Beginning to feel it...

I'm beginning to get the feeling that I need to get out of Japan for a few weeks, or at least out of Toyama. The past few months have been really great, some of the best times that I have had in Japan.

However, I realised today that my genkiness levels are definitely low. For two reasons: 1)teaching my first-graders is usually good fun, but today it was a little draining; 2) it's Friday and all I feel like doing is going to bed this evening, when usually I'm itching to have a drink or two.

Time is ticking by...

Yes it is!!! My god time is going fast! Having done one year in Japan, I have found that this second year is already flying by at alarming rate. Having a quick look back at past entries in this blog has made my realise how quickly everything has happened since this second year stint in Japan started at the beginning of August.

Currently stressing about my Japanese test! Have been extremely chilled about it until recently; but since last night that has all changed since the realisation of the greatness of the task ahead and the shortness of time dawned on me.

So as a result, like this hibernating door mouse (kindly see picture opposite) I have decided to shun the outside world and only be seen out in day or moonlight on extremely rare occasions (tomorrow's thanksgiving dinner being one) or when disturbed by passing ramblers.

Unlike this door mouse, however, my aim will be to keep my eyes open for some of the time.

Rhapsody on Route 8

The Bento boys are straight out of the studio with their phat new track - 'Rhapsody on Route 8'; a homage to life in Japan as an ALT with attitude.

The Bento Boys have confided that they feel that they've have grown mentally, physically and musically since the last track 'I wanna Bento', adding that this new track is some of the 'funkiest shit we have ever done. We just hope that this music might bring some peace to the world'.

It's available to download here:
http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2HHKJJ145C9S406SG7XTZZVD4U

Another weekend of craziness!

It's Monday morning and in need of a bit of a rest after the weekend. Managed to do two taiko performances (one for the grand opening of a new community centre; the other for what appeared to be an old granny festival); fit in a band practice; go on the kurobe railway; finish off the recording and editing of the new Bento track; and get a little bit tipsy at a nomihodai.

All-in-all a very good weekend!

The Band: Niikawa now has its very own gaijin rock band, who are currently in the process of rehearsing for the international dinner at Colare (in Kurobe) in December. We'll be playing well-known traditional Christmas songs in a not-so well-known style. The line-up is as follows:

Lee 'holler' Randall - Lead vocals, guitar
Mark 'strummer' Seymour - Lead guitar, backing vocals?
John 'finger-pickin good' Penewit - bass, backing vocals?
Rob 'syncopation' Szeliga - keyboards, backing vocals?
Adam 'animal' Matthews - Drums, handclaps, backing vocals?

We are currently rehearsing in a Christian (!) church in Nyuzen.

Kurobe railway: Managed to fit a visit up the Kurobe gorge to have a 'butcher's' (trans: look at, investigate) at the koyo (trans: autumn leaves). Very impressive. It is the perfect time to go up there, as the snow is appearing on the mountains and the leaves are at their most colourful. It is really is absolutely breath-taking, and a million miles away from the urban sprawl of Toyama.

Bento update: The new bento track is nearly ready for release, just a little bit of final mixing and fiddling around and it should be up on this site by the end of the week.

Taiko: Two concerts in one weekend! A new record!

Nomihodai: Friday night was spent eating and drinking at a really cool restaurant in Funami. The food was amazing and we were even treated to a little shamisen performance by one of the waiters! Yosh!

It's getting cold!!

I turned my heater on for the first time this week and rather than being happy about the fact that the ski season is drawing closer, I actually felt a little sad that autumn has finished and winter is now upon us.

Last year I went back to England for Christmas and I will never forget the first night back in my apartment in Japan. It was absolutely freezing!! I spent the night dressed in my ski clothes (including hat and gloves) wondering what the hell was going! It is a night that keeps flashing back whenever I feel the slightest chill. It's happened a few times this week!

Another week goes by...

Another week has flown by. Have absolutely no idea where the time goes at all!

So here's a list of things that I've been up to the last week or so:

1. Working on the new Bento Brothers track. As soon as it is ready for release it will no doubt be posted on this blog for your listening pleasure. The Bento Brothers are being particularly secretive about this one and have refused to comment on it at all, other than mention that it does 'rock the jams'.

2. 'Robot fest'. The lunatics took over the asylum down near Toyama airport as all sorts of robots (and not so-robots) were packed into a big hall.
Incidently, a good game to play is 'real or robot' - an enthralling game where contestants have to decide if the object in front of them is a real person or a robot. This game proves particularly difficult when driving along the expressway and deciding whether the 'wavey-hand men' are real or robot. Please try it- it really passes the time on long car journeys. (Sunday)
3. School: Ticking by nicely, although the timetable keeps on getting changed and sometimes it's difficult to keep track of what lessons I have and haven't taught!

4. Elementary school concert: My elementary school had a concert to thank all the people who came and worked there (including your humble blog-writer). I had absolutely no idea until I found myself in a room of suited Japanese being briefed on what was coming up, and then walking into a hall full of people applauding. I was the only one not wearing a suit, having decided that morning to go casual - black and rather tatty leather jacket and all! Whoops! But all went well despite said cock-up! (Saturday)5. TV interview: Yes another one! This is getting ridiculous! But this time I had to talk about my school in England, which people are absolutely fascinated about in Japan as it looks very similar to Hogwarts from Harry Potter. They also told me that from now on they want me to do an interview every month about something else about English life! Yikes! So next month, ladies and gentlemen - the drinking culture in England! (Friday)

6. Noticing how quickly the weather is changing...winter approaching!

Weekend musical bonanza...

From the Monday with the Terauchi concert all the way to my koto debut on Sunday - this week has been extremely musical.

Slightly tired after the previous night's Queen concert, Friday night saw the Bento Boys and others playing Bananas for the JET Halloween party. Really good night, lots of drinking and dancing - exactly what a good night should have!

Saturday morning, still feeling surprisingly genki after last night's escapades I found myself sitting in the staff room of Asahi Junior High twiddling my thumbs and thinking about the previous night!!! Quite funny, as still think I must have been slightly tipsy since I couldn't stop tapping my foot and dancing to the imaginary beat (or the telephone ringing, the photocopier, or the Kocho-sensei MC-ing the days important notices). By the afternoon, however, was feeling slightly worse for wear as I sat through the three-hour marathon that is the Singing contest.
By evening was feeling slightly better and Rob and I ended up having a drink or two at some of Asahi's world-famous watering holes.

Sunday - fully rested after the crazy previous few days it was time to get myself calm and compsed for my koto debut. For those of you who don't know, the koto is a kind of Japanese 13 stringed-harp. It would also be my first time in a kimono, which certainly proved quite a big deal for the four oba-chans who dressed me. They were arguing and pushing me around, fussing over every little knot and detail.

Despite a number of mistakes and a slightly awkward final bow (which had the audience laughing at my confusion) the concert was a great success. It felt a million miles away from both the Queen concert on Thursday and Friday night's Halloween party - dancing like an alcohol-crazed nutter.