These are in no particular order:
1.
Yoshinoya Gyu-don: This is a really simple meal that will fill you up for all of 380 yen. It is a simple dish of rice topped with a delicious beef/onion concoction. This has been a severaltimesaweek staple of mine this year.
2.
Yaki-Niku: This is a Korean/Japanese style of barbecue. I am ashamed to say that my first time trying this was two nights ago. This is probably a good thing, because if I had tried it earlier I would probably have a heart condition by now.
3.
Cheap Beer: that is available (almost) anywhere, anytime. That's right. If I feel a malt craving at 3am, I need walk no more than one block, where I can buy a can of my favourite beer (Asahi Super Dry) from my local:
4.
Conveinience Store/s: These are amazing. Forget about your local Gas Station/Milk Bar/or 7/11. These are a one stop shop where you can buy almost anything, 24hrs a day. Oh, no! I forgot to wear my buisness shirt to work today! Thats ok, I'll just buy one from Family Mart (don't worry, this never happened to me). Hmmm, as long as I'm here, I may as well grab some dried squid... and a beer.
5.
My view: We are extremely lucky, and have a beautiful view of the city from our balcony. It is a big step up from the view that we had in our first Japanese apartment... a brick wall which I could reach out and touch!
6.
Ice Cream: Macadamia, Green Tea, Cherry Blossom, Strawberry, Hazlenut, Lovestruck Cheese Cake, Maple Cookie, Peach, and Melon are just some of the flavours that make choosing an ice-cream here anything but boring. Can't be bothered going to the conveiniece store? Why not ust use the local ice-cream vending machine?
7.
Night Life: Oh look, its 4am... almost time for bed. Our average schedule is a 3pm - 9pm shift. This means that we are almost never sleepy by midnight. There is always something to be done/seen/consumed/experienced at this late hour anyway. 9am is early here. For a lot of people midday is the norm. I'm looking forward to early mornings in Australia, but this has been a fun lifestyle!
8.
My Job: Don't get me wrong... there is a lot that I could (and do) complain about reagarding my job. And I am also very excited to be starting my teaching career in Australia next month. However, a good portion of my work simply involves meeting new people, sitting in a room with them and talking (of course correcting their English as we go). Quite often I leave the room feeling that I've learnt more than the student. Am I really getting paid to do this? Anyone who has thought about teaching English in Japan and is in a position to do so should absoloutly give it a go.
9.
Onsens: These are Japanese public baths. Sometimes they are sourced from natural hot springs, sometimes they are simply gas hot water. Sometimes they are elegant and beautiful, often they are simple and plain. Sometimes they are in-doors, sometimes they are out-doors. They are
always relaxing, and an experience not to be missed. Using an onsen has almost become part of my daily routine. I am lucky enough to have one at the local gym that I have used for most of this and last year. Even if I can't be bothered working out, I still usually head to the gym for a sauna and hot/cold soak. If I have a bath in Australia, I need to find a way to re-use the water in the washing or the garden, lest I feel guilty that I may have used our last drop of H2O.
10.
Friends: This is a big category. There are co-workers (teachers and Japanese staff), Japanese friends, and even the occasional student. We have made friends here that we will keep for life. Our friends here all seem to share a common passion for travel and experiencing life, but also have a refreshing variety in their backgrounds and life experiences. Our friends here number: Musicians, writers, graduates, top-secret naval systems engineers, people who have lived in tree houses in the jungle (o.k... thats just one person), teachers, marketing consultants, and life-long travelers. However, it's not just the people, but also the lifestyle. Here, socializing is a bigger part of our lifestyle than it has previously been back home. This is probably due to the proximity we share more than anything else. Right now Allie is catching up with some of her girl friends... in the apartment directly below ours. Some of our closest friends live and have lived in the same building as us, many live a very short walk from us. If I have to travel by train for more 15 minutes then a friend lives far away... as a far as I'm concerned. This proximity creates a kind of college dorm atmosphere, where there is always someone who is up for something at almost anytime. Some of the best parties I've been to have been on our rooftop! It seems to be the stuff of books and tv dramas, but no, it is the very fun lifestyle that we have been lucky enought to enjoy for the past 12 months.
These are in no particular order:
1. Yoshinoya Gyu-don: This is a really simple meal that will fill you up for all of 380 yen. It is a simple dish of rice topped with a delicious beef/onion concoction. This has been a severaltimesaweek staple of mine this year.
2. Yaki-Niku: This is a Korean/Japanese style of barbecue. I am ashamed to say that my first time trying this was two nights ago. This is probably a good thing, because if I had tried it earlier I would probably have a heart condition by now.
3. Cheap Beer: that is available (almost) anywhere, anytime. That's right. If I feel a malt craving at 3am, I need walk no more than one block, where I can buy a can of my favourite beer (Asahi Super Dry) from my local:
4. Conveinience Store/s: These are amazing. Forget about your local Gas Station/Milk Bar/or 7/11. These are a one stop shop where you can buy almost anything, 24hrs a day. Oh, no! I forgot to wear my buisness shirt to work today! Thats ok, I'll just buy one from Family Mart (don't worry, this never happened to me). Hmmm, as long as I'm here, I may as well grab some dried squid... and a beer.
5. My view: We are extremely lucky, and have a beautiful view of the city from our balcony. It is a big step up from the view that we had in our first Japanese apartment... a brick wall which I could reach out and touch!
6. Ice Cream: Macadamia, Green Tea, Cherry Blossom, Strawberry, Hazlenut, Lovestruck Cheese Cake, Maple Cookie, Peach, and Melon are just some of the flavours that make choosing an ice-cream here anything but boring. Can't be bothered going to the conveiniece store? Why not ust use the local ice-cream vending machine?
7. Night Life: Oh look, its 4am... almost time for bed. Our average schedule is a 3pm - 9pm shift. This means that we are almost never sleepy by midnight. There is always something to be done/seen/consumed/experienced at this late hour anyway. 9am is early here. For a lot of people midday is the norm. I'm looking forward to early mornings in Australia, but this has been a fun lifestyle!
8. My Job: Don't get me wrong... there is a lot that I could (and do) complain about reagarding my job. And I am also very excited to be starting my teaching career in Australia next month. However, a good portion of my work simply involves meeting new people, sitting in a room with them and talking (of course correcting their English as we go). Quite often I leave the room feeling that I've learnt more than the student. Am I really getting paid to do this? Anyone who has thought about teaching English in Japan and is in a position to do so should absoloutly give it a go.
9. Onsens: These are Japanese public baths. Sometimes they are sourced from natural hot springs, sometimes they are simply gas hot water. Sometimes they are elegant and beautiful, often they are simple and plain. Sometimes they are in-doors, sometimes they are out-doors. They are always relaxing, and an experience not to be missed. Using an onsen has almost become part of my daily routine. I am lucky enough to have one at the local gym that I have used for most of this and last year. Even if I can't be bothered working out, I still usually head to the gym for a sauna and hot/cold soak. If I have a bath in Australia, I need to find a way to re-use the water in the washing or the garden, lest I feel guilty that I may have used our last drop of H2O.
10. Friends: This is a big category. There are co-workers (teachers and Japanese staff), Japanese friends, and even the occasional student. We have made friends here that we will keep for life. Our friends here all seem to share a common passion for travel and experiencing life, but also have a refreshing variety in their backgrounds and life experiences. Our friends here number: Musicians, writers, graduates, top-secret naval systems engineers, people who have lived in tree houses in the jungle (o.k... thats just one person), teachers, marketing consultants, and life-long travelers. However, it's not just the people, but also the lifestyle. Here, socializing is a bigger part of our lifestyle than it has previously been back home. This is probably due to the proximity we share more than anything else. Right now Allie is catching up with some of her girl friends... in the apartment directly below ours. Some of our closest friends live and have lived in the same building as us, many live a very short walk from us. If I have to travel by train for more 15 minutes then a friend lives far away... as a far as I'm concerned. This proximity creates a kind of college dorm atmosphere, where there is always someone who is up for something at almost anytime. Some of the best parties I've been to have been on our rooftop! It seems to be the stuff of books and tv dramas, but no, it is the very fun lifestyle that we have been lucky enought to enjoy for the past 12 months.
2 comments:
Well said...well said. We are very sad you are leaving next week but we are glad we got to meet you guys. We will miss you!!
love it! i am almost ready to paste it into my blog! (although i don't think anyone reads that thing anymore...)
miss you guys lots!
we'll be seeing you soon... whether it be in the us, aus, or somewhere inbetween!!!
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