冬

Last weekend here in Tottori has been spent wrapping up Christmas shopping, packing up things that wont be returning to Tottori in January and fighting off our first real dump of slushy, snow. 

On Saturday after a lazy sleep in I headed to Tottori station to meet some friends for Starbucks. We are the only prefecture in Japan wihtout a starbucks, and for good reason. Tottori is the least populated prefecture in Japan and is known for supporting our local community. That means we have copious amounts of hole in the wall coffee houses with cozy atmospheres and flowing coffee. Last year however it was announced that we would get our own Starbucks sometimes in summer of 2015, so this past weekend they decided to run an event to get an idea for the general reaction. Well judging by the crowds the reaction was a lot of love! Greeted by cheerful baristas we were given the choice of a free latte or americano. Afterwards Anna, Sarah and I followed it up with a visit to Birds Nest cafe.  Birds Nest was an おすすめ of an old JET and I recently stumbled upon it myself. It is a tiny room filled with stacks of books and blankets if you get chilly. Customers tend to come alone to read or work, but it still has an inviting atmosphere for sharing a coffee with friends. We ordered salmon and cream cheese stuffed sandwiches, and they didn't disapoint! 

Pink Pepsi. Just, gross. 

Signing the Starbucks poster

Birds' Nest, めちゃあおいし

In the evening a few of us headed to 鳥取砂丘 to enjoy the Christmas illumination. I had heard it was something of a small town gig so went into the experience not expecting too much. When we arrived the snow began coming down in giant flurries for the first time of the season and we were greeted by a spectacular display of twinkling Christmas lights. The dunes themselves were lit in small sections with one or two larger lights creating an eerie feeling. The stairs leading up to the dunes and the surrounding area was where the true illumination was, with everything from kangaroos and camels to a reindeer and his sled. It was sparkly and bright and made me forget I am in a country that doesn't have any idea what the meaning of Christmas is. Japan is so good at celebrating things, even when they have no idea what they are celebrating. After the lights a group of friends came over for wine, apple crisp and custard (thanks Karen!!) and games. It was a good, late, funny, relaxing and Christmasy evening. I think 2014 was a pretty good year. 

This morning I woke up to a blanket of wet, slushy and clumpy snow. I forced myself out of bed and went to church because it was Kiri Sans last Sunday. She was an engineering students at the University who came for an internship for 9 months to Tottori. She also happened to be a part time Canadian and it was awesome to have another English speaker to talk to. She blessed the church by singing some songs and leaving a guitar for the church to use. She also sang 'You raise me up' at the end of the service. It was so beautiful. She has a wonderful voice, but somehow sitting there on a snowy Sunday morning surrounded by fellow believers it reminded me of what the reason for the season is. God has continually raised me up this entire time, as I have sometimes struggled to adjust to this foreign country. It just remined me again of how lovely my church here is, and how kind they have been to me. A christian community will surround you no matter where you are, and that is such a gift!

Blessing the church with her song 

JLPT Time

Last week was the annual skills development conference. The conference happens every December in Tottori for about 2 days. It is usually held in Kurayoshi which is the city in the middle of our prefecture. After an hour on the train we arrived and were split into groups according to our age level of teaching, either junior high or high school. It is a time to share teaching ideas and catch up with fellow JETs. It is a mandatory meeting, but I managed to get out of the second days afternoon lecture because of a special guest at Nishiko. We had a professor from UofT come to our school to talk to the staff (all in English!!) and to have a small circle discussion with a few students. She was a lovely woman but her vocabulary was very advanced for even the highest level student who attended. However after a few awkward minutes the group warmed up and a few 3^rd grade students could engage with her. It was a lovely opportunity for me to come back early and meet a fellow English speaker! On Saturday I studied for the majority of the day, trying to cram in any last knowledge I thought would help me pass the fearful JLPT.

 Sunday arrived and we hopped a train to Matsue, it was about 34$ for a 1.5 hour train so Sarah and I decided to splurge and take that train. A few ALT’s took the 20$ train, but it left at 7am and took 3 hours!!! YUCK! The test site was Matsue University so after a quick coffee at Starbucks we were at Matsue Uni ready to write. I was shocked at how serious the atmosphere was, when I first entered the room where I was designated to write N5 I noticed that everything with even a hint of Japanese had been covered up, from the TV (what did it say?! Toshiba? In romaji?!) to the clock! With no clock and limited time I only had the time to answer and then check over about half before the time was up. The test is in three sections and between each section a lengthy amount of rules are read out and we are told that if we do anything wrong we will receive yellow or red cards, AKA: be kicked out.

I finished the test with not as much confidence as I would have liked, but hey it’s over. The way the test works is that you can take any level, at any time. Whether or not I pass all the sections of this level I will still take the N4 in July as it is my goal to pass N4 before I leave Japan. The JLPT is not really useful for a resume unless you are at level N3-N1, but my personal goal is N4.

The feeling of the test being over is magical. I can move on from cramming every night to trying to solidify what I learned and start learning the next set of kanji I will have to master for N4.

Two weeks left until Christmas! Time to buy gifts, spend time with friends here and get ready for Vancouver!

Long Weekends and Snake Sake

It is the last day of November. The weather had a cold snap but quickly reverted back to abnormally warm weather. Yesterday it hit 18 on my run! It's been nice saving money because I don't have to use my heater and the school is even a little warmer than usual.
Last weekend was another long weekend and I went to Hokkaido.

 This was my fourth trip and I expected it would be wintery and freezing. Instead I was greeted by mild temperatures and the recent snowfall had completely melted. I was more than happy to wander the streets of Sapporo and Otaru without snowboots or a scarf, but it was definitely not what I had been expecting. Dan and I had the chance to go and see 'Interstellar', the new Christopher Nolan film. It was an interesting film, but at a staggering 180 minutes it dragged a little. It was fun to go and see a movie together tho. Dan and I don't get to go on dates because we are long distance, so being able to go see a movie together feels extra special.
On the Sunday Dan took me to a cute restaurant called Brooklyn's in downtown Sapporo. It is an american style restaurant featuring  a spacious design with books lining the walls, brightly lit chandeliers and some beautiful greenery. It is a beautiful restaurant and absolutely delicious!

 

One of our days was spent in Otaru, a small town about 1 hour drive from Iwamizawa. It was a chilly day but we enjoyed walking along the river, Christmas shopping and enjoying a coffee at the most romantic coffee house. It is in the back of a glass store and was completely illuminated in Christmas lights. We thought we would split the creampuff and when we got it we were so shocked, it was the size of the plate!! The coffee house was so romantic and wintery, a perfect date spot!

                         

I also had the chance to meet some of Dan's friends. We went to an izakaya for a nomihoudai and ended up eating and drinking until midnight. It was such a fun chance to meet the people that mean so much to Dan.

This weekend has been full of studying Japanese and hanging out with friends and general laziness that marks any good weekend. Last night I went out with Ryan and Sarah to the local Okinawan restaurant. It is a really fun place to go to because it truly feels like you are in Okinawa, from the music to the decor. Sarah noticed that there was snake alchohol for about 10$ a glass and decided to splurge and try it. The waiter brought over the glass of sake, and also the jar that held the alchohol and snake!! It was insane to see the snake fermented like that, and it caused me to scream when the waiter then came back with a stuffed snake and draped it around us! It was so much fun, and the small sip I had was some of the strongest alcohol I had ever tasted. Poor Sarah felt it after only a few sips!

                                   

sparkly walk home

Today was church, studying Japanese, skype dates and then later I will go to another bijinkai with Sarah, JM and three ladies from my school.
Time is passing so quickly here, but I am so looking forward to Christmas that I don't mind! First I just need to get the pressure of JLPT off my back. I forgot what it is like to cram for an exam and constantly have that nagging feeling that you should be studying or that you don't know enough. I forgot how hard it can be to be a student sometimes...

紅葉

The fall colours are amazing in Tottori! I have been running 5-6 days a week since I first arrived here and that means that over time I have discovered a lot of hidden trails and side streets and places off the beaten path. One of my favorite spots is Ochidani Park. It is a small shrine at the base of Kyuushozan, the mountain that is also touching the base of my school. Ochidani park was first introduced to me by the lovely lady who translates for me at church, and since then has often been my Saturday morning go to spot for a relaxing walk or jog. I decided to go there again this past weekend and was blown away by the 紅葉(autumn leaves). Autumn has always been my favorite season. The weather cools off and I can start wearing sweaters and sipping lattes. Autumn is less rainy here too, so even though the cold is more biting and intense, it is clear and crisp too in a different way here in Tottori.

美しい秋

November is here and winter is quickly coming. The average temperature has really dropped and I have started wearing winter gear for my night runs, and am still left a little cold the first few kms. It is a nice change from the sweltering and sticky summer but it is still a shock to see my breath in the morning.
Last weekend was Halloween which meant a party for English Club, and a party at the local bar, Shuvis. The English Club party was pretty fun, we listened to Halloween music, went "trick or treating" and played some games. I think the students enjoyed it, although none of them would wear the cat mask I brought in. I think they are scared of the whole costume idea, not sure why. I had fun being Hello Kitty anyways! Some of us ALTs were planning to try the Halloween black burger at Mcdonalds but it was not available on Halloween...Japan loves to offer seasonal foods, but they also take away said foods within very short periods of time, so even though it was Halloween our only seasonal option was the orange and black Mcflurry, which was good anyways!

Dan flew in for the long weekend and we spent a great deal of time at coffee shops, walking and watching movies. It was a really nice, relaxing visit. One of the highlights was taking the train to check out the Sunset Cafe. It is basically a weather worn beach shack from the outside, but the food and warmth inside is inviting, and the view is the ocean, so it was a complete reprieve from city life.

Last weekend I bought my first Manga. I was not a real anime/manga kind of girl before I came to Japan, but as I am now really pursuing the language I decided that reading a manga would be a fun study method. I bought しろくまカフェ。It is a super cute story about a lazy panda and the cafe he frequents. It is also a challenge to read. I am constantly looking up words and writing all over it. Studying Japanese is such a challenge for me. Sometimes I feel like I have taken a step forward, only to then be knocked down. I listened to a sermon from my home church this weekend and it was pretty on spot. It was talking about anxious feelings and how fear doesn't come from God. The JLPT is just a test, and I am just a girl and whatever happens in 39 days I will be drinking an eggnog latte with my family, so cheers to that! 

Changing Seasons

The fall is officially here. It arrived in a rush with a dusting of orange and red and a whole lot of cold. My school has become an ice box already, and in Japan the heat is not put on until December 1st. No matter the shivering and shaking that occurs. Sigh.
In other news I am beginning to plan my future(warm)  travels! At the end of JET I am planning to travel South East Asia with a friend here. We are thinking about Thailand and...that is as far as we have gotten. I guess that means I need to focus on saving $$ but now it feels so far off. I can't believe that as November draws nearer so does the eventual end of this whole experience loom. There is a part of me that is ecstatic to be returning home, and also a small feeling deep down telling me that I am really, really go to miss this. The comfort and security of a great job with good pay and subsidized housing. The fantastic cultural experiences. The opportunity to be immersed in the Japanese language...I will not be staying another year here, for any reason, but I am trying to take advantage of everything that comes my way this next year. I want to look back on these two years and see a beautiful chapter that will help me transition between recent college grad to working woman. 

In other news our school has the fall excursion recently. We were supposed to be headed to Uradame beach for a boat ride but due to a typhoon (as usual) we had to re locate to the Sand Dunes. I am a fan of the Dunes, but they get boring. The students really enjoyed themselves though and the teachers were able to relax and chat. It was kind of odd for me. Since I can't speak enough Japanese to have a proper conversation it left me standing around sort of awkwardly  I love talking, a lot. I also consider myself to be a friendly person, so having to stand on the outside of a conversation feels lonely and unfortunate. I wish I could contribute to conversations because I think it only perpetuates the whole stigma here of the untouchable foreigner. I think some of the staff might be a little...afraid of foreigners. Not in an actual afraid of me way, but in the kind of way where they are not sure what to make of us. I want to break the ice but I just can't. I regret not pushing my Japanese studies more last year, but as I continue cramming for N5 I have begun to make small improvements and that is the best I can hope for. 

The School Excursion 

Enjoying the walk

Tokyo DisneyLand and DisneySea

So last weekend I headed to Tokyo for the long weekend. I added one extra day of nennkyu and met up with my bf on the Thursday night at Narita. We stayed at someones apartment through Air BnB. It was an awesome choice! The place got a great review and it was incredible. Located minutes walk from Kasai station - which is about a 15 minute bus ride directly to Disney Land and Disney Sea. The apartment was owned by a really chill guy who works at a hotel as his career - so our room came with a travelling guide, water, towels, toothbrushed etc. It was awesome! Super convenient and cheap too. A win win for what could have otherwise been expensive or inconvenient. We had planned to go to Disneyland for a long time, even though we heard horror stories about endless crowds and lineups. One of my worst days in Japan was at Universal Studios where I got on two rides in 10 hours and the highlight was eating at TGI Fridays outside of the park (although I did meet Elmo!)
Still we figured it would be a really fun memory and fun no matter what. On a scale of 1-10 I would rank USJ as a 3 and I would rank Disney as a 10!! We got to the park right when the doors opened and had printed off our tickets so we could breeze in. We managed to hit around 14 rides the first day, we ate a fancy dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant and we watched some fireworks. It was fantastic. The longest lineup was just over an hour and the shortest was around 10 minutes - not unlike the California Disney I am used to. One really cute aspect of Tokyo Disney is that everyone carries around the Disney bear, Duffy. Duffy is so popular that there are spots marked around the park where visitors are encouraged to photograph themselves with their Duffy bear. Duffy was originally introduced in California Disney and was a total flop, so was sold off to Tokyo where, of course, the kawaii factor of a fluffy bear took over and became an instant sensation. Around 50% of the park had a Duffy something hanging off themselves, including lots of adults! It was pretty adorable. Another quirk of the Tokyo parks is the popcorn. There are tons of flavors and most people carry it around their necks in character containers. The lineups were atrocious but Dan and I gave in when we saw the milk tea flavor!

                                       

Our second day we headed to DisneySea which is a separate  park. It was a different vibe with more thrill rides, and beer!! We noticed the difference right away when the gates opened with people literally running to get fast passes for rides. The  lineups at DisneySea were slightly longer than DisneyLand, however we took advantage of fastpasses and we also chose to do single rider a few times. That meant whizzing through the line and then just, of course, riding alone. It was a small price to pay to ensure we had time to enjoy doing other things together. One of the highlights was watching a cirque de soleil type show with a jungle theme. It was in a giant theater and was a nice relaxing change to the crazyness that is Disney. We found Mexican food to eat too, and enjoyed beer which was great. It was a fabulous day. My favorite ride was Journey to the Center of the Earth because it has a fun twist at the end, but the Tower of Terror was equally exciting and we started and ended our day with it! 

 
 

After our two days at Disney we decided to spend our last full day just enjoying Tokyo. We headed to Shinjuku first and enjoyed walking around, getting purikura and playing taiko. We also stumbled across Menchies! I absolutely love Menchies and was pretty stoked to introduce Dan to the magical wonders of Menchies! I was shocked to see it but super stoked as it has been about 1 and a half years since my last Menchies experience. We shopped a bit and went down a busy street in Harajuku, and then we came to Ometesando Koffee, which is the most famed coffee shop in Tokyo. It is a bit out of the way and is literally just a tatami room, a coffee bar and one barista. Dan really enjoyed his machiatto though and thinks it was one of the best coffee's he has had. For lunch we found a legit German restaurant and enjoyed sauerkraut, sausage, beer and even Black Forest cake. It was great! We tried to go and see a film but Tokyo was packed due to the long weekend so we ended our night chatting and drinking at an izakaya. It was a fantastic weekend. A major typhoon was headed our way but we both managed to fly home safely the next morning which was a relief. Although it was a tad expensive it was a really fun experience and we both agreed that Disney might happen again before our contracts expire :)
          

Yukata!

Last spring I joined a choir with my friend Sarah and one of my JTE's, Yoko. Yoko and I are pretty good friends outside of work, even though she is nearing 60 and I am only 26. Age is totally just a number when it comes to friendship! She is a gem, who loves Korean dramas, drinking beer and performing. So Sarah and I had a blast practicing two songs in Japanese, with dance moves, and then performing at an all Japanese event. Afterwards we even got to wear Kimonos that another lady from the choir lent us and we ate  fresh sushi. It was one of the happiest memories I have had here. A truly Japanese experience that made me feel really at home.
Anyways this past weekend Yoko told me she would be performing a solo, so the school nurse and I decided to go check it out. She is the sweetest woman who is also in my conversation class. For months now she has made an effort to greet me every morning and chat. Even though my Japanese is weak and her English is a bit lower we always end up laughing. She decided to bring along her daughter too, who I had met before at a drinking party we held. Back in August I purchased a Yukata, which is a light summer Kimono, and was aching to wear it, her daughter and I both wore our Yukata! We had a ton of fun in our beautiful outfits and I enjoyed the whole Japanese feeling.

The performance was a few hours, with 30 singers performing unique numbers, from power ballads to the classic Japanese anthem "let it go". It was an afternoon of 久しぶり as about 6 members of my old choir unexpectedly performed as well! I was blown away by the talent, and while most of the acts were local there were a few professional singers from Tokyo. 

The performers! 

Now that I have been here over a year I can really say I feel so connected to many wonderful Japanese people. There are so many beautiful people here who really want to get to know foreigners, and it is so special to be able to make memories with them. I have been so blessed to share in their unique culture with them. 

久しぶり - That time my famjam came to Japan!

My parents came for the two week spring vacation here. Teachers in Japan work during holidays, so I would have been stuck in the office but I took some of my paid leave and enjoyed travelling around my prefecture and in Kyoto and Tokyo with them. My older brother Kyle was able to join us in Tokyo and then came back to Tottori with me for a few days after my parents had left. So that was a really great transition back to reality too! It was lovely to be with family for over two weeks. I am so thankful that even an ocean away I have people that love me and are continually praying for me. It is awesome. 
The trip was really long but I will highlight a few of the best moments. 
On the first Saturday I went to the airport to pick up the parentals. It was so exciting! My heart was bursting, I really missed them. We came back to my flat so I could show them around and then headed out to a nearby castle. Kawaharajo was built only about 15 years ago but it is pretty beautiful and boasts a stunning view. It is one of my favorite spots in Tottori because it is so relaxing and beautiful, it may be modern but it still feels like traditional Japan. 
That weekend we took in quite a few other lovely sights. In Tottori we have a very cool "tourist taxi" which is basically a taxi that takes you anywhere you want to go for 1000Yen. That is 10$ for 3 hours! It is a ridiculous price and the cabbies always make a point of getting out at the different spots and taking pictures for you! It is a lovely thing the prefecture offers and I have used it for a ton of guests!

 

We used the taxi to see the Tottori Sand Dunes as well as to take a boat ride along the Uradame coast. It was lovely! In Tottori we spent a lot of time just relaxing and catching up. Eating out at funky cafes, visiting the local cat cafe and shopping at my favorite store, Jupiter!
On one of the days in Tottori two of my friends from church took my parents out for the day. We drove to the crab museum and fish market that is on the other side of the city. Afterwards we visited the Kanon in gardens and enjoyed some green tea and sweets. It was a really amazing day. I am so thankful to have met such lovely friends through my church.
One night my parents also went out for dinner with my tutor. She is the sweetest little lady and it was fun for my parents to see me interact with my Japanese teacher!
One of our funniest dinners out was when we went to a Mexican place. I was craving Mexican food and had spotted what I thought was a Spanish place, so we managed (after much confusion) to get a cab to the place I pictured. It was not Spanish at all, but rather Italian. We stayed anyways and ordered some weird food that showed up in German beer mugs. It was a bizarre experience that left us laughing hysterically. The poor staff must have though we were out of our minds but when you get bread sticks in German beer mugs and pasta with what looks like witches fingers sticking out it is too funny not to enjoy!

After Tottori we had the fun of travelling through Kyoto and Tokyo. We took the shinkansen to Kyoto and checked into our hotel. Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, was in full swing and we took full chance to walk through the Philosophers walk, which is a long path along a river that hits a bunch of fabulous temples and shrines in Kyoto. We also had the fun of meeting up with my Mom's cousin who lives between Osaka and Kobe. She took us to a three pillared tori shrine. For Japan that is amazing! A three pillar shrine is very rare, and it was built back in the 16th century as a Christian monument. Veronica know a lot about the Christian roots in Japan and it was fun to share that with my parents. 

 Finally we finished up our two weeks with a long weekend in Tokyo - and Kyle joined us! Nothing compares to the excitement of Tokyo and it was a great end to the visit. The rain was in full force on one or two of the days which really sucked, but when the sun was shining we really enjoyed all that the city had to offer. Our hotel was gorgeous and overlooked the Shibuya scramble, but we were up quite high so the noise and lights were totally dulled at night. We enjoyed drinks in teeny tiny bars, including one British pub! We saw the Tokyo SkyTree but didn't bother waiting the 3-4 hours to ride it. We even went to go see "Frozen" which has now become one of the most successful movies in Japan, ever.  One of the funniest memories was when my dad and I decided to order parfaits. Japan does sweets pretty well and they love crazy parfaits. I ordered a strawberry parfait, straightforward and guaranteed to be normal(well, with cornflakes, but that is normal here!) but dad decided that he wanted the green tea one. Right away I warned him that it would have anko (red bean paste) but he didn't believe me and said he wanted it anyway. We laughed so hard when it arrived and he was utterly shocked at the red beans sitting on top of his parfait!! I have definietly grown accustomed to this odd 'dessert' but it is weird for most foreigners the first time. He was a good sport though and I think he enjoyed the parfait! 

Thanks Tokyo!

Those parfaits!!! Hahah

 My parents left that weekend but Kyle stayed for a few more nights with me. We spent one last day and night in Tokyo and we decided to head to Disneyland. Well we were in for a brutal surprise when we got there and the park was full to capacity! That is like 70,000 people in Japan!!! We were super bummed but decided to enjoy our day anyways and headed for Odaiba park and island. It was so awesome! We ate a Hawaiian meal at lunch, wandered the island and shopped a bit. Back in Tottori I had to work but Kyle rented a bike and had fun riding out to the dunes and sandboarding. When I wasn't at work we enjoyed taking purikura, seeing the cat cafe and laughing hysterically watching Silent Library videos. It was an awesome catch up! 

Having my family here was such a blessing and a blast. I could share this experience with them and get that feeling of home that my heart was missing.