Kyoto

After much ado and anticipation, has finally arrived in Tokyo. After a few jaunts in Tsukiji, Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, and other places, we took the bullet train to Kyoto Saturday to indulge in old-fashioned sights and sounds, pricy yet tasty food, a stay at a ryokan, karaoke, and Taiko. Those who think that DDR is the greatets have yet to meet the latter: an arcade drum game which the Japanese have harbored within their lands since time immemorial, or at least since a few years ago.

I really do not want to go back to work but next week it's a few day trips around Japan and then off to Korea! Yee-tah!

Now if onl my godmother would stop snoring...

They're Coming!

Takeshita Dori

Takeshita Dori
Originally uploaded by Pierrespics

This picture seems to be generating some fuss on Flickr so I decided to post it here as well. Taken at Takeshita Dori in Harajuku.

Wedding Party

We happened to stumble across a wedding shoot. So much work was put into making the bride look perfect for the picture, including several minute make-up touch-ups and constant adjustments to hear headdress, or whatever you may call it.

The bride.

Fuck

Sometimes people can be snots when it comes to another speaking a language which they know not very well. Many of my students have told me the difficulties they have had dealing with native speakers who are not sensitive to the fact that English is their second language and thus don't do what is obvious and speak slower and use easier words. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true, which is a fucking piss-off at times when I am trying to speak Japanese.

So, to everyone: if you are dealing with someone who is trying to speak your language but can't do it as well, be patient. Be encouraging and smile. Wait for them to finish their sentences. Slow down and use easier words. It will be appreciated.

Mount Fuji

Sunday comes around. We decide that we will actually climb Mount Fuji. Thinking that would be a good time to get ready, I pack my stuff, get some shoes, and meet up with Eri and Damo at Shinjuku Station.

A few hours later, we get to the Fifth Station of Mount Fuji. We thought we were unprepared. However, Brad and James, two guys who we met on the mountain, were less so. So we decide to invite them to come along with us on the hike and we lent them some shit.

To say it was excrucitating and exhausting would be a slight understatement. It was pictch black. And rocks did not make our ascent easy. And there were some places where we actually had to go on all fours lest we fall down the hill and die. But somehow, after six-hours-and-a-half of strenuous torture -including one break, however - we finally make it to the top.

The sun rose, its rays breaking through the clouds. It was beautiful and surreal. I felt like I was in a plane, but outside. We started going down the mountain, I with renewed energy, happy as can be. And then I took a break. And then continued again. And felt like I was going to die. Because when one goes up the mountain and feels like they are running out of energy, one can stop and go back. But when one has already climbed the mountain, one has to go back down, even if they have absolutely no energy to do it.

We get back to the Fifth Station at 8:00 in the morning, wondering what the hell we were doing still up to begin with. Facing a two-hour wait for which we were absolutely in no mood to do, we, in protest, paid 12,000 yen to a cabbie to take us to the train station, which we were going to do but instead decided that we may as well spend the weekend with our new friends made on the mountain and checked into a hostel and went to an onsen. Still not having slept, we went for lunch and then started to watch Kill Bill. When the others finally went to sleep, I decided it was high time to go for a two-hour bike ride. When everyoe woke up again, we went to a famous restaurant and had horse sashimi. That's right, horse sashimi. It was quite tough but tasted like bacon. With big ass servings of udon. It was so good. And then we got drunk and had the cheapest karaoke ever known to mankind.

It was such a fabulous weekend. I was only hoping to climb Mount Fuji, but the weekend ended up being so much more than that. It ended up being a mini-vacation, which is why I felt like ass when I returned home. Climbing Mount Fuji was one of the hardest things I have done in life, but also one of the biggest accomplishments.

I may just do it again.

Professionalism

As a teacher in Japan, I'm expected to be professional. I am the teacher. They are th students. But there's no way I can pull that off.

Some students realize that, and when they do we share real moments together. Like when one tells me about how he ran into a geisha and got home one day later than planned. Or when another tells me that the rule of never filling one's glass in stupid and tiring. Or when one students actually uses "pissed off" in class because they feel comfortable enough to do so. Or when my students ask me what "teabag' means.

Real moments. Got to love them.

A Day Living

Today I did rush to Shinjuku as I usually do on my Tuesday half-days. Instead, it was spent cleaning the apartment and then making myself a very good brunch. It involved Chinese dumplings, bacon, melon, and an omelet with smoked salmon, capers, red cheddar, and green onions, served with some orange juice. It was quite nice, and I do look forward to having the same tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and by the way: new double futon frame with new bedding from Ikea in the house. Yee-tah.