After sleeping in in Andy's hotel room, I woke up and headed toward Narita airport, the international airport in Tokyo. I was super early but not feeling oh so hot so I kind of laid around, shopped for omiyage a little, and read American Psycho, which I picked up at the bookstore (I just finished Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential- good read). I got my flight from Tokyo to Bangkok and arrived in Bangkok around 9. I got a taxi to Kao San Road. This is the famous road where all the backpackers hang out. I didn't really want to stay here [View Full Entry]

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Due to our crazy late night last night, today was a bit of a wasted day. We got up to check out of our hotel and headed toward the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku. This is the hotel where the new JETs stay when they first arrive in Tokyo every year. This is the 5th year I've come to this hotel- once when I was a new JET myself, two years to pick up the new JETs for Saga, one year just hanging out after I'd finished my time as a JET, now this year. I have still never paid to [View Full Entry]

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Theresia and I got up ridiculously early today to get a train into Saga, then another train to Fukuoka, then the subway to the airport. We made it in time for our flight to Tokyo. We got in then took a few other trains to get to our hotel in Jimbocho called the Sakura Hotel. It's a nice place in a not so bad location. I recommend it! I took a massively long, much-needed nap at the hotel while Theresia went to Narita airport to pick up her friend Sarah. Sarah flew in from Texas to visit. They got back and [View Full Entry]

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Got up today and headed into Saga to meet Aiko and Mayu for lunch. Aiko and Mayu have been friends since high school. I met them when they were volunteering with the Charity Christmas Party a few years ago. I also volunteered for the party every year I was in Saga. Today Aiko picked me up at the station and we went to a favorite restaurant of mine, Bishnu. This is the only Indian (well, really the owners are Nepalese) restaurant in Saga. It opened during my second year and I'm pretty sure we kept them in business that first year- [View Full Entry]

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I met Daisaku for lunch today. Daisaku is one of my all time favorite students. He is a very bright kid and works very hard at learning everything he can. He's super good at English and is now studying German and economics at Saga University. He took me to his favorite lunch spot and we chatted for a long while about his life and how things have changed since high school. The boy is going to school, working at 7/11, and working at a cram school as well. He said he hadn't slept for a long time, but he's happy. He [View Full Entry]

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Met my old student, Mariko, and we went to see the new Harry Potter movie together. It was OK, but I liked the 5th movie a lot better. Thoughts? We then went to get lunch at Jusco and then went to purikura. We caught the bus back to the station and I headed to Kashima in time to get a shower before we went to Kitagata to a restaurant called Nuf Nuf. This place is all reggaed out, Bob Marley pics and all, run by a couple of chill Japanese peeps. We were there for a going away party for a [View Full Entry]

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Long day today- got up and went to Saga to see my old supervisor. I walked from the station to Kencho (prefectural office) where my supervisor works. I walked into his office. and first saw his secretary, Hashima san. She was quite surprised to see me! I met a new ALT who was there, Elspeth, and an ALT who I had met once, Will. My supervisor made an amazing noise of surprise/joy when he saw me hahaha We chatted for a bit then I headed downstairs to tlk to my old supervisor secretary, Hirabaru san. She now works in an office [View Full Entry]

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I planned on getting up early to go to the ceremony for the new JETs, but after the 5 am red wine event I decided my morning would be better spent sleeping in James' incredibly comfortable bed (James was away at camp- don't get any ideas y'all). I finally woke up around noon and said goodbye to Gareth. Have a great trip!!! Jen picked me up and we went to Youme Town. This is a mall that opened about 6 months before I left Saga. It contains the first and only Starbucks in Saga City (there is one other in the [View Full Entry]

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Woke up around 6 to get off the ferry. Dai dropped us off at the bus station. He and Morgan had to go to work. T and I took the bus to Fukuoka airport then waited for a new bus to Saga. We met a nice older couple who had just returned from Russia. They were funny. We got to Saga and caught a train to Kashima, where T lives. 24 hours after our trip home started, it was finally over!! After chilling for awhile we got a train into Saga and headed to No Tenki. Gareth had kindly organized a [View Full Entry]

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Our trip down to Saga started today as we woke up to rain and had to take our tents down and clear out of the campsite. Goodbye, Fuji Rock! Hope to see you again soon! Dai, Theresia, Morgan and I got on the road and headed to Osaka. It's an 8 hour drive I think from Niigata. We had to be there by 6:50 to catch a ferry to Beppu, where Dai and Morgan live. At 6:30 we showed up to a ferry station, to find out it was the WRONG ferry station. Doh! We sped down the street to the [View Full Entry]

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