Oyster Festival

As promised, last weekend I went to an Oyster Festival...

We made a late start, and combined with confusion over how to actually get to Hanase we didn't reach the Festival until 3pm, the time it was meant to finish! Sadly this meant that I didn't manage to meet up with Hanase's resident gaijin, my good friend Tibor. However there were still plenty of oysters to go around. First we had boiled oysters in some sort of a stew, then we tried "oyster ice cream", a bizarre concoction of regular vanilla ice cream, soy sauce instead of chocolate, and two deep fried oysters. Yumi-chan's face says it all- mazui!! The worst thing I have tried in a long time. After that we had oyster okonomiyaki, or "kakioko". Miwa bought some oysters for her mum, so I decided to buy some as well. However, once I got home I realised I had absolutely no idea what to do with this carrier bag full of oysters. Given the inherent dodginess of eating oysters, plus the "Noro virus" currently sweeping through Japan's oyster population, and the fact I was ill last weekend after eating similar creatures, it probably wasn't the best move. Anyway it turned out fine- I half cooked them by steaming them so I could prize open the shells, then fried them up with garlic and onions. Success!












In other news I bought a new jacket. Obviously I wouldn't mention such mundane and trivial news on this blog usually, but I liked the tag inside, which says "Made Expressly For Mechanics, Miners, Engineers and Laboring Men ". Just right for me then. Teaching is, after all, a labouring of the mind, wouldn't you say?

My travelling plans pick up from here on in. Way back in August, I was lucky enough to be told about a certain Ju Hachi Kippu ticket. This mystical ticket has reappeared once again for spring, this time at the bargainous price of a mere 8,000 yen. Which means I'll be travelling a lot the next few weekends. Then there's only three weeks to the Golden Week Holidays! I love holidays!!

The Naked Man

This weekend I spurned the chance to go to an expensive French restaurant opening in Kyoto, and instead planned to spend Saturday night watching semi-naked men wrestle. All for the blog, of course. This weekend was the Hadaka Matsuri, or "Naked Man" Festival, Okayama-ken's most famous event. It is also one of the top 3 "weirdest festivals" in Japan (yes the Japanese actually list these kind of things). The rules of the contest are simple enough. Men in nappies run round in a big circle, splashing through a waist high "bath" of ice cold water, and having more ice cold water thrown over them. Then, three sticks are thrown into the maddened crowd. Cue mass brawling, and the eventual emergence of victorious champions, who gain both honour and cash prizes (who would have thought you could gain honour while wearing a nappie).

Anyway I planned to watch all this, but sadly my plans were derailed by a bout of unpleasant sickness brought on by consuming large amounts of shellfish. I thus missed the Festival, so you'll have to wait until this time next year for an eyewitness account (or check out Phil's blog once he's updated it).

Not to let the shellfish get the better of me, I'm going to an Oyster Festival next weekend- they may have won the battle, but I'll win the war!

A Different Kind of Piste

That's right, I put down that can of beer, finished that bottle of Taylor's Port, and picked up my rather cool hat and a pair of skis last weekend for fun in the snow. As with most things in life, I thought skiing would be a piece of piste. How wrong I was. After me and Georgina slotted our feet into the damn things, we had trouble just staying still. Sliding backwards is nothing however compared to crashing forwards into innocent bystanders as you attempt to do anything other than stay where you are. I perservered with typical Martin grit and determination, and as a result almost received the second sporting injury in the family at the moment (speedy recovery Dad). My "skiing" basically comprised of taking the skis off, walking up a mild slope, putting them on, and sliding now the slope crying "yayyy!!" before falling over. I did this about 7 times, and it was great fun. Please refer to the action shot to the left somewhere. As the day wore on I grew bolder, despite still not being able to walk in the skis. So I took the ski lift up the hilly thing, which if you ask me is worth the admission fee alone. At the top I realised I'd actually die if I let myself fly down that slope, so it was with a mixture of sliding on my feet and on my skis that I made my way down. Still, all in all it was a great new thing to do, and I'll definately try it again- though maybe next year.

After a day on the piste me, Georgina and Yukiko headed to Matsue, on the north coast of Japan. Matsue is a quiet, pleasant place, with nice food and some interesting sights. We got there in the evening after the skiing, and went to a restaurant for tempura, a few drinks and one of Matsue's specialities, shijimi miso shoyu...oishii! The hotel we stayed in was great- a really chilled bar and incredibly cheap rooms.

The next day we woke up early (well, I thought it was early) to visit Izumo Taisha, the second most important Shintou shrine in Japan. It contained some really big ropes and lots of kegs of sake. Also there was an incredibly cool statue of the Sun God. I got my New Years fortunes (I'd previously got them in Fushiimi-Inari Taisha in Kyoto back in November), and was once again greeted by bad luck. Damn Shintou gods. After Izumo we headed to the coast and explored a small town with a nice shrine and lighthouse. It was very cool to have gone coast to coast in a weekend- the Sea of Japan feels a lot more like a sea than the Inland Sea does. Before leaving I had some strange creatures as a snack- delicious barbequed squid, and some weird thing in a shell. Back in Matsue we visited the castle and some of the other sights around town.

Far-Fetched

My days at Shonan are turning into a joke. For the next 8 weeks or so there are no lessons, which means that I have almost nothing to do.

Fair enough I've been asked to plan the curriculum for next years "Oral Communication" classes. But then I've already done a lot of that anyway. And it doesn't take that much time. Secondly a lot of what I decide will be redundant, as I'll have to adapt all my ideas for the incoming Head of English (yeah, still no luck getting Ono-sensei to appoint me).

So today I read. I'm pretty sure I can finish a book a week, so next week its finishing Kokoro for a second time, then the week after I'll begin my fourth attempt (hopefully this time successful) at Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Also today I drank a total of 8 cups of coffee trying to fight off tiredness, in what has to be the first week in recent history that I've had to wake up before 8am every day. See it's just as well I'm staying in Japan, I'm not cut out for the real world.

My day was completed by a long chat with an as-yet unnamed (well that's not fair. He is named. I just don't know his name) sensei in the downstairs "lounge". We spent at least 20 mins earlier this week trying to remember Theo Walcatt's name. Then we did. When I asked him who he supported, he told me "great players". I said Birmingham City, and proceeding to tell him all about our joys (and sorrows too) - maybe I've found myself a convert. Anyway today our conversations were greatly improved by the presence of an electronic dictionary. I could use words such as "far-fetched" without being greeted by a blank stare. And I learnt a new word too! It's ninki, and means popular. We talked about music, politics, food and football.

Anyway I feel that I've rambled enough. Except to say that any ideas on how to spend the next two months are more than welcome- all I've got is reading books. In fact any book suggestions are also welcome- after Dostoevsky I only have 2 unread Murakami, and I feel I need a break from him.

Back of the Net!

Hurrah!!

I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 4 (yon kyuu), which virtually makes me a Japanese citizen. Well, not really. But it means I can order a beer and complain about the weather to a good standard.

The 60% pass mark was, in the end, cleared with room to spare, and one might say with style and finess too. I got 77% overall, and was really happy to get 80% in the long and arduous "reading/grammar" section.

Now all I have to do is reap the adulation that will hopefully ensue when I go into work tomorrow.

NB: If you want more than adulation in Japan, the best thing to do is to get married. Japanese custom obliges that each guest brings san-man-en (£150) in a white envelope to the wedding. Plus if your a JET you get an extra 5 days paid holiday. Now there's a thought...

Six Months

That's right, it's exactly six months to the day that I arrived in hot, sweaty Tokyo, bursting to the seams with optimism and joy at being in foreign lands once again. And even though its bloody freezing now, my initial optimism has, like magic, been transformed into a love and respect for the country I now call home.

Even teaching- something most people I'm sure would have never imagined me doing- has been quite a laugh, and gone relatively well, with a few exceptions like mispelling "Christmas" and allowing Wham into the classroom.

I've seen a lot of stuff over the past six months, and there's more to come! Although I've had much fun the last few weekends, I'm eager to ease my itchy feet and get moving around Japan again. I'd tough walking the tightrope between being "daring and adventurous" and avoiding financial ruin. But I do my best. I guess if I'm going for Taiwan for 5 days, then seeing the Cherry Blossom in Tokyo and Kyoto in early April, I should probably sit tight for now. Plus there's all sorts of farewell celebrations planned for my friend Yumiko, who's leaving to live in New York at the end of March.

In other news the Official Shonan English Songs 2006-07 CD was created this week. Bear in mind that it's for 15-16 year olds, who obviously have very poor music taste...

1. "Welcome to My Life", Simple Plan
2. "There She Goes", The La's
3. "Miss A Thing", Aerosmith
4. "Complicated", Avril L
5. "In My Place", Coldplay
6. "Oops! I Did It Again", Britney
7. "Happy Xmas", John Lennon
8. "Last Christmas", Wham
9. "A Whole New World", from Aladdin
10. "Life", Des'ree
11. "Don't Look Back in Anger", Oasis
12. "Nobody's Fool", Avril

Suggestions for next years CD are welcome. I volunteered such classics as the Libertines' "What A Waster" and Mouldy Peaches' "Who's Got The Crack", but surprisingly Ono-sensei rejected them.

Proof, not that it was needed, that I can't spell.

A Bad Day At The Office

Grrrr. I found out my new timetable for April onwards today, and needless to say it left me in a rage. But I want to know how bad other people think it is, as- like I say- I have been overtaken with rage. So much so that I'm not even happy my Blues Football Manager team are 6 points clear at the top of the Championship after less than 10 games.

Monday- 9-5 at Shonan , teaching 9am-10.40am
Tuesday- 1-8 at Seishi, teaching as yet unspecified but probably 1hr30mins in evening
Wednesday- 1-8 at Seishi, same as Tuesday
Thursday 9-5 at Shonan, teaching 1.10pm-2.50pm
Friday 1-9 at Shonan , teaching 4.30-6, and 7.30-9

Its that last, horrible line. It means EVERY FRIDAY I wont be able to get to a beer-serving venue (otherwise known as a "pub" to you and me) until 10pm (Okayama), or 10.30pm (Kurashiki). And I won't be able to leave early for weekends outside Okayama-ken. I only have to teach at 9am on Mondays, and I get Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday lie ins till 11am, which I obviously appreciate. But come on!! 9pm on a Friday!!! No fair, no fair. If it was at Seishi I'd at least be where some of the action is. But working at Shonan till 9pm means I'm stuck in Kojima the one night I don't want to be...

Some say I live a life of indulgence and excess whilst doing little real work. I partly agree, yet feel both my indulgence and excess are being significantly curtailed by not being able to go out on Fridays (unless I stay out all night, hmmm).

What do you think?

***

I have to add that since this post, Gentleman Ono Sensei has texted me, ironically referring to me as an "English gentleman" for taking bad news well. Which has made me feel rather rash and silly being so angered. The schedule is for the whole school, and I can hardly expect people to change things round just for me. Plus if less than 5 students take the 7.30pm class, it'll be cancelled (maybe 50/50 chance), meaning I finish at 5.30.

So it's not all bad.

I'd Really Rather Not Count My Yennies Anymore...

The weekend followed a highly similar pattern to last weekend, drinking most of friday night, and recovering on Saturday and Sunday. However I still managed to spend money on unnecessary new things for my apartment. I have recently been overcome with home improvement fever, and must profess to spending far too long thinking about such things as rugs, throws and lamps.

The things is, my apartment is a mess, and I think it needs some ambiance. Everyone knows that all you need to create atmosphere is a throw and a few candles. So thats where it started. Yet, like the Iraq War, the redecoration of my apartment is rapidly spiralling out of control. I now want to buy three lamps, a rug, a table AND I want to move my fridge. The trouble is, way back in August I was shocked and disturbed to see a cockroach stroll across the room and disappear under the fridge. And I've never seen it since. I mean its probably dead, but being a bit of a wuss I don't really want to see a dead cockroach or a live one. Which is why at the moment the fridge stays where it is.

***RANT***

I feel like a rant that no-one will find interesting but its good to get it out of my system. Why the hell are there one-yen coins??? They're so useless!!! Even buying a coke (or by preference, a "Pocari Sweat") makes you feel like an egit if you have to hand over 150 of these ridiculous tokens.

Sort it out Japan!

And while you're at it, stop having "ATMs" (cash machines, cash machines!!) with opening hours! Why does it ALWAYS cost me 100 yen to take out money after 6pm every day, and all weekend!?

And please, please, start understanding which sport I mean when I say "football"!!

God dammit...

Anyway next weekend my pattern of drink and sleep will be interrupted by a bout of activity. I'm going skiing in the north of Okayama Prefecture on Saturday, and then on Sunday and Monday (national holiday, woo!) exploring the northern coast of Japan with Georgina and Mori Yukiko my colleague (and Georgina's past colleague) from Shonan. Expect much falling over, and puns involving the word "piste".