Now stalking Japanese actors...

So... I've got a new hobby, and that hobby is (mildly) stalking good-looking Japanese actors. I say mildly, because I'm not very good at the actual stalking bit, in fact waiting outside a theatre with a bunch of other fangirls for an hour was about my limit last week, but it sure paid off.

I met Shirota Yu, who's a half-Japanese, half-Brazilian actor. << - This is him. Google him and you'll probably see him with a variety of 'interesting' wigs, and if you're lucky, the magazine shoot where he stripped off (back shots only, but boy, do Japanese magazine editors know how to sell their magazines!)

Anyway. He's been in a tonne of J-dramas (Hana Kimi, Samurai High School, Rookies). He's also a singer, and recently I bought his latest single, and last weekend went to see him in a live stage performance of Romeo & Juliet. It was a rock/pop musical with him as Romeo, calling his mates on his smartphone. And kissing Juliet 10 times. And lying ona bed in just his underwear in one scene. Anyway... this play is what brought me to be hovering outside the Umeda theatre, squinting in the darkness at all the actors slowly leaving, thinking no -too short - no.. a girl... no.. not him... is he really gonna come out? Has he already left?

Finally though, he did come out, and was wearing a hoodie pulled up over his often-dyed hair, and a health mask, presumably to ward off any germs and protect him from wild fangirls throwing themselves at his mouth. Drat. Anyway. He was moving fast through the crowd, so I pushed my hand through a gaggle of girls, and he shook it warmly. I blurted out (in English) , 'We love you!' and without missing a beat, he said 'Thank you' (also in English) as his eyes twinkled.

I spent the next two days agonising over those words. I surely should have said something cooler... like, 'We loved your performance'. Or 'You're really hot!' Who the hell is WE anyway? The royal We? I wanted to make myself memorable, that's why I spoke English instead of Japanese, but I sure wish I'd said something a little less lame. *sighs* my only hopes are, having seen him being interviewed, he can be a little dorky himself at times... so I hope overall he was amused by my words and not terrified. If I were an actor I think I'd like people to say things like that. But still, I keep replaying that moment, thinking... WHY THOSE WORDS?

So. The minor stalking continues, as Yu-kun is going to be in a Halloween parade at USJ in Osaka this weekend, and I'm dragging some friends with me just to gawk at him. I'd like the opportunity to shake his hand again, and say, 'What I mean is, I, personally, love to watch your acting and singing and all-round amazingness. Thanks for doing all that. And if you're single, here's my number.'

I'm not sure if his English ability can handle all of that, so perhaps I should practice it in Japanese. More motivation to study... >_<

Hiroshima remembers - stories from survivors

On August 6^th 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Every year, a special ceremony is held to remember the event and commemorate the thousands upon thousands of victims. This year I went to see the ceremony, and I was fortunate enough to hear some first-hand accounts of the atomic bombing.

Please be warned, this wasn't easy listening so it won't make for easy reading. But these are real stories that need to be shared, and I feel as many people probably won't visit Hiroshima, they may find this blog entry informative, and heartbreaking, as I did.

I say I was fortunate to hear these stories, because the hibakusha, as they are called, are actively encouraged to keep their stories to themselves. There is a stigma, even now, for those who saw the destruction of Hiroshima with their own eyes. As if experiencing that horror would not be enough. As if they were excited to tell their stories, instead of reawakening again and again what must be deeply painful and carefully hidden memories.

But, not only do these people want to share their stories, they have studied English so they can share it with foreign visitors to the city. What brave people they are. What an honour to have met them. You couldn't leave that room without feeling emotional, human regret, sadness at what they had to live through. Every person alive should hear at least one of their stories.

We met four people; Isao Aratani, Shoso Hirai, Sumiko Hirozawa and Keiko Oruga. I didn't write any notes while they talked, as I wanted to listen carefully to their stories. We were given some notes on the speakers too. Here's what they said and any thoughts I had to add.

Isao Aratani was 13 years old when the bomb dropped. He explained that in the months leading up to it, students from his school were working to clear fire lanes in the city. So he should have been in the city centre on Aug 6th, but instead the school decided to put his class on farm duty, around 1 and a half miles from the hypocenter. He remembered working in the field, and an air raid, before the deadly bomb was dropped. Like most of his class, he suffered burns to his face, but they weren't permanent. The rest of his school were killed in the city centre. From his speech I learned that many of the victims were schoolchildren trying to help prevent fires in the city.

Hirai Shoso was 16 years old on Aug 6^th. His story was the hardest to hear, as he talked about trying to find his family in a hell-like city, and helping his mother carrying his fathers' bones back to his home. He never found his younger brother. His speech made me feel sorrow for the families destroyed by the bomb.

Sumiko Hirozawa was 17 at the time of the bomb. Her family owned a temple, which over 60 students came to for aid and shelter after the bomb. Instead of telling her story, she asked for our questions, which was a difficult thing to do. What kind of questions do you ask someone who has been through that? A few brave people went for it, and most people's questions she replied to with: 'It was a horrible time, but now everything is OK, we are all alright now.' She kept repeating it, like a mantra, and this made me wonder if those who experienced the bomb simply have to block some of it from their minds to deal with it.

Keiko Ogura was the most eloquently spoken of the group, and the director of a peace organisation in Hiroshima. She was only 8 years old at the time of the bombing. She was knocked off her feet by the explosion, and awoke to a world of darkness and horror. Many victims staggered up towards her house as a local shrine was nearby; she witnessed many people dying. One of her most tortured memories is giving water to victims who asked for it; they died shortly afterwards. She didn't know at the time she wasn't supposed to give burn victims water, and she kept it a secret for many years. She says she still has nightmares about that – but no eight-year-old should have to feel guilty over doing what is completely humane. In the present day, she says she still suffers 'invisible scars'. On an interpretation trip to America she was able to see the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. She said that she broke down, sobbing, and many news cameras filmed her. After that, her brother called her and said; 'Thank goodness they used your married name – no-one knows we're related, so they don't know I'm hibakusha too.' She talked about his unhappiness at her sharing her story. But I'm so grateful she did. What a strong and brave woman. I was truly amazed by her, and truly saddened that an eight-year-old girl had to live through that experience.

She also made reference to the current situation in North East Japan. While a natural disaster, she feels that people there have seen the same level of destruction as she did in Hiroshima – a city physically and emotionally destroyed. She spoke about 'mind-mapping' the city, where survivors try to re-map the city they once knew, and it bringing together people who have experienced similar things. This seemed like a very positive approach to a disaster, which made me feel like she has turned her sadness to strength in moving on and helping others.

All of the speakers wanted us to understand they now feel no anger any more towards America or even the people who dropped the bomb. They only feel passionate now about peace; understanding; the end of nuclear arms.

They can forgive, and what amazing and inspiring people they are to do so; but they, and we as a human race, can never forget what happened here. It's as simple as that.

More reading ~

Hiroshima Peace Museum, where the talks took place

http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/top_e.html

What makes someone a hibakusha? More info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibakusha

There was an earthquake...

Where to even begin this update... ?

Japan has been on global news all day, every day for the last two weeks, for the worst of reasons. I was at my normal shift in Sanda when one of the biggest earthquakes in the world struck north-eastern Japan on March 11^th 2011.

The school staff asked me if I had felt the earth shake. 'No – there was an earthquake?' I asked, then went about preparing for my kids lessons as usual. It was only after I finished my shift, and was checking my mobile on the train home, that I saw a load of messages from worried friends – 'Are you OK?' 'Let us know you're OK Donna.' So, it wasn't just a tiny tremor in Kansai.

And if an earthquake alone wasn't bad enough, the location of the exact centre – not even on land, but in the sea – caused an unstoppable, terrifying tsunami.

Thousands were swept out to sea, unable to outrun water moving faster than a jumbo jet. Thousands more were killed instantly by their homes, schools, offices, collapsing on them. Buildings in Tokyo wobbled like jelly. My housemate dived under the table at a multi-national WHO conference in HAT Kobe, the very spot of Kobe's tragic quake in 1995.

There was an earthquake? In hindsight my reaction seems so understated, flippant almost. But over the last few months we have felt a few small shudders, nothing scary or long, and I've missed one or two as I was walking around when they happened.

Just as the mind slowly begins to acknowledge the devastation that a huge earthquake, followed by a tsunami, can wreak, the news feeds upped the ante: a nuclear power plant in Fukishima, damaged by the quake, was in serious danger. Nuclear. Danger. The two words no-one in the world, let alone Japan, wants to see about the country they are currently living in.

Before March 11^th, I knew next to nothing about nuclear power plants, except that they existed, somewhere in the world. Thanks to the world's media, and countless blogs and tweets, I now know more than I ever wanted. Too much, in fact. I need that part of my brain back for kanji study.

And as news of trouble at the nuclear plant continued to billow forth, while the rest of the people in my life – the konbini workers, my colleagues, my students – just carried on with life as normal, my foreign friends started to get a hunted look in their eye. And soon they voiced those fears.

'Are you scared?' 'Should we go home?' 'Is it safe for us to stay? Will the company say something?'

On March 15^th, the company I work for did indeed, issue an announcement to native staff. It included this paragraph:

“You are here in Japan now because at one point in your life, you made some connection with Japan. I am proud of your bravery in coming to live and work abroad. Please stay with us as long as possible and see and learn more about Japan. I realize that it is now a difficult time to be here, but I do hope you will gain something out of being here during this turbulent period of time. Once again, I do hope you will see the real Japan and look to the Japanese people for inspiration. Let us be calm and act accordingly.”

Something in that struck a chord with me. Yeah. I did make a connection with Japan, and I followed it, chose to be here, and that wasn't an easy decision. It affected my family, my friends, my lifestyle. It took so many hours of heart-searching to get me here. I wasn't going to be scared away so easily. Still, seeing a map of Japan with a big yellow and black radioactive symbol slapped on it made me shiver. The media really know how to sell those papers.

Clearly, this wasn't going to sort itself out overnight. I decided the best plan of action was to:

1. Get informed – what exactly was going on? And what would be the worst case scenario?

2. Get prepared – I'd long been meaning to sort out an earthquake kit. This seemed like a good time to sort that ^^;

3. Check my family were OK and not having a meltdown themselves in the wake of the news.

So, I checked the BBC news updates, watched NHK and tried to follow some of the Japanese news to get a better idea of what was happening. I visited the foreign community centre in Kobe to get info on earthquake kits. And I messaged my parents. Who, like the amazing duo they are, were calm and confident I was safe. They really are quite unflappable! *hugs them hard*

While this was happening, my French housemate was getting the other side of the coin – her family, university and the French government all urged her to leave Japan. After giving me some advice about how to prepare a radiation shelter – plus all her leftover veg – she flew back home last Friday.

She was joined by about half the French residents in Japan. The French government seems to have terrified them about the possible radiation leak, while the British government has more of a 'stiff upper lip' and uses its update page to give a practical guide to radiation safety and precautions. Still chilling, but informative.

While I'm no scientist, I feel you have to place your trust somewhere in times of crisis. So I have placed my trust in the British government, and the Japanese government, and the hundreds of people battling even as I type to get that power plant back under control. And while my work continues as normal, there's always a tingle of anxiety when I check the news. I can't wait until this is just a TV movie and not my real life.

But right now all I can do is get on with my job here. Talk to my students, give them a place and a channel to discuss what's happening. Because while the media dances around the power plant, thousands of people are still looking for their loved ones in the rubble. Thousands more have lost their family, friends, homes, offices, livelihoods. It's a sadness beyond words.

I've met students who are still waiting to hear from friends in Sendai, a place that has just been wiped off the map. Still they come to school, study hard, smile at their classmates, and wait and hope. I'm not sure I could do the same in their place. Japanese people have a reputation for being resilient, cool-headed, and community-minded. They have heavy hearts, and concerns about the nuclear problems of course, but what good would it do to cry all day, or panic and run away? Better to get on with things and let those who can, do their jobs. We have to get up, and get on, and do all we can.

I've long been amazed and inspired by this country and its people. That's why I came here, and I'm still glad I did. Ganbatte Japan – keep doing your best, and I will too.

Donate stuff, or money

Second Harvest Japan is getting food and supplies to the thousands made homeless by the disaster. You can donate money or send them care packages if you live in Japan.

http://www.2hj.org/index.php/news/send_us_food_and_supplies/

The Red Cross is a good place to send your money if you live outside of Japan.

http://www.redcross.org/

Six month photo special ^_^

This week I celebrated exactly six months of living in Japan. And what a week for it - April is the first month of the new school year at ECC so I've been busy as hell in the last few weeks, training, planning lessons, getting to know new students and adjusting to my new schedule. It hasn't been a smooth week, but I'm sure I'll settle into things as the month goes on. Because time really seems to fly out here! I've already taught hundreds of students, eaten loads of different flavour kit kats and learned lots of new Japanese words. I've also taken hundreds of photos, so this time I'd like to share 6 of my favourites with you.
1: Training time! Dotonbori bridge, Osaka

This was taken in October not long after I landed. These guys trained with me and I'm happy to say we've all kept in touch, sharing the ups and downs of Japan, and ECC, together.

2: Hello Kitty! Universal Studios, Osaka

Living here instead of coming on holiday means I have time to explore the cool and quirky places of Japan, and take my time about it. Universal Studios is an American import of course, but it has a very Japanese twist, like these Hello Kitty trees. I faced my rollercoaster fear here, and laughed my head off.

3: Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake memorial, Kobe

A big part of coming to Japan for me has been about experiencing life in another country with another culture. On January 17th, 2010 it was the 15th anniversary of a massive earthquake in Kobe. I visited the museum to learn more about it, and how it affected the community. It was a fantastic, moving experience.

4: Dolpa, Kyoto

So I have a love of expensive Japanese hobbies - manga, anime, cos-play and dolls. When the Volks doll party rolled up to Kyoto I was there like a shot, and made some new friends to boot. These limited edition dolls cost more than half my monthly wage... so these are the only photos I'll take of them ^^;

5: Sakura, Himeji castle

Himeji castle is a landmark of Kansai, with its beautiful white walls standing the test of time (unlike many castles in Japan that were destroyed by bombs or natural disasters). Right now it's under cover for restoration work, so this month was everyone's last chance to see it for a few years. I combined it here with the coming of cherry blossom, sakura. This was something I'd always wanted to enjoy in Japan, and now I understand why people look forward to it so much. Just beautiful, delicate and so fleeting - like life itself, as they say.

6: Nipponbashi street festa, Osaka

The whole 'den den town' street is closed off for 5 hours just so people can wear costumes and take pics of each other. Why? Why not. Of course I had to join in. A fantastic, fantastic day - one of my favourites so far.

That's it for this post, hope you enjoyed the pics! :)

Regressing a little...

“How long are you going to stay in Japan?’ Inquiring minds want to know.
‘As long as it makes me happy.’ Is my answer. Truthfully, it’s as long as I get a visa too, but that doesn’t sound as good.

It’s been almost five months since I chucked everything into the wind to come to Japan, and I can honestly say right now I’m loving it. I find joy in something almost every day. I’ve decided it’s like being a child (only with more pocket money). Here’s why.

My current Japanese language ability is about preschool. Probably less. I can understand generally what people are telling/asking me and I can read simple kana. I’ve just started to lean kanji, and I’m excited about being able to read more things (with a full on manga book being my goal!) I rely on simple words and lots of gestures though.

Putting that to the test, I’ve finally joined a karate club, which relies about 90% on body language: I watch my sensei and the other students carefully before I do anything. I remember my former teacher, Master Johnson, saying actions were more important than words in teaching martial arts and I can wholeheartedly agree: I can’t understand everything my sensei says, but because his movements are clear, I can keep up with the class, even when we do partner work or more complex combinations. Overall, the club have made me feel very welcome. There are about 6 or 7 women at the beginner’s level and we all have one tiny room to get changed in. Which makes pre- and post-class very sociable times for me!

For those who are curious, here’s how the lesson goes. It lasts an hour, with a short break to put knee and leg pads on. The first half is mainly warming up, and Godo-sensei drills us on punches, blocks, kicks and squats. After we’re padded up, we do more kicks, push ups and moving back and forth in front stance. Then we pair off for combinations. These usually involve one person grabbing the other, and a technique to get out of it (much like grabbing techniques in my old club). We also do a few exercises using pads. Godo-sensei sets a timer for 1 minute so we only ever kick or punch a pad for that each time. That’s the part when I really like to work up a sweat, because I know it\s only for a minute I can go flat out! At the end of class we sit on our knees, hands in fists at our waist, to meditate for a minute. From that position we bow to Godo-sensei and each other – every member of the class to each other says ‘Osu.’ This is like a Japanese dojo greeting/thanks/acknowledgement. Then we have to clean the dojo floor, with brushes and with cloths, before we can get changed.

At the moment I can only go once a week, which is the only downer, I’d love to go more often, but as my work is mainly in the evening when the classes are, it’s impossible. Still, it’s great to be back in a martial arts club, I get such a buzz after each class and I have a feeling I’ll make some good friends there.

Making friends is another thing that takes me back to being a child. It’s like being the new kid in school, coming to Japan. You have to really get a feel for what’s going on and who’s who before you start to feel a bit more settled. You’re the newbie, so you’re a novelty at first and you can get away with a lot – but not for long. Before I came to Japan I read up on culture shock, and it said ‘beware of living in a foreign bubble.’ That is, coming to Japan and only socialising with westerners. It struck me as a funny warning (why bother coming to Japan if that’s all you do?) but I can see how easy it is to do just that. There’s loads of ‘western friendly’ bars and clubs and a big social scene at ECC. You might say the job hours (finishing at 9pm and later and allowing plenty of time for a sleep in) practically encourage you to slip into the bar next door once you’ve clocked off. And the truth is, basically, you don’t need to speak Japanese to live in Japan. Which is kind of good at first, when you’re a baby with no language skills, but who’d want to stay a baby their whole time here?

If I wanted to hang out in western bars, drinking western drinks and eating western food, I could have stayed in England. I’m not saying that I don’t ever want to do it, in fact I think it might help cure a bit of homesickness. But it’s not what I want to do every weekend. So I’m keeping my adventuring spirit, that got me here, alive.

One of my best friends from the UK, Caroline, came to visit last month and we had a fantastic time. It was great to see my friend, and hear about the things at home, but as I took her to some of my favourite places – Ikuta shrine, Don Kihote, Harbourland – it was also great to see Japan through her eyes. She brought along a guidebook to Japan, something I couldn’t bring in my luggage, and I was just as excited as her to leaf through it, as we planned my days off. For one day, we settled on Hiroshima, a place ‘that for the saddest of reasons, needs no introduction,’ as her book said.

Hiroshima. You know it’s the place they dropped a nuclear bomb. You know lots of people died. You might even know there’s an eerie looking monument called the A-dome, a skeleton of a building left exactly as it was after the bomb struck. But visiting there is still an education. Everyone in the world should have to visit, and then maybe we’d dismantle nuclear weapons once and for all. The peace park museum, just minutes from the A-dome, is jam-packed with information, photos, personal items, stories, facts, scale models, figures… it’s overwhelming. We rented audio guides, and I only stopped listening as we got to a glass case containing a rusty-looking tricycle and helmet. They belonged to a three-year-old boy who was playing in the garden when the bomb exploded. His parents buried the trike with him, because they felt he was too little to be alone in the ground. Heartbreaking.

When you return to the Hiroshima of today, with its nifty trams and shiny buildings, and cheery people who chat to you on the way to the next stop, you really have a new respect for it. The city was destroyed, but the survivors rebuilt their lives. They rebuilt their city. They were told nothing would grow again in Hiroshima, but the peace park defies that with its bushy trees and flowers.

Every day thousands of them pass the A-dome on the tram, on their way to work, school, home. I saw a few of them lift their eyes silently as we passed the A-dome again on our way out of Hiroshima. I couldn’t help but look too. Everyone should.
At the risk of sounding gloomy, visiting somewhere like Hiroshima was important to me, in helping me understand a little more about my host country. The bomb may have been dropped on just one city, but it would have affected the whole country, and not that many generations ago to my own.

English people in general don’t know a lot about Japan, but we’ve all heard of Hiroshima. And now I’ve learned a bit more, I reckon that’s a good thing. The city wants to keep telling every generation across the world its story, in the hope it will never be repeated.

So, I don’t want to remain a child in my knowledge about Japan and Japanese people. But to say ‘I want to know about Japanese culture’ is too vague and wispy a concept. I’m seeing it just like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes I get a piece of information here, or have an experience there, and they fit perfectly: ‘ahh! That’s what it’s about.’ I don’t expect I’ll ever have a complete picture, but if I enjoy the process, that’s the important thing. That’s what I really came here for.

I enjoy going to the supermarket and not knowing what everything tastes or smells like yet. I enjoy looking for a new kit kat flavour or gashapon toy in every shop. I enjoy my Japanese teacher explaining a new word, and realising I’ve heard it before. I enjoy picking a random subway exit and not knowing what I’ll see at the top of the stairs. I enjoy peeking out of the window when I wake up to see what the weather’s doing. What did you enjoy today?

One month on...

So it’s been a month, already? Wow. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was saying a teary-eyed goodbye to my folks. And now here I am: I can find my way home no matter what exit the train station throws me out of; I can lead a group of six kids whose native language isn’t English to sing and act out ‘head, shoulders knees and toes’ four times in a row; and I can resist buying every oh-so-pretty anime goody that catches my eye*

I wanted a challenge, now I’ve got one. Yeah, I only work six hours a day but those hours are intense. Managing a class of chattering Japanese children is something I still haven’t got to grips with yet. At ECC, I’m not allowed to speak or show I understand any Japanese, which is hard when you have a group of six or seven restless children bouncing around and chattering to you and each other in Japanese. Harder still when I’m out in the school lobby trying to make small talk with students or parents who can barely answer ‘what’s your name?’ in English.

But the kids, once you get them going in a song or game, are fantastic fun and amazing little sponges of language. The adults, once they understand a new word or relax and get chatting, are all fascinating. So many of the older students I’ve met have really interesting hobbies – traditional flower arranging in Kobe, scuba diving in Okinawa, ski bunnies in Osaka. None that I’ve met so far have said ‘I just watch TV’, or ‘I don’t do anything.’ The shortest answer to ‘What did you do at the weekend?’ I’ve had so far was ‘Study my kanji. A lot.’ (Hm, where to go from there..?)

Perhaps I’m only meeting a small minority of Kansai people who like pushing themselves to achieve (hence why they are learning English) but I feel like it’s teaching me a little about the ethos of people here. They like to challenge themselves; they like to keep busy; and they are enthusiastic about what they do. So I want to take those qualities on board too, and get myself a few good, challenging hobbies outside of work.

Learning Japanese is obviously a huge goal, and I can’t get any free lessons until December 1st when the Kobe Community Centre opens up their books again, so I’ve bought a challenging new textbook to give myself a little head start. My old textbook at warwick uni was mainly in English, but this one is in hiragana and katakana, so I have to get studying them again to use it.

Karate is my other burning desire to try here; having a weekly lesson in the UK was a great routine I had to stick to, rain or shine, and I made some great friends through it. It helped take my mind off work too which is something I can see I’m going to need. It’s hard to switch off sometimes. So. I have a YMCA just a short walk from my house, which I’ve seen runs loads of activities, so I’m going to brave going in to ask about classes there. I hope they have a flexible timetable as my working hours are so late at the moment; I could really do with either a morning class and/or a Sunday/Monday class. We’ll see what they’ve got.

Last but not least, I would love to get talking to some other anime/manga fans in the area too, as this is the mecca of it all, I’m sure there’s loads of events and good shops right under my nose. I wish there was a manga club just like at the astral gypsy in Coventry, perhaps there is but I’d have to find the otaku first.

One of the great things about doing sub classes at the moment is meeting other ECC teachers around the area. I’ve been for a few drinks with a group in Kobe, and today one of them kindly showed me some cool places around Sannomiya. They’re all pretty pleased to see new teachers arriving now, and as there’ll be more still coming later this month, I’m sure more opportunity for beer and possibly even karaoke will arise. We can but hope.

*not a guarantee

Love it, hate it

Good morning from sunny Kobe once again (hard to believe it's November) it's a national holiday today, so I'm getting a few chores done then im going for a walk to the mountains at the end of my road. Yesterday i went to Kyoto for the first time which was fantastic; I only saw two shrines, a park and some shops but I'm definitely going to go back, oh yes!
I've still not been in japan for a month yet but I wanted to share some of my likes and dislikes so far... we shall see if/ when they change!
Likes:
1. The weather. It's beautiful most days, and by english standards, ki d of tropi al for November. I love the sunshine so I'm very happy. I have been warned however that august is disgustingly humid and I won't want to leave the air con.
2. The pretty men. Oh so many of them! everywhere!
3. The students I've had so far. They are all nice and willing to learn. I haven't done any kids tea bing yet so far though.
4. The department stores. Huge and amazing. So many things have cute faces as well, it's like cute overload, even in a relatively boring area like kitchen equipment - the potato mashed has a cute face on the handle!
5. The bakeries. Oh wow. Such nice cakes and sweet breads and one I found in namba plays music just like disneyworld... It's awesome.

Dislikes:
1. Smoking is still allowed pretty much everywhere so the offices do smell, and after a few drinks in a bar I do too X_X
2. Paperwork... Anything involving paperwork seems to take hours on end ( even after I've figured out how to fill it in!) in general anything admin-y takes about three times the time back home.
3. The sneaky meat. It looks vegetarian, it says it's vegetarian, but oh.. What's this? Surprise pork!
4. Not being Able to speak Japanese very well makes me feel like a small child when trying to do simple things. In Kobe I can get free lessons, but found out yesterday I have to be resident for a month first. so, will have to just get on for another few weeks with my dictionary. What's really hard is, I'm not allowed to speak any Japanese at work, as the students Re paying for an English class, they wNt total immersion. But even to the staff, I'm not allowed. So I feel myself becoming super polite English girl, in the vein of Mary Poppins... Cor blimey guv!
5. Not having any money to buy everything I want/ do things I want to do. One of my friends was in Tokyo this week bhut I couldn't afford the train fare to go visit her (or go to Disneyland as we'd discussed) train fares within kinki are pretty reasonable, but to get to Tokyo on the Shinkansen it's about £50, one way, if you don't book in advance. Crazy. so I'm going to hVe to save up and reserve those Tokyo tickets... I'm sure it will be worth the wait once I do. Meanwhile Ive got a Lot of kinki to explore!

Day 2 mission: Shopping

Heed my advice today. If you’re planning on moving to Japan, bring a bottle of shower gel with you for the first few weeks. I brought everything else but – and spent an hour today trying to decide what if what I was holding was indeed shower stuff, hand lotion or bath cleaner. The bottle says ‘body soap’ so I’m hopeful I have the right thing. We’ll soon see.

 Shopping was today’s big mission – well, food shopping to be exact. After paying 1,500 yen (about a tenner?) for a pizza last night I realised I needed to stock up on some basics or I’ll run out of money quickly. I don’t get paid until Nov 12^th, and even then it’s less than I will usually get (due to training for most of the month). So I headed hopefully back to the huge 10-floor department store that furnished my bed. The bottom two floors are food – one is fresh (fruit. bread, meat) and the other has everything else. Luckily I bought a book about Japanese food buying in the UK, so I skim-read this before I left, and took it with me to check against Kanji. I’m really glad I did that for the milk alone, as it was hard to distinguish between milk and yoghurt drinks.

 Japanese supermarkets are clean, fairly busy, and LOUD. There’s music playing, but it’s not good music, more like lift music, and there’s also people on aisles shouting about the samples they want you to try. Some displays talk as well, I’m not sure if they are motion activated or just go off randomly.

 I bought a modest amount, thinking I can go back easily if I find I like something in particular. I was happy to see a lot of familiar snacks (yes, Pocky!) and brands (Tropicana, Kelloggs, Twinings). I bought a few of these, and I also bought a bag of rice purely for the fact it had cute illustrated instructions on the back. Also because the flat has a rice cooker, which I’ve always wanted to try… maybe I’ll have a go later. Although I might need Yuko’s help.

 Oh yes! I met my housemate at last. After catching up with everyone in the UK on the net last night, I headed for bed as I was feeling really tired out and spacey. I was dozing when I heard her come into the flat last night – and then she knocked on my door. I scuttled to it in my hello kitty pyjamas, eager to make a good impression. She seems really nice, and confirmed she does have two jobs – one as a chef in a kitchen, the other in Starbucks. Her English isn’t great, and neither is my Japanese, so it was just a brief conversation before my head hit the pillow again. Today is her day off, and I kind of woke her up when the nice man from JAL came to drop my bag off. I was flapping at the intercom with him going ‘sumimasen…’ as he talked to me, and she came out and rescued me. JAL said it would come 6-7pm yesterday; it came at 10am today. Oh well. The important thing is, I’ve been reunited with my case! So my wardrobe looks a bit less bare.

 Do I feel as freaked out as yesterday? In some ways, a little less. Seeing Hello Kitty branded face wash and loo roll called fruit basket made me smile, the sun is beautiful (it’s tshirt weather here) and I had a friendly nod from an elderly neighbour as she left the building. Once again, I think when I start work, things will get a bit easier because I’ll have a lot to occupy me, other aliens to share the experiences with, and I’ll get paid, so I can afford to do things on my days off like visit other parts of Japan that I really want to see. Right now everything still feels very alien, and anything vaguely familiar (like the Twinings tea!) is comforting. I understand now why people often go to travel/live in English speaking countries like Australia or America; it takes some of that alien element away at least when you’re in a new environment. I wonder how many people come to the UK and feel this way?

 So I feel quite cut off communications-wise, and I’m hoping as soon as I can get a phone that might subside a little. I would love an iphone, but not sure it’s affordable. I’m definitely going to get one with internet access though, so that I can go online any time. Otherwise I’m going to be drinking a hell of a lot of coffee at the place next door! What a shame Japan doesn’t seem to have anything like the dongles you get in the UK – you’d have thought they would, being so nifty in general with the technology. What I’m most gutted about at the moment is skype – I was really looking forward to being able to talk to my folks and friends face to face for free, and show them my room virtually. Now I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do that. Maybe when the café is quieter they won’t mind but I’m a bit too nervous to ask. So instead I have an expensive phone card where 2,000 yen buys me 51 minutes on the phone to the UK.

 Lastly on the phone front. I’ve been told I probably can’t get a phone unless I have an alien registration card, which I can’t apply for until Tuesday when the hall I need to go to is open – Monday is a national holiday here. The card itself may take a few weeks to be completed. So it might be a little while until I can get a phone. So again, my advice to anyone coming out here = get a phone that can work in Japan, even just for the initial few weeks. I know I used to live without a phone strapped to my side once – but it wasn’t in another country that’s for sure.

 UPDATE: The internet told me Apple have an English speaking advice line in Japan, so I’m going to call them tomorrow and see if they can sell me a phone. Yes!

Noodles or icecream?

After getting my passport back from the Japanese immigrations counter this morning, I noticed a piece of paper poking out of it that says: ‘To the Alien entering Japan, you must register at your local city hall or ward in 90 days.’

Alien. You couldn’t pick a better word for how I feel at the moment. Even though I’ve been to Japan before, getting bussed to a cozy hotel with fellow tourists to chatter to is a world away from arriving here to work.

 The flight itself was good. After an emotional farewell with my parents (used a whole pack of Kleenex!) I just barely made it to my gate for the first flight to Amsterdam. I’d just about caught my breath from the dash when we landed, and then had about half an hour to get over to the gate for my Osaka flight. Once onboard I was thrilled to discover I’d somehow been upgraded, and so my seat not only reclined fully, but also had no one in front or behind me, so surely only the captain had more legroom. Thank you KLM!

 The reclining helped when trying to sleep on the flight, but my whirling and emotional mind didn’t. I kept going over the things my parents said as we hugged each other tightly, and all the messages of support people have given me over the last few months. It seemed hard to believe the big day had finally arrived.

 I was finally dozing to some degree when a cabin crew member’s soft shuffles woke me up. I peered into the dimmed cabin lights to hear her ask, somewhat surreally, ‘noodles or ice cream?’ This was about 3 or 4am Japan time. (I went for the ice cream).

What seemed like moments later, we were woken up for breakfast, and as the plane dropped slowly through the clouds, I saw mountains and blue sky. Hello Japan.

I had to fill in some more paperwork on the plane (I declare I am not in possession of fireworks or swords, etc) and once that was handed over and my bag returned I was swiftly pushing the cart to the exit. Looking for the JAL delivery desk, as ECC kindly pay for your heaviest bag to be sent to your apartment through them, thus meaning you don’t have to lug it on buses/trains in your first few hours.

 The man took my bag without much ado, and it’s meant to be returned to me within the next hour as I type. Looking forward to having all my things with me again, not least because my mum crammed in 2 packs of wispa bars. Yay mum!

 That done, I headed to the phonecards, bought one and phoned my housing agent. I make that sound really quick – it wasn’t. It involved much pondering of the machines and then the phones – but I got there in the end. Next I headed out to the coach stops to find number 6, to Sannomiya station. There was a friendly staff member by the machines, who helped me to buy the right ticket, then another friendly staff member took my heavy rucksack away to put in the luggage compartment, and gave me a ticket to collect it at the other end. Super efficient, punctual and clean. It’s a world away from UK public transport, I pondered as I gazed out of a coach window at the tapestry of industrial heavyweight, and beautiful mountains, of Kansai.

As the stop had said Sannomiya station, I was expecting at least a shed of some sort, but it turned out to be referring to the train station that sits opposite where the bus stops. Right in the middle of busy Kobe. I stood back and tried not to feel too much like an eyesore. Which must have worked, as Robert was there for 20 minutes before he found me (and he walked around the stop a few times).

Then began information overload: Robert stopped the car twice to give me directions, much to the chagrin of fellow drivers. He kept telling me how they’ve put me in one of their nicer houses (well he was hardly going to say anything else…) but I didn’t really believe it until we arrived. His wife and baby daughter met us outside the building, and the minute we got inside, the information began to flow. My new housemate is Japanese, she works two jobs, garbage is Tuesdays and Thursdays, make sure you put the fan on after you shower, here’s how to work the air con, would I like to pay next month’s rent now? I felt bewildered, but glad someone was here to at least take me round and show me things, even if I forget half of them tomorrow. The flat itself is lovely; a neat kitchen, bathroom and living room, place to take your shoes off, loads of cupboard space, sliding doors. 

Once we’d signed the contract (5 months minimum), I paid up and he’d shown me how to open the postbox, Robert and wife were off, but they each gave me a hug before they left. Which was really sweet. ^_^

I opened my post - a package from ECC with yet more information, some confusing Japanese forms and a training schedule that begins next Wednesday. The hours aren’t too bad (first day 12pm) and it’s pretty much until 30 October. That semi-absorbed, I decided I best head out for some bedding. ECC in their wise ways have only supplied me with a bed and mattress. I think they just like making you do this kind of stuff so you can get some independence, but god it’s a bit intimidating after a long flight.

Robert had pointed out a gigantic building I could get bedding from on his mini Kobe tour, so I headed back in that direction. Finding it again wasn’t too hard, but deciding on the bedsheets themselves took me ages. Japanese beds don’t seem to have flat sheets as we do in Europe, and everything was sized and, of course, I didn’t measure the bed. So I took a wild guess (as it turns out, spot on!) I managed to pick up a duvet as opposed to futon set and, as I didn’t trust the picture, I bought a separate pillow. I was really glad I did. So now I have a bed to lie on as I type and the jet lag is starting to prick at my eyes. I’m really trying to stay in this time zone though as it just seems like the best way to get into things.

 My housemate hasn’t come home yet, I really wish she would as having no-one to talk to is making me think about all the people I’m really missing right now. U_U

I don’t have a mobile or a house phone, although the nearest net café is next door, which I’m planning to go visit and upload this once my suitcase arrives. So that will be good to catch up with everyone’s news.

 And a few good things from my bedding trip: I spotted a starbucks in the department store (huzzah!) and a tokyu hands, which is a massive craft/model/cosplay store. I definitely need to visit, as Rei’s foot has come off in the journey – but the dolls otherwise travelled well. I only brought two – lucky as no more would have fit in my bags.

 What I keep telling myself at the moment, I have been telling myself for the last few months, is that I have to take each day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow or stress about next week. Just think about what today involves, and what I need to do today.

 And today was always going to be the worst 24 hours of this experience – leaving my family, tiring long flights, and seeing a strange new world. Nothing can really prepare you for that experience. But I wonder how long it will be before I feel comfortable here. I think the training will help next week, as I will be able to meet other ECC people in the same position, and it will give my day real purpose and other things to concentrate on. God. In the UK I used to long for my weekends to never end, now I’m wishing mine away.

So if you offered me a ticket home right now would I take it? Hm. Maybe we’ll come back to that question in a month’s time. What’s most scary right now is the unfamiliar. What you know, even if you hate it, is always going to be the easier way to live, isn’t it? I keep thinking about the similarities with the last two big moves I made – going to university then going to live in the midlands. My parents were there to support me through both of those moves too. What’s different is they were able to see where I was going, in person. And they were able to come and see me on a whim or whenever I really needed them. They can’t do that right now and I think that’s what’s the hardest thing. I’m in a strange place and everyone I love is physically hours away from me and they can’t share this in person unless they come out to visit. I have such respect right now for anyone who’s ever done this kind of thing, because it’s hard. And emotional. And confusing. I think I might feel more positive when I’ve spoken to my family, and had some food and some sleep. Hmm, and my suitcase still hasn’t turned up. So I think I’m going to try going to the internet café to make me feel just a little bit less lonely.

UPDATE; And it worked! Everyone has been on here chatting to me so I feel a bit better. Next time, I'll bring my mac plug X_X battery fail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argh! I’ve got a weight problem!

And having just returned from holiday in America, aka land of the HUGE meals and mouthwatering brownies, this might not sound too shocking. But I’m not talking about my waistline, just yet, as the focus on this update is my luggage allowance.

While on holiday (fab by the way, thanks!) I found a super-nifty lightweight backpack that doubles as a small case (I’ll take pictures!) that will be perfect for my hand luggage. And my parents also bought a set of digital baggage scales to help me check my bags before I check them in. As my last suitcase was wrecked by baggage handlers, they kindly furnished me with one to take to America, so during the holiday we were discussing the merits of me taking it to Japan.

Well. I came back home on Friday to see that ECC were emailing me to offer a service where they transport one bag from the airport to my accommodation for free. It was only when reading that email, in the haze of jetlag yesterday, I realised I hadn’t even checked my weight allowance on the flight. I’d just assumed I could take two bags about 20K. Boy am I glad I checked.

The KLM website says it’s ok to take two bags… if you are going to a certain list of destinations. Like America and Africa. But Japan isn’t on the list. ^^; so I phoned them to double check. ‘Yes, we can confirm you have 20KG allowance… and 12KG hand luggage.’ The cheery helpful KLM person told me. ‘Oh. Right. Thanks.’ Me: not so cheery. But at least I found this out now, and not at the airport. KLM charge about £20 for every kilo you go over that limit.

So. I have to pack everything I need for a year into bags weighing a total of 20KG (32KG including my hand luggage). To give you an idea of how scary this sounded to me, two years ago my bag coming back after just 2 weeks in Florida weighed 32KG alone (and had a CAUTION HEAVY sticker slapped on it) Meep.

My parents, helpful as ever, whipped out their new scales for some instant experiments. (It’s just like being at school!) We found the case they bought me weighs 4.5KG. Three pairs of shoes weigh 1.5KG. After consulting the ECC list and stuffing my case with an approximation of the amount of clothes they recommend, we estimated my clothes and shoes alone will weigh about 12KG. Not bad. 20KG sounds a bit better now. But on a shopping trip today we were all eyeing up the lightweight cases in Debenhams, playing weight bingo together: ‘4.8… no that’s more’ ‘3.8! That’s good. But look at the price.’ ‘ah, this one is 4.5 too but it’s made of polycarbon’. Did I mention before how fab my parents are at helping me out? They’re absolute diamonds. And I’m glad that we booked the US holiday, expensive though it was, as I got to spend some fun time with them before this – the Japan countdown proper – began.

So where am I now with all the important paperwork stuff? Almost there. I’m currently racing down to London, heading for the Japanese Embassy tomorrow to submit all my info for the all-important Visa. My Certificate of Eligibility (very small, more like a leaflet of eligibility I’d say) arrived while I was on holiday so I’m playing a bit of catch up. I need to take that in tomorrow plus my passport and a photo. I also needed to fill out an A4 form, which took five attempts for my jetlagged brain this afternoon. I’m sure they make the lines deliberately too small to write Japanese addresses on as a test of your determination. Hopefully I’ve passed!

And speaking of addresses. I now have one! I haven’t google-earthed the address yet, but give me time. All I know at the moment is I’m going to be in Kobe City, in ‘one of our nicer shared houses’ according to the ECC email. One other housemate is listed on the information. Just a name, no other information. A third room is listed as vacant.

So that’s us all up to date for now. Tomorrow, London and on Tuesday, I’ll be shopping for new smart work-type clothes. Horror. I’ve worked in jeans for the last 10 years. So my waistline might be the subject of my next post after all ^^; wish me luck!

Happy... then sad... then happy again...@_@

I'm posting from my holiday hotel room in Orlando, Florida right now - trying to get myself into a new time zone by staying awake for another hour. So excuse the slight rambling due to tiredness/emotional state. A lot has happened since my last post. People have kept asking me 'Are you excited? You must be excited about going to Japan.' And of course I am, but, the excitement has been buried under a lot of sad farewells. A lot of lasts. On Tuesday it was my last karate class, and movie chillout with the Walters. On Wednesday it was my last day at the Walters, which was very emotional for me, and work, which was just really strange. It didn't feel like my last day ever. Everyone was lovely; I got cake, and a little wad of cash to take away with me (plus some English money for the duty free which I was really touched by ^_^) After a swift few drinks in the pub, my cousin Gordon came to whisk me away to Manchester Airport. And then this morning when I got on the Virgin flight to sunny Orlando, I realised that's kind of it: all my time in the Midlands has just flown past. Flying itself is like a suspended animation. You're hurtling forward at thousands of miles an hour. But unless you stop and think about it, it can just feel like you're going nowhere (and getting served really bad food). So I'm always the kind of person who looks out of the window at the clouds once in a while, just to remind myself - eep! I'm flying! And so the excitement of the journey returns. And that's kind of where I am right now. Happy, sad.. and every so often, super-excited! For example. I'm just a few hours into my Florida holiday, and I've already had two emails from ECC. One to say they're sending out my certificate of eligibility (which I need for the visa) and a second to say they are placing me in Kobe City. (Home of the beef? Oh man!) Well, they describe it as a beautiful little port city (OMG I'm going to be just like Kiki! I need a sassy black cat and a broomstick forthwith!) My housing will be about 5-10 minutes walk from a mountain and 20 minute train ride from Osaka. Wow! Actually, as a lot of people have asked questions about where/how I'll be living I'll just give you a little rundown. As I have requested, it will be in shared accommodation, I'll be with two other people according to the email.  I have been placed a western shared housing, which ECC say is: "generally modern and nice just like back home with full amenities and of course a bit more expensive. These places are usually shared between three tenants and each has their own private bedroom. Shared quarters would be a spacious living room, bathroom, and kitchen (full amenities). These places are approx. 65,000yen/month plus utilities which are paid for and divided evenly amongst the tenants." 

I'm looking forward to being in a shared house again, as I think it will be a nice way to move to a new area, and two other people sounds like a good number – I wonder if they'll be new teachers too? And, um, I hope they don't have a rota pinned up the moment I walk in the door. OK. That's enough rambles for now. I'm off to relax and enjoy my American holiday (another last... US trip with parents). Still on antibiotics for the nasty wisdom tooth problems, bah, but the last tablet is Monday. That's one last I will be very happy about! TTFN.

One week left in the Midlands

Oh wow. Where is the time going? This time next week I’ll be flying off to America on holidays. And my work in the Midlands will be done – literally. As I’ve worked here for the last ten years, I don’t think my brain has quite wrapped itself around that concept yet.
Although I’m finding it easier to step back from the actual work, I think I’m really going to miss the people and I don’t think that will hit me for a good while yet. Everyone who leaves the agency says that the people here are unique, like a little family, and I think it’s one of the things that has kept me here so long. They’re a really nice bunch. For example. yesterday I had to go home with excruciating toothache. One £50 trip to see my dentist in Yorkshire (long story) later, I’m stockpiled up with antibiotics and solpadeine. So when I came back in to work today, everyone was concerned: ‘how are you?’ ‘toothache is the worst’ ‘you went to Yorkshire??”Yeah. So whether it’s good or bad news, people want to know, and they genuinely care about the answer. I don’t think it will be the same at ECC. But who knows? Speaking of families, I’m very happy to say I’m now out of the rented house and in with the Walters family, who kindly agreed to put me up/put up with me (!) for my last week or so in the Midlands. They are a family I met through karate, and over the last 5 or so years have shown me just the hugest amount of kindness and friendship,. Too huge to try and explain, but I know I can never fully repay them (though I often try, in small cake shaped doses) for everything. Living with them is fantastic – the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and I am eating well and sleeping pretty soundly. In case I do wake in the night and forget where I am, there’s a sign on the wall made by the girls reminding me ‘you are at the Walters’. Well, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now. They’re proving a good medicine for my relocation stress (which has seemingly melted away since I moved in.) So I didn’t feel sad at all to leave my rented house. Stressed, yes – overwhelmed by the amount of stuff, yes - but not sad. More like… it was just time to go. And so grateful my parents came and helped, they made the whole thing a lot easier and quicker. I managed to send 3 carloads back to Yorkshire for storage with them, so now their house probably looks like a jumble sale! It was a fantastic weekend in one way though, because I saw a lot of my friends and family who had offered help. They arrived, they helped clear, they rehomed things, they gave hugs and smiles of support. It made the weekend a hell of a lot easier. So I know I have to a do a lot of thanking people this month. And maybe for the rest of my life!
As I leave one home and temporarily pitch up at another, I’ve just got some more details from ECC about my Japanese accommodation. Basically I tell them what I’d like (a beautiful 20- tatami mat house in the bamboo woods in Kyoto with bishy neighbours please) and they sort it out (a small flat shared with a few teachers in Osaka/Kobe... like it or lump it) so on the day my plane touches down, a helpful ECC person can take me straight there. I should get exact location details about a month before I fly out. Which would be around next week then. Good gravy. Oh, and I have my first proper big leaving do tonight – and I won’t even be drinking because of the antibiotics. Well, maybe one won’t hurt. I just can’t believe I’m really saying to goodbye to people already. And that’s the whole tooth.

To your good health

Well, it's finally happening... I'm moving out of my house this weekend.

And I don't know if it's particularly that, or my mind just coming to terms with he whole moving house/job/country/ eeek-ness, but I have not been feeling like myself over the last two weeks. Work sent me home last Friday because I looked awful - and I felt it! I ached all over, and just felt exhausted. So I went straight to bed at 5pm and didn't get up until 8am the next day. Since then I have felt fine and then exhausted in waves - when the wave hits, it's like having an out of body experience - the nearest thing I can compare it to is jetlag. Oh so ironic considering my medical paperwork ('this lady is medically fit and well') has only just reached Japan giving them the green light to sort out my Certificate of Eligibility >.< Anyway. Most people I talk to think it is stress related, and so I'm trying to take it a bit easier, and I hope when things get simpler (like when I have no house to worry about) the waves will start to subside. It may or may not be related, but I've been saying my first round of goodbyes as well recently. The local comic shop owners fed me a cup of tea and a farewell hug tonight; and last weekend I went out with all my doll friends for bento at Mount Fuji in Birmingham. Ah yes,I should explain about the dolls. I collect Asian Ball Jointed Dolls - very expensive, made of resin. I have 6, and I'll be taking some of them to Japan with me so expect to see some pics of them here. As a taster here's Kokoro (which means heart in Japanese) with a teddy that one of doll friends gave her on Saturday. I'm looking forward to meeting some Japanese doll owners as the friends I've made here through meet-ups are a cracking bunch. I'll miss our monthly get-togethers.

And still on the subject of Saturday at Mount Fuji (most yummy Japanese food I've ever eaten in the UK) I had the most delicious cake, called matcha - it was so light and fluffy it kind of boing-ed when you poked it. The cream with it is like a sweet red bean buttercream dusted with green tea powder. I certainly hope to have more of this in Japan - oishii desu ne! (Tasty!) Sweet dreams...

Unconventional conventions

Well it feels like progress has been made in the last few days, as I finally got all the medical paperwork sent off to ECC (registered mail!) today. Just don't mention the postal strike in Leamington. Tch. Aaand another carload went at the weekend which is making my house look a bit better ^^; my parents' house is probably looking a whole lot messier though... I'll have to buy them a really giant cake to say thanks at some point!

Aside from the tidying and medical nonsense, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend at Ayacon - a UK anime/manga convention that was held conveniently ten minutes from my house. It was packed with excellent cosplayers, all very friendly and willing to pose and chat, some interesting demos such as kimono wearing by Japanese lecturer Akemi Solloway, and a fantastic dealers room that I really had to run through to avoid buying anything. Except. The lovely Tokyo Toys, who I always stop and chat to at UK anime events, gave me a really good deal on two snazzy luggage tags. For my two suitcases. So it would have been rude not to, ne? Well to finish up tonight, here's a pic of me with the friendly Jon from Tokyo Toys.

Yes I'm cosplaying as Yuki from Vampire Knight *^_^* I only have a few costumes in total, but I'm not taking any with me to Japan as I'm hoping to get some new ones out there. And maybe go to a few conventions to show them off! I really hope the convention scene is as friendly as it is here, and I look forward to meeting some awesome Japanese cosplayers. Oh go on then have another pic of me cosplaying! With a group of friendly Vampire Knight-ers

How is the packing going? And medical matters

I have two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to follow in my footsteps today.

Advice nugget 1: Don't buy things. Or rather, don't keep them.

Um, whose crazy idea was it to move house at the end of Aug again? ^^; One car load of my stuff has already zoomed off up to yorkshire, with my folks...

...now the rest awaits them. Reckon it will all fit?

I completely filled my wheelie bin today after hitting on the idea of throwing away my old bedding instead of washing it. Saves me some packing space. But I know that's not very green, so I stuffed my recycling bin full of paper to counter it. Sorry planet. And I've got at least another 2 loads of paper recycling already! And the amount of storage shelves and that I have is ridiculous. The good news of today is, a few things I've advertised for free on facebook have already been snapped up by friends. Hurrah!

Advice nugget 2: Save money. A lot of money. And patience!

I went for a chest xray today which ECC requires me to do, as part of a medical record the Japanese labour law requires them to have. Here's how it works:

1. I book medical. Doctor gives me check up and fills out ECC form. ('This lady is medically fit and well') <-- hurrah. I give Doctor £89 for his 45 minutes.

2. Doctor gives me a separate form to request I have a chest xray. I book xray appointment.

3. I go to xray, hand over the doctor's form and pay £75. The report from it now goes back to my doctor.

SO.

Tomorrow I need to 4. Call the doctor and get them to give me a copy of the report (you can bet they'll charge me for it) so I can

5. Send ECC form and xray back to ECC. (Registered post to Japan...) 

6. Wait for ECC to send me a certificate of eligibility so I can then

7. Go get my Visa. (Travelling down to London £_£)

With me so far? The only good thing is, I believe this is the most faffy part of the process. It's not the most expensive though, I've already done that... the flight.

Oh yes. The flight.

I had to get a flight which arrives 4-6 days before my training begins. But it had to be early, and not on a Sunday. So me and my folks spent a good hour pouring over flight comparison sites, and plumped for the best one we found: 13 hours with KLM, flying from Birmingham to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Kansai. Arriving Saturday 9.30am Japanese time. 4 days before my training. The cost = £715.

So lets do a quick reccy... £715 flight plus £164 medical costs =My new job is costing me £879 so far! This is not a money-making career move people. But as some keep saying to me, I'm sure it will all be worth it! ^__^

Irrashaimase! Welcome to my blog ^_^

Hullo. In exactly two months I will be flying out of the UK to Japan on a one-way ticket. I've given up my job, my rented house, and a rung on a career ladder to do this. So if you've ever wondered what it's like to just ditch it all tomorrow (almost...) and move to another country, then feel free to join me on the journey. 

A few questions and answers:

Why Japan?

I'm a huge manga, anime and J-drama addict. Because of this I've been on holiday to Tokyo twice, and enjoyed the sights, the culture and the language. But I feel like I've only seen a teeny sliver of what the country has to offer. So I applied for a job, with the hope of learning more about life in Japan. 

What am I going to do in Japan?

Teach English with a company called ECC (see my website list for more info on them) To get this, I had to attend a group interview session and do the hardest grammar test of my life! Oh, and I did the interview last September. Patience is a virtue when it comes to landing a job like this >.<

What am I doing between now and 9th Oct?

Still working in my current job, where I'm a sub editor for a communications agency. I finish there on 9th September. Then I'm off on holiday to America for a few weeks before I fly out to Japan.

What kind of stuff am I going to blog about?

I'll tell you what it's like to move to another country, all the highs and lows, and I'll share what I learn about Japan with you. I love taking pics so expect loads of those too. I'll update as often as I can. 

Why 'two suitcases'?

Apart from hand luggage, that's all I'm taking to Japan on the 9th. My whole life in two suitcases! That won't even fit my manga collection XD but as I'm a complete clutter-holic, I think it might do me some good. I'll keep you posted on that.

Got another question?

Feel free to post comments/questions at any time and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks for reading (^_^)/