week 13- unlucky for some

School was RUBBISH this week. I really don’t enjoy sitting on my rear end from 7.45 till 4.30 doing absolutely nothing. The students had mid year tests on Monday and Tuesday and then the following days involved going over these useless tests which tested knowledge far too difficult and irrelevant for these kids. I decided that it was absolutely pointless me being at school and so stayed at home on Monday. I wasn’t feeling particularly chirpy anyway and so I spent the day sat on the sofa, drinking green tea, watching tv and I made sushi rolls for lunch. A much better way to spend my time! I should actually point out that Wednesday was a good day. The whole school went out on a trip for the days. Different classes and year groups went to many different places. I accompanied Tanaka-sensei’s 1:5 to Mikuni. Ankyu-san and Matsubara-sensei were also in the group, so I think I went with the best group really. We left school at 8.30 after a short ceremony in the hall (the Japanese adore their ceremonies and schedules). We then took a coach to a temple in Mikuni. It was set within a small forest, and once again we had been blessed with a lovely day and so the light streamed through the trees. The temple was beautiful with many different ornaments on display. The carving on the wooden roof and on the beams and pillars was beautiful too. Unfortunately, as I expected, everything was explained by the guide solely in Japanese, thus I never really understood the history or origins of the temple. But it was pretty!

After this we went to a craft center near Tojinbo. Here we all sat on tatami in a big room, and some elderly ladies helped us to do tie-dye. We were given a piece of cloth and shown some of the numerous ways to fold it and attach the elastic bands to get the desired pattern. After putting the cloth into the dye, we all trudged outside to have our bentos (or salad in my case) on the grassy area in front of the center. Ankyu-san gave me one of her yummy rice ball things, which was coated in something and contained something else! I love the fact that a lot of the time I still have no idea what I eat, but I find its best to ask after I have tried it… lunch finished and we went back inside to inspect our cloth. I was impressed with everyone’s attempts- although the elderly lady who helped me obviously felt I was incapable and so did a lot of mine for me!

Back on the coach, we wearily traveled to a manju shop in Mikuni. Manju is a Japanese sweet. It’s a bit like a squashed pancake/cakey thing with the red bean paste inside. We met the manju makers inside the shop and then were given a short tutorial of how they make their products. It looked quite interesting, but the smell of the saki that they put in it wasn’t too nice. The best bit was watching them brand the manju in a little grill oven, and then put them in a clever little machine, which wrapped them in plastic. I’m easily impressed. Actually I will change what I just said, the best bit was getting to eat a warm freshly made manju…mmmmmm..and getting to take 2 home with me!

I went to tennis only once this week, but I ran most days which made a pleasant change. Although Japanese roads around here are very flat, they can be a little boring as they are quite straight and long.

Friday night I went to a yakiniku with the ichi nensei teachers from school. Tanaka-sensei drove me to the restaurant in Awara. It was a super evening. I felt a lot more comfortable being in a smaller group of teachers. I think that it made it easier for teachers to approach me and try to speak to me, and vice versa. The ichi nensei teachers are really friendly too, and Nishikawa sensei was really funny. I chatted with him quite a lot and he was the one forcing me to try random meat dishes on the table. Hence I ended up trying tongue, stomach and intestines! Tongue was actually pleasant. It was very soft and tasty. Intestines and stomach however, are not something I would try again. They were really chewy and tasteless. But I’m pleased that I made the effort to try them, as it’s all part of the experience!

After a nice sleep I got up on Saturday, went for a run in the brilliant sunshine, and then randomly drove down to Sabae to have a wander around the park that is in the middle of the town situated on a hill. It was nice to spend some time alone and stroll around this nice park looking at the many statues that lined the path up the hill. some were like normal Buddha and typical godly shrines, but others were really funny with strange figures in bizarre poses!


















After getting nice and hot walking around the park I met Meagan and Becca in Ono. Becca then drove us to a little town in the mountains where she visits an ickle school weekly. It was a picturesque place, but our reason for the visit was to attend the autumn festival being held there. It was a great day for it as the sun was really emphasizing the variation of colors on the leaves, which surrounded the mountains and the town. It was a carpet of browns, reds, oranges and fading greens.　The festival had food stalls, some craft stalls where children were making wooden toys, a stage with some drummers and most randomly of all, a swimming pool filled with fish, and people with fishing rods around the outside…why?? I have no idea! It was a cute little festival and it was fun meeting some of Becca’s students and making bookmarks with them.


That evening I went to fukui to have dinner with Jordana, Jill, Daniel and Mami. We went to Mona Lisa’s which was a great thai restaurant. I had an amazing red curry with veg and prawns. It was delicious and a nice relaxed evening chatting and laughing away. But of course something mad had to happen… not only did jill and I have ourselves sketched by this random Japanese dude (who was the manager of a cinema) in the restaurant, but when jill and I first arrived, we had the pleasure of meeting a bizarre woman. I reckon she was on drugs or had a pass to the funny farm. Although her English was actually really quite good, she was acting in such an odd manner, she was shaking and she gave us the strangest omiyage!!! She left rather promptly however when she appeared with a box of tacky jewelry that she had made and I bluntly said that I wouldn’t buy it. Oops.


Sunday was another fine day. I played tennis in the morning and then went to the FIA to help out at the International Festival which was taking place all day. I was really surprised at how nice the festival was! I kind of expected a few lame stalls and three people wandering around. But it was busy, with stalls on all three floors of the building, and performances in the basement. I had lots of fun helping children to make Halloween name tags, watching the bali dancing, Chinese dancing and the Japanese line dancing (‘clap your hands and stamp your feet,’ said in a bizarre American accent with a strong Japanese tone!!!!) and having a chat to people and a waltz around the building. Afterwards, Matthew, Darcy, Katie, Daniel and I went to a 100yen sushi place in Fukui (about 50p). it was amazing and ram jammed. The sushi was tasty and I was very excited at the tv screens at each table with a touch screen so you could order specific sushi which wasn’t on the conveyer belt going past the tables. I could sit and watch that conveyer belt all day. I love the little taps at each table for hot water to make green tea, and the tubs of yummy ginger too. There also tiny dishes for you to put soy sauce in. I also add wasabi as I love that stuff- in small doses however (unlike Mr Hart!) because the rush of fumes through the nose can sometimes be a bit too strong for me!! It’s such a fun experience. Yes I am sad.



















Nishikawa sensei’s wife gave birth to a little girl this week, which made me go all girly and silly! But what I found amazing is that Nishikawa sensei did not take any leave, he did not leave school any earlier than usual (about 9 or 10pm) and he was at school all weekend because of the tennis club that he runs! I was shocked at this. I understand that young couples usually live with the man’s parents, and so they would help to look after the baby. But even so I hate the idea of a father not being able to enjoy the experiences and joy of having a brand new baby (obviously from my extensive experience!). I don’t know if Japanese fathers are concerned at their lack of involvement, or whether they feel that their help is not required. Is this just another big cultural difference? To me it just seems that work comes above everything in Japanese society, whether you are a junior high school student or an adult. But surely if you are that blinkered, you miss out on all the other amazing things going on in the world which help to create personalities, opinions and diversity?