Why I prefer UK anime conventions to Japanese ones

THERE HAS BEEN MANY COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG- I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT CLEAR, AS THE TITLE SUGGESTS, THIS IS AN OPINION BLOG. I AM EXPLAINING, FOR THE BENEFIT OF FRIENDS WHO WISH TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN FOR CONS ALONE, WHY THEY MAY WANT TO RETHINK THIS. I AM NOT TRYING TO STATE JAPANESE CONS ARE INFERIOR/WORSE THAN WESTERN CONS. ^^;

Long title, I know. And I’m sure anyone reading this must think I’m mad. How can the UK be better than Japan, the place where anime, cosplay and eventually conventions first came to be?

Trust me when I say I still can’t believe it myself. I went to Japan with high hopes of cosplaying all the time, having access to millions of anime/manga merch and attending many conventions.

Unfortunately, this never came to light. Maybe because I didn’t live in Tokyo and don’t speak fluent Japanese, so I was out of the loop a lot. But I certainly never saw any cons advertised.

Before I begin my comparison, I have to admit I am not regarded a massive con goer even in my home land. I attended Auichinawa once, Dee-con and recently the MCM Expo in Glasgow. However, I used to cosplay a lot when I went to Nanashi Dansu, which used to run every month.

The format of most UK conventions are the same: some sort of dealer area where official merch is sold; homegrown talent selling local comics and goods; some sort of photo booth/ place where you can have professional photographs taken. Then, within the event, there will be a schedule, such as voice actor panels, a cosplay masquerade/competition and sometimes ending with a disco/pub quiz.

UK conventions are pretty straightforward- you turn up with your pre-paid ticket/pay at the door, and go have fun. In Japan, it’s a little different.

I attended the Tokyo Game Show, which is mainly aimed at gamers as the name suggests, and Comiket, the biggest cosplay/comic convention in Japan.

For both events, there was a massive queue. We got early tickets for TGS but Comiket was free so you could walk in (or battle the crowds in).

The main difference (apart from the scale of these events, which is about 10 x the size of the events in the UK) is that you CANNOT walk into an event in cosplay.

My attempt to wear most of my cosplay while looking normal at the Tokyo Game Show

The is a big problem for many reasons. First, it’s hard enough putting on your wig, make up, costume and props and getting to an event, never mind having to transport all this to a con and then change there. To make it worse, the “changing room” is a big open room, with nothing to shield you when you are changing. Of course it’s separated by gender,  but this can be a nightmare for those who have to often change into underwear (or lack of) for their costume. Also, there are NO mirrors, so unless you have your own, you cannot even tell how you look once you change until you leave the area and manage to find a bathroom (where it is forbidden to change into cosplay). To top it all off, you need to register and PAY to cosplay, and wear a stupid sticker to prove it.

There will usually be a place to store your luggage, but the technicalities of trying to reassemble a cosplay in a room full of strangers with no mirror is a nightmare.

This is issue number one.

Issue number two is photographs are usually restricted to the “Cosplay Area”. While it’s great to have a dedicated area to take pictures, it means if you see someone outwith the area you want to take a picture with or of, you can’t. For me, this destroys one of the main enjoyments of a convention- walking around admiring costumes, talking pictures or having others asking if they can take your photo.

Also, once in the cosplay area, it is very common to be surrounded by Otaku wielding big Nikkon cameras. While they are polite and flattering, you can end up trapped for hours in one place.

The next issue is the main one. We are so used to the format of UK conventions, I assumed they replicated the Japanese model. This may be the case, but not any Japanese convention I seen or heard of.
TGS was impressive in terms of the displays by all the big names like Konami, Sega etc. However there was very little merch to actually buy. Most of it was just displaying graphics.

Comiket was not at all what I expected. It was massive, with 100,000 attendees. There were lots of great cosplays, but I have to admit I didn’t recognise half of them, not up to date with Japanese anime due to my lack of fluency and crap TV.

The main problem was there were no signs or maps in English and the scale of Comiket was indescribable. Even compared to London Expo, Comiket would be about 5 x bigger. Sounds amazing I know, but this was not the case.

I arrived at 11am on the Sunday and was able to walk (wade) right in. Maybe the Saturday was for the official dealers, but I doubt it. Comiket is mainly a collection of manga-ka trying to sell their work. However, they are not the famous ones we know. There were about 2 massive halls dedicated to hentai alone. This was not mild, skirt lifting panty stuff. This was full on, xxx rated hardcore porn. The stalls had massive posters displaying their art. Don’t get me wrong, there were many women selling their work in these halls too. However I felt it was mainly aimed towards the male audience looking for, simply, big breasts.

After about two hours of this wandering around I found some non hentai doushinji artworks (people that make fan work of famous manga/anime) but there was again, nothing I recognised.
I managed to purchase a small pin of Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho chibis. There were some stalls selling steam punk and jewellery, but these were few. I bought a pair of white clip in cat ears there.

The next two halls were dedicated to yaoi, something I haven’t been interested in since I was about sixteen. It was super tiring- there were hardly ANY places to sit. It was also the hottest weekend in Tokyo, over 40 degrees. It was too hot for me to even put on my cosplay. Not exaggeration, I couldn’t apply make-up without it dripping off. My shorts and t-shirt were drenched. I, like many others, wore a towel around my neck and constantly used a fan. Kudos to those who cosplayed, but it wasn’t worth my health.

The vending machines were also constantly queued up (about 50 people at a time) and kept running out.

It was interesting, but not one I would do again and definitely a disappointment in many aspects. Where were the famous voice actors, official merch and cosplay shows/skits?

Again, it may be due to my lack of Japanese ability, but I doubt it.

In contrast, I attended the MCM Glasgow Con this weekend. After Comiket, my expectations were pretty low. MCM restored my faith in everything a con could be.

Firstly, the reception in Glasgow itself was amazing. The guy in the City Parking was a sweetie, helping me with the machine and guiding me to the right door. Construction men (who I expected abuse from) told me happily I was the best costume they’d seen yet and to enjoy my day. Later on at McDonalds, no one gave me abuse and the worker behind the till was genuinely interested what I was wearing and why.

We had brought early entry tickets, but even then the queue was massive. I was so happy at the turn out and all the amazing cosplays.

Credits to forums.overclockers.co.uk for this pic of the line outside the SECC!

Which brings me to issue four. People assume it’s so easy to access everything for cosplay in Japan- true if you live in Tokyo and have a good grasp of the language. The costume I wanted came from a Japanese site, but turned out to be from China. My wig was also from China. I couldn’t locate the socks anywhere and finally got a pair from ebay upon my return.

I found it incredibly difficult to locate the simplest things. Buying online was also faced with nightmares of filling in forms using google translate, and the post office always delivering when I was out/ unable to find my apartment.

Actually in the UK, we have access to so many amazing cosplay sites, as well as local companies that do commissions for wigs, props etc. You can buy pretty much everything from ebay. We are actually in a much better position here than I was in Japan, where the only advantage was being closer to China (yet a lot of ebay companies wouldn’t ship to Japan).

Back to MCM! There were a lot of complaints about the queues, but I don’t think the staff had been prepared for such as massive turnout- the estimated 10,000 doubled to 20,000 attendees. We were lucky we arrived at the right time- I heard many tales from friends of two hours queues and people giving up. But being able to walk in with cosplay on felt AMAZINNNNG.

We had a few hiccups at the start of the day. The SECC was holding another conference (they won’t make that mistake next year!) so we weren’t allowed to use the cloakroom (though the girl was very apologetic).

We decided to go dump stuff in my car. I asked one of the staff if it was okay to go out the side door, since we had been stamped. He said that was fine. However, I double checked with another guy as we left the actual doors and he promptly told us we wouldn’t be getting back in.

To quote, he said “this is what we want to avoid”. Aka, people walking about in costumes while important officials were in town. He was the only rude guy we encountered. I informed the first guy, not only because of the way we were treated, but also because I didn’t want anyone else being refused back in.

This was a tiny spot on what was an amazing day. Although only one hall, the place was packed with merch- posters, DVDs, plushies, clothes, wigs etc. It was the kind of con I had always imagined but had given up ever experiencing.

The products are always marked up and I never buy what I can get cheaper online, but it’s simply amazing to see the stuff on display and watch your fellow fans get excited about them.

The biggest thing for me was the fact Vic Mignogna had his own booth and would be giving a talk. It was an okay system- you received a raffle ticket and had to keep checking back for your number zone.

We wandered around the stalls and were able to find places to sit and eat. It was hot and busy, but thankfully not as bad smelling as some UK cons can get (sorry, it’s true).

It was a dream come true to meet Vic. The conversation (while he signed the free Edward Elric poster) went like:

Vic: “Wow, I love your costume!”

Me: “Eeee…I love you, Vic!”

Vic: “I love you, too! Let’s run away together!”

Me: “Eeeeee. Can we get a picture?”

Vic: “Sure!!” *big hugs* “You smell great!”

Me: *shaking*

“I’m going to come to your talk!”

Vic: “Great, see you then!”

Had to record that so I won’t ever forget it ^^

After a bit of looking around the stalls, we settled down for the talks. There were Q&A’s for Warwick Davis, two stars from Merlin, and many others. However most of us were there for Vic ^^

He was fantastic as always, really connecting with the fans and making everyone laugh. He also treated us with some lines- Edward Elric saying “good things come in small packages!” and Tamaki’s coffee line (delivered to a girl who nearly passed out). He also got everyone to sing happy birthday to one lucky girl!

By then some of my friends were ready to go home. It was busy throughout the day, as bursts of people left and came in. The word was already spreading that next year the con would take place over 2 days and be more spread out.

I bought a Happy plushie to go with my Lucy Heartfilia, not too expensive at £15.

On the whole, the MCM con was a much more pleasant and fulfilling experience than Comiket. To those who plan to go to Japan for anime conventions alone, this is my advice- stay at home. Spend your money on better costumes and travelling to the many conventions we have in the UK. If you wanted to, I reckon you could attend a different con every month. I was in Japan for a year, and I cosplayed twice. I attended one official con.

If you want to go to Japan, go for the culture, the history, the beautiful scenery, the food, the amazing people, and the many other awesome things.

For places to go, check my other blogs 😉

BBC’s article on the MCM Scotland Expo- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-24003010

Hope this was informative!

Tokyo Disneyland!

It’s not a secret that I love Disney. It forms some of my most fondest childhood memories- whether it was watching a new release at the cinema, replaying the old VHS tapes, dressing up at Halloween, or going to Florida for a big family holiday.

With only 3 months left in Japan, I’ve made a wish list. One of my top priorities was to visit Tokyo Disneyland, and relieve some of my favourite Florida memories. My last Disney experience was Paris, which was great, but on a much smaller scale.

I arranged to go with my fellow Scottish friend, Misha. Although we’ve had a few days of rain and cool weather, making me think the rainy season had arrived, we were lucky to have clear blue skies on Saturday. I barely slept a wink, too excited and nervous I would sleep through my alarm! I got up at 5.30am and threw myself into the shower. Breakfast was some burnt toast and red bull. I had toyed with the idea of wearing Lolita (as it was International Lolita Day) but the early heat and the long journey ahead soon cancelled that thought!

I managed to catch all four trains, a rare miracle as there is only a few minutes between each transfer and they are always on different platforms. I arrived in Tokyo Station just after 10:30 and after grabbing some combini food, met Misha.

We headed to the JR Keiyo line which has two lines that pass nearby the Disney entrance. Although early it was already in the 20s, and I was glad I has chosen the comfy option of a tshirt and skirt! I wore my Laudree macaroon t-shirt in honour of Lolita Day!

It’s a short walk to the park, less than ten minutes, and we saw the monorail pass by. You have to queue to ride it and pay, so walking seemed the better option!

It was nearly 11 by this point and there was hardly any queue at the ticket office. We waited about ten minutes before were served, which was great! The park was so busy when we arrived, getting our first view of the castle.

Cinderella castle, celebrating 30 years of Tokyo Disneyland!

It was strange that the park was completely full of Japanese- I think I saw about five other foreigners the whole day! The Japanese park workers were just as happy (if not more so) than their US counterparts, always smiling and waving. The only downside to the day was we didn’t see any characters wandering about taking pictures- then again, the park was so busy it would have been difficult to.

Our first stop was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which is always one of my favourites, seeing as it spawned the movies. We had about thirty minutes to wait, though luckily a lot of it was inside in the shade. I saw two Lolitas in the queue, which made me smile.

The Pirates ride started the same as the others, gliding us along in the boats in the darkness. It was funny to hear the pirates speaking Japanese though! We got a sudden surprise with a sharp drop that made us all scream!

I was further surprised when the ride began to mimic the background and sets of the movie- soon we saw a large Black Pearl with a moving and talking Barbossa (a robot, but a very life like one!) It was even his voice from the movie, and he mentioned Jack Sparrow. To our delight, we rounded the corner to see a VERY life like Jack Sparrow hiding behind some barrels while other pirates were being arrested! It was pretty cool!

From far away he looked real…even the way the robot moved was like JD (photo credit to laughingplace.com)

The rest of the ride was really well done. We got to see Jack 3 times, and my fave was when we was sitting on the throne, with booty and treasure all around him. He was so close I could almost touch him!

We went into the Pirate shop after, and I could have went mad! I controlled myself to buy one thing, and settled on a cool pirate medallion shaped like a ship’s wheel.

Although it was still morning, all the fast passes for the big rides were already gone! I wasn’t really fussed, because I hate rollercoasters and I’m not a fan of thrill seeking rides anyway!

We spent most of our time in Fantasyland, where all the classic Disney rides are. It in this part of the park that I can remember spending most of my time as a child- the Peter Pan ride, the Dumbo ride, the Carrousel, It’s a small word, and Alice’s teacups.

All the rides had an average waiting time of 45 minutes, but we were quite lucky that the queues seemed to move quickly. Next was Snow White, which I don’t remember riding as a child. The carts were shaped like the dwarf’s beds, which was really clever! We got Doc’s bed.

It was quite creepy, like the film, plunging us through dark woods, with the cackling witch. The there was the happy song scene in the cottage with Snow White and the dwarfs. It was a really great ride!

The cool “beds” that were our transport!

We went on Peter Pan afterwards, skipping Dumbo because the queue was crazy. It was like I remembered, riding in the ships high above a small version of London, traveling to Neverland, seeing the mermaids, Red Indians and Lost Boys! Of course the best part was the fight between Peter and Hook, and the arrival of the crocodile!

Next was Alice’s tea cups, another favourite! The queue was long, but because there were lots of cups it went quite quickly. Misha had never been on them before, so we had fun seeing how fast we could spin them (very fast, giving ourselves head rushes!!)

Before we made ourselves dizzy!

It’s a small world was one of my favourites as a child (riding it so many times I drove my parents wild) and I really couldn’t wait to go on it. The one in Paris is much smaller and less detailed. Tokyo’s version was as grand as I remembered, with different rooms holding different continents of singing and dancing puppets. Of course Scotland was featured with bagpipes and lots of tartan! It wasn’t all in English, which was nice- there was some Spanish, Japanese and other languages I couldn’t pick up! The Japanese section was especially detailed, with nods to Kyoto and Mt Fuji. The dolls was wearing incredibly detailed kimono, and two puppets bowed as you exited into the next room!

The crazy, imaginative exterior of Small World

Then it was nearly time for the afternoon parade. Like for all events, people in Japan are always well prepared and patient. Although it didn’t begin until 3pm, we had seen families sitting on their mats as early as 1.30! We though we were okay sitting by some rocks, but were told we had to be behind a certain line. Unlike America, (although it was ten years ago, so things may have changed) there was a lot of order control of the crowds. Although we were allowed to sit to eat, we were approached by 3 different part people telling us we couldn’t watch the parade from where we sat.

Finally we moved to try and find a spot, but everywhere was fully packed. The annoying thing was how some people had spread their belongings over benches or spaces on the ground, taking up valuable space. Everywhere we tried to stand (well out the way of the parade’s route) we were moved on. Finally we found a spot in the crowd, a good while away from the actual parade. As everyone was required to sit, we could still see. It was a bit less energetic from what I could remember as a child, when everyone stood, danced and sung along, kids on their parents shoulders. We even saw one little girl being told by a park attendant she couldn’t kneel up. But it was still nice to see the parade.

Everyone sitting patiently

It lasted half an hour, and there were lots of great floats with the usual suspects! It was nice to see the newer Princess Rapunzel as well.

One of the best floats with Jasmine and Aladdin!

The other downside was for the whole half an hour show, the same song was played on a loop. It was in English and was clearly new for the Anniversary year, but it got old pretty fast!

After the parade, we headed to Cinderella’s castle. There was quite a bit of a queue to get in, and we were surprised to see an elevator. On the top floor, there was a museum type set up of different Cinderella art- moving models and origami.

The rooms were beautiful with fancy curtains and chandeliers. In the last room, there was a throne and a fake glass slipper for photo ops!

This was a nice idea that I haven’t seen at other Disney castles!

Downstairs we headed into the glass shop, which has beautiful statues and jewellery- all completely out of our price range, but lovely to look at!

Time was ticking on, so we headed into Tomorrowland, where most of the rides had an hour or more queues. The Captain EO one wasn’t too bad, so we decided to go for that. I remember seeing the outside of the ride, but I didn’t go on it, too young to know much about MJ at the time.

I’m glad we waited though. I didn’t know that the movie was the first 3D of it’s kind, invented by Disney. Although it’s 30 years old now, the movie was really entertaining. It was great (and a little sad) to see MJ at his peak, and remember how talented and confident he was.

The weather had been humid all day, clouding over and keeping the heat in, but after Captain EO there was a noticeable drop in the temperature and a bit of wind. We went to get some food, which was, as to be expected, a rip off. However I didn’t feel too bad, because I’d brought lots of food and drink into the park, so this was the first time I was spending money on food. I got a (small) Mickey shaped pizza, small fries and a hot choc for 800 Yen (about £5.30). It was enough to keep us going though. We headed to the World Bazaar, which was packed of people and tempting goodies. I was fast running out of money so didn’t go as mad as I could have, which was just as well. I got some cookies in a nice tin for my boss, and a Stitch plushie keyring. They had beautiful Barbie dolls of the Disney Princesses which I knew my ten year old self would have went mad for!

It was starting to get dark at this point. Although we really wanted to stay for the night time illuminations, we were starting to get really tired and sore from all the walking and standing in queues. Plus I had to head for my trains.

The castle lit up at night!

Although we were shattered, it had been a smashing day and I was so glad to have the opportunity to go to Disneyland again! It was great to remember the memories of my childhood, and make many new ones ^^

Spring Break!

Like all countries, Japan has a number of set National Holidays. In my job, my holidays are determined by the national and school holidays. Usually I have a random day off every couple of months. So I was looking forward to Spring Break, where I would get a whole week off!

My Spring Break started from the end of March until the 5th of April, and I planned to cram a lot in while I could!

The weather during this time was up and down. The cherry blossoms flowered early because of the sudden heat, but then a cold snap and rainy time made them wither quickly.

I started the weekend off by going to a local Brazilian club. If there’s one thing I miss about back home, it’s the clubbing culture. Unless you live in a city like Tokyo or Osaka (and even then!) it’s not like back home where we go out dancing every weekend, sometimes even twice!

The music was good and we ended up dancing with some of the locals, so it was a fun night. I had my first McDonalds breakfast in Japan after dancing myself into hunger pangs!

Finally I got to go to Hanami, which is literally a “cherry blossom viewing party”. It was rather cold for the event, but we knew we had to make the most of the blossoms before they disappeared! I made my first Japanese picnic with kappa maki (cucumber sushi), pickles, chicken and takoyaki (octopus balls). We went to Kiryu Zoo, which had a large number of cherry blossom trees.

There was so much food and drink!

The scenery was beautiful, but it was just a little too cold for everyone! It probs didn’t help the fact we were drinking cold alcohol. I had a wander around the zoo to try and warm up. Although there were many lovely animals, their cages were rather small and they didn’t look too happy. Eventually we gave up and went to Global Lounge, the foreigner bar I mentioned before in Kiryu.

I really recommend finding your local foreigner bar, even if it’s in a different town from you! It’s the best place to make foreign and Japanese friends who can speak English! It can be difficult making friends when you live in a countryside region like Gunma, so I really recommend looking these bars up! Try Facebook or asking your teaching partner or boss!

The next part of my Spring break was to be spent in Tokyo. Usually, every time I go to Tokyo, I have events or people to meet, so it can be quite stressful and busy. Sometimes I have work the next day too, and as it’s a two hour trip either way, it’s a tiring time. So I wanted to go to Tokyo and not feel limited by time! However, it didn’t quite go to plan!

Unluckily, it was a wet day, which made traveling in the packed trains (with a suitcase) even more difficult. My first stop was Shibuya, which I had only been to once before (see previous post!).

I met a friend of a friend, who had contacted me through Facebook. The rain was so bad it was a little difficult to find each other!

People dressed as red oni (demons) picking up trash on a wet Shibuya day!

We made our way to a cheap sushi restaurant, which can be found anywhere in Tokyo. I actually eat sushi less here than I did back home- I’m not sure why, if it’s because it’s stronger or something? Anyway, it was still delicious, and pretty cheap. I got about four different types for under £6.

My new friend had to go back to work, so I decided to start shopping! After looking around H&M I finally found a pair of skinny jeans I could fit into! Japanese girls have much thinner and shorter legs than me so it was a challenge to find a nice pair!

Next I hit Shibuya 109 again, which is definitely one of my favourite places to shop. There are so many floors packed with cute clothes, and many are pretty affordable. Shopping with a suitcase is never fun, so I left mine in a locker near the train station. Most lockers are 400 Yen (about £1.50) but it can be difficult to find a free one during the busy times!

I paced myself, not wanting to spend too much too quickly! I bought some cute socks from Dolls Kill, some nail polish and a cute Hello Kitty pass holder for my train card.

After hours in 109, I had to head to Asakusa where I had found a really cheap hostel- New Koyo. It was only 2,700 for a one person room- under £20. In the Tokyo area, that is pretty unusual.

As my luck would have it, my iphone started to run out of battery and even though I had my charger, that was dying too. I got my trains and made it to the station before my phone completely died. I had everything on paper but the name of the hotel and the address, so I couldn’t even jump in a taxi.

I started wandering to try and find a combini to buy batteries. A kind businessman stopped me and asked in English if I was lost (I guess I had that look about me!). He used his phone to find the address of the hotel, and even wrote it down in Japanese for me so I could just hand it to the taxi driver! I honestly was so lucky and felt so blessed by this chance encounter.

It turns out I couldn’t walk to the hostel as I had assumed- it was a 15 minute taxi drive. I finally checked into the hostel and was surprised to find I’d been upgraded (because someone had smoked in my room the night before).

I had to hold a laugh when I saw my room. If this was the upgrade, I could only imagine what I was originally getting!

You can’t complain for the price…

I had an hour’s rest while my phone charger, then got some red bull so I could make the most of my night. As always, it was dark by 6’oclock. It took me a long time to find the bus to the main part of Asakusa, but I finally got there. It was a lovely atmosphere, and it reminded me a bit of Kyoto. The main street is called Nakamise-dōri and during the day is bustling with tourists and shoppers.

Closed for the night

It was quiet because it was a weekday and all the shops were shut. After a bit of a wander I decided to go and get some food. There were lots of outside-but-inside restaurants, set up with tent like structures. I picked a yakitori place and ordered up. I wasn’t the only gaijin either- there was a group of French tourists the table next to me.

After having some umeshu, I decided to explore again. I assumed the temple was shut, because every gate I had passed had been locked, but suddenly I came cross the main entrance.

The main gate to Senso-ji Temple

The cherry blossoms were out in full bloom and looked beautiful against the night sky. The temple grounds of Senso-ji were pretty quiet, so it was a great time to visit. The shops were closed, but I was able to get my fortune, which I was happy to find had an English translation.

I got “Best fortune”

The fortune closely resembled the one I had received from Kinkaku many years ago. It was full of good things. The translation was pretty good, but my favourite line was “If you have right mind and keep virtue as a man, you will be able to get best fortune”.

The main temple was very impressive, mainly red and gold as follows the Japanese tradition. It’s the oldest in Tokyo, and you can tell it is steeped in history. As I do at every temple, I made an offering. Usually there is a large bell which you have to ring after you throw your coins into the offering box. Then, you bow twice, clap your hands twice, make your prayer, then bow again.

Beautifully lit up at night

Although visiting temples and shrines during the day is an amazing experience, I far prefer going at night time. The contrast between the dark sky, the pointed roofs and the bright red colours is always awe inspiring. The atmosphere is more mystical and magical too. As I walked around the grounds, I felt very much at peace.

It blows the mind that this was constructed without machinery

Within the grounds there were lots of small shrines too. I don’t know enough about Buddhism, but they reminded me of the shrines to Inari I had seen before.

A shrine for a deity?

Pictures can’t really do Senso-ji justice. I had planned to return to see what it was like during the day, but I had limited time to cram everything in. Still, I’m glad I got to see it lit up at night.

Memories of Kyoto…

I had done a lot of walking that day, so eventually decided to call it a night (after a quick trip to Mister Donuts!) The bus stop was a five minute walk from the hostel, and there was a 7/11 where I got some drinks and food for the morning.

Unfortunately I didn’t get much sleep in the hostel, despite being so tired! The futon was comfortable, but the walls were so thin. I could hear the guy next door snoring his head off, people going for showers, banging doors etc. I tried ear plugs and soothing music but to little avail.

I got up early and had a shower, which were clean and high tech. The great thing about Japan is their pride in cleanliness and hygiene. Although the hostel was a little run down, the showers were like something from a 5 star hotel, complete with complimentary shampoo and shower gel! I also rented a towel for about £2.

It was a hot day this time, so I decided to skip Asakusa and head to the shops. I went to Harajuku first, and was happy to be able to take my time for once and shop leisurely. The surprising thing about Takeshita Dori, one of the main shopping strips of Harajuku, is the shops are not as edgy and cool as you would expect. Many of them have replicas of each other, and the clothes and cheap and poor quality. However, there are some great finds too, like Wonder Rocket, Liz Lisa, and of course Closet Child, the 2nd hand Lolita store. I was able to get an Angelic Pretty necklace I had been looking for, and a strawberry hair pin for another coord.

I love Spring fashion, and the shops were full of pastel shades. I bought a lilac skirt, a sky blue skirt (which turned out to be shorts!), some strap tops, and a pair of dungarees. I then headed to Omotesandō, which hosts the brand shops. I made my first trip to Forever 21 (which has only opened recently in the UK) and bought a beautiful mint dress, composed of my favourite things- sequins and chiffon layers!

After a quick trip to Claire’s Acessories for some 90s retro (colour hair extensions and a unicorn pin), I grabbed some food from a combini, crammed all my shopping bags into my suitcase and decided to head home as it started to turn dark.

Although it looks bad, it was the first time I had every went mad shopping in Tokyo!

I was so tired after my two days in Tokyo, so I took a day’s rest. My next adventure was to Kanamara, which was holding it’s annual Matsuri (festival). Although festivals are held all over Japan, this one stands out as being particularly unsual. Translated as “Festival of the Steel Phallus”, it is a fertility festival to celebrate creation. It was the strangest thing I had ever been to, but it was very interesting.

I wasn’t prepared for how packed the festival would be- streets were closed and police were everywhere. The number of foreigners was crazy- I’d never seen so many in one place.

We arrived in time to see the procession. The music was good, with people playing on the traditional taiko drums. There was a real party atmosphere, with people drinking and eating themed food to fit the occasion. It was a hot day as well, which made it feel more like a holiday.

The procession

It was so busy that after going around the stalls there wasn’t much else we could do, so we headed out of the crowds and wandered around the near by area. All the local shops were joining in the festival spirit, selling phallus shaped candies and the like.

You would never see this back home…

We came across another temple, Kawasaki Daishi, which was very beautiful with golden decorations on the top of it’s roof.

Beautiful blue sky and temple roofs are my favourite things!

There were many shops selling traditional Japanese souvenirs, food and teas. The heat soon tired us out and we decided to take the train to Ueno and get something to eat.

The Kanamara Matsuri was certainly interested, but seeing one time is enough.

So, that sums up my Spring Break! I spent a lot of money but got to see many new parts of Japan. Next time I’ll fill you in on my Golden Week experience!

 

Day Dream Carnage/ Tokyo International Anime Fair!

I can’t believe it’s been two months since my last update! I’ve been really busy, so I’m going to make several posts!

So the 23rd- 24th of March was the Tokyo International Anime Fair! It was my first proper anime con in Japan, and I was really excited to cosplay and see other people cosplaying!

The weekend got off to a bad start. I had a terrible sleep the night before, and got up at 5am so I could get ready, finish packing and make it to Tokyo for 9am.

It was the release day of Day Dream Carnival, a highly anticipated Angelic Pretty print. We could tell from the fuss online it was going to be very popular, so it only seemed sensible to turn up early.

It seemed to work- my friends had arrived first and were fourth in the queue. We sat down and waited for a further two hours for the doors to open.

I’d never been to an release date before, either buying my Lolita goods online or second hand, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. At first, there was only a handful of us, but by 11:00, there were hundreds of girls, most dressed up in Lolita. It was quite a sight, and many tourists stopped to take pictures of us.

Finally the shop girls handed out slips for the “lottery”. Apparently this is done to discourage girls from camping over night, and ensuring those with shopping services don’t arrive first and buy up all the stock to make a profit. Either way, I thought it seemed a fair system. I assumed due to the numbers we would be raffled in groups of 20 or so- that seemed to be what most of us thought.

However, after the first girl drew a high number, we soon realised the lottery was indiscriminate. All of my friends drew a number in the hundreds. After picking number 163, I realised I didn’t want DDC *that* much. Instead I went to Closet Child with another friend, and found a blouse and a cardigan to go with my Sweetie Chandelier skirt. It seems I made the right decision- my friends that waited for hours didn’t even get what they wanted, and had to travel ages away to a shop in the next prefecture.

Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t get DDC, because I prefer my Milky Planet!

After grabbing some food and retrieving my suitcase, I took the two trains to the Tokyo Bay Area- it was a part of Tokyo I had never been in before. Time was ticking on, so I headed straight to the Tokyo Big Sight Arena where the anime con was being held. I was shocked at how big the place was.

For some reason, anime cons in Japan are very strict about cosplaying. You are never allowed to walk into the con wearing the cosplay, and you are supposed to change out of it before you leave. I’m still not sure of the reasons- some have explained it as protecting cosplayers’ identities, so people can’t recognise them. I didn’t understand this until much later.

I was disappointed by the changing room, too- literally four walls to protect us from the sight of others. It was all girls, but there was literally no screens, curtains or mirrors. I quickly pulled on my cosplay, which was Misaki from Kaichou wa Maid-sama.

It was about 4pm by this time, and the event finished at 5, so I only had one hour. Next to the the changing room was the “Cosplay Area” where was the only place you were allowed to take pictures (again, very different from back home).

I literally wandered in to the Cosplay Area with my suitcase, a little overwhelmed at being my first con. I had my suitcase and my other bag, and I just stood around, wondering what I was supposed to do next.

It just took one man with a Nikkon camera to approach me and ask for a photo, and the next thing I knew, I was swarmed. There was a sea of people before me, mainly middle aged men, all with professional cameras. I posed and smiled for about twenty straight before I had to take a break. It was crazy and amazing at the same time. There were quite a few other foreigners about too, and one of them, an American called Eric, came up to chat to me. He was kind enough to take a photo for me on my own camera, because I didn’t even have one yet.

My maid-sama cosplay

The nice thing about the Japanese photographers was the level of respect. Each one would ask in some way if it was ok to take a picture. Then, they would thank me and bow. Some even gave gifts, like candy or a heat pack. It was overall a nice experience, and I didn’t once feel creeped on like would probably happen back home.

I also was approached by two different camera crews, and conducted two interviews in half English, half Japanese. They were mainly interested because I was a foreigner, and wanted to know about anime lovers in the UK. I was sure to big up the amazing cosplaying community in Scotland!

With not much time left, I had a quick look around the con. It was actually smaller than I expected, especially if comparing it to the Tokyo Game show, which was hosted in about 3 large halls, whereas the TIAF was crammed into one.

There wasn’t many cosplayers left, but I did get my picture taken with a Kurapika cosplayer, from one of my fave anime/manga called Hunter x Hunter! (Thanks to Eric again for taking the picture!)

Me and the Kurapika cosplayer. I was so happy she made the heart sign too!

Finally it was time to go and get changed. Luckily I had booked a hotel a five minute walk from the Big Sight, so I didn’t have far to go. It was beautiful, like a 5 star. The room was big and luxurious, with a large bathroom. I got changed quickly and headed out to meet my friend Hannah who was heading back to England.

We met in Shinjuku and settled on an Arabian cafe neither of us had tried. Themed cafes are very popular in Tokyo. They are usually fun, but with a lower quality of food. However, we seemed to strike gold with this one. We were greeted by a girl wearing an Arabian get us, and told to rub a magic lamp before entering the restaurant. We both squeaked with surprise when the lamp let out a spark!

Inside the restaurant was done up like Aladdin’s cave. I half expected it to be tacky, but it was actually very well done! We had our own little private booth, surrounded by beaded curtains. It was great, because we could still see outside, but felt like we had our own little world!

Hannah peeking out from our little booth

The food was a great surprise too, really tasty. Although I’m not sure it was authentic “Arabian”, it was interesting and different! We also each got a novelty golden egg, which was unlike anything I’d ever tasted before!

By this point I was burnt out, and had to head back to my hotel. Needless to say I felt into a coma like sleep!

The next day we got up early to make the most of the con. My friend had got us Press passes which meant we could take pictures outside the cosplay area. There were some different stalls from the day before, but I was still disappointed at how small the con was.

I wore my Misaki cosplay again, because I wanted to get the most out of it. Again I was faced by the wrath of photographers, but I knew how to deal with it this time so it was okay. I felt sorry for the other foreign girls who were soon surrounded to the point they had to sit down. Needless to stay, they must have been trapped for a while!

Although friendly, they can be quite intimidating!

We also got interviewed several times before we finally left the cosplay area and wandering around the booths. There wasn’t as many things for sale as I had hoped. There was a cool Kamisama Hajimemashita collection of original sketches and a display of merchandise that had sold out the day before. Luckily I managed to get a cute folder.

There wasn’t much else merch I was interested- it was all quite heavily DDZ, Miku or One Piece- but I did manage to find a Full Metal Alchemist Patch, a Kurapika postcard and a Kurama keychain, so I was quite happy!

One of the best parts of the con was the food court. There was a cool Gundam cafe, an ice cream and crepe stall, and some other hot food. After we finished eating, I headed back and changed into my Kurama cosplay. Due to the fact I’d had to keep everything in my suitcase, my wig was squashed flat, despite the hours I had taken styling it. It was my first cosplay I had created from scratch though, and I was happy that some people recognised me, considering Yu Yu Hakusho was an anime from the 90s!

Finally it was time to get changed and begin the long journey home! Although tiring, it was a fun weekend, and it gave me good experiences that I can use for Comiket in August!

Halfway Point!

So I have now officially reached the halfway point in this journey ^^ I’ve been in Japan for over 6 months now, and have 6 months left to go! I can’t believe it’s been so long, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve lived here forever!

I’ve been focusing a lot on my social life recently, but in this post I want to focus more on school and everyday things.

For those of you who want to teach in Japan, it’s good to know that the school terms are different from in the UK. School finishes at the end of March, and then we have Golden Week, the first week of April, when most Japanese have holidays and travel.

March is a busy time, whether you are working in a public or private school. For ALTs, it’s usually the end of their contract, so they can either try and renew, or move on. I’ve heard that in this area, the government is cutting the number of ALTs- not sure if it’s economical or what. My contract is different- like most private schools, I was hired for a year, so my term is August to August. If you want to come to Japan to teach in public schools, Feb/March is the time to look.

If you work in an Eikaiwa like me, you will see a big turnover of students. There can be many reasons for this- financial, students moving to International schools, their workload being too heavy, etc. March is a busy time because as we lose students, we have to try and replace them. My role in this is to usually have parents watch my classes so they can determine if they want their child to enroll. This can be stressful and intimidating for some teachers. I’ve found the best method is to plan your lesson fully so there are no gaps, then ignore the adult in the room. It will distract the students however, so you have to be engaging and keep bring their attention back to the lesson in hand.

I’m going to make a youtube vid about lesson planning and games for ESL, so keep an eye out for that on my channel, KawaiiKekeChan07!

In terms of everyday Japan, there is a lot happening after New Year. Valentine’s Day is big here, though slightly different from the Western version. The 14th of February is reserved for women giving to men only. For work colleagues, there is “obligatory chocolate”. Many women spend lots of money on this tradition. Luckily foreigners are not expected to! As I’m the only teacher in my school, I didn’t have to worry about this.

Then there is the chocolate you give to boyfriends, crushes etc. Handmade chocolate is a big deal, and is usually what girlfriends give. Unlike back home, Valentine’s day focuses mainly on chocolate- stores here make most of their profit on confectionery on this one day! You literally can’t move in the supermarket for boxes of the stuff.

Then, one month later- March the 14th- is White Day. Again, this is a uniquely Asian concept. This is when the men who received chocolate must return the favour. Apparently it’s a popular day for confessions, too. White Day is not just limited to chocolate however- other gifts can be given. The left over chocolate from V day is re-marketed for White Day so commercially it’s quite clever!

Another day to note is Girl’s Day- Hinamatsuri- or Doll’s Day on the 3rd of March. I knew of this day, however I didn’t realise it was such a big deal. Beautiful dolls are put out on display- unfortunately I didn’t see any in real life but I saw the pictures. It’s also traditional to give small gifts to girls, something I wasn’t aware of and took me by surprise! I received a lot of candy from friends and students. My favourite was my seven year old T presenting me with freshly baked croissants from a local shop- they were delicious!

Cute candy for girl’s day! Wish I could say it tasted as good as it looked!

The weather has changed drastically in the last few days. We’ve went from freezing cold to high in the 20’s over the weekend. I was helping my friend to make a short movie, and was wearing Lolita. The weather was incredible- like the hottest day we would get in a Scottish summer. Needless to say I was overheating in my layers! I will post links when the film is completed!

Then on Sunday the famous Gunma wind whipped up. They were gale force and it was a task just to try and get my food shopping! Tokyo turned brown due to dust/pollution (still being debated) so I’m glad I wasn’t there that weekend!

There’s been a lot of cold and flu bugs circulating recently. Despite taking vitamin drinks and constantly sanitizing my hands, I caught a bad one. I experienced my first Japanese fever which was not fun! Luckily I had brought lots of medicine from back home. Stock up on paracetamol and cough medicine before you come to Japan- the medicines here are much weaker than what we are used to!

In Japan you will be constantly asked if you want to go to the doctors or hospital when you have even a basic cold. My boss kept asking me, but I didn’t want the hassle. I also couldn’t take a day off, being the only teacher, so my sickness dragged on longer than usual!

I’ve been busy most weekends, spending a lot of time in Izakaya, traditional Japanese bars with cheap food and alcohol. These are a must when you visit Japan- I’ve spent many a good night in these places!

As well as Oden, a staple Japanese hot pot eaten in the winter, Nabe is also another popular food for this time of the year. Some people have Nabe parties, a gathering usually around the kotatsu (a low table with a built in heater). Nabe is essentially a big pot with a bit of everything- tofu, cabbage, meat, mushrooms etc. I got to go to my first Nabe party this weekend, and it was a lot of fun, very authentically Japanese!

Nabe party!

We’ve finally entered Spring, the only Japanese season I’ve yet to experience, and the one I’m most excited about! The Ume (plum blossoms) have already made an appearance. Although these white flowers are beautiful, they are no match for the pink Sakura (cherry blossoms). Soon it will be the start of Hanami- literally cherry blossom viewing parties. People head to parks with picnics and sit under the trees. It’s something I’m really excited for- I can’t wait to wear a yukata again!

White Ume (plum) blossoms

The other cool thing about Japan is all the seasonal food and drink. Ice cream, candy, soda, alcohol, crisps- you name it, when the season changes, a new variation will pop up. My favourite has been all the fruit flavoured alcohols. Only about 150 Yen a can, they are sweet tasting and fun! My favourite is the strawberry and cream ^^

Strawberry, cherry and peach alcohol!

I’ve still not cemented my plans for Golden Week, but I’m really looking forward to the break! I’m hoping to visit some of the famous hot springs of Gunma, and maybe go to Disneyland. The International Anime Expo is on the 23rd and 24th so I’ll be staying in Tokyo that weekend. I’m excited to properly cosplay in Japan and attend my first con here! There will be many pics and vids to follow! ^^

Afros…and Ginza

Hey everyone! It’s been a while again! I guess that’s a good sign, shows how busy I have been!

I can’t believe it’s already February! I’ve quickly settled back into my routine. Work has been hectic because my boss has been busy elsewhere, so I’ve been left pretty much in charge.

I’ve mentioned before about one of my difficult classes. It’s 2nd thing on a Monday so not a great start to the week. One boy R has been really acting up- refusing to speech English, pick up a pencil or participate in games. He ignored me completely and wound up the other kids to the point it was impossible to teach. Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, discipline in Japanese schools has pretty much disappeared. My boss had quiet words with said boy on a number of occasions, but nothing was working. Finally she called his father. I hoped that would improve things, but nothing changed. After a particularly stressful lesson, I finally broke down. My boss was pretty shocked (she thinks I’m pretty mature and calm) but I think it finally made her realise how bad the situation was. Thankfully she called the parent again and they agreed he should leave the school. I felt bad, but it was clear the boy didn’t want to study English. I had been trying different techniques for 6 months, and finally I had to give in. It was a depressing thing, but I had to put myself first, and also the other students in the class who were suffering from his antics.

Last weekend was United’s (the foreigner bar in Ota) 3rd anniversary, so they had a themed night to celebrate. The theme was afros, so I picked up a kinda cute one up in Donki.

I met my friend Ayako beforehand, and we went to a lovely Izakaya. They are like the Japanese versions of “pubs” expect much more refined. Very traditional, decked out in tamami mats and low tables. This Izakaya was one of the most beautiful I had visited. I arrived later, and they had ordered lots of amazing food. I wish I hadn’t eaten dinner before I had went! I only tried a few things, but they were so delicious! I had sashimi and oyster.

Japanese feast!

I was given a black afro so we could all take a group photo- it was pretty funny.

All dem Afros!

Then we moved onto United bar, which was the busiest I’d ever seen it! Everyone was wearing afros which was a great talking point! I got talking to lots of new people, which is the great thing about these types of bars, as most people can speak some level of English! There was live music too, which was good.

After midnight, it was officially Sestubun, a New Year tradition in Japan where you throw beans to get rid of demons. So we all traipsed outside, still wearing afros and each received a handful of beans. It was so cold, and the famous Gunma wind was blowing. Some poor guy put on the oni (demon) mask and we all threw beans at him. It was one of those really surreal and authentic Japanese moments that make me love this culture even more!

After we had outstayed everyone else, the plan was to hit karaoke, but it was so cold and too far to walk. Instead we ended up in an Izakaya near the station. I could tell the guy working there wasn’t too impressed by all us drunken gaijin! Still we had a good time, and finally called it a night around half 3 and got a taxi home.

I had to loli up my afro!

I woke up with a cold, but luckily I brought back so much medicine from home, so I was only under the weather for a few days. There has been a lot of cold and flu going about, so a few students have been absent.

This weekend I got to head back to Tokyo. It was one of my Lolita friend A’s birthday, so we headed to Ginza, the really upper class part of town. I managed to get there with time to spare which was a first! I also got to wear Cinema doll for the first time in public, which made me super happy.

We went to Laudree, the famous Parisian patisserie. We had a table reserved in the restaurant, which was beautiful, the perfect place for ladies who lunch! The menu was so extensive, but because we had booked a table, we had to have a certain set including lunch, desert and tea. It worked out good value for what we were getting. I had pork to begin with, which was the nicest I’ve had in Japan. Then the best part- I had a rose flavoured macaroon with raspberries. It was literally bursting with flavour and so beautiful! The rose and fruit tea complimented it perfectly. I don’t think my taste buds have ever been so happy before!

One of the rare occasions something tasted as good as it looked!

After we finished, we went to the Sony Building, which was massive and full of tech. They had the biggest TV I’ve ever seen! There was also a beautiful camera on half price sale, with Mt Fuji engraved! Even though my camera is new and perfectly good, I wanted it too! My friend Mi gave in and got one in pink!

Next we headed to Harajuku to take some Puri and wander about the shops. I got some accessories from closet child to go with Sweetie Chandelier, but unfortunately no blouse!

New Lolita skirt!

All the walking and shopping made us hungry again, so we stopped for some pancakes and tea. Unfortunately after Laudree I’m going to compare every tea to that amazing one I had there!

For some reason my journey home took ages- ended up taking four trains which was a nightmare. I was so tired when I got home, so happy to have a bath and get to bed!

I love that we’re all wearing Angelic Pretty!

I managed to find hair extensions that match my colour perfectly! So much easier than trying to cram my long hair under a wig. The only problem is they are really heavy and start to hurt after a while!

It’s a national holiday here so I’ve got Monday off, which is always a great start to the week! Next month I’m heading to my first Anime con, so I’m sure I’ll have lots to talk about!

Home and back again…

Hi everyone! It’s been a long time. I hope you all had a Happy Christmas and New Year!

Christmas was a lot bigger in Japan than I thought it would be. Like back home, it’s became a retail opportunity, with the shops full of decorations and gifts. I spent the last ten minutes of every lesson teaching about Christmas, and then for our last week, held parties. It was a tiring time, because I had to think up of a lot of different games and activities for all the different levels (from ages 4 to 14). I was glad when the week was over, and could head back home.

The weekend before I finished up, I went to Tokyo for my friend Mi’s birthday. There was also a lolita meet up. It rained as usual and everyone was running late- it was just one of those days. After some shopping we headed to Christie cafe where I had some lovely cinnamon toast and tea. We did a secret Santa which was really fun- I got a cute pirate arpakasso and cow plush and a pink ring.

I wore my Antique Clock coord, which I’ve been dying to wear for a while. I love the mint and brown colorway!

Afterwards we took pictures and did some more shopping. I bought the AP Cinema Doll ring, which I’d had my eye on for a while! We had to leave soon after because we had to check in to the hotel. Hopefully I’ll get to spend the full day with the girls next time!

We got a great group photo!

We got changed and met Mi’s friend R for dinner- but as it was a Sat night, everywhere was full. We ended up eating in the karaoke and the food was good.

I finally got to visit Roppongi, the well known clubbing area of Tokyo. As I’ve mentioned before, Japanese youngsters aren’t as club crazy as we are back home, so it’s difficult to find a club. Roppongi is luckily club packed, though most of them are small, and all of them play Western music. It was so busy that after an hour in a club we would hop to the next one. Luckily some of the clubs were free entry for girls so it wasn’t as expensive as I’d dreaded! The big difference in Japan is smoking is allowed- it’s not as noticeable as it was back home before the ban, but you tend to leave the club smelling of smoke.

We were drawing a lot of attention, as always being gaijin girls, though it helped we had a Japanese guy with us. At one point, some Japanese guys got chatting to me. It’s hard enough to converse with guys in a club back home over the loud music, never mind in a club in Roppongi where you barely speak the language. Some how I got by and had a good night, despite some eejit trying to set me up with everyone of his pals. (Finally I told him if he wanted them to pull that bad, he should do it himself. To his credit, he did. Though they were right in front of my face, which was a bit freaky!)

We called it a night about 3ish, and headed back to the hotel. There was a handy combini below, so I got some food before crashing into bed.

The next day was my first wandering about Tokyo myself. I did quite well for a few hours, until it came to locating my locker again in Shinjuku station, which is HUGE. I knew exactly where my locker was, I just couldn’t seem to get to it, the way the gates worked out. Finally after a bit of googling, I worked it out and headed home. I finally got a Suica card, which is like a prepaid pass for the train. It’s handy because you can charge it up with money and swipe it through the gates. It saves fiddling for coins and trying to work out your fare every step of the way.

Finally it came time to head home for Christmas! I was super excited, but not so thrilled about the journey awaiting me. I never thought about it, but it was stupid to book a night flight. I tried to have a long lie, but only managed until 10.30am. My boss picked me up at 1pm for my bus, which took about 3 hours to the airport. It was nice to see other parts of Japan, because the first time I took the bus I was out of it!

I arrived at the airport with hours to kill, to got a few last minute Christmas presents, and a cute diary for myself. The queue to check in took ages. By the time I got something to eat, I felt tired, which was not good as I still had such a long journey ahead of me.

I was happy to get a aisle seat for my first flight, the 12 hour trip from Tokyo to Dubai. I passed time watching Disney movies. The guy next to me was an older gent in a full suit reading a newspaper. However, when the drink cart came, it became obvious he was going to milk Emirates for all they were worth. Throughout the long flight, he continued to order red and white wine, punctuating breaks with beer in between. Of course, he had to get up to the toilet every minute, making me move for him without even a thanks. Even the guy opposite me was getting annoyed at his antics. Soon he was sitting, listening to Elvis, dancing in his seat. Just as well I can’t sleep on planes anyway, because I wouldn’t have gotten a wink.

The 2nd flight was better. The plane was full of Scots, and it was nice to hear the accent after so long. Although tired, I still couldn’t sleep, too excited to see my family.

I won’t go into all the details, but I had a great two weeks back home. We had a lovely, family Christmas, and I spent a great New Years Eve with my girls. I got to see many friends and had far too many nights out!

It was harder leaving my family this time, than the first. I think maybe because I was so excited the first time around, to start my adventure. This time, I knew what I was coming back to, and even though I know I’m lucky to have this chance to live in Japan, it was hard leaving my family behind.

My flights back to Japan were thankfully shorter due to a tail wind. I got talking to a guy on the first flight so that helped pass time. My boss was pleased to see me and I was happy to crawl into bed. Not too happy that I had work the next day, but I knew that had to be done in order for me to have Christmas with my family.

Unfortunately the lack of rest meant my jet lag was horrific. I’ve never had it that bad before- my appetite disappeared, my sleeping pattern was whacked and I felt like bursting into tears every few minutes.

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough, and although I planned to rest up, it didn’t quite work out that way. My friend Steve’s birthday was on the Friday night, so after work I got a lift with Chris and we met them all at the karaoke. I’m glad I went- even though I didn’t drink, I had a good time with a good bunch of people. It helped take my mind off home.

Group photo at karaoke!

I was working the next day to make up for the classes I had missed due to my holiday, but it went better than I expected. I rewarded myself by heading to the cinema to check out the new Hunter x Hunter film, an anime I’ve been following for a while. The manga-ka who created it is one of my favourites, so it was a big deal for me to get to see the film the first day it was out. I got a free copy of Kurapika’s one shot with my ticket, which was a nice surprise! The film was great, and I’ve posted a review on tumblr- will try and make a you tube one tomorrow.

It’s surprisingly been a lot colder here than it was in Glasgow. I had quite a few bags, and after getting the bus then train was pretty tired as I walked home. I must have zoned out because suddenly there was a car crawling along side me, the window down and the guy talking to me. I took out my ipod and asked him to repeat, thinking he was maybe asking for directions (which happens to me, even though I’m a gaijin!).

I couldn’t recognise what he was saying, so I just shook my head and apologised. To my shock, he gestured for me to get in the car. I shook my head again and walked off, but he followed me, driving slowly beside me, still talking to me. Spooked, I quickly crossed the road and cut down an alley he couldn’t follow, which takes me to my apartment. Looking back, I’m not sure if he meant harm or not, but it was a freaky experience!

The next day I met Mi in Takasaki for a lolita and shopping day. The weather was lovely, so mild and the sky a clear blue, it almost felt like May! We were both wearing strawberry prints too, which made it more summery!

Mi had my Cinema Doll coord that’d she had helped me order on mbok, so I was a very happy bunny. We went to Vivre, the big shopping centre. It certainly seems that all the cute boys in Gunma live in Takasaki! >.<;

After some food, we went to Tower records, where I got the special edition of the Rurouni Kenshin DVD (first film I saw in Japan) and SNSD’s Seohyun ver of their new album I got a boy. Both were good prices, so I was really pleased! We headed back to Vivre, and went into Liz Lisa, a really popular brand here. It’s very Japanese, almost casual Lolita, with cute styles and colours. I ended up buying a Lucky Pack for 5,000 Yen (£45) which had over 20,000 Yen worth of stuff! Including a cream handbag, brown tartan playsuit, cream cardigan and sweater.

Just as we were heading home, we passed the Takasaki illuminations. It was the last day and we were lucky to see them! There were lots of Christmas trees, snowflakes and for some reason, dolphins! Lots of people wanted pictures of us because we were in Lolita, which was cute!

We changed out of our Lolita into normal clothes and got the train to Kiryu, where M lives and where the foreigners bar, Global Lounge is, that I’ve been to before. M went to dump her stuff, and I was first to arrive. It was bitter cold out, and the staff were nice enough to offer me a blanket.

The others arrived, and the bar suddenly went from empty from full! There was a large group of us, maybe ten or so. It was a good laugh, and I talked to lots of interesting people!

The next day it snowed, which I hadn’t believed would happen, despite everyone saying so. It came down quite fast, but it was much thicker in parts of Japan like Tokyo.

Thursday night was Trent’s birthday, so after work we went for some sushi. Despite looking for a cheaper 100 Yen place, we ended up in a more authentic restaurant, due to the lack of choice in our little town. But it was a happy accident, because the owner and his wife were lovely. I’m still not a massive fish fan, but I enjoyed it, and they even gave us it for so cheap because we were gaijin. We ended up staying for over three hours, because the owner was so sweet and so knowledgeable. He showed us the proper way to eat sushi (dip only the fish part in soy sauce, eat it in one without chopsticks, making the fish part touch your tongue first). It was a great experience of real Japan than not many gaijin get to see.

This weekend I’m taking it easy, because I’m super tired. I think it’s been over a month now since I’ve had a lazy weekend, so I plan to make the most of it!

Earthquakes, English teacher woes and transport troubles…again.

So, I mentioned before how a night out in Japan is very different from a night out back home. There are many reasons for this:

* Most likely, you aren’t fluent in reading and speaking Japanese, so it can be easy to get lost. Google maps is great (when it works) but trying to communicate to others (especially taxi drivers) where you want to go can be difficult.

*If like me, you’re used to regular trains, you might get a shock when you move to more rural Japan. Saturday train times are not great, and like home, Sundays are even worse.

*ATMs. This is a MASSIVE problem. Unlike in the UK, where you’re always a stone throw away from an ATM, trying to get money out in Japan is a nightmare- especially if it’s late at night/early in the morning. The combini (convenience stores like 7/11) are open 24/7, but for some stupid reason, their ATMs are not. Most taxis don’t accept card so if you don’t have the money, you’re stuck.

I’ve been in Japan for nearly four months now, but I still forget these details. I thought I’d learned my lesson after many times being caught short, but old habits die hard.

Before I fill you in on my eventful weekend, let me tell you about my week. It was pretty tough, with my kids really acting up more than usual. My voice was killing me from constantly shouting over the top of them. After a particularly bad class, I asked my boss for some advice about discipline. Her response was that I was too nice, and I should scold the kids more. I told her that I do, all the time, but they don’t care or take it seriously because there are no repercussions. M then told me I had to be more firm- ironic coming from someone who coddles the kids and rewards the noisy and bad ones with candy.

On Thursday I helped M with her University student so went home later than expected. Tired and cold, I was cycling home pretty much unaware of my surroundings. Wearing my ear muffs, I didn’t hear a dog barking until it was right beside my bike. Getting a shock, I lost control of my already wobbly bike and crashed into the fence. My far away eye sight is getting worse, and as it was pitch black (street lights are minimal) and the dog was black, it was hard to make out its shape and size. I knew it wouldn’t be a stray but the owner was no where in sight. It was barking and spitting at me, so I knew if I tried to cycle off or turn my back it would attack me. So I slowly walked backwards, not letting it out of my sight, using my bike as a shield. I finally had to abandon my bike near the rack and make a run for the door.

I, of course, cursed myself by thinking the week could get no worse. I had been feeling tremors all night and on the Friday I was ten minutes into my first class with my older kids when a big earthquake hit. I’d spend the previous two hours decorating the class for Christmas and as the kids screamed around me and we got under the tables, I watched my Christmas tree wobble from side to side. Things fell from the walls and the irony didn’t escape me that I was reassuringly my students it would be okay- despite this being my first time experiencing such a large quake, something they had seen many times before. I didn’t feel scared though, or maybe before I was more worried about them, I didn’t have time to feel scared. I think if I’d been at home alone it would have been different.

The earthquake finally stopped, and my kids were shouting at me for my iphone. I was confused at first, and just as I was about to hand it over, my boss called to check we were okay. Meanwhile the kids were in the office, firing up the laptop to find out how big the quake had been and if there was a tsunami alert. There’s no danger of tsunami in Gunma because we’re so inland and landlocked, but clearly they were worried because of what happened in March. I didn’t even try and stop them- they were too excitable, and I was curious myself. It turned out the epicenter was 7, but our quake was about 5- considered a weak one here, so goodness knows what a big one would feel like! I finally got my kids to sit down and distracted them with a Christmas quiz. There were aftershocks for many hours after, and I was dreading coming home to find anything broken. Luckily I had been too lazy to wash my dishes- so instead of leaving them to dry on top of the microwave, where they would have all fallen from and smashed, they were safe in the sink. A few of my books had fell from my shelves and my cupcake bank had been thrown from the TV, leaving a mark on the wall, but apart from that, nothing was amiss.

I thought I would have a relaxing and cheap weekend, seeing how next weekend I go to Tokyo. Of course, these things never turn out as planned!

I met up with T, a new ALT that has joined my boss’ company, and his friend S. It was a cold day, one of the coldest I’ve ever felt in Japan. It really was like a winter day in Scotland!

S was driving, so we went to the big Aeon Mall in Ota. I’d already went the weekend before to get some birthday and Christmas presents, so I wasn’t really needing to buy anything. I was just happy to have a look around. As always, I found myself at the pet store, where they have the cutest little puppies! They are soo expensive though, most pure breeds clocking in at around £1,800!!

I was surprised to feel a tug on my jacket while admiring the puppies, and turned to find two of my students, sisters Karin and Konoha. It’s the first time I’ve ever met my students out of class so it was pretty neat. (Konoha is one of my babies- she likes to sit on my knee during class and call me “Mama”).

Then we went and got something to eat in the food court. It was buzzing with all the holiday shoppers. I was surprised when I went last weekend, and saw the mall fully decorated Christmas style, with carols playing in the shops. Japan always surprises me, because I forget how Westernised it has become. Maybe ten years ago, Christmas wouldn’t have been as big a deal. But now commercialism means that Christmas needs to be celebrated. When asking my kids what they wanted from Santa, most of the replies were “the new Nintendo DS” or “Money!”. Despite the fact it’s not a public holiday, the Japanese had adapted the traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts.

We wish you a Many Christmas…apparently this campaign is all over Japan. You think they could have ran it by a foreigner first…

It was so cold, so we decided not to wander about the bars of Ota, and instead get a carry out and head to S’s apartment. We all got on well and had a good laugh about many things. After we had some drinks, S’s friend picked us up and took us to Sano, where there was a movie night taking place in someone’s apartment.

I’m always happy to meet new people, especially fellow foreigners. T is from Hawaii and S is from Guam. I was surprised how many foreigners we met for the movie night- about seven or eight people, mainly from America, though there was one English guy from Manchester. We watched Die Hard, which I’d seen ages ago but forgotten most of- and played a fun drinking game where we had to drink anytime there was a moustache or German spoken. Needless to say, I’d finished my two bottles of sake by the time the movie was over!

Me and T both live in Oizumi, and our train was just after ten, so we said our goodbyes and headed back into the cold. It was totally freezing, but I felt more sorry for T who is used to a tropical climate!

I still don’t know how we managed to miss our train- it’s hard to describe, but most stations in the rural areas only have one platform. We’d never been to Sano before, so we just assumed it was the same. As it was too cold to wait on the platform we stayed in the office. A train came, but it was over the other side of the tracks. Minutes later, with our train not in sight (Japanese trains are rarely late) we realised with a sinking feeling that the previous train had been ours- we were on the wrong platform.

There was another train in an hour’s time, so we used good old Google Maps to find a local bar. It was so cold, we went to the first we could find.

Another difficult thing about Japan is it’s hard to tell what bars are normal, and which are hostess. Host bars are more obvious, more glitzy and flashy. On first impressions, this bar looked normal, with a mixture of male and female sitting around. But as we sat down, and we received the familiar hand towels, appetizer and heard the owner be called Mama-san, we realised it was a hostess bar.

As I’ve said before, there’s nothing shady about these bars- you just pay more for excellent and attentive customer service and chat. It was too cold to move elsewhere, and since I’ve been in hostess bars before, it didn’t bother me. We were greeted warmly, and T filled them in on our situation (his Japanese is amazing). It was just nice to sit and be warm. I got roped into Karaoke so sang Your Song by Elton John, because I know the Japanese love that one. Then T and I ended up singing a duet of “I got you Babe” which was absolutely hilarious.

We worked out that getting the next train wouldn’t be possible, because the 2nd train we needed to get would have already left. So our only option was to wait it out until the first train at 5am. We were too far away to get a taxi home and neither of us had much money left. With this in mind, we decided the leave the Hostess bar, because our small stay had already cost us 2000 Yen each (£16- and we only had one drink).

They were really nice and ordered a taxi for us, and after a debate with the driver and consulting Google again, we found a manga cafe. Like the ones I’ve stayed in Tokyo, these can be used to surf the net, read manga or catch a few hours sleep. This cafe was much cheaper than Tokyo, only about a tenner for about five-six hours. We played some pool (I lost both times, I’m losing my touch!) had some ramen, then tried to catch a bit of sleep. Finally it was time to head for the first train. Then came our next problem. Although we had only walked five minutes from the train station to the hostess bar, then taken a ten minute taxi drive to the Cyber cafe, we were now a 50 minute walk from the train station, according to Google maps. I know, it really doesn’t make sense.

It was pitch black and freezing, but luckily (or so we thought) there was a combini around the corner. I went to lift money for the taxi, only to be greeted with an “out of hours” service message.

This is the same thing that happened to me in Kyoto, but I still can’t get my head around how the combini can be open, but the ATM won’t give money. Kind of like walking into Tesco back home and not being able to lift cash. It makes no sense and causes so much inconvenience!!

So, with about £8 between us, our only option was to walk for fifty minutes. If it had been the middle of summer, it might have been pleasant. As it was the middle of winter, and dark, Japanese countryside, it was literally a physical battle. I bought some heat packs and was glad I’d thought to wear my gloves and ear muffs. I was, however, wearing a skirt and tights, and knee high boots that I’d only personally reheeled that morning. I must have done a okay job, because they survived the trek.

I was better off than T, who didn’t even have a proper jacket, just a large sweater. We set off into the night, seeing parts of Japan I’ll never see or want to see again, passing graveyards and level crossings (which started to sound the alarm of a train approaching just as we were passing, giving me a near heart attack)

I was dreading my knees locking again like in Kyoto, but luckily only my left knee hurt, though I suspect it was more to do with the cold. I racked my brains to tell T all my funny stories that I’d gathered from Japan over these last few months. As much as I hate Google Maps sometimes, it did the job and we finally reached the train station, T’s mobile phone vocally confirming that “you have arrived” being one of the highlights of the night.

The sun was just starting to rise at 6am, and we watched it in the station office, mindful this time to be on the right platform. We finally got on the train, and thank God it was warm. We arrived at Tatebayashi and had a ten minute wait until our final train back home.

Photo can’t quite do it justice, was taken from the train so a bit squinty. Although it was a pretty sunrise, I’m not in a hurry to see it again!

There’s been many times I’ve been so happy to reach Higashikoizumi station- my first time back from Tokyo, the time I got lost walking home, my trip back from Kyoto- but I think this homecoming tops the list. It was a clear, blue skied day, crisp and cold. T and I parted ways, and I walked the last five minutes home. My apartment was freezing, the room temperature the coldest I’d ever seen it. I fired up the heating, had a quick cup of soup, then collapsed into bed.

Needless to say, I’m never leaving home again without-

*heat packs

*emergency taxi money

*iphone charger

Hopefully this will be the LAST time I have to write such a blog ^^;

There was a tree with wishes and hopes on it. I decided to add to it because I never intend to go back to Sano. Ever again.

Autumn in Kyoto!

Sorry it’s been a month since I updated! It’s been the quickest month ever! I spent about two weeks battling with a cold, so I just spend time resting. Last weekend I went to Kyoto with my friend Hannah, a trip we planned last month. Kyoto has been coined as the most beautiful city in Asia, and it’s easy to see why. I visited it briefly back in 2008 when I first came to Japan, so I was looking forward to spending a few days exploring. Friday was a national holiday here, so the school was closed and many people were off work- many people chose to travel to Kyoto, as I discovered.

Kyoto is the other side of Japan from me, so firstly I had to take my usual three trains to Tokyo. Or I should have, but upon arriving in Taetaybashi, my 2nd stop, I saw there was an express train going to Asakusa, a district near Tokyo. Deciding to take a risk, I hopped on. I had no ticket, but the conductor didn’t even check despite the journey being an hour. I had to stand because the seats were prebooked. On refection, it would have be smarter to take my normal route because there would have been a chance of getting a seat. Of course I adjusted my fare when I got off the train, so I still paid for the journey.

I then took the underground to Ueno, which I was pretty proud I managed to negotiate myself, seeing how busy it was. I arrived at to pick up my ticket an hour early. My boss had prebooked the tickets the day before for me, warning that it would be very difficult otherwise. However, I waited for forty minutes just to pick up my ticket, only for the girl behind the desk to tell me I had no ticket booked for the Shinkansen! My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Her English was poor and she basically made out I couldn’t go to Kyoto. I was close to break down, but I managed to get her to fix it, though suddenly I went from having a reserved seat to non reserved. I had no time to argue as I had to rush through the crowds and get on the train. I just made it, but because I was late due to the hold up, all the non reserved seats were taken. As a result, I had to stand for another two hours. A total of three hours standing in knee high boots was no doubt why my knee locked later on that night, and remained painful the rest of my trip.

My friend Hannah was already in Kyoto, so I decided to change into my Lolita to save some time. The reactions of my fellow passengers was priceless, and made up for the journey so far!

Kyoto station was huge and crowded, and despite Google Maps, I couldn’t find the bus I was supposed to take anywhere. After finally finding someone who worked at the station, I discovered I was at the totally wrong end of the building. I found my bus, but then the (over friendly) conductor tried to stop me from getting on because I told him where my hostel was. I finally convinced him I knew where I was going. The bus, like the rest of Kyoto, was packed, and I was squished against the door, unable to see anything. Using Google maps and IM-ing my friend, I finally got off. The good thing about Kyoto is the fare is always 220 Yen. You get on at the back of the bus, and get off at the front, paying your fare as you leave.

I got off a little too early (damn Google maps, it wouldn’t be the first or last time!) but walked a little along the road and met my friend Hannah. She was drawing a lot of attention and was just accosted by someone for a photo as I crossed the street! It was quite funny!

She’d already found the hostel so I dumped my bags. It was basic, we were in a mixed dorm. I was glad we got the top bunks because they were squeaky as anything! It wasn’t as clean as other Japanese hostels I’ve stayed in but it was just a place to sleep.

After freshening up we headed Kizomizu temple, which was a handy five minute walk away. It was about half five, and was still a little bit light. We were there for five minutes and before we managed to get someone to take our photos. He was a really nice Japanese man, and after using our cameras he started to take pictures on his own! It was pretty funny. Lots of people complimented us (I loved the old ladies the best) and we got some great photos! It became dark very quickly though!

There wasn’t as many red leaves as I had expected, but we were told it was because summer had dragged on so long this year, the seasons had been jumbled a little. Still, we saw many pretty trees, especially as the lights came on an illuminated the leaves.

There was a mystical and magical feeling walking around the temple grounds in the dark, with the red trees lit up. I guess because we were wearing Lolita it added to the fantastical factor!

We drank from a fountain that was said to give you good health, love or money- not sure which one I picked! We also wrote our wish on a wooden sign that are popular at Japanese shrines. After we had walked around the whole temple, we came out to see a massive queue forming! It seems we arrived at the perfect time and missed the rush for the illuminations!

We took some Purikura and went around the local shops. I bought a cute pink Hello Kitty backpack for £20, cheap considered to how expensive they are back home! We then headed back to the hostel to change for dinner. After some sake, we ended up in Marui 01 in Gion, and everywhere was so busy! We settled in a Japanese restaurant and had some soba noodles that Kyoto is famous for. They were good, but the portion was rather small!

Then we headed to karaoke. We had a lot of fun singing old cheesy boy band songs and some Disney duets! I ordered an ice cream because I was still hungry. It was amazing- it even had a whole bar of white chocolate in it! Oishi!!!~

The rain suddenly came down and typically I’d left my umbrella at the hostel. We took a taxi, but still got soaked walking to the hostel- I had to actually dry my hair it was dripping so much!

The next morning we got up bright and early for showers. The hostel owner never really seemed to be about, so we asked a regular where we could rent towels (as it said we could on the website). She said there was none, we had to go buy some. Not wanting to walk cross the street in my PJs, we just ended up using the sheets- they were fresh as they’d been given to us the day before. I wasn’t really impressed with the hospitality!

We bought some combini breakfast (and I bought supports for my knees- funny how this always happens to my in Kansai!) and found a local shrine to eat it at. We luckily just arrived in time to see a traditional Shinto wedding. We thought it was a funeral at first because of all the black suits and sombre expressions! It was great to be able to see it though.

We headed back to Gion, and followed the crowds to another shrine, where a festival was taking place. There were many food stalls, and we ate something delicious on a stick, as well as candy strawberries and cherries. I was happy to pick up a white kitsune (fox) keyring. There were some beautiful red leaves and we got more photos. Afterwards, we tried to find the place where we were getting our Maiko (Geisha in training) make over. Thanks to stupid Google maps, we ended up no where close. We jumped in a taxi and still made it. It was busier than I expected, with many floors, and lockers and changing rooms. First we changed into a pink, almost light dressing gown type outfit. Then we had our make up down- it was surprisingly fast, not even lasting ten minutes! We looked pretty cool with just the make up done! Due to our light coloured hair, we had opted for the full wig. I’ll be honest, I thought I would look a bit silly, but I was really taken aback how different I looked! My wig was pulled a little too tight though, and it started to give me a headache!

Next was putting on the kimono. I had picked a red one with white and black flowers. You could tell they were very old and worn but they still looked beautiful. There were many layers and it was like wearing a corset, with many cords and obi tightening the waist. Then it was back down stairs to get our photos taken- I was a little disappointed by how small the room was, and there were many groups of us crammed in. Still, we managed to get many good photos! Overall a good experience for just around £50!

It was difficult to smile, because the wig was so tight! It really made me feel for the girls who were Maiko many years ago, and had to have their hair styled and sleep in it!

The make up was a nightmare to get off, so we went back to the hostel like ghosts! After washing up, we left (there was no check out as such, the owner still wasn’t around, was pretty strange!)

We headed for food, and found what was advertised as an Italian. It was a tiny restaurant with four tables, and the menu was pretty small too. We both ordered a “mixed pizza”. It was full of things I don’t usually eat, and it arrived covered in cheese, but it was actually very tasty! The owner, an old man, was so friendly and shocked to learn we were English teachers and had travel to Kyoto.

We headed back to downtown Gion. With the strip of shops, cafes and restaurants, it was a very different Gion from what I remembered! It was super busy and trying to negotiate with our luggage was not easy! We rested in a small cafe, and had hot cakes (pancakes) and I had cinnamon tea. Then it was time for us to part ways as Hannah was going to meet her friends in Osaka!

I headed to my next hostel, once again aided by Google maps. I was shattered, my legs were aching and my phone was dying, despite using my portable battery charger. I nearly cried when the owner told me I was booked into their sister hostel, a fifteen minute walk away. It was about 9 o’clock, pitch black and I had no energy left. They gave me a massive map, and I set off once again. My sense of direction is terrible, never mind in a city full of tiny streets. I finally gave up and went into a 7/11 to lift money for a taxi, but was out of order. Desperate, I tried to buy a new phone charger, but in my tiredness bought the wrong one. Ready to give up, I managed to swap the batteries over, and walk the next ten minutes to my hostel.

I was ready to give the owner hell, but she was so lovely. Yuko-san sat me down next to a heater and got me a hot cup of tea. She immediately called me Keara-chan, which I thought was sweet. She was disappointed I was only staying for one night, and gave me a tour of the hostel. It was lovely and traditional, and I wished we’d stayed there the night before too! I was exhausted, so I happily unrolled my futon. The walls were paper thin shouji screens, but luckily I had packed my earplugs, and I fell into a deep sleep.

I set my alarm for 8am and struggled to get up. But I only had a few hours left of my stay and wanted to make the most of it. I had some tea in the hostel then headed to Nijo Castle which was a five minute walk away. I just had enough money in my purse for the entrance fee, which was lucky because I couldn’t see an ATM or combini anywhere.

It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies, which made it a little difficult to take pictures. There were many beautiful red leaves and filled up my camera with shots just of trees!

Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the castle. There were so many beautiful wall painting, of trees and birds and landscapes. It’s hard to believe people painted such things by hand hundreds of years ago, they were so perfect. There were wax dolls demonstrating the Shogun, Lords and ladies in waiting, it was really interesting to see. The info was all in Japanese but it was still amazing to see.

I planned to go to Kinkaku, the Golden Pavilion which I visited before, but my knees were both locked and I was very tired. I found a combini, got heat packs for my knees and had a large brunch in a local restaurant- fried chicken and rice, and a large bowl of soba with pork. I wanted to fill myself up so I wouldn’t need to take food onto the train with me.

Wanting to make sure I didn’t miss my train, I checked out after a warm farewell from Yuko-san. I jumped on the bus to the train station, which was prettily done up for Christmas. I visited some of the many shops to buy my boss a present- she loves the Moomins, so I found her a cute tote bag. I also got her some white plum incense. I hadn’t spent much money, so I treated myself to a pretty hair clip, a statue of Kinkaku since I didn’t visit, Hello Kitty socks and a keychain.

I arrived at the Shinkansen terminal in plenty of time, then panicked when I couldn’t see the number of my train. The place was packed, and the boards were constantly changing from English to Japanese. There were many trains leaving at once, so I discovered mine hadn’t been announced yet.

The only seat my boss could get for my return ticket was in the smoking car, but it wasn’t too bad. Not many people smoked around me and it wasn’t stuffy as I expected. I got to see out the window for the first half an hour, then a couple came and sat next to me. I arrived in Tokyo, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have done some shopping. As it was, I took the train to Ueno, then three more trains back home.

Although tiring and at some points stressful, my trip was great and I really enjoyed seeing Kyoto again! Special thanks to Hannah for making it so fun! Kyoto is the type of place you could visit year upon year and never become bored!

For those of you who are interested, here’s roughly how much a long weekend in Kyoto cost-

-Shinkansen return from Gunma- £200

-cheap hostel one night £15

-traditional Japanese hostel/ guesthouse £40

– bus fares: always 220 Yen, no matter how many stops. £1.75

-food: varies on what you eat. You can get a typical meal for under £8

-admission: the temples and castles are usually £4

– taxi: not too expensive, but depends where you go. A ten minute journey cost about £10

Google maps, although a pain, is essential for any trip to Kyoto. Not only does it help you walk to places but it can tell you what bus you can get and what time- though when Kyoto is as busy as it was when we were there, these are a guideline only!

Halloween Happenings

So like every other Western influenced country, Japan has been preparing for Halloween since the end of September. Every shop has had theme decorations, and has been selling Halloween themed goods. Pumpkin flavors are popular here, either in ice cream, cake or drinks.

So I’ve been finishing every class with a 10 minute Halloween section, using flashcards to teach my students Halloween words like ghost, witch, Jack o’ lantern, etc. My boss asked me to find a song I could teach the kids that they could perform at the Halloween Party. It wasn’t easy finding an English song that was easy enough for my Kindergarteners to memorise, but not too boring to annoy my older kids. I finally found one and taught it to my students for a month, using hand actions and flashcards to help them.

M also asked me to write a short play that we could act out for the kids and their parents. She was going as the Queen of Hearts, I as Alice and C, an ALT, was going as a wolf. I racked my brains and wrote a play that utilized the classroom English that the kids would know, but basic enough so the adults could follow. Here’s the script if you’re interested ^^

—————————————————————————————————————-

Alice: “Wait, stop, white rabbit! Where are you?”

[white rabbit drawing appears behind board]

(To audience) Alice: “Can you see the white rabbit?”

(Audience shouts, points etc)

Alice: “There it is! Wait, white rabbit!”

[white rabbit runs along board and back again]

Alice: “Everyone, can you help me? Say, stop white rabbit! Stop white rabbit!”

[white rabbit stops]

Alice: Thank you! (to white rabbit) Can you tell me how I can go home?

White Rabbit: To go home, you have to clap your hands three times, jump twice, and run in a circle!

Alice: Okay! Everyone, let’s try!

[claps hands, jumps and runs around audience]

Alice: Oh, there’s so many scary monsters!

[white rabbit disappears]

Alice: Where’s the white rabbit now?

[Enter Wolf]

Alice: Hello, Mr Wolf! Can you tell me, where am I?

Wolf: This is Genius Wonderland!

Alice: This isn’t my home! Mr Wolf, can you tell me how to go home?

Wolf: No, but I can tell you the time.

Alice: Oh? Then, Mr Wolf, Mr Wolf, What’s the time? [gets audience to help her]

Wolf: It’s three o’clock.

Alice: One, two, three [steps forward]. Mr Wolf, Mr Wolf, what’s the time?

Wolf: It’s four o’clock!

Alice: One, two, three, four. Mr Wolf, Mr Wolf, what’s the time?

Wolf: It’s dinner time!

Alice: Argh! [Wolf chases Alice around the audience]

[Alice returns to stage]

Alice: Oh, that was so scary!! I want to go home! Oh, what’s this?

[picks up something]

Alice: Everyone, I think this is a clue! Can you tell me, what is this?

[holds up red heart]

Alice: It’s a…? (audience- “red heart!”)

[Enter Queen of Hearts]

Queen: Did I hear “red heart”?

Alice: Who are you? And can you tell me, how can I go home?

Queen: I am the Queen of Hearts, and this is my world, Genius Wonderland! If you want to go home, you have to win a game!

Alice: What game?

Queen: [takes cloth off board] This is the alphabet. You have to fill in the missing letters!

Alice: Okay! (to audience) Everyone, can you help me?

Alice: [says alphabet and writes in the missing letters]

(To audience) Great, well done! (to Queen) I’m finished!

Queen: Now, you need to find the password! Use the letters to spell it out!

Alice: The password? Let’s see- E-N-G-L-I-S-H… (to audience) What does it spell?

(audience shouts ENGLISH!)

Queen: You win! You can go home!

Alice: Yay! (to audience) Thanks for helping everyone! [leaves stage]

Queen: What’s that noise?

[Enter Wolf] It’s dinnertime!!!

Queen: Argh! [runs off stage, followed by Wolf]

——————————————————————————————————————–

The good thing about it was the only props needed were the white rabbit and red heart, which was easy enough to draw. It seemed to go down well despite the fact we had no time to rehearse it!

C, me and M.

C is a former teacher, now an ALT in the local Elementary school. We spent the last week decorating the classroom- though I had the horror of coming in on the Friday afternoon to find many of the decorations on the floor, because the heat had melted away the sellotape’s hold!

On Saturday I arrived at the school at 11. My boss was running late so I started to clean the classroom. M’s mother arrived to do some gardening and gave me a huge box of tangerines for the kids. M was really stressed when she arrived. The classroom was completely transformed by black bin liners and orange tinsel. C arrived a few hours later to help out. Even though the party didn’t start until 3, time flew by. We had a rushed bento lunch, and just finished the last decorations as the kids began to arrive. I was nervous because we hadn’t practiced our play at all. Luckily it went well, and it was much easier because I had written the script myself, so easily knew the lines and could guide the others.

The kids were so cute- there was about 50 people in the room altogether. One of my girls, Yuna, was dressed in an beautiful red kimono with her hair done elaborately. When I asked her what she was, she confidently told me “Japanese Princess!”

I had to interview all the kids next, basically proving to the parents that I was actually doing my job. It involved asking the student (and their friends they had brought along) questions such as their name, age and what their costume was. I was a bit worried some of the kids would act up or refuse to come on stage, but they all did really well, even my littlest kids. After that, we played games with the kids, like Bingo and had a treasure hunt where they had to find pumpkin stickers with different words on them.

Then we took them across to the Day’s Cafe for a trick or treat. It was funny, despite it being a one minute walk, we were holding glow sticks and the like.

Then the kids sang the song, which went really well- the practice paid off! I could see the adults were pretty impressed that they managed all four verses.

Then it was time to finish. A lot of kids wanted photos with me and C, which was cute. Another girl was dressed as Alice too, which was really sweet. After they left, we tidied up the mess left behind. I was shattered by this point, having worked non stop for 7 hours. M treated me and C to a nice Italian meal, and afterwards I came home and collapsed into bed.

The next day I got up at 7am, as I was heading to Tokyo. The weather seemed cold so I got a chance to wear my new winter jacket and boots. All my trains went smoothly for once- I had to laugh, every I watch anime on my iphone there’s always a little boy next to me eagerly watching too! Just as well I’m into shounen anime ^^

I met Mi at the Donki and we went to her hotel room to dump our suitcases. We passed a few people in costumes but not as many as I was expecting! We went shopping for some last minute accessories- I got some lovely rings from Closet Child, a gold crown and rabbit that matched the print of my lolita jsk perfectly! We also got matching hair clips with the card suits on them.

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready! It was nice to take our time and not be confined to a public toilet for a change! Mi helped me with my hair as I’m hopeless with it!

It was cold but the rain was off, so I left my jacket because I was wearing a long sleeved blouse, two petticoats and tights. We got some photos near some flowers and then at the Purikura machines.

Suddenly we were running late. Dashing through the busy streets of Shinjuku in lolita while raining is not fun! My knee locked for the first time since I arrived here and I ended up in a lot of pain. We meet the other lolitas from the Tokyo International Lolita group and went together to the cafe.

The Christon Cafe has a deceiving name- it wasn’t at all what I was expecting! It was huge inside, with a Gothic cathedral feel, all stained glass chandeliers, crosses and religious statues. Photos do it little justice, but it was the perfect place for a Lolita Halloween meet up!

It was 2500Y per head, and for that there were many dishes to share between us- salad, fish, pasta, chicken, desert. The food was good though the portions were a little small for some (I’d had a Burger King a few hours before because I had a feeling that would be the case!)

It was all presented beautifully though. It was great talking to the other girls- there were many from America, but also from Mexico and Indonesia. We got talking to the two girls across from us, Kat and Kalie, who were really nice. They were students studying in Yokohama and had only been in Japan for a month.

Everyone had such well thought out and pretty coords- mines was a little too sweet for the setting, but I was happy to finally wear it! The best thing about it is that the apron can be removed, so it’s two coords in one.

We had to leave early to get our bags from the hotel. I really wanted to go back and say bye to everyone but the rain came lashing down and once we heard thunder, we decided not to risk it. I got my three trains surprisingly quickly, but the walk home in the rain with a locked knee was not the best!

I expected to sleep til late today, but I awoke at 10am and decided to get up and clean my apartment, because I’d not had a chance to do it at the weekend. Then I had to gut the school at work from all the leftover mess we hadn’t touched after the party. Needless to say, I haven’t had much rest this weekend, and I’m looking forward to doing sweet nothing this Saturday coming!

All in all, it was a very Happy Halloween! I keep forgetting that the actual day hasn’t happened yet!