It is now ok to drive in reverse on the wrong side of the road for the length of one street.
Surprise!
So I arrived at my apartment yesterday after a long trudging day of work. I recieved a letter from the energy company (a letter in which I can’t read) that gives me a date and a phone number. Well,.. I assume the date is the time I have till my electricity goes off and the telephone number is to some poor chap who will have to butcher English. And I mean butcher, like those guys with cleavers and a side of minced pork.
I also received my first pay check after two months of working!! Oh how it was great. Finally, some money in the bank.
Lastly! Oh that’s right,.. ONE MORE THING. I got a package from someone. I was so excited. It was a T-shirt shipped all the way from good old Rhode Island! The D-House family decided to include my name on their shirt and not only that; Josh, Maiko, Bob (Duhum), Steve (Seungtae), Yuseon, Yunji, and Kan bought me one and sent it to me! You guys are fantastic, thank you so much. It really meant a lot to me. Also thanks to the D-House and D-House staff for including my name on the shirt. Good luck to all of you! I hope you had a great year at URI!
Lost in a World
I never really thought about it much before till I got here. People in the US do the same,… just not to the same extent. I was riding the train the other day and was listening to my music. I took a look around the train and say maybe half the people doing the same while the other half were either asleep or completely enthralled with their phones. That’s when I put away my headphones…
People are so lost in the world they have created that they are missing everything that is happening around them. Even I am guilty of it most of the time. I am starting to unplug myself and listen to everyday occurrences that go on. I know Tim C. would probably disagree, but something as simple as the birds chirping can be relaxing. I enjoy it, much more than my music anyway. I wonder if I am missing something.
Select your Vehicle
So apparently you can drive ATV’s on the road in Japan…. License plate and all…. I hear that if it has wheels and goes just get a license plate and your good to go. I guess old grandma Suyama on her moped isn’t much better.
A Story on Cars
Hold on, I am going to hop into my Toyota Corolla “Super Windy Edition” and blow right into a Daihatsu Move making it a Daihatsu Naked. Now where did my Toyota Homey go….. Oh Japan, a laugh around every corner.
News Flash
Hello, I’m Skippy reporting to you, LIVE, from Hikawa-cho, Shimane-ken, Japan. It is now ok to cut the lawn…. while you brush your teeth.
Super!
Welcome to the world of wonders, a world better known as Japan. Today we will venture forth, into the depths referred to as Western Japan. A place not well explored or known even amongst the natives. On my safari I found a fascinating site at which I unfortunately have no pictures of and furthermore no PROOF of it’s existence. It will just have to remain a mystery in likeness to bigfoot until I can provide solid evidence! My discovery,.. I like to call it… the “Super Multi Kiddie Carriage”! That’s right, have the need to place a kid in day care? Worried about your kids not getting to see the town while at work? Have no fear, the “Super Multi Kiddie Carriage” is here! One caretaker can push around 5 to 7 of your children in a playpen on wheels!
No,.. seriously,… I’m not joking. I saw it.
The Narrow Road of Impending DOOM!
And there I was, on a narrow strip of pavement. To my right speeding cars hogging the road. To my left the murky awesomeness of the rice paddy that I would soon be swimming in….. No, I didn’t actually swim in it…. no I didn’t do that either. So drivers here are the suck. They feel this burning passion to own the road. That’s not mentioning the fact that for some reason when parking their cars need the space of a tractor trailer to get in and out. Forget backing up. What’s parallel parking again? Oh that’s right, swing a wide left here and knock that kid into some poor defenseless old women on a bicycle. Speed bump action, AWAY!
I want to ride my Bicycle!
Sorry Queen. Yea, so the highlight of my day was this kickin’ Bicycle I got. It came complete with: wheel light, bike lock, adjustable seat (no seat warmer, what can I ask for 5000 yen), and I can even lock the steering wheel so the person stealing it will go endlessly straight into that wall over there. Now all I need is some handle streamers and noise makers for the wheels…..
It’s amazing how riding a bicycle can clear your head. The whole change in lifestyle and culture has its tolls but once I get on that bike, everything just seems to go away. It’s pretty great. Today was quite a baffling day, full of Nihonglish and meetings. I met all of my co-workers (6 schools worth) and the board of education which hired me. I finally start this Friday! I am pretty excited to start and I will keep you all posted on how that first day goes! As for now, I will leave you with this, the 100 yen store is absolutely awesome. This message and my entire interior decorating scheme brought to you by Daiso, 100 yen amazingness.