On my Way to PUSAN!!

So I am leaving for Pusan today and I am excited. I can't wait to go sightseeing, eat and party it up in S. Korea's second biggest city. We are going to drive to Kita Kyushu in Japan and then we are taking a boat to Pusan. I have a great book, "Cutting for Stone" so I am not worried about getting too bored on the way. I also hope we meet some cool people on the boat. I really have no idea what to expect, all I know is that I will be with two people that are fun and love traveling. I hear that Korean people are more friendly than the Japanese and that many can speak English. I also know that Korean women are beautiful. I'll write a nice blog after the trip, so until then pray that my boat isn't sunk by a N. Korean Sub.......jk don't worry, we aren't going near the disputed area :-)
JB

Some thoughts on Japan

As I was working out today I started to think a lot of Japan and what I like and what I dislike. Let's start with what I like. First, I like being able to go out and speak another language for a full day. There is nothing better than going out with my friends and speaking Japanese all night, people are so intrigued that I can communicate with them even though I'm a Gaijin. (Foreigner) Second, Every time I work out at the gym I feel huge. I am bigger than everyone at the gym and I can run faster and farther than most people. Also, the dumbbells only go up to 20 kg (44lbs), so I am always lifting the "heaviest" weight available and people always say I am strong......right...it is a nice ego boast. Third, I enjoy the terrain of Japan. Growing up in MN you only get corn and lakes. I love the lakes, but they don't compare to the sea and mountains. There is nothing better than chilling on the beach and looking out towards the vast sea in front of you and the immense mountain range behind you. I enjoy just biking around and taking in the landscape. Check out my pic of Mt. Fuji below, I took it from the plane on my way to Tokyo. I think it is truly one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Amazing.


Fourth, I love my students...well most of them. My high school students are so bright and funny. My junior high school students are worked to the bone and they still come to class ready to learn. My elementary students are mostly cool, minus one or two classes. I have one student named KOKI! So I naturally call him Koki Cola, just like the way my Mom calls her friend Julie Koch Koki Cola. He is so smart, every week he comes to class ready to learn and talk about anything, even when he can't find the words he somehow gets his point across. Brilliant. My young students are so adorable and funny, they always make me laugh. There are many other things I enjoy, but these are the main things.
What I don't like, First, I can't find any anonymity around here. I go out to lunch, everyone stares are me, I go to the supermarket, everyone looks at me. I bike to the store, everyone looks at me....It gets annoying after awhile. Second, I hate the people here who don't return a Hello, I mean how hard is it to say hello...?? For example, I was at the gym and gave a friendly konnichiwa to some old guy. He just looks at me with a disgusted look...The thing is, he is wearing a Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus Hat and shirt and I wanted to talk to him about it, but apparently he hates foreign people, but loves our stuff, movies, clothes ect. My point is, if you are going to consume our culture, don't be a dick when someone from that culture tries to be nice to you....Those are the two things I hate. Other than that Japan is great!
Sorry for the random tangent, I used to be able to discuss such matters with Jeremy, but he is gone, so I have all this stuff bottled up inside of me. Love you until next time, enjoy the photos.

Osaka, Busan, Tokyo Disney World and Trains

Last week I went to Osaka, this week I went to Kurayoshi and Yonago, next weekend I'll be going to Tokyo and then after Christmas I am going to S. Korea.
Osaka is an awesome city. The people are more friendly than the people in Tokyo, they are more open to having conversations with random people and they are very eccentric. They are kind of hard to understand because they use a lot of slang when they speak, but it was so much fun going out and exchanging experiences with random Osaka people. I went with my good friend James who is from Wales. He is just like all of my friends back home, easy to talk to, into a lot of sports, reading and just a funny guy overall. We went to the Aquarium and the "World's Biggest Ferris Wheel." We also enjoyed eating Subway!!!! I think together we ate 10 feet of subs in two days.....yea we were a little excited. We also went to the Hard Rock Cafe, a must when in the big cities, American Music, food and FREE REFILLS!!!! Restaurants here aren't big on free refills, so I get super pumped when they have them. We went out and had a good time then went home.


This weekend I had to get my re-entry permit from Yonago, so I went to Kurayoshi and watched James and Yoshi smash people playing Rugby, then we went to watch our friend Chan compete in a Karate competition, he got second place, pretty impressive. After that Chan, Cian, Ai and myself went to an Onsen (Hotspring) They are sooo relaxing and no one else was there which was nice. The next day I went to the Airport and got a multiple re-entry permit, so I can leave the country as I please now.
The Korea trip is coming up fast. We haven't booked our hotels yet, but we have booked our ferry. Yes a Ferry, across the Sea of Japan to Busan! I have never done such a thing and I am pumped to be at sea, I hope I get to see some whales before the Japanese poach them....my attempt at a joke. We are going to celebrate New Years there, Eric, David and myself. I am going to start studying Korean next week so I can at least ask for a beer. I am excited to visit this city, it looks beautiful. Check it out for yourself. Busan is on the opposite side of the border with the NORTH,so don't worry about me getting bombed or kidnapped.

Next week I am going to Tokyo....not too excited because it is a work trip and we are going to Disneyland.....what am I 5 years old.....so lame. The rides are weak too...I am just going to enjoy the FOOD like I always do in Tokyo.
Keep watching your phones, I will call this week!
JB

I worked out for the first time in like a year..haha

I got a gym membership at a nearby club. The place is cool, but they don't have a bench press...Damn. So I am doing pretty much all free weights. I walk into the place and everyone stares, as expected. I signed up and then they showed me the rules and one of them was no tattoos....so I can't use the pool which sucks, but i joined for the weights. It felt good to lift weights again, it is refreshing. My weekend consisted of going to the gym for 2 hours both days. That was it. The next couple of weeks are going to be rough at work, but come Christmas time I will be ready for a nice, long vacation. It is going to be nice. Another cool thing, my mother is sending me Vince Flynn's most recent novel and she even got it signed!! I can't wait. The problem with his books is that I read them way too fast and the fun is over in like 3 days....
Until next time.
JB

Halloween Weekend

This weekend I went to Yonago for an awesome Halloween party. After work, I hopped a train home as usual to Yonago. This time however I didn't have to train it alone. My friend Erik and I boarded the train in our regular clothes, but we changed into our costumes on the ride over. It is funny because even though I was wearing skin tight pink pants, cowboy boots, and a baby blue hat I didn't really feel like I was getting stared at any more than usual.
We arrived at the club and they had some awesome bands playing great oldies like YMCA. It was fun to get a little taste of home. The party was pretty great. I met some new people and had a blast.
The next morning was tough, I totally forgot that I promised my friend that I would go and play golf at like 9am. Therefore when I woke up, I was totally surprised and stumbled to the golf course in some scrub clothes. The funny thing is, I ended up playing really well as I pared the first 5 holes.....Golf is a funny game, sometimes it is like I am a pro, while other days I double bogey every hole. I ended up at 8 over par for the day. The course was really beautiful and the golf carts were amazing because they were remote operated and they ran along a path. I have never seen that before, so I took a video of it and put it on facebook if you want to see it. The course was up in the mountains again with breathtaking views. It was a foggy day, so it made the course even more beautiful I think.

That was my weekend. Nothing too spectacular, but it was one of the best I have had in some time. It is funny, every time I start to get sick of this place, I have an amazing weekend that makes me want to stay here a little longer. July is the perfect time to come home. Not too long, not too short.
Enjoy the pics

Just Been Chilling Lately

Sorry for slacking off lately with this blog, but I have not been doing anything too exciting. I've just been teaching and exploring my new neighborhood. I moved into a new apartment because our school moved to a new location. I don't really like the new neighborhood, but it is closer to the Ocean, so I can just hop on my bike and be at the beach in like 10 minutes. I have really been enjoying that lately. Even though I can't go swimming, I still enjoy reading on the beach and listening to the waves crash into the rocks. It is definitely relaxing, growing up in the MPLS you don't get that experience. Therefore, every weekend for the past month or so I have been hopping on my bicycle and then I just ride until I find a new ocean spot where I can just relax and read. I know this sounds extremely boring, but for me it is like a new hobby. I don't really have access to any sports right now, so this is the next best thing. I believe that I have been doing this recently because of the book I am currently reading. This book is called, "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. It is quite difficult to read, but it really makes you think about life and all the things that make it great. In the book he describes how people don't take the time to appreciate nature. I think that is the reason I have been biking to the ocean to read this book. It is really a wonderful feeling to be laying on the beach with the sun, wind, and ocean consuming your every move. Anyways.....enough with the weird thoughts that I have been exploring recently..I have also been having a lot of fun going out on weekends with my friends. I primarily hang out with these 3 guys and a girl. One guy is from Wisconsin, so naturally we get along well. The other is from Boston, so again we get along well. It is funny how much I love Americans and America now...haha. The other guy is from New Zealand and he plays a mean guitar. The girl is from Ireland, so again naturally we get along well. We also hang out with these people from Yonago. They are really fun too. The problem with going out in Japan though is that we go out until 4am. 3am is an early night and 5 am is not crazy at all. I think that is another reason why I head to the beach to relax, some nights are so long I need to realllly relax.

School has been okay recently. I have kind of fallen into Robot mode at work though. Ever since Jeremy left, I don't have that person around who I can be really stupid with and make American jokes with. So I have been doing the robot a lot lately, but my students are all still cool except for one class.
One student has really been warming up to me recently. Her name is Nagisa and I have been her teacher for 6 months now. When she first started she would whisper and never look at me or try and express herself. Now she comes into class with a big smile and speaks loudly and clearly for me. She also knows that I can speak Japanese so if she doesn't understand something, she asks me in Japanese and I just nod or give her the correct Japanese word she is looking for. I was the first foreigner that she had ever been in close contact with, so that is why she was scared at first, but now her mother says she is always excited to come to English class with me. It feels good to get to a student like that.
Other than that, I have been trying to plan my next vacation, which starts on Christmas. I really want to go to Guam or Bali, but my friend is sounding like he might back out, so we shall see. I'll keep you all posted.
Until next time....Love you all.
John Kelly Kennedy Budge (Japanese people say my full name is awesome).

Long time no see. (Hisashiburi)

Sorry I've been absent from my blog for a long time now. I've been busy and lazy recently.

First, a recap of the crazy visit I had from Joe and Zev. They arrived on Saturday and I told them to stay at a hotel near the Airport and then head to Tokyo in the morning. I was afraid they would get lost in giant Tokyo Station. Well they didn't listen and went to Tokyo and got lost in Tokyo Station...haha. Luckily they met a guy who spoke English and they found a hotel.

The next day they came to Tottori. I went to the station and met them at the top platform. It must have been truly funny for the Japanese people there to see three big ass Americans jumping up and down pounding there chests, hugging, howling like wolves and screaming "ohhhh what up." They came back to my place and my friend Ai picked us up and we headed to the beach. We had an awesome time at the beach and then went out for some nasty Japanese food.
Monday we rented some bicycles and headed to the sand dunes. We swam in the sea and ran up and down the huge sand dune for like 4 hours. After that we were so exhausted we came back, took a nap and then met Mitsue at the station. She was her usual Genki self and we hung out at Mt. Kyusho with her for about an hour. After that we went to an all you can drink event at the top of this hotel. It was a lot of fun.

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Wednesday, we woke up early and headed to Tokyo. We had a lot of fun on the trains talking, drinking and being foreign. When we got to Kyoto we found our hotel and it was a sweet Japanese style hotel. The room was really big (by japanese standards) and conveniently near the station. We then headed to Kiyomizu Temple, the most famous one in Kyoto, it was really crowded, but it was still fun. It was fun to watch Joe and Zev take in the Japanese culture and history. It is so different from anything in America and I could tell they were in awe. Joe was scared he was going to break something, so he walked around with his arms behind his back. As we walked around, I kept hearing these Japanese girls call us the "cool foreigners." It is always fun to be called cool, haha.
Thursday was my favorite day of the trip. We took a train to Nara, where we met Jeremy and his friend Melissa. I knew that Joe and Zev would like Jeremy because he is just like us, always looking to have a good time and make a good joke. We went to the Todaiji Temple / Big Buddha place in Nara. It was the most magnificent temple I have seen so far in Japan. The Temple is soooo big and it is made entirely of wood. Then once inside you see this giant Buddha statue. It was awesome. To add to all this excitement, there are like 5 thousand deer rooming the streets of Nara. They just chill and when people bring out food they crowd you and don't leave you alone. I bought some deer cookies and the deer would not leave me alone. The rest of the day was spent wandering, playing at an arcade and chillin out at a sweet restaurant. It was my favorite day by far and we were able to convince Jeremy and Melissa to come to Tokyo with us.
Friday and Saturday were kinda blurry. We got to Tokyo and the partying began. We went out to these crazy clubs and didn't get to do as much sightseeing as I wanted, but oh well the clubs were insanely fun. Friday we went to Roppongi and almost lost Joe...This is the foreign area of Tokyo, so there were a bunch of foreign people, didn't really feel like Japan.
Saturday we did some hungover sightseeeing. We went to Harajuku and people watched in this crowded area of Japanese Hipsters. It was ok...Then we went to the Tokyo Metro Government Building which is the tallest one in Tokyo. I wanted them to see the crazy expanse of concrete that is Tokyo from above. They were impressed, but hungover so we stayed for like twenty minutes and then left. It was still fun for them to see the crazy size of Tokyo. That night we went out to Shibuya.....and we didn't leave the club until 5 am.....I won't go into detail, but one of the highlights was the 4 of us starting a giant dance circle and having the entire club watch us as we performed various American dance moves that are foreign to them. Of course they thought we were so cool, because Japanese people love American Culture. I wish I could have gotten that on video...
The next day, Joe left and Zev and I headed back to Tottori. The next four days can be summed up with one word BEACH. Zev and I just went to the beach and chilled. It was really relaxing after being crazy in Tokyo for a couple of days. Zev left on Thursday and it was back to the grind of teaching..
Let me just say that they made me even more homesick. I don't think I have ever had that much fun in my entire life. It was an amazing experience and it will be hard to top. Enjoy the pics. Check out the facebook pics.

Since then, Ive just been working hard, teaching and I have to move apartments because our school is relocating.....sucks. but oh well. I had the best summer of my life so it is a fair trade off. I lived my first summer by the beach and it definitely lived up to the hype. Beach parties, beach bbqs, chillin at the beach reading an awesome book and playing golf by the beach definitely made my summer. Such an awesome summer.

I promise not to be so lazy with this blog anymore...haha.

JOE AND ZEV ARE COMING NEXT WEEKEND!!!

I am super pumped to see two of my best friends next weekend. I am hoping to provide them with a trip to remember. Here is an overview of what we are going to do: August 8th, chill out, visit the local temple. August 9th, go to the beach and take in the beautiful ocean view. August 10th, climb Mt. Kyusho and check out the castle ruins of Tottori Castle. August 11th: Take a bullet train to KYOTO!! In Kyoto we are going to visit some of the oldest and most famous shrines and temples in the world. August 12th, we will be going to Nara and going to see the famous 50 foot high Big Buddha that is housed in the largest wooden building in the world. I am especially excited to see this.
August 13th, we are going to TOKYO!! we will go sightseeing and see the major areas. Tokyo Tower and Asakusa. August 14th, we will go to the Harajuku (awesome people watching) and then to Akihabara, the electronic mecca of the world. At night we will go to Shibuya and witness the 2000 people crosswalk. August 15th, we say goodbye to Joe and then Zev and I head back to Tottori for some much needed beach relaxation. So that is the plan, I hope it all goes smoothly.

As for the last two weekends. More of the same fun in the sun. Last weekend I hopped a train to Yonago after work and met up with all the foreigners from that area. It was my friend Chan's birthday beach party. We hung out on the beach and had a good time chatting and enjoying the beautiful view. This was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen.

The next morning we swam in the ocean for a solid 2 hours. It was so much fun, we just didn't want it to end. The next day was rough however, staying up all night usually does that to you.
On Monday I was lucky enough to get to play some golf. It was my first round in 10 months, but I performed admirably. I had 5 pars and a bunch of bogeys, so I was satisfied. The course was beautiful with amazing ocean views.
This past weekend was also a lot of fun. My colleague Kei Sensei got married and I was invited. I went there with Jeremy who came up from Hiroshima for the event. It was great to see my former partner in crime. He always makes me happy because his energy level is so high and we just joke around the whole time. Anyways it was a nice ceremony and after we went out and sang Karaoke. Japanese people looovvve their Karaoke. These two girls kept calling me Kakkoi which means cool, it was pretty funny.

So I am supppppperrrrr pumped to see my guys Z and Teezy, it is going to be epic. We will take some awesome pictures, so get ready for it!!!!!!

Beach Weekend and Hiking through Rice Fields and Mountains

This weekend was an absolute blast. It started out with a birthday party for my friend Erik out at his house. He lives in the country. It is hilarious. He is the only foreigner for a solid 15 miles. I hopped a train after work and got to his party on top of this hill at about 10pm. We hung out at the top of this hill and played drums and guitar until about 2am. After that we went back to Erik's place and hung out on his roof and looked at stars until the sun came up. Once the sun was up we couldn't help but explore the massive rice fields behind his house. We walked through the fields for about an hour. We came back and I headed home. It was truly great to be surrounded by mountains and these amazing rice fields with people who also appreciated the beauty.
Later in the day after I got some sleep. My coworkers picked Jeannie and I up and we headed to Uradome for a kayak tour of the beautiful ocean side cliffs. We kayaked for about 2 or 3 hours and explored the amazing coast. We kayaked into some caves and I saw many crabs and big fish. Again an amazing time. When I got home I passed out with exhaustion and slept for a solid 12 hours that night.
The next day my friend Ai picked me up and we headed to Uradome beach. We chilled and swam from noon to about 5pm. It was so hot, but the water was perfect. This trip made again realize that I am like a white tiger around here. Everywhere I got, people stop what they are doing and point and say ahh Gaijin (foreigner). It does get annoying, but Ive learned to deal with it. I think it is my blonde hair that gets them, its like they have never seen a white person before, even though they all obsess over western culture, especially movies. You think with all that exposure to the west they would not stop and stare at every foreign person they see. They literally do a full 360 when I walk by, it is kinda funny. Anyways, it was fun to hang out at the beach again, on a nicer day.
After the beach I headed to a local shrine to get some peaceful me time...haha. I hiked up this mountain and got to the shrine and no one was there. It was perfect. The pictures will do this place justice. The best part is that this is right in my backyard.
One more thing, I decided to stay until next July. So sorry to everyone who wanted me to come back, but I need to do this while I have the chance. I love you all and miss you so much!
till next week. JB

Beach Party!

So last weekend I went to Kozomi Beach just outside of Tottori on the Sea of Japan for a crazy beach party. We got there at about 8pm and everyone was already wild and partying on the beach. I was lucky enough to have a tent that Jeremy gave me, so I set up my tent on the beach and had my place of slumber for the night.
The rest of the night is kind of a blur, dancing, swimming, dancing and some morning swimming at 5am. It was quite the night. Needless to say, I was hurting the next day, but it was worth it.
The rest of my time recently has been spent working and hanging out with Mitsue. I also received the great news that JOE AND ZEEEH will be coming to Japan in one month! I am sooo pumped to see them. It is going to be an epic week. Can't wait to show them Tottori, Kyoto and Tokyo.
As for the decision, I decided to extend, but for how long remains. I can extend to July or April. Right now I am leaning towards April. I will let you know when I have a definite decision, but until then just know that I will be here for a little longer than expected.
Here are some pics from the beach party. The first one is of me and my favorite New Zealander Yoshi, taken at 5 am.
Until next week. JB

Great Weekend, still haven't decided what to do yet....

I had a great weekend. Saturday night was a blast as usual. We went out to the local bar and I spoke Japanese the whole night. I also met some guys who play basketball on the weekends, so hopefully I am going to start playing some Bball on Sundays. It is always a nice feeling to have conversations in another language and make friends who don't speak a lick of English except for Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Sunday was another fun and interesting day, just check out my facebook pictures and you will see me in a ridiculous duck hat. Me and some of my friends bought some of these hats and wore them around to be funny. The thing is, we didn't get stared at anymore than the usual really. We just scared some younger kids. That was a fun day, we went to the 100YEN shop and bought a bunch of useless stuff and then we went to a fish market and looked at all the crazy fish and crabs. We ate some nasty oysters and then went out for a delicious burger at a place that is American themed. I hate to say it, but it was actually nice to hear Country Music!! I never thought I would say such a thing, but it was true, I felt all nostalgic.

Monday was fun as usual with Mitsue. We went to a castle and a shrine. I really enjoyed the Shrine. It is called Ube Shrine and it has a long history. It is the most famous shrine in Tottori. The tour guide was super nice and he showed Mitsue and I around the whole place. Again it was fun to talk in Japanese all day and to learn more about Tottori's history. The shrine was beautiful and deep in the mountains, twas quite peaceful. I felt like Tom Cruise in the last Samurai.

After that we went to Sakuranbo and I did my volunteer thing with the special needs kids. It was a fun lesson. We talked about what we like. Food, Drinks, Animals, ect. Most of the kids just look at me, but Reo is really smart and we talk in Japanese and I tell him what the words are in English and he repeats. It is a lot of fun to see him and the others every week. The pic below is of the kids. Towa is the little guy in the front, Mana is the girl in the middle, she doesn't talk but she laughs at my jokes. Reo is the guy on the right. We are doing a SpiderMan web pose because he likes those movies. And Ayaka on the far right, very shy. She always says, "Hazukashi" which means embarrassed.

So here I am now, I am going to sit back and think about my important decision.
I can A: return home. B: Extend for like 4-6 months. or C: Extend for a year.......
Right now it is between A and B.....
Tough choice. I'll let you know what I decide soon.

Tough decision ahead....

So I have to decide whether or not I am going to stay in Tottori in like a week. I originally thought I had until mid July to decide, but apparently I must decide by the 30th. I haven't given it much thought and now I have to make an important decision. I like it here, but I don't know if I like it so much that I want to spend another year here. I want to come home because I miss everyone, but I don't know what exactly I would do when I get back. So I have an important decision to make and I want everyone's advice. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Recently I have been really enjoying my time here. The weather is nice and hot and that means swimming in the ocean, bbqs, and some awesome hiking. I went to Yonago last weekend to meet some friends and watch soccer. It was awesome, we stayed up until 3am watching soccer, then the next day we bbqed all afternoon. The people in Yonago really know how to have a good time. I bought my tickets to the beach party that is on the 4th of July. It is going to be nuts, partying all night on the beach with DJs and fun people.

I have been having a good time at work, I am really connecting with some of more shy students. I have this one student, her name is Mayo, not like mayonaisse, but like MA YO. We still call her Mayonaisse though. Anyways we were playing a guessing game with famous people. She had Michael Jackson, and I knew it after like three questions, so I asked her, "Is he black or white?" Her answer exactly, "He used to be black, but he became white." I started laughing and pretty soon the whole class erupted in laughter. It was a good moment for one of my shyer classes.

So it has pretty been the same ol same ol around here, hiking, chillin, speaking Japanese on Saturday nights.

I have a tough decision ahead, but I am confident I'll make the correct choice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Sorry for the Absence..I didn't have internet for 2 weeks!

So it is funny that this day and age one cannot live without Internet. I don't know how we used to live. I couldn't check sports scores, facebook or call anybody using Skype. Anyways, I am back, and I have some fun stories and good news.

So first, I have a new Foreign Coworker, she is from Toronto and her name is Jeannie. She is really cool and she is interested in the outdoors as much as I am. The first weekend she was here, we climbed the local mountain together. It is more fun to share nature with someone who gets excited about the ocean and mountains like me.
This past weekend, we woke up on Sunday, and we went to the local store so I could buy a bike. I gave her my old bike because it was really small and my knees kept hitting the handle bars. So I bought this sweet new ride that is much bigger and it has gears, so I can cruise super fast! After we got my new bike, we headed for the sand dunes. I also realized that after biking around for 4 months I am in excellent cycling shape. Jeannie could not keep up, so I had to bike at about 2/10s the pace. We got to the trail and hiked to the sand dunes, the non tourist area. The sand was so warm and nice and the ocean view was spectacular as usual. We chilled for a bit then jumped into the ocean and swam for about 30 minutes. I forgot how much I love swimming in the ocean, the waves were pretty big and the temperature was nice. The view was also breath taking, you have the dunes, the mountains, and the ocean, the trifecta! Overall a great weekend of chillin, swimming, and cycling.

For the past month I have been volunteering at the Sakura Day Care Center for special needs kids. It is a lot of fun, only two of the kids attempt to speak any English, so I speak in Japanese most of the time. It is still fun because they are all super excited to see me each week and when I leave they all gather around the door and say, "bai-bai" for like 5 minutes. The kids are great, they all seem really happy and enjoy life. This one girl named Mana, has never said one word to me, but she always smiles and laughs when I make jokes in Japanese or if I make my father's patented water drop noise with my mouth. It is a nice change from the structure arena of teaching that I do every day, I can relax and not worry about anything.

At school I have had less classes lately, so it has been nice to be able to think about my classes. My manager thinks I am god right now because I got the school a new student by speaking Japanese on the phone to a prospective student. It was weird being placed into that situation where I had to be on top of my Japanese game on a seconds notice. My students are all pretty good, I have a new class on Wednesday full of hell raisers, but other than that, I have a good time teaching because I have some really smart students.
Masayoshi, is awesome, he is the kid I have been calling Yoshi in my previous posts. His full name is Masayoshi. He is so smart and witty. The other day I asked what does he always do? His answer (with a smirk on his face) "I ALWAYS breath air!" So smart and so funny every week. He comes up with the funniest little comments and questions, for example, we read about a woman named Virginia, he looks at me and asks, "John Sensei, are you a Virgin?" I just look at him and laugh, he begs for me to tell him, but all I say is that I am waiting till marriage. The kid is too funny.

Mikiko is another smart student, she is Masayoshi's older cousin. She is 17 and is close to being fluent. We don't even use the textbook half the time, we just sit and chat. She wants to be a doctor like her father, but she wants to work in Africa and help children dying of AIDS. After getting to know her, she will definitely succeed. She is one of the smartest and most interesting students/people I have ever met. She is the captain of the Kendo team and gets straight A's. Another great student.

I have a student who is 8 years old named Koki. I call him Koki Cola and everyone laughs, including him. He is so bright and fun, every class he comes with a new word that he learned and he uses it in a sentence. I asked him, How are you? Koki responds with, "I am doing well, although I jammed my finger playing baseball." I mean the kid is 8 years old! It is kids like this that keep me sane at work.

Teaching little kids is not really teaching, it is more like baby sitting, that is why when my older students come, ages 8-18 I get really excited because I actually teach.

So other than that, I have been doing the usual, work, teach, eat, sleep, climb a mountain, take a train there, go to Mitsue's for a Japanese lesson, and then volunteer at Sakura. So now that I have internet once again I will post once a week.
Miss you all and send me a facebook message or something!

Mt. Daisen

This pic is of a house on top of the mountain adjacent to the Daisen peak.
I climbed Mt. Daisen on Monday. It was quite the experience. I can't find the words to do it justice, so I will let the pictures do the talking. Check out my facebook page to see all 43 photos of the beautiful mountain. They are great.

Tokyo Trip

For Golden Week Jeremy and I hopped a train to Tokyo. We took a bus to Okayama and then hopped on a Bullet Train. I usually hate traveling, but seeing all of Japan from the window of a bullet train was fun. I saw Mt. Fuji in all its greatness and many of the famous rice fields. When we arrived in Tokyo I was amazed at the size and crowded subway.
We got to our hotel and then headed to Ikebukuro for dinner with my friends from Fukushima. They are also teachers, we had some trouble finding the place, but once we did we were in for a treat. This restaurant was vampire themed and the waiter and waitresses were all dressed up like vampires. It was a lot of fun, the waiter hit on Jeremy and we took some funny pictures.
The night life in Tokyo was insane, the clubs are open all night and every body dances here. Compared to Tottori where nobody dances at the clubs it was a lot of fun. I can tell you more detailed accounts in person.
During the day, we went to Harajuku, the famous fashion/crazy shopping market. The streets were so crowded in some parts that we were just standing still. It was some of the best people watching I have ever experienced. Some of the people looked like they came straight out of a Japanese comic book/cartoon.
We also went to Tokyo Tower, I had been there before, but we again because it offers the best view of Tokyo. You can see the whole city. The size of the city really left me in awe. If you take downtown MPLS and multiply it by like 50, you get Tokyo. The city is quite impressive, but I can't imagine living there. Rush hour in Tokyo is a good experience. I was pushed by a man with white gloves into a crowded subway, I thought there was no way I could fit, but he pushed me in no problem.
We also went to Nikko the following Monday. It was about a two hour train ride up there, very scenic and peaceful. Once we got there it was so crowded that the peaceful place that I visited when I was thirteen had turned into a circus. Nikko Shrines became a World Heritage Site in 2005, so since then it is one of the most visited tourist spots in Japan. It was still fun seeing all of the cool shrines, but the peaceful place I remembered was taken over by seas of people.

Below is my favorite picture of my trip. The Nikko Bridge, the best picture I have taken so far in Japan.


That is the gist of my trip. A lot of wandering and subway riding coupled with some visits to temples and shrines.

Today I had my first lesson with the Special Needs kids across the street from Mitsue. It was fun, I spoke in Japanese most of the time because they have never studied English before. I taught them introductions, weather and feelings. It was a lot of fun being the first foreign person they have ever seen. They were all so interested in my hair and my eyes. I am looking forward to teaching them every week. It is going to be fun.
Until next time. JB

Day with Mitsue

The pic above is of me at Yonago Train Station at 5am, Jeremy and I decided to take some funny pics...
I had a great lesson with Mitsue today, we took a hike outside at a nearby trail up a mountain. It was quite beautiful, and at the top we could see the surrounding mountain range and the Sea of Japan on the other side. It was a lot of fun hiking with her because we spoke in Japanese most of the time, except when I had a story I couldn't tell in Japanese. We talked a lot about family and I learned a lot more about her. She is going to Paris in a few months and wants to get into walking shape for her adventure. She goes abroad once a year with her husband and has been lucky enough to see most of the world. After the hike we went back to her house and I showed her pictures of the family. I forgot my camera at my apartment so I couldn't take any pics....shoot. I'll get a picture of my Sensei up soon though.

Mitsue also told me of an opportunity to volunteer once a week at a day care for kids with disabilities. I would be teaching them English after my lesson with Mitsue and it will be very convenient because the day care is right across the street from her house. I am excited to volunteer and help out these kids who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn English.
After that I went home and packed for Tokyo!
I am off to Tokyo on Thursday, so get ready to see some amazing pictures soon!
JB

Teaching and More Teaching

I have been pretty busy over the last two weeks at work and haven't really been able or willing to do my usual exploring. I am excited because in ten days I will be on a Bullet Train headed for Tokyo. I don't know exactly what Jeremy and I will do once we get there, but I do know that it is going to be awesome. We are going to visit the famous Nikko Shrine where Ieyasu Tokugawa is buried, of the Tokugawa Shogunate. I love learning about Japanese history because it is so long and interesting. Samurais, Shoguns, Ninjas, Geishas, Temples and Shrines. The list goes on and to be able to go to such an interesting place is going to be awesome. In Tokyo we are going to do the tourist thing, go to Tokyo Tower (Japan's Eiffel Tower) and Asakusa Temple, and the famous Electronic District where robots walk around...not really but the most amazing technology in the world can be found there. I am also looking forward to seeing the busy streets and subways. We are also going to meet some of my friends from Fukushima there, I am so excited because these people are so much fun. Jeremy and I got hotel rooms in the middle of Shibuya which is like the Times Square of Tokyo. It should be a good time. Until then, I am not doing much, just working like usual and hanging out.
This weekend Jeremy DJed at the local club that we go to, it was a good time because our friends from Yonago came and this other Foreign band played. I also met some really nice Japanese girls and talked to them for like an hour in Japanese.
I had a nice lesson with Mitsue today, as usual it was a lot of fun and she made me some pancakes. Except they don't use Maple Syrup here, they use honey or jam. The honey was good, but it made me think of my mom's delicious pancakes and how I could really go for a stack. As usual I miss everyone and have to give a shout out to my guy Dahm for sending a nice birthday package filled with Candy.
I might not post again until Tokyo, so until then.
JB

Cherry Blossoms are awesome.

So this past week was a little hectic at work, but I was rewarded this weekend with the amazingly beautiful Cherry Blossoms (Sakura). They come out for about one week each year and they are spectacular. I have never appreciated trees so much until I saw the amazing Cherry Blossoms in full bloom this weekend. I am a person who loves trees, just ask my family about my favorite boy time hobby, climbing trees.
Jeremy and I went to Mt. Kyusho on Sunday at about 3 pm. They have a festival all weekend to celebrate the Cherry Blossoms. We found a spot to hang and we chilled for about 3 hours. After that we moved to this giant wall on the Mountain and watched the sunset, a little gay, but it was beautiful. I listened to relaxing music as I took the Cherry Blossoms in. It was probably the most relaxing thing I've ever done.
The next day we went and had a picnic under the Cherry Blossoms. This is called "Hanami" and it is a lot of fun. We went to this local river that is lined with Cherry Blossoms and sat under a tree and ate dinner. We drank sake, listened to music and exchanged stories. Jeremy and his friend Todd are hilarious, they are big time video game nerds. I have a hard time relating because the only video games I play are COD and sports games. Jeremy enjoys listening to Video Game soundtracks, it is too funny. Anyways the Cherry Blossoms are beautiful and it was a true pleasure to experience them this weekend.
Tottori is a beautiful place, but the Cherry Blossoms made it a wonderland this weekend. They are literally everywhere you go, they turn a normal street into heaven. Staring down at the Cherry Blossoms from Mt. Kyusho made me feel like I was looking down at clouds, that is how beautiful and fluffy they look.
Another things that I did this weekend was to purchase a Bullet Train ticket to TOKYO! Jeremy and I will be heading there at the end of the month and I am so excited. We are going to visit Nikko (my favorite Japanese Temple), climb Mt. Fuji and party it up in Tokyo. I can't wait!
Enjoy the photos, for the complete album go to facebook, and until next time....PEACE!

John Kelly Kennedy Budge (my older students laugh at my long name)

Japanese Kids

So the conceptions I had of Japanese kids is for the most part true. I thought that the Junior High and High School kids would be all laid back and shy. And for the most part they are, except the classes where one of my jokes lands and they all get the giggles.
Today I was teaching my class of three 13 year girls. They are all usually dead silent and mumble English to me, usually with perfect grammar and pronunciation. Today however, I got them into the giggly mood by cracking a joke saying Jeremy and I were going to take pictures together in a photo booth, a time honored Japanese girl tradition. They all lost it and couldn't stop laughing. The rest of the class was great because they actually had energy when they spoke. I have discovered that the best way to reach these older laid back kids is to crack a joke. And this is not hard to do, because basically anything eccentric I do gets a good laugh. For example, to explain "bang my head" I did a classic moved performed by ZEV in high school where you run towards a door and pretend to BANG your head, but you actually block it with your hand. My students erupted in laughter, they didn't stop laughing for 5 minutes. Laughter is the key method I use when teaching, I remember being a student, and my favorite teachers were always the ones that could make me laugh. I really think that it lightens the mood and makes learning fun.
Some other good news, I got my favorite student Masayoshi back from Jeremy next quarter! So I can continue to teach fun IDIOMS! This kid is a genius and he is hilarious, he makes my day every time we have a class together.
I'm on my way out to the Tottori nightlife, but I'll post again on Monday my time, Sunday your time!
ONE :-)

Tottori-City Life

This week was good, the days seem to fly by so fast. I guess that is what happens when you work full time teaching kids. The little ones are so crazy and full of energy that the time just vanishes. The older students are so laid back though, and it is a little harder to teach them. The older ones are so bogged down with homework and studying that they are so tired. I ask them, what will you do this weekend? And 50% of the time they say sleep. That is what they look forward to the most. The other 50% usually say study. I have some really bright students, their English is great and it is a lot of fun to teach them. I found out the other day that I won't have Masayoshi as a student next quarter. I was so upset because not only is he the smartest, he is the funniest. Last week we spent the whole class telling jokes and just talking because the textbook is too easy for him. I taught him some more idioms and we talked about American music. Japanese people enjoy the funniest American music. They love Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson and the Backstreet Boys. At karaoke they always ask me to sing Backstreet Boys or Bon Jovi, I dislike both bands so it is hard, but I do it to please them. They especially enjoy "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys.

Anyways, this weekend I had dinner with this Japanese girl named Yorie. I met her a few weeks ago and she said she wanted to learn English. So I told her we could meet up and talk in English and Japanese. She doesn't know much English, so we spent most of the time talking in Japanese. She is your typical party girl, I asked her what her hobbies were and she said, "drinking alcohol and dancing." Not the kind of girl I am looking for, but she was fun to talk to and practicing Japanese is always good. After we ate dinner we met up with Jeremy and his friend Eri. We then went to a bar and hung out for a bit then I went home. It was a fun night, nothing too crazy, but it was great speaking Japanese all night. At work I have to speak English all day, so I don't get to practice my Japanese much during the week.

The next day I woke up and wanted to go for a long bike ride/hike. I followed this river all the way to this trail that led to the sand dunes. I got off my bike and began to hike through the forest along this trail that led to the sand dunes. I thought it would take me to the tourist spot where I was last week with Mitsue. Instead it took me to this desolate part of the dune. It was great because the sand was untouched, unlike the tourist area that is covered in footprints. I walked around and decided to get artistic, so I wrote some Japanese in the sand. The picture below says, Nature. It was a very peaceful afternoon. I returned home and studied some Japanese, ate dinner and watched a movie.

The next day I went to my usual lesson with Mitsue. It was a little longer this time, I was really struggling with some of the material so we studied for about 3 hours together. She is so sweet, she made me these two delicious sandwiches that reminded me of home because they were on sub bread. We had a good lesson and then I returned home. That was my weekend, the usual, going out, biking, the ocean and finally my lesson with Mitsue.

I wanted to talk about one more thing: Japanese people stare at me every where I go. I thought I would get used to it by now, but I haven't. It is really annoying to pass someone and have them turn their head and follow you as you go by. If the cute girls do this I don't mind, but it is the old people. They give me dirty looks and it is quite uncomfortable. Jeremy told me to give them a big old smile in return, but that is hard to do when they are giving you the evil-eye. I guess I'll have to learn to deal with it, so I am going to take Jeremy's advice and give them a big "AMERICA RULES" smile and move on. That is the only piece of culture shock that I have had to deal with so far. The rest of the cultural differences are no big deal to me because I knew about them before I came.

Till next week. ONE