Then in Tokyo I got to be jetlagged A LOT. Yaaaaay! They only gave us that day to recover, and then we had to go to workshops the next day. It was a tad on the brutal side, but on the second night a group of us got together to have drinks and do karaoke. You pay a base fee and then go inside a room and sing your brains out. And we did. We also made ample use of tambourines that were provided. That's really the key thing missing from karaoke in the U.S. - tambourines. They also have a little phone inside the room that connects to the bar, and you just call your order in and they bring it to you.
That's our hotel in Shinjuku!
Me and Keliko! (the other ABQ JET) We're tired, but not too tired to give peace signs!
The following day was a bit long, but Keliko and I decided to go out shopping/sightseeing to balance all of the lecturing. So we went out into Shinjuku to locate the large department stores in the area, and buy some watches. I have to note here that neither of us had a watch, because we both used our cell phones to tell us the time. But because our cell phones had become obsolete, we didn't carry them around and spent much of the day in the workshops asking each other what time it was. Then we would curse our misfortune at having nothing to tell time with, so we went on a quest for watches. It ended up being way harder to find watches that were less than 10,000 yen than it should have been. We got to see lots of other interesting things though. Like the Tokyu Hands store which is AMAZING.
Department stores in Japan have multiple floors, and in this case I think Tokyu Hands had seven or eight floors. It's like having a Walmart or Target that's stacked into stories, rather than all spread out. You can buy practically anything there. Except for watches apparently. We could find none. I still love it though because it's a "Creative Life Store" according to the tagline.Other great things we saw include the following:
Keliko needed a couple of toiletries so we hopped into a convenience store looking place, and came across this. It's a box of... something. It's not a very good picture, but there's a woman in the background sprawled out looking all relaxed. And that white writing at the bottom was sort of a poem that raised more questions than it answered. Anyway, we could only speculate what this was used for.
Okay, so this is hilarious. And I guess really good advertising for Krispy Kreme. These Japanese people are waiting for a doughnut in a line that leads all the way OUTSIDE. Never mind that there are other places around to get your sugar fix, or that the humidity outside feels like you're wrapped in a blanket made of sweat. No, no. The doughnut is totally worth it.
Keliko and I found a tiny Mexican restaurant on our way back to the hotel after our day of not finding a watch. It had a narrow set of stairs that led into a basement shop (I know it sounds sketchy, but there are actually many restaurants and bars and shops set up underground that have stairs at ground level). I feel like finding this restaurant in Tokyo is like finding a diamond in your poo. It's really awesome, but then you begin to wonder how it got there. You may be wondering what the difference between tacos and americantacos is, but I couldn't begin to tell you. We didn't eat there. But if we had I would have ordered the $9 GUACAMORE.
We did finally find watches on our way back to the hotel in a store devoted entirely to watches. Go figure.
Then the next morning we had to say goodbye and head off to all of our own respective prefectures. Keliko's in Fukuoka. I had to fly on yet another plane to Tottori. The arrival was pretty overwhelming. My supervisor, predecessor, and another two Japanese teachers of English met me at the airport where I got to go do alien registration and pick up my luggage. There was a lot of information flying around and I was way tired. Hopefully I didnt forget anything. Then last night the other JETs that were already here in Tottori took us newbies out for dinner to an izakaya* where we spent so much money that the chef sent us four trays of mochi for dessert AFTER we had gotten our check. Although I guess it could have been for something else. See, in Japan some restaurants have a table charge. When you sit down, you might have a little salad in a bowl or something already waiting for you. This bowl-of-whatever is not free, but you may not refuse it. It's there for you and you'll be charged for it whether you want it or not. So, it's possible that the mochi was also included in the table charge.
Then there's today. I had to go to my high school today (more on this in a bit) at 11:30, but I woke up before that so I decided to try and call my family. I tried the phone card I had bought in Tokyo, and it was out of money. So, no phone card. Well, hotels have them and I am presently staying in a hotel (until my predecessor finishes moving out), so therefore it should be easy to find. No. Wrong. This hotel doesn't have them. So I walked to the other fancy hotel in town, and they also did not have them. So I walked to the train station with all it's little shops and convenience stores, and still didn't find one. So, I finally broke down and asked in my broken Japanese to ask where to find one, and got directed to one specific convenience store. I go inside the convenience store, and I can't find them, so I ask one of the cashiers. They open a drawer and pull one out. I cannot explain how much relief flooded through me (and also confusion because why would you hide away your phone cards in a drawer behind the counter??). It was such a simple task that I had so much difficulty with, finally getting the precious phone card was my monumental achievement for the morning.
Okay, now to understand the rest of today I have to go back to yesterday when I was with my supervisor. I was supposed to be able to open a bank account and get a cell phone yesterday right after alien registration. But my supervisor didn't bring a paper stating that I was employed by the school and my personal seal - both of which were needed. The school is a 20 minute train ride away, so no hope of running to get them and bring them back. So, it was decided that today I would go on the train (my predecessor helped me figure out which to take), and I would find the high school, run in, get my seal and the paper, and then come back to Tottori city to get my cell phone with my predecessor. Then Friday I would open my bank account, and Monday would be my first day of work where I would meet the school principal (very important - must wear a tie).
Here's what actually happened. I got off the train in Iwami (the little town where my high school is) and found my supervisor and one of the other Japanese teachers waiting to escort me to the school. On the way, my supervisor had found a bank and decided that we could go ahead and open my bank account today... except that I had left my alien registration paperwork at the hotel, because I was supposed to open my account tomorrow in Tottori city, not today in Iwami. Crap. Okay. So we just went to the school. Where one of the vice principals met us at the door. Hmm, okay... Then I was led to an office with a screen in front of it that prevents people from seeing into the office. My supervisor and the vice principal poked their heads in, spoke some rapid Japanese, and I was ushered inside ... the Principal's office. To meet the principal. Today. Not Monday. I was wearing jeans and a polo. Double crap. The meeting itself seemed to go well, the principal asked me if I would be willing to go on a school trip they were trying to put together to Nagasaki (ooooh history AND guilt), and also if I drank alcohol. Who knows what they're planning. After that meeting I was taken to the administrative offices to meet everyone there, the other teachers, the school nurse, and then given a tour of the school. Yowzaa. Then I got to go home.
Other, much less interesting things happened. So instead of recount them, here's more pictures from Tokyo!
Many restaurants in Japan feature their menus by having a display case with their dishes crafted from plastic. Yep, that's all plastic in there, folks.
The actual menu inside offered Shippoku Udon with "tangle shavings" and "dried skipajack". I don't think mom ever used those ingredients in her home cooking...
That's what Tokyo looks like from my hotel room at 5am. I was jetlagged.
I'm going shopping in Shinjuku after a long day of workshops. Don't try and stop me.
Be careful. Trent might want to ride this...
That's it for now. More pics to come, though!
