It’s just over 10 days until the flight departs for Finland, stops in Helsinki and then after an hours break to rest our arms, we fly on to Tokyo. It’s over 10 days and already I’m excited. I’m extra especially excited given the fact that I’ll be meeting up with old students from Nova, around about 13 apparently, and finishing the holiday with a return to Matsudo Hanabi.

I’ve yet to confirm meeting up with some of the old instructors and friends who tagged along on various trips over the course of the last stay but I’m sure that will come together soon enough.

So anyway, this is just a quick post to list the itinerary of activities to lay down in words (and make concrete in my mind) the actual plan of attack for this shortest of visits.

Arrive 25th July – Acclimatise in Shinjuku, deal with party members suffering culture shock, stave off Jet lag affects for as long as possible.

• 26th July  – Head to Fujinomiya, sleep or generally rest before evening’s hike up Mount Fuji.
• 27th July – Return from Fuji-san, sleep, recover, by new lower body if possible.
• 28th July – Some sightseeing / relaxing in and around Hakone
• 29th July – Onwards to Nagoya, to visit Ninja Museum in Iga-Ueno. Evening spent watching Comorant fishing in Gifu
• 30th July – Head to Kyoto, check out Gion in the evening after having visited Fushimi-inari (10,000 torii)
• 31st July – Head to Himeji Castle, possibly via Kobe on the way/return.
• 1st August – UNKNOWN – Will be heading in a random direct with Sheryl, will book accomodation when arrive
• 2nd August – UNKNOWN – See yesterday.
• 3rd August – Return to Tokyo – Celebrate Kate’s birthday by visiting Hospital Theme bar, and Ninja restaurant then Karaoke
• 4th August – Recover from last night/ this morning’s activities
• 5th August – Head over to Maihama to visit Tokyo Disney Sea/Land
• 6th August – Maybe visit old students
• 7th August – Head to Narita before returning to Matsudo for Hana-bi
• 8th August – Return to England

The last time I visited Japan, I was there for 366 short days, not nearly long enough (hindsight is a bitter-sweet desert). So this trip will be a micro-second relative to that. However, this time I will be a one man walking media machine. I’ll be tweeting (for a special project I will be launching later this year), taking as many photos as possible, videoing everything that I can and also ‘photo-streaming’ for want of a better phrase. Essentially I’ll wear a camera around my neck, taking photos at set intervals as I walk along in cool, busy and exciting places.

So stay tuned, and if you have any comments etc please let me know. If you don’t know what to write comment wise, answer me this question:

“What mundane/ordinary thing about Japan would you like to see?”

Like Lazarus, I thought this blog was dead. But lo and behold it’s back. Gadzukes Batman!

That line, I do believe comes straight out of the bible, honest. Well if it doesn’t then it should do.

Anyway, enough crazy talk, the deep slumber that this blog has been in has now been arrested by the news that I return to Japan for a measly two weeks in 24 (long) days time.

I’m excited, I’m scared, I’m interested in what’s changed. Let me tell you more, if you’ll indulge me a moment.

I’m excited

Life has flown by at an alarming rate since I left Japan. I’ve had three jobs, I’ve bought a house, I now own two kittens, I’m slowly becoming a Northerner. Things I didn’t think I’d be doing are happening or have happened. I’ve deeply missed Japan in those 3 years, opportunities to bore people with stories from Japan have been plentiful but if I learnt anything from living in Japan it’s been restraint. So I’ve not been one of those travel bores “When I was in [Country X]…” who, rather selfishly, indulge themselves at any given opportunity.

But in true Japanese style, I’ve supressed my desires to return. Rationalising life here in the UK and the career that I’ve begun to create. I’m happy in the UK but if I could transplant everything I care about into the heart of Japan, that would be a dream come true.

But enough of the back-story, you’ve come here looking for Japan related gubbins, if WordPress referrer stats are to be believed.

I’m excited because I feel that I’m in a better position to capture Japan in a more media-centric way on this trip. Armed with my trusty Nikon D40, a Sanyo Xacti video camera thing, an iPhone 4 (yes I’m a trendy W*nker) I’m more than ready to bring you the sights and sounds (and thankfully not the smells – Shibuya stinks of poo. 200,000 people living in a 3km x 5km area is a lot of toilets).

I’ll also be delighting o2 by tweeting from Japan, it’s part of a side project that I’m working on. Have a look here to see what I do for a living and some subtle clues as to what I’m working on.

I’m scared

I’m not really scared but you probably wouldn’t have been so keen to get this far without the drama. What I actually mean is that I’m excited to see what has changed, to catch up with my students and to use some of the Japanese that I’ve been trying to learn since coming back. Using a language is a scary thing, especially when you’ve not been able to practice it. So I’m sure I’ll be asking inappropriate things in a very stupid accent. We shall see.

I’m interested

I’m kind of running out of steam now, and well done you for sticking with me this far (if you did!). I’m very interested to see what’s changed since I was last in Japan. Given that in my time in Japan I recounted the things that had changed, it will be very interesting to see what’s different in Kita-Kogane, Yashira and all of the Tokyo haunts that were a staple of my time in Japan.

Whatever happens I know I’m in for an amazing time and it will be over before I know it I’m sure.

ja mata ne!

じゃまたね！

For the multitude of fans who keep harassing me about Fuji and other stories, please be patient. I will have that done soon… Plus the Hiroshima/Kyoto story, the timeline and any funnies I can remember.Maybe.

Thanks again,

Otsukaresamadeshita! (oht-sky-sama-desh-taa)

(Lit: “I’m tired”, but actually means goodbye, kind of)

So I’m back home in Blighty. The flight was not too bad, visiting Seoul for an hour and being fed 6 times was as fun as you would expect. It’s a little bit weird but not as bad as I thought it might be. It’s kind of like when you go on holiday and come back. I also feel like I’ve not really been away in some respects, everything here is pretty similar but then I am a little jet-lagged I guess.

I guess this will be the last post, I will write up the Fuji experience (for Sheryl’s mum!) and then that will be it.

I can only finish this by saying that the last year has been the greatest of my life. I’ve made loads of friends, been to many cool places, done many interesting things and eaten many endangered species whilst being in Japan. What happens next is somewhat scary, less interesting and hugely daunting at the moment.

If you’ve been following my progress during the year and have stuck it out to the end then I thank you for taking the time to have a look at what I’ve been doing. Hopefully it’s been exciting, interesting and funny and hopefully many people will be interested in going to Japan.

Enough of the sentimentality. I’m off job hunting…

The last 10 days have been eventful, and at the same time not very eventful. I finished work on the 25th and it was emotional and also a relief to have finally completed my year of teaching. The last lesson went well and I was given presents and photos from the students. I even got a call from one of my students who wasnt able to make it so that was nice.

On Sunday the 26th I packed my bags and tidied my room, went to the leaving do and got very drunk, sang at a Karaoke place with Russell and my old boss until 5am and then went home and crashed for a few hours.

Then over the next few days, me and Sheryl did various necessary things to prepare for Mt Fuji and going home. We bought tickets for the bus to get to the 5th station and back and got the final few things before we set off on the Thursday.

Climbing Mt Fuji was tough, the experience was amazing and I’m gonna write a seperate post about it before I leave, because it warrants it’s own post to do the whole thing any justice. So that was Thursday night/Friday morning and after Fuji, was a 2 day break to recover.

Sunday was the second leaving do, this time in Shibuya. It was all of our friends, about 10-15 people showed up in the end which was nice. It was a relatively quiet affair, everyone coming, giving gifts/taking pics whilst drinking lots and then leaving by 11 (it was a Sunday night after all!). Yesterday (Monday) was spent getting the last few things packed as well as ensuring that everything is ready for the flight home on Thursday.

Today the plan is to head into Shibuya, clear out the bank account and go for one last session with Matt and Sheryl. Not too sure how late it will be but it should be great. Tomorrow will be the last day in Kita Kogane before heading to Narita to stay in a hotel near the airport.

Thursday it’s all over.

I have only 2 weeks until I am happily home with my Family. It’s something I’m looking forward too and I can’t wait to get back and see everyone. I have one and a half days left at work, I’ve been getting presents and lots of love from the students now I’m on my way out!

I have also had my picture taken many a time today. The students are bringing in their cameras and taking snaps once they’ve finished the lesson. It’s been emotional for the students and myself but it’s been a great day (even though it was busy). The next two days will fly by I’m sure, I then have packing, drinking,climbing Fuji and relaxing as my next two weeks activities. I will also be working hard on my website. I’m depressingly nowhere near landing a job at the moment but I’m sure something will come up….

mata ne!

Today was the begining of my final week at Nova. I have 4 days left and today I did a special 3 lesson Voice for the students. Normally Sunday Voice has about 4-5 people. 17 people turned up to see my pictures, take a Damien quiz and to have a good laugh and fun whilst enjoying learning English.

It was an amazing 3 lessons for me, the students loved my pictures, brought cakes, cameras and pictures of their own. They also brought a good sense of humour and we had a great time learning/looking at my pictures. I gave the students my SLR to take pictures of the lesson and they accepted my mission with gusto. Some of the 50 pictures they took are so genius that I have to post them to the Funnies section.

I gave the students a notebook to write me messages and they are all very nice (if not great English, but hell it’s better than I could do in Japanese!). I also was presented a 5 foot tall Shoudou piece by Masamichi (my favourite old student, he’s about 70). Essentially it says thank you and good luck for the future but looks stunning and is something that made the other instructors jealous!

It was a draining, exciting, emotional and exhillarating last 3 voice lessons with Students I really enjoy teaching. It begins the final furlong of my Nova career, one that I’m sad to be ending but similarly I can’t wait to get back to see my family and friends. The next four days will fly by and I should hopefully have many people I call friends in Japan.

mata ne!

Summer Sonic has come and gone. The music festival was on in Makuhari over the weekend and featured about 40-45 bands over the 2 days and was absolutely amazing. On Staurday, Sheryl and I went to the festival, taking in several bands during the day including Locklsey, Interpol, Blue Man Group, Editors, B’z, LCD SoundSystem, Klaxons and Maximo Park.

LCD Soundsystem rocked the place, an amazing mix of dance/indie. The Klaxons were amazingly well received too, the Japanese crowd going wild for their songs which were perfect for moshing to. Maximo Park, for Sheryl and I were the highlight of the day, giving it their all to a diminished crowd (Travis, Sum 41, Sugar Ray and B.E.P were on at the same time). They performed really well and had a great stage presence which made for a great gig.

Sunday was less hot and so more enjoyable and the line-up didn’t disappoint. The day started with The Enemy and The Twang, two up and coming British bands who drew a small but excited crowd to the main stage. Following these was a Japanese band (Remio Romen??) and Rooney. Both were okay but nothing special. The main draw for us was the afternoon lineup: The Fratellis, Bloc Party, Manic Street Preachers, Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys. All of them were great, the heat of the afternoon (about 34C) meant that for The Fratellis and Bloc Party, we were forced into the stands to avoid it. By the time the Manics came on we could stand the heat. They were made to feel very welcome by an appreciative crowd and played a great set of some classics and some new songs.

Following them was Kasabian, and for me they were the main act. They didn’t disappoint. The set was about an hour and they worked the crowd well, got everyone singing and moshing and generally created an excellent atmosphere. Matt, Sheryl and I were right at the front and although the crowd was going mad, it was well worth it. I highly recommend going to see Kasabian live, at Summer Sonic at least the were simply amazing.

Following them were the Arctics. They played a flawless set and the crowd went mad. For their set, it was just Sheryl and me who braved the front, Matt retreated to a safe distance. In the end we had too as well. The moshing started off well, no maliciousness, just pure enjoyment but when it got to the stage where people were charging us and clearly aiming to cause pain, it got too much.  We retreated to the edge of the standing area and enjoyed the performance safely. The Arctic Monkeys were good, but totally lacked any stage presence and banter with the crowd. The lead singer seemed a little bored/daunted at having to face 10,000 Japanese. Musically they were impeccable, and I definitely would see them again, preferably at home where they might actually talk!

So all in all it was a wicked weekend. And now I have to recover. I’m not up to much tomorrow (my regular weekend) but hopefully on Weds will be at a beach…

mata ne!

I went to Yoyogi park on Tuesday, chilled, drank beer and got sunburn. Matt and Sheryl got burnt too, with Sheryl being especially bad. This waylaid our plans for Mount Oyama until another weekend. Maybe. We also heard reports of Fuji and what to expect, from the various reports given, it’s different for everyone who does it.

I realised today that I have only 11 days left at Nova, 3-5-3 is how the next 3 weeks pan out with work. I also realised I have 28 and a half days left in Japan. Scary.

Here’s some advice I think is useful for the new batch of recruits heading to Japan. Enjoy!

1. If your coming to work for Nova, and reading this, you kind of know what to expect.

Many people I’ve seen come and go in my short time at Nova have come to Japan, liked it until they have to start working (me included). But there are a number of people who come as Visa-hunters and they are annoying. The often complain that the pay is low, and the hours are bad but all of this is explained to them before coming and still they complain. The Internet is full of stories about life at Nova at what to expect, Nova now even has a blog to tell new recruits what it’s gonna be like. One thing I will say (and this may seem really obvious) is that Nova is a Japanese company and so you will be treated differently from a company back home.

2. Bring plenty of stuff from home

The Japanese love to find out about their teachers home country and how it is different. Anything you can bring that shows this off is very useful. If you have brochures/menu’s/postcards/train maps bring them because when your teaching they become invaluable. Any pictures from Towns/Cities and the countryside are useful too as the Japanese idea of uniformity spreads far and wide, extending to City/Town and countryside aesthetics.

3. Don’t bring a guidebook, but do bring a phrasebook.

I brought a guidebook, and after the first week, never really used it. Save yourself £18/$40 and just ask someone. Students are a great source of info and love to tell you about places they’ve been and recommend. Other instructors/friends and random gaijin will always have somewhere they recommend. Added to this is Metropolis, a free English magazine distributed in Tokyo and Greater Tokyo areas (usually in Tower Records). Osaka/Kansai may have a similar magazine which caters to the resident Gaijin. It always has listings, gigs, films and mostly anything that takes your fancy.

A phrasebook is handy if you want to try to make an effort, something that the Japanese are always pleased to see. Even if it’s just to say please (onegaishimasu / kudasai), thank you (arigato) or where are the toilets? (toire wa doko desu ka?) it definitely shows some respect.

4. Make friends with the locals

If you don’t, you miss out on half of what’s going on at any place you visit. Many places don’t have English signs or translations of Japanese text (in Museums for example). Having someone who can translate, show you the cool stuff and tell you the best places to drink is such a gift. The benefit for your Japanese friend is that they get the kudos of being with a Gaijin and they can practice their English. Win-Win!

5. Learn Japanese

Show some respect, try and learn the language. Even if it’s a little, enough to get you by in a restaurant/bar it shows that you are here because you want to be part of the county. Admittedly I haven’t actively been studying but through immersion, I have been adding to my vocabulary, improved my listening and can easily negotiate through many social situations. Plus, speaking Japanese is cool.

6. Enjoy it!

Many people come to Japan for many reasons. The main one should be to enjoy yourself! Do what you want to do, go where you want to go and be glad you’ve got the chance to be in such a strange, different, interesting and amazing county.

Enough of my evangelising, if you have any comments or feedback I welcome them. Until the next time!

mata ne!

p.s.

I’ve just scaled the 5000 hits mark. Not a lot but thanks if you’ve been reading this blog!

Today I went to the Matsudo Hana-bi (fireworks) festival and took some wicked pics. It was an exciting event, one that lasted an hour and was cool to see lots of Japanese people dressed in the traditional dress of Yukatas and Jinbeis (similar to Kimonos).

It was hectically busy, the 10 minute walk from the station to the Edo-gawa was packed with thousands of people with the same idea. The streets were lined with people, a mixture of traditionally dressed and those dressed in a western way.

The heat was still intense and the humidity nearly unbearable but it was worth it even if the view wasn’t ideal (look at the silhouettes in most of the pics, an artistic choice but that’s what I saw!). The fireworks were cool, apparently over 8000 let off in a little over an hour. The ending was, as is to be expected, the most spectacular and worth fighting through crowds to get back to the station and home for.

More work tomorrow, only 2 days left of another week. Time is racing by at the moment…

mata ne!