Takahata and Other Things

Today was my first day teaching on the premises of ASE, a semiconductor component design and manufacturing company, in Takahata. They're located north of Yonezawa, two stops along the line. Today was a warm day and it didn't help that the air conditioners are set to 28C in the building. Plus there wasn't an air conditioner in the classroom. I'm back in Yonezawa now and I'm exhausted. It was a long day.

One thing I forgot to mention: On Tuesday I did a load of laundry and as I was hanging my clothes out to dry on my balcony I spotted an elderly fellow wandering around the parking lot looking for something. He spied me and gave me a shout to ask if I could see a pair of his underpants on my balcony. It was windy that day and I guess one of his briefs had gone missing. It wasn't on my balcony so I have no idea if it ever did turn up.

Anyways, I need to get a bite to eat. A glass of beer would be nice too. Maybe next time I'll describe the next most nerve wracking experience I've had here: Figuring out the arcane rules of garbage disposal.... XD

"Home Sweet Home"

"Home Sweet Home", a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

Things are slowly coming together. I replaced the map of Yonezawa which was hanging on the wall with the Canadian flag you see here. On the opposite wall I've hung the team Canada hockey jersey I bought for the 2010 Olympics. Other things I've bought to make the place more cosy: a place mat, soap dish, and slippers. On the practical end of things I'm wondering how the previous teacher managed to get through life without a kettle. Though I think Michael mentioned that she tossed hers out.

On Saturday night I went out with a group of ex-pats and locals to take part in a poker night held at the Crescendo Restaurant. It was my first time playing Texas Hold Em and I certainly did not have good poker instincts. I folded on one hand where I could've had a flush and tried to fold on a hand which I ended up winning with a four of kind. Plus I got beaten on the hand where I had been dealt a pair of kings...Ryo had been dealt a pair of aces Oh well. Things turned out well. I came in third and thus broke even.

Got my estimate for this month's electricity bill. It's a whopping 701yen. If only BC Hydro's rates were that low. Oddly enough, my usage level is about the same as it was in Canada: 27kwh.

That's it for now...Feel free to post comments if you like and thanks for "dropping in"!

Oh! It's an Earthquake.

Yup. We do get earthquakes in Yonezawa. There was a slight tremor last night. Actually, I wouldn't even call it that. It was more like a light shake. James, Michael and I were at Crescendo, a local eatery/bar, and we were engaged in a conversation with the proprietress about plans for our Saturday event. All of a sudden the customer at the bar exclaimed "Oh! It's an earthquake". Sure enough the hanging lamps in the place were all swaying.

Had the time this morning to make a bento lunch to take to work. It was a simple one: rice, tamago-yaki, and some umeboshi (pickled plums). My fridge is too small for me to store enough groceries in it so I can make super-duper lunches.

One thing about the radiation risk in this city: The general consensus is that the mountain range separating us from Fukushima is relatively effective in ensuring the winds off the ocean don't affect this city. Yonezawa is under the influence of what blows off of the Sea of Japan which is on the western side of the Tohoku region.

Oh yeah, my co-worker James is a Fukushima refugee (of a sort) in that he has had to abandon his home and move to Yamagata. Last night he confided that it might be 50 years before his old neighbourhood is considered safe to live in. He used to commute back and forth from his home to the Yonezawa school. Now his wife and kid have moved over to this side of the mountains. There are a number of Fukushima people who have moved over here. Michael, another one of my co-workers and originally a Vancouverite, has commented that our apartment building wasn't that full prior to the earthquake. Now a lot of the vacancies have been snatched up by people from Fukushima.

That's it for now...Need to prepare for a lesson for my little "monsters". ;-)

Just a Short Update...

Having located yesterday the bicycle I have inherited from the previous teacher I decided to make use of it today. First off, the thing is not a work of beauty. It has suffered its share of neglect what with the long winters in Yonezawa. There is plenty of rust on the frame and seat stem. The front brakes squeal loud enough to peel paint off of passing cars...okay. Perhaps they're not that bad but they're certainly not silky quiet.

Once I got the thing running I had to deal with two things: riding a bike where the cars are on the other side of the road and the instability of the bike once its speed falls below "cruising" speed. It's sort of like an acrobatic plane once its wing speed stalls...the thing will glide like a manhole cover. All said, I managed to stay upright from home to The Daiso and back.

All said, I won't be using that bicycle in the winter. If you search for "Yonezawa winter" you'll see why really quickly. Apparently it snows solidly for two months in the winter and there is snow on the ground for at least three more months. Fun. (^_-)

Firsts...So Far

First time so far for...
1) Watching someone driving a Subaru mini-sedan run a red light and make a right turn.  That takes nerve...trust me.
2) Seeing a live "wild" praying mantis...see my previous blog.
3) Coming up 500yen short to pay for groceries...Oops!  The fellow looked at what I had selected and said "I guess you're making curry tonight".  Thus the milk and bananas were jettisoned.
4) First taste of Kirin's "Aki Aji"(sic) seasonal beer.  It's sort of like a red ale, a'la Rickard's Red.  Not bad.  I was going to grab the tall can but this "conbini" was selling Yebisu beer so I grabbed a can of that too.  First time I had come across Yebisu in this town.
5) So far I'm surviving my first round of teaching kids.  First class was total anarchy.  Will need to tighten that one up.  The others were okay.  Will need more materials to keep them interested.  Eg: Flyers with pics of food to cut up and paste when teaching names of food, etc.
6) Came across a sign saying that a particular intersection was a location used in the movie "Swing Girls".  Click on the link to watch the bit of the movie which starts off at that intersection: Watch it on YouTube

That's it for now...Need to review lesson plans.  ^_^

Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

This character was taking its time on the flight of stairs leading up to my apartment. It's the first time I've seen one of these outside and not in captivity. Can't say I was expecting to see one in this part of Japan.

Greetings from Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

The title says it all. I've arrived safely in Japan. It was more or less an uneventful trip. Customs officer didn't ask me a single question. The oddest thing to happen to me on the trip: I was tapped on the shoulder by someone sitting across the aisle and back one row from me on the plane. It was a young woman and her first words were "It is you!". Turns out it was Takako who I had met at the English/Japanese conversation exchange club I had frequented in Vancouver. She was on her way home to Japan. She wasn't originally going to be on that flight but had changed flights after breaking up with her boyfriend (it's a long story).

Anyways, that's it for now. No photo today as my camera is in my luggage which is being couriered over to here from Narita.