Farewell Japan

It is finally that time. My stay here in Japan is nearing its end and I would like to write this last blog about my stay in this beautiful country and what it has meant and will continue to mean to me.

I have made many observations while in this country. These ideas I can only claim as my own and anyone else who went through the same things would understandably have their own ideas about the things that they have felt. The number one thing that will leave a lasting impact on me is how traditional so many modern Japanese people are. In a time where the influences of the west are almost impossible to escape, the sense of cultural heritage and national pride that still exists is inspiring. The second most powerful thing is, the generosity that I have seen so often, in so many different people. I feel that it is not done out of a feeling of duty like many other things, rather, a feeling of compassion for other people. To me, this was truly amazing and I hope that I never forget it.

The last thing that I would like to say is, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read my blogs. I hope my stories have helped people who want to experience something new. To me it is the only way to really enjoy life and I hope that everyone can enjoy their English learning experience.

★★★　Word Help　★★★
observation(s) 観察
traditional　　　　　伝統的な、従来の　　
infuluence(s)　　　影響、影響力
cultural heritage　文化的遺産
inspiring 奮起させる、感激させる
generosity　　　　寛大、寛容
compassion　　　思いやり、同情

Teaching in Japan

My stay in Japan has provided me with many interesting and life changing experiences. The only reason that I was able to enjoy any of these experiences is because I was given the opportunity to be an English teacher.

My job was teaching private English lessons to students from all over, mainly in coffee shops near local train stations. This allowed for a relaxed and personal environment for both the students and the teachers. The students could have a personal teacher to learn with privacy and confidence and the teacher could adapt the lesson to meet the student’s personal learning style. I also learned a lot about Japanese culture from my weekly conversations with a variety of different students.

Although I am enjoying where I am at now, I must remember not to forget the hard work it took to get here.

★★★　Word Help　★★★
provide(d) 　　与える
allow(ed)　　　　（・・・の状態）にさせる
environment　　　環境
adapt　　　　　　　合わせる、順応させる
confidence　　　　自信

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto (Part 5)

Another highlight of our trip was going to the Fushimi Inari Shrine and seeing the orange tori arches. This place seemed almost like a dream, there were tori arches everywhere we went. The arched paths split off into different directions and even went to the very top of the mountain. It is easy to spend many hours walking up and down the mountain in amazement; the brochure at the entrance of the shrine says there are over 30,000 arches!

On our Final day, we woke up early to return back to Tokyo. Another ten hours on a bus. Our trip to Kansai was just as good as I had hoped for and was very happy to finally get to see the area. I think it is definitely a place to go for anyone who is visiting Japan. I hope to return and see all of the things that we missed some day.

★★★Word Help★★★

highlight　　　　 （旅の）一番の思い出

arch(es)　　　　　　門、アーチ

path(s)　　　　　　　細道、散歩道

split　　　　　　　　別れる、裂く、分割する

direction(s)　　　　方向、方角

brochure　　　　　　パンフレット、小冊子

definitely　　　　　絶対に、確かに

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto (Part 4)

The next day, Marta and I finally went to Kyoto. We had been looking forward to this for a long time. We left early and went on a walking tour around the area that had many different temples and shrines. They were all so beautiful and almost overwhelming to think about how long it took to make them and how long they have been around. As well as the temples, we also looked around the many different shops and made sure to buy some sweets to bring back home as gifts. The next day in Kyoto, we went to a bamboo forest and enjoyed the peace and quiet in nature and away from the busy cities. Nearby, we ate a traditional oden lunch at a small restaurant. I think it was the best meal I have had since I have been in Japan. Next, we went to a monkey park that we found. It was on top of a mountain and the monkeys were all wild. It was possible to walk right past them, while watching them play and groom each other. There is a building that you can go into and feed them apples and peanuts through a fence. This way it is safe for guests, the monkeys get a little crazy when there is food around. In the evening we went back to Osaka and enjoyed some more street vender food.

★★★　Word Help　★★★

temple(s) お寺、寺院

shrine(s)　　　　神社、礼拝堂

overwhelming　　圧倒的な、いっぱいいっぱいな

bamboo forest　竹林

traditional　　　　伝統的な

groom　　　　　　毛づくろいをする

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto (Part 3)

On our second day, Marta unfortunately caught a cold, so we stayed in Osaka instead of making a trip to Kyoto. We spent almost all day at the Tempozan Harbor Village. There were some many things to do and it was right on the harbor which made for some very nice scenery. Of course we went on the giant Ferris wheel and saw all of the bridges, mountains and building of Osaka from the very top. It was breathtaking. After that we went through the shopping areas and then to the Suntory Museum. At the museum, we looked around for a bit then got excited to see that they had an MAX 3D theater. We stayed and watched two different short movies. The first was about the history of mummies and their tombs and the second was about undersea animals. Both of them were very exciting. When we finished we went to the sky bar in the same building and enjoyed a nice dinner with a great view.

★★★　Word Help　★★★

unfortunately　　　　　　　不運にも、あいにく

instead of making a trip to Kyoto　京都に行く代わりに
scenery　　　　　　　　　　風景、風景

Ferris wheel　　　　　　　観覧車

breathtaking　　　　　　　息をのむような、すごい

mummies(単mummy) ミイラ　　　　　

tombs　　　　　　　　　　　墓

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto (Part 2)

The ride on the bus from Kaihin-makuhari to Osaka was about 10 hours! Even though it was a night bus, we were hardly able to sleep at all. The heater was on really high, so it was very uncomfortable especially in the back of the bus. Also, the seats had little leg room and of course the people in front of us reclined their seats all of the way back, making it even more uncomfortable. I couldn’t be too annoyed though, it was my own fault for being cheap and not taking the Shinkansen and I guess it could have been worse.

Ten hours later we arrived in Osaka and immediately went to our hotel for some much needed rest. Our plan was to stay in Osaka for all four nights and take the trains to Kyoto for day trips. After a few hours of resting we wondered around the streets near our hotel to get used to the area. In the evening we went to the center of Osaka and found Dotonbori road. Here we enjoyed some takoyaki, beer and many other street vendor foods that Osaka is famous for. Because it was February, it was not crowded at all, but there were still enough people around to make it exciting.

★★★Word Help★★★

The ride on the bus 　バスでの移動（時間）

leg room 　　　　　　　　足元のスペース

recline(d) （椅子などを）後ろに倒す

annoy(ed) （受け身形で使われて）イライラさせられる、うっとうしく思う

my own fault 私自信のせいで

immediately すぐに、さっさと

After a few hours of resting　数時間の休憩の後で、

Trip to Osaka and Kyoto (Part 1)

Last week my wife and I finally got to take a trip to Kansai. This was something that we have been wanting to do since we first arrived in Japan. The reason it took so long to finally go is because it was always a busy season, we had other plans, or we couldn’t get the time off of work at the same time. This week though, was both Marta’s and my Birthdays. Marta’s on the 11th and mine on the 12th. So, we took a few days off of work and celebrated by visiting the places we have wanted to go to the most.

To travel to Osaka by Shinkansen would have been fast and fun, but to save money we decided to take a night bus, which was over half of the cost. The trip started out a little rough because I was waiting at the wrong side of the station from where our bus arrived and we almost missed it. Luckily, they called and asked where we were and waited for us until we found it. What a way to begin.

Tokyo Disneyland

In December we were lucky enough to have a few of our friends from Oregon, come to visit us. They were only here for 6 days and we wanted to show them as many things we could with the amount of time and money that they had. We did a lot of different things like; karaoke, arcade games, sushi, Disneyland, and shopping at Daiso ( 100 yen store.) When I told my students about the things we did, they thought these were strange things to do with a guest, as a Japanese experience. Maybe they were but, our friends had a good time. Their favorite being Disneyland. This was also our first time too and it was nice because they had Christmas decorations all over. Our friends favorite part was listening to all of the Disney characters talk in Japanese. I think the rides at DisneySea are better but, the Christmas theme was very enjoyable too. We stayed all day and left at closing. I think we got to do almost everything.

===Word Help===
rides 乗り物、（遊園地の）アトラクション

at closing　　閉店に

Japan and miniskirts

It is now winter and to most people, that means putting away summer clothes and bringing out bigger, warmer clothes for the cold weather. However, for some Japanese girls, this is not the case. Now, I do understand that I am a guy and don't have any idea about fashion anyway. Also, I am not from this country and realize that styles are different here but, I still can't see how it would make sense to anyone to wear a miniskirt in literally, freezing weather??? When we went to Hokkaido, for example, there was ice all over the streets and snow blowing in the air and still, girls in miniskirts! Some without leggings even! After seeing it so many times, I don't even get surprised anymore, just amazed that their legs don't freeze and fall off. I mean, there is no way as a guy, I would try but, even if I was a girl I could never do it. To make it even more confusing, some of the girls in Hokkaido were even wearing high heels and falling all over on the icy streets. It was pretty amusing to look at. After seeing some of the interesting fashion trends here, I would be interested to see what Japanese think about American fashion. Or, even what people here think about the clothes I wear everyday.

===Word Help===

put away 片付ける

this is not the case　これに当てはまらず

freezing　　　　　　とっても寒い

leggings　　　　　　レギンス（タイツの足首から先を切ったようなジャージ素材のスパッツ）

confusing　　　　　ややこしい、わかりにくい、紛らわしい

The New Year

This year was my first time to have a real, Japanese New Year. Our plan was to watch the first sunrise of 2009. We began by camping in the mountains, in south Chiba, on New Years eve. It was pretty cold., but we made a big campfire and wore plenty of warm clothes. The hardest part was staying awake all night, until past 7AM. I’m glad we did though, because the view was amazing. Watching the sun come up over the mountain tops was an amazing sight! Still with no sleep, we traveled to the temple, Kinkon-zan Nihon-ji Daibutsu, located on Mt. Nokogori. I don't know if I can even begin to describe how magical this place is, but it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. There are many stairs that go towards the top of the mountain, where you can view a large forest and even part of the Tokyo Bay. The climb is pretty long and tough, but well worth it. Looking over the edges of the cliffs can be pretty frightening. You can see straight down, from the top of the cliff. My favorite part had to be the Yakushi Nyorai (Big stone Buddha.) I hear it is the biggest Buddha figure in Japan, and is the Buddha of medicine and healing. Truly breathtaking to look at. After saying some prayers and buying some omikuji, (fortunes) we finally went home and got some much needed sleep. My best New Year yet! I even got the dai-kichi, which means greatest blessing as my fortune.

===Word Help===

the first sunrise 初日の出

staying awake all night　一晩中起きている

I have seen in my life　　今まで見た

stairs　　　　　　　　　　階段

cliff(s)　　　　　　　　　　崖

frightening　　　　　　　恐怖に感じる

breathtaking　　　　　息をのむような、ハラハラする

Christmas Vacation

For most travelers, I'm sure that Christmas away from home can be difficult. I know it is for me. This year was not so bad though. I was lucky enough to spend the holiday with my wife and two of our friends in Hokkaido. We stayed at an onsen hotel, on Niseko mountain and enjoyed four whole days of snowboarding. It was so fun, but after four days we were all very tired and had a lot of muscle pain from the hard work. It was very nice to have the onsen in our hotel to help us feel better. Our last two days of vacation in Hokkaido were in Sapporo. We made sure to visit the Sapporo beer factory to sample the many different flavors of beer and had a crab dinner buffet in the evening . We all ate so much delicious food! Sapporo city was a lot bigger than I imagined, and a lot colder too! The tv tower was exciting to see. So was the view from the cable car. I was glad that I was around so much snow during Christmas time and can't wait to tell everybody at home all about it.

＝＝＝Word Help＝＝＝

muscle main 筋肉痛