I’m having mixed feelings about this teaching thing- seeing my favourite third year JHS students leaving for the big city- kids I’ve only seen two or three times. Being in a country where no-one seems to speak the language I learnt in university- they all speak a weird mumbly, gutteral version of it (and to make matters worse it’s a different weird mumbly gutteral version in each area) I’ve determined to make these things all a challenge. Determined, like Yoshio Kojima, to just punch the air and yell ‘そんなの関係ねぇ’ (‘What does it matter anyway?’) It’s all a challenge- just like the Taiwanese movie I hired, figuring I could watch it on my computer with downloaded subtitles, until my computer died and I watched the whole thing with Japanese subtitles- a challenge. And the actress looks like Audrey Tautou and speaks Japanese, so I’ve decided we’re getting married. As soon as I can find her.

So aside from a computer that just shows the mac logo and a flashing question mark every time I try to turn it on, a language I can’t speak or understand and a pile of books to read and things to do that grows much faster than I can ever get through it, things are going well. I’m still setting goals for this year, I’ve divided them into three (although I may add a fourth and possibly a fifth- a sixth to do with teaching probably couldn’t hurt either) categories. For the sake of sounding cool, I’ll call them ‘operations’

Operation the First: Operation 二級。Considering my dismal showing at level two last December, I’ll have another crack this year, with more preparation.

Operation the Second: Operation Nouvelle Novel(lette) which mainly involves me writing in my little black book every day until I get a new computer/structured inspiration.

Operation the Third: Operation 富士山, which someone else has actually started planning for me, so it won’t be a solitary hike up Japan’s tallest mountain, but a whole group of Perth JETs walking up a big hill. I’m getting fit for it now. If Operation Fuji-San is successful, I’ll couple it with Operation Fuji-Rock, a trek to the other side of Honshu to see Japan’s biggest three-day music festival. I’ve already entered the ticket lottery.

 Operations the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth involve getting the most out of my JET experience, becoming a PA, travelling (goals for this year: Tokyo, Okinawa, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan & Australia. I should get at least four of those done no sweat) teaching, working out the future and just keeping on like I am.

To close, here’s a list of things I want to do when I get back to Perth:

  • Brush my teeth (I miss flouridated toothpaste sooo much)
  • Go into a closed building and be able to breathe
  • Eat pizza and drink beer at Little Creatures
  • Eat nachos and drink long island iced tea while listening to Jazz at The Moon
  • Have a long black at Cafe 130 then be buzzed for a Monday double at Luna
  • See either The Lucksmiths or Darren Hanlon (ideally both at the same time)
  • Drop in on people working
  • Ride the train to Mandurah, have an ice cream, then ride it back to Perth
  • Try out my Japanese on people at the Hyogo Prefectural cultural centre- it’ll be great saying I’m on holiday from Japan.
  • Eat vegetarian food without the possibility of 吃驚肉 (’surprise meat’)

(Incidentally, there’s a chain of hamburger restaurants in Japan called びっくりドンキ、or surprise donkey. There’s one in the love-hotel area behind Tennoji Station in Osaka. There’s also a chicken restaurant called びっくり鳥. Which makes me wonder what the surprise is)

And also, I’ll have a big picnic of sushi in King’s Park. Everyone’s invited. See you then (sometime in December…)