September 12th - 14th
MON. TUES. WED. at JHS #2
With Sports Day scheduled for the weekend my school week schedule was altered. On Monday and Tuesday I had classes to work in, and on Wednesday the whole day was dedicated to Sports Day Rehearsal. It's really fun to experience this aspect of Japanese culture. The video I linked in the post, Day Off , shows you what a typical Sports Day event is like. It's more intense than the American Field Day's I remember attending as a junior high school student.
I spent my hours after school by running, cooking, and watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
I spent my hours after school by running, cooking, and watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
New Bike
I had the day off due to my schedule being adjusted for Sports Day events at school. I got a lot of things done and had a nice time relaxing.
I made my first BIG purchase, too. I finally invested in a bike. I think I've done a pretty good job of exploring the area around me by foot. I have a decent sense of direction and I can find my way around. I'm finally ready for more mobility. I bought this bike for two reasons.
1) To reduce the amount of time it takes me to get from point A to point B.
2) To be able to attend tennis league on Friday's.
Purchasing this bike was an experience. It was a task to say the least. Through my walks around my neighborhood I knew I had two options when it came to buying this bike. I could walk to the second hand store, Book Off, where I bought my golf clubs and buy a used bike; or I could buy a new bike from the bike shop just down the street. Through my research online I found out that buying a bicycle in Japan requires a little bit of paperwork. I'm glad I found this out before hand. At least I knew what I was coming into. In Japan bikes must be registered, just like cars. Buying a brand new bike like I did allowed me to pay for the registration at the time of purchase (an additional 500 yen). It was a lot easier than purchasing a used bike and doing a registration transfer. Everything I read online about buying a used bike required me taking a trip to my city ward office to register myself as the new owner of the bike.
I decided that because of my limited Japanese language ability and the fact that I didn't know exactly where the ward office was, I'd be better off buying the bike new. The student from school that had recommended bikes for me to consider, also gave me a great piece of information. He said that in September many bike stores have sales because they are trying to get rid of the old models to make room for the new ones. He was totally right! The bike I purchased was on sale and I paid less than I was anticipating. I probably still paid more than other people would have paid, but due to: my lack of Japanese ability; the fact that I was by myself; and that tennis league was tomorrow, I'm happy with my purchase. I also am extremely grateful for Google Translator and my iPhone camera.
Purchasing the bike went like this:
- Browse the store.
- Decide between the shiny black bike & the matte black bike.
- Decided on the shiny black bike because it was in my price range. Took a picture of the price tag and the bike.
- Walked up to the counter.
- "Konichiwa!" -- I startled the sales representative. "Gomen'nasai. Watashi wa nihongo ga hanasemasen." I then showed him a picture of the bike I wanted to buy. "Kau, onegaishimasu."
- He nodded and retrieved his calculator. With tax included he showed me the price.
- I nodded, "Hai. Onegaishimasu."
- He went to retrieve the bike. He laid out paperwork in front of me.
- I filled out my name, address, and telephone number.
- He asked me a question and then pulled out his Google Translator.
- I nodded, and agreed to pay for the registration. "Hai! Onegaishimasu."
- The other sales representative finished wiping down and doing a safety check over my bike.
- They motioned to the door and wheeled my bike outside.
- I said, "Sugoi! Domo arigatogozaimashita!", and was on my way.
I am now the proud owner of a bicycle. I cannot remember the last time I owned my own bike. It's liberating and unbelievably scary. I was just getting to the point where I felt comfortable navigating my way by foot. Now, I have two wheels and am much more aware of how many people are around.
Ki o tsukete - watch out!
Friday, September 16, 2016
School Day at JHS #2
On Friday I had a normal day at school. I worked in a few classes and helped some kids practice their speech for the upcoming citywide speech contest. When I got home from work I did a little grocery shopping and then started making my "bento" for tomorrow's school day. I finally learned how to make sushi rice and construct my own onigiri. I also crafted a fan that I could use to cheer for the teams during their sports day practice. In the evening I rode my bike to tennis league and had a great night hitting with everyone. I was able to use the coach's racket again and killed it! It felt so good to drive shots and hit with top spin. I had the best time! I also practiced my Japanese ...
Ball ikimasu - ball coming.
