A friend asked me “are you really that desperate to go back to Japan?”. Well, yes. Yes I am.
The next plan is pretty simple. Work work work work. Get some money. Pay off my debts here and then save up as much as possible for…
A year on a working holiday visa.
So, bring it on, 日本! I’ll be seeing you guys soon!
Interac 2010
So here I am, back in Tokyo after almost a year and a half of absence. What’s changed? Nothing.
The girls are still adorably dressed, with friends perfectly happy to walk around in exactly the same outfit. The trains are still insanely busy, business men still walk around snorting down your earhole rather than blowing their nose, and surprisingly, food and drink prices are the same. Ah Tokyo… sparkle sparkle. I’m home.
Night view from my hotel
So, I’ve been staying in the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. I’m right over Shinagawa station, so I could watch the Yamanote line and the Shinkansen coming and going all day if I wanted to. Since it’s the weekend and the rush hour probably isn’t as bad/doesn’t exist, it’s not as fun to watch 
I got here on the morning of the 19th, yet wasn’t allowed to check in until 2pm. After about 24 hours of travelling and no sleep on the plane, this was really tough. I hate to admit it, but do you know what I did? I got snacks and went to sleep. Shame on you, Jennifer.
Day view from my hotel
I did finally emerge on the 20th, however. I got up bright and early (yes, really!) and went out to those old favourites, Shibuya and Harajuku. I didn’t take any photos, but those of you who know me will have had Shibuya shoved in your faces every week before anyway! I was still sleepy and aching from the flight (in which there was NO CHEESE!), so I didn’t stay out for long before coming home and sorting stuff out into Niigata and training piles.
Right, I have lots to do… so I’m going to make this quick. Here are some pictures of things I did and places I saw today I hit up Asakusa, Shinjuku and Shinjukugyoen. Check it.
Asakusa
Asakusa
Asakusa
Shinjukugyoen
Shinjukugyoen
Koi
With only nine days to go things still don’t seem real. It doesn’t feel like I’m packing up my life in the UK into two suitcases, saying goodbye to everyone, and beginning a job as a teacher. I’m now going to have to be financially responsible, and act as a role model in my city 24/7. I can see those of you who know me rofling in the back.
Despite the fact I’m about to have another amazing year, at the moment it’s being clouded by serious business and saying goodbye to things! I’m unfortunately having to find another home for my darling gerbils, and in the past few days have waved goodbye to my fingernails. Nervousness is not a good look!
I think I have all of the important and vital stuff sorted. Visa gets!
Instructor Visa
I’m also now legally allowed to drive in a LOT of places! This explains the smugface.
Smugface has an IDP
In Waterstones the other day, I came across this book. I had some pennies left to spend on a gift card so I picked it up.
Booky Wook
Apart from this, I seem to have sorted out everything else documenty. I have my flight ticket printed, and my hotel confirmation. I’ve also written down all of the Narita Express and Limousine bus times for when I land.
All I need to do now is start packing… I’ll be taking two suitcases. Bring on dragging two of those behind me through an airport!
In other fantastic news, two of my best mates received their working holiday visas! I’ve been mates with Carly for about 5 years and she’s like my twin sister, I love her to bits. I believe I’ve known Gaby for 3 years, and I love her to bits, too! They’ll both be in Tokyo which is way too far away from me for my liking. In the UK we normally spend our time together being hilarious at anime conventions. And now we can do it in Japan! This is really the only post-able photo I have of us, and it’s from summer 2009!
Me, Carly, Gaby
One of my fellow Interac-ers, Gwynnie, heard that her placement had changed today. I know that placements can be in flux right up until the training session. I’ve quite come around to living in Agano now, though. So I hope I don’t get changed (again!). It looks really beautiful and I’ll be very close to Niigata city for the community. I’ve already met an experienced Niigata Interac-er who I hope will take me under his wing and show me the wild side of the mini Honshu!
All I really have left to do now is concentrate on spending time with those I’ll be saying goodbye to soon. I have three days in Tokyo… so any of you Interac-ers who are arriving early (I know there are a couple of you), let’s meet up in Tokyo!
9 Days.
I stole this from Hannah, a girl I met at my interview in Oxford who’s going to be teaching in Yamagata, the prefecture next to me. I thought this was a really cute idea! Most people will know I’m not too positive about England, so let’s see what I’ll miss! This is in NO particular order…
Mmm...
1. CHEESE! Oh God how I love cheese. Cheddar is normally the cheese of choice, being the cheapest and most readily available. Cathedral City being the favoured brand of my household. However, I do love other cheeses, particularly emmental. Cheese is pretty hard to get hold of in Japan, and is ridiculously expensive. Even if you do fork out for a bit of “Australian” cheddar or emmental, you wonder if it was worth the 800Yennies for the tiny 3x2x0.5 inch bit. Probably not…
On top of this, I’m also going to miss all of the ridiculously expensive and plasticy processed childrens’ cheese products.
Tea (with optional Digestive)
2. A proper cup of tea! My Mum is officially the best tea maker I know. After letting the teabag sit for a few minutes, she squeezes the life out of it, ensuring she extracts all the tasty tea-making properties out of it. I also enjoy the tasty digestive in this photo.
Jeremy Kyle
3. The Jeremy Kyle Show (and other quality British TV programmes). One thing the Brits can do is provide pretty good TV, if you’re a student. I have a lot of spare time right now, and TV has been a very good friend! Sad? Definitely. Jeremy Kyle is my daily must see between 1:30 and 3:45. Basically, standard chav scum go on his talk show and air their dirty laundry in public and it’s bloody brilliant. Oh how I shall miss Jezza, Come Dine With Me, Take Me Out, The Inbetweeners, Mock The Week, 8 out of 10 Cats and the Mighty Boosh.
Emo Kitty
4. Emoooo. Okay, so I’m not an expert, and most of the time I’m hardly “alternative”. But I love a good ALTernative night out. I don my eyeliner, backcomb my hair to almost Amy Winehouse height, and rock on down to Subway City or the O2 Academy. I’m not ashamed to say I love emo boys… and also emo bands! I’ll miss that whole scene in Japan. I’ll miss having random hair and being able to show my body mods, too 
Somehow I don’t think any clubs in Niigata will play anything emo, or even my favourite band – ELLIOT MINOR (nom).
Finally, I think I’ll miss people the most. Losing Rodg has had two effects. On the one hand, it makes me value the relationships I have, and yet on the other hand, I’ve become more complacent about Japan. Yes, I’m moving 6000+ miles away, but that’s all it is. Putting up photos of all the people I’m going to miss would make this too photo heavy, and who knows if they’d want their photos up here! So the biggest props go to my mummy and daddy and little brother, my boyfriend,the tripod, the iCrew/my UK con friends, and my gerbils Humbug and Nibbler. The rest of you sexual beings I’ll be seeing on the Nihon flipside.
Vince Noir's thought for the day
First and foremost, I want to say a big ありがとうございます to all of you who’ve been commenting my posts recently. This experience is a rollercoaster at the moment, and having the support of my soon-to-be fellow ALTs is a really big help. I met some of my very dearest friends in Japan, so let’s make it another year (maybe more) of adventures and fantastic memories.
So, back on track, I’ve got three days all on my lonesome to get back in touch with my Keio exchange roots. Anyone who wants to solve this *lonesome* issue let me hear you shout “woooooo Japan!”. 3 days just doesn’t seem to be enough to fit in everything and everywhere I want to see again before training. In a pretty vague, disorganised list form, I really want to hit 渋谷, 慶應大学, 原宿, 浅草, みなとみらい
Shibuya, Keio University, Harajuku, Asakusa, and Minato Mirai.
I’m very excited to be staying on a Yamanote line stop, as (those of you who spend enough time with me will know) I have a habit of singing ALL of the stations on the Yamanote line along to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. I have a habit of getting stuck at Shin-Okubo though >.< Just try it… I guarantee you’ll be hooked or disgusted at the sweetness. I swear to God I just watched this three times in a row!
Things to do include meeting up with any friends who may be in the area, shopping, drinking, karaoke, shrines and SWEET FACTORY. I’ll save the big details for when I actually get out there and take my own photos, though!
For those of you who don’t know Sweet Factory, let me help you out. Having looked at the website, it turns out it’s a sister company of a British one! Thank the Brits for spreading the message of “pick n mix sweets = win” around the world! Me and my dormmate Kris used to spend obscene amounts of yennies here getting our sugar fix inbetween going on the rides and shopping. Their slogan is “Eat Sweets, Be Happy”. This is my life motto!Here’s the website if you want some excitement: http://www.sweetfactoryjapan.com.
In tune with my current video posting, if you’d like to see a fun trip out to Minato Mirai, check out this video. It involves me, Rodg, Kris and Esben all going on a trip. I definitely recommend checking Yokohama out if you get the chance and riding “banishu” – Vanish!
I hope these amazing videos make up for the lack of pictures in the blog 24 days to go…
I received an e-mail this morning from Interac – my position in Agano has been confirmed and I need to arrive into Japan on March 22nd for training at the Narita View Hotel! This is it, it’s all settled, here I go, back to Japan XD
Coventry
March 18th
I say goodbye to my hometown of Coventry, middle England, and make the journey to London Heathrow airport. I’ll be flying with Virgin Atlantic, so at least it’s a direct flight The flight takes 12 hours from the UK, although sometimes you get a little treat when you get on the plane and the captain says it’s 11 and a half hours. I’ll probably stay up the night before so I pass out and sleep for most of the flight XD Although I’m sure that won’t be hard, I’m already bouncing off the walls!
Narita Airport
March 19th
I land in Narita airport very early in the morning on March 19th. Like many others, when I first landed in Japan I was expecting to be descending down through skyscrapers. I blame Kill Bill. Narita really is out in the middle of nowhere, and it takes a while to get into Tokyo itself! So after landing in Narita, I’ll be getting on board the good old Narita Express or a limousine bus to my hotel.
Shibuya
So, I have finally made my return to Tokyo. I’m going to be spending this weekend looking at hotels to spend my spare three days/nights, but at the moment I’m looking at central yamanote spots such as Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Once I’ve picked a hotel and settled down, maybe unpacked a little bit and had a shower, where do you think my first stop will be?
That’s right….. SHIBUYA! 渋谷大好き～ For those of you who don’t know (where have you been?) Shibuya is actually my most favourite place on this whole planet. I love Tokyo, I’ve always loved Tokyo and I adored living there. But Shibuya is just something else. Bright lights, big city, people everywhere, amazing shops, millions of karaoke rooms and the best bars with the best bar staff around. I can’t wait to go back
Shibuya O-Lounge
Another essential stop in Shibuya will be the O-Lounge! I used to go here every weekend and sink a fair few tequila shotto with my old friend Kris from Hawaii. We discovered this place when Kaya had her costume birthday party there. We had the VIP room and good old Souza tequila on tap. The staff working at the O-Lounge were all fantastic, although I bet the line-up has changed in the two years I’ve been away. It seems to be quite popular with other gaijin, I met lots of *one night friends* there. If I see any of you in Tokyo before orientation, you can bet this is where I’ll take you.
Another essential and possibly emotional stop for me will be Keio University. I studied from Sept 2007 until July 2008 at Keio, one of the top Universities in Japan. There was an exchange student population of probably just over 100, and they were like my family. This is also where I spent a lot of time chilling out with Rodger. In fact, one of the last videos he filmed was his return to the Keio campus. However, I’d really like to go back and visit my old teacher and mentor, Ikeda-sensei. We’ve kept in contact over the past few years, and I’m going to take her back some treats to say thank you. She really whipped me into shape! I have really American-style “Keio Spirit”. I’m proud to say I studied there, more so than my English alma mater!
Keio University
Other than this? I guess it depends where I end up. I’m currently contemplating hotels in Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Ginza. I don’t think I can handle Akihabara yet, with recent events. Akihabara was always a Rodg event. I definitely want to hit Karaoke and scream Cutie Honey like I used to two years ago. Hook up with some old Tokyo friends, visit a shrine or two, maybe see if I can catch some cherry blossoms somewhere, and sink a cocktail partner.
What do I have to do before I leave for Japan? EVERYTHING! It’s okay, last minute dot com is for the cool kids, anyway.
東京、東京、東京！ワイ～！
Agano city is a baby! It was founded on April 1st 2004 by the merger of the towns Suibara and Yasuda, and the villages of Kyogase and Sasakami.
Agano is the dark pink area in the northeast
Agano is in the northeast of the prefecture, quite a lot closer to the capital of the prefecture than my original position in Sanjo. I have to admit I hope that this doesn’t mean it’s colder >.<
The light purple area next to Agano is Niigata city. So, although Agano looks like it is extremely rural - I’ll hopefully be close enough to be in my kind of environment. Bright lights, big city, and 飲み放題カラオケ!
In Agano city, there are around 11 Elementary schools and around 4 Junior High schools. Interac said I could be teaching between 2 and 5 schools, so I’m guessing that it will be a couple of Elementary schools and one Junior High. I know a girl who went with Interac in 2009 had 18 schools, I’m relieved I’m not in a situation like that!
Below is a climate graph for Niigata. Niigata seems to have a *lot* of rain. In fact, someone who commented on my last blog post left me the weather reports and a live camera from Agano city. Thank you, whoever you are! ありがとうございます！Actually, I just checked Aganocam. IT’S TIPPING IT DOWN RIGHT NOW! If any of you want to check out Aganocam, here is a tiny link: http://tinyurl.com/yz67qwv It actually looks really scary. For those of you who can read Japanese, check out this website, you might be able to find weathercam for your own city! http//weathernews.jp
Niigata Climate
Lake Hyoko
Suntopia World
Also in Agano is an amusement park (yay!) called Suntopia World. It doesn’t seem to be in the same league as Fuji-Q, but it has all of the theme park standards. There’s various rollercoasters, a carousel, a ferris wheel, trains, a pirate ship etc etc. Looks like it would make a fun day out, and I bet the views from the ferris wheel are so pretty!
Mt. Gozu
Hiking appears to be one of the main hobbies in Agano, and this photo shows Mt. Gozu [五頭山], a mountain with five peaks. I always said I wanted to climb Mt. Fuji, but I am a weak and feeble thing. I don’t suppose I’ll get out of hiking in Agano, though! This photo also shows how rural Agano is, you can see the rice fields (and the frost)…
Murasugi Onsen
Hot springs, or onsen [温泉] are very popular in Japan, and seemingly the most famous hot spring in Agano is Murasugi Onsen [村杉温泉]. Now, although I lived in Japan for a year, even opposite a public bath in Kawasaki, I have never been to a hot spring. I know that you can get private rooms in onsen, so I think that’s something I’m going to aim for while I’m in Japan.
Murasugi onsen is apparently in a quiet (read rural) atmosphere, and is surrounded by 100 year old cedar trees. The magic ingredient in the water is radium, and visiting the hot spring is said to relieve the symptoms of diabetes, rheumatism, nerve pain and “women’s chronic ailments”. If I ever want to get rid of a man, I know where to go.
So, in the next few days I’ll be looking at booking my trip to London. Now I have my certificate of eligibility and a *tentative* departure date, I can take everything to the Japanese embassy in order to get my Instructor visa.
Ta ta for now x
So, after falling asleep at around 4:30am, I was woken up on my 24th birthday by a phonecall from Interac at 6:15am.
The moment I heard a Scottish accent, I know it was David in recruitment and my heart sank. I’d read about placements changing quite often on ALT forums, and I knew what the phone call would be about. David told me that the ALT I was meant to be replacing in Interac had decided to stay on, and that I wouldn’t be able to go to Sanjo. But, they had a new placement offer for me.
Imagine my relief to find out that I won’t have to prepare myself for a big change all over again! I’ll be in exactly the same style of placement -rural, driving, teaching JHS and ES, in a city called Agano, in the same prefecture of Niigata. Of course, I accepted. So now, here is a crash course on what I could find out about Agano!
Agano is a pretty small place with a population of around 48,000 people. It’s slightly North-East of Sanjo, but borders the huge Niigata city, with a population of 800,000! Niigata city is only 30 minutes drive away from where I will be. So, although Agano is half the size of Sanjo, I have the biggest city in the prefecture right next to me!
The city flower is the Cosmos [コスモス]
The city tree is the sakura [桜]
The city bird is the swan [白鳥] – When researching my original placement of Sanjo, I’d just heard about the death of my very good friend Rodger Swan. I kept seeing the Swan Lake near Sanjo popping up and deliberately ignored it. I’d like to think my change of placement wasn’t a coincidence.
A beautiful and famous part of Agano is called Hyoko Lake [瓢湖]. So looks like I’ll be surrounded by Swans
On top of all this… Agano is only a 30 minutes drive away from Niigata city! There are other ALTs in Agano, apparently one is a British guy. So hopefully I’ll have some friends to play with in Niigata!
But for now… it’s my birthday! I’m off to eat birthday cake. Let’s hope it’s second time lucky with the placement
I’ve been keeping myself busy today by attempting to research in both English and rusty Japanese about my new hometown – Sanjo city in Niigata prefecture.
Niigata prefecture is 2 hours North of Tokyo by Shinkansen, and Sanjo is pretty much in the middle of the prefecture. It seems that the winter is about the same as those that I’m used to in the UK - with added SNOW. The summers will be warmer than England, so that’s something I’m glad about!
Here’s an aerial photograph of Sanjo… pretty, right?
The population of Sanjo is around 102,000 people and I’ll be teaching at both Elementary (age 5-12) and Junior High Schools (age 12-15). I think I have the age ranges right, anyway!
To give you an idea of the scenery I’ll be driving through every day, here are some pretty pretty pretty shots I *finally* found on the internet after a lot of searching:
This is an image that crops up every time you search for Sanjo on the internet, this is something called Yagigahana. I say *something*, because I’m not entirely sure what it is? Does it count as a mountain? It’s a lonely mountain if it is one…
As you can tell from this post, I don’t know too much about Sanjo other than the facts. According to a JET website, there is constantly a Canadian CIR, as the city of Sanjo is twinned with Vaughan, Ontario. On top of this, there are 3 other ALT positions, none of which have been offered to JETs since 2008. So there are three other people who’ll be living near me. I’m looking forward to finding out who they are! I hope I have a girl to go shopping with, though
I’m lucky enough to have experienced the Kanto region during my time at Keio, and I feel I exhausted my tourist options while I was there. Don’t get me wrong, I love Tokyo and Yokohama. My heart will always secretly be in Shibuya, I could go there again and again, and I have many friends there. But I’m honestly looking forward to exploring a different side to Japan. I like being slightly in the dark about what to expect!
In other news… it’s my birthday tomorrow. I’m almost 24! As my friend Jenn pointed out to me yesterday, I’m the year of the tiger, and this is the year of the tiger. It’s started off badly, but this has to be my year!
Hi everyone!
Okay… so some of you may have seen me hanging around the internet before, probably at blogspot. But I’ve decided to move the blog to wordpress, so forgive me if you’ve heard this before! Here comes the 自己紹介~
I’m Jennie, originally from Coventry in the UK. I recently graduated from the University of Birmingham where I got my degree in Commerce with Japanese. I spent a year abroad studying at Keio University in Tokyo, and loved Japan so much I decided to go back to work.
I’ll be moving back to teach English as an ALT with Interac, and recently found out that I’ll be living and working in Sanjo city, Niigata prefecture. That’s here:
It’s very much the countryside compared to where I was before (living in Kawasaki and studying in Tokyo), but I’m really looking forward to returning!
I’m still waiting on my departure date and training information from Interac, so I’m having to hold back on booking a flight, and trying to save my pennies to pay for my flight… any information on cheap flights would be greatly appreciated!
For now, じゃまた！
