(01/11/03 - 30/11/03)
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01/11/03 |
International Club Hallowe'en party
Held on a two-carriage train that went from Fukui to Katsuyama, back to Fukui, then up to Mikuni and back. We joined it for the second trip (feeling that two hours on a moving train, in costumes and with alcohol was more than enough!). It was a great party, with a fab atmosphere, which continued at Gigalo in Katamachi afterwards!
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02/11/03 |
Norin Agricultural High School Festival
Matt T's school. It was really good fun, especially making soba and trying free stew!
Tojinbo
Visited this infamous beauty-spot with Tom. The weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful.
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03/11/03 |
Echizen Bamboo Doll Village, and what came after
So we had a day off (yet another National Holiday - this one labeled "Culture Day"). Deciding to stick with the theme of "Culture", Brandon, Christina, Laura, Jose, Tom and I went to the bamboo doll village in Maruoka. It was really good, and very interesting - I recommend going if you get a chance!
Afterwards we went to book our tickets for The Matrix 3 for Wednesday, and spent a while wondering round Copa (a shopping mall). Of course, we ended up playing in the arcade section!!!
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08/11/03 |
School as normal (but it's Saturday...?!) Basically an open-day for prospective students and their parents. Not overly exciting, although we have Monday off as compensation!
Tom's welcome enkai (party) arranged by my school! Thanks to Kasamatsu-sensei for arranging it, and also to the teachers who came. It was a great evening, and has given rise to Tom's new nickname..."DWAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRFFFF". Ok, a bit of an oversized dwarf....it's a long story!
Brandon's Pimps and Hoes Party Tom and I came late (meeting up with people at Cream nightclub), and didn't have a chance to dress up - sorry guys! Great evening though, and the costumes were fab! Unfortunately, didn't take any photies, though, but if any of you guys and gals wanna donate some, then please do!
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09/11/03 |
Yosakoi performance at the FIA (Fukui International Activities Plaza) Part of the International Festival. Yes, after all that work and partying yesterday, Brandon and I had to get up bright and early and go and strut our stuff! The last dance of the year...
...but don't worry! Yosakoi returns in February!
And also...thanks to Tom, I now have some photos of the International Club Yosakoi Team doin' their stuff...
Maruoka Castle After the FIA event, Tom and I drove up to Maruoka (near Harue, where my school is), and went to Maruoka Castle. Not anything like the castles we have at home (either in England or Jersey). It's wooden, it's tiny, and it looks none-too-sturdy...
Chillin' at Jose's (again) Yup...more watching DVDs and having fun...take a look at the photos if you need any more proof!
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10/11/03 |
No school (day in lieu of Saturday)
The Big Daibutsu, Katsuyama After a failed attempt to go to the Dinosaur Museum (it was shut), Tom and I decided to check out the big indoor Buddha in Katsuyama. This thing is IMMENSE! And surprisingly, it was only built in 1987. There's a five story pagoda there too, which offers fantastic views of the surrounding area. (Do I sound like a guide book yet?).
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11/11/03 |
Fukui ken (Prefecture) English Oratorical Contest Yes, the day which Aoyama-sensei and I have been preparing for for over a month finally arrived! I think Aoyama-sensei had been under an awful lot of stress to organise this event, but the day went off with out a hitch.
Thanks to the chairpeople and judges (for making my life easier, and generally doing a fab job): Lucy, Christina, Brandon, Adam, Laura, Mary and Kara. Hans - sorry you couldn't make it, it was a great day. Hope you're feeling better soon!
(yup, only one, and not of the students, or even of all the ALTs...if anyone has any more photos they'd like to donate...please do!)
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14/11/03 |
A meal out with the girls, then drink with Kara (she's a bad influence, that one!) Went to Atom Boy with Mary, Teresa and Kara, and stayed far too long considering it's supposed to be fast food! It was great to catch up with all the gossip, too!
After eating, Kara and I went back to her place with three bottles of wine and a large bottle of "yoghurt liquor" I thought looked quite interesting. The evening was whiled away by chatting, reminiscing about home, and comparing photographs and stories, which finally ended at 4am when Kara fell asleep (obviously the girl can't take her 1.5 bottles of wine + liquors!) and I crept (or rather, 'swayed') home.
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15/11/03 |
Zazen Meditation at Daiazenji Temple Twenty or so JETs descended on the sacred place to partake in a little meditation! Actually, this was a really fantastic experience. Daianzenji is very old, and has survived many natural disasters that have befallen Fukui. The meditation was definitely an experience. It was lead by the head monk of the temple in a large tatami room with an impressive shrine. We sat along two sides of the room, facing each other - either in the lotus or half-lotus position (or alternatively, like me, 'indian style'). Sitting bolt upright, legs folded, eyes half-open focused about a meter ahead and 45 degrees down, with our hands in the correct position (it's all very precise!), we attempted to empty our minds and get to know our own inner-selves.
Ok, so we were only at it for 30 minutes, but it was a great introduction. It was also a good opportunity to actually stop for half an hour - something I really appreciated. The head monk was very interesting, and was a striking figure in his long flowing black robes and his big stick he used to hit people. (Not as scary as it sounds - you can, and some JETs did, ask to be hit with it on your shoulders during meditation to release the strain in your muscles. I was too much of a wimp to experience this, however!).
Meal out in Harue With Tom, Brandon, Christina and Adam B. after meditation. We were looking for okonomiyaki, but gave up and settled for tempura instead. It was very tasty though, and they even offered us coffee afterwards! (The first time this has happened in Japan).
Yosakoi team party Which Brandon and I went to after dinner, not realising that this party was dinner! Ooops! Needless to say, we just stayed for the Nomi hodai (all-you-can-drink). It was a really good party, and a good end to this season's yosakoi.
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16/11/03 |
Making soba noodles with the International Club For the second time this month, we went along to make noodles, but this time with the International Club. Christina, Laura and her father and Tom came along for the fun. And it really was fun. But Christina and Laura - the dough should be SQUARE, not round! (Yuki was despairing!)
Tom has a keitai (mobile phone)! Yes, on the third visit to the Vodafone shop, we have finally been able to get him one! I won't see him for the next couple of days as he'll be playing with it!
Okonomiyaki Ok, so I've been for quite a few okonomiyaki meals since I've been here, and haven't felt the need to record every one, but this one has photos! So you can now all see this glorious food that I've been raving about for the last four months! It really is good stuff. And some of the photos are quite funny, too. Well, Tom's in them. 'Nuff said!
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21/11/03 - 25/11/03 |
Kyoto Another National Holiday, making this weekend a long weekend (plus I took a day off, too)...so Tom and I pootled off to Japan's old Capital. We spent pots of cash (isn't getting a salary just great?!), and had a wonderful break! There were hoards of Japanese tourists, who had all had the same idea as us!
In case you hadn't noticed, it's the "Changing of the Leaves" time of year...and here in Japan that's BIG news. Ever the cynic, I can't quite understand this. They change colour every year. But watching all the Japanese tourists fighting for the best spot in front of a particularly red-leaved tree in order to have their photos taken was entertainment in itself!
We toured around so many temples and shrines, pagodas, parks, and even a real (old, obviously) Samurai house, with hidden escape routes and traps, not to mention just some really cool tricks (e.g. fireproofing and acoustic altering mechanisms).
There was also a reasonable degree of shopping, although this was curbed slightly, due to the sheer mass of people!
Anyway, did far too much to write in any detail...but one last thing...
If you go to a ryokan (Japanese inn), be sure to speak Japanese to the Mamma-san. They really appreciate it (their faces light up), and you may just get some omiyage (gifts). We stayed at three ryokan and didn't leave any of them empty handed!
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26/11/03 |
Had a milkshake with Chiaki-san (one of the members of my "host family") - yes! we finally met!
Just a note about Host Families - this is a scheme set up by FJET (Fukui JETs), where JETs are put in touch with a Japanese family (if they want). It's just another point of contact in this Alien Land (although we are the aliens here...we have official cards to prove it!). It's just really someone to meet, ask advice from, go out and have a good time with... Not at all a "host family" in fact. So there you go.
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27/11/03 - 28/11/03 |
ALT Mid-year conference (MYC)
Fun and frolics with all the Fukui JETs together for only the third time since all us newbies arrived. The two days involved workshops and lectures, and was, in fact, very interesting and good fun!
See the photos of Ruan, after protests (by Ruan) that he didn't appear enough on this website!
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27/11/03 |
Dinner at Ganga, after day 1 of the MYC
Ganga is a great Indian restaurant on Rt 8 in Fukui City. A crowd of us met up and had dinner there. Afterwards we went to Copa shopping centre to do "picture club" - getting group photos done in photo booths. If/when I get a scanner, I'll upload the results!
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28/11/03 |
Dinner at the Vice-Governor of Fukui's house
After the last day of the MYC, a lucky 10 ALTs were privileged enough to go to dinner with Fukui Prefecture's Vice Governor and his wife, at his house. It was a really relaxed and very enjoyable meal. The food was delicious, and both Vice Governor and his wife were really really lovely.
Powa Howa ("power hour") at Holly's
The idea of a power hour is to down a shot of beer every minute for an hour. Because of the dinner, however, I wasn't in time to join in the competition (ah...what a shame), but I joined in the nomi hodai (all you can drink). I had a really great time...! Oh, and congrats. to the survivors of the Powa Howa.
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29/11/03 |
Eiheiji with a Hangover
Those of you who know me, know that I don't get hungover. However, after all that beer the night before, I sure did have a headache the next day! Tom was a bit more worse-for-wear.
This didn't stop us from braving Eiheiji Temple with Christina and Jose. The temple looked really beautiful - the leaves on the trees are still looking good, in all their red, gold, and green glory!
Night at Jose's
A crowd of us stayed over at Jose's watching films and generally chatting - hurray for Monty Python! One of the main reason for staying over was...
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30/11/03 |
Pancakes for breakfast at Jose's
American style, of course! But totally yummy! Thanks to Kara, Christina and Teresa for making them, and to Jose for providing a kitchen!
A Warm Rug and Christmas Tree are purchased
Went shopping with Tom and Christina, and we bought a heated rug - what a wonderful invention. Basically, for those not in the know, it's a floor rug which plugs in. You can set the heat (amongst other things) and it heats up wherever you are sitting or lying on it!
The Christmas tree is 1.5m tall and now covered in lights and decorations, and is in pride of place in the flat.
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