I'm baaack

My Kyoto trip blew Tokyo out of the water. But I am way too tired to tell you about it now! Haha so you will have to wait.

PS-My knees REALLY hurt--more details later.

Taking off

I am taking off for Kyoto tonight (despite exhaustion) and won`t be back until Wed (my time). I decided this is a me trip, so I am hopefully going to enjoy that alone time. I also decided I am going to stay away from email the whole time, so if you email me during this weekend and I don`t respond, please don`t freak out (cough, parents). You can text my phone email if there is some kind of emergency though...

Yay for trips!

Tokyo Pics

are right here. Enjoy!

PS-I decided to try out this music player. I have really random taste in music so you might be thinking "uhhh this is quite a random playlist!"

Tokyo

Taken from Tokyo Tower

I just got back from Tokyo today. It was a really fun trip. I thought it was a pretty cool city. I went to Ginza, Shibuya (where the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world is), Harajuku, Tokyo Tower (looks pretty much like the Eiffel Tower--just taller-coincidence? I think not, silly competitive Japan), and saw some night life. I was going to go to the fish market (apparently the biggest fishmarket in the world) but you have to wake up around 4am to do so...and it just didn't happen haha. Unfortunately, on Sunday which is a good day to see all the crazies, it was pouring rain so I didn't get to see too much of that dress up as anime character scene, or what not. But since I see a little of that here and there I get the point. It was much nicer weather on Monday though, thankfully, so I was glad to get some good views of the city (I'll post more pics when I feel like uploading).

However, I think Tokyo is a little overrated. I guess it is overrated in the sense that all of Japan is overrated--based on the image most people who have never been to Japan have of Japan. Everyone thinks Japan is Tokyo, and that Tokyo is this massive, futuristic, crowded city. But that is partly wrong. First of all, most of Japan is nature and non city. Second of all, Tokyo is just the same as NYC or probably London, etc. Just more compact and therefore more crowded. I guess my POV is a little jaded since I live in a large city in Japan already. Fukuoka is not close to the size of Tokyo, but it still has much of what Tokyo has, just on a smaller scale. So, maybe my perception of Tokyo is a bit different than someone who has never been to Japan's perception would be, as all that "omg that crazy Japanese stuff" doesn't really phase me because I see it every day. But, besides that, at the end of the day, Tokyo is just any other big city-full of overpriced shopping and restaurants. There isn't a whole lot to really see either besides the usual big city stuff-museums, etc. I think it's more of an "experience" than a sight seeing place. But I also think you can get a lot of that elsewhere here. I guess what I am trying to say is, I am glad I went and saw Tokyo, because I think it is something you should see when you come to Japan, but I don't know if I have a desire to return.

I think my interests have a big impact on my impression as well. My parents will be shocked, but I am these days more interested in nature sights/the outdoors rather than shopping or clubbing. Apparently the club scene in Tokyo is good, but since I don't like clubbing, I wouldn't really know/care. Being in Tokyo also really made me realize my appreciation for Fukuoka, and glad I don't live there. Like I said, Fukuoka is not Tokyo by any means, and probably not as "exciting" but the simplicity of it as a big city, and the fact it has a "local" feel makes it really great. To get anywhere in Tokyo, you have to change train lines several times, sit (but most likely stand) on crowded cars for long periods of time, be wary of gropers (it's a HUGE problem, they even have women only cars-which I rode on this morning after a small incident), etc etc. Also, no one lives anywhere near the fun/exciting parts because it is so expensive, so when you go out at night you have to either commit to staying out all night (which can get old) or make the last train at midnight-otherwise you face around a 100 dollar cab fare. I love that I can go out here in Fukuoka, and if I don't make last train (which I hardly ever do), I can either technically walk home in about a half hour or take a cab for less than 20 bucks. We may not have as MANY clubs/restaurants/overpriced shopping centers/museums to choose from, but it is plenty for me. This city really suits me.

All in all, I guess my point is, Tokyo is not really what we as Americans envision it to be. But it is a nice city. So, if you have the opportunity to see it, you definitely should. But please don't plan an entire vacation around it (there is just so much other worthwhile stuff to see here-most underrated/maybe even unknown to the Western public), and if you don't make it to Tokyo, don't deem yourself a failure and kill yourself. The end.

Adding to one of the reasons I am glad I don't live in Tokyo--I had to take the train to the airport alone this morning (the cheapest flight I could get back left at 7:30am so I had to leave around 5:30am to make my flight and I can't blame my friend for not wanting to wake up for that journey haha). I was quite scared about this "adventure" as I had to switch trains several times and it is just so hectic here!!! See below:
Only PART of Tokyo's train/metro line... (I was too lazy to upload several maps)
Fukuoka's metro line (trains not included, but still you get the point)...haha.


I am going to Kyoto this weekend-that I am really excited about. Then my "jet setting" month is coming to an end...traveling every weekend is kind of exhausting!

The time has come

I was asked to renew my contract today....dun dun dun. I have to decide what to do by Oct 16. This means...if you have any feedback for me-reasons I should renew/reasons I should come home...please let me know. I can use all the help I can get making a decision like this!!!!

PS- I gave in and bought a new train pass. BUT I was told by my student who works for the station that if my old pass turns up, the station will reimburse me if I show them both passes. So...maybe someone has just forgotten to turn it in yet? Haha.

One of THOSE days

and by that I mean where you want to run off to the bathroom and cry every 10 minutes. Kind of like what I did...

I knew it was probably a sign when I woke up to a ginormous zit on my forehead (TMI, I know). My train pass expired yesterday, so I had to buy a new one for this month this morning (costs about 50 bucks). I get reimbursed from my company for travel expenses, and since I am basically running on fumes until my next payday, I just took money out of my "Tokyo funds" (when I was paid last, I put aside money for Tokyo knowing I would spend it otherwise), and planned on putting the money back when I got reimbursed. Anyway, I bought the new pass, rode the train, went to work, and was in a decent mood, when I realized I needed to give my manager my pass and the receipt so I could get my money back. I went to my purse, found the receipt...but no pass. I checked my pockets and purse about 10 trillion times before concluding I had lost the pass. My manager called the station as well as our building and put my information in, in case someone returned it. The thing is I was somewhat hopeful because people are actually honest here and tend to turn in things they find rather than steal them. Also, my pass is kind of useless to most people, as it can only be used to and from MY station which is only one stop away. It also has my name on it. ANYWAY no one turned it in so far, and I have lost hope, because I think if someone honest had found it, they would have turned it in by now. So I am now out of 50 bucks which I really could have used. Sigh. The problem with my mind, is when something bad happens to me, it likes to then dig up every bad/sad/insecure thought or feeling that possibly exists within me even if it is completely irrelevant to the situation at hand, also I felt like more and more is being asked of me at work, and sometimes it is like "I CAN'T DO EVERYTHING!!!!!!" and just so frustrating/exhausting to think about-- so all that made for a very unfun day...including me having to excuse myself to the bathroom to calm down so I could be socially acceptable to students. =/ Like I have said before, having something like that happen back home is bad, but dealing with it in a foreign country is way worse and harder. You are just so helpless! It's really difficult! I decided to walk home and self reflect lol. I'm giving the "honest" people of Jland one more day, and then I am forking out another 50 bucks for a new one. Boo. Oh, and I also now have to give a presentation to everyone at a work conference in October regarding being successful for a sales thing we do, and now it has been decided that it will be videotaped so all the J staff in the region can see my "ideas" as well. Too bad I don't even have much to say! I am just wondering how I am going to fill the 10-15 minute time slot they gave me (that's a LONG TIME to stand in front of everyone and talk!!!)! Is this a reward for being successful??? Haha.

Iki

Well, despite the report of thunderstorms and typhoons, I decided to bite the bullet and go to Iki as planned. I am glad I did because once again the weather prediction was pretty off. It did rain a bit and was overcast, but nothing too dramatic. We were still able to do a lot, just not the beach thing. So I am planning to go back at some point in the future to get the rest of the island experience. Sunday morning, I took a ferry from Hakata to Iki. It takes about 2 hours, so I took some photos of the journey and psuedo nap on the deck. Then, my friends met me at the harbor (they had gone over the night before). Last time they went, they made friends with some local guys, so the guys were really nice and drove us everywhere and paid for a lot of things for us. Anyway, we then went fishing! We caught a lot of fish, as well as TONS of fugu (blowfish). Obviously you can't eat fugu unless you are trained how to prepare it, so we had to keep throwing them back...at first it was exciting to catch a fugu because we could make them puff up (and by the way, they really look like frogs), but after the 18th time of catching a stupid fugu instead of an edible fish, we were over them. The fisherman who took us fishing just started tossing them on the bottom of the boat. It was really fun though, and we later BBQed the fish and also made sashimi with some of the larger ones. It was great eating fresh fish you caught yourself! We also wanted some other stuff for the BBQ so we went to a butcher to get meat. The nice thing about being on a rural island is everything is so fresh. You can't just go to a grocery store and buy prepackaged meat. Japanese beef is excellent...but also VERY expensive. We wound up paying about $90 for the meat!!! It was kind of worth it though, it was like butter.

The next day we were going to go to the beach, and then maybe an onsen (hot spring). But, it was raining all morning, so one of the guys we made friends with came and picked us up and took us to onsen. It was my first time. It was a great experience, and totally relaxing. There are all these natural pools of water in different temperatures, and the water is full of minerals so it is really good for your body/skin. Me and my friends had the entire onsen to ourselves, so it was nice considering you are naked (men and women use different onsen). The feeling of going from a really hot onsen to a cold one and then to a sauna was just really incredible for my body and also very therapeutic. I recommend them to everyone =). Then, we went to lunch, and then did a little bit of sight seeing before heading to the ferry terminal. I just couldn't get over how green the island was! There is a giant rock that is the shape of a monkey. It is completely natural, so it is kind of crazy! I just wish the weather was a bit sunnier so the water would have been more blue, but what can you do?

Next weekend I am off to Tokyo! I can't believe how busy I have been lately! It's a lot of fun though =)

You can see Iki pictures here. I did my best to caption them.

PS

I will be camping here, Iki Island, this weekend! Who knew gorgeous beaches were only a 40 dollar, 2 hour ferry ride away ;)


PS-I just found out in Oita Prefecture, which is a gorgeous part of Japan about two hours away that is famous for onsen (hot springs), there is an "African Safari" animal park, and you can hold and feed baby lions and tigers!!!! I will be heading over there as soon as possible ;)

Nothing too special

going on over here...but just felt like writing a little something...

My weekend went by way too fast! We had a school party on Saturday. We hadn't had one since my welcoming, so it's been a while. I may have already explained how parties work in Japan, but whatever, I'll explain again. There is never just one party. We started the first party at a small izakaya (Japanese restaurant/bar), and it was kind of cool because everyone paid 3500円 (about $35), except us because we are special, and it was all you could eat/drink. As in your table could order literally anything they wanted on the menu. So it was a good opportunity for me to try some foods I have been putting off for various reasons. Like, Motsunabe. Nabe is like a kind of stewish meal that is cooked on the table in front of you...motsu is cow stomach =) mmmm. Hence why I wasn't so into trying it before, but everyone kept saying how delicious it is, so I finally made a table order me some. It wasn't so bad. I usually hate intestine/organ stuff, but this didn't have the same texture so it was OK. Ok, I am way off topic. Anyway, we played a game that I concocted. It was a "bingo scavenger hunt" where the teams had to ask other teams if they had the items on their cards (like in their purse/pockets/whatever). We made it ridiculously hard by putting the most random things on ever--like a bottle of honey for example, but somehow people got bingo. Then, we headed over for the second party, at a different izakaya. Usually after the first party, the crowd gets halved, but everyone was having a good time so maybe 75% of the original party went. The second party is always a bit more relaxed because we, the staff, aren't as obligated to socialize with everyone. However, I had a blast running around drinking and eating with different tables and taking funny pictures with them. Then, we went to the third party, which usually has like four-five people, yet we had around 12-15 (this is now maybe 2am), and kept eating and drinking. By then I was tired and out of money so I went home, but a bunch of people still carried through to a FOURTH party to sing karaoke until the first train was running. Anyway, our students are great. Japanese people sure love to drink--even if they are horrible at handling alcohol. It was a lot of fun. It's things like this that I like about Japan and wish existed in The States.

PS- Speaking of America--this election is kind of getting silly. Maybe I am just getting the news in a weird way here in Jland, but the coverage/topics that are covered are more like TMZ/Perez Hilton material than a reputable PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Hmm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/2449462/Japan-earthquake-Fears-as-fire-hits-northern-city-of-Hachinohe.html

EARTHQUAKE!!!!

I just officially experienced my first Japanese earthquake tonight.

Except, it wasn't all that exciting. Literally a milisecond before the shaking started, I heard a loud boom from the apt above me, so I figured my obnoxious (more to come on that another time) neighbor dropped something ridiculously heavy. BUT when my friend who lives across town messaged me and said his entire apt building was shaking, I realized it was an actual earthquake. Obviously because of above explanation, it wasn't very big. More like an aftershock...but that makes me wonder if a) a bigger one is coming? or b) There was a big one and we just got the end ripple of it. Guess I'll have to wait for the news tomorrow...