Blogs from Shibushi, Kagoshima, Japan, Asia

This will be my last posting from Shibushi. I find it amusing that I'm writing my last post from the same place I wrote my first post - Popeye Internet Cafe! I only have about 15 minutes before my time runs out so this will be an extremely quick update. It has been about a month since my last entry. Since then I've busy wrapping everything up - teaching my last classes, having farewell parties with the various groups I've worked with, seeing friends one last time. I am scheduled to leave town on Monday, though I won't actually leave the prefecture until August 1st. I know my entries haven't always been super-positive but as I have been getting ready to head out, I've been appreciating all the things I have come to love about ... read more

Sometimes I wonder about Japan. Recently I have made a habit of browsing the Asahi (English) newspaper cover to cover during my free periods. The world is a fascinating place but I always find myself drawn to the back of each edition where they feature Japanese news. This is where you find the juicy stuff: corruption, murder, scandal. There never seems to be a shortage of sensational stories. In the last two months we’ve seen Shibushi featured for police corruption that led to innocent suspects being tortured into confessions and government corruption that resulted in the minister of agriculture committing suicide. We’ve watched as the new Prime Minister, Mr. Abe, has stood by said minister despite calls for an investigation into excessive spending by his department, denied the existence of comfort women during WWII and ... read more

I believe I have committed the sin of all blogging sins…I have gone over a month without an update! I failed to report the blooming of the cherry blossoms; I didn’t disclose any details about my Aussie friend Tim’s second visit; I even attended another wild dance party in the city without a peep. I believe I have gone too long to revisit those events, but having received several requests for an update I will write about my latest adventure. To be honest, except for a couple of exceptional weekends, I had settled into a bit of a rut since my last update. My days were on an unwavering schedule (wake up, eat breakfast, walk to school, spend 8 hours there, do some form of exercise, walk home, cook dinner and make lunch, go to ... read more

As promised, here are some photos from the wedding reception I attended on Saturday. In many ways it was similar to a Western reception; it was held in Kagoshima’s swanky Hotel Welview and consisted of an 8-course traditional Japanese dinner, a beautiful cake and copious amounts of champagne, beer and shochu (the drink of choice down here, made with fermented sweet potatoes). Everyone was seated around round-tables in a reception hall with a head table for the bride and groom up front. As usual, speeches were made by several people, though these seemed to be more professional than at a Western reception: our school Vice Principal made a speech to the groom (my coworker) and I have a feeling the bride’s employer did the same for her. Maybe their friends spoke, though I couldn’t understand enough ... read more

After a week of inexplicable depression, my mood, like the weather has improved greatly today. As the weekend draws near this week keeps getting more exciting. My weekends are always fun and this one will not be an exception. After several active weekends in various cities in the prefecture (including a 30km walk in Ibusuki - see photos), my friends and I have decided to relax in the city for this one. Even though it involves a few hours of travel for me, once I get to Kagoshima we’ll be eating out, watching movies and sleeping in…and maybe going for a jog or two. Today, being the first of the month, it is also moving day for me! As I was packing up my belongings during my lunch breaks and free periods this week, I vaguely ... read more