Otsukare Kai - おつかれ かい

Beer Garden, Colet Department Store, Kokura Station

click here for the link

Once I got back to Japan I had a day before I had to report into the office for training, meetings, and VISA paperwork. I think the saying is, "I hit the ground running."

On Friday, May 26th I had a branch meeting and training session in Kokura. I had things to attend from morning until late afternoon so I packed my bag for the whole day.

I took a train out to Kokura and it felt like second nature. I was happy that I didn't feel out of place or as lost as I was expecting to.  I didn't even mind commuting during the heavy foot traffic hours. I squished into the train right alongside everyone else. For those of you who don't know, tight spaces or heavily crowded situations are usually things I stay away from. So the train commute was a small victory for me.

The meeting and training session went really well. I was happy to receive my school placement, materials, and new information about the upcoming school year.  I'm anticipating this year to be extremely busy, but that's good because it means that I'm actually carrying out English activities and lesson plans. I'm super excited!!!

After all of the work was done most everyone made their way to the Otsukare Kai, which translates roughly to "Thank you for the work you will do this year" party. 

The party venue was awesome --- Rooftop Beer Garden. 

Beer Gardens are frequented during the summer months and are extremely popular in Japan. Last year I wasn't able to visit any, so I was really excited when I found out about this party's location.

For this location [Beer Garden 12F, Colet Department Store, Kokura] we were charged 4,000 yen ($40) for 2 hours of all you can drink & eat. There was a variety of food offered including rice, curry, yakisoba, chicken, seafood, chilled vegetables, tofu ... etc. The drinks were what was impressive. There was ice cold beer on tap and an almost full bar (no tequila, just whiskey, vodka, and Japanese spirits) that you could serve yourself! --- I've always wanted to be a bartender so I was thrilled!

This was definitely my favorite work party to date. I really loved catching up with the office staff and returning teachers, as well as meeting all of 1st year teachers. 

I can't stress enough how much I am looking forward to this year. This party was exactly what I needed. Here are the pictures from the event ...

Mixed: Jim Beam, Soda Water, & Grapefuit 

When Yutaro, one of the restaurant staff asked if we wanted our picture taken we couldn't resist.

Umeshu on the rocks.

Guide to drinking umeshu.

Friends from the start. --- Sagittarius x2 

Totemo tanoshi desu.

とても たのし です。

So much fun.

Returning to Japan

AUS > DFW > NRT > FUK

24+ hours of travel time

Returning to Japan after my month and a half vacation in the US was not easy. First of all, I was emotionally torn. I loved seeing my family & friends, and being in a country where I could understand the language. But, I was ready to get back to my apartment where all my things were and where my routine was waiting for me. 

Secondly, I ran into a lot of complications. Usually my travels are extremely enjoyable and seamless. This time was different. I've debated on listing out the issues I ran into because I really want to put this trip behind me. With that said, I'm going to share them anyway because I'm hoping I'll find humor in the whole situation soon. So here's my list ... 

*Disclaimer - I still love traveling and I will continue to travel.

1. Austin, TX (AUS) - checked baggage was overweight by 1lbs. I ditched my magazines and additional English material in order to make weight and avoid paying extra baggage fees.

Saved $180.00.

2. Dallas, TX (DFW) - the flight was first delayed by an hour ... so I returned to the lounge to wait. No big deal.

3. DFW - the flight was delayed once again. This time it was for 5 hours. I spent 3 of the 5 hours waiting in line to make changes to my connecting flights in Tokyo (NRT) and Fukuoka (FUK). For the last 2 hours I went back to the lounge. 

Slightly bigger deal.

4. DFW - when the agent scanned my boarding pass it was not recognized. It turns out that I was not registered for the flight. They agents adjusted my ticket and secured a seat for me.

THANK YOU!

5. DFW - boarded the plane and took my seat. Went to sleep and woke up to an announcement that our flight would be delayed while the crew removed luggage from the plane. Apparently a passenger did not board the plane and the policy is for their baggage to be removed.

Understandable.

6. NRT - due to the delay and my rescheduled connection, I had to cancel my hotel in Fukuoka outside the window of free cancellation.

Took an "L" on that one.

7. NRT - landed in Tokyo. Made it through immigration. Went to retreive my luggage and only one bag was circling on the carousel. An agent approached me and asked if I was waiting for another bag. As I followed her I quickly realized that my bag was not in Tokyo.  This was the bag that contained all of my clothes and shoes.

Bummer.

8. NRT - the moment I realized that my baggage was the baggage that was removed from the flight because they originally had me as a passenger that did not board the flight.

****!

9. NRT - after a couple of hours of sleep in the complimentary hotel, I took the shuttle to the Domestic Terminal at NRT to make my re-scheduled connecting flight to FUK.

Just a little sleepy and uncomfortable but I made it!

Eventually I made it back to my apartment and settled in. I was able to adjust to the time difference and actually catch up on sleep. My baggage was delivered to my apartment a couple of days later and I've never loved a bag more. 

As crazy and unnerving as this whole experience was, it had some really great moments. I'd be remiss if I didn't list them out. So here are my trip highlights ...  

1. My travel outfit was just what I wanted. UNIQLO pieces and Adidas shoes. 

Monochromatic.

2. Used my Priority Pass to access lounges. 

Wifi, coffee, and wine.

3. Met the most fun group of Deep Sea Oil Drilling professionals. We bonded during our 3 hour wait in line and then went out for Texas BBQ. Their field of industry is really interesting.

Best 'last meal' in Texas.

4. The 13 hour flight from DFW to NRT was so comfortable.

Movies On Demand.

5. The moment when you ask a flight attendant for more wine and they fill the entire glass.

Made my trip!

6. Had a credit added to my account for my connecting flight from NRT to FUK. I was able to purchase a hot cocoa and water bottle. 

Great start to an early morning!

7. Silver lining moment --- because my baggage was still in transit, my commute from the airport to my apartment was a little easier. Ok, it was a whole lot easier.

Cup's half full.

So after it's all be said and done, I had a wonderful trip.  Nothing about this was life threatening, only slightly inconvenient.  The most important thing is that I made it back safe and sound. I definitely learned a lot from this whole experience. I'm looking forward to putting my knew knowledge into practice for my summer vacation trip ... stay tuned!

"Traveling outgrows its motives. It soon proves sufficient in itself. You think you are making a trip, but soon it is making you - or unmaking you." - Nicolas Bouver, The Way of the World.

Letter to Family & Friends

Before I begin, let me say that coming home was more than worth it. I'm glad I did. I'm thankful that I was able to see my family and friends in person. FaceTime, iMessanger, Skype, Snapchat ... etc., every form of social media helps, but nothing compares to a hug and time spent in person. I'll never take that for granted again. 

8 months is a long time to be away. Even though I love, absolutely love, what I am doing here in Japan, I can't help but realize all that I am missing. I try my best to stay up to date with popular culture and what's going on in my family & friend's lives, but I still miss things. There is this period of time that I'm not a part of because I'm choosing to be somewhere else. By no means am I regretful of my decision to be in Japan, I'm just well aware of what it's costing me. 

So whenever I do decide to come home, I look forward to embracing all that's changed and learning how to live in the US again. There's going to be a readjustment period and I'll have to fight some of my developed habits, but it will be worth it. 

For now though, I'm in Japan and I'm happy. I'm happy to have the opportunity to live here again. I'm happy to be an ALT for my students. I'm happy to be a resident tourist and aspiring Japanese speaker. I'm happy to say that I'm taking another year abroad. 

And lastly, to all of you who are reading this and following my Journey through Japan, THANK YOU! It means more to me than you'll ever know --- seriously.

XOXO

Traditional Japanese Food - Washoku

Before returning to the US for vacation I had lunch with a couple of my Japanese friends.  They took me out to a restaurant that offered a variety of traditional Japanese food so I could pick something authentic for my 'last meal'. Traditional Japanese style food is called washoku (わしょく). Here's what our table looked like ...

Traditional Japanese Meal Sets 

On the way back to my apartment they took me through an area that had some cherry blossoms in bloom. I loved seeing the tree lined streets speckled with the pink and white blossoms. I cannot explain how disappointing it was to find out that my trip to the US was during the time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Japan. I guess this just means I'll have to stay long enough next year to see them!

Sakura (cherry blossom trees)

Sakura (cherry blossom trees)

It didn't take my friends in Japan long to find out how much I love Starbucks. Before dropping me off at my apartment to finish packing for the US, they took me to pick up a latte. I was so happy! Any excuse to go Starbucks is fine with me. And I'm not exaggerating when I say how impressive Japanese Starbucks stores are. They're always clean, inviting, and you never have to wonder if you're picking up your drink or someone else's. They have a queue system that I wish the US would adapt.

So with my Starbucks and genuine excitement to be returning to the US to see my family and friends after 8 months, I was packed and ready for the airport in no time.

Futajima Starbucks, Kitakyushu, Japan

Hanami - はなみ

Here are the pictures from my last field trip with my Japanese Conversation Class before I headed to the US for vacation.

After our class toured the TOTO Museum -- which was one of my most favorite experiences -- we had a Hanami picnic at Kokura Castle.  Even though it was a gloomy rainy day, we had a wonderful time sharing food, conversation, and the scenery. The cherry blossoms weren't quite in full bloom, but they were still beautiful to see.

I'm hoping that next year I'll be in Japan during the cherry blossom season. It really is the best time of year. The weather is crisp and cool and you can feel spring time in the air. The pictures I've seen from friends are breathtaking --- streets lined with the blooms of all shades of pink and white.  It seems magical. I'm going to do my best to see them next year.

Japanese Conversation Class

さくら - sakura (cherry blossom)

はなみ - Hanami (spring time celebration of cherry blossoms)

Japanese picnic food - おにぎり(onigiri - rice ball), pasta salad, からげ (karage - fried chicken), たまご tamago (rolled egg), and fried potato (french fries).

Kokura Castle Hanami Festival

After the picnic with the Conversation Class finished, Shoko-san and I went out for something sweet. We went to Moby Dick, a restaurant inside Kokura River Walk. We sat at a table that overlooked Kokura Castle and were able to see the Hanami Festival from above. We shared a pan of smore's pancakes and talked about all of our favorite memories. As happy as I was to be going to the US, I was sad to be leaving Shoko-san. If it wasn't for her help and guidance, I wouldn't have seen near as much of my town and I definitely wouldn't know the amount of Japanese that I know.  

Kokura Castle Hanami Festival