It's been about a month since I've arrived in Japan and I must say, I'm adapting well. I know it's been awhile since my last post but to tell you the truth, there hasn't been too much happening. I'm in that stage where I want to take the trains or buy useless Japanese things but I just don't have the resources at the moment. However I have been able to do a few things, so in no particular order here's a few things I've done and my thoughts.
1. The other day I traveled to a city called Ginza. Ginza is district located in Chuo, Tokyo. It's one of the 23 wards that make up the Tokyo area. I went there to attend an International party/meet up with a few buddies from work. Ginza is enormous and we spent 30 to 45 minutes searching for the venue, which was no more than a block from our train station. Ginza had some of the biggest buildings I've seen yet and since we were there at night it was extremely busy. According to one of my students, Ginza is a place for adults. Why you might ask? Is it one of those red light districts? No, it's just so damn expensive. He said you have to have a lot of money to shop in Ginza and that he was still a child because he had no money. I agreed with him and we decided that we were both, in fact, children.
2. I went to my first stand up bar the other day. It was a nice little hole in the wall place (what isn't around here?). For those of you who don't know a standing bar only restaurant has no chairs or places to sit. It's exactly what it sounds like. Anyway I'm used to having a menu with a few pictures but no. Not here. Everything was Japanese and while I could read some of it, it did not mean I understood it. So we did what any person would do. We just guessed. We had absolutely no idea what we were ordering. I think we ended up ordering some kind of BBQ'd fat. It was a fun experience and I'm sure there will be many more like it.
3. So a quick story about some of my students. So far I think my favorite students are a couple called Hideo and Miho. They're studying English because they'll be traveling to Ohio (of all places) in April and wanted some basic English skills. Anyway, it's so much fun teaching them because it's always a celebration when they get something right. However, they aren't the only ones that come in. They bring their 2 year daughter Ia*. She is restless and runs about the room while I'm trying to teach. The other day she threw a temper tantrum on top of the table where I was trying to teach. However, no one was phased. We continued as though she was not there. I was rolling with laughter on the inside. It was quite the sight.
Some quick tips
1. Watch the vending machines...They eat your money faster than Kobayashi can eat a hotdog.
2. Trains are freaking expensive.
3. Food is freaking expensive.
That's it for today. I'll leave you with a few pictures and hopefully I'll be able to get some Cherry Blossom pictures soon. I'll be heading to a placed called Ueno on Saturday where I might be able to see some.
