Journal of a Japanista

Wedding Snapshots

2006-10-20T09:49:00.001+09:00

For more pictures visit http://areeve.photosite.com

Nuptuals

2006-10-20T09:49:00.000+09:00

Well well well.....it has been a while since i made an entry, life has been moving fast and there have been a few changes in the Reeve-Gamez household. Luke got his job and despite being told we were going to be in Washington DC they changed their minds and are shipping us of to New York City instead....not that i am complaining!!! We will be trying to find an apartment during thanksgiving week and moving in around christmas time. After waiting for what seems like forever for the visa things have finally started moving along and more forms have come for me to fill in....it's never ending i swear! Also i have moved to Arizona while Luke is doing his federal training in New Mexico, so i am driving out every weekend to see him and spending the rest of the time getting to know his family, which is really nice. Check out the wedding pictures.... if you click on the "Nuptuals" title at the top it should take you to the photosite.

Countdown 4 days!!!

2006-07-23T13:13:00.000+09:00

Am am heading back to Old Blighty in 4 days time....the bags are almost packed, the apartment is almost clean....and i can't sleep for the excitement!!!

Sayonara Party 2006

2006-07-23T13:08:00.000+09:00

The Sayonara Party of 2006 was a quiet affair, but nice all the same. People escaped the mainland for the night and hit Naoshima art island for a chilled out BBQ. I, however, headed back in the evening to be disappointed by England defeat in the World Cup...Grrrr!

Night Party-Tottori

2006-07-23T13:03:00.000+09:00

This picture of me and chris is about the only one where at least one of us doesn't look totally special! Glad it was taken when we were reasonably dry....later in the night chris could wring out his shirt from the hardcore dancing to...urm....Kylie.

Trash on Trash!

2006-07-23T13:01:00.000+09:00

Basking in the glory of the beautiful Japanese coastline, does it get much better than this? It's not a vacation unless you come home with hepatitis.

Tottori Beach Party

2006-07-23T12:53:00.000+09:00

So it has been argued that the annual Tottori beach party is the best party of the year in Japan....ok....yeah it was pretty good! Just a few injuries and scandals, so all in all a sweet time. Despite this picture being taken during a cloudy spell, the weather was gorgeous and we partied the day and night away to the cool beats of DJ Silva. Strange that the best DJ i have seen in Japan was on a beach in Tottori not in the clubs of Osaka and Tokyo.

Last Day at Seto

2006-06-30T12:44:00.000+09:00

This is Satsuki my lovely team-teaching buddy at Seto High School in our last class together this week. Sayonara Seto!!!

Rainy Season

2006-06-22T12:02:00.000+09:00

Sweet lord it is lashing down today!!! Despite being an incredibly HOT 32 degrees this week, the heavens have opened on Okayama. It is so heavy it actually hurts when it hits you....and to make matters worse the humidity is killin me in the staff room....counting down the days for the AC to be turned on!

地震...EARTHQUAKE!

2006-06-14T10:16:00.000+09:00

Yup, another earthquake happened on monday morning. The epicentre was in Kyushu (southern Japan) and it measured 6.2 magnitude. I was rudely awakened at 5am with my house shaking and screen doors banging. I think i am getting used to earthquakes too because i stayed in bed a while deciding whether it was bad enough to get out of my cosy blanket and take cover. Not a nice way to be woken up! There was another smaller one about 3 hours later in Aomori (northern Japan)....luckly i didn't feel that one and neither caused a Tsunami.

Bizen-Yanahara Bike Ride

2006-06-14T09:51:00.000+09:00

On saturday afternoon Steven (the other foreigner living in Wake) decided to brave the bike trail to Yanahara. Recently we have been enjoying the scenery and sunshine on our bikes by peddling around every monday after school. It took us about 4 hours to ride the 54 Kilometer route, with stops for lunch and to go around the train museum. The Bizen to Yanahara bike route used to be an old train line that was concreted over a few years ago. It was a nice day but i don't think my red bike with no gears and a basket on the front was designed to go so far!

たこのおどりぐい

2006-06-14T09:18:00.000+09:00

I had my first experience of たこのおどりぐい and えびのおどりぐい on friday night with some teachers from Seto High School. It was a farewell enkai for myself and Endo Sensei who was transfered in April. Basically たこのおどりぐい(taco odori gu ii) or "eating the dancing Octopus" consists of eating pieces of freshly killed chopped up Octopus that is still jumping and squirming around the plate. I must have been in Japan too long because it wasn't too shocking and tasted OK. What was slightly more disturbing was the えびのおどりぐい (ebi odori gu ii) or "eating the dancing shrimp".....WHAAAAATTT???!!!! I couldn't believe it when Morisue, Endo and Takeuchi started ripping the heads off LIVE shrimp and gobbling them down. One minute the shrimp were dancing around in the basket happy and carefree, the next they were in the tummy of some teachers. I tried to save one by giving him a name "Endo-Kun" but his namesake scoffed him down all the same. Apparently, little Endo-Kun was born to be eaten this way. For once, i was glad i was allergic to shell fish!

Fukiya

2006-06-05T13:07:00.000+09:00

This weekend was a strange mix of exhaustion and relaxation. We went to the Fukiya International Villa in a village in the mountains of Okayama (you take your life into your hands when you brave the Japanese countryside!) It was gorgeous and very chilled out. I personally gorged myself on the feasts that the other JETs prepared and was very ashamed with my contribution of pancakes for breakfast....time was not on my side this weekend. But i had the most restless/sleepless night due the the infestation of mukade, the biggest spider i have ever seen in my life (no joke it was the size of my hand) and giant wasps....eeeeek! I was a total wus and was terrified they would crawl on me in the night, although i think my fear was reasonable as one DID crawl on poor Chris. If it was going to happen to anyone it was best that it happened to him, as he turned out to be a vicious mukade killer, totalling about 10 throughout the stay. I don't think the Aussies were impressed by my terrible display of cowerdice! For those of you that don't know, mukade are very dangerous poisenous centipedes that pack a punch when they nip ya. They can kill babies and old people and you get very sick and swollen if you are unlucky enough to be bitten. Therefore, this monday morning at work i am like a frickin zombie.

Day Trippers (3) - In search of the last samurai

2006-06-05T09:04:00.000+09:00

For my movie obsessed husband, no daytrippers tour would be complete without a movie reference point. So here it is, at my favorite "hidden" away spot (Choen-in Temple) we found the steps that pre-crazy Tom climbed in The Last Samurai.

Day Trippers (2)

2006-06-05T08:53:00.000+09:00

Here we are at the Kiyomizu Temple, the unofficial start of any good daytrippers tour of Kyoto. I am already cursing my plan of wearing flip-flops, forgetting the miles of walking we would be doing (all the way north to the Heian Shrine....and Handicraft Centre, heehee!) My poor toes are practically sawed off. But i battle on in true daytripper style determined not to be put off by such trivial matters as my feet. Even the sudden (and relieving) rain shower didn't dampen our spirits. We took shelter in a cafe with the most beautiful Japananese garden i have seen. Ahhhh sweet Coy, you may taste like sh*t but you are a hypnotic sight.

Day Trippers (1)

2006-06-05T08:48:00.000+09:00

So an early start of 5am didn't beat us! In true Nihon-jin style we did a day trip to Kyoto. Possibly one of the most exhausting things i have done in Japan, but it would be my last time to visit and of course Luke's 1st time. The bus journey was expensive but quick and as you can see we passed the time by sleeping!

You can take the boy out of Japan

2006-05-29T10:34:00.000+09:00

Unfortunately i don't have any pictures cos the battery on the camera died....but Luke sang up a storm at karaoke on friday night. Who knew he could "rap" like snoop?! So far it has been a relaxing vacation for him, we haven't really got up to much, just watched DaVinci Code (BIG disappointment...but then i knew it would be with that sap Hanks in the lead role) went shopping, ate out, went for walks etc..Tomorrow we are off to Kyoto, as he has never been (shocking!) so can imagine a day full of temples and a few hours in the handicraft centre if i have anything to do with it!!!

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!!!

2006-05-24T13:05:00.000+09:00

Hey hey, the sun is out in Japan....winter is officially over and it's feelin' good. Just wish i was lying on a beach instead of sitting in a staff room, but we can't have everything! Luke is here for a vacation, so i will post some pics when we actually do something! So far its been a lot of chillin out and being lazy....but we are doin it together...thats the point right!

ZipLine/FlyingFox/Death Slide...Whatever you call it it's fun!

2006-05-19T14:32:00.000+09:00

Wooooohoooooo, wasn't sure my grip would hold, but it did....phew! How cool do i look!...Just call me Lara Croft of Kochi-Ken ;-)

Happy Raft

2006-05-19T14:16:00.000+09:00

Golden Week this year was spent flying down the Yoshino River in Shikoku on an inflatable "Happy Raft" and crawling through caves and waterfalls in an attempt to get back to nature. May 3rd - 5th saw about 15 of us Okayama ALT's going in convoy to Kochi ken for 3 days of relaxation in the Shikoku sunshine....Do i look relaxed??? Yes that is me with my mouth agast at the freezing pounding water that is hitting my head. The trip was full of BBQing, road-tripping and adrenalin-rushing fun. We all made it out relatively unscathed apart from 3 people caught something nasty from the river and Ilana broke her foot, all in all not a bad job done.

The Grapes of Wrath

2006-05-08T15:11:00.000+09:00

Sorry it has been a while since the last postings, i have no excuse except i havent been up to much. However on April 14-16 my Touch Rugby Team "The Grapes of Wrath"...so called because of Okayama's notoriously expensive grapes! Took part in the national AJET tournament. OK so we didn't win, but we did come in a glorious 4th and it was a fun and healthy way to spend the weekend. I had fractured my rib 2 weeks before, but i took it easy and was feelin fine. Despite a few shocking decisions against us i think we can hold our grapes high and say we did our best. Go OKG...Yeah you know me!!!!

Bum Diddly Numb Bum

2006-02-28T12:20:00.000+09:00

So for the 2nd year in a row i ended up staring at naked ass all night and not being attracted by any of it...but thats not the point right?!!!
The point is actually the Hadaka Matsuri, or "Naked Man Festival" which is held in Okayama every year. Thousands of men Fundoshi (the nappy/daiper things) themselves up, drink copious amounts of Sake, run around a temple 3 times then into a freezing pond, before clambering onto the main temple to fight for some Shingi (ceremonial incense sticks) that when caught can be exchanged for huge amounts of dosh!
Why? you may ask. Well to usher in the springtime of course! It is a fantastic sight to see...from a distance....i don't envy the 65 JET's that actually took part in the craziness. There were no major injuries to report in our group though, just a bump to the head and a few minor bruises and scratches....oh and of course dignity, but who needs that anyway?!
This year, being part of AJET, we had to organise the trip (or Claire did and the rest of us showed up on the night and lost our voices screaming directions/instructions) for 180 JET's. So at 7.30 everyone descended on Okayama station to pile onto the 4 buses that we had chartered for the night. Bless the drivers who had to put up with a mass of drunken foreigners and extreme lateness....which of course is unheard of in Japan! But, a fun night was had by all, even though we paid for it the next day ;)

Whingy McWhinge-meister

2006-02-22T11:37:00.000+09:00

So really what do i have to complain about? I have been a really miserable whench the last couple of weeks, i have been missing Luke terribly and therefore everything just was crappy. But, i think i have snapped myself out of it!
I had this epiphany yesterday while driving back from Bisaku (a small school of 35 special needs students about 45 minutes drive through the mountains) It was a surprisingly beautiful day considering the day before had been snowing. The sun was shining the mountains had a beautiful mist on them and i was feeling so relaxed and happy. It got me to thinking about all the things i have been whinging about recently. Of course being apart from my wonderful husband is one of the most difficult things i have ever had to deal with, but other than that i am healthy, i have an easy job that pays well, i have my own place, my own car, great friends, and am living in a beautiful (albeit boring) country town in japan....how lucky am i?!!! I decided to stop focusing on the one thing in my life that was getting me down and start enjoying the things i have. No doubt i will have my grumpy days and get upset again, but next time i am gonna take a look around and notice how lovely this place is and remember all the good things i have. Anyhoo, that was my mushy story of the week....urgh (but thank god i am not having a nervous breakdown anymore!)

The Pleasure/Pain Principle

2006-02-13T09:13:00.000+09:00

Anyone who has been a teacher in Japan will understand the title of this blog when i say one word "San-Gattsu". Yes, this week is the last week of classes until the new term starts in April. Wow, you may think, a whole month with no classes...how great, it's like a big free holiday! In any other country it would sound fantastic (or if you are one of the much despised and envied Okayama City-JETs...grrrr it prickles me to hear them talk of trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam etc) But, alas, we are in Japan now, where work is prized above all else and me along with another 60 or so JETs must twiddle our thumbs at our desks at a silent/desolate school. So begins the most boring 31 days of the year, the feeling of imminent dread is tangible. For many JETs this is a time of intense internal debate between their devil and angel..."Do i suffer the pain of boredom and fulfill my duties like a good ALT? Or be extremely naughty and bunk off work thus experiencing the pleasure of ill-gained freedom?" Last year i balanced my demons and although i stayed at work most of the time, i did take about a week of "home-study" leave...the fact that my Japanese is no better 1 year on, i think shows the lack of commitment i have with regards to Japanese study, so that excuse is gone! This year, i fear my devil shall win out...i just can't take it anymore... i will be telling rather than asking for the time off, my time/life is too precious to waste in such a dull way...so i shall spend it in bed!...ahhh sweet bliss.

Revenge of the Whale

2006-02-13T08:47:00.000+09:00

So after being in Japan for about 2 years and remaining pretty apolitical about most things that astound me or abore me, i have decided to buy a t-shirt that might stir things up. I have had the conversation with Japanese people many times about whaling and whale meat....particularly serving it to unsuspecting elementary school children for their school dinner!!! and i always get the same reply "but whale is so delicious"....are you serious??? they are an endangered species and are protected by international law...."but whale is so delicious"...are you serious??? the meat actually looks blue, is blubbery and can't possibly be chewable.... "but whale is so delicious" and so it goes on! A thought that the whale can be anything other than delicious is not conceivable, hmmm. I suppose children, elephants and poo might be delicious too, but does it mean we should eat them? I recently read an article by a Japanese doctor defending the consuming of the ENDANGERED species, which stated it was in Japanese people's DNA to eat whale meat ??!!!....It made me question the system of education in Japan more than i did already by them allowing me to work here! sheeesh.
It has frustrated me enough to sign a greenpeace petition... www.whalesrevenge.com ...not that these ever achieve anything, but still my voice is noted and i may even buy a t-shirt, i wonder what the response will be if i wore it to school..."but whale is so delicious"....AAAaaahhhhhhhh!!!

The King of Pizza

2006-01-26T14:26:00.000+09:00

I knew American food was big, but this pizza takes the p*ss. It took us 3 days to finish it and i personally blame it for the downhill slide my diet has taken. Luke's face says it all, full is not the word!

The Happy Couple

2006-01-26T14:20:00.000+09:00

So here we are, married and stuck with each other forever! The happy day was December 16th. It was a quick ceremony down at the Justice of the Peace, we wore jeans and t-shirts and grabbed an old mexican couple from outside to serve as witnesses. It was scarily easy and quick....i think there should be more difficulty in getting married, judging by the russian teen who was marrying the old guy in front of us and the 16yr olds who were getting married after us....sweet lord it was an interesting place. The crack heads and ho's waiting for their court dates were the icing on the cake! haha

The Dog Whisperer

2006-01-26T14:16:00.000+09:00

Ok, so this is Chatto, Luke's Aunt Gina's dog. Chatto is quite possibly the nastiest dog i have ever had the misfortune to come across.....i think he is possesed by some ancient demon. Granted he is kinda cute (in the ugly dog way) but i was terrified of him....the little sh*t bites!

At least 3 Amy's

2006-01-26T14:07:00.000+09:00

So it was my first time to see the big (saguaro?) cactus' and i got pretty excited i tell you. They were massive, when my students asked how tall they were, i had to say "3 Amys" cos i wasn't quite sure. But check out the girth on the big fella!!!

Arizona Sky

2006-01-26T13:59:00.000+09:00

So the view from Luke's aparto window was lush, (as in geordie for "gorgeous" not victorian-english for " a drunk") This is the most beautiful sunset i have seen in a while, being in the land of the rising sun ...i don't think i have ever seen it set here!

X-mas FEAST!!!

2005-12-05T09:53:00.000+09:00

So while the Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving with 20 cans of cranberry sauce down in Tamano. The Commonwealth were scoffing an early X-mas dinner in the Takebe International Villa. Ilana and I joined the other Kiwi's and Aussies (I was the only Brit) to sample some of Dave's delish cooking. On one hand he is all coy and says he didn't do anything (when we know he handmade pastry) and on the other hand he is baggin' out Rach for stayin out all night at my hen party while he was slaving away over the oven....haha. So after the boys had their Onsen with the beers Matt had to collect "Bloody Janken, 4 people go paper and I go rock, what are the odds of that!" we sat down and enjoyed my first x-mas dinner of the season....I have a feeling there are gonna be a few more over the next couple weeks to make me festively plump, as i go first to England then to America.

A Very British Hen's-Night

2005-12-05T09:37:00.000+09:00

So it involved lots of cake (Rachel nearly had kittens when she saw the fancy dessert trolley) and fancy teas. We certainly know how to celebrate in style! Actually the night was fabulous. My friend Ilana (in the picture) organised a lovely evening and managed to hold steady to some of my requests. All i wanted was something as far from a traditional "Geordie" bash as possible....No strippers, No dares, No dressing me up, No being sick.....So in a very refined way we went to an Italian restaurant (by far the nicest one i have been to in Japan) and played games and chatted with friends until they kicked us out. Of course, as you see i was made to wear the veil and a Japanese L-plate but wasn't humiliated as the average UK hen party demands. The waiters came out with a "Happy Wedding" cake and the whole restaurant wished me well...."Minna-san 'happy wedding' Se-no ..." (Everybody say 'happy wedding' all together now...) So overall there was no passing out, buffoonery or snogging but there was lots of laughs, sweet sentiments and possibly the best cups of tea in the world...yummy!

Viva Las Vegas

2005-11-25T12:26:00.000+09:00

I ain't preggas the dress was loose and hung funny from the side! Anyway i was worried by the amount of foundation that Elvis was wearing...until i noticed his eyeliner! The funniest thing was watching all the other inbreds coming out after getting married for real at the chapel...one was in a black mini dress with lots of gold bling....nice! and another literally was a merange, unfortunatly the merange had a strappy back and made her look like a wrapped ham! (i am such a bitch...but really, it is the land that style forgot!) You can't tell but i was sick as a dog that day and barely made it to the wedding. Mum and Dad trying to hold it together for at least one decent photo. Congrat's Ma and Pa you looked lovely.

My Ice !

2005-11-25T12:16:00.000+09:00

Okay, so excuse my freckly wrinkly hands and admire what my lovely fiance placed upon my finger in Las Vegas at the start of November. Despite being horribly sick and miserable for half of the holiday, I did get a chance to meet Luke's family and catch up with my own. My Nan, Bro and I suprised my Mum (with the help of Dad) on their 25th wedding anniversary. We went along to the Little White Chapel on November 8th and were treated to a truely cheezy affair topped off by Elvis! My Mum was a loser and couldn't stop giggling, my Dad tried in vain to keep it serious...cos at the end of the day he was pretending he was in the Rat-Pack!
Anyway it is a half-carat "radiant" cut (cut like a princess on the bottom and an emerald on the top...so it sparkles more!!) for anyone that is interested. Isn't it purty?

Man Flesh!!!

2005-10-25T11:43:00.000+09:00

At the moment the National Sports Festival is being held in Okayama. Each town is hosting a different event...mine just happens to be Sumo!!! So i went along with Ilana and Kyouko to the opening ceremony on sunday and...oh my god...so much man flesh was on show. Even at the Hadaka Matsuri (naked man festival) last year i didn't see so much flesh...i guess size does count, 'cos it felt like i was surrounded by man boobs. These guys were huge! They came from all over Japan and are difficult to dodge on the narrow streets when i am on my evening jog, it's like a flesh gauntlet! It was kinda fun to watch but after a while one fat man pushing another starts to look the same. Each match takes about 30 seconds until somebody steps out of the sacred ring or hits the floor...which looks crazy as so much flesh tends to wobble and bounce. I even managed to get out of school on monday afternoon to watch one of the Junior High School teachers from Wake compete (I think the principal forced him so he would instill some local pride into the proceedings) Anyhow, he got is ass pounded by some Hiroshima-ken man-mountain, but put up a decent fight....even if he left some Chugakko-sei (junior high students)teary eyed from the loss.

Row row row your boat: Part 2

2005-10-17T21:37:00.000+09:00

So who knew that we would end up KICKING ASS!!! It was as if our mantra of "kick ass" was a prophecy. So out of 29 women's teams we came a very close (2 seconds) 2nd place and won the silver medal, a certificate and a towel (!?) in the 18th annual okayama regatta. Me, Nancy, Georgina, Mariko and Ilana all stroked our way into okayama rowing club history by not only having the loudest (and drunkest) supporters...thanks boys...but by actually doing so well despite never having rowed together before. The day was definately worth the 6am start and the horrific sunburn, which i am sporting now. I even called in sick to work monday morning 'cos i thought the kids would make fun of me for being the human tomato... plus it really hurt! I think rowing is definately a sport i would like to take up and might try to get myself to the city more often for the beginners lessons.

Row row row your boat: Part 1

2005-10-04T15:06:00.000+09:00

So this weekend was the first time in about 6 weeks that i didn't have to go somewhere, i could relax and chill out... but i decided not to, instead i signed up for a rowing regatta in a few weeks and had a practice day all of sunday. It was rainy, chilly and tiring but i had a great time. Some of the foreign girls have put a team together and have managed to get our strokes in order. After a brief kidney pummelling from Ilana, we finally worked out our forward/backward motion and were steaming ahead...look out for updates and photo's later to see how we did. Nothing else interesting to report this week, other than i have marked a million test papers and organised my wedding invitations.

Seto Minami Girls!!!

2005-09-29T12:06:00.000+09:00

So i knew that when my friends visited Seto Minami High School they would be met with shock. The blonde hair and un-teacher-like appearance would cause a few stirs. I wasn't prepared for the squeals and excitement of 120 girls, as they were welcomed as nothing less than celebrities!!! It was like being a movie star or pop group, i have never seen them so excited over me :-( Mari-chan was so overwhelmed that she wanted to have hugs from them all and i am sure she hasn't washed to this day. Well for once the stares were cute rather than down-right rude.

The girl's trip to Japan

2005-09-29T11:13:00.000+09:00

So Amy, Kate and Ellie came to Japan in September, and left broke, knackered and hopefully with great memories. Our trip began in Osaka with a night of Karaoke and Okonomiyaki (Osaka's traditional dish). It was an awsome way to catch up after all this time and i am so glad they managed to make it to the hotel...i was worried about them getting about alone without knowing Japanese but they were totally fine...obviously due to Ellie "getting into" the map and being team-leader. The next day took us around the sites of Osaka castle and on to Kobe, which was definately a highlight. We danced our socks off in a dirty club with my friend Sayaka and managed the walk home with only a minor detour into a giant cat. After Kobe the girls visited my home town in Okayama and saw the sites, as well as visiting school with me. I have never seen teenage girls so excited...i know what it feels like to be a pop star now, they went crazy for the blondes!!! After a brief stint in Tokyo we finished up in Kyoto, which was totally magical. Temples, shrines and kimono's galore...I don't know what impressed them more the ancient capitol or the fantastic shopping opportunities! All in all i had a fabulous time with the ladies, i can't say how nice it is to have friends come over and experience a bit of my life here. I'll never forget our fab holiday or kate's renditions of "afternoon delight".