Our own private piece of heaven...

First off, happy birthday to me! I turned a sleek 28 this year and it was one of the best birthdays, ever. I spent it lounging on a beach in a bikini and learning to swim with the help of my trusty (and oh so handsome) instructor/buoy, Dave, and I faced my fear of water. But I'm getting ahead of myself. (Unfortunately, due to some problems I'm uploading some pics, this will be a largely photo-less post. Gomenai - a thousand apologies.)

I had booked the birthday tickets to Okinawa in March, long before I had been informed that May is the rainy season for the south of Japan. I paid attention to the weather reports for about two weeks before we were scheduled to leave and I was dismayed to learn that the cloudy and rainy pictographs far exceeded the sunny ones. Like 5 to 1. In the few days before our depature date, a typhoon hit. Rain, rain, go away. But I decided that I would go to the beach no matter what.

Dave and I left his place in the early morning of May 20th. The sky was gray and foreboding, but Dave was still sweetly optimistic. He was right to be. When we touched down in Naha, we were welcomed with hot weather, a blazing sun and sky as blue as a Crayola creation. It was gorgeous. It was everything I've wanted and needed, and the fact that it was my birthday weekend made it all the more sweet.

We walked around Naha for a few hours while we waited until we could take the ferry to a tiny island further south called Tokashiki. Let me just say this about Naha: It can be inarguably described as eastern Hawaii. You know that America still has a stronghold on this city. From signs welcoming service men/women, to the presence of the American flag, to Army surplus stores and the omnipotence of Taco restaurants, this place was super Americanized. But what they lacked in a Japanese atmosphere, they sure made up for in shops and oh-so-oishii so restaurants. Dave and I picked a good looking one and feasted on marvelous food. I don't really remember what I ate, but he chose a pork soba and it was so scrumptious. The meat literally fell off the bone. I suppose I should mention that the speciality in Okinawa is not fish but pig. Honest to goodness pig. I shit you not, it was hog heaven.

After going a little wild on the omiyage (I also bought myself a killer sarong - yellow and red), we headed to the port to catch the ferry. There was a wedding going on so we stopped and observed, totally encroaching on the sacred ocassion, but I couldn't give a fack. As usual, the bride was wearing a Japanese take on the western wedding dress and as usual, it was gaudy as hell. I think Japanese wedding dress designers try to make their dresses to look like the it came out of the 1980's, circa the late, great Dynasty era. But I bitchily digress.

We boarded the very nice, very fast ferry and in 35 minutes we were in Tokashiki being picked up by the hotel van. We got to the Sunflower Hotel, dumped our too heavy bags and headed to the beach. White sand. Clear water. Deserted. It was getting late so we walked about half the length of it, went out for dinner and headed back to the hotel , thoughts of swimming in the clear water dancing in our head.

The next day, my bday, we had breakfast and went straight to the beach. I had my first lesson with the sexy swim instructor and I thought I made excellent progress. It wasn't until the next day when we went to a different beach that I really applied everything I had learned. Let me put this in caps: I SWAM IN THE FREAKING OCEAN. I DIDN'T DOGGIE PADDLE, I DIDN'T WALK AND "SWIM" WITH MY ARMS. I SWAM FAR INTO THE OCEAN. I DIDN'T TOUCH THE BOTTOM. I SAW FISH. I actually snorkled, for the first time ever and I immensley enjoyed it. Thanks to the help of Dave, I learned how to swim properly, I learned how to tread water, I got to snorkle and for that I will be forever grateful. I felt red and hot and tingly inside. I have never been more proud of myself than learning how to swim on my 28th birtday.

To wrap up, Dave and I had an awesome time, I was actually nice in the morning, I got a tan while Dave burned, we ate amazingly well (A LOT of pork and some fried tacos - actually quite good), we didn't kill one other and found that we got along very well just the two of us and I will remember this birthday for the rest of my life.

Okay, I lied...

the last blog wasn't the last one before Okinawa because I wanted to post some reviews.

Firstly, I have a couple of web sites I wanted to share. The first is http://bigoe.blogspot.com/ This blog is written by a 23 year old Aussie who is currently working and living in London. The site chronicles her time travelling to different Europeon countries, living in a different (yet quite similar) culture and basically having a great time. She writes well, she has loads of great links and resources and her posts leave me a little breathless each time I read them. I have another year here in Japan, but I'm certainly getting ideas for what I should do later.

The second web site that I check quite often, especially when I need to cackle at someone else's expense is http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/ Fugly is fucking-ugly combined and this site basically rips to shreds the sometimes dubious wardrobe choices stars and their assistants make when going outside in public. The writing is superb and sometimes as black as tar (their Tom Cruise rips slay me). So if you're a celebrity junky/fashion watcher like me, go ahead and indulge in some bitchiness. It can be oh so fun.

Secondly, I wanted to report on a movie that I saw this past weekend: V for Vendetta. Oh. My. God. Go see this film. Take someone smart with you. Discuss the film at length after it's over. Natalie Portman is fantastic in this film. You seriously might consider taking up acting because she is so good in this role. You never see Hugo Weaving's face but if like Shakespearean soliloquy, you will be tickled. I'm not going to get into the particulars of this film, but if you like smart, fast paced, violent, challenging-the-status-quo films that are set in somewhere other than America, THEN GO SEE THIS FILM.

Thirdly, I have to rant about Aveda Sap Moss shampoo and conditioner. After chopping off my hair, and before leaving Montreal to return to Japan, I bought a lot of hair products. Given that I wouldn't have a whole lot of options here, let's just say I stocked up on a variety of products. I was particularly excited about the Aveda products as I heard good things about them. After consulting other African-Americans/Canadians, and speaking at length with the African-Canadian Aveda salesperson who had recently cut off her natural locks and had a short do, I bought the very expensive shampoo and conditioner. Now, I was pretty happy with my Pantene Relaxed and Natural products, but decided to try out the Aveda. Well, it sucked. It sucked ass. It made my hair dry, brittle, crunchy, tangled - I couldn't detangle my hair and there was absolutely no mositure in it after it was dry. I gave Aveda a good shot - 3 washes, but it was obvious to me yesterday when I pulled out several knots out of my hair that this would have to go. I went back to Pantene this morning.

Lastly, I went to a hip hop dance class this past Sunday. Hip hop dance class, you ask? But you're black (ref?). I just wanted to dance around and feel good. I could do that for free at home but there is something to be said for joining an activity and getting out of your apartment. I had a great time. The music was bangin' (Cut Chemist, exsqueeze me??), the instructor was really good (even with his one rolled up pant leg) and everyone was really inviting. I met a really sweet high school student named Marnie who spoke excellent English and I expect to become friends with her. Good times.

I am also contemplating joining the kendo club. The three new members, all first grade girls, have really inspired me and I kicked ass today, so I might commit to it. Still mulling it over.

That's it for now. Probably.

"Importing Diversity"...

I just finished reading a very interesting book that has helped me to accept my role here in the Japan education system. It's entitled Importing Diversity: Inside Japan's JET Program by David L. McConnell. I fully recommend this book to everyone involved with the JET Program: applicants, participants, alumni, and also those interested in cultural studies. It was truly eye- opening for me, especially since I was struggling in reconciling my expectations of TESL with the day-to-day reality of teaching people who are not truly interested in learning conversational English.

There were several interesting conclusions I came to after reading this book. Firstly, the JET Program wasn't conceived and implemented with the goal of revolutionizing the way English was taught in Japanese schools. Rather, the JET Program was implemented because the Japanese bowed to foreign ( mostlyAmerican) pressure to open up it's borders and become more international. Like most things in this world, this pressure was bestowed at a time where America realized that Japan was a formidable capitalist/consumerist entity, one that was growing but was insulated from the hegemony of American culture. "Western countries [had] protested with growing vigor what they perceive[d] as the closed nature of Japanese society and Japan's refusal to play be the rules of the international liberal trading order." (pg. 14) In an effort to demonstrate that Japan was willing to play in the international arena and refute the common opinion that they were intolerant of the "other" in their homogenous society, the government realized that they would have to effectively "import diversity" . And they figured that the best way to this would be to invite foreigners into the classroom. Up until then, a few prefectures had assistant language teachers in senior high schools, but the powers to be decided that it's goal would be to have a foreigner teaching in every senior high school, and then junior high schools (and eventually, elementary schools). And with this, the JET Program was born in 1989. Therefore, it became abundantly clear to me that I, along with all my fellow JET participants, am not here to help with the goal of teaching kids English. We are here due to the government's plan to show the world that Japan is not an insular, xenophobic society, but rather a country open to new ideas, new cultures, and new people. Just as long as they are here for 1 -3 years. Effectively, we are all pawns to be used (and to use).

The study of English was, is, and most likely, forever will be taught in a way to ensure success on high school and university entrance exams. Though the JET program was instituted in an attempt for Japanese schoolchildren to learn "living English", i.e. conversation, the reality is ALTs are to used for proper pronounciation, grammar usage and harnassing the native accent, ergo to be the oft-called "human tape recorder". On top of this, the ALT is expected to act as an cultural ambassador of his or her country and to paint a nation of millions with one wide brush. From me, my students have learned that Canadians can eat with chopsticks, Canadians like to travel a lot, Canadians are used to a lot of snow, and Canadians can speak at least 2 languages. Of course, those are grotestque generalizations but so is the nature of the beast. When we are put up in front of the class to answer questions from kids, we are unknowingly or unwillingly stereotyping our nations, for better or for worse. The second thing I learned from Importing Diversity is the nature of my role here. I am not here to teach the kids how to be able to hold conversations with native speakers or how to say and remember the basics of English conversation. I am here to fulfill the above listed expectations while bringing something different to the lives of my kids. They live in rural Japan and will probably have precious few encounters with an African-Canadian woman with natural hair and have the opportunity to touch her, talk to her, play with her and learn from her. Before coming here, I thought I had no expectations, but deep down I guess I did. And the fact that they weren't being realized killed me, but everything has been a lot clearer and a lot better after realizing my true place here.

A third thing I realized was that ALTs have the whole world in their palm yet can screw it up by being too greedy, too expectant, too unrealistic, and too unwilling to adapt. Here we are, in Japan, where we have access to the side of the world we'd probably never have a chance to see otherwise. We are paid well, have a lot of free time and freedom, 20 days + of vacation and are given a lot of leeway. But we tend to not be satisfied because we are perpetually culture shocked and may see our situation as "disadvantageous". So we complain about our schools, our students, our teachers when there really isn't much to complain about because this is just how it is. It was this way before the JET Program and it will forever be this way after we leave. I look at my co-workers and think that this is their life. This is what they have chosen and they get the crap times 100. They have to deal with that shitty kid EVERY FREAKING DAY. I should be counting my stars that I just have 1 hell class a week, and it's for 45 minutes!!! That teacher is losing the war everyday, 7 hours a day. I admit that I have moaned and groaned and I don't regret it, but I have seen that I was blind to the reality of how good I've got it. I'm sure many ALTs have truly shitty situations and work in toxic environments, but I've been fortunate. Unfortunately, many ALTs are just brats who may not be ready for the work world or just don't realize how good they've got it, but luckily I realized this before it was too late.

Ok, I could go on and on about what I've learned from this book, but I'll stop here. I feel much calmer and more happy because everything makes sense. Though I will never fit in or belong to this society/culture, I'm accepted for being different and that's fine for me.

****************************************************************************

My bday is quickly approaching and so is my trip to Okinawa. I will probably not update before leave. Will post pics upon my return. I hear it's the rainy season so that's not great, but still, I'll be on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. Really can't complain! Ta.

The "week" that was golden...

I'm back in the grind after spending a brief holiday in Tokyo. Last week, Japan had renkyu, which means consective holidays, or more popularly known as Golden Week. However, this week is actually 3 days of holiday, though it is referred to as a week. Luckily, this year it fell at the end of the week giving us 5 days off. So on Wednesday, Dave and I hit the big capital and were set loose. Unfortunately, we didn't go all wild and crazy like a couple of frat boys. We explored a lot of Tokyo's more cultural sites, ate like fiends, walked around a whole bunch, rode A LOT of trains, got to know each other better and enjoyed what Japan has to offer. I can't remember what we did everyday so I'll pretty much summarize. Over 4 days, we visited Shinjuku, Shibuya, Aoyama, Harajuku, Ginza, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, Asakusa and nearby Kamakura. The picture at the top was taken in Roppongi where we strolled around at night. Roppongi is gaijin (foreigner) central and man, there sure were a lot of them. Too many. And there were so many varieties of restaurants, which was nice. We saw this fish tank and we don't know for sure if it was a sushi restaurant or something, but the fish were frightening, intimidating and lacked that Finding Nemo quality. And no, we didn't eat there. But we did eat at a fabulous Indian place. Like the previous night, we were accosted by a random man standing on the street handing out coupons for a restaurant. We eventually settled on eating there and dammit, it was delish. Like plate licking delicious. Happy happy joy joy. Nearly had stomach-gasms at the table. This was the second night in a row that we had Indian and we both just about died from happiness both times.

This pic of Dave and I was taken in Kamakura, about an hour away from Tokyo. We are standing in front of a Great Buddha, though I don't remember how tall it is. There were loads of people, but it didn't detract from its beauty. This was my second time seeing it and it was just as breathtaking as it was the first time.




These photos were taken at Hasedara Kannon (?) nearby the Buddha. The garden perfectly captured what Japan meant to me before I came to live here: tranquil water gardens, stunning flowers and greenery and beautiful parasols. It was even more impressive in person.


These photos show the Buddha in more detail and his slippers. I forgot the story behind it. Sorry, I wasn't taking notes!


These photos were taken in Asakusa, old school Japan in the middle of Tokyo. There is a huge lantern marking it's entrance and there were tons of kitschy souvenir shops and mercifully, I didn't succumb to buying useless shit. But Dave and I had some beer, yakitori and yakisoba in a tented restaurant. Then we were bumrushed by a gaijin-seeking Japanese man looking to practice his English. In a space of about 6 minutes, he told us everything he knew about Scotland, Montreal and Ghana, and as quickly as he came, he left. Bizarro.


This is the Asahi buidling we saw as our ferry was pulling in to Tokyo. Looks like one big giant, gold turd to me. I suppose it's a fitting symbol for a beer factory.

I was rather lazy with the camera during this trip to Tokyo. If you're aching for some photos of Tokyo and other places in Japan, you can check out Todd's Flickr album from his time here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flowizm/




I will update shortly with school life and a brief summary of a fantastic book I read about the JET Programme. Until then, be well.

...May flowers...

It's May 1st and it's absoutely beautiful today. It's sunny, it's warm, and winter is turning into a memory. This month will be full of trips, will include a couple of birthdays (including yours truly's) and promises to be good. I can't wait, yo.

Last week was really good, memorable especially for Thursday and Saturday. After school on Thursday, I went for a run in the neighbourhood. I had on my iPod and enjoying the sounds of Johnny Cash in my ears. On my run back to the apartment, I was flagged down by a couple of my shogakuseis. I ended up doing sprints with them. Well, I was the only one sprinting, they were on bicycles. One of them, who is usually as quiet as a mouse just chatted my ears off. She introduced me to her mother, her grandmother, her dog, her cat, her cherry blossom tree, her house, Takumi's house, Ryou's house, and various other things. She insisted on touching my hair repeatedly, and at one point stood on a truck to touch it more. Apparently, not only does my body nioi ii (smells good), but so does my hair. In fact, the second thing her mom said to me after meeting me for the first time was "Momoka tells me you smell good." Ok....at least I don't have a rep for being stinky. Anyway, I ended up spending about 45 minutes hanging out with this cute 8 year old girl, and managed to commuicate so well with her that she didn't want me to leave.

The fun continued on Saturday when I made my first road trip by myself. Well, it was relatively short, clocking in about 2.5 hours, but this was my first long distance drive in Japan. I went to Dave's place and arrived without incident. We decided on going on a picnic and we made cornbeef sandwiches and put together a really tasty spread. We didn't really plan on going anywhere particular; just drive and see where the wind would take us. We ended up in Tsumago, a really beautiful, old town in Nagano. It was our first time in Nagano, though Dave lives pretty close to it. It was a splendid, sunny day and we were totally charmed by the sights in this pretty place. We ate in a really nice, little park and walked for a good while. I forgot my camera at home but managed to get a few from Dave (will post later - having difficulties uploading).

This will be my last post for a while because I will be leaving for Tokyo on Wednesday, the start of the (in)famous Golden Week. Should be fun. I will update when I get back.

A bientot...

A Whale of a Good Time

As I mentioned in my previous post, I surprised Dave by taking him to the Nagoya Port Acquarium. He had no idea where we were going and when we finally got there, he still couldn't figure it out. But when he put two and two together, he went from man to boy in about half a second. And his excitement was contagious. It was our first time visiting an acquarium and I've never seen a whale or a dolphin before. It was AWESOME. Even though everything was in Japanese, it was still fascinating. The dolphins were amazingly cute and were total show boats. But seeing the Orca was the coolest thing for me. It was just so huge and it didn't seem real. There are usually shows featuring the whale and dolphins but due to the inadequate information found on the English portion of the official web site, we didn't get to see them perform. But it was still exciting nonetheless.

There were loads and loads of sea life including this ugly bad boy: the spider crab.
He was one ugly MF. I think just his body was about 2 feet long. His legs were super long and I just got shivers the entire time it was in my sight.

We also saw octopi upclose. I've eaten many an octopus on many an ocassion, but I believe this may have been my first time seeing one this big (it wasn't even that big). Again, shiver.


Of course, there were loads of fish, we saw a few beluga whales and I got to see penguins. They were so cute and funny, but since my camera died, I unfortunately don't have any pictures.
But it was an awesome day. After running around the acquarium (we arrived a little late and only had 1.5 hours) we took the subway to Sakae and went to the Outback Steakhouse. I've never been to Outback but it was just what we needed after our eventful day. We had calamari as appetizers (I know, I know, so cruel) and ribs as our main, and it hit the spot. After dinner, we walked around and had ice cream, and for the day, it felt like we weren't even in Japan, which was nice. Sigh. It was a good day.

*********************************************************************************
I just remebered a funny thing that happened in class the other day. We were playing the "What am I" guessing game, and I was feeding the students clues (I was an airplane). One of the kids asked "can I touch you?" My JTE shook his head and said no. But after a moment, he said "you can touch her on the inside". He looked at me, asking me with his eyes to repeat what he just said. And I did. "Yes kids, you can touch me on the inside." I'm a dirty bastard.

Fun and Games

The last week or so has been awesome at school. Things have settled down and I've gotten into a routine at both schools. I'm having a lot more fun in the classes, smiling and laughing more, and basically being my usual happy self. My relationships with my kids have been blossoming and my JHS students are trying their damndest to communicate with me in English. I was seriously floored when a couple of ninenseis (grade 8 students) who had previously never even spoken to me in English were actually putting in some effort to communicate with me. They'd call me over with a wave of their hand and string some words together trying to find the best way to say something. This was WHOA for me and I loved it. I think part of this can be attributed to my new JTE, Murachi-sensei. He's young (29), energetic and forces his kids to communicate in English. He's implemented a twice weekly diary submission, English-Japanese dictionaries in the classrooms, phonics training for the ichinenseis (grade 7) and constant English communication. This is by far a superior Japanese teacher of English. We communicate well together inside and outside of the classroom.

JHS has been brillant and the elementary school has improved a lot, too. It's warmer now so I join th kids outside during recess or after lunch. We had an earthquake and fire drill and I had my second go around in the earthquake simulator:














I felt a little quesy afterwards and held it together. I hope to God we never experience a serious earthquake. I shudder thinking about it. The picture at the top is the "helmet" the kids and teachers are supposed to wear in the event of an earthquake. It's like a seat pad and just as sexy. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to turn the camera on to myself. Too bad, so sad.

On Saturday, I had to work, which always blows, but I had a good day nonetheless. Parents were invited to sit in on classes and we had a good number of folks during my ninensei class. These kids aren't very fluent yet but they try their best, which goes a long way with me. Our class centred around show and tell, with each kid bringing in and talking about their "treasure". Here are pics of my kids getting ready for their big day:





After work, all the teachers and members of the PTA went out for an enkai (eating and drinking party). Since it was Saturday night, everyone got right sloshed and fear of sounding silly in our non-native language vanished. The food was good but the sake and beer were the main attractions. Mmmm, warm sake. The conversations were flowing and my JTE and I had an awesome discission about the differences in work ethics between the Japanese and Canadians. I told him frankly that I didn't agree in the rampant workaholicism that is prevalent all over the country and he confessed that he wished the Japanese would have a more foreign (i.e. Canadian) attitude towards work. He told me that most teachers only take 3-4 days off a year even though they are entitled to around 20...keep in mind that summer vacation here lasts about 5 weeks. I don't understand. Working in a school is hard work - you need time to mentally and physically recoup. I boldy told him that I'm entitled to 20 and he could be sure that I will be taking every day. Though we agreed on most points, I was a little sad to hear that he has to miss out on some cool things due to the stringent work culture in many Japanese schools. He told me that his friends are going to Seattle and he wants to go badly but he probably won't because of the unwritten rules. Kawaiso - it's a pity. Fortunately, that discussion didn't put a damper on the evening and after the enkai ended, we made our way down the street to the after party. There was more drinking and a lot of karaoke, but I decided to switch to water, much to the horror of the increasingly rowdy parents. We were soon joined by David and Jeffrey and my drunken self was ready to turn in around midnight, so after a soulful rendition of Sexual Healing, we bounced. It was definitely a fun time.

On Sunday, I surprised Dave by taking him to the Nagoya Port Acquarium and it was so damn cool. I haven't uploaded my pics, but I'll blog about it in my next post.

For some time, I've had the sneaking suspicision of whining about my time here. This blog has become a cathartic release for me. I like talking about the highs and lows and I'm not going to apologize for using this blog as an outlet for bitching and moaning, but I feel like I'm back on track with so much to look forward to in the coming 5 months. I'm happy with my decision to stay another year. But it's good to get a reality check from a friend once in a while:

"Hey Kakita,

Hope you are well. Just read your blogger. How can you be down in the dumps over there. Is it because you just left Montreal and are missing your family already. Don’t whine about it. Like you said, you’re there for 14 months so you might as well make the best of it. That hobby thing sounds really good. Pick something unusual that you probably won’t be able to do in Montreal. Master it and then when you come back, you can give classes. Start a whole new business. I don’t think I have to remind you that you are doing such a courageous thing. Going over there and teaching these kids. Not many people would actually do it. They may talk about it, but you are actually living your dream. You should just stop and think about that. In your old age (many years from now) you’ll be telling your grandkids about this adventure. It is so amazing sometimes, I think you don’t realize just how amazing you are."

I received this email from a friend and ex-coworker. Yeah, I feel pretty fucking amazing right now...

By the way, here the link to hair progress site: http://public.fotki.com/kakita/ My hair is growing! Yatta!

May promises to be a busy month. We have 3 consecutive days off in May (Golden Week) and David and I will be going to Tokyo. My birthday will be spent in Okinawa and David's bday will be at the end of the month. Tanoshimi yo! (I'm looking forward to it). A bientot.

Trying to start fresh...

It's April, marking the start of a new school year here in Japan. With this comes new teachers, new styles, new routines and simply put, new beginnings. With all this new-ness, I'm trying to develop a new attitude. I'm been stuck in a negative headspace for a little while - maybe a couple of months. I've been feeling like I don't want to be here anymore and that I'm wasting time. My Chinese sign is Horse so I always feel the need to gallop to greener pastures when the mood strikes. So that's what I'm feeling now. I'm not being challenged enough and feel like I gotta move on in order to find some sense of fullfillment during the approx. 8 hours I spend on the job.
Now, I've been going around and around in my own head on how to make things better on me mentally during my time here. I've thought about not caring at all and just giving the minimum effort each day (it sucks, it's so not me to do things half assed, and when I try, I get realllly cranky). I've thought about running away and joining the circus (not feasible and financially bad as I'll have to pay god knows what to my contracting organization). I've tried to stop and smell the flowers and get joy in the mundane and the everyday. I've stressed, I've thought way too much, I've cried and I've given up. I'm here for another 14 months. There is nothing I can do to change this cold, hard fact.
So I'm going to have to get busy, get occupied and improve my attitude at school. I gotta thank Shiloh for this because she really made me see that I need to get out there, have fun and get active. Since it will be getting warmer, I need to get out more. Either for walks/runs or going to the movies or visiting friends nearby. I also need to develop an interest. It's sad but true, but I'm a grown woman with very few interests. I don't really have some hobbies that I can work on. True, I knit, I love reading and watching movies, but I don't have anything that I could hone some skills on. So over the next little while, I'm going to check out some options that have recently come available to me. I'll update you in the near future.

Anyway, I haven't been updating as much as I should because I've been pretty busy. So I'm going to dazzle you with pictures.


Todd came to Japan with me at the beginning of April and has been all over the place. We didn't actually hang out too much, but we did a couple of things. Last Saturday, Todd, Dave and I drove 3 hours to Takayama for the annual matsuri (festival).

We missed the floats but we caught some processions, made our way around town, had some street food and enjoyed the sights.

Unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy the much hyped Hida beef and had to settle for ramen instead.







My first sakura (cherry blossom) season has come and gone and I must admit that I was a tad underwhelmed (I must be the only person in Japan with such treacherous feelings). It was a sucky season due to the long winter, heavy snowfall and rainy days during viewings. Up close and in clusters they are beautiful and they have definitely livened up the school yards and the views from the river, but I found that autumn was much more spectacular But I welcome it's addition to the already beautiful landscape, no matter how brief it's stay. I've posted some pictures at the beginning of this post, but here are a few more:




Ok, that's all you get for now. I'll be posting a flurry of new pictures againg soon.

Mata ne.

Redefining Home

It's been a spell, hasn't it? Going to MTL and returning to Japan has turned my emotions and my body upside down over the past 2.5 weeks (that's it??!?). Returning to my home city was brillant and exceeded all of my carefully constructed expectations. I was overcome with happiness by laying eyes on my family and my best friends. I re-settled effortlessly into my temporarily vacated roles as big sister/daughter/friend and found that though everyone was living their lives like they're golden, I am irreplaceable and well missed. I'm still jet lagged and while I wish to go over my 9 days in la belle province in minute detail, I'm going to keep it brief.

My second stop after going to my mother's home was visiting my godson. It would be our first meeting. He was beautiful. I fell in love. He took a shine to me immediately. The rest is history (those are his feet up there).

I fell in back in step with the girls and felt so amazed by their sheer beauty and their love for me. "It's like you never left." Such sweet words were honey to my ears.

I stood up as godmother at the baptism of Shauna's son, I met the apple of Ayanna's eye, I crossed the border to Burlington to buy the essential unmentionables and skin care products that have not yet made their way to Canada. I ate A LOT, and had a Dining Diva reunion at delish Bouchon de Liege and caught up with La Filipinas over much desired pizza, amuse bouches and Rockaberry Pie. I managed to squeeze in dishes from Ghana, the West Indies, Vietnam, France. The fancy schmancy and the ordinary. My gastronomical wishes were fulfilled and I was satiated.

The days flew by too quickly as I had to squeeze in quality time with the girls, with my sisters, with my mom, uncle and cousin. Many phone calls were made and even more were missed. I let people down but such is the nature of the visiting beast. I didn't cry upon depature as I know I'll be back in September for a wedding. But my throat did get tight as it does when I have to say goodbye.

And the big surprise is I cut my hair. All off it. I've decided to go natural and embrace the authentic me free of chemicals. This was not a hasty decision; I've been mulling it over for the past 6 months, ever since it took 4 hours to get my hair did in a Japanese salon here. I'm so over putting chemicals in my hair to get that "look" that wasn't authentic at all. I wasn't born with straight hair. It's a process, one that is to be repeated every 6 weeks. One that would entail having a stinky assed "relaxer" slathered on my dome, leaving limp hair, scalp scabs and that distinct processed smell. Don't get me wrong - approximately a week after the process, I'd be loving my hair - so shiny, so bouncy, so straight, so fake. But the process itself, along with the financial and mental expenses, proved to be to formidable for me to maintain in the land of the rising sun.

So here I am: free and nappy. I've decided to follow my progress as my hair grows providing an outlet for my frustrations and triumphs (and to save my loved ones from hearing me bitch and moan). I'm bringing it public and I'll announce the URL soon. Watch this space for updates...



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As my title mentioned, I'm in the process of redefining home. I'm currently in a bit of a limbo. Montreal will forever be the city of my heart, while Japan will never be home. My mind is currently bombarded by too many thoughts, but I'm taking comfort in something a very amazing man said to me recently: "People can be home." In this time of personal confusion and uncertainy, I find solace in his words.

Oh fuck/Oops, I did it again...

I feel like spring is finally here. Thank da lawd. Yesterday was absolutely beautiful for most of the day and it was so much warmer outside than inside. Today, I awoke to a bright, warm day and in the midst of the rush to get to work on time, I decided to dry my clothes outside and as I opened my window, I was yet again awestruck by the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. I actually paused what I what I was doing, leaned against the door and had a mental mini-orgasm. Nice.

When I was walking to school with the sounds of Beyone and Sean Paul bouncing on my ear drums, I was once again blind-sided by the sheer beauty of the snow capped mountains in the distance cutting across the perfect blue sky. That led me to have a "oh fuck" moment while I was enraptured by pure perfect beauty. People, I literally stopped dead in my tracks and exclaimed "oh fuck, that's so beautiful." Yeah, I'm a poet; bet you didn't know.

When I rode my bike to town this afternoon to hit the ATM before I leave on my trip, the sound of the Neo River was thundering in my ears and I had my second "oh fuck" moment. The water was so blue and clean. I'm falling in love with my village again. It is a rare thing to have so much natural beauty in one place, and even rarer to be slapped in the face by it to be reminded of what I have.

So, yesterday and today were the graduation/closing ceremonies for the elementary and junior high schools. The 6th graders bid adieu to their elementary school and there were some tears but none from me. I'll see all but one of them in a few weeks. I actually teared up though when I learned that Kai, a really bright boy, will be going to Nagano ken to begin junior high school. We'll also be losing his brother Riki, who is in the fourth grade. I'll definitely miss both of them. BTW, that's the graduating class, all 9 of them.

Today, the JHS had the closing ceremony and farewell ceremony for half our teachers and our kocho sensei (principal). I was cool until kocho sensei said "sayonara" and then my eyes started burning something terrible. One by one the departing teachers stepped up to the mic and gave their anecdotes and thoughts and damned if I couldn't hold myself together. When Tomomi, my neighbour, got up and began crying before she could utter a word, I did it again: I boo-hooed, but this time, I had no tissues, no hankies, no nothing. I'm absolutely TERRIBLE with goodbyes and I'm gutted that I won't see these people again, especially my JTE and Tomomi. Though we had some very small issues in the classroom, I accepted her old school approach and appreciated everything she did for me. From helping me set up my phones and internet, to driving me places, to taking me out for meals and tea and to the onsen, she's been the one Japanese person I could really count on. We had a really good working relationship and I think we respected and liked each other.

Tomomi also helped me a great deal because she's my neighbour, she's young and we communicate well. We've joked around and she's driven me places.
She's the only one in this village who knows what's happening in my personal life. She's an absolutely sweet person and I'm going to miss her.

When all the students formed two lines so that the teachers could walk down the aisle (they were also playing a song on their musical instruments), I was bawling. My JTE also hugged me (a big deal in Japanese culture) and I was a baby again. When I'm cracking, a hug or a hand on my shoulder causes me to fall apart...Needless to say, I'm alright now because everyone is still here, but the end of the enkai tonight might cause me to have a repeat performance. ..

So after 8 months here, with the past 3 being pathetically, ridiculously difficult, I will be going back to my beloved city tomorrow for a short break. I doubt I'll have neither the time or the inclination to update this but we'll see. There will be so much to do and so many people to see, but I'll retain it all and give y'all a proper update when I get back. There'll probably at least one major surprise I'll report when I return...Sorry, no hints. You're going to have to wait!

Peace out from N.V. (that's Neo Village to you.)

The Amazing Disappearing English...

Not mine, of course. Thanks to a steady supply of books, Internet access and the maintenance of this blog, my English is A-Ok. The disappering English I'm referring to is that of my JTE. Her last day here is Friday and I think she is under the strong impression that she will not be a JTE again. She now almost exclusively speaks to me in rapid fire Japanese, her spelling and grammatical skills have gone the way of the cuckoo bird and she's making embarassing errors in class (which I've decided to correct on the spot - fuck la politesse). Today she was helping one of the ninenseis, who are currently preparing their self intros for when they go to Canada, and she threw in the towel (actually, she literally threw in the pen) and told me to work on it. Ayyyy. (Sharp intake of breath) Chotto... It's a good thing I'm in a fabulous mood due to the fact that I will be on beautiful Canadian soil in about 60 hours (give our take the time difference). Ants. Pants. Excited. Discuss.

In other news, I had a fab weekend. On Friday night, in our quest to see the cherry tree in my village (not in bloom yet), Dave in I set off in his car for the 2km odyssey. However, we missed the bridge and ending up driving to town. On our way, we passed by the Neo damn and caught some serious vertigo as we watched the brown and white rapids rush by. We then made our way to Mos Burger for a classy dinner of burgers, fries and salad. We were feeling so ravenous/gluttonous, we had two burgers each. I'm not ashamed; I was on the PMS train.

Saturday morning we had to get up early so that we could finish the business end of me owning THE CAR. A usually complicated affair took approximately 10 minutes and 2500 yen to complete thanks to the original dealer of the car. After working out some details, Dave and I set off to hang out in the city centre of Ogaki. We parked at the mall and walked about 20 minutes to Landy's, a Brazillian speciality shop that sells AMAZING sanwiches, as well as other delectable things. We gorged on heavenly meat sandwiches and fries, and again, I'm not ashamed; the PMS train had officially pulled into the station.

After finishing our meal and using tissues to wipe away any evidence of orgy of meat, we walked back to the shopping centre and hung out like a couple of mallrats. We stalked the arcade and played my personal fave: House of the Dead (4). I jumped. I screamed. I killed zombies. I died. We also played the taiko drumming game which is always fun. There was also a movie theatre, but alas, we were not lucky enough to get find an interesting movie. We had made plans to eat dinner with Shiloh and her friend Andre (always eating, je sais), and we decided to head back to town. It was during this journey that I re-learned something that I tend to forget now and then: me, a man, a heavy vehicle and no sense of direction DOES NOT WORK WELL together. Add fuel, strike a match and watch the fireworks. I have to admit it; I get really impatient when I don't know where I'm going. It's irritating when I'm with my girlfriends, but for some reason, when I'm with a guy in a car, my temper is like hemorrhoids; it flares up. I go from a perfectly respectful, gracious, charming, beautiful person into a demon with a rash. I get short, I gnash my teeth, my hair goes gray. It ain't pretty. But somehow, Dave and I perservered and survived with the new knowledge that perhaps we shouldn't take any road trips alone in the future.

We had my oishii yaki niku and had a good time frying up meats on the grill in the middle of the table. I promise I'll post photos of this soon. The company was great, my belly was full and I was all smiles.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day and thoughts of Okinawa in 2 months time are on my mind. It's Monday today, 3:50 and it's a holiday tomorrow. Though the past little while has been particularly rough, it's getting better. It's April next week, the new school year will begin, I'm going home to recharge, I'm at my fighting weight and look fab and I'm really blessed. The cliched sunshine after the rain is beginning to peek through the rain. All will be well in Kaki land.

I'm so lazy and so hungry...

Anyway, going to keep this brief...can't concentrate. What we have here is an introduction to tea ceremony at my apato the other night during an English conversation class. Delish.




Here is my sannenseis that just graduated. All 14 of them. Here is a beautiful reminder of just how little they learned in English, but it was sweet nonetheless.




Here is my lovely new car.


Weekend begins in T-1 hour.