Happy Monday, Happy September! Akko and Toshio decided to bail on me for camping this weekend, so instead I went off to Tokyo and hung out in the big city. It was a really good, refreshing weekend. On Saturday, I actually ran for the first time in ages.. so that was a personal victory. I am committed to going again today, even if I have to go out after sunset to beat the heat. In the afternoon, we had a fancy lunch on the top of the Shinjuku Park Hyatt. Our friend Yukari, one of the other past deans of Mori No Ike (Concordia Japanese Village) works there as a wine sommolier (sp?) and we got special attention. There were five of us at a table smack dab in this beautiful restaurant with a view over all of downtown Tokyo... sipping two different glasses of wine and a glass of chapagne, each. The food was delicious, and there was a dessert buffet. Those two words are just heavenly. It was a heck of a lot of money for lunch (8000yen/$75per person) but I really enjoyed it. On the way home, a bit tipsy and very full, Tom and I decided to take advantage of being in Shinjuku to go shopping. He was checking out the massage chairs (now that he has a TV he needs chairs from which to watch it) so we spent quality time sitting in each... I'm not sure my back actually needed that much massage! Next we headed downstairs where I spent a long time studying the electronic dictionaries before finally sucking it up and buying one. I can't quite believe I've made it this long without one: the model I bought has a Japanese-English dictionary, an English-Japanese dictionary, an English dictionary, a Japanese dictionary, a Kanji (the Chinese symbols) dictionary, and a katakana dictionary (for words imported from other countries that have been mangled into unrecognizable interpretations of their originals). Plus, I was able to switch the entire thing into English so now I can understand all my options. I can also look up thousands of words and get an image for an explanation.. just in case I'm to dazed to understand an actual written definition. Amazing? It will be my new "toy" for awhile, though it really isn't that much fun. Hopefully it will make studying a little easier, replacing the heavy paperback versions I've been using.

Yesterday, Tom and I took a walk through an area of town we didn't know very well. He has a book of sample "walks" through Tokyo that show highlights and points of interest alongside a very good map... so we trekked off to see what we could see. You can see what we did see (at least a tiny little slice of it) by checking my photo page... It really was a neat area. My favorite part was a tiny neighborhood street called "snake street" which twisted and turned every five feet to earn its name! I would not want to drive down it at all, but it was nice for the stroll.

Finally after some curry and part of a movie, I headed back to the bus station. Why do weekends end so quickly!! On the busride there and back I completely read the book Norweigan Wood, by Haruki Marukami. It was a dark but really slow and gracefully paced novel about a young man living in Tokyo and his personal relationships. It was interesting to be reading it while actually in Tokyo. It felt good to do that much reading, and it was an interesting book.

Do you like the new look? I decided I needed a new format. I think everything is mostly still here, though I do believe I lost all the old comments. It was a challenge figuring out how to change everything, but blogger makes it pretty slick- even the html challenged like myself can figure it out. Now I just need to track down Brook's website address again and I'll be back to 100%.

This week is going rather quickly, though I started out daunted by the thought of a full week. Last night I left for the pool at 5:30pm and didn't get home until after 10:00.. Danielle talked me into going out for dinner. And then, when we were finishing up our food, we heard that Ryan and Angie were going to be nearby at a bar for drinks to celebrate Ryan's last night in Japan. He's now headed to the airport after 3 years as an AET. Pretty impressive.

Fortunately, Jaclyn is on her way home from the airport (for those of you who joined us mid-broadcast, Jaclyn is my neighbor, the other AET our village) ! She's been gone from Misato for over 6 weeks and I can't speak for her school, but I'm sure as hell ready to have her back! Bring on Mac & Cheese nights!

I can't believe it: It didn't rain this weekend! Well, more accurately, the rain didn't start until about a half hour ago, but its already 8pm on Sunday night. It was a hot, sunny, perfectly clear weather weekend. It was beautiful. I could see all the way to the tippy-tops of the mountains for the first time in weeks (months?). It was a relief to know they are still there and still as amazing and huge as I remembered them. I was actually a bit shocked to see just how big Mt. Jonen (the mountain I climbed half of in the pouring rain last weekend, and intend to climb with our 1st/7th graders) is- wow.

So, I didn't get much studying done, but that's all right. Danielle and I spent a bunch of time on the road yesterday, with the intent of going hiking but ended up doing a sightseeing road trip instead. It was really fun. We headed south to the Kiso Valley and the towns Agematsu and Tsumago. I'd been to both towns before, but I went to Agematsu my second day in Nagano on the tailend of being kidnapped for two days by my Board of Ed. and the family of one of my teachers (its a long story) and needless to say I was a bit too crabby to fully appreciate it. My parents and I spent a night in Tsumago on the tail end of our tour of Japan this spring, but it was rainy and I had been looking for a chance to go back. Saturday was a perfect day for it. Agematsu is famous for several things, but the two we were able to check out were Mezame no Toko (literally- "Wake Up Rock" as translated by the drunk head teacher at a staff party on Friday), a section of water-smoothed out/carved rocks in a bend in the river, and the 2900m peak, Kiso-Komagatake. Both were impressive, and I promise to keep working on connecting you all to my digital pictures. ;) Tsumago was flooded with Japanese tourists, and hot.. but still beautiful. The town is preseved as an example of the old towns on the road from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, before they built the train and abandoned the road. It is small, but really pretty and they have an abundance of kaki-gori (a high class snow cone in a dish)... which really hit the spot. The drive was especially gorgeous since it was so clear. We even intentionally took the long way for a while, simply to enjoy the view (and, I admit, so we could catch the freeway back).

This morning we hit the trail again, and though we ended up feeling like broiled tofu (I swear, its not pleasant), it was a beautiful morning to be outside blading towards the mountains. I've also finally realized that its due to my beloved Alps that it gets dark here so early (pitch black before 7pm in the summer!?). I don't know why this just occured to me (probably because I grew up in the midwest), but boy when the sun hits those mountains, the lights just go out. It still feels strange. And I don't know why the other set of mountains (I'm sandwiched between the Northern and Southern Alps) couldn't do me a favor and work the same mystery in the morning... but no, it is bright out by 4am. Hmm....

I was browsing on Big Daikon, a forum for JETs and other folks living in/interested in Japan.. and found this "gem" that helps me clarify a section of my current sense of indecision about my future. "You chose JET because you chose freedom and challenge over security and normalcy back home. But certainly, after 2 years on JET the experience itself becomes security and normalcy. So now you have to choose again- freedom and challenge elsewhere or security and normalcy as you have become used to it here in Japan". I think I'm feeling the reverse (this next choice of freedom/challenge over security/normalcy even more keenly than I did the first time. Frankly, I had a lot clearer vision of what I was getting into when I applied to come here than I do now. How scary is that?!

Well, tomorrow its back to school. I'm having a hard time adjusting to my vacations being back to only 2 days (instead of 3 weeks), but I will slog on. Enjoy those last Sunday hours, those of you back in those later time zones!

It's supposed to rain again this weekend. This after being perfectly sunny and rather muggy every day of this week (except Monday... since our first day of school was Tuesday, Monday was still rainy). How does that seem fair?? After a fantabulous 45 minutes out on the trail on my rollerblades last night, I had been scheming about the different day trips or overnight hikes I could do by myself this weekend. Well, lo and behold, I just checked the weather and its a sad, sad sight. I have never seen so many rain storm icons!!! Here, check it yourself (weather for Matsumoto) and feel my pain. Grrr...! My only consolation is that perhaps if it rains all week, it will be clear in time for my hike on Sept. 4th and 5th with the 1st grade class. Yeah right!

I keep having moments when it re-occurs to me where I am, what I'm doing, and how long I've been here. I am in shock that a year has already passed. I have already seen all the seasons, the rice is at the same fabulous neon green and wavy state it was at this time last year (when I was also here to see it). I pity the new JETs because I can recall so clearly how petrified I was to walk into each classroom the first couple of weeks. I remember panicking the days before school started and asking myself how and why I'd assumed I was fit to teach. I'm still not sure what the hell I'm doing- but I'm at peace with it. ;) Its also hard to believe that I may/probably be leaving this spot in a year. A year from now still seems too soon to leave, even though some people have had enough in a month or just one year.. but I will be finishing my third (cummulative) year in this country. I am so comfortable here- I feel more at home in Misato and Nagano then I ever did in Chicago. I can't imagine someone coming to take over and moving into my space.

I have a long time yet to get ready to leave. That is... if I do indeed leave. I've been brainstorming a lot lately about what to do... and as usual I have no answers. But realistically, I'm not sure I have much to go home to, besides family and my friends. Family is a big thing- I consider my family one of the biggest reasons I want to go home at all... and friends are important and another reason I want to be closer to the "West"... but everyone is all over the place!! Where the heck am I going to live? In Indiana to be closer to family? In Minnesota to be closer to friends? What about the family in Wisconsin and the friends in Texas? and so on and so on. On an even more brutally realistic note, I have no job. I don't even have an image of what kind of job I want. Going home would be like starting after college, and that was simply awful. If I want to teach, I have to go to school. If I decide to go to school, I can't even start an education program until I complete prerequisites, which there are so many of -my best path might be to complete a second bachelor's degree. How discouraging is that?! If I don't go to school... I'm back to applying for jobs I'm completely unqualified for. That might be even more discouraging then going back in time in education.

You can see why just staying put is sounding better and better these days? Add in the tense political situation in the United States and the fact that my dream man lives in this country... and I've practically decided to become a Japanese citizen. Ok... that's going way too far, exhale... but I am in quite a quandry, and the more I try to stop thinking about it, the more it keeps me up at night. I am worried that this year is going to go as fast as last year (and it will, I'm sure) and then I'll be stuck at the other end with no decision and all deadlines having passed.

Well, this weekend I'm going to attempt to avoid planning out my entire life and instead clean my house. And if it really does rain all weekend, it will be the perfect weekend to spend in coffee houses with my japanese books studying for this darn test I'm hoping to pass in December.

And sleep. Sleep sounds just wonderful.

Oh boy, being back in school has been major culture shock. Yesterday was the official opening ceremony, today I taught three classes... and I am totally and completely exhausted. Of course, a lot of that comes from the fact that it just finally has decided to get sunny and hot again (after about 3 weeks of cool, rainy weather) and that I'm still recovering from my "I tried to climb a big mountain in the pouring rain" cold.

Oh that's right, I didn't ever finish that story, did I? Well, long story short (since as I mentioned, I'm really tired), Tom and I strapped four days worth of meticulously planned food and gear on to our backs and spent at least 4 hours trying to climb Mt. Jonen. When we stopped for lunch, we were completely drenched (literally water and mud in my shoes), and we began to get cold.... fast. We'd paused to decide whether to continue or bail on at least two previous occasions, but hadn't. At lunch we were just miserable, so we called it and quickly headed down. We were so dissappointed!!

(Ok, this is turning into the medium length version, forgive me...) The worst part (worse than being soaking wet for over 6 hours, trying to hike on a trail that was turning into a mudslide, having a 40 pound pack on my back, and both of us wiping out at different spots) was when we reached the trailhead and realized there were no taxis. We'd gotten a ride in the morning because we'd plan to return on train after reaching Kamikochi (a different area) so my car was back in Misato. We had to walk the 10k (that's 6 miles, folks) down road to civilization. The realization sucked, but the last hour (of two) before we finished was just brutal. I wanted to drop my pack on the side of the road and wait for one of the passing cars to take pity on me (but who'd want us... totally drenched and filthy and foreigners to boot!). Every step was sheer pain. The two of us had long stopped chatting except to check vitals. Fortunatley (this might be the high note), "civilization" was a huge onsen (hot spring bath/resort). We dumped our stuff and spent an hour soaking and scaring the locals. It was a nice treat.

So that was the third camping/hiking attempt that we've made this summer that's been called due to rain (not counting Fuji in the rain). What the heck?? Part of our decision to bail was that the weather forecast for the rest of the trip was all rain. Literally, all rain. And it was. Every single day. Of course, now that I'm back in school, its bright sun and hot outside. (not that I'm bitter or anything. Oh well... two weeks from now I'll be heading back up Jonen with the first graders, if that doesn't get washed out!

It took us awhile to recover and regroup and we were rather slothlike for a couple of days. I had a cold and my legs were incredibly sore. On Saturday we'd gotten a bit sick of my place, so Sunday we took off before 7am (wow!) for Hida Takayama... an old, picturesque town over the mountains and in the neighboring prefecture. It was beautiful (even though it poured all day) and a fun field trip. As soon as I figure out how to get my pictures online, I will share them.

On Monday, we went north to Nagano City and I took Tom to Zenkoji, the temple there. We also hit the brand new Starbucks and I bought my very own Nagano Starbucks travel mug. Not to buy into the cult-commercialism of the place or anything, but it really is a cool mug with a mosaic print on it of the Alps, some apples, and Nagano written on the side (bigger than the Starbucks logo!).

And now, I'm back at school. Jaclyn doesn't get back from the states until next Wednesday.. but life is still quickly getting back to "normal". I'm going to Shodo tonight, and we have a party on Friday to celebrate the finish of our sports teams (the boys volleyball and one of the girl judo players went to Hokkaido to compete in the National Championships... and have finally returned).

Can I go skiing, yet?

Wow, that was fast. School re-starts tomorrow. I had a fantastic three weeks off but am still not quite ready to go back to school... then again, who ever is? Once I'm back I'll have more regular (free) internet access and more free time to use it, so I promise to catch up soon.

I had a great trip down south, am now back and am busy packing up to leave again. Viva summer vacation!!

Tom and I are going to make our second or third attempt to go camping up in the mountains near here (so far, its always been horrible weather). Predictably, we're due for more rain tomorrow. I just don't know what to say about the weird weather... it just never stops raining around here. Japan got nailed with a major typhoon over the weekend and it just keeps coming. It was really hot in Osaka and Wakayama (the moments when it wasn't raining), but it is cool here, at least inside. Hopefully the weather will play nicely.

The gardens (mine and Jaclyn's) have gotten completely out of control. Its a rather sore spot with me at the moment, so I will leave it at that, but I feel like I'm about to be cast in "The Little Shop of Horrors- in Japan".

Oooh.. Thanks for the hugs. I'm assuming you esp-ed them, because I definitely felt better by yesterday. Damn those Mondays!!

Well, its still muggy, but the weather gods have been treating me to the fabulous summer thunder storms I've been holding my breath for all summer. There wasn't a single one the entire "rainy season"- but now that its over, we've had two days of lightening and pouring rain. huh. Guess I'll know next year (next year?). Anyway, I love thunder, so I've been ignoring the horrible hot stickiness and enjoying the thunder.

Today was my other day of "summer vacation work". I took the train towards the mountains this morning to meet one of my fellow Misato teachers and the other poor schmucks whose turn it was to be invited to attend this particular training (apparently they have to go once every five years). There were a handful of JETs there too, including two of the newest recruits. The morning consisted of two lectures- one from an Indonesian student studying Economics here at Shinshu Univ., and the other from a respected Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the same University. Both spoke on their experience with English education and critiqued and commented about the Japanese system. Then, of course, we got to give our opinions and write up comments. In the afternoon, the JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) and I (the only JET in our group out of three), were handed a copy of some pages out of a text book. We discussed ideas for planning a Team Teaching lesson (using foreigners like myself in class) for the text pages. Then the JTEs were required to briefly plan out a lesson and two lucky guys were asked to demonstrate in front of the class. Being the only AET in the group, I had the priveledge of being the "dummy" JET in their lessons. It went fine, but then the moderator ripped all the teachers' heads off for not being more creative and (like usual) not incorporating me into more of the lesson. The worst was when he asked me if I had any ideas about the lesson (and I did) and whether any of the teachers had asked me about them (they hadn't). I wasn't surprised, but he was appalled. Welcome to the sad but true life of a team teacher. Oh, I could go on, but realistically I'm not likely to change a single thing... so I try to focus on the positive most of the time and take what I get with a grain of salt. (and like to give the teachers a lot of slack because I'm starting to understand more clearly where they're coming from). Not very interesting,... but that's how I spent my day and another glimpse into my "work" here.

This evening I am packing, yet again. Tomorrow I'm heading south to Kansai for almost a week. I'll spend over half of my waking time tomorrow on assorted trains, since the bus was booked. My goal is Koya-san (Mt. Koya), one of my favorite spots in the entire country. Its a secluded Mountain Buddhist temple complex that practically defines the word "ancient". I was able to go several times when I lived in the area, but this will be my first time there on my own. I've also arranged to spend the night on the mountain, for the first time. I made a reservation at Eiko-in, a temple where you can spend the night, eat two monk-safe vegetarian meals (score!), and participate in morning prayer/meditation time (6:30 am but from past experiences, I'm betting even I will be able to sleep through it). I'm really looking forward to the experience, its something I've been wanting to do all year.

Friday morning I plan to spend time wandering around the different temples and cemetaries, enjoying the mountain-top cool weather. In the afternoon, I'll head back down into the heart of ugly metropolitan Osaka, to meet Machiko and Hiroko, two of my other really close friends from exchange student days. We're spending the evening together and Hiroko and I plan to bum around in Osaka on Saturday. Finally, that evening I'll be heading over to Wakayama to stay with my host families until I head back here on Wednesday morning.

I'm excited for the bit of traveling on my own, which I haven't done in a while. I'm also pretty anxious to try out my new camera. I'm taking the manual and hope to test it out on the trip. As I doubt I'll have internet access, you'll have to watch the photo page for updates until I get home on Wednesday. Ciao! (ps. feel free to comment on this page or the photo page... it really motivates me to write when I actually feel like folks are reading this stuff!... if you're not... just comment so I can pretend!)

Hi friends... anyone got a spare hug hanging around? I just had a real *#$&y day and now I'm home alone with no one to cheer me up... in practically the entire country. Jaclyn, Danielle, Sara and Ben are all back in the states and will be for weeks to permanently... and Tom flew off to China at the crack of dawn this morning. Wah! I've been abandoned!

I had a great trip to Tokyo visiting Akko & her friends and then hanging out with my man. Summer Sonic, the big all day concert I went to on Saturday... was a lot of fun but more hard rock then I ever need to expose my poor ears to in one day. ouch. Yesterday we bummed around, ate okonomiyaki (remember, mom?) and watched "Pirates of the Carribean" at the new Roppongi Hills complex (see picture page).

After all that, I got little to no sleep last night (it was about 100 degrees everywhere.. I swear) and with the movie ending around 12:30, plus the walk home.. then Tom leaving for his train before 5:45 AM... it was a darn hellish day today.

Like I said, I'm back at home- exhausted and smelly. I think I need a cold bubble bath. Tomorrow I may head for the hills...