....And, I'm in Tokyo!

This is the first real opportunity I've had to sit down at a computer and edit/post pics since we arrived in Tokyo Sunday evening. Monday was spent in "orientation" - basically being handed a rediculous amount of paper and listening to speeches all day long. I did manage to go out with some people I've met here after our welcome reception last night, but the jet lag has been brutal so I haven't exactly been living it up in the city, lol.

We arrived in Tokyo at about 4pm on Sunday, and then it took about 2 hours to clear immigration and customs, and then drop off one piece of luggage and wait in this massive line to get on a bus to the hotel.



I slept maybe 2 hours on the plane, so was pretty wiped out, but happy to finally be here


It took about 2 hours to get to the hotel, then another half hour or so to get checked in and get to my room where I collapsed into bed. My roomate graciously offered to pick me up some food, but by the time she got back I was already asleep, lol

Monday was spent in orientation, basically meetings and information about what to expect when we get to our new homes. From 630 to 8 there was a welcome reception with dignitaries and other "important" people, which I attended. The entire event has been business attire, so everyone looks pretty sharp most of the time



This is me with a girl I met who is going to Gunma prefecture



And the two guys from Denver who are headed to Takayama with me, Dan and Kyle



The food was pretty good!



Afterwards a group of us went out to see Akihabara, the electronics district of the city. I was hoping to get some new headphones as I've lost one of the squishy ear piece thingies for mine. But alas, it was pretty much shut down by the time we got there. We did have some fun on the train... I blame the jet lag for making us punchy XD







Yep. It says Melon Creamsoda. It smelled like dum dums but didn't taste that bad...


This was at a store filled with those claw machine games. And this was one of the prizes!



I can't be 100% sure, but it looks like squid jerkey to me...


It has been raining every night so far, and we got caught in last night's storm



I however, like any good Coloradan, came prepared :D



And that's it for now! I have to head my butt of to some more orientating. Once I get settled in in Takayama I should be able to post some more info and pics. See ya!

The send off

Had a bit of a going-away party on Saturday, and a surprisingly large number of people showed up! I feel so loved ^__^ There were many pictures that I wanted to share, so instead of posting them here where I am limited on size, I put them up on a flikr page,

here.

Hope you enjoy them, and thanks to everybody for coming! 5 days left until I leave... and I'm just getting to the really important stuff, like packing. XD

News from my pred

Just got back from 2 weeks of visiting family and I finally receive news from my predecessor! So as it turns out, I won't be in the city "proper" of Takyama, I will be living in Ichinomiya-cho, “Miya”, a village of about 1000 people about a seven minute drive south from Takayama on the main Highway. Apparently Takyama annexed the surrounding villages a couple of years ago, making it the largest city in Japan by area, and I am in one of the villages that was annexed. According to my pred, Miya is a quiet community and very quaint. The village is famous for Minashi Shrine, which is the premier shrine of Hida area. It is also famous for an 1100 year old cherry tree called Garyuzakura (sleeping dragon), and there are various festivals in Miya throughout the year.

I will be living in a 3 room apartment (kitchen, tatami room, spare room, and bath), and my landlord is apparently a very nice retired post office manager. Currently, there is no one living in the apartment next door and the people below my apartment are frequently gone, so I am in a bit of an "island". The apartment is relatively new, esp when compared with what many people in the JET program end up in. Apparently my predecessor was the first JET in the town; prior to her the foreign english teachers were affiliated with private companies.

I will be working at four schools: Miya Junior High, Miya Elementary School, Kuguno Junior High, and Kuguno Elementary School. Miya JHS and Kuguno JHS will be my “base schools”. Miya Junior High and Elementary School are located in Miya. Kuguno Junior High and Kuguno Elementary are located in Kuguno, the next town south of Miya along the highway, ten minutes by car or train.

I really lucked out with my placement and my predecessor, I think. In addition to the awesome location and great apartment, my pred is leaving behind a bunch of stuff for free - including a regular-sized refrigerator/freezer she got for free from a friend, towels, a collection of videos, a stereo and speaker system she also got for free, telephone table, some books on Japanese culture, and a crap-ton of resources for teaching. Seriously. Like flashcards and lesson plans and stuff. She's also asked if I would like to purchase a bunch of things from her for ~ half cost (I'm assuming she's genuine, from the email I got and the other people I have heard from, I think she is) which I will probably get. Things like a coffee table and curtains and various household items.

She also sent a bunch of pics, some of which I'll share here: