From Beks & Chris ---> Sayonara Beer Garden

Monday AM. I’m at the visit school today, but my coworker is gone, so it’s really quiet. Kind of strange not to have to compete with him to use the computer, actually.

Had another excellent week and weekend (visit from friends and one of the first big going-away parties), but I couldn’t sleep well last night and am definitely feeling rather zombie-ish today. I tried to sleep without the air-conditioning on last night. Didn’t work so well – it’s just getting too humid. I think finally succumbed to hitting the on switch and taking a sleeping pill just after 3am. Forgot how groggy the pills can make you. Good for jetlag, but think I’ll stick to the lesser of the two evils (air con) to help me sleep from here on out.

Alrighty, it’s been about a week so let’s just start where I left off.

June 14-20
Two weeks ago was the week of culture… or cultural festivals, I should say! 

Monday was a normal day at the visit school, except for going to Takanan afterwards to work on ESS stuff. Tuesday was our big prep day at Takasago Minami High School (no classes in the afternoon) and Wednesday was the big day. Went really well, and all of our cookbooks were gone by the end of the afternoon! Thursday was back to normal classes and Friday was the cultural festival at my other/visit high school. The festival at my second school is two-days long (vs just one at my regular school), so I missed all the dancing and performances the first day, but the food and concerts were still awesome. One of my ESS girls even rocked out on her guitar in the school courtyard -- and it was a really good concert.  The visit school actually reminds me more of an American school in some ways. I think the variance in the general school culture is due to the fact that the rules are less strict and the kids can therefore be less formal in their everyday interactions in a way. I definitely have closer relationships with the students at Takanan (esp those in the International Studies course) because I see them far more often, but I also feel like I can be a bit more laid back with the kids at my visit school (off the bat.. and there’s an awesome group of 3rd year students in English club), so it was nice to be able to hang out with them a bit outside of class. Culture Festivals are fun so I was glad I got to go to both, but it was also a really valuable experience just for the fact that I could definitely compare the two.

After the cultural festival on Friday, I headed straight to Kobe, where I met my friend from college, Bekah, and her boyfriend Chris at the airport bus-stop. They’d been traveling around China for a few weeks so they were tired (and had some big bags with them!), but we decided to hit up an izakaya (Japanese pub) before heading home. Great night, great guests. I was laughing so hard at dinner that the tears were coming down and Beks and Chris were open to trying anything and everything on the menu.

June 21-22 (or some weekend in June…)
Despite the fact that these two have been ON.THE.GO. – all over China and Hong Kong – for the last few weeks we kept things in regular fashion and started the first full day of the visit to Japan with… what else?... a trip to Kyoto. We had some bad luck with things being closed, closing early (& closing early as we arrived…grr), but the highlights were definitely going to Kiyomizudera (14 times at the temple now…I think I need help!) and catching a glimpse of a few real geisha in Ponto-cho.

Chris is really into plants and bonsai, so we also had this amazing little experience where we were wandering around these charming, empty back streets in Kyoto and stopped to admire a Japanese garden and the bonsai on the side. We’re peeking through an open-door when the woman who owned the house spotted us and let us come inside to look around and admire her plants more closely! I did a LOT of translating last weekend, but the woman had some great stories and such a beautiful garden. It’s personal touches on an experience that really make it.

After Kyoto, we hit up a BBQ in Amagasaki for a bit before taking last train back to my house.

The next morning, we were up somewhat early again, and this time started the day with a bike ride to Hamanomiya, a town about 3 train stops down from where I live. In addition to plants, Chris is also really into Frisbee golf.  We were looking at the international FG websites, only to discover one of about 20 courses in the country (and one of the biggest) was only about a 20 minute bike ride from my house.  Go figure.

We arrived at the park, strewn with beautiful trees, and started to look for maps or find the beginning of the course.  We spotted a few older men playing, so I stopped to ask one for help and this guy asked us if we wanted to play with him.  Neither Bekah or I are really into the sport (although I was fascinated by it... first time!) so Chris ending up playing a half-course with the guy and made a good buddy in him by the time we left.  It was really cute.  They were both pretty good and kept saying things to each other in their respective languages, nodding and agreeing even though they didn't know what each other said, while Beks and I tailed behind them, chatting (and me doing the occasional translation for Chris).  Big points for internationalization.

After the game, Chris, Bek and I raced back to my apartment to change and make a picnic lunch for the Hanshin Tiger's baseball game.  The game had sold out a few weeks in advance, so I wasn't able to get tickets beforehand, but we decided to go anyways to see if we could scalp tickets or still get in somehow.

Unfortunately, the game that day was a popular one and the stadium was packed.  We hit up the ticket office (no luck) and walked around basically the whole thing before realizing we weren't going to get in.  I stopped a few groups and families that were leaving early (for who knows what reason) to ask if they would sell or give us their ticket stubs, but nobody was willing (probably because they were nervous about illegal scalping), so we finally gave up and decided to head to Osaka to catch the rest of the game at a sport's bar over a beer.

When we got to Osaka, we decided to ditch the plan, however, and headed first to dinner (okonomiyaki in Umeda) and then Spa World for some re-lax-in.  SOOOO nice.  The co-ed area on the roof was under construction, so we never got to all soak together in the outside, roof-top baths, but the women had the Asian floor this month and Beks and I got a chance to catch-up and chat for a while in the traditional outdoor onsen.  One of them had this large mesh bag with a mud-like substance inside that some old ladies (who were really taken with us... kinda funny when you're naked and all strangers) told us was medicine and that we should hold to our stomachs in the water.  Not sure what that was all about, but totally, totally relaxing, soothing evening.

So much more...

Exploring with frisbee

We hit up Namba to see the lights (and famous GLICO Running Man) sign before heading home

Frisbee date but not the next day -- Himeji and Yukata Matsuri, izakaya, yankiis galore and cop brigades at the festival

School with Beks and Chris (think some of my kids are in LURV with beks), buying ninja shoes

Could write another 10 posts about the visit, but overall, amazing weekend. So much fun! Can't wait to see those guys at home.

After the visit, more fun including....

Dinner at buffet with neighbors & cool waitress (might hang out with us next week...haha), no spring rolls (WORLD BUFFET will never be the same), funny posing for pictures and freezing in place in the restaurant (Tu's plan... hilarious reactions from small children).  Then even more neighborly delights with cheap sushi so next night, stopped at second hand store and biked around with Deyi and Tu (random adventures).  On the weekend, visited Emi at the original Gankozushi then Kobe with Deyi, Beer garden at SOGO for a huge farewell, Karaoke in Kobe, then after-Karaoke Karaoke with Kate, Tu & Miwa in Futami.  ITO all day Sunday with ice cream, a bike ride, hanging out in the area and just taking it easy.  

My life is ridiculous.  I should not be allowed to have this much fun, but am happy that I do.  Anyways, that's a condensed, quick rundown, but again... pics on Facebook.  Off to class!