10-24-09
The days were getting shorter and I was slowly settling into my role and life here. As Halloween was quickly approaching I was both excited and anxious for what new experiences that were to come. Seeing as how I needed a costume for the occasion I went up to visit my friend Zack on Saturday to see if he knew of any shops. When I got there we were both distracted by electronics shopping and barely saw one costume shop. I was kind of annoyed but Zack invited me to attend Tokyo's largest Design fair on Sunday, promising lots of eccentric clothing. We didnt have much time because I had to rush back by 7 to meet Jordan, another JET in my area, who invited me to a Birthday party. So I got back having spent roughly 2 hours of the last 3 and a half on the train! But my mood soon faded as Jordan and I were off driving through the dark hilly countryside. We finally got there over an hour later. I now realized what the really country was like! It was a quaint surfing town with nothing more then a grocery store and a gas station. The house where the party was held turned out to be a type of Log Cabin with a loft. Everything was new though and it gave the party a very open mellow feel. It turned out to be a joint birthday party of one Japanese woman and an American Jet in the area. So the party was half and half. It was nice to be able to use my Japanese and also meet new people. It was a lot of fun party too! It was the first time I got the feeling I could make Japanese friends. The night winded on and most people left. Since Jordan doesn't drink we decided to drive home as well. It was definitely one of the more social nights I've had out here and it seemed to me much more reminiscent of life back in the states.
The next day I woke up early so Zack and I could get to the Design Fest and have plenty of time. We finally got there by almost 3 because i had trouble with the trains. As we were approaching our stop on the Tokyo monorail we saw an amazing building which looked like four pyramids together in a square which where then inverted so that the top of the building was flat. We both awed at it until we got off and realized that was the building we were going to!! Inside the design fest was filled with local artists of all kinds. Along with just a huge section of murals being painted there were bizarre(only in Tokyo) performance artists, rows for graphic designers, fashion designers and painters. Of some of the cooler stuff there were the tons of handmade post cards. Zach picked up something like a hundred of them where I held off to purchase a framed print. Unfortunately they had little for costumes. It didn't matter though. The strangest thing I saw were a couple of women dressed in Dominatrix wear offering to bind, gag and then playfully whip any passerby. I quickly hurried past that stand. I had to leave early since I had school the next day but not before we went and got some tasty Indian food.
11-9-09
Back to my post handicap days. So after another week of staying home to recover and doing nothing but going to my weekly doctor visit I knew I would in for a very busy week. I had what is called the mid-year seminar. I mandatory seminar for all JETs in my prefecture of Chiba. Of course I had heard from many sources how boring and how much of a waste of time it was. Still I was excited to be getting out and really having my first paid seminar to attend. So I woke up early getting a ride from a JET in the area to the train station and then meeting a handful of other JETs in the area on the train. It was like going to school or something except we were all in suits. So taking the train was a long commute to Kahin Makuhari the up and coming foreign business district where the seminar was held but it wasn't so bad. The only problem as I was soon to find out was that the building where it was held was a fifteen minute walk from the train station. That estimate being for a healthy person, I was soon sweating and struggling up stairs around elevated walkways pass huge buildings. It was quite the endeavor to start my seven hour day seminar! It actually was worth it though because all the other JETs in the area where there so afterward we all went out to the local Irish pub. Lots of good beer and darts, fooze ball and pool bowling were all managed even with my broken foot. Unfortunately all that fun made the next day even worse. We barely made it to the seminar arriving 15 minutes late. For once we actually had an excuse(the train was late). This almost never happens so when it does the gate attendants actually give late slips to patrons so that people can show their boss they had an excuse for being late. We laughed about that for awhile. Anyway it was a struggle to stay awake through the second day but it was actually useful too because other JETs did sample team teaching lessons so I got a lot of ideas. I was also lucky cause my English teacher was there and she offered me a ride back. We headed out early but she wanted to make a stop to do a bit of shopping. We actually went to CostCo!! It was pretty awesome because I was in desperate need of some things. By the time we walked out of there we had bought way too much. It was really nice though and by the time I got home I was more then exhausted. I practically fell face first on my bed and didn:t wake up for 10 hours.
On Friday seeing that I made it through 2 days of seminar and traveling I decided to be a bit more adventurous. I left straight from work to the train station only to wait for 45 minutes(typically shitty train service). I met up with two other JETs Reuben and Jordan in the next big town up were we changed trains and continued on to Tokyo. We were all attending a Harvest Festival at a famous vineyard the next day so we wanted to be a little closer and not have to wake up so early. Of course to not make it any easier we were all staying in different areas. Since I dont know many people yet Reuben asked a friend of his to let me crash at his house. So I split up with them at the main station and ventured out to figure out my next move. Since I had some time to kill. I asked around for a bookstore and found a great one! The English section was on the seventh floor however so I spent what seemed like 15 minutes on escalators(typical of Japan). When I finally got there though I was surprised at both how big it was and their selection. It was the first time I found English books and was very excited. After I purchased a few I made it back to the station. The weather was getting worse and I was starting to freeze. When I finally called Gregg the guy I was supposed to stay with he told me he was going to some event and wasnt going to be around until 11. I was starting to get a bit nervous, being in a city I didnt know having to wait around for someone I have never met. Luckily I told him my situation and he asked me to come along. I ended up going to a Tokyo university Alumni event in the ritzy Conrad hotel. Not only did we have to walk there but the place was impossible to enter on foot. After scurrying across a busy street we made it. The party was actually pretty fun. They had expensive drinks and the views were amazing. I ended up talking to his friend Nam, a Thai girl getting her master of social work there in Tokyo. When we made it back I was completely wore out but I stayed up late anyway having a fantastic conversation. The next day, we managed to get up fairly early, we headed to the 26th annual Coco Harvest Festival. The day looked abysmal but slightly better then the day before. We arrived at 11:30 and set up camp on a large terraced hill on the vineyard along with everyone else. The atmosphere was contagious. Everyone was celebrating relaxing, lying in the grass, listening to music, drinking wine all under rows of grape vines. After about a half an hour the clouds broke and the Sun came out. At the time there was what sounded like Gothic choir music playing and we couldnt help but think this moment was angelic. It was a blissful time. Soon the others arrived and though it started to rain we were all to merry on wine to care. By the time we all made it back to the Train station we lost each other and I ended up riding the train back home by myself. I don:t know how I managed because I didnt remember how i got there. When I got back home being in better spirits I knew all I wanted was sleep and I still had Sunday to recover. The next day I did recover feeling better but still having loads to do. I also discovered that my computer is broken!
So now I will be hunting down a new computer in the next few days. I also have my first full week of work since my accident. So I will finally see how a real work week will be in my condition... Wish me luck! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
Oh.. and check out my new pictures, there up!
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