Umbrella

That last blog post was kind of a long one so I'll keep this one short.

A little less than a week ago, I went to see another JET ALT (Assistant Language Teacher- that's my job) perform at a nearby bar. She did a great job and was very well-received by the audience. The audience included other JETs but I think was primarily made up of local people, ranging from people in their 20s to middle-aged.

I think my favorite moment of the night was during her cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella," when several of the big Japanese men in the back of the room, including the bar owner, really enthusiastically sang along with the "ella ella ella eh eh eh" chorus while pumping their fists into the air. The audience also enjoyed her rendition of Justin Bieber's "Baby," an original song she wrote and a Japanese song I do not know the name of.
It was a great night.

Peach-Picking Tour

Dear Friends,
Sorry for the lack of info on my first few weeks in Japan. To be honest, though a lot has been happening, it hasn't all been blog-worthy material- unless you wanted to hear all my whining about being jet-lagged and getting lost on the way to the grocery store, ect. If that is the case, I apologize. Hopefully you were able to find some sort of semi-equivalent substitute like watching clips of Jan Brady complaining about her adolescent life or listening to just about anyone talk about their country's economy.
That being said, I'll try to give a few details about my life so far in Japan. I arrived on August 2nd, and the first 3 days were spent with other new JETs* inside a really nice hotel in Tokyo (and I say inside because -not exaggerating- I only left the hotel twice). I would describe the conference-like orientation time as being divided like this:

25% teaching suggestions and example lessons
25% culture shock information and information on working and living in Japan
20% socializing with other new JET Program participants
30% someone saying "Don't do drugs in Japan" or some equivalent

Overall it was really fun and there was some good and helpful info presented. After orientation I flew from Tokyo to my new home in Aomori Prefecture (a town called Shichinohe. If you are interested to know where it is you can Wikipedia "Shichinohe, Aomori"). Since coming to Aomori, I've been spending a lot of my time getting settled in and meeting the people I'm living around and working with.

Here are some highlights:
1. KARAOKE : Karaoke is always a good idea. To Lo lo Conozo, who I think agrees with me on this, I would say it is almost always as good an idea as TB (or Taco Bell, if you will).
2. KAITENZUSHI : A sushi restaurant that sends sushi your way via a conveyor belt that passes next to your table. I'll explain later if you don't know what I'm talking about.
3. PEACH-PICKING TOUR : Maybe you have seen my new facebook profile picture? Deceiving as it is, the fruit I am eating in the photo is not an apple (Aomori is famous for its apples), but actually a peach. Aomori has an abundance of many kinds of delicious fruit. Last Sunday I went on a peach-picking tour in southern Aomori, which consisted of a visit to a local temple, lunch, 30 minutes at a peach farm of being able to eat as many peaches as we wanted, and lastly the making and eating of peach parfaits. It was a lot of eating and it was great.

So it has been a good time, and though it's been a time of adjustment and もちろん　I have missed the wonderful family and friends I have at home, in Minnesota, and various other places, it has been a great first month.
Thanks to my absolutely wonderful predecessor, the very kind people I'm working with at my office, and some other great people I have met, the transition has been quite smooth and I'm really excited about this year in Japan.

All for now.
Love!

*I came to Japan through the JET Programme. It stands for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme.