Hindsight

Kim (and I) using her wireless internet connection at Ueno Park.
Ueno artist.

Living the life (also Ueno).

Quick parts setup in Akihabara.

Stairwell, adult video and book store, Akihabara.

Kanda Post Office (open Saturday and even Sunday).

Dinner at Tenya.

New Koyo Hotel.

Same room, opposite view. Very, very small. But cheap.

Today I met up with Kim and we walked around to Ueno park. It was nice to get away from the loudness and bustle of, say, Shinjuku or even Akihabara (it’s a crowded Saturday).

I was running around, shipping an item back home, running around doing some purchases or friends. Frantic frenzy, yet…. exciting. Natural high? Perhaps.

Tomorrow is my last romp through Tokyo. Monday morning I will on a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand.

The day started slow – Adam had overslept thanks to his virtually silent alarm clock built into his capsule. He stayed in a capsule hotel the other night while I was at the New Koyo. Four hours or so came and went at one of the Media Cafe’s (again, Ikebukuro).

Not too much to write about today, except that the rain came in as the sun set. Here are a few (of many) pictures I took today.

Ueno Station
Ueno Sci-Fi

The “Gojira” (Godzilla) watermelon on the lower right is indeed around US $100

Shibuya Crossing

Rain hit when we roamed Ginza

Last night, before heading to my guest bedroom at Shinji’s, I wrote back to my friend Adam, who happened to be staying the night at an internet cafe in Osaka.

Adam and I never met in person – he contacted me by way of the Kanno Project about five years ago. We kept in touch on a thread: sometimes we would write and not hear from each other for six months. Then, suddenly, an e-mail would pop up and we’d correspond.

We managed to meet for the first time at Shin Osaka station this morning. Tokyo bound, we chatted about our enthusiasm for Kanno’s work, games and the Japan “experience” as it were – I told him about working as an assistant teacher and he told me of his experiences thus far. The shinkansen ride didn’t seem like 3 hours – we kept talking about all sorts of things.

After checking in to my hotel at Minami Senjuu we made our way to Akihabara.

Apparently my enthusiasm for the place has remained the same. It was Adam’s first time to mecca.

Quite a few stores were pushing Tokyo Battle Zero One this time around.

Adam, like myself, was in the search for games and some related items. We went to Sofmap, Yamagiwa Soft and Asobit City to cover most of our “needs” – I also bought a few games that friends wanted me to find.

Like last time, the searching was fun – it was nice to find the software and think, “They are going to get a kick out of this once I hand it to them”. It’s grand being the “item hunter” of sorts.

Asobit City’s PC software/hardware floor had a small area dedicated to computer audio and music composition. In a corner of the floor was an obscure collection of music books for themes from games and anime. Adam was enlightened to find sheet music for both old and recent game titles. He picked up a few books: Final Fantasy themes, Studio Ghibli themes, and another book that I can’t recall at the moment.

I was happy to see him so excited, to find things that he had probably had in his mind yet could never acquire (for obvious, geographical reasons). Today was his day it seemed.

I roamed one of the TRADER stores in search of other used games. Managed to find some software here and at Sofmap, of course.

Today’s pace seemed rapid. One store to the next, a fulfilling yet quick lunch at a Kyushu-style ramen joint in the middle of Akihabara. A fast dinner at McDonald’s in Ikebukuro followed by another fast romp, this time to an internet cafe to notify friends of my latest explorations.

It was a blast. That really is the only way I can describe it. It was my first time to meet Adam offline and I found him to be an awesome Tokyo companion today. Tomorrow we’re going to check out Shibuya, Harajuku and some other possible places, at least until the evening when he will meet up with his other friends. After that, I may get the chance to catch up with some others in the area.

“…how do you feel?” I ask.

Shinji takes a puff of his cigarette, surfing the internet.
“..drunk. It’s so good.” he says, as if carrying on a standard conversation.

Wonderful.

Let’s step back to yesterday, Tuesday.

I actually had a moment to rest in between the “wrap up” errands I needed to do before closing my time in Kitakyushu. F-Zero AX (the arcade complement to the upcoming “F-Zero GX” for Gamecube) was in a local game center so I tried it out. The sense of speed is definitely there, though there’s a bit more to it now.

(low light + poor hand = blur)

Like other recent arcade games in Japan , F-Zero AX can make you a “license card” for 100 yen. After you’ve raced your first time with the card, you can use it to keep track of your racing stats and upgrade your vehicle parts. Other games like the recent Virtua Fighter arcade game and Initial D (racing game based on the popular manga seres) also feature license cards. It’s a great idea, in my opinion.

After shipping my final boxes off, cancelling my J-Phone service (feeling naked without my cel pone now) returning the English textbooks to the BOE and getting my last great haircut from the guys near Kokura Station, I met up with the Shimomoto family one last time. We ate at a place right below the Lucky Moon (read: gaijin bar) which was really good. Everything was deep fried and tasty.

I had my last Ichiran ramen with Chris and Dion. This is a picture from the 11th floor of Building 7, where Dion now resides.

Dion and I chatted it up well into 2am or so. I’m going to miss our chats about… well just about everything.

This morning I woke up at 5:30. Everything was packed and ready to go the night before, so there was little to run about. I listened to some Mogwai to set the mood right, shut off the gas and power and walked out with my bags. I will miss Building 7. I’ll miss Kanada Kodan.

I took the shinkansen to Osaka and met up with Hiro & Yoshie, Shinji and his wife of three months, Aya. It’s good to see gamer company/friends here again. We went to Nijojo in Kyoto, just an hour-thirty drive away. Temples abound. After we all went to a tonkatsu place that Aya recommended. Quite possibly the best katsu I’ve ever had.

The rest of the evening was spent at Shinji’s (and now Aya’s) apartment. It was a lot cleaner than last time – I’d like to think that Aya had something to do with that.

Things come full circle in strange ways – Shinji was ecstatic to see all of the Final Fantasy soundtracks I had sitting in my laptop and eventually loaded up Final Fantasy X to show me my favorite gaming scene: Yuna (the game’s female lead) walks on water and performs a ritual to send the souls of the dead to a higher plane. Later he played some music from the game. It made me think about my former job where I tested games.

Hiro and Yoshie had to return to Nagoya, as they have work tomorrow. As I said goodbye, Shinji told me “they are good friends”.

“..All because of PSO” I said. All because of a chance meeting at an online console game.
“Yes,” he responded, going on to praise the fact that online games connect people. If he isn’t great, I don’t know who is.

I’ve spent the rest of the evening talking about games with him, and later going online to post this. While I was dabbling on my own PC, he started playing Final Fantasy XI on his PS2. Later, Aya took over the PC.

I feel wonderfully comfortable in this household.

July 18-19. The last day at Tahara was also the day I turned 25. Amber suggested bowling and that’s what we did. We also had some grand shabu-shabu.

Saturday was a gathering at Koichi’s followed by drinking on the streets of Kokura. I didn’t get as nearly as drunk as I thought I was going to be, but all the better. No hangover = no problem.

There’s so much I want to write, but I’m in one of those moments where I will just let the memory stay and (eventually) fade. In other words, I’ll keep most of them for myself this time around.

Two nights ago I broke down and bought some watermelon. That cost me 580 yen (about $5).

Checking out my daily luck on my (now archaic) phone.

Yesterday I went to Ichiran with Alex just before our ALT meeting.

The final ALT meeting seemed more relaxed, even though our reports to everyone were the usual. I was exit-interviewed by Kimura sensei – he was curious to hear about my schools and what problems there were.

I thought about it afterwards and its interesting how I’ve changed. About one year ago I came here, started working and complained about the kids. Now the year is almost up and my problems have generally been with staff. This comes to me as a good thing, and reminds me of how my perspective might have changed.

With the meeting ajourned, Sakamoto sensei handed us leaving ALTs the necessary exit information and reminded us of what we needed to do before leaving Japan. Over the course of the meeting I was smiling less and I realized that this was, in fact, the last ALT meeting I would go to.

When Sakamoto sensei asked if there were any major announcements I said “Yeah. I just wanted to say that it’s been a privilege working with such a great group of people.” It may have seemed out of place, but I wanted to say it. Followed by a short applause, the meeting finally came to a close.

Last night I went to Koichi’s to meet up with Jon who I won’t see this weekend (he’s off to Boston for a few weeks) in addition to Cayce (leaving for home as well). I drank quite a bit: a beer here, a vodka shot with Jon there and then Umeshu.

To make a long story short, I woke up in bed this morning with my shirt and jeans still on. The hangover was strong, but enough Pocari Sweat did the trick (it’s probably the Japanese equivalent of America’s “Gatorade”) .

Today, Ms. Tsujii’s 2-1 Homeroom class summoned me the last 10 minutes of first period. They gave me a beautiful bundle of folded, paper cranes with messages attached also. Pictured here was the message they wrote for me as I walked into the classroom. I will miss these kids.

The souji (cleaning time) was longer today, since it was to be the last before summer vacation. Windows were cleaned, trash cleared out. Just like any other day, the school was restored.

I had three 1-nensei classes today, a mix of bingo, new words and drawing (“go up 2, go right 3, draw Ms. Matsuo!). It was good fun. At the end of class, Matsuo sensei had the kids do jazz chants for me to say goodbye. Super warm fuzzies, as they say.

The picture taking has ramped up since my time with Tahara is done after tomorrow. Here’s Yurie, the girl who wrote out my name in beautiful kanji a week ago.

I suppose it’s about that time. Time to reflect.

Time for a really, really long post.

Here are my grandest (and not so grand) memories of my year in Japan. What are yours?

Non-School Related

Best Purchase: Apple iPod (2nd Generation Model)
Sometimes, when I get back to my apartment I am still walking around with it. Music is life.

Breakthrough Drink: Umeshu
No single drink has swept my attention like Umeshu, causing more drunken stupors and hangovers in under 12 months then any other time since I first drank a Tequila Sunrise at 20 years old. You didn’t read that.

Worst Time Ever: Winter Food Poisoning Incident
….and getting to and from the hospital by myself. Survival of the fittest. I am still trying to figure out how I survived that ordeal. As they say, if it doesn’t kill you….

Best Restaurant in Kitakyushu: Yakyuudori
This should come as no surprise – I’ve only spent half of my entire stay in Japan at Koichi’s yakitori grill. It’s small and usually populated by salarymen and women stopping before home. But I am so comfortable with this (as well as other ALTs) that it’s become the first eatery where “everyone knows my name”. That sort of feeling, a refuge to relax, is priceless. And the gyuusagari (beef steak?) is to die for.

I’ve taken all of my visiting friends here. Everyone loves the place. Most have also gotten drunk there. Here’s to getting drunk with salarymen.

School Life

Best Class Ever: Homeroom 5-1, Maeda Elementary School
Elementary schoolkids can really be *too* genki, but since I got one chance to teach at an elementary school (as opposed to the junior high schools I teach) I have always remembered it as quite the blast.

Pointless Discovery: Solitaire
When I realized that Tahara JHS had no internet access, Solitaire became part of the day. It became… a way of life. And sadly, I never got good at it. There hasn’t been such a better time killer for me that was a game but was never too showy as to attract the attention of video game eyes at the schools.

Most Likely to Be Sekuhara (sexual harassment) Cases in the U.S.
There are several…

Last year a 3-nensei girl waved “Oh James!”, walked by me and slapped my behind, running off in mad laughter. Welcome to Japan JHS school life.

Ooike-kun constantly trying to prod at my privates. No, he is not homosexual – lots of kids roughhouse and are more touchy than their U.S. counterparts. I’ve seen boys sitting on other boys’ laps and what not. You get used to it, no big deal. The same goes for girls.

Various ALTs tell me they have seen their fellow teachers getting massages from students, later to have the students massaging the ALTs. Complaints ceased shortly thereafter.

Scariest Teacher Ever: Mr. Hayashi
Listen to THIS. Are you not convinced? Imagine being there just twenty feet away.

Best Kids: Chiyo JHS
Good kids and I eventually grew to the staff. Out of three schools I visited (Hanao, Tahara and Chiyo), the kids at Chiyo turned out to be the best. Tahara is right behind in second. Sweetest bunch of kids around. They made me feel important.

Best JTE: Ms. Yoshida
Super genki and receptive to my dark humor, Yoshida sensei will always remember the moment I helped her for her STEP test: an English proficiency test that involves not only reading/writing but speaking. She had to explain a situation based on an illustration. The night before I had drank at Koichi’s quite a bit, so I was tired. Like Hal9000, my mind was going. And while Yoshida sensei was describing the picture to me, she started to notice my eyes “struggling” to stay awake. In mid description she went, “…and in the picture they are – James sensei come back!”. It was the most hilarious moment we shared. Eventually, my mind came back.

When I was leaving Chiyo just two weeks ago, Yoshida sensei ran out saying “James sensei come back!” she continued and told me that I was like a brother to her. I will never, ever forget that.

Last night, before going to bed, some sort of large, flying bug was taking comfort by constantly flying into a ceiling lamp of mine. I thought I had gotten rid of it earlier in the evening, but it was clever. Finally, I caught it by slamming a small plastic trash bin when it was standing still on my floor. I pushed the bin along the ground (big bug contained within) and pushed the guy out the balcony. Soon after he was out of sight.

This morning, Morizono-sensei asked me if I could come up with something for her 3-nensei selection class. Even though I had a two-period advance notice, I didn’t play nice this time – I couldn’t think of anything. It was a standard exchange of apologies – I apologized that I couldn’t think of anything and Morizono sensei told me she was sorry for asking me with what little planning time to spare.

No fast ones this week, even if its my last. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No surprises. Radiohead reference slightly intended.

I had one 1-nensei class today, but Matsuo sensei told me that students would summon me from my desk at the last ten minutes of class.

“You don’t have to worry about today’s schedule.” she said.

When the kids came to get me I walked in. For their selective class, groups of several students drew pictures for one calendar month and presented to me. They were so sweet. So now I have a September 2003 – August 2004 Tahara 1-nensei calendar to bring home with me. Omoide (memories).

Murakami san quickly asked me to step out of the staff room to give me an MD copy of the “8 Mile” soundtrack. I’m honored. Problem is, I don’t own an MD player…. yet.

I’ve received two new Friendster invites this week. Like people say with intense conviction, “I’ll have to check it out sometime”.