I mentioned this yesterday to somebody. Many may see it as a good thing, and I do too on the whole. But I worry about it being a fault too. Many enjoy, or at least feel comfortable with a set routine. But I need something quite the opposite. I am not much of a fan of having everyday set in a certain way. I understand of course when it comes to my job, a routine is important and that is something I can appreciate and understand, especially as it makes work less stressful and more efficient. What I can’t stand is routine in relation to my personal life.

Craving something new is becoming an addiction waiting to be relieved. It’s great because I should get a lot of experiences but at times when I can’t for any reason, it becomes a real damper.

It’s a blessed curse. Or a cursed blessing.

Now that I live in Kansai, I’m hoping to make some changes to the way I live. Not that there was much of a problem before, but it’s always good to have an excuse to make a resolution instead of just New Years.

The first one I am going to describe is something I thought of a week ago. I found my kindle and realised how shockingly little I have used it since I bought it almost a year ago. In fact, I haven’t read that much for a long while and this is potentially partly why my English ability is deteriorating, even though that is the core skill of my job. In response to this self-criticism, I have decided to put aside a book budget for Kindle (not paperback, as English books are dastardly expensive in Japan) and use it every two weeks. Which means, completing a book every two weeks. Originally, the idea was to complete one every week but I have decided that due to the busy nature of my new job, this is unrealistic. So, two weeks it is.

Secondly, though many people say otherwise (in which I partially agree with), I have adopted a rather unhealthy diet and as a result have gained a considerable amount of weight (which some current co-workers regard as “currently normal”). I think the weight may be normal but it’s not the kind of weight I want to be keeping. So maybe a healthier diet and more exercise might shift the weight to something more bearable. If I get round to it…

Thirdly, saving money. This list is starting to sound like a typical resolution list but it’s true. I am being paid more now and I will be receiving a full pay every month. Therefore, a chunk of this can be put aside since last year I didn’t have chunk to put aside. It’s a no-brainer.

Fourthly, Japanese. I need to meet more people since I don’t know many around here, and use Japanese more often. In Ibaraki, I guess it was easier to talk Japanese as there weren’t many English speakers. But now, it’s all I do. English, English, English! Maybe I need to have a balanced language diet to go with my food diet.

Fifthly, my book. It’s all good just reading all the time, but I have always wanted to publish something in book form at least once. So, why haven’t I done it already?! My lazy bum has been whining for the past year or so (even though I have a concept, an idea) and has never actually forwarded with this. I am in a more inspiring environment (except my apartment), being near Kyoto and all, and it’s time to put it into action.

I’ll be 23 in a few months.

At 21, I finished my degree and moved to Japan.

At 22, I got a better job.

At 23, I need something bigger to show for it. Maybe a published author?

姫路城は「茨城」の最後の漢字をまねしてると思います。（前は茨城県にすんでました。）

今日の花見は本当にきれいだと思いました。桜が雨みたいに落ちてしまいました。本当は、一人で桜の木のところで、本を読みたかったけど、人がたくさんいらっしゃったし、お母さんもいらっしゃったから、出来ませんでした。

せっかくだったから、中にも入りました。工事をしてるところに入らなかったけど、散歩をしました。上から眺めがとてもきれいだと思いました。

もうすぐゴールデンウィークになりますので、どこかきれいなところに行って、本を読みたい。

敬語はむずかしいね。。。

But, the sadness is worth the new challenge and chapter of the life I lead. Right now, I am in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture in Japan. It’s a small city with the famous castle that is currently covered up for years of renovation. There’s not much to do in this city (though it’s a refreshing change from Hitachiomiya, that I can assure you!), but the location is rather perfect. It is 35mins away from Kobe, which is a vibrant, modern city. It is a little over an hour from Osaka which is like a dirty, grotty version of Tokyo. Then, perhaps a little further out at around 2hrs away lies the wonderful city of Kyoto, famous for the history deeply integrated within. Of course, with it being quite central, it’s good for travelling to other parts of Japan, especially with a Shinkansen station here too.

Kansai people tend to be ruder in comparison to other parts of Japan. Of course it depends on who you meet and get to know, but I am talking about the general public. Rush hour in Osaka was the worst I have ever been in. Nothing but pushing, shoving and cutting queues. Especially from the older generation!

I can’t say much about where I work and who I work with on something public like a blog, but I can tell you it’s been a bit of a challenge. Everyone I work with have been nice and I’m getting to know them bit by bit. I was a little worried about teaching such young children but with time, those worries are getting less and less. I find that perhaps I am much better with children than I thought. It’s a new challenge with a lot to do, not only me, but also the kids! They are put through a schedule I only expected kids twice their age to be doing! But it is incredible to see them achieving so much so young. My particular class is very good, but being so young it is hard to keep their attention – something I didn’t have to worry so much about when I was working in a junior high school.

I miss my previous students and I am glad I am still in touch. I am looking forward to this new year though with more responsibilities and more challenges ahead!

I arrive at school with parting gifts for teachers. I had given gifts to students already. The gifts were given to students who accumulated the most stickers on different levels in their reward card. Aside from those, I also drew a cartoon version of every student in the school and handed them out as a present for everyone. They seemed to like it and reacted pretty well.

We had a long assembly in the morning in which my leaving ceremony was included. This consisted of a member of the student council doing a speech, followed by a gift for me and then a farewell speech from me. Next followed a special sushi lunch at school in which I was asked to do a second parting speech for the teachers. Again, I was given another gift.

Then, I ended the day with final goodbyes. The teachers waved me away as I walked out (I had returned my bike to the school) of the school on my final day.

The people I am most grateful and thankful to are my JTE and vice principal. They have helped me tremendously over the past year and I couldn’t thank them enough. Even my gifts for them I felt was not enough.

I am sad at leaving the teachers and students behind, all of whom have been wonderful. I didn’t cry… but I am sad.

But, onwards and upwards to the next challenge.

I shall leave you with a photo. It is a message from a student in my second grade class. She was the only one who cried buckets today, and organised a message book for students to leave final words in. This is hers.

Citation

Two standout students gave the following examples as the perfect ending to this beautiful story.

Student 1.

Son: Shut up! Give me that cake!
Mother: Jump off a cliff.

Student 2.

Son: Shut up! Get out!
Mother: No, you get out of this house!

I think I have a wonderful influence on my students.

This is the last photo I took this winter vacation. I think it sums it up pretty nicely. Simple, sunny and cold.

One of the first things I did this new year was to visit a brothel. Possibly a haunted one at that, since it has been abandoned for some time now. Though a little dangerous since areas have been burnt down and the only entrance was through a broken window, we made it in and out safe and sound.

The broken window around the back of the building led us into a room that was fully burnt down. You could see remains of people having lived there – I would figure the women who worked there. Bunk beds and a kitchen was barely made out in the charred mess that was left behind but you could tell what they were. A wall had partly fallen toward the beds but that was our only way through so we carefully slid through trying not to make the wall fall on us. This led us to a hallway.

The hallway made me feel like I was in a ghost movie, and a really high-budget one too. It was pitch black and the light from our torches could only go so far. It wasn’t too long however, and before we knew it we were in the main hall. Unfortunately none of the photos I took there did any justice to the hallway and so I deleted them all. It’s not like I could bring a tripod in either, as it would be too difficult to manoeuvre and I don’t own one.

The big hall was decorated with a chandelier and a wall painting of three naked women whom have been graffitied on. There was a bar and a great staircase leading the men upstairs to their women. A sign on the wall where the staircase read: 上に行ったら死ぬ “If you go upstairs, you will die.” We ignored this and went upstairs.

Each of the floors had the same layout: three rooms that each included a bed and a grand bathing area. This is where I found the name of the place: Queen Chåteau. We kept going up and eventually made it to the roof.

From here, there were great views of Mito, and a lot of rusty water tanks and the machine that takes the lift up and down the building. Here, I also witnessed the largest wasp nest in my entire life, and thankfully it was dormant. There was a ladder built into the wall leading to the very top part of the roof and some convincing from my counterpart, I eventually made it to the top. Here, I took some final photos and made my way back down.

Quite an interesting day I hope you will agree, and somewhat different in comparison to your usual holiday activities. Others of this type from last year included Greenland (an abandoned theme park in Fukushima) and Niigata Russian Village. Best to do this in pitch black with a torch too. Adds to the experience.