delfiend

bye bye okinawa

2007-05-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be unemployed! We've had four beautiful sunny vacation days so far and we've taken full advantage of them. Papa left on Monday morning with a bit of a sunburn and Matt and I are trying to squeeze as much in as possible before heading to Tokyo on the 8th.

Here's a lovely picture our student Shoko drew...

Here are some pics from our BBQ at Tropical Beach

We ate delicious yakisoba, bbq'd chicken, beef and pork.....yum!

See y'all soon!!!
Xoxoxoxx
Delphine

on and around kokusai

2007-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

here's an idea of what i see to and from work...

Listening to okinawan rappers outside my bedroom window.

good holiday so far

2007-03-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

here's a birthday card miriam made for me : ) i think the d in delphine is from disney and the p is for peanut in some sort of peanut butter bar. any other ideas?

on saturday morning matt showered me with gifts and we had cake for breakfast. we were a little groggy from 100 yen beers the night before but that didn't stop the celebrations.
after that we met our friend toshie at 10am and headed to the famous italian restaurant.i had the hair of the dog that bit me with this delicious apricot liquer drink...

then our delicious pizza arrived...yum!

this little cat peared out from some sakura to wish me a good day...

on the 25th kokusai street shut down and kids had the opportunity to show their talent with chalk drawings...

today yoshiko and her niece noriko made us a delicious tsukiyaki meal...

here's a pic matt took...

here's a photo of matt being scolded for putting some trash in the wrong bin...tsk tsk.

and here's some more cake...

one more day off, it's been a fabulous few days so far!

listening to LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

five days off

2007-03-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh one more day of work and then I have five days off. It’s going to be great! On Saturday we have a friend who’s going to drive us north for a wonderful birthday lunch at Pizza Café Kajinhou. We’ve heard terrific things about this place. It’s a small restaurant located right on the coast with a great view of Ie, Minna and Sesoko Islands. The owner is a French chef and the only items on the menu are pizza, salad and fresh juices…sounds intriguing n’est pas? We think so too. Hopefully the weather will be nice and clear.

On Monday my student Yoshiko is going to have us over for tsukiyaki. First we’re going to go to the local market to help her out with the shopping and then we’ll watch and learn as she works her magic.

I saw Yoshiko on Monday and she was kind enough to show me her wide selection of kimonos. She has 20 in total! It was a real treat sitting on the tatami mat and having her show me all the beautiful fabrics and sashes. It takes the average person about an hour to put a kimono on and they aren’t built for comfort.

Here are a few pics I took on Monday afternoon…

Listening to Fugiya Miyagi – Transparent Things

back on line

2007-03-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long pause. We lost our free internet back in January and finally got some wireless hooked up yesterday.

Well, my time working here in Japan has paid off. I finally got my baby a couple of weeks ago and she’s so sweet. I especially love shooting from the hip. I’ve never had the luxury of an auto focus camera so I’m having so much fun.

7 more weeks of work and I can kiss my job goodbye. I’m a little nervous about what I’m going to do when I get home but hopefully I’ll find something quickly…but not too quickly. Our sense of time has been so bizarre as of late. The days are long but the weeks are fast. Summer is teasing us here and there, we caught ourselves some sunburns whilst whale watching with our friend Sao a few weeks ago but nowadays our cheeks are rosy due to more chilly temperatures.

This is my private student Yoshiko. I go to her place once a week where she serves me tea and mochie and we chat about current events. She's wonderful to hang out with.

Here's a pic taken inside a noodle shop we like going to...

I’ve posted a few pics on my flickr site so check em out when you get a
chance.

Listening to Air – Pocket Symphony

the adventures of rowsom in okinawa

2007-01-02T01:08:00.000-08:00

After a pleasant flight back to the island via the Pokemon plane, we did a little grocery shopping then had a delicious meal at home whilst watching Little Britain and Borat.

On Thursday we cashed in on Justin’s Christmas present of 4 hours of all you can drink karaoke! It was great fun! We pulled out such great hits as “Barbie Girl”, “Run To The Hills”, “Pour Some Sugar”, “Burning Ring of Fire” and Matt serenaded us with “Delilah”. Unfortunately Jenny accidentally smacked her wrist on the edge of the table as we were leaving but she courageously ventured on.

On our way back home we hit a local Canadian bar where Jenny requested some Trooper but the bartender had no idea what she was talking about…hrmmm. They are also known for carrying Labatt Blue on tap but I guess too many local Canadian’s felt like taking a swig of home during the holidays and simply drank the bar dry. After listening to too many Chili Pepper songs we headed to a local watering hole called The Good Life. We ordered some fancy coloured martinis, took flash photographs of strangers at the bar then called it a night.

The next day was cold and rainy so we decided to rest our tired, hungover little heads.

On Saturday we rented a car and headed south to Itoman city. We went to Okinawa World Cave Park, walked around in some humid caves with mini lights and stalagmites.

We found a photo booth on site...

Jenny was still suffering after our karaoke shenanigans but still soldiered on. I can't believe she was lifting her arm in these pics!!! We managed to find a pharmacy with some tensor-type bandages and put some ice on her wrist to keep the swelling down. She was in a lot of pain but she kept taking super shots. Her left-handed photography just may be her best pictures yet!

On Sunday (New Years Eve) we headed north towards Cape Hedo. Matt and I decided to take the East road for a little change in scenery. On our way there we dropped into a store called The Ammo Box to look at some army fashions and used goods. We came across these fashionable ball caps.

"Go Ahead Buck...Make My Day"
"GOD GUNS GUTS Made America FREE. Let's Keep All Three"
Heeeeere's Johnny!

After that we stopped in a ghost town across from Kadena Air Base in Ginoza city. It was very bizarre. I felt like I was walking around the set of Carnival of Souls. There were old weather-beaten bars and eateries and only a handful of people walking around.

A few military boys were walking around and givin their New Year celebrations a kick start but other than that it was pretty much abandoned. I’m curious to see what it would be like at night. Perhaps it’s a hopping town when the sun goes down and the marquees start winking at passers by.

When we got home we popped open a bottle of Moet and started to celebrate. Jenny was still in a lot of pain so we made her a sling out of her fancy orange scarf and took a cab over to a coworkers place for the countdown.

After some delicious sandwiches and a few Coronas we headed to The Good Life bar for some martinis. I was rather tired so I left the bar around 4 am but Matty and Jenny hung in there until the sun came up, about 7am.

On New Years Day we woke up to a beautiful, peaceful neighbourhood. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it has been living here since the construction peeps went on vacation.

When Jenny woke up, her arm had gone from bad to worse so we decided it would best to have someone look at it. We went to the hospital where some very friendly doctors and nurses took great care of us. After a bit of poking and prodding we were sent up to the xray room and the results were not so good. Jenny had broken her Ulna (the lower part of her forearm)!!!!! Nooooooo!!!!

We were all in quite a bit of shock. How could such a small fall have broken her arm?

So yeah, Miss Rowsom is heading back to Canada with her arm in a cast. I have to admit, she has been very brave for the past 4 days. To top it all off, it’s her right arm so she’s going to be out of commission for a little while. Send her lots of flowers (preferably orange or pink coloured ones) give her lots of kisses and shower her with love.

This morning we went to the local market to find her a much more fashionable sling. Here’s a photo of Jenny in the cab on the way to the airport.

Matt drew a picture of Anpaman on her cast to give her strength on her long journey home. I wish I could have accompanied her back. I hope she’ll meet some good travelers who will help her out and cheer that pretty little face of hers up.

It’s now 5pm and a balmy 23 degrees. The holidays went by quickly and now it feels like spring. I’m going to miss my sassy red headed friend. There were tears at the airport as I watched Jenny pass through another x-ray machine. I hate being so far away but the time here is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I need to enjoy my life here while it lasts.

Happy New Year!!!!!
xoxoxoxxoxod

Listening to Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block

2nd jenny in tokyo

2006-12-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

hello, it's me Jenny, reporting from Okinawa after a whirlwind tour of Tokyo. The rocking back and forth of the trains (and we took many many trains ) could put anyone to sleep...witness this gentleman making himself a little too comfortable...

on Christmas day we went for a very decadent brunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo (as featured in Lost in Translation). We were feeling a little bit woozy being on the 52nd floor

or was it the combination of jet lag, train journeys or champagne?
after that we walked off our dessert with a little window shopping and much to my delight, discovered an orange foyer!

where I decided to show a little leg in an impromptu fashion shoot. cheers!

happy holidays

2006-12-22T04:11:00.000-08:00

I called in sick today. I haven’t had a day off in two weeks and I want to nip this cold in the bud before it has its way with me ; )

2 more sleeps until my sassy red headed friend lands in Tokyo and I’m a little more than excited. We haven’t planned too many things to do but on Christmas day, Shelley, Jenny, Matt and I are going to have lunch at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. Yes indeed, we’re going to dine with champagne at the New York Grill located on the 52^nd floor. We’ll dress up like we’re rich and hob knob with the elite for an hour or two. After that we’ll do a little site seeing, take in a gallery or two then make change for the train and head back to Saitama.

On the 27^th Jenny, Matt and I are going to fly back to Okinawa where we’ll spend the rest of 2006. I’ll post pictures of Jenny and Delphine’s adventures in Japan as soon as I can.

For now I want to thank everyone who’s been keeping in touch with me for the past year. It warms my heart that although I’m so far away, I’m still in your thoughts.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season and the best of luck in 2007. Hopefully we’ll see each other in the New Year.

Xxxxoxoxo

Delphine

work place shenanigans part deux

2006-12-17T02:30:00.000-08:00

another sunday at work, a couple more no shows...

see you next tuesday

2006-12-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

we rented a car on sunday and monday. sunday was spent perusing the southern part of the island and monday was spent at pineapple park. here's some footage of our time spent in the car. don't be afraid...there was no accident at the end...the dash is just a little slippery is all...

here's some night footage...

i'm sorry if this is out of sync, youtube does some funky stuff to my camera footage when i upload to their site : (

the first jenny has arrived

2006-12-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

matt's mom jenny is here for 10 days. she arrived here on tuesday evening after the longest route i've heard of. she flew from london to amsterdam then to bangkok then taipei and finally okinawa! what a trooper! we've been chilling out at home for the past few days.

today we went to the market for a little gift shopping, these goods are my personal favs...

then we headed for some more photo booth shenanigans...

work place shenanigans

2006-12-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

Typhoon radio has the strangest playlist I have ever encountered. I usually listen to it during my break or when I have a free lesson. Today’s mix was some traditional Okinawan Sanshin music, followed by some Ice Cube, a dash of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons then this…

Company policy states that couples aren’t supposed to work together…we don’t know why.

Listening to Gorillaz - Dare on repeat

playing with fire

2006-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

staff room

2006-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

I can’t complain about my new branch, the people are good and it’s pretty quiet. I have about 1 free lesson per shift and most of my classes are only with one student. Here’s some fuzzy footage of the staff room and teaching area. This is where I usually sit on my break or during a free lesson.

25 more sleeps til miss rowsom lands!

Listening to The Album Leaf - Into The Blue Again

self walking 1

2006-11-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

I’ve started a little project, it’s a series of videos of me going through some of my routines (happy lewis?). Hopefully these will give you a little taste of my surroundings…

2006-11-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

A strange thing happens when you move so far away, you start to feel a little bit left behind. I feel like I’m living on a small island at the end of the world. Time seems to stand still here while the word ‘busy’ hovers over everywhere else.

The holidays are coming up rapidly. Naha city is decorated with Christmas trees and mini lights, holiday music fills the air and Starbucks has started making their holiday drinks.
There’s something peculiar about sipping a gingerbread latte on a warm summers afternoon.

Matt and I went to the movies on Monday night which is quite a treat. I can’t believe it’s only my second movie in a year! Children of Men was nothing to write home about but the snack bar was, once again, amazing. Where else can you get a ‘Beer Set’? 1 medium popcorn and a large beer for only $5.00.

A major thunder storm’s circling above as I type. It’s been going on for at least an hour now and the construction workers have decided to stop. I’ll take this weather over jackhammers any day. The city, between thunder claps, is quiet which is a nice change. I think this afternoon will be spent sorting out Christmas cards and watching reruns of Sex and the City.

Listening to Carly Simon – Coming Around Again

grrr

2006-11-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

I awoke to the sound of jackhammers this morning. To top things off another house has been knocked down about a stones throw away. Last night Matt and I were lulled to sleep by more jackhammers as the Sunday night construction crew attacked Kokusai Street. The most frustrating part off all of this is that there’s just no end in sight.

We could call accommodations and ask to be moved to another apartment but I’d rather be spared the humiliation of them laughing in our ears. A simple task like repairing a screen door or leaky gas oven was enough stress to last me a few months.

Thankfully the election is now over so we don’t have to endure any more speakers screaming down the streets.

It’s been overcast and rainy for the past few days which is a little nice. Matt and I have been watching such quality programs as Ugly Betty, Prison Break (questionable), Extras, Lost, Smith, South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy and sometimes Smith. We tried to watch Superman Returns last night but it wasn’t so good. Sleeper was quite funny. I’m really looking forward to For Your Consideration but I doubt that will hit the theatres here. Right now we have a choice of seeing The Devil Wears Prada which is awful, Basic Instinct II, World Trade Centre, Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Flags of Our Fathers…hrmm. Oh, Matt just called from work and we’ve decided to see Children of Men aka Tomorrow World. I’m meeting him at work tonight and we’re going to a 6:30 screening. YAY! My second movie experience in Japan! Monday is ‘Men’s Day’ and Wednesday is ‘Woman’s day’, half price movies! woo

In other news, I noticed that Porky’s is due to be released on DVD tomorrow, I haven’t seen it since I was a child. I don’t know if I should watch it again or leave it in my memory as it is.

Not too much else to report these days, just working, eating, sleeping, watching TV dramas and movies. We’re trying to be good with the spending so that we can come home in the spring, as planned. I have my year end/contract renewal observation this Thursday which is always a little nerve racking.

Ok, I need to get ready and leave my place for a while. I’m going to search for a little peace elsewhere because the option of locking myself in my bathroom with headphones on just isn’t very appealing to me.

Listening to The Best of Ray Charles (buried under a pile of rubble)

propaganda, jackhammers and roaring engines

2006-11-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

I think I’m living in the noisiest city in the world.

Japan

has a serious problem with noise pollution and I think I’m living in the heart of it.

About three weeks ago the city of Naha started tearing down a theatre located right in front of our apartment, this is what it looks like today.

Construction starts around 7:30 am and finishes at sundown. So much for a nice relaxing time in Okinawa. The theatre will probably be complete by summer 2007 which by that time I hope to be back in TO all settled into a new job.

When night falls down on this noisy little town, motorcycle gangs hit the streets and bless us with they’re little man syndrome. Apparently the person with the loudest and longest revving ability is the most admired…or so he thinks. I can’t count the many times I’ve been jolted out of a deep sleep to the sound of roaring engines. They just park themselves in front of Lawsons convenience store and rev their engines as loud as humanly possible. The later in the evening the better. Motorcycle gangs are a problem in Okinawa, the police try to catch them but end up in high speed chases and lose.

It also appears to be election time so we have the pleasure of hearing announcements on loud speakers about every 10 minutes down Kokusai street. I think I’m slowly going insane.

Listening to Propaganda, Jackhammers and Roaring Engines – Naha City

WARNING

2006-11-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

EVERY person who comes to visit me will be subjected to photo booth shenanigans.
Thank you for your attention and have a nice day...

human error

2006-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Another visit come and gone…sigh. It’s tough having visitors from home, I always get a little homesick when they leave. Momma left for Tokyo this morning, Matt’s at work and now I’m here, on my own in the apartment and it feels empty : (

Yesterday we hired a car and headed north. It was so beautiful, kinda what I imagine Newfoundland to look like. Steep, jagged cliffs with crashing waves. It also looks a little bit like the Oregon coast. Funny how we always compare to places we’ve visited before.

We went to the northern tip of the island where you can see small towns with typhoon weathered houses. It’s low season right now so all of the tourist sites are quiet and there is very little traffic. On the way there we stopped at Paradise Beach...

for some Okinawan Soba...

It’s so wonderful to finally have our driver’s licenses!

Getting a Japanese licenses or obtaining anything to do with the government requires a lot of patience. We can’t get international drivers licenses because we live in Japan so we need to get Japanese drivers licenses. First we needed to go to the Wards office to change our address and pay about $3.00 for a piece of paper stating our address. Then we needed to pay for a translation of our current drivers licenses, about $30. This needed to be done in a neighbouring city which meant taking the monorail for a few stops then jumping into a cab for the remainder of the journey. After that we headed to the licensing bureau for the final stage…or so we thought. We entered the building and went to the first window we could find, window #1. The fellow kindly pointed us down the hall to window #12 where a disgruntled gentleman went over our documents with a fine toothed comb. I could feel he really wanted to find a missing document so he could send us away to get to more important matters but the only thing he found was that Matt’s photos were too big so we quickly found a photo lab around the corner.

We handed over the correct sized photos and took a seat with other soon to be drivers. As we sat down we looked around the room and felt as though we were back in time. How could such a technically advanced country have such old government offices? Some of the machines looked like they were from the 50’s. The ceilings were stained with what looked like coffee and the numbers above the counters were held up with whatever string or rope they could find at the time. Some of the numbers on the wall were held up with silver electricians tape while others had multi coloured tacks. There were coiled extension cords dangling from the ceiling and file folders and papers everywhere.

The man sorted through our documents, entered all the necessary digits into the ancient computer then called us over. “Ok, now you must go to window #5, #3, #1, #10 and #13” we took note and headed to #5 where we paid about $40. Then we headed to #3 where we had our eyes tested, after that we headed to window #1 where a kind lady proofread our documents and sealed them with a stamp. Then we went to #10 where we had our photos taken and then we finally made it to lucky #13. We were so happy, we had finally made it!

We handed over our documents and the smiling lady showed is a piece of paper. She circled the numbers “13:10” and said “lecture”. After everything we went through we were required to sit through a half hour lecture about rules of the road. The lectures only take place Monday to Friday at 13:10, It was about 16:30 at that time so we had to wait another week to go back : ( Fine, we understand the importance of attending a quick lecture, I’m sure it would be very informative, especially for foreigners driving in Japan BUT the whole thing is in Japanese!! The lady kind of shrugged her shoulders and agreed with our disappointment but this was the last requirement, the very last document for our approval. I can’t complain, it’s far easier for English and Canadian people to obtain drivers licenses than Americans, unfortunately they have to take an actual drivers examination!.

So, we went to the Japanese driving lecture on Monday afternoon. After a minor detour of wrong numbered windows we finally found where we were supposed to go and it was something. We walked up to the second floor where we were greeted with glossy 20 x 24 inch colour photo prints of car crashes.

Yes indeed, welcome to the final stage of getting your drivers license. Here’s a photo of the entrance to the lecture room, if you look towards the right of the door you will see a demolished automobile with blood smeared on the hood. Please drive safely and congratulations!

The lecture probably would have been informative had I understood but then again, maybe not. The young Japanese guy sitting next to me had a severe case of bus head while the guy in front of me kept looking down at the desk and cracking his knuckles. Over to the left I kept hearing people whispering to each other and a girl sitting far right near the front was looking at her phone probably surfing the net or texting one of her friends. Matt kept looking at the man giving the lecture, his eyebrows were furrowed as he struggled to understand even a few words. In the end he managed to understand the words “human error”, because it was said in English, and a few numbers here and there.

When the man finished his lecture, there was applause and then he started calling out peoples names. We had to go to the front where he kindly handed us our new licenses and bowed. So it’s official we now have our licenses! Woo hoo! We went home and celebrated with gin and tonics.

Momma’s visit was really nice. She treated us very well with her cooking and I have new clothes!!! Yay!!! I can finally wear pants to work and free my legs and butt from the discomfort of nylons. The weather was pretty grey at the start of momma's stay but it ended with beautiful sunny skies. The temperature has dropped a fair bit as well but it’s really comfortable. I expect we’ll be warmer clothes during December and January but nothing compared to Tokyo or Toronto.

Listening to Grizzly Bear – Yellow House

ocean expo

2006-10-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Shaggy, my old roomie from Yono, is here for a visit so we did a little bit of site seeing near Nago city this afternoon. Unfortunately Matt and I have had very little time to sort out our drivers licenses so we had to cab it which was a little pricey but well worth the cost.

We went to Ocean Expo Park which was rather breathtaking. First we went to the aquarium which was the largest I had ever seen. The tanks were huge and we got to walk through one of those glass tunnels! I’ve always wanted to walk through one of those things so I can now scratch that off the list. There were whale sharkes, mantas, stingrays, turtles, video cameras, digital cameras, camera phones, you name it!

We had lunch in the cafeteria where we had a front row view of these creatures from the deep blue sea. There’s nothing like spooning some soft mango ice cream into your mouth while a giant whale shark drifts by barely two feet away from you.

After spending about 3 hours underwater we headed to Emerald Beach. I finally felt we had arrived in the Okinawa our students told us about. Move over Hawaii!!! I have to keep reminding myself that I live here, in Japan, on a tropical island…yup. We took off our shoes and walked in the white sand to the sight of, as the scissor sisters put it, a “creamsicle sky” (insert groovy bass line).

Now here I am, back at the apartment with another work week ahead of me. It’s tough having these teeny tiny hints of vacation sprinkled a few hours here and there. The only thing I can compare it too is going on the road with your band, playing one great show and having to go home the next day. I just want to keep going. I just want to keep lying in the sand, listening to the ocean and not have to worry about being at work the next day. It’s time for a holiday, I haven’t had one since last summer and it’s beginning to wear on me. It’s tough having to be genki all of the time, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is attempt any socializing whatsoever.

There’s a light at the end of this coming very soon, I just have to keep thinking about momma’s visit, the arrival of my sassy redheaded girlie on December 24^th and 10 days off over the Christmas holidays!! 10 whole days off with no work…at all…nothing…phew!

music and visits

2006-10-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Matt and I went to a big used items warehouse called “Manga Souka” on a quest for musical instruments. Part of the deal with moving to Okinawa was to get our butts in gear to write music, so we found some stuff.

We found this bass for $60.00, the guitar for $90.00, an old toy Casio for a measly $3.00 and a new bass amp for $70.00. So far we have about 5 song ideas, now it’s just a matter of giving them some structure which is always the hard part. I’ve been having a great time mixing various drum loops and samples on Acid Pro and recording stuff into Cool Edit.

I’m happy to report that I’m moving branches and my next location will be a 10 minute walk from my place…yay!! No more 45 minute bus rides!

In other news, my momma arrives here on November 1^st and Jenny will be spending her Christmas holidays here in Japan!!! I’ll be standing at the gate, eagerly awaiting her grand entrance at Narita Airport on December 24th. What a great Christmas gift. We will be spending New Years in sunny Okinawa.

Listening to The Devil Wears Prada books on tape : )

snakes and the beach

2006-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the beach today and it was lovely. Even the American fighter planes circling above didn't deter us from the warmth of the sun and the feeling of sand between our toes. Matt was kind enough to rub things in by taking a photo of himself and text messaging friends back in Saitama.

On our way to the beach we walked down Kokusai St. where there are many tourist shops. We came across this local sake called 'Habu Saki'. Habu means snake in Japanese, this is pretty much the Okinawan version of tequila with a worm at the bottom. Apparently the habu venom is supposed to increase male virility…

bus work beach

2006-10-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

This is our new view. Over to the right you can see this...
I had my first day at work yesterday and it went fairly well. I'm going through a little bit of reversed culture shock due to the American base located across from my work place. Many military folks go shopping in the department store I work at, I haven't seen this many westerners in a very long time and it feels very strange. My place of work reminds me of California. On my break, I can go sit on Sunset Beach and catch a couple of rays...
Here's some footage of me on my bus ride to work...

Sadly, I have to take a 45 minute bus journey to work. I'm not fond of buses, they're not very reliable and I think I'll forever hold a deep hatred for them after growing up in a suburb and having buses as my only mode of transportation into the city. There are no trains in Okinawa, only one monorail that gets you from the airport to the castle. It's pretty cool looking down on the city from the train though and they play happy disney-like music during the ride, we'll see how long that takes to wear off.

bye bye saitama hello ohhhkinawa

2006-09-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Our last night in Tokyo was spent at a concert containing a piece my friend Seiko composed for a local percussion group. Also in the line up was a percussion group from

Bulgaria

called Via Nova, four mighty talented young men playing vibraphones and bass drums.

After the show we went out for Indian food in Shinjuku then watched some drunken salary men on the Shonan-Shinjuku platform as we waited for the train. When the train pulled up we found ourselves standing in front of the “women only” car so we decided to play stupid along with some other couple of men and hopped on anyways. All of the other cars were jam packed so we thought we’d take our chances. We all got busted by an attended about 2 minutes into the ride who motioned for us to go to the next car. We all walked to the other end of the ‘women only’ car, the two other men squeezed into the next car and we decided to take our chances again and stay. Matt was the only man in the car. There were a few evil stares but nothing too threatening. We got a little paranoid whenever the train stopped at stations. Luckily due to the ever changing summer to fall season I had a trusty scarf around my neck so I put it on Matt’s head and it was smooth sailing from there.
Yesterdays travel went quite smoothly and I was so impressed with security. The past couple of times I’ve traveled to through security I’ve had to take my shoes off and stand bare feet on cold ceramic tile flooring while security guards inspect my shoes. It’s very uncomfortable and a little rude in my opinion. In Japan the guard gives you little slippers to wear while you wait!! It’s true, I saw it with my own eyes. Also near the end of our 2.5 hr flight we viewed a 15 minute video on stretching exercises you can do while sitting down with your seat belt firmly fastened. The three cute flight attendants in the video looked like synchronized swimmers on a plane….oh I hear a new block buster Hollywood hit.

So here we are in sunny Okinawa. The temperature is about 28 degrees and our apartment and its location are simply wonderful. We live two steps away from Naha’s version of Queen St. There are many restaurants and shops and there’s a huge market nearby (Lewis! like the one in Kyoto).

We haven’t had much time to explore yet. Last night was spent chilling out, doing some laundry and watching The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Today we tried to find a dollar store for some household goodies but instead we found not one, not two but five Mexican taco restaurants within a five block radius! Also, our neighbourhood is riddled with second hand clothing shops. So far so good.

We received our boxes from Japan post this evening which by the way absolutely rocks! It’s cheap and you can set a time for delivery and they tell you which day it will arrive. Wow! None of that 3-5 day rubbish…it’s true, I just wrote the word rubbish. I’m also saying words like reckon (think) and summat (something). Matt’s been saying ‘eh’ and he’s trying to perfect ‘give’r like you stole’r’and my personal favorite ‘keep r outta the rubarb’ and also ‘beauty night for the sleds eh?’ Jenny will give him a few tips on pronunciation when she comes to visit in the new year…eh?

Tomorrow we’re going to scout out our new work places so we don’t get lost on Sunday then on Monday our plan is to head for the beach.

Here's a pic of Matt and I with my two roommates Shaggy, Mikala and our friend Shelley with her mama Michelle...

This is a pic of my Saturday class, don't let their cuteness fool you...

My Tuesday senior kid class...

These were my Saturday seniors, we had some good times...

Listening to The Album Leaf Into The Blue Again