My Birthday

I wasn't excited about having my birthday so far from home but it turned out to be a good day. Mike took me shopping at the mall-one of our favourite places to hang out due to all the cool shops and the only Star Bucks in the prefecture. I know I was never into Starbucks in the UK but a little touch of familiarity goes a long way.
Last night we attempted a nerve racking journey over to Kani using google map screen shots on my Kindle as a map. We got there! Went for dinner with Keith, Imme, Miyuki, Bryn and Chris. The food was delicious and we shared different plates again. Sashimi, Salads, Deep fried cheese dumplings, Prawns in tempura, Chicken in breadcrumbs. The staff brought me a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me in English and then took a polaroid photo which they mounted on a caligraphy background and wrote Happy Birthday, Jo on it!
The kindness of Japanese culture.
Love, Jo xxx

Buddhist Calm

Hi. Today is gloriously sunny! We visited the Temple in Seki and walked above it through wooded mountains. It was so peaceful and the views were amazing across all of Seki. We just sat and watched the tiny cars moving around the plains with different levels of mountains in the distance rising up to a huge snow-capped peak for ages. There are various little shrines and statues in the trees and picnic spots inside little pagodas. Anyway pictures, pictures. Love, Jo xxx

Gujo

Hello. Today we have been to Gujo a town in the mountains.I know all the while you lot have been asleep. It is about a 45 minute drive and is very beautiful. The air is clear and crisp and the town centres around the cleanest, clearest river you've ever seen. There are little shops and restaurants and parks and many bridges and waterways. We walked past the Temple and up to the Castle. It's sunny and clear today but still cold and in Gujo we got flurries of snow. 
We stopped and ate in a small restaurant. The menu was in japanese with no pictures so we ordered coffee to buy us time. It was delicious and served with biscuits. Then the owner presented us with a hard boiled egg each so I decided she'd help us. I said in Japanese that I couldn't read the menu but would like to eat what one of the other customers was eating (a bowl of noodle soup). This was provided for us and had some sort of delicious smokey dried fish and spring onions in it. She pointed to it on the menu and taught me that it is called Urden. 
Success all round really. 
Here are the all important photos.

One Week Done!

So we have made it to our little holiday! A week of teaching and now 5 days off. That's the life. We both love the teaching and our students are all lovely. The adults are so interested and engaging. The kids are up for a laugh and everyone, any age gets a buzz out of being able to communicate something that a few minutes ago they could not!
I am struggling with Japanese but if we want to do anything outside of school/home we'll need to get good. This is a very small foreigner free zone. We're the only gaigin (foreigners) in Seki. People nearly crash their cars looking at us in the street and one girl walked into her open car door this morning because she was so surprised to see us!
Everyone is kind though and I think if we can speak a little and make ourselves understood they will do everything to make it easy for us.
Anyway I'm on a high after getting through this week and we're baking muffins and sipping Khalur at 10.30 pm so sayonara for now.
With love xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Public Address Systems

Japan is seriously set up when it comes to public responsibility. There are no public bins because no one would dream of doing anything but taking their rubbish home with them to recycle in the correct way. There is no excessive noise ever. But weirdest of all are the P.A systems in every town. They exist to warn people of earthquakes. But I guess they don’t get much use that way so here in Seki they play a little rousing tune for 30 seconds at 8am, 12pm and 5pm. Why? I have no idea. They also like to convey messages to the public. Clearly Mike and I have no idea what is being said but Keith translated and apparently they are asking for donations of food and blankets for those  suffering so badly in the North. It sounds annoying but I quite like it. It makes you feel like everyone is part of something bigger.

Today is beautiful and clear but cold. I can see the snow on the mountains from my balcony today. Sometimes the mountains disappear altogether in the cloud. We have 2 days left before 5 days off so some exploring will be happening soon!

Always love, Jo xxx

Japan one week in. Seki City.

We are settled in our apartment now although Mike is still fighting with the router to make the wireless work so that we do not have to negotiate custody of the internet. The flat is large and comfortable built in a traditional way to keep out heat/cold depending on the season. The entrance opens onto the kitchen/dining room which has only a tiny window. Sliding doors from all the other rooms can be left open to let in lots of light or closed off to keep in heat or keep it cool in the summer. Our lounge and bedroom have an adjoining sliding door so that heat can be shared between those two rooms in the winter. Clever.

                We sleep on futons on tatami mats which are fitted to the floor kind of the way carpet is so they don’t slide about. Mike is loving this and claims he will never again have a bed! I disagree but it is comfy and we sleep really well.

                Yesterday was the official first day of spring and it is warm and sunny. I have been soaking up a little sun on the balcony. We have been teaching since Friday (not Sunday) and are both enjoying it a lot. The students are all lively and fun. The kids get into word games and conversations and the adults are interesting to talk to and committed to their learning.

                Everything is still so new and although I’ve visited Nagoya I haven’t really got to grips with Seki yet. It’s pretty, peaceful and so clean here though and we have a large supermarket next to our school with a lot of fish in it!

I have started driving the automatic-it’s like driving a washing machine! It makes the weirdest noises and it’s tiny. The roads are small here but so are the cars! I keep trying to change gear and pulling away without a clutch is weird-you just sort of roll. I’d say it’s an undignified way of driving as if the car knows best!

Anyway enough wittering-here are pics for anyone isn’t on facebook.

Lots of love,

Jo xxx 

 Our apartment.

 Our trip to Nagoya.