Let's see... it was two weeks ago now that I decided to take the train to Okamoto (in Eastern Kobe) in search of a temple with a beautiful pagoda (visible, at the top of a mountain, from the train.) On my way up the mountain I stopped on a bridge over a small stream to photograph a flowering tree in a nearby park. As I bent to retrieve my camera from it's bag I noticed some trash thrown in the stream. Upon further inspection it wasn't trash at all but Inoshishi (Japan's native wild boar!) Four big (the size of a large dog) dead boar, assumedly washed down from the mountains in the last rain... or so it seemed until one of them swatted a fly with it ear! Apparently these scruffy brown pigs were just relaxing in the noon-day shade of the river-bed. I'm glad I was up on a bridge, the tusks on the male pig reassured me that I really wouldn't want to meet one face to face in a dark alley.
Continuing my climb I happened upon a nice rest shack half way up the mountain. After pausing for breath I attempted to continue up the mountain to no avail. Turns out I was on the wrong path, and would need to go around the mountain to get to the pagoda. Seeing the circum-navigation of the mountain too much of a bother I decided to wander down the Sumiyoshi river instead. The weather was beautiful that Tuesday and aside from not seeing the pagoda up close and personally, I had a very nice hike.
Wednesday I had to go in for more kids class training (covering all the "new, start of the year, class stuff." But because I'm entitled to two days off a week I got Sunday off instead... Which was fortuitous because one of my co-workers was having a fare-well party Sunday afternoon. The party's location was a house with a great view up on the mountain North of my Kobe apartment. I hiked up just in time to watch the rain roll in across Kobe (a cool scene, when seen from the dry indoors.)
Ah, almost forgot, Friday was a national holiday and, by chance, the first sitting in Osaka for an art project that involves taking formal portraits of English teachers in Japan. Having heard of the project through facebook (yes, yes, I social network online) I eagerly signed up. I've now gotten half of two of my life's goals accomplished: Having my portrait painted (photographed isn't bad) and having my words recorded for posterity (there was an interview involved too, though the final project won't include names.)
Since I was in Osaka anyways, I wandered over to Den-den town (Osaka's nerd/computer district) for the annual Den-den town parade. Gosh was THAT a trip. Many, many people dressed up in all sorts of costumes posing up and down a kilometer of closed-off main street while many others took pictures (yours truly included.) Perhaps the best part was seeing a lot of my Kobe co-workers walking around taking pictures too. ...maybe I'll have my costume shipped over for next year, Hmmm...
Anyone who's known me for a time can guess that, yes, I was packed to move long before last Tuesday rolled around. I got up early (if you call 8am early) and walked over to the local Nissan Rent-a-car (which is great, the Japanese for rent-a-car is rentaakaa) and picked up my cloud blue Nissan March. It was a tight fit, but I did manage to squeeze into the driver's seat fairly comfortably. I then (Very Carefully) drove back to the Kobe apartment where my roommate Mr. B. helped my pack all my worldly possessions, like so many clowns, into the folded down back seat of a tiny sub-compact car.
We managed to be on the road, carefully navigating our way to the Hanshin Expressway by 9:30. With a grand mix us google maps, in-dash navigation, raw skill, and luck we were in front of my new apartment in Osaka in an hour. After a tiny snag, in which my landlord dropped the wrong key off at the rental agency and had to come re-key my lock, Mr. B. and I hauled my junk up (on the elevator, thank goodness) to the 7th floor. We finished up with plenty of time before the guy from the gas company was scheduled to come turn my hot water on (between 1pm and 3pm*) so we stashed the car in a local parking lot (again being Very Careful) and went out for lunch. On the way back I bought a new futon at the local grocery/dry goods store (more or less, Japanese Meijers.) and returned home just in time for the gas man to ring (right at 1pm, gotta love Japanese timing.) Once I had running hot water we went and rescued the car from the parking lot, somehow Mr. B. figured out how to pay the machine, and headed back to Kobe. After dropping off the car (waaay to easy) we walked back to the apartment where I gave it the once-over and headed back to Osaka by train.
*Some time the previous week I astonished myself with being able to call both the Gas and Electric companies and set up bother services in Japanese. Go me!
Wednesday I again got up early (again 'early" in a day-off sense) and headed Back to Kobe to do a final clean of my room and, as per my rental agreement, the kitchen. My room proved simple, 40 minutes with a vacuum, some paper towel, and some windex. The kitchen on the other hand... Four hours of scrubbing with soap and water got it mostly clean... but really, it could have use another two, easy.
Thursday began a long week of "goodbye"s and "see you around"s. Most of the week was spent traveling, as last contract's shifts were set up assuming that I was living in Kobe. The worst culprit was Himeji which took an hour and a half (and which I later found out was over 100km [100.5 km to be exact] which means I could have taken the Shinkansen and gotten reimbursed.) Fortunately my trip to Himeji wasn't just for work, as there was an end of the school year party afterwords. Yesterday (Monday) was both the last day of the old contract for me and also my last kids class of the school year. I got cookies and a thank you note from my students, which made all the effort I put in this year worth it.
I spent most of today running around changing my address with all the places I couldn't get to in the last week. I also bought a dresser and found the local laundromat. (What an exciting life I live.) I think this evening I'll head out and try to find some free wireless so I can post this, and maybe check out the night life around Namba.
Thursday I start my second contract year. I've got a mostly full schedule with only one day left "floating" meaning I have to call in in the morning and they'll send me somewhere. Besides getting my contract renewed, I also got my visa extended for another year this month (yay!)
March had been a superbly eventful month for me. I do apologize for not blogging as I went, especially up to a week ago, when I had internet... Yes, not internet at the new place yet, but the installation guy is coming on the 14th. Until then I'll be sort of under the radar, with only my iPhone to check e-mails on.
Okay, was that everything? Probably not... oh well.
Jaa Mata Ne.
P.s. Pictures to come when I can find a steady net connection.
Continuing my climb I happened upon a nice rest shack half way up the mountain. After pausing for breath I attempted to continue up the mountain to no avail. Turns out I was on the wrong path, and would need to go around the mountain to get to the pagoda. Seeing the circum-navigation of the mountain too much of a bother I decided to wander down the Sumiyoshi river instead. The weather was beautiful that Tuesday and aside from not seeing the pagoda up close and personally, I had a very nice hike.
Wednesday I had to go in for more kids class training (covering all the "new, start of the year, class stuff." But because I'm entitled to two days off a week I got Sunday off instead... Which was fortuitous because one of my co-workers was having a fare-well party Sunday afternoon. The party's location was a house with a great view up on the mountain North of my Kobe apartment. I hiked up just in time to watch the rain roll in across Kobe (a cool scene, when seen from the dry indoors.)
Ah, almost forgot, Friday was a national holiday and, by chance, the first sitting in Osaka for an art project that involves taking formal portraits of English teachers in Japan. Having heard of the project through facebook (yes, yes, I social network online) I eagerly signed up. I've now gotten half of two of my life's goals accomplished: Having my portrait painted (photographed isn't bad) and having my words recorded for posterity (there was an interview involved too, though the final project won't include names.)
Since I was in Osaka anyways, I wandered over to Den-den town (Osaka's nerd/computer district) for the annual Den-den town parade. Gosh was THAT a trip. Many, many people dressed up in all sorts of costumes posing up and down a kilometer of closed-off main street while many others took pictures (yours truly included.) Perhaps the best part was seeing a lot of my Kobe co-workers walking around taking pictures too. ...maybe I'll have my costume shipped over for next year, Hmmm...
Anyone who's known me for a time can guess that, yes, I was packed to move long before last Tuesday rolled around. I got up early (if you call 8am early) and walked over to the local Nissan Rent-a-car (which is great, the Japanese for rent-a-car is rentaakaa) and picked up my cloud blue Nissan March. It was a tight fit, but I did manage to squeeze into the driver's seat fairly comfortably. I then (Very Carefully) drove back to the Kobe apartment where my roommate Mr. B. helped my pack all my worldly possessions, like so many clowns, into the folded down back seat of a tiny sub-compact car.
We managed to be on the road, carefully navigating our way to the Hanshin Expressway by 9:30. With a grand mix us google maps, in-dash navigation, raw skill, and luck we were in front of my new apartment in Osaka in an hour. After a tiny snag, in which my landlord dropped the wrong key off at the rental agency and had to come re-key my lock, Mr. B. and I hauled my junk up (on the elevator, thank goodness) to the 7th floor. We finished up with plenty of time before the guy from the gas company was scheduled to come turn my hot water on (between 1pm and 3pm*) so we stashed the car in a local parking lot (again being Very Careful) and went out for lunch. On the way back I bought a new futon at the local grocery/dry goods store (more or less, Japanese Meijers.) and returned home just in time for the gas man to ring (right at 1pm, gotta love Japanese timing.) Once I had running hot water we went and rescued the car from the parking lot, somehow Mr. B. figured out how to pay the machine, and headed back to Kobe. After dropping off the car (waaay to easy) we walked back to the apartment where I gave it the once-over and headed back to Osaka by train.
*Some time the previous week I astonished myself with being able to call both the Gas and Electric companies and set up bother services in Japanese. Go me!
Wednesday I again got up early (again 'early" in a day-off sense) and headed Back to Kobe to do a final clean of my room and, as per my rental agreement, the kitchen. My room proved simple, 40 minutes with a vacuum, some paper towel, and some windex. The kitchen on the other hand... Four hours of scrubbing with soap and water got it mostly clean... but really, it could have use another two, easy.
Thursday began a long week of "goodbye"s and "see you around"s. Most of the week was spent traveling, as last contract's shifts were set up assuming that I was living in Kobe. The worst culprit was Himeji which took an hour and a half (and which I later found out was over 100km [100.5 km to be exact] which means I could have taken the Shinkansen and gotten reimbursed.) Fortunately my trip to Himeji wasn't just for work, as there was an end of the school year party afterwords. Yesterday (Monday) was both the last day of the old contract for me and also my last kids class of the school year. I got cookies and a thank you note from my students, which made all the effort I put in this year worth it.
I spent most of today running around changing my address with all the places I couldn't get to in the last week. I also bought a dresser and found the local laundromat. (What an exciting life I live.) I think this evening I'll head out and try to find some free wireless so I can post this, and maybe check out the night life around Namba.
Thursday I start my second contract year. I've got a mostly full schedule with only one day left "floating" meaning I have to call in in the morning and they'll send me somewhere. Besides getting my contract renewed, I also got my visa extended for another year this month (yay!)
March had been a superbly eventful month for me. I do apologize for not blogging as I went, especially up to a week ago, when I had internet... Yes, not internet at the new place yet, but the installation guy is coming on the 14th. Until then I'll be sort of under the radar, with only my iPhone to check e-mails on.
Okay, was that everything? Probably not... oh well.
Jaa Mata Ne.
P.s. Pictures to come when I can find a steady net connection.
