Field Trip!

This Friday saw me fulfill every transformer-loving-type-girls dream. A school field trip that involved visiting not one, but three museums all in one day. And just when I thought the day couldn't get anymore exciting I was reminded I would be accompanying around 300 14 year olds.


The trip began with an hour long bus trip... 6 buses taking to the road all at once was slightly intimidating.


The first stop of the day was the Miraikan (The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation). I'm not ashamed to say I thought the place was awesome.






It had interactive exhibits that covered Medicine, Space and Technology of the Future. Can you say..robots!

Next up was not so much a museum but a tour of The Asahi Shinbun. And no it was not the Asahi (beer) brewery like I was first led to believe, it was the Newspaper. Unfortunately I was unable to get many photos as they were worried I was there to steal their news.



Last but not least Tei-Park, the communications museum which according to their brochure is a "fascinating hands-on museum to pass on wisdom to the the future generations".
I wouldn't know.
By this stage I was a little over the educational experience but thankfully we only had to spend 30 minutes there.

Respect for the aged day...

The Japanese calendar differs only marginally to that of New Zealand. The main difference obviously, being the lack of religious (Christian related) holidays. The predominant religions in Japanese culture are Buddhism and Shinto. Because of this, the majority of public holidays recognized by the western world are only acknowledged here at a superficial level. Most Japanese I have spoken to are oblivious to the real reason Christmas is celebrated and think of it as a fun excuse to dress up and/or decorate a tree.

In all fairness we in New Zealand would never know that the 3rd Monday of September is in fact 'Respect for the Aged' day. I spent today celebrating by having a picnic type party in Shinjuku Koen (park) with some new friends. Everyone was older than me- hence doing my part by respecting them all. It would be the first time I have ever paid to enter a park (around $3) but it makes sense since it was so beautifully presented and is after all smack-bang in the middle of Shinjuku.

The previous night I was invited to a birthday party at an Asian restaurant also in Shinjuku, it had this awesome pour your own, all you can drink bar going on.

We met a random Swedish dude.

Oh and as promised. A video I took more for my benefit than yours. I tend to have a terrible memory when it comes to learning the dances from Hip Hop so this helps.

A week in review

Since my return to Japan I have taken it upon myself to get out there and amongst "it", or at least amongst the community. I thought to myself, well sure I don't speak the language and yes this makes it a bit harder to make good friends over here. But this doesn’t mean I have to become a hermit. Not that I have (just for the record), it's merely the fact that perhaps I haven’t been exhausting every possibility out there in order for me to meet new people. So.. as part of my new take on the situation I decided to add the following to my list of interests:

1. Stitch ‘n Bitch:

“Stitch 'n Bitch is a name used by knitting groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis at locations throughout the world. This use of the term originates as early as the Second World War.[1][2] Stitch 'n Bitch clubs are generally casual groups of knitters who meet in bars or cafes for socializing and sharing knitting advice.” (Wiki)

Now I know some of you are thinking that this isn’t one of the coolest hobbies on a scale of 1 to 10. But I was pleasantly surprised by my first experience. Apparently I’m quite talented, and hey if it means I can save some money on my cardigan collection while having a gossip and meeting new people, I’m not complaining.

Check out my sweet mini-scarf I'm working on:

2. Hip Hop Dance lessons.

It was quite a process finding the right dance school but after discovering “BeAStar”in Shibuya, who have instructors with names like:

Ken (Pro-seeD)


A-Ve


And girls who looked as authentic as this:

I was sold.

I hope to have some video documentation ready for my next post.

3. Japanese lessons (I know, I know it’s about time)

I finally found a group run by volunteers in my area and decided it was time to put in a little more effort.
Gambatte ne!

The weekend kept me fairly occupied. I finally got the chance to check out the Sex and the City movie with my newfound gal pals, after which I was introduced to their local watering hole. Sunday I was invited to the Brazilian Festival happening in Harajuku (of all the foreign communities living within Japan the Brazilian community is apparently largest). Unfortunately I arrived just in time for the massive downpour and thunder storms but it didn't seem to put a damper on the overly intoxicated crowd.


And because I always enjoy a little emo humour,

Karaoke

I’ve often heard people refer to Karaoke in Japan as the one of the most self-indulgent activities one can participate in. After my few experiences with it I find myself agreeing.

Karaoke in Japan is the after party of a night out drinking or the next logical step after a successful dinner date. You can rent a room/booth for around $10 per person an hour. This usually includes nomihodai, aka all you can drink or eat. Alcoholic beverages are a must for Karaoke.


Karaoke booths can also be rented for the whole night, which is why after a big night out when you can’t be bothered forking out for a taxi across town or there’s no cheap love hotels around they make a great place to crash for the evening.

I think the reason people say self-indulgent is because the whole experience is very much about you and your amazing singing ‘skills’. Everyone’s forced to listen to you as you get caught up in your rendition of Celine Dion’s- My Heart Will Go On. And while you may think all their ooing and ahhing and clapping is because you’ve finally found your true calling in life. They’re just being polite. That and they’re not really listening to you, they’re just waiting for their next turn.

This weekend I unwillingly went along with some friends:




Surprisingly I had a good time.

All in a days work...

I know a lot of you are doubtful of my ability to actually teach the English language, but.

I would like to present to you the following evidence. I believe it proves what a real contribution I make to Japanese society...

Exhibit A: (click to enlarge)




But wait. Not only have they learnt to be difficult and indecisive. They also plan to go on random killing sprees.

Exhibit B: (again with the clicking)



My work is done.

Home sweet home

I spent the majority of my absence from Japan back home in New Zealand. I slowly meandered my way around the country starting in Christchurch and Timaru (the only draw card of this place being it’s close proximity to a Gluten Free bakery- they even have Gluten Free pies!) before heading up north to Rotorua, Napier, Wairoa, Taupo and finally back home to Wellington. It was extremely busy and I had an awesome time catching up with friends and family but in a way it made it even harder to return to Japan. I guess you realize that no matter how big and exciting the city you live in may be, it really is the people, your friends and the relationships you have with those people that make up the whole experience of where you choose to live. So sometimes yea. it’s hard.

Scenery down south

Taupo

Pedey, Regan and co.

Rob.

Miriam, Lyds & Maily at my leaving dinner

How do you use chopsticks?

Ebz, Bam and Ben- he was on fire.

And then we let him loose on town...

After leaving New Zealand with a full blown chest infection the flight was unpleasant to say the least. By the time I arrived in Hong Kong, where I had decided to treat myself to a short retail therapy retreat I had managed to completely lose my voice. This made the trip form airport to hotel and the check-in process rather daunting. It involved a lot of squawking and dramatic gesturing on my part.



After a good nights sleep, not even the excruciatingly painful cold I had could keep me away from the call of Nathan Road, one of the main shopping districts of Kowloon. I spent the day exploring and only managed to get lost once.




I also headed to the famous ladies market where I was literally pulled and pushed around by obnoxious stall keepers adamant that they could offer the best price whether I actually felt the need for their product or not. I came away with a new bag and the odd piece of tacky jewelery.



It didn’t take long before I had difficulty differentiating between stalls- they all sold pretty much the same thing so I took comfort in returning to the free nibbles and cocktails provided by my new found home…the executive lounge.

I left Hong Kong the following afternoon after a few dramas with the hotel, meaning I had to get my assertive on. I managed to relax on the four hour flight back to Japan, rest my very sore feet and reflect.....

The second rubbish bin I saw on fire during my short stay for that matter.

Mmm Ice cream

Tofu-man: a force to be reckoned with, he's like, everywhere.

I have been back in Japan for 3 days now and can safely say not much has changed:

1. It’s still hot. And sweaty.
2. They still speak Japanese
3. A watermelon still cost’s roughly $20