Typhoons, Earthquakes and Cockroaches Oh My!

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Apparently there was a huge earthquake in Japan last night...around 7:00 PM or so and I... didn't feel a thing? I don't know if that means I'm just dense or turning Japanese quicker than expected. Hmmm... There is also reportedly a Typhoon about to hit or maybe blow right past us? Last night it was incredibly rainy so that might have been part of it, but the sky doesn't look too bad right now so who knows? The rain last night was actually kind of nice because it cooled everything off, but unfortunately I was stuck walking in it with no umbrella. I no longer wonder why the Japanese seem to carry umbrellas with them wherever they go!

After a bit of exploring yesterday I discovered a 24 hour manga/web cafe and the adjacent 100 yen conveyor belt sushi restaurant. What more could a girl ask for? So after a lot of shopping to get stuff for my apartment (like pillows) I stopped in for dinner and ate 8 plates of sushi for $8.00. It feels like such a steal. You'd never get it for that cheap at home! And since it was already pouring rain I headed to the manga cafe next door to check it out and wait out the watery weather. Those places are incredibly cool! As long as you don't mind the smoking and the teenage couples loudly making out in the cubicle thing next to you, they're totally worth the $6.00 you spend for 3 hours of internet/rest time, all the manga you could possible read, and free drinks. And while my stay there didn't help me avoid the rain, it gave me a great chance to finally Skype with some people back home - so it was definitely worth it!

This week is summer break at my school so the students are few and far between and my fellow co-workers are just sort of showing up as they please. It's a very relaxed atmosphere right now which is perfectly OK with me because it gives me time to get caught up with people back home via Facebook, email etc. I've been taking the opportunity to study my Japanese though and work on my self-introduction lesson which will happen in a couple of weeks.

I've been really surprised with how quickly I'm picking up Japanese. I can't have an epic conversation with someone, but for things like eating out, taking the train or going to the store, the stuff I've been able to pick up has helped me a lot! I've been able to get a lot of tips from other English speakers in the area too. I've been hanging out a lot with the American couple who lives in the same apartment buildling as me and their friend. I have yet to see an unattractive ALT here so that's a bonus I suppose hahaha The other night the group of us went to the next town over and visited a Shinto temple and went out for sushi and beers at an izakaya. It was a lot of fun! I've got a ton of great pictures to post once I get my internet up and working.

I think my next major purchase will need to be a bike. The one the school gave me is rusted to high heaven and has a flat tire. I don't mind walking in the slightest but my feet actually ache from the amount of walking I've had to do so far. Basically everything I do requires a nice long 10-40 min walk depending on what it is. Gooo excercise! And besides, that bike basket is key for grocery shopping. After lugging home a bunch yesterday from the train station it was decided.

Jim's going to come down for a visit next weekend (hopefully) and I'm really looking forward to it. One of the first questions they ask you here is 'Do you have a boyfriend?' hahaha (I got asked this on the car ride from the train station on my first day!) We're hopefully going to get a chance to get over to the largest wooden roller coaster a bit north of here, but if not there are definitely some sites around here - the ocean, 100 yen sushi, and bowling? Who could say no to that? The teachers have already invited us to this BBQ/Fireworks even at one of the other teachers's houses so that should be fun. The other ALT will be here by then too so hopefully we can all have a good time hanging out in sweaty, muggy Mie :D

Alright, time to get back to studying my Japanese. I'll update again soon - hopefully from my own internet line!

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Photos

Two Way Street
Also, the size of a SIDEWALK at home.

Happy Japan Cow
Apparently 2009 is the year of the Cow here in Japan. These adorable prayer plaques were made by the local kids and posted up at a nearby temple. Too cute!

Bipedal Cow and Fuji
It makes sense.

No Smoking Sign
Much cooler in Japan than in Canada, I think hahaha

Torii Gates
Leading down to another shrine

Flags Guide the Way
To the second shrine

A view of the city
(not mine - the next one over)

Typhoon
This is what it looks like when a typhoon rolls in over the mountains (that you can't see in this pic hahaha)

Zen Garden
This is at the school too. Oddly enough, I have yet to see a student chilling out in this really prime spot.

Comments

[anonymous]

I am glad to hear you didnt feel the earth quake... it was centered in Tokoyo so the news reports said and depending on the one you listened to it was either a 6.9 or 7.1... I have set your prefecture on my weather network so I can check it out every so often... the sushi IS a good deal ! Gordon and I went to that Japanese restaurant that you and I went to for dinner on Saturday night... I had california roll plate and some veggie tempura... he had one of the mixed boxes of sushi and loved it. take care and buy and umbrella haha Mom