Culture festival and autumn in Tokyo

We recently had our school's culture festival (koyo-sai). It wasn't a huge event, but all the non-sports clubs did little projects and / or displays that you could look at after school for a week. The English Club paired up with the Broadcasting club and... interviewed members of the sports teams? And me, briefly? I only saw a little bit of the final product, so I'm not entirely sure how it turned out.

Look! I'm on a photo collage...

and cringe-ing-ly labeled as "Holly cute." It's flattering at first, but it eventually feels a little weird how much Japanese teenage girls yell about everything being cute (in English and Japanese). Let's try new adjectives!


A couple of club members had, two weeks prior, run into an English Club meeting and asked to take my photo (close up, in my grill). I didn't know what it was for, but apparently to make a project with me half-photo, half-painted school girl. It was not the most flattering picture to have blown up of me (considering I was a little startled and end-of-the-day sweaty), but I still think I got off better than the teacher pictured next to me, huh?


It was also a good reminder that Japanese young people are somehow almost all artistic. Manga culture? These are from the ... fashion club and ... tea ceremony club? I'm not sure what the first one means at all, but I liked the looks of it.


On Saturday of the recent three-day weekend, I made a trip into Tokyo. I didn't get as much Christmas shopping done a I had hoped, but I picked up some nice Christmas cards and did a little site-seeing-- I went to the top of the city government offices for the first time to check out the view (and, unlike Tokyo Tower, it's free!).

Now I have three days of no classes, because Wednesday - Friday is final exams. So I guess, with the exception of grading a few exams, I should have plenty of sitting around time... (it's not true, I never seem to find more than 10 minutes of sitting around time at school...)

Quickly changing seasons

Okay, very belatedly, is another post.

It's mostly been the same old, same old, but I think we're just running out of the last of our warm weather, and the leaves are starting to change on the mountains.

I went to a two-day mid-year seminar earlier this week. I wasn't happy about messing up my class schedule, but at least I got to learn some new ideas on how to teach phonics! (That wasn't intended to be sarcastic.)

I did make it out to Nagoya during October to re-visit some old friends. It was nice to see people I knew and revisit a couple of old places. Definitely made me long to be back in semi-suburban Nagoya, though. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any good pictures.

I also made a second trip to Gotemba, hometown of a former yosakoi teammate, to do some shopping at the massive outlet stores there. I got some awesome photos of Mt. Fuji (my first time to see more than just the base) -- or so I thought. Actually, they all came out like this:


I think I want to invest in a new camera.

But speaking of yosakoi, a Japanese English teacher at my school took me to see a local team practice. They're mid-dance, but they said they'll start a new one in January, so I might join then (and the JTE is thinking of joining, too).

BTW, much earlier in the year (August or September), I caught a tiny snippet of the Harajuku yosakoi festival in Tokyo (I was there just to shop and happened upon it). I was on the wrong side of the street for good photos, but here are a few grainy shots from my phone:



And now, because I can't think of anything very interesting to say, are a few captioned photos (I'll try to think of better content and update again).

Proof of how close my apartment is to the train tracks (how's that for good photo timing?).


What appears to be the most famous building in Ito, across the river. I've been inside, but I'm not entirely sure what it is.


A sculpture that's on our school grounds.


A bunch of loot given to me by a local temple after a vice principal took me there.


The beach at Usami.