Some pictures

Just a few pictures to get some idea of what my new life is like.


My room. You can see that, at the moment, I have no bed. When I noticed this, I was worried I had misunderstood and would have to buy my own futon, but there was a mix-up, and I should be getting a new mattress today or tomorrow.

The room itself is pleasant, with a balcony, tatami floor, and a pretty wood ceiling that looks as if it might be made of bamboo.


Another view of the room, showing the Japanese-style doors. The left door leads to the kitchen, while the right two open on a closet. In the foreground is a "floor-chair," you might call it--more suited to the traditional Japanese custom of sitting on the floor.


You can sit on the floor because they aren't as dirty as Western floors can be, due to the well-known habit of leaving your shoes at the door, in the genkan shown here. The door at the far end of the hall leads to my room. In between is the kitchen.


The kitchen table, with the assorted foods I used to make breakfast, a healthy portion of miso soup with shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and tofu.

A couple of miscellaneous photos:


Apparently, Adachi is where Basho started his trip to the north of Japan, recorded in his most famous work, The Narrow Road to Interior. Perhaps I'll follow him some day, though more likely by bike than foot.


A nice custom—sure, it's not compressed air, but, then again, you don't have to pay for it, either. The can holding the pump says "Please feel free to use this."

I am missing my bike very much. A good ride would, I think, really help with this jet-lag. The bike path nearby really is a stroke of luck, and I look forward to riding it one of these days.

ただ今！I'm back!

I'm having some pretty heavy-duty jet-lag this time around - nothing like when I went from Tokyo to San Francisco last year, but enough to make me weak and tired, especially at night. For that reason I haven't written much in my blog, and I'm not sure I'll get very far tonight, but I wanted to write down a few things.

Yesterday was pretty rough, with excitement alternating with abject fear. I'm glad to be back, but the prospect of being here for a year, when it comes down to it, is a lot more intimidating than expected. I'm sure once I get settled it won't seem so daunting.

My room is nice, if expensive (about $700 with utilities) and small. It has tatami (traditional reed) mats, and if you have ever been around newer tatami mats, it is quite a pleasure to come home to--the smell is a healthy, sweet smell that fills the room without being pungent. I'll have pictures of the room as soon get up the energy to resize them for the blog.

It is warm and sweaty here, and I'm not looking forward to wearing a suit and tie everyday. Shoes and pants (um, rather than shorts) are bad enough.

Well, that's about all I can muster for the moment. Hopefully an early night will translate into more energy tomorrow.

Good night...

A correction and biking news

First, I will be next to Gotanno station, but will be in an area called Koudou (wide road) in a section of Tokyo called Kitasenju (north thousand...　dwelling?). I'm not sure what Gotanno refers to, but it does not seem to be an area name.

Also, I was pleased to find that I'm well placed to pursue my passion for bicycling. There is a long bike path (ie pedestrians and bicyclists only) along the Arakawa river that weaves through Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo; Tokyo; and Chiba, to the east of Tokyo. My future home will be about 10 minutes (walking) away from a bend in the Arakawa. I'll have to explore it on a cheap 3-speed until I can save some money, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

Location revealed! 五反野っか!

Just found out where I'll be living - Tokyo! A place called Gotanno, northeast of the city. If you look at that map and can't read Japanese, Gotanno is the green arrow, and Tokyo's "center", the imperial palace, is a large green spot in the middle, at the very bottom. I won't be exactly in the center of town, but that is a good thing - close enough for easy access to the best of Tokyo (Shinjuku and Shibuya are about an hour away), but far enough away to feel homey (maybe). Plus, it is just next to the Arakawa river, which should be good for night walks after work. I'm not sure yet where I'll be teaching - that's just where I'll live.

It's good to finally know where I'll be - and I couldn't ask for much better. Now I can really start to picture myself there (though in a week and a half I'll be there already anyway).

At long last

It's been awhile, and a lot has changed in that time. I'll officially announce (though I already did in Japanese, I now do so in English) I am leaving to teach English in Japan June 27th. I don't know yet exactly where I'll be, but it is supposed to be somewhere in Kanto, that is, the eastern part of Japan, most likely in Tokyo or nearby.

And I'll tell you something, I'm actually sort of regretting I am leaving, or at least so soon. I have been working for a publishing company, and I really enjoy it. I really enjoy working with words all day, even if they aren't my own words, even if they are about avian diseases or laser spectrometry (I'm not even sure if I spelled that right!). I've dreamed a few times about living out in the country, biking to work every day, and just sort of sitting things out while the world goes to crap around me. I almost wonder if I could do it.

And then I realize I am lucky I am being pulled out by something I set in motion earlier this year. Because I could get stuck, I could stay here, and then in 5 to ten years wonder what happened. The fire to be in Japan has cooled a little--though of course it was burning so hot it was really hurting me--and now I see it more as a step on the way, hopefully the first of many international experiences. I would have a tough time wrenching myself out of a comfortable life here two or three years down the line if I didn't have this teaching job compelling me forward only a couple of months after I got the job at the publisher.

But it is remarkable how easy it is to become a lotus-eater, to forget your greater purpose and settle for a life of ease and pleasure. I can't say I know my purpose, I don't really think I have one, but I do know I got side-tracked from a dream I'd had, and it is now time to throw myself into following that dream.

But it sure is tempting to sit and watch the fireflies.

やっと行くぞ

六月末関東(のどこか）へ行き英語を教える。日本語が大体忘れたのに。よろしく、皆さん！

Hmmmm 2

Finally heard back from ECC: nothing in Hiroshima, but they will put me on a list for later openings. Thus, no definites. I guess it gives me the chance to drop Geos, as I'm in the same situation for both companies (can't choose where I go) and I like ECC better overall. One highlight is that ECC has fewer schools, which might mean less chance of getting stuck in the boonies, as they are primarily in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo; still, no guarantees.

I guess that means some of the pressure is off. I would have left in March if I were to go to Hiroshima; now it could be several months. Probably for the best. Definitely better than I could ask after the crap this morning.

So, now that you've suffered through all my whinings, I'll reward you with some pictures. Toronto is no Kyoto, so don't expect much!


The hostel I'm currently in. It's in a nice neighborhood, Kensington Market, with a bunch of small... markets, as well as a Chinatown. The buildings throughout the district look a lot like the below:

Proof that Toronto is just kind of weird:
This is a wall of 100 violent deaths on the job. Something about it being a monument to those who have died to... whatever, it's weird.


A lot of you have probably heard of Engrish.com and sites like it that make fun of Japanese attempts at English that can be hilarious. While this may not be hilarious, it's good to see that it works the other way around - those of you who know Japanese will see in a second that this sign the CN Tower's Japanese is just wrong.

And here is the view from the floor of the tallest free-standing structure in the world, the CN tower. I couldn't take it - rationally I knew the floor had to be quite safe, and yet I could not get myself to stand on the glass. In fact, the usher on the elevator ride down told us that the entire floor is glass, but people couldn't handle it so they covered most of it with carpet!
Daiju, who was nice enough to get tickets for my birthday from his roommate who works at the Tower, had no problems standing on it. He even danced on it a little bit.

Royal

Well, I really screwed up. I may have written before that I was less than excited about the interview today, that I might even skip it. Because I haven't heard from ECC yet, though, I decided I'd better; besides, I've read people's experiences at the interview and they a couple said they had been able to get placed near Tokyo, something impossible with ECC and very unlikely with Geos. I decided, in the end, to go to the interview, if only to see what they had to offer.

But I screwed up. Yesterday, after I made my decision to go ahead and go, I went over my sample lesson and, from my experience at the other interviews, I knew it wouldn't work. So I spent last night - my birthday - trying to think of ideas for the stupid interview. I gave up finally, deciding to enjoy myself for at least a little bit that night, then wake up at 7 and suffer through the day. The interview was at 1:30, so I figured I'd be alright.

I actually came up with an idea - not a great one, but one that would do. Honestly, I don't know if it would have worked very well, but I think, in a room of people who had never taught before, I probably wouldn't look to bad.

I finally prepared it around 12:30, hopped on the train to the Kinko's, but some jerk-off was writing his resume on the only working computer. It costs 30 cents a minute, but it looked like he was going to be there for 3 or 4 hours. I decided to wait, but it was already over - I finally gave up at 1:30 - the email inviting me to the interview said no one would be admitted after 1:30.

So there it is. I walked home really angry at myself. It's possible that I wouldn't have liked this place either, but now I'll never know.

More confused than ever now.

Hmmmy

Well, I notice a job listing for the job in Hiroshima on the latest Gaijinpot (the place where I've done a lot of job searching) so I'm guessing I didn't get it. I haven't had any word from the interviewer yet - he's supposed to contact me today. I don't know what to think - I have to admit I felt some relief when I saw that posting, but if you'd told me I didn't have to do the speeches in my speech class several years ago, I would have been relieved, too - and yet, I think I gained from having done them.

Got a job (if I want to take it)

Just called Geos, the second company I interviewed with, and I somehow got a job. I'm a little surprised, but it's certainly a boost. However, I have no idea where I'd be placed and, honestly, I don't particularly like their business tactics. I have a week from tomorrow (when I get the contract and associated materials) to mull it over. In the meantime, I'll hear from the job I am more interested in tomorrow, and, if I'm really feeling a glutton for punishment, I have an interview starting Thursday with Aeon - a company even bigger than Geos.

I still really would like to be in Tokyo, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Everyone keeps telling me it should be so easy - I don't know why I've had such a difficult time... Anyway, if I'm placed in Hiroshima I should have a good time, and after a year I can try to find something in Tokyo. But I haven't gotten the job yet...

Two down - one to go?

Just finished the last day of my second interview - fairly grueling, with 5-6 hr days on Friday and Saturday and outside prep time last night of well over 5 hours. It was educational. It's pretty iffy whether I'll get the job - I think there's a fifty-fifty chance. One thing in particular was a problem - during the 30 minute lesson, an interviewer said I was sighing all the time. I know I have a tendency to do that, mostly when I'm tired, but I didn't realize at all that I was doing it during the lesson. That upset me, and she wasn't gentle. That is definitely something, along with my closed body movement, that could keep me from getting a job. But I still felt I did well, and even better, it convinced me that it is possible that I could teach, and that I enjoy it. I'm not very accustomed to that sort of work - standing in front of people, organizing my thoughts on the fly - and thus any sort of progress is a real boost to my confidence. It may be that I won't get a job this round - I hope I do, of course - but I think it is a good idea to pursue teaching, if for no other reason than to force myself to try another way of behaving.

Now I have to decide two things - whether or not to put myself up as a candidate for the job that will start in March that I explained earlier - working for a company that seems better than the rest and that I might be more likely to get - and whether or not take the final interview I have planned this Thursday. The first I need to decide in the next couple of hours, and yet I'm still on the fence. The other I will decide after I hear back from the first two companies, one on Monday and the other Tuesday. I think it is likely I won't go to that last interview, but I may change my mind,

For now, though, I finally can take a look around and enjoy myself here in Toronto. I'm exhausted today - I've been up late and up early several days in a row - so I'll most likely take it easy today, but tomorrow I'm going to at least check out the Hockey Hall of Fame and the nearby sites like the CN tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the world. I'll also be able to spend more time with my hostelmates, the best part of this trip so far. I actually find myself looking forward to coming back to the hostel after the interviews because I have such a supportive group here. I learn quite a bit about Europe as well, as I'm the only North American around most of the time. Even if I don't get a job out of this trip, it will have been worth it for the people I've met and the things I've learned about teaching.

Toronto II

Here I am in Toronto. At the moment I'm sitting at an oval table in a kitchen with an old stand-alone cupboard (something in my heart tells me there is a more specific term) peeling paint and an L-shaped layout very similar to many of the kitchens I know in Lawrence. I am surrounded by two men from France, a tall Japanese man almost my age with long, curly, black hair, and a younger Irish woman who works here, all of us trying to figure out how a waiter asks a customer how they'd like their meat done (rare, well, etc.). I still think there is a more specific way to put it, but I'm always wrong, so I give up for now. Anyway, one of the French guys has moved to asking the Japanese guy about judo terminology.

My first interview didn't go so well. The first part was great, but then, that was primarily informational. Later, however, we were asked to come up with a short demo lesson over lunch and then present it, the other interviewees acting as young students. I was a little nervous, of course, but the first few presenters, while they were energetic and fairly interesting, kept making mistakes that had more to do with paying attention to the instructions given at the beginning of the demo lessons than with real effectiveness - in any case, it seemed fairly easy, and I felt confident that when it came to my turn I would do not only well but outdo myself.

As has often been the case lately, I was humbled. I did a really poor job; I kept stumbling where my imagination had seen me performing particularly stunningly (yes, that's right, remember, adverbs can modify other adverbs, though don't try it at home).

When I left, I wondered to myself if an old dog can learn new tricks. Not in those terms. I mean, though, that I have fairly good idea of what I am good at - I finished the grammar quiz without any problems, but in this simple task I just fell flat. So I wonder if I can - if I should bother to try to - become a good teacher.

In a later one-on-one interview (until that point we had all been gathered together around a round table very different from the one in front of me), the interviewer - there was only one, somewhat of a surprise - mentioned that my performance hadn't been bad enough to signal a "red light," but it was not really enough to catch his attention. I agreed, saying that I had started fairly poorly in a speech class, and yet later I did really well.

There is one little quirk that could... could work in my favor - they have an opening in mid-March in Hiroshima that happens to be looking for "someone a bit older to balance out the primarily younger teacher pool" or something along those lines. Intriguing, and there is a chance that just because there is such a short time-frame for them to find someone they may ask me, but I still really have my heart set on Tokyo. I have until Monday to decide, and during that time I should get a good idea what my chances are with other schools, as I have a three-day interview starting tomorrow.

Alright, enough of that. One little Canada note, then I'll quit. Absurdly, the government-run liquor stores close at 9 pm. You heard me. Apparently this is a little different in the French-speaking areas, but I was shocked. I wonder if life is that much better here for it? Maybe it is.

While I've been writing this, a French couple has come in and the Japanese man and Irish woman have left, so I think I'll retire off to somewhere else.

Toronto

I'm in Toronto for some interviews for jobs teaching English in Japan. I got in, checked into my hostel (very nice place) wandered around a bit, and came back to find there is a Japanese guy who hangs out here. It was the first time I've spoken Japanese since I was in Tokyo, so I was a bit nervous, but he seemed to be able to make sense out of what I was saying.

Tomorrow's my first interview, and I'm nervous, though I read over some notes by people who have gone through the interview before and it seems manageable. This is really the one I want, so I hope it will go well. They seem to be fairly kind to their instructors, and very earth-conscious, which is an added bonus.

Well, I'd better get some sleep so I can be at my best tomorrow.

Happy New Year (Belated) - 明けましておめでとうございます

I've been hibernating. Except, unlike hibernating bears, I've been gaining weight. Ah, well. There's still hope I'll get rid of this unsightly bulge.

The job search is still not going very well, I'm a bit frustrated. I've given in and applied to three of the larger schools in Japan, and I've already heard back from one, so I think there's a good chance I'll be able to get back to Japan by April; but I continue to be reluctant to teach English. But if I can only get to Japan by teaching English, teach English I shall!

I guess that's it. I don't if anyone is reading much anymore, but I thought I'd put something in here. I may be going to Toronto in February for English teaching interviews, so I will have something to put up then, if no earlier.

Format change

I've decided to make a couple of changes so that I'll continue to write in this blog.

First, as I've suspended my travels for a little while, and as I see daily many of the American subscribers ;) of my blog, I'm going to focus less on where I am and more on literature and culture. I'm doing a lot of reading, both of books and internet websites, and I often feel the urge to write about them. Hopefully you'll find them interesting (if anyone is still reading!)

Second, I'm going to attempt to write the blogs both in English and Japanese. It'll be good practice and, since I have a Japanese audience now as well, I want to include them more fully (most can read English, but they might prefer to read in Japanese). So if the second part of each article looks like a bunch of gibberish, sorry. Your system doesn't support Japanese characters.

告知：
ブログを続くようにこの書き込みから変更を二三紹介する事にした。今面白いニュースがあまりないので、前のブログの書き込みを変えて、文学か文化の事に焦点を当てるつもりです。ですから、つまらなくなるかもしれない。
それに、一生懸命頑張って日本語で書き込むつもりもある。が、まだ結構遅いのですぐやめるかもしれない。
よろしくね！

Merry Christmas / メリクリスマス

As you know, I've been on a trip for several months. Looking back on it, other than a few stops here and there, I've been on the move since I went to Yosemite with my mom in May.

You've seen where I've gone, and you may have noticed that a great number of my pictures do not have other people in them. Esthetically, I like to take pictures of either people or places - the only time I mix the two is usually for other people's sake. But I look back now, and though I miss the places I've been to, it is the people that really made a place worth visiting, it is the people (of course) that I went to see.

I have a tendency to be standoffish, somewhat cold much of the time. I don't choose to be that way, at least not most of the time; nevertheless, I am. So I am very lucky that I have friends who can see beyond that, that I do care for them, and that they, not the cities I visit, the books I read, the websites I look at, etc., are not what is important, though I often get distracted and confused into thinking they are. Though I really loved visiting the sites and shrines of San Francisco, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Kansas, Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Ise, and Hiroshima, it is the people I spent time with there that were important. When I was alone in Tokyo for the last couple of months, I really began to wonder what the point was, and one day I realized - you are nothing without the ones you love.

Not a new realization, but I forget sometimes, I guess. I think I can do things by myself, and very often I can because I've learned to be alone - but the grocery store you visit with a good friend is a million times more enjoyable than the greatest temple.

So I wanted to do a tribute to all of my friends. Sorry if it takes up all your bandwidth. I realize you don't all know each other, but know this: every one of these people is a magnificent human being, and I am grateful to know them. If your picture is not in here, I hope you won't be insulted - most of these are from my trip, and many of the pictures I took didn't turn out.

I start with my parents, because I've known them the longest, and am most grateful to them for making me who I am.

I love you all. I thank you so much.

僕は皆が大好き。ありがとう。

Sorry about the wait

I met my dad a couple of days ago here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We're leaving tomorrow, but we did a few things, and I took a few pictures.

Yesterday we went to see petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are images scratched into rock as long ago as 1000-2000 years ago, though most of them are from about 500 years ago. Still others are from a few days ago, as "vandals" like to write their names on rocks, too.


You can see a snake in the middle of the picture, and this next shows a rat with a rattle (my dad enjoyed the pun) on a more solitary rock.


Today we went to Santa Fe.

New Mexico certainly has a singular style.


But wait... that looks like... yes...


A building I saw in Oji, in Tokyo. Eerie, isn't it?
I have yet to figure out the plan of this building. Just when I think I find a symmetry to it, I find some balcony or wall that breaks that symmetry. It looks as if it grew organically.

We took in the church with the miraculous staircase in Santa Fe.


It's said that builders, confounded by the small size of the chapel, couldn't build a way up to the second floor loft, and so the nuns prayed for help. Soon thereafter a man came and built the staircase (minus the banister - that was built later for ease of use), a marvel to architects, according to the prerecorded guide given in the chapel. It is rather impressive.


This Mary that caught my eye ("Maria Conquistadora") is outside a basilica in Santa Fe.

We breezed through Santa Fe in a couple of hours, and with time to spare, we decided to head to the Taos pueblo. Unfortunately, the pueblo was closed - people live in the pueblo, and they close some times for religious and other occasions. However, it wasn't a complete loss, as we had a chance to see the sun set on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (that's "Blood of Christ," so you know).

Jet lag blues

Jet lag is killing me. I had no problem when I went to Japan: I was able to sleep on the plane, and though I was a bit groggy the first day, I quickly got into the swing of things. Then, of course, I was in a new, fascinating place, and on vacation; now I'm in San Francisco, dealing with responsibilities and stuff. Or, trying to deal, though I keep falling asleep.

I have a few last shots of Tokyo.

I found this place walking in my neighborhood in Morishita. It's kind of rare you find a place as odd as this in the more conservative eastern area of Tokyo. Anyway, thought it was hilarious. I went to their website, and yet I'm still not sure what they do.

Two nights before I left I went out with Yuko and Sachi again, in Shibuya. Sachi arranged it, and made sure it was all you can drink: she knows I like my beer. It was a good, if somewhat sad, time. Not much gets Yuko down, though, as you can see in the picture.




Finally, the night before I left Takatoshi took a break from his final graduation paper to take me for a drive around the city. I hadn't been to Odaiba yet, so we went there, among other places. The picture above is of Odaiba.

The next day, Takashi (NB: Takashi and Takatoshi are two different people) went with me, despite a terrible hangover - he ended up throwing up on the train! Poor guy. We'd hoped to grab a meal together before we left, but I had various problems come up because I changed my ticket and there just wasn't enough time and, well, Takashi just had things come up... Next time's on me, Takashi.

I haven't done much since I got back, but I've continued to take pictures. I feel a little weird: I've lived in SF for almost six years, so SF seems mundane, and yet there certainly are a bunch of beautiful places here (duh).

This first is from the Taqueria Cancun, the best burrito place in the world, maybe. I had actually ordered, waited for, and eaten half of a burrito before I noticed this new display.

I'm staying at my friend Amanda's place this week, in the Sunset; she, by coincidence, is in Kansas this week, so I've got a room to myself for the first time in nearly six months.

Her place is near this church.


Amanda's place is also near the best part of San Francisco, other than its proximity to Mt. Tamalpais: Golden Gate park. I always find something new if I let myself wander (and it's hard not to wander there). This area made me think maybe I'd see a brontosaurus come out of the water.



The quaint Shakespeare garden.



My travels aren't over yet.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
- Tolkien