Mushi Mushi

Today I got my new keitai (mobile phone) from vodaphone and I am currently trying to figure out how to use it. I have mastered the dialing technique and how to send messages, but I have not yet figured out how to change my email address on it. Unfortunatly as it is a pay as you go phone, I can`t get the internet on it (something to do with crime or something). I would have prefer to have got a nifty little monthly phone with about a million features, but there 2 problems; one, the minimum contract is about 6 or 7 months at a price of 4000 yen a month (20 pound) and I didn`t really feel like paying out and extra 4000-8000 worth of call time when I will be back in England unable to use the phone. Two, as previously said the mobile wont work in England anyways because the Japanese mobile networks are very mean. But I am happy with it and once I manage to figure out everything it does I will be happy. So far my favourite featre is the ability to turn the screen into a mirror state so that you can see yourself :P The good thing about the japanese networks though is that a text is only 5yen (about 2.5p) whereas in England they are about 12p a text now and with the best monthly plan in Japan you get text for 2yen.

So its a hate/love relationship with the Japanese phone companies; I love em because they are cheap and have some amazing features on (you can watch tv on them now), but I hate them because they don`t feel the need to allow export with their networks on their phones.

But we can dream.....

Today in Kokura (Part 3)

The journey to Kokura has been plentiful in these past few days and today I went with Emiko Yamamoto and her friends (about 10 all from Seinan Jo Gakuin) to try our skills at Karaoke. Although the karoake place didnt open until around 12, but the urge for the purikura arcade that was across the road was too much, so we went to get some pictures. I enjoy purikura, but I am not too keen on having my picture taken, so its a combination of fun and a slight nervousness, although I am sure that I will be nervousness free after many purikura`s.

After the picture house we went to McDonalds (I still have too many memories of my last job there) and then onto Karoake. I sang about 5 songs which included, good charlotte, green day, elvis, cyndi lauper and a duet with Emiko on Celine Dion. Karaoke is very different from the one in England, because in England its more a case of getting drunk and then singing at local pub whether Karaoke night is on or not, but in Japan you hire out a small room (the one we went to today had a horror theme) and then pick songs from a book and sing away, also you have a phone to contact the person at the desk to bring you food and drink, like Karaoke room service.

After Karaoke we did abit of shoe shopping and then off back to Emiko`s house for tea, which was very oshii (delicious).

Tommorow I go back to work at the Yochien and from that is left to see.

Oh and also in August I maybe going to Tokyo for a camping trip, but then again I am not sure if I am or not (its like that sometimes)

And on the 7th day he had rest

Today was "Yukuri" (rest). Although I did plan on sleeping until my body saw fit to wake my mother felt otherwise :P so I was awakened at 9am by a knock at the door from Etsuko-sensei to tell me that me mother was on the phone.

After finding the right spot to stand in so that the signal didn`t disappear I managed to talk to my mother who I was meant to call the day before, but I had been really busy so I didnt have time and when I finally tried it was engaged, my guess is that it was my sister on the internet.

After the phone call I managed to close my eyes for about 20 minutes until my alarm clock took its turn and once it had been smashed into little pieces I got some undisturbed rest.

The rest of the day was mostly a combination of using the internet and eating and having a nice conversation where I learnt some more words.

Though today was pretty slow tommorow I have big plans, first karaoke, then tea with my favourite 2nd family the Yamamoto`s.

Today in Kokura (Part 2)

Today was Easter Sunday, so because the nursery is part of the church I went to Easter service where some of the teachers and children came and we had a little party. There was alot of food (as always) and after the Nogata service had finished we moved onto the Kokura service, which is about 1 hour away (as most places are from Nogata). The Kokura service is run by Americans so it is all in English, which made a change from the Japanese service and although I joined in on the hymns, I decided to avoid the cult recitation parts from the bible and especially the parts to obey God.

After the service we had a little party, with alot of food (as per usual). Also I got to meet some Americans and someone from Norway who had lived in Japan for a long time, so it made a change to speak to some English speaking people, even if they were unfortunaly American.

After the party had finished we came back to Nogata (after Kyoko-san got lost in Kokura).

Tommorow I can finally get some rest and I am planning on going to Karoake on Tusday and next week I am going to buy a mobile phone so I dont have to use the internet all the time to communicate with people.

So until that next installment of life in Japan adieu

Today in Kokura

Today I went to see "National Treasure" with Yufuka and Yuki in kokura, which is just under 1 hour away on train from Nogata. Etsuko showed me where the station was and which platform to use so getting there wasn`t so bad, although about halfway through the train ride, the train stopped at one of the stations and the announcer said something in Japanese that I didn`t understand and then straight after a few people got off the train, so I had no idea what was going on. I asked one of the people who was leaving if she spoke English but she didnt, then I turned to four old women who where sitting behind me and asked them, but they didn`t speak English either, so I decided to try out my Japanese to ask why the train had stopped, I think I said something like "Suminasen, doshite wa densha no made desu ka" which means "Excuse, why has the train stopped" and then then said a few things that I only caught part of. Just then another train pulled up to the other tracks with the words "Kokura" on, so I was just about to leave the train when I asked the women "kore wa densha no Kokura ni ikimashitaka" , but I should have said "ikimasuka" instead of "ikimashitaka" which meant "Has this train gone to Kokura", but they got the idea and said that I should stay on this train and they were also going to Kokura.

After a nervous wait for the train to start again it did and off I went to Kokura where I met Yuka and Yuki. We then went to the Riverwalk and I found out that Japanese cinema`s are very expensive, costing me 1800 yen which is about 9 pound. After the movie we went to have some dinner at the restaurant "Moby Dick" and I had a hamburger steak with italian chesse, which was different from english burgers and steaks, but was nice non the less. After eating we went for purikura (as is common pratice in Japan it seems) then we went to a few off the shops before figuring out the trains I needed to catch to get back to Nogata.

I got back at about 5.30 and went for a walk round the shops for an hour and then went for a 5 minute nap before heading off to the church to use the computer, have tea and use the computer again, which is where I currently am and I am very tired, but I am looking forward to monday and tuesday where I have the days off and maybe I can wake up later than 8am.

I am going to go to sleep now as I am very tired and so much want to sleep in tommorow, but I have to get up early for Easter service. *yawn*

Nogata Yochien Website

If you are interested in taking a look at where I work in Nogata here is the website http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~st-paul/index.htm and on the main page you can go to a link to see the past volunteers and myself and the construction of where I am currently living. If you can`t read Japanese just click on anything and you will eventually find it.

さい世なら Seinan yo Gakuin

Today was the last day of Hogwarts Academy, so I am very sad to be leaving, but tommorow I will meet a couple of the girls that are students there and next week I plan to go to Karaoke with Emiko and some of her friends, which I am looking forward to.

Unfortuntly still no luck with the photo`s, I have them on the computer, but trying to post them is another challenge, that I hope to sort out ASAP.

Hogwarts Academy

Today I spent the day at Seinan Jo Gakuin High School with Emiko, where we watched some more of the movie and made pizza for our lunch. Some of the girls can speak good English, but I can usually understand those that can`t. Tommorow is the last day at the school and we are going to have a graduation thing at 3pm, but I will miss the school when I go back to work at the nursery as I have been having a really good time. I finally got the chance to make my own plans for this saturday and I will be going to Kokura to see "National Treasure" at the cinema.

Tonight I am homestaying at Emiko`s house and I am currently using their computer, so I have to go now as we will be having tea soon.

Also I still haven`t had the chance to upload my pictures, but when I go back to the church I will and hopefully be able to show you some pictures of Japan.

Life In Japan

Welcome to the JapanEasy blog. I am Gary Wilkinson, 19, from Hull, England. I am currently taking a Gap year before I go to Huddersfield University to study 3-D Design and I plan on been an ALT in Japan after I finish. At the moment I am in Japan and have been for 20 days, but I havent had the time to set this page up yet, but I have managed to spare abit of time before I go to bed (even though I am very tired) to inform my friends and family about my time in Japan (plus it will saving me having to write the same emails all the time)

To bring you up with my events so far: On the 1st March I went to Heathrow airport with my parents to get the plane for Japan at 1pm, which was a 12 hour journey and I arrived in Tokyo on 2nd March 9.00am there time. Since I didnt manage to get to sleep on the plane it was hard to keep awake considering we landed in the morning so we had the whole day to spend around Tokyo and at about 9pm I got to sleep in the youth hostel with some of the other gap people I met.

The next day I still had Jet lag, but we went for another walk and went to the English center to use the computers and have a talk, then we went to akihabara (I can never remember the name) where I got a digital camera, with a discount as it was duty free (even though our Visa`s shouldnt have allowed it) but after the shopkeeper, who fortunatly was English realised his mistake on the other Gap person who first bough a camera, he still allowed me to get a discount after abit of persuation and luckaly I didnt have to use my passport like the previous person, who my have trouble at customs.

Fast forward to the friday, on the day of leaving and we woke up to snow, which was unusual since the previous day had been very hot, but luckily my plane wasnt cancelled or delayed.

After a 2 hour plane flight I arrived in Fukuoka abd met with David Busk and two Japanese people (One who is a reverand in Nagasaki and the other sometimes comes to visit me and speaks very good english) The woman (Mitsuko) then took me in her car to the nursery, which was a 1 hour drive and when I arrived we had a big meal and introduction to the teachers.

After spending the weekend doing many things and meeting many people I started work at the nursery for the week. My job is pretty much just to sweep the sand in the morning and pick up some of the children, then play with then for the rest of the day and sweep up at about 3pm ish and then leave at about 3.30-4.30, but on wednesdays and fridays its earlier. The nursery is great and every day is something new, also I havent cooked for myself yet as Etsuko sensei cooks my tea at 7.30pm, but eventually I will be cooking for myself.

I have only managed to get lost once, when I went for a walk and it got dark, so I couldn`t remember the way home, but I ended up at the city hall and got a taxi home.

I stayed at the house of Emiko Yamamoto (15), who goes to Sunday school and met her parents who made my tea, then the next day we went to Kumamoto castle, which was great. I will post pictures of it.

Many more things have happened which I dont have time to write at the moment, but recently on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I went to Nagasaki for Christian peace thing, where they discuss things like war and the atomic bomb (Genbaku) and we went to the bomb museum and did a big walk around Nagasaki, which was really interesting and I took many photo`s. On the Sunday there was a big earthquake in Kyuushu, which we felt during Sunday service and the whole building began to shake and everyone was suprised because earthquakes are very rare in Nagasaki, but this was a major one, but nowhere got damaged in Nagasaki, as it mainly hit one of the islands where a few buildings were badly damaged.

Today I went to the seinen gakuin junior high school with Emiko, for the Hogwarts Academy, where they learnt English in a fun way, because it was an option thing to do, while Spring Vacation is on (which I am pleased about because it means I get holidays off and the big 6 week summer holiday off like teachers do at schools in England.

I am going to go to bed now as I am tired and i might watch some Japanese T.V (I dont get the majority of it, but I eventually figure out whats going on, plus my Japanese is slightly improving, so I can understand some of what people say and I am learning Kanji, so I can read the signs, but I only know about 35 of the 10,000+ at the moment.

I will write about the previous days which I havent mentioned when I next have chance to use the computer, but for now its signing off.