Eiga-mura (Ninja/Samurai Theme Park)

Hey Folks I know it has again been a long time sing my last post but hey why worry when Lucy does such a good job?

Currently she is flat out psoting about our trip to Hiroshima so I thought I would cover todays interesting events :)

After setting off from Takasuki at around 9 it was to be a short trip into Kyoto then a change of trains and a walk to the theme park, maybe an hour or so of travel. Unfortunatley the maps we had did not show the easy route we intended to take (due to the map being from a competing transport compay) so we ended up taking the wrong train to the wrong side of town due to me selecting the wrong bus stop. I should have chosen the one another 10 meters away... silly Hunty. We eventually go there after 2.5hrs, a bit grumpy and hot (as i write this at 5:30 it is still 35 degrees C ) but after refreshing in the wonderfully freezing air con we ventured out int he park proper.

The theme park was orignally a movie lot and used extensivley in older Samurai films. Today we did experiance some filming taking place, but for the most part it is all tourists, overpriced activities and gift shops. One of the best parts of the day was the Samurai show. We all sat down on little padded pews in a very ornate theatre (aslo used in various films) and waited in anticipation. Presently the ligths dimmed and the main show began. Though i could not undersand what the actors were saying there seemed to be a fight over a girl, with swords, and lots of yelling, it was fun! Then they chose members from the audience to come up and have a go. Andy, one of the other AET's put my hand up for me and I was forced out the front. There were a few of us up there, but the first victim was this little girl....





Soon Enough, it was my turn...






I win!!!
:P


We also got dressed up all pretty :)




And some other pretty photos

Back again

Hi all,

I have been whipped into action by my wife as apparently Ive been lazy in updating my blog, maybe that's true but hey :)

I still need to get some photos from the sushi night so there is a post in the works on the strange things we have been eating, but at the moment we are still recovering from the hiking on Saturday. Lucy has been riding to school okay and my arm has healed after having her hanging off it for a time, and we have both been enjoying the lovely rain on the way to work. The talk of soggy undies has been rather amusing...


My schools as a whole have been just great. The maximum number of lessons expected from me in a day is 5 and today I came out with just 2 lessons taught, not a bad day! The students really are a mixed bag. One class will get right into the games and sing along to the silly chants, while some others (the minority) will have to be dragged bodily from their chairs in order to participate. The constant Hello's as we walk down the halls and the high-fives and hugs really make you feel like a rock star, and certainly put a smile on your face.

I'm getting closer to being able to read the comments left by the students at the end of every lesson, and using basic words to get my meaning across to both students and teachers, and generally having fun with the language.

On a side note, after getting off the train back to Takasuki from hiking on the weekend dropped my wallet in the station. I went to the police station today and they had it sitting there waiting for me, it having being handed in by some good Samaritan. Complete and intact was the 10000 Yen note (just over $100 AU) and credit cards etc. Only in Japan!

Earthqakes earthquakes every day.

Hiya all,

Another quick update as I need to prepare for tomorrows school lessons with grades 1-6. Thouhg I should upadte the current earthquake situation. We have not been affected in any way by the earthquakes that have been occouring over the last few days. Just so you all have a better idea of the situation, here is a lovely map I found.



The dots represent eathquake centers and the line to the west of Tokyo represents the area of effect the earthquakes have had. The thin blue lines represent the edges of the tectonic plates.

As you can see we are a fair way from any fault lines the only way we know anything has happened is by hearing it on the news.

Doing the Tourist thing

Hiya all, and thanks for all the comments and well wishes :)

Just as a quick note we did not feel anything during the earthquake on thursday night. None of the other AET's here did either. From what we have heard there has been minimal damage and as far as we are concerned it is business as usual.

We all did the tourist thing today, going up to Kyoto and looking around some shrines. One was built without any nails or other fasteners, and the other was plated with gold leaf inside and out. Shiny! Lucy should have some pictures up shortly, and look out for the ninja dog :)

Tomorrows plan is to head down to Osaka, another 20min train ride away and look at an old castle. So we should have some interesting stuff to write home about so stay tuned.

Status Update

Hey all!

Just a quick update as it has been a while. This week has been mostly filled with training and searching for food. The training has been predominately focused on going through all the material supplied for us for each of the year levels. While 90% of our time will be spent with grad 5-6 we will be doing some work with younger kids. Should keep life interesting! We are basically going through games and teaching techniques as well as ploughing through the set curriculum.

Throughout this we have been doing a bit of Japanese study, and you can hear about some of the funny results of this in Lucy's Blog, but it has been a lot of fun all round, with lots of off-topic remarks and sillyness going on. Ahh the things we get paid for...

My Japanese is progressing a little, and I can happily order at a restraunt (by pointing at the menu and going "kore kudasai" (that please) and so on.

Tomorrow we will be viewing the entry of the 1st graders as they come to school for the first time. I have been told it is quite an event!
Jamata!

A little strangeness

Heya folks,

Training on Friday was a basic introduction as expected. We went out to the park for lunch and were mobbed by 10-13 year old boys looking for chocolate and to gawk at the gaijin :). All in good fun.

We have been out shopping all morning and I'm not feeling up to writing much detail today, so I shall leave you with a collection of some of the interesting and strange things we have encountered with over the last few days. Photos courtesy of Jess and Andria, thanks girls!

Jamata! (See you later!)

Strangeness

Day Two

Hiya All!

The end of another day. Chis and I are already tired of shopping. But I ad better start from the start...

The day started off with all the new AETs, Andria, Chris, Jess, Lucy and I all following Mr Oshida to to city hall on bikes. Its a wonderful system they have here, no real rules as far as i can make out except to generally stick to the left. Cars, scooters and bike all use the narrow roads together, and though there are people going everywhere I have not yet seen or experienced a collision. It all just works. The surprising lack of cars on the roads allows us to feel really safe, even though its been a while since any of us rode a bike any distance lol.

The morning was mostly taken up with signing forms for our alien card applications etc, and I am now officially head of our household, YES! (Though i don't want to push that title too far...). Anyway then another scrumptious lunch was forthcoming.
I am amazes at how great all the food it here! With one or two exceptions, including fried chicken skin tonight, the food has been simply scrummy (Okonomiyaki is the best! Its basically a cabbage pancake Pizza, watashi wa suki desu! (i like!)).　

After lunch we met the mayor, an introduction that was very stiff and formal, and we got a pretty digital clock, Yay for us!

After the introductions everyone went shopping and bought stuff. House stuff mostly, a new futon etc. Lucy is like a mother hen fussing about her nest, gee its fun to see :)
They we all went exploring into the city on bikes again, searching for some dinner. After being attempting to talk to the waiters in one restaurant we discovered tha the seats we were about to sit in were reserved, and that the restaurant was full :(. A quick walk down the street and We found a nice looking place, and ordered by pointing at the menu (it had pictures :) and saying 'Kore kudasai' (this please). Our resulting meal included aforementioned Okonomiyaki and fried chicken skin, as well as other unidentifiable meats. An interesting mix and a fun filled dinner! Oh and Hunty drank alcohol again :P

Tomorrow we get started on our training, so we shall see how that pans out.

Day Two

Just a side note, the Sakura, or cherry blossoms are just starting to come out. We have a couple of trees outside our apartment and all the girls are looking forward to the next week or two as they come fully into bloom. Expect more photos of sakura in future blogs.

All the best!
Hunty