoal or gas brazier. I really love eating yakiniku and so I was looking forward to the meal and a few beers. The beef was excellent and was made even better after dipping it in a spicy soy sauce mixed with chilli paste. Delicious!! On Friday, I was pretty tired after a busy week at work (despite the holiday on Thursday) and was looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the food at the yakiniku restaurant. Next week will also be busy with evening conversation classes (which I was volunteered for without anyone telling me!!), elementary school, and junior high school.

We didn't do much on Saturday. We drove to Kirara onsen for a bath and spent a lot of time in the lounge relaxing and dozing. Very pleasant. Our visits to the local onsens will become ever more frequent as the weather gets colder and the snows piles up. I am now mentally prepared for the oncoming winter assault.

Not long now until December and the end of year party season in Japan. With all the parties, snow, and skiing, I'll probably have a lot to blog about. Cheers.

Autumn Colour

I left it a bit late to take some pictures of the magnificent autumn colours which have graced the Japanese countryside over the past few weeks. However, despite the autumnal colours being past their peak, I still managed to take a couple of good shots during lunchtime at Arakai JHS. I was fortunate to get these pictures on Friday as the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Today saw the first snowfall of the season. We drove to a place called Kirara Onsen for a bath and the snow was really heavy. Soon the whole area will be covered in thick snow and that means I'll have to shovel snow every morning and night. Shovelling snow for an hour or two every day is pretty boring, but it is also pretty good exercise.

Despite all the hardships, I'm really looking forward to winter. I'm looking forward to lots of onsens, lots of skiing, sitting under our kotatsu (a Japanese style table with surrounding quilt and built in electric heater), and the amazing winter wonderland scenery.

Culture Day / Tokyo Weekend

November 3rd was a national holiday in Japan called Culture Day. This day is used to celebrate Japanese culture and encourage cultural activities. On this day, the Emperor takes the opportunity to award individuals the Order of Culture. Those who receive this award have been deemed to have made a significant contribution to Japan's art, literature or culture. The awardees also receive an annuity for life - perhaps the reason why most of the awardees seem to be in their 70s.

We decided to use the extra holiday as an excuse to visit Tokyo for a long weekend. We travelled down on Thursday night and returned to Shimogo on Sunday afternoon. The drive down to Tokyo only took about 4 hours but the return journey to Shimogo took us 6 hours as the roads were very busy with tourists viewing the autumn colours. I'll try and get some autumn photographs on the blog before it's too late.

The most important aspect of my trip to Tokyo was my planned visit to an area called Ochanomizu. This is an area which has an abundance of ski shops and musical instrument shops. I planned to buy a new ski helmet as the one I am currently borrowing is slightly small for me.

In the end I decided on a Giro helmet, although I had originally decided to buy a Boeri. The Giro helmet that I bought is technically a snowboarding helmet, but I chose that one anyway because it fitted the best and was the most comfortable. It also seems to be fairly light compared to some of the other helmets that I tried on. I'm fairly pleased with it but have just realised that I need to buy new skiing goggles as my old set have been crushed and are seriously out of shape.

I'm back at work tomorrow and have to wait until November the 23rd for the next national holiday. Tomorrow will be an easy start to the week with only one class to attend. I'll try and post a couple of autumnal photos in the near future. Cheers.

Scotland - Edinburgh Wedding

The final leg of my holiday in Scotland was the journey to Edinburgh for the wedding of Michael and Louise.

The day before the wedding, I was able to meet Alan Thomson for lunch in Bar 38 on George Street. Alan is a friend that I met at the University of Aberdeen and who I shared a flat with for 3 memorable years (along with Grambo and Glovesy). He is still reet HC and is carving a highly successful career for himself in the Edinburgh legal world.

I also managed to meet up with some old colleagues from Deutsche Bank. They haven't changed. They are still a good laugh to be with and have not lost their taste for alcohol.

Going to the wedding was an excellent chance for me to meet up with my old school friends. We all had a really good time and I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

The ceremony started at the Catholic church at 2pm on Saturday the 21st of October. Before the wedding, lots of us went down to an area called the Grassmarket for a few beers. The weather was so nice that we could sit outside.

The ceremony was pretty good and not as long as I expected. It was great to see how happy Michael and Louise were on their big day. I took a lot of photos and also a video of the proceedings. Unfortunately, the church was a bit dark inside so some of the photos were not very good. I managed to annoy a good deal of people in the church with my video camera - it was making regular beeping noises. For every beep, I received a dirty look.

After the ceremony, we went to another pub for a few more beers before the reception started. The wedding reception was held at one of the best hotels in Edinburgh - the Caledonian Hotel. There were about 180 guests at the reception. The food was fantastic and I can honestly say that I have never tasted better roast lamb in my whole life. I've thought about the lamb every day since the wedding - it was that good!!

After the meal and speeches, the band started to play and finished about 2am. It was nice to hear some traditional Scottish music again and good to see Farquahar and play the fiddle and Archie play the accordian (both friends from the Isle of Skye).

The ceremony, reception with its excellent food and music, and the company of old friends, all made the perfect end to my holiday in Scotland.

Scotland - Isle of Skye

The holiday is over but Clara and I had an EXCELLENT time back in Scotland. We did many things and saw many people. The trip ranks as one of my most memorable in years. Everything was perfect, even the weather! We arrived late at night in Inverness on the 14th of October. After a day of relaxing, we headed to the Isle of Skye where I grew up. On the way to Skye, we drove past stunning scenery made even more stunning by the lovely weather. We passed Loch Ness (but did not see Nessie), passed Eilean Donan Castle and then across the bridge to Skye. It was a fantastic journey back home and I was really pleased to see Portree (the main town) again.

Eilean Donan Castle looked great and we stopped there to take some photos and make a visit to the gift shop. The weather was really mild in Scotland and enabled us to walk around in t-shirts. Very strange for mid October!!In Portree, I met some old friends and some cousins. The highlight of returning to Portree was seeing my grandmother. She's quite elderly and every time I see her again, I wonder if that will be the last time. In the evening, I did a tour of the Portree pubs which were all really quiet. I did manage to meet a few people and have a bit of a laugh.After we left Skye, Clara and I spent time in Inverness with my parents and I had an opportunity to do some souvenir shopping for the people I know in Japan. I then travelled to Edinburgh to attend the wedding of a friend from the Isle of Skye and left Clara with my parents. The main reason for travelling to Scotland was to go to the wedding and it proved to be a great day.

To Scotland

Clara and I will leave Japan and travel to Scotland for a short holiday. We'll be in Scotland between October 14th and October 23rd and we have a very busy schedule planned. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends again and the highlight of the holiday will be going to a friends wedding in Edinburgh on October 21st.

I'll try and update this blog when I'm in Scotland. We plan to go to the Isle of Skye, Inverness, and Edinburgh. Watch this space for photos and updates on our time back in Scotland. Cheers.