Last week I went on a elementary school trip to Kyoto and Nara. It was quite spectacular. I'm really lucky that I get to go on such things. We saw many wonderful ancient temples in Kyoto and Nara. Some of the temples are over 1,000 years old. Japan has a very long history. It was really interesting. I particularly liked the giant Bhudda statue (1,200 years old) at Nara. It is over 50 feet tall and cast in bronze. The Bhudda is sitting in lotus position with a palm raised - facing outwards. Its cool that Bhuddism is the main religion in Japan. I like seeing the little Bhuddist things here and there. Shinto is the indigenous religion and is also quite interesting. They believe in nature spirits / angels of the forest / water etc.. and revere their ancestral lineage, that sort of thing. Its all good (God)

Today I went to a teachers conference at Hase elementary. All I was told is that I had to sing a song today, I didn't know it was a big conference! Sometimes life in Japan is like playing a game where you don't know the rules. I try to work out the rules as I go along. It would be helpful if the japanese people told me more about what's happening. To them, it's commonsense, I think, so that don't undrestand that I don't have a clue most of the time. Oh well, It's OK. It turns out there were a couple of hundred people in suits from all around the area, including the mayor and board of education staff. They were coming to look at english teaching lessons at Hase elementary. My part was simple. I got to watch the other teachers teaching english for a change!. For my part, I sang a song (with the kids too, not by myself) called 'furu sato' or 'my childhood home' in the school gymnasium where the main assembly was held. It's really a very sweet song about one nostalgic memories of life as a child. I had the lyrics to read (in hiragana) my hiragana is OK now and I am quite comfortable reading it. Katakana is OK too.
We sung it through once with the kids. It really sounds very sweet. The elementary kids are so
cute, they did lots of little skits, songs and dances. One for each grade. Dressed up in colourful costumes, it was nice to watch.
The language barrier is a little difficult at times. Its strange being the only european in a huge room full of people. The only one who speaks english fluently. I spent alot of time listening to japanese speeches that I did not understand. Oh well, I don't mind really. I'm learning japanese slowly and can usually express myself. Its the comprehension that takes more time, I think. I've only been here a couple of months! I think after a year, I will be much better. Everyone is very polite and nice to me.
I spend so much time in my own little world here though. Its interesting. Normally, in NZ I would be surrounded by english speakers and talking english everyday to lots of people. That's certainly not the case here. I find that I hardly speak english at all! When I do, it's the kind of halted english that is simplified for easy understanding and not the normal flow of speech. I should mention however, there are people I can speak naturally to, Chika for instance is very good and all the other ALTs in the area.
I had been asked to Kendo lessons (japanese sword fighting) on a Friday evenings but I had t o decline. Friday evenings is when I usually meet with other ALTs. We go to a restaurant or meet up and chat. I think it's important for me to keep those connections alive, to have the opportunity to speak normal english every once in a while. Don't you think?
Overall, I'm very happy. It's good not having the usual mad flow of information into ones head. I find myself much more peaceful without the need to talk and comprehend speech every moment. It is quite a tranquil feeling. Japan is certainly a beautiful country and i really like the place where I live. The forested mountains are so beautiful and the country life is sweet. It's a completely different lifestyle here from the one I had in New Zealand. A new life even. I feel good though it's completly different. Japan is certainly in new chapter in my book of this life. New friends, a new country, a new job, new food, a new language etc... it's a world apart and good I think. Being away from New Zealand makes me realise how isolated NZ is and how the culture there is the way it is - in an objective way. It is certainly not the only culture. The JET program really is "internationalising" my world-view! As time goes on I'll continue to write. I hope this spiel is not too long!. I guess its up to me to write as much as I want. I feel I could write pages! Anyhow, I'll save it until next time. see you. Love from Japan.

I just returned from a weekend trip to Kyoto with Chika. It was awesome!. Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan and has many fine temples and classical japanese buildings. We visited a number of special Bhuddist temples. Many of them established many many centuries ago! There were beautiful mossy forests of japanese maples and carefully sculpted trees that look really cool. We saw a huge lake filled with lotus blossoms. We visited the Zen rock garden temple I had seen photos of in New Zealand. Mossy rocks in the middle of carefully raked white stones. It was cool. The Golden Temple was amazing. The second and third floors are covered in real pure gold foil! It was a good experience. I should mention the train station was incredible. A huge modern building with shopping mall included. It makes Te Papa in Wellington look like a dolls house! They even have special employees whose job is is to keep the escalator hand rails clean! We had lunch on the 11th floor I think. It was delicious. It takes about 2 hours from Himeji to Kyoto by train. Chika bought special discount tickets. I even found 5000 yen! that's about 80 dollars NZ. I'm quite lucky I think.

Hi everyone, today I'm teaching at elementary school. I teach about 4 classes in the day. The kids are so cute, they're like little pixies and they speak a cute secret language! They make me laugh and its a lot of fun. Most of the time we play games together. The whole aim is to make learning english fun. So, it is also fun to teach! Did you know that the whole elementary school can ride unicycles? Its amazing, the kids whizz around on unicycles at lunchtime on the school field.
I wrote a short passage 'my childhood in New Zealand' which has appeared in the school newspaper and maybe the Okawachi-cho newspaper. Previously I wrote a greeting/introduction which appeared in the Okawachi-cho newspaper. Its quite fun. The kids have been asking me lots of questions like "what's your favourite fruit?" and "what food do you cook at home?" and "what did you eat for breakfast?" etc.. They ask me what I like about Japan and about my favourite colour etc.. They call me David-sensei. I'm going on a elementary school trip to Nara toward the end of October which should be fun. The board of education is very supportive in giving me plenty of extra spending money. They say in Nara there is a huge statue of the Bhudda. Maybe 50 metres tall, made of bronze. It will be a highlight. Apparently you can fit an entire person inside one of his nostrils!
I've got one more class today sometime. At the moment, the kids are whizzing around cleaning with cloths and brooms. The are very industrious. At the junior high school I clean too but at elementary school its not neccessary. Tomorrow I finish early at 10am so I get the whole day free, I might go and explore. There is a forested mountain behind my house they say you can climb to the top of. I'm interested. I just have to watch out for snakes! there's quite a few of them here. I see them basking in the sun but they slither away quickly like lizards when I get closed. They're definately more scared of me then I am of them! Most of them are harmless anyway.
Autumn is so beautiful here. The summer was really hot and humid and the sky was hazy from the heat. Now it is crisp and clear and I can clearly see the mountains in the distance. The mornings are evenings are cool though the days are quite warm and usually sunny. When I open my curtains in the morning I see the sun shining across Okawachi-cho valley and the beautiful forested mountains. The mountains are covered in Japanese cedar trees with patches of maples. The maples are starting to change colour as autumn approaches.
Every season has its on special something. I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of snow in the winter!

OK, I've got to confess. I've got a japanese girlfriend! She is wonderful. Her name is Chika and she is an english teacher. She lives in Himeji, the nearest big city to Okawachi. We have been having lots of fun together. She is tall and beautiful. She is teaching me japanese and I am teaching her english. I think its about as close as internationalisation gets! This weekend, there is a long weekend and we are going to visit Kyoto together. We will go to the Golden Temple there and many other beautiful japanese temples. Kyoto is famous as the ancient capital of Japan and has many amazing temples and japanese style gardens. We will go there together and it will be fun. I really like life in Japan. Its amazing living long-term in a new country. I feel really happy here and want to stay a long time! The weather is a little cooler now as autumn approaches. In January and February there will be sprinklings of snow on the mountains and on the roof-tops. Its such a beautiful place. I really like japanese culture. The people are really kind and friendly. They keep giving me little presents like home-made miso paste and fresh tofu and soybeans. Many little things like that. The more I learn about japanese culture, the more I like it. I'm really glad I came here. Everyday is new. It is a completely new experience. Wonders never cease.