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

Our new pad

Hiya folks!

Its been a busy busy day. Went for a walk at 8:30 in the morning (what i thought would be peak hour) and the streets were just empty. A few cars and bikes going through but very few cars. After a scrumptious breakky at the hotel (meatballs, sausage, eggs, veges and rice!) we were picked up by the Takasuki international association. After the 1 hour car to our new unit (would take 20 mins by train) we got stuck into the re-organisation. Here are some pics of the place before and after :)

Our Unit

We moved all the furniture in the place and vacuumed the entire unit in about 3 hours, a pleasant change from coolibah court hehe! we are still living out of suitcases and sleeping on the floor atm but we should have most things sorted by Sunday.

After the cleanout we visited the Oshida family for dinner. Our host parents and guardians during our stay the Osidas insit we call them Otosan and Ocasan, father and mother. After a scruptions dinner (and a beer!) we spent a lovely eavning chatting and laying out what the plans for the next few days are. Aftter dinner we rode our bikes down to the 24 hour supermarket about 500m away from our apartment. A fun experiance indeed with hello kitty milk and spirits that is marketed like soft drink.

Tomorrow will be all official business, obtaining alien cards and meeting the mayor of Takatsuki, will write about it when its happened :) Hope alls well in OZ and loving the comments!

Safe in Japan

Hiya Folks

Just got to our Hotel room in Osaka. From the airport the crazy Taxi driver seemed to stay at 40km/hr OVER the speed limit the entire way... and then due to the silly address system that numbers each building in the order it was built he could not find the hotel. He ended up dropping us a hotel with the same name over a block away but they kindly gave us a map and after walking through the train station we finally found our way here.. PHEW!

In our room the bed comes half way up our shins and the toilet looks like it has a computer built in... oh and there are 31 unsecured wireless networks I can see! (currently getting 5mbps download yay!) Anyway here are a couple of pics before we both crash. Should have some photos of our apartment by the weekend. All the best everyone!

Flight to Japan

Travel Update

Quick update,
Lucy and I are currently in Korea awaiting transfer flight into Japan. Was going to post some photos but the wireless internet is soooo sloooow. The flight so far has been fine, the Airbus A330 is much bigger inisde than i expected. Food has been okay (though Lucy did not think much of the Korean Soup) and with networked personal entertainment systems in every seat even Molly hasnt been complaining! (Oh and I beat Lucy at Battleships (hehe)). I will update again as time and internet access allow.

Update on Travel Plans

Hi All,

Just thought I would give a final update before we head off on Tuesday.

Our plans for the moment are to drive down to Brisbane on Monday 28th and stay overnight near the airport. Our flight leaves Brisbane around 8:00 on Tuesday morning and we will be flying to Inchon in Korea, with a 2 hour stop over and then we are back on the plane for the short hop over to Kansai airport near Osaka. The next day we will be meeting our host family, the Ishida's and they will be sorting out alien cards, bank accounts etc that will allow us to work in Takasuki. On Thursday 31st we will also be meeting with the Mayor of Takasuki, and our life a local celebreties will begin :)

The threat of radiation contamination in food and water supplies is defiantly a concern for us at the moment. However we have been in contact with others currently living and working in Osaka and Takatsuki and it has been life as normal for them. Obviously we will be looking closely at any developments that may impact our health but for the moment Takasuki seems a relatively safe place to be.



Image of our flight path into Japan

Some more photos

Hello again! I have been asked to upload some further photos of our trip to the family farm last week, so without further ado here we are....

On the Farm 2

We also have had further reports from other AET's currently living in Japan or that have returned home for holidays. Dispite some small tremors in Takatsuki they are basically unaffected, all services are running as normal and at this stage there is no concern about the radiation reaching them.
With number 3 reactor apparently now stabilised things are looking as though they are settling down. Obviously there will be longer-term consequences that we will have to be aware of and take precautions against, but things are looking good for us to travel over on the 29th as planed.

Nuclear Worries

Hi all you faithful followers out there :P. Just through I would give an update on our plans regarding the current nuclear problems in Japan.
At this stage it looks as though ourselves and all the other Assistant english teachers (AET's) will be continuing to go to Takatsuki as planned. However we are looking at the situation very closely and we are all taking it day by day. As Takasuki is over 550km away from Fukushima we should have no problems. However if radiation levels are found to increase significantly to the south of Fukushima we will be considering pulling out altogether. The Tukatsuki city council has already notified us that if we choose not to travel to Japan in light of this incident then they will be understanding. Its all just a matter of wait and see at this time :)

In the image below you can see the line between Fukushima and Takasuki. (550km)

Lucy On the Farm

Some photos of us on the farm before going to Japan.

On the Farm

Test Post

This is a test post for me weeeee