So, after spending Friday night at Yui's house playing with his kids and Saturday in Aizuwakamatsu I finished off a busy week by going hiking up one of Shimogo's mountains with a couple of friends from work. It was a really good day out, quite a hard slog up with some nice food (cooked on Akitaka's gas stove) and beer at the top.Unfortunately the mist had come in so I didn't get much of a view this time. We finished off the day with a trip to a great onsen! This onsen was outside in a pool by a river...very nice and relaxing after a good walk! We're now in training to climb Bandai-san, one of Fukushima's highest mountains. From there I'm hoping to scale Mt.Fuji!



I have my first proper lessons at school this week, I mainly have to do a self-introduction but I'm also judging a local English speech contest! Should be fun!

Party Time


Naomi drinking Guinness in her Yukata


Cheesu!

Meredith, Me, Paul and Matt

So this week I had parties, lots of parties. I also had lots of work, but burning the candle at both ends is something I've got quite used to recently! The photo above is from a party at the Fukushima-City orientation. Like most conferences here it was quite over the top, with a lot more ceremony than content! Things get a bit boring once you've sat through the third speaker of the ceremony that opens the opening ceremony! But the best thing about it was getting to know everyone in the prefecture better. Although everyone is quite spread about there is quite a good network of people and I'm never short of people to spend weekends with. This is great considering most of the people in cities think that Minamiaizu is miles away from any civilisation! I'm quite smug as I know that I can get to any city I want to by 3pm on a Friday (I have the afternoon off) and can stay with lots of different people. And although I haven't had much of a chance to go out hiking, this is the view from my office windows...

So there you are, I'm quite the regionalist. In fact everyone in Aizu (the western area of Fukushima) is quite proud. This is a really important area historically. The Aizu-clan was the last rebel stronghold at the end of the Boshin war (apparently) and there are many great Samurai stories. On September 22nd Aizuwakamatsu has its annual festival where all the men dress up as Samurai and ride horses...I can't wait!

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I went with everyone to the language course in Aizuwakamatsu and found out that my homestay family was back in Shimogo! Talk about luck. The family I stayed with (the Abe's) live down the road from me and are really interesting. In fact I'd already heard of them through my friend Mike, he'd mentioned that he was friends with some women in Shimogo whom he called his "Golden Girls". Well I quickly realised that the Abe sisters and their friend Keiko were in fact the very same girls. Miwako came to pick me up and we very quickly got in an interesting chat about art. She's quite a well known oil painter and has done several big shows in Tokyo. She's also a spiritual healer, 45 and unmarried which is very unusual in Japan. They're generally a very interesting family, her mother, now 75 was born in the house and they farm rice and vegetables in a small holding at the back of the house. I've never eaten so well! So I will be regularly eating there I think and may take up some pottery with them, or even learn how to do the lacquerware that Keiko's dad makes. Japan's a great place for this as even the cheapest things are hand made and really nice. Oh, and Miwako's brother in law is a carpenter who is an expert in building traditional Japanese houses. I went to his work and saw how beautiful and just how much of a fire hazard these houses really are!

My Japanese course went really well, it was very intensive but really spurred me on and increased my confidence. I really noticed the difference today when I went to work. The teacher I had lives in Minamiaizu so I may get in touch with her for some private lessons. The lessons were so hard, especially because it was 35 degrees (as it is every day) and really humid!

I'd better go and do my daily insect hunt. If I'm not careful I end up with enormous things with tenticals attached to my bedside lamp so it's best to find them before they find me! I really can't imagine this place under two metres of snow in December! It seems like the heat, insects and noisy cicades (grasshopper like insects that sound like a hundred chainsaws in the trees) all come hand in hand with this place. We will see!

Well, I've had a very active week, I was informed last wednesday morning that I was to go on a Summer camp with one of the local elementary schools. It was quite definitely the most fun I've had since I've arrived as I spent two days playing with 8 year olds!















We went to catch insects (massive spiders), play games, to go the onsen (hot springs), have a campfire and the next day went on a treasure hunt up in the hills of Shimogo. It was however the most exhausting two days I've ever had. Children are tiring enough, but when you can't understand them it's twice as challenging! I did get the opportunity to make a speech to many of the local residents of Shimogo though (with a translator) so I feel sufficiently accepted into the community. Things are much easier when people are familiar with you and I think it's very important for me to show some thanks because the respect I get in return for being a Sensei (teacher) is incredible.














On Thursday night I was invited to a festival in Aizuwakamatsu by a guy named Yui-san who works in my town hall. He was quite anxious for me to meet his children as they were starting to study English. It was very nice to stay with a Japanese family, especially because they are quite young parents so were lots of fun too. The festival was fantastic and involved the men carrying a large float with two Geisha on it through the town. As we carried it through the streets they threw money at people and in return buckets of warm water were thrown over the procession! We were soaked and the weight of the float on my shoulder gave me a massive bruise, but it was an amazing experience. Afterwards we went to another Onsen. It seems that no public occasion in Japan is complete without everyone taking a bath together! It is quite nice though, as its a very social occasion and I stopped feeling awkward very quickly.




This weekend I went to Iwaki which is directly east by the sea. It's nice to get out to a city for the usual socialising. I'm definitely glad I am in the countryside however as I'm having a very different experience to most of the city folk. Me and my friend Eleanor went for a bike ride towards the sea and had a day at the beach. It was a lovely day as the waves are massive and the weather was great, unfortunately I got extremely sunburnt as the sun was really strong! The best thing about this was to be able to navigate myself around easily and get to know the prefecture, definitely a useful thing when people are spread around so much.

Right now I'm in Fukushima city at the local orientation week. It's a lot of fun with lots of workshops and parties. This weekend I go back to Aizuwakamatsu for a homestay and language course before I end up back in Shimogo for the start of the school term. The good news is that Yui-san, his friend Takashi and I (from the festival last week) are now great friends and we now have plans for a party at mine next week. So I have to play the host for once!

Oh, and for those of you that like Whisky (I'm thinking mainly Scott, Jim and Derrick) I just found a foreign alcohol store in Fukushima city and bought a 700ml bottle of Glenlivet for less than £10. It made my day!

Love to you all...

Home Sweet Home...

Shrines in Ouchi-Juko

This weekend was busy! I'm still running double speed from Tokyo so I took advantage of this energy and the new car and went exploring...

Firstly, Meredith and I got the train to Aizuwakamatsu, our nearest city. It takes about 40 minutes and goes through the hills past all the pretty onsen towns (hot springs). We were very pleased as it has a lot of character and lots of things happening for such a small city. After eating some delicious 'ramen' (special noodle soup) and visiting the castle (above) we coincidently bumped into some friends from Tokyo, Becca and Padraic. After being shown round and taken to a local electrical superstore for household stuff we explored the local jazz club! Its actually pretty good! So as you can imagine, I'm happy.

On Sunday we had a road trip around our area. We drove towards Tadami - the area where all the ski resorts are. It's hard to imagine that in a few months this whole area will be under several metres of snow!

Right now I'm just working at the Board of Education, I'm spending my time trying to learn the two simplest Japanese scripts. Office life here is strange, the thing to remember is that as long as you're here, it doesn't matter too much what you do! At any one time there are several people asleep! I'm looking forward to getting started at Shimo-Ju (Shimogo Junior High).

This weekend I'm going back to Aizuwakamatsu for a party then venturing towards Iwaki on the coast for a small beach party that my friend Eleanor has organised. She says the coast is gorgeous so I'm looking forward to seeing where she is.

In the meantime, ja ne (see you later)...

On Friday, after having my press photo handshake with the Mayor, I got to visit Ouchi-Juko, a traditional Japanese village where the houses have thatched roofs and the hillside is filled with shrines. The Shinto tradition is very obvious here and it really is pretty. I returned on Sunday with Meredith and we stayed to eat Soba noodles in one of the restaurants. Inside these are exactly what you imagine when you think of a traditional Japanese house. Although it is a tourist hotspot for the Japanese our presence still seemed to provoke shock and awe amongst the locals!

Well I am here in Shimogo at last, after many goodbyes and three wild days and nights in Tokyo I am beginning to settle into the Japanese country life. The scenery is amazing, the houses are beautiful and the people look at me like I am a rock star...so far so good.

I started work on Thursday at the Board of Education which is based in the town hall, unfortunately only one person speaks any English and she isnt in this department so she (Isumi) gets to miss work and follow me and Watanabe, my supervisor everywhere we go. She seems quite happy about it and to be honest it would be impossible without her. As a result I am now registered as a resident, have a bank account and will soon have a keitai (mobile).

Isumi and Watanabe showed me my house yesterday and by 3pm I got to unpack. Its like no house Ive ever seen, a bit like a woodland cabin. A lot of the interior has traditional paper shutters and each room opens out to the trees and small garden/school swimming pool (!). Its great to have a house thats so open because its so hot here, it does mean that I am anticipating the coldest winter ever as it has zero insulation. The other thing that surprised me is how insecure it is, barely any point locking the door really, but this is a town where people go to the supermarket and do a full shop while leaving the engine running in their car! Just because it keeps the air-con on! To be honest, from what they are saying, security is not an issue, except when it comes to the local bears...

I visited all the elementary schools and my junior high school today for a formal introduction. I gave all the headteachers my meishi (business card) and bowed furiously! The junior high took me on a tour and took me to the band practice. Its a wind band that plays every day, even in the holidays and the ability is fantastic considering they are all 14, I was very pleased. I got such an amazing welcome that I am very excited about term starting so I can go and play along!

Well, now I have to look forward to the Fukushima orientation in the Fukushima-city so that I can see all the friends I made in Tokyo again. This weekend Meredith (from the next town, Tajima) and I will head to Aizu-Wakamatsu I think. Its the nearest city famous for its castle and a tale of white samurai. To be honest we may just spend the time doing some shopping as I have hopelessly few things in my house. I have to work out what to do with my spare room though first.

Oh, and I get my car today, its a Subaru Impreza sports wagon...very nice. I have to learn how to drive an automatic first though!

Will update you soon...