I'll let the photos do the explaining, but as you can see it was a VERY busy week! Monday Farewell pizza party at our house and drinking games Tuesday Public Holiday Wednesday Busy day at Kindy Thursday Graduation for 8 children graduating from Kindy. First was a 1 hour ceremony at the Kindy (MEK) and all the mums wore kimono. Then we went to lunch at a hotel in the city and celebrated their graduation. It was like a mini wedding - 5 course meal, lots of speeches etc. It was also a farewell party for Belinda and Alek who have just completed their 1 year contracts at MEK. Friday Last day of the Kindy year. Special bento. Another farewell party at a sushi restaurant ... read more

On Saturday, Alek, Belinda and I drove to a small town called Mariko, about half an hour away from Shizuoka city. We went to a couple of temples and then to a big workshop/arts center where you can go and make your own handicrafts (like pottery etc.). We didn't have time to make anything but I will probably go back sometime before December. We ate lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant and then went for a walk around the area. You can read more about my week in the comments under the photos. Tokyo tomorrow!!! Belinda, Tomoko and I are staying one night in Roppongi (clubbing area of Tokyo - should be lots of fun!)....will report again soon!... read more

The weather was horrible - freezing cold and windy. We cut the day a bit short and lucky for that because it started to rain soon after we left. I felt so sorry looking at all the animals in their tiny cages, in unnatural environments. The kids had fun - apart from complaining about the cold!... read more

The Kindergarten (called MEK - Miyazaki English Kindergarten) is a 7 minute walk away. It is a tiny centre for the amount of children that attend - 60. There are three classes - we have our own classrooms but they are tiny: Koala Class 3-4 year olds - Belinda Panda Class 4-5 year olds - Me! Bear Class 5-6 year olds - Alek - Macedonian/Australian and he’s 23. (before anyone asks, no I’m not interested in him) The children are all of course Japanese and like all kindy children, some are much cuter than others! I’m kind of lucky to have gotten the middle class as they have already been at the kindergarten for nearly 2 years and know some English. They know basic things like animals, colours, basic instructions etc. I was surprised that I ... read more

Early Saturday morning, 8am to be exact, Alek and I were picked up by Takahumi. He is the father of a child in my class. It took 2 hours to get to the theme park, which is in the Yamanashi prefecture. The theme park is very close to the base of Mount Fuji and there was a lot of snow around the area. We were lucky that it was a clear day (but only about 5 degrees) making the view beautiful from the top of the roller coasters. We paid one price (about $45), which got us a 'free' pass to allow us unlimited rides. Once you have your pass, you go over to the photo booths. They take a quick black and white photo of your face, which is printed onto your pass. Very cool! ... read more