Update 5

Update Pictured above is a Tori. You will see this one in Harajuku, Yoyogi Park Here’s the August Update for 2011 of what I’ve been doing in Tokyo

Mainly I’ve been working a lot of hours. Like MondaySunday 9am-11pm as the average. I

haven’t had much

Asakusa for the

time to relax or explore very much.

fireworks.

I will work all this week 10am-12am.

But I will have Sat.

Greetings Everybody

27 off to go to

Sept. schedule is going to be a 6 day work week. I will get to have Tuesdays off but probably not really. Japanese companies expect a lot of participation in events.

Let’s start in Harajuku Togo Shrine

It took about twenty minutes to walk from the first tori to finally see the third tori that is the real entrance to the shrine. See the water purification spot crowded with people. I got to that point when my phone went off and I had to hustle out of there and go back to work early. So there are no shrine photos, just the walk over. Hope you enjoyed because that’s all I got to see. I will have to make another trip there to finish exploring. The path is very smooth and shady---- Cool and Calm walk....

Type to enter text

Reason for being in Harajuku was again Bleach. There was a huge promotional event at the Design Fest Gallery to celebrate the 10th Anniversary. Signs were just everywhere. I was also given a ticket to see the Bleach show. This time at the main Tokyo Theater Creation performance in Ginza. Toho Productions went all out in marketing. The show has some scene changes, added new moments after the show, and the singing had major improvements. I was sitting 5th row seat 20. Super close and almost dead center. I went August 17 for the 7pm show. It was also the night the show was being filmed for the DVD. So after the performance the male actors come out to do a Q & A and make some jokes.

I think the 1pm has the female cast, but that’s only two people. It was a good night.....

The Naka-Meguro Awadori dance was August 6. I was suppose to dance, but my leg was just hurting so much from the 2 hour dance practices and walking 10+ hours a day and not a lot of time to rest. The opinion was that I strained my entire muscle from the hip down to the ankle. Slight swelling, but nothing wrong. I got benched and ended taking photos of the celebration. I just couldn’t walk normally.

Took a couple of weeks to get my leg back normal, So I’m fine now....

In July I sort of made to Tsujiki Shrine festival. I got off of work around 10:30pm

This was in Ginza, so it was a short walk from work. But

mainly got the last 10 minutes before people

started leaving for the night.

Next day went to Nihonbashi to price shop for shoes and nylons. And to see if this area carried plus size clothes. Anything above a size 5 seems to fall into plus size. One option for clothes is Isteen in Shinjuku but the cost is too expensive. The other is that K-mart type store I found across the bridge. The prices are good but it’s obvious from the material I didn’t pay much.... Everyone is paying too much attention to what I wear. But I don’t exactly blend into the surroundings.

The monks naturally look like their making some drug deal. But they are begging for money in the streets daily. They stand clos to major department stores and in the path os a Starbucks to catch any spare yen or money (Okane)

NOTHING MUCH HAPPEN IN JULY OTHER THAN GOING TO WORK AND GOING DIRECTLY TO BED. EXPECT 1 NIGHT I CAUGHT 10 MINUTES OF AN ENDING FESTIVAL. LUCKY I HAD MY CAMERA, I ALMOST FORGOT IT WAS HAPPENING THAT NIGHT. NOW BACK TO AUGUST. ON THE 13TH I WENT TO TOKYO BIG SIGHT FOR ANOTHER CONVENTION . THIS TIME IT WAS FOR COMIKET. NO PHOTOS ARE ALLOWED DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE WORK AND MANY OF THE SELLERS ARE PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS WHO MADE THEIR OWN FANTASY BOOKS OF THEIR FAVORITE PEOPLE OR CHARACTERS. I DID GET SOME EXAMPLE COMICS BUT I CANNOT POST THEM. WHILE IN ODAIBA I SAW THE HOTEL I STAYED AT HAD DONE SOME REMODELING. THEY GOT RID OF THE STORE AND BUILT A HOOTERS. NO PCTURES, SINCE I WOULD BE CHECKED FOR A CAMERA I DIDN’T BRING IT ALONG. BUT IT LOOKS AMERICAN.

Nothing too much exciting happening. I either run into stuff or stuff is happening to me. So, I’ll go. I’m being very cooperative, flexible and social. But I would like a break to be alone. You do feel very crowded in this city.

Eating Chicken I did find chicken on suers sticks to eat. I thought it tasted ok. But there was something odd with the taste. The good news was yes I did read the Japanese sign correctly and got chicken. Bad news was it was all chicken. The skin, heart, lungs, neck, organ, flesh, maybe some bones. Everything was chopped and mixed and chopped and mixed then grilled together put on a stick and severed to me.

Supermarket pizza I found a supermarket that had pizza slices available as a fast lunch and really cheap. I was so excited I just grabed two slices that looked cheesy and yummy. The first one was ok. It had a strange sauce. I think the sauce wasn’t tomato but a bean curd paste like on spaghetti. YUK..getting use to that taste, but it’s so awful when your mind and mouth expect tomato. The second slice that looked amazing was a huge disappointment. There was massive amounts of tuna, octopus, a tartar/ bean curd/mayo mixture beneath the beautiful cheesy layer.It

was so disgusting. I almost got sick in the lunchroom. I was happy that I got a lunch break alone for once. I couldn’t savage anything. I had to throw it away and go brush my tongue.

Fries I thought everyone knew what fries are.

There are 2 million Mcdonald’s here. But turns out they ask for fried potato. They also either skip a dipping sauce to eat it. Because everyone in japan is obsessed with being skinny. Some of the people who think I’m eating anyway might as well enjoy it. They don’t always want ketchup. They will use mustard, mayo, that bean curd paste, or maybe a small packet of ketchup. I request ketchup but I ask for two packets-----the limit

Possible timeline

October

Dec / Jan

March 2012

Now sure if

9

15

26

things will change but this is what I know

might be a new evaluation date to discuss my training and if I’m leaving earlier or moving

I find out if I passed training, if I’m doing well in my language class in Japanese. I can read more, but don’t want to speak?? I don’t know why... Week to call home.......

Date for my room move-out. I get to stay at a hotel with tv and a private bathroom

13

28

Tokyo time of when to call. Since there is no roll over with balance I will have to call home this week.

15 I get the major evaluation.

31

26

30

My birthday. Would like Alias season 3,4,5. But probably will see it next year. I’ll keep watching season 1&2 over again. True Blood would be fun to see. Renewed for 2012

I find out if I get placement in America or if I need more training in Tokyo. Basically I find out if I get to leave in March like I planned or if I have to stay till June 2012

Fly southwest airlines, we can go visit Johnny. But I am only willing to fly. I don’t want to drive there.

right now.

January 15-26 is when I will know more about leaving

Phone Calls home with a prepaid phone There is a trick to using prepaid phones to call internationally. There is a extra dial out number required through the service provider.

Otherwise it will fail or ring somewhere in Japan.

SO I WILL CALL IN SEPT. and probably in OCTOBER. Hope everyone is doing okay, but remember that email is a lot cheaper.

Probably faster to get n touch with me.

Flight back to Tucson arrive sometime after 8pm

So I’ll be in touch later with a phone call. Sept. to try the dial out number.

October for the birthday and probably around December for Xmas. Not November because I’m going to have a hard time finding something to eat. and will not want to hear about how your turkey looks and the side items if I can’t eat any of it.

Just a quick update, will send another one later.

Enjoying what I can, but I have to stay focused.

Changing language schools in sept. .... I’m passing tests, understanding things, reading, but still not speaking anything but English. Must be a mental block like Spanish.....

So I’m being sent to a school in Ebisu that will not know me or allow me to speak English. The new educational objective is STRICT MISTAKE CORRECTION, SPEAKING-----PRONUNCIATION CORRECTION, AND PREPARE FOR JLPT LEVEL 5/4 EXAM DECEMBER 4. Level 5 I think I can pass. but it seems that they want me to try for the level 4 exam which has 500 more Kanji to learn. and a 1000 vocabulary words. It will be a lot of stress to get there. Probably in another school with all new people and strict correction I might be ready to take the exam. Or be completely overwhelmed ....... I don’t know, but I’ll go along with their plan. The class will now be twice a week for 6 hours total classroom time. I was doing once a week for 4 hours.

I guess the only real update.

I will be at the same address/ room for a few more months. October 9 is when they tell me to stay or if they want me to switch buildings. So in October no mail between 10/5 - 10/10 until I let you know I’m staying in the same room. I might get switched to another room or to another building closer to Ebisu.

BYE Everyone