#66 - Sendai

On Monday 18th February, I boarded the bullet train and moved to Sendai.

My apartment is approximately 8 tatami mats in size. You enter into the kitchen on the right hand side with the shower room and the toilet on the left. Straight ahead you enter the living area. Thankfully there is a chest of drawers and two small bookshelves, as well as the futon, small carpet and a TV. A sliding glass door leads out onto the balcony, and from there I can see towards the subway station and big shopping stores.

Outside of my apartment is a Lawson store about 50 metres away. There is a small 100 yen shop a short 1 minute walk away. The area is quite far from work so I have to take the subway to get there, but it is very convenient and I can easily cover my basic needs.

The weather in Sendai is cold! It has snowed every day. It wasn't heavy, but very light, almost like rain. Yesterday and today though the snow has been heavier. Sendai's temperature hovers around freezing point, so there is snow dust but it then melts slightly and turns to ice, then snows again. Either way, it can be cold outside!

I have got an iPhone 5 on contract which is great because I can look at maps as well as keep in touch with people relatively cheaply (apart from the monthly bills!). My old Japanese bank account was still open, and I have approximately 80 000 yen inside so that was a nice bonus and means I do not have to open another account. I do not have any internet for my apartment but I can use tethering from my iPhone to create a mini hotspot which means I can connect to the internet with any device as long as I use the password! It is limited but I do not use much bandwidth usually, so overall I am happy with this!

I have finished the first week of work, which was a little difficult, but I enjoy being there and my colleagues are very friendly and are always happy so I feel very welcome. I have had my two consecutive days off a week which is great because it means that, later in the year, I would be able to visit my new friends in Tokyo area or further away without having to necessarily rush back in the same day.

I would have liked to have uploaded some photos, but I have misplaced my connection lead for my camera the my laptop. I hope I can find it soon!

#65 - A Walk around Omiya

I am currently staying in an area called Omiya in the greater Tokyo area, about 25km north of central Tokyo. It is an active commercial centre in the area and has good infrastructure. Because today was a free day, I went to head to the shrine and park and walked around a bit.

Hikawa Shrine (氷川神社) is a Japanese shinto shrine. The district of Omiya literally means "great shrine". This name was the result of Emporer Meiji who raised Hikawa above all other shrines in the Kanto region. There is a long avenue with three large torii gates. The shrine was actually much bigger than I thought it would be, which was a nice surprise! There were also a lot of people about in the day and long lines to receive fortunes and to pray. Here are a few pictures:

Temple entrance

In the middle of the grounds

Main shrine

As we walked past the shrine we came into the park area and a little bit further we found the Omiya Park Zoo! It is a small area with quite a few enclosures of different animals, like monkeys and birds. As it was part of the park there was no entrance fee so we just had a look around. There was a small section of benches with lots of people and kids around. The kids were given guinea pigs to hold and pet which was quite cute to watch.

Omiya Park Zoo

Diamond Doves

Japanese Monkeys

We wandered back into the main town area to look for something to eat and came across a smallish eatery. I had a chicken, egg and rice dish, with a side of miso soup. It was so delicious! And cheap! We also had a quick look at some shops and stores before heading back, buying food from the supermarket and coming home.

Yummy!

Overall it was a very fun day! Even though I will not be in the area for too much longer, I got to explore and find my way around some more and see some interesting things!

#64 - British Food

This morning it was snowing, but it wasn't as much as was anticipated. I helped to clear some of the snow and slush away from the path and road and by the neighbours, which was hard work, actually!

This afternoon I went with a group to Hub which is a British-style pub. You can order food, too, which is pretty interesting. I had some fish and chips bites. I was really hungry at the time but the portion was very small! Nonetheless, it was very tasty!

Tomorrow I will have a long day. I have been reading some books and files I brought with me, specifically about lesson planning and speaking activities for ESL.

It is really cold outside and also in the room! The heaters we have are okay but they do not do a fantastic job of heating the floor or the  futons. I now have another blanket to sleep in, so hopefully it will be a lot warmer - but the room will still be cold in the morning because we shouldn't leave the heater on overnight!

Goodnight, readers!

#63 - Touchdown in Tokyo

I am now in Japan.

The flight was good. I clear in First Class which was very interesting. My chair folded out into a bed so I had a few hours sleep but I didn't manage to get much. The food was really nice and my seat was facing towards the windows so I had a nice view.

Right now I have just finished eating cup noodles. I went to he local store to buy food and got some peppermint tea too!

Tomorrow it is supposed to snow a lot so I might have to help to clear the snow from outside. I hope it is not too cold at night!

#62 - Last full day in the UK

I planned to finish packing and have everything ready so that the day before I leave, I can relax. Of course, it didn't really happen that way, though. I still have to pack over half of my things, which means it's going to be a very busy day!

I will be heading into town shortly to meet a friend for coffee and also to do a little last minute shopping for basic clothes.

It still doesn't really seem real that I am moving to Japan tomorrow. I am sure that in the morning or on the flight I will be panicking and stressing out!