Rainy Monday

A rainy Monday is meant for sleeping and dreaming. I have long believed that I am not meant for work. Humans are not meant for work. The word has lost all meaning in our world. Most people do not really "work," the sit at a desk wasting time. Our time is never really used for much good. We sit in a comma waiting for 4:10, the first possible moment we can leave our hell.

I understand that I should not complain about a job that doesn't require any "work." I just recite English to students. When I am not doing that I sit at my desk and search the internet, read books, or study Japanese. It is not my job in essence that is the problem. It is the concept of jobs that I don't seem to enjoy.


Loafing around provides our brains with the power to handle every other day. Watching movies and taking naps all day these are the things that give us happiness. Going out shopping or having lunch lead to thinking about money and work. But, listlessly rumbling around the house gives people time to think about what life should really be like.

I love the rain. The sound and smell of the rain wash my mind of all worries. Waking up from a nap to the gentle sounds of rain pattering against my porch, lubricate my future plans. Gently waking up from sleep and moving slowly towards wakefulness makes it easy for me to think about the future. Usually, I think of the future only when it is hovering over my head. I think about it only when I need to, but leisurely thinking about it during the day gives me hope for the future.

Fall is here.

These past few days have been beautiful in Japan. After the sweltering summer, this fall has started in a very calm, cool way. With the recent ebb and flow of the weather around us I have really wished to write more about my thoughts concerning weather. I, hopefully, am not the only person in the whole world who believes that this change in weather is man-made. I wish that my thoughts on this were the fiction of futuristic tales, but I don't think that is true. But, the real fiction is that we have no warriors, no leaders, no humans to stand up and shout to the heavens that this is bad. This is going to do nothing but change our entire civilization, for the worse. It is with these thoughts that I ponder upon my place in this system of ineptitude.

Last week, I went for a constitutional downtown. With friends in tow, we practiced our talents in tasting temptuous tankards. I have been fighting the gods of drink for some time now, but I still have yet to find a reason to the challengers. Usually, I end up face down in my bed moaning for other gods to come and show me the way towards the door. On this such occasion, I sat down for a while to drink my nectar. A moment later a couple of Japanese fellows strolled by and wanted some company. Jollily, I shared my company and my sustinence with them.

The older of the two gentlemen was taken aback by my use of Japanese. His younger friend was very talkative and gracious. The more that we spoke, the more the elder was angered. I am never quite sure how to take peoples reactions to my being foreign. Should I be sympathetic. Or, perhaps, should I strip my shirt and show my true form. America-man: to fight anybody and everybody, to speak before I think, and to call every god-damned kettle in the tea shop black, while I sit on the stove ignoring my own ebony color.

High School Sports Day

Springtime in Japan brings many things. The cherry blossoms, the new school year, Golden Week (a five day holiday), and, in many places, the school Sports Day. From what I have learned, these events started around WWII. They are a way for Japanese students to show school spirit, athletic fitness, how to follow instructions, and, most importantly, how to be a part of the group. The later of these actions is probably the single most stereotypical characteristic of Japanese society. But, that doesn't mean that there isn't some truth in the stereotype.

For the past few weeks, my students have been practicing for the school Sports Day. Usually, the activities that occur are similar from school to school, including: running (100 m. and relay events), tug of war, a game where large bamboo poles are placed at the center of a field and two teams struggle to take as many poles as possible to their side of the field, cheer leading, and finally the Mass Game.

The Mass Game is a choreographed exercise. Which consists mostly of cheer leading pyramids of various sizes. There are 100's of different poses and the students move around the field to make a large scale design of some kind. This is, by far, my least favorite of all of the events. It is interesting to look at from a crowd perspective, but as a teacher at the school and a person who cherishes individuality, I think that this event is a waste of time and a form of group-think brainwashing.

The Mass Game reminds me of the annual Mass Games that North Korea puts on every year. These Games are a way to control the perception of North Korea, both internally and abroad. North Korea uses the games as an exhibition of national strength and solidarity. To show the country's (purported) strength, and to show the rest of the world the North Korean peoples' appreciation towards their leadership.

Many of these same characteristics are a part of the Mass Games in Japanese high schools. Nationalism, group strength, and doing things to appease parents, teachers, and community leaders.

My biggest problem with the Mass Games event is the overt sexism of the whole event. The boys must participate without shirts on. The girls are sandwiched on either side of the boys, usually performing tasks that are much simpler than the exercises the boys are charged with performing. Usually, the whole event is prefaced by the girls, with pom-pomed hands, dancing and cheering to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend."

I know, as a foreigner, I am not able to understand all of the nuances of the sports day events, but as a conscious human being I can see the cro-magnon, ancient beginning of the event still peppered throughout the whole sports program. As an overweight American, I shouldn't be questioning any kind of event that aggrandizes exercise and sporting events.

There are many redeeming qualities about the event; teamwork, exercise, and traditional games and dancing. One of my favorite events is the ouendan cheer leading. This is a uniquely Japanese type of cheer leading, or dance. The students work very hard to get all of the moves in rhythm to the beat of a taiko drum. And, it is really amazing that the students are able to coordinate these dances in such a short amount of time, especially with the school year just beginning.

It is truly a unique event. I enjoyed the event very much. But, there are some questions of equality that should be pondered and discussed.

Thanksgiving in Japan

Another year has passed and I am still biking my way through Japan. It seems like only yesterday that I left with a heart full of ambition and a mind filled with meaningless trivia. I have spent a fair share of my time here on airplane rides to and from America. I have realized, during those holidays I am not allowed to take off because I have classes to teach, that I have a soft spot in my heart for Thanksgiving.

Growing up Catholic and meandering more towards sympathetic atheism, I have realized that I really like Thanksgiving because it gives Americans a holiday that we don't have to trace back to a super religious or overly patriotic event in our nations history. The holiday started in this country during a time when we, as a people, were still babies hanging on to our mother's tits for nourishment. Our only holiday that takes place during a time when we didn't have American history, we had the history of the nations that sent their explorers to this land. We celebrate a holiday that takes place during a time when North America was still a unique place of many different cultures and languages. I try to remember this holiday in my mind. The time when we were the starving heathens who didn't know how to survive in this new land. We were saved, we grew, and we enslaved everything that we could: men, women, children, electricity, the atom, etc.

I had my second Thanksgiving in Japan. I was lucky enough to go to a nice party. We did have turkey this year, even though last years chicken was just as good. I went to Zane's house, he is our Prefectural Advisor. He was good enough to have about 10 to 15 people at his cozy home. I went to this Thanksgiving with Kimi, my girlfriend. I was excited to go and I was ready to have a good time. As the night moved progressed I started to think more about the wonderful Thanksgivings of my years in Omaha.

I thought of going to my Uncle Charlie's house when I was a young boy. His house seemed like an old fashion mansion, not exactly large but stately. My Uncle Charlie has always been a strong, intelligent figure in my life. I have a very intelligent family, but my Uncle Charlie seemed to know so many people and so many interesting stories. Before moving to the "country," while still living in the "city," my Uncle made the stories of small town life seem so interesting. The vivid way that he would tell stories about the clients he served as a lawyer, weaved itself permanently into my imagination.

While watching football on TV, the smell of my Uncle's pipe would permeate the house. Much like the forgotten ancestors our European counterparts shuffled away onto reservations, I would hear Charlie, my Grandpa Smith, and my father tell these perfectly narrated stories about small town life. With the smell of tabacco wafting through the room, instead of a teepee we sat on a plush couch listening to our elders. A family of great story tellers is better than any holiday special Disney could create.

I also loved going into my Uncle's basement, which was another shrine to who I am as a person. The three days a year that I was able to move from my caste to another brought me into this wonderful house of games. Growing up in South Omaha, I didn't have as much opporotunity to mingle with different classes of people. Namely those people who owned and purchased video games. At the Catholic school that I attended there were many kids with video games. I remember vividly hearing about the kids talking about levels and warps. I also remember not ever being too interested in the kids from my school, or, at least, they weren't interested in me. I only recall having 1 friend the whole time I was at that school, and he didn't even have video games. I regress...

Those few high holidays that allowed us all to meet at Uncle Charlie's house, were my favorites. I used to pray that we didn't have to go to Aunt Ann's house, not for any malice towards Aunt Ann, but her house was boring ass hell. Charlie's house had a pinball machine and a Nintendo. Just watching the older kids play was a glorious event to me, but those few times that everybody would leave the room and I was left of touch this sacred machine. I remember kids talking about that little grey box in hushed voices inside Tuesday church, saints and Christ himself were not spoken about so reverentially.

Even in recent years, without as much emphasis placed on video game entertainment, I always love going to my Uncle Charlie's house for Thanksgiving. The conversation is always interesting. My grandmother's prays last for 10's of minutes, usually with scattered giggles by many at the table, followed by swift kicks.

I love Thanksgiving. I love being around people I love on Thanksgiving. Because of this, this year's Thanksgiving was extremely depressing. While there was one person there that I love, most of the other people lie on a spectrum of hot and cold. A couple of the people I would place my feelings for them just past warm, but others bob about like ice cubes. I wanted to have my own Thanksgiving party, to surround myself with people I love and tell them all about why I love them and how they have shaped my life in the past year. But, I didn't. And, at this perfectly wonderful Thanksgiving party I couldn't tell the one person who I do love, why this year has been so good for me.

I had a good time at the party, but like a venereal disease, sometimes things look okay but in reality things might not be okay under it all. While talking, eating, and drinking, underneath I started to feel more depressed about missing Thanksgiving. I drank, and drank until 6 cans of beer, a bottle of Johnny Walker Black, and a partial bottle of whiskey another guy brought were ingested.

What a nice Catholic way of dealing with depression! Keep it all inside and let the whiskey take care of it. Well, Dr. Grey, of Grey's Anatomy fame, took care of me the rest of the night. Running between my futon and the bathroom for the rest of the night made all thoughts of Thanksgiving disappear, along with my turkey dinner.

Actually, Kimi was the one who took care of me the rest of the night. Thanks Kimi. I'm not sure if I said it during our "What are you thankful for?" game, but I am thankful for you. I am thankful because every other day of the year that I miss America, I don't miss it as much when you are around. Thanks.

What's new?

My updates have become...nonexistent. Here is an attempt to try again. Like much of my writing, except for my poetry, it usually becomes like a drive down Ft. Crook Rd, lots of stop and start. I have been trying to do a chronology of my time in Japan and I have come to understand that that is impossible. I don't have the time. I am busy. I am also a really important person. Really.

The cherry blossoms were out in Japan a few weeks ago. I sent an e-mail to some people with pictures of the beautiful picnic that I attended with a friend of mine. We ate good food, played catch, my friend played guitar, and we looked at all of the beautiful cherry blossoms. Mind, this was while we were inside the largest active caldera in the world. A word doesn't come close to describing the beauty of the scene or the feelings of the activity.

Later that week, my friend Austin from South Africa had a birthday party in a cabin out in the mountains. I understood that we would be camping out, which to me means there will be some roughness to the whole experience. I was wrong. I thought that Americans took it easy with there campers and indoor toilets, but that is nothing compared to the Japanese.

The cabin was two stories, there was a shower and toilet, a air conditioner, a heater, pots and pans, and futons for everybody. We brought all of our gear inside and we proceeded to celebrate. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived and we started to eat and drink. We played drinking game and a couple of the girls started preparing some of the food that we would be cooking on the bar-b-que.

A few other people showed up throughout the night and by the time we were cooking, at the large covered community picnic area, we had grown to a group of fifteen. We cooked and drank and sang songs, it was all very bohemian. I spent a lot of time tending to the meat on the fire, drinking my grab bag of beers that I brought from my fridge, and chatting with a girl named Kimi (I have come to find that I am the perfect size for Japanese women. Who knew?).

After cleaning up at the picnic area, we headed back to the cabin. A couple more people showed up and we continued to drink. The cake was brought out with a nice rendition of Happy Birthday, off key in all of the right spots. I stepped over to the small speakers that Austin brought and started to play DJ. The girls wanted hip-hop and I obliged. Even Japanese girls, who are known for being shy, couldn't help but shake their asses. I even got up and showed them some funky South O shit.

We continued to play games, talk and, at one point, Austin and Jay, a Canadian, went outside and went hiking. Things started to wind down when this happened, the birthday boy was out in the mountains, and we were all getting pretty tired. Kimi told me that she and another girl wanted to sleep next to me because one of our crew was getting a little creepier as time passed. We took our things to the loft. The other girl didn't come but Kimi and I slept up there with another couple and Holly, a friend of my friend Chris'.

The next day we woke, cleaned the cabin and just goofed off. We decided to go to an onsen, to sweat the alcohol out of our systems. We all needed a bath too, I'm sure. It was nice sitting outside shootin' the breeze with these guys. We spoke about the impending rocket launch from North Korea, which was probably happening at that moment. We talked about our homes, which are all completely different from the next. We also talked about the future. I am being vague because sometimes times like these should be kept close, instead of disseminated in a blog. We finished and walked outside waiting for the rest of our crew to join us. We planned to go get something to eat, but we all had different plans. So we parted.

Holly, Kimi, and I went to Minami-Aso. We had bagel sandwiches for lunch and we visited our friend Soh, Kimi didn't know Soh but Holly and I did. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Soh's cafe, drinking coffee and eating chiffon cake. We went for a walk; Holly took some pictures, and Kimi and I flirted with each other. We walked back towards Soh's cafe and I picked a piece of grass and whistled with it, Kimi tried and failed, and Holly had her own way of whistling with grass. We taught Kimi how to do the same, but she had better luck with Holly's method. As a train pulled into the station, three twenty somethings, two foreigners and a Japanese girl, were using grass to make whistle sounds and giggling like we were 10 years old.

We made plans to have a party for our friend Chris, who was returning from his wedding that day. It was about 6:30, and I didn't sleep much the night before, so we all decided to part ways.

Another great weekend under my belt, and really it was part of a great week linking into a great few months. I have left myself open to every experience that presents itself, even though sometimes I just want to sit at home and play video games or sleep, I have enjoyed nearly every moment of time that I have spent in Japan. I am expanding as a person, and I am searching still for whatever it may be that I am looking for. It hasn't presented itself yet but I am a part of an adventure everyday that I am here, even if at the end of my time here I don't find that something, I won't have any regrets. "Let's all enjoy English," what Paul-sensei says to his students. Let's all enjoy Japan! Ne?

Kumamoto Orientation: Teacher information and getting drunk. Part II

Uuuuugggghhh...Death would have been a dream come true. The second day of Kumamoto Orientation was awful. The day started like any day from hell, my alarm clock didn't go off. As I woke from my stooper, I looked at the clock next to my futon and it was a quarter till eight. The orientation meetings began at nine o'clock. Without a moments hesitation, I dressed, brushed my teeth, and ran out the door, all in the same breath.

I flew on my bike, as fast as possible, to the main street and got on the street car. The street car was the fastest way to the department store where our meeting was held. It was my own fault for being late, but that didn't keep me from getting upset at the train moving so slow and, god forbid, stopping to pick up other passengers. It was only after getting on the street car that my hangover was finally able to be recognized. I could only hope that everybody else was in the same shape. I knew they had a better nights rest than the few hours respite that I experienced. I needed sleep, and waiting until 4:30 was going to be excruciating.

I went to the eight floor of the Tsurya building. Everybody was milling around chatting about the previous night. I told a few people of my long strange trip, but the 'whole' story needed to wait for another day. As we started in to our first meeting, we were all dragging and my hangover didn't feel so bad after seeing the others.

I am not so sure what the first workshop was about, it must not have been that important, or I might have been unconscious for the whole thing. I have brief memories of there being a Senior High School teachers workshop, but I have been to so many different workshops and seminars on teaching that they have congealed into brief memories.

There was a long trip to the bathroom, not because I was feeling ill, but only to get a few minutes of rest. Sitting in a bathroom stall, in a foreign land, thinking only of when I could go home. My ass was warm, the heated seat was turned on, and I was comforted, in a weird way, by a toilet. I started to think of the previous nights activities, I thought about the similarity of the experience to any experience I would have had in Omaha, and I realized that the only difference was the background noise. I came here for something different, yet sometimes I fall into a trap of desire for the same.

After my rest, I went back to the workshop, which ended shortly. The next workshop was a Japanese language workshop. I was excited, as much as I could be, for the workshop. The guy who presented the workshop was probably one of the best presenters that I have had in any workshop in Japan. He talked about how to learn Japanese, instead of talking about the actual language. He introduced us to books and websites that talked about the theory of learning Japanese, and he gave us information about what was beneficial to him when he started learning the language. This workshop gassed me up for a few hours, which I needed if I was going to make it through the rest of the day.

After the Japanese language workshop, we had our lunch break. I went out to a restaurant with my friends Daniel and Chris, and a few other people came with us; Jacee from New Zealand, a guy from California, and another guy from America. The food was really good, but it took longer than expected. We all decided that instead of rushing, we would just skip the workshop after lunch. I wanted to go to my friend Chris' hotel and check my e-mail. I wanted to go home. Chris asked me if I wanted to crash in his room. I declined, I told him if I fell asleep it was going to be for a long time, and I didn't want to ruin my impending date with my futon. Lunch helped make me feel better, but I was still wrecked.

The final workshop of the day was a finance workshop. I am crap with money, so I thought it would be beneficial, for me, to go. The workshop had some good information about sending money home through wire transfers and other means. The tips on how to save money and where to get deals when buying food or household items was good information. The best part/most uncomfortable part, of the workshop, was the report between the presenters. Two guys and a girl went through the material, in some kind of balanced order, but there was one guy, the same guy who was my guide for my Yamaga expedition, who kept on cutting in with "information." He started to make the other two presenters angry, and you could start to see the disdain on the female presenter's face. With a half hour left in the workshop, the report between the presenters was completely fractured and it looked like an all out war was about to begin. After the meeting was over, there was going to be a short closing ceremony for the day and then I could finally go home.

I was looking at the clock, in the final workshop, like a time-bomb. After a short break, we all gathered in the big conference room. I was getting antsy. The hangover was all but gone, but my sleep deprivation had boiled over and I was going to start going crazy if I didn't get some sleep.

The closing ceremony had been changed to a closing ceremony/gun(pronounced like tune instead of gun), which is a grouping of small towns, meeting. We all divided into our respective groups. I was part of the Kumamoto City group, but our leader was not at the conference, so we didn't talk about anything. The guy who was put in charge of our group wasn't even from the city, so he just asked if we had any questions. Nobody had any actual questions, there were a few meaningless questions about what was going to happen that night and were to get some good food, but nothing related to our experience as JETs. Somebody asked if we could leave, the other groups were talking about activities and business, but we were just sitting there chatting. Our leader asked if we could leave but he was told that we had to wait until 4:30. I was growing impatient and irritated.

Finally, we were able to leave. I made my goodbyes and asked my friends what they were doing, just to be cordial. They wanted to know if I wanted to get dinner with them after my nap, but I assured them that my nap was what occurred before the meeting. When I arrived at my house tonight, I would be in la-la land until morning. I said goodbye again and got on the street car and rode my bike home. When I arrived, I stripped, turned on my air-conditioner and fell right to sleep. I did wake up around 3:00 A.M, I ate something, and went back to bed.

When I woke the next morning, I was fully rested. I went to the Tsurya early and got something to eat at the conbini (Convenience store). We all did some chatting in the hallway before the meeting, and I learned that the previous night was pretty uneventful. Most people went out for dinner, and only a small few went out drinking.

The final day's workshops were Japanese language workshops. We all took a placement test on the first day of the orientation, and our results placed us in one of three language courses. I, of course, was in the beginners course. The course was an intensive language course, taught by a teacher who works for the YMCA in Kumamoto City. The course was all day event and I was excited for the ability to learn some Japanese.

I don't know if our leaders at the prefecture offices have read any linguistic studies, in language learning and the amount of time that should be devoted per day to study. The first hour or so was a review of things that had been given to us by the JET Program, for those who studied the materials. After the first hour, the information became more difficult. As more time passed and lunch loomed closer, we all started dropping like flies. Some students were outright refusing to participate, others were talking amongst themselves, and there were a few of us who were paying attention but our brains had gone into sleep mode.

For lunch, I went with a few guys to try and find a burger joint. Bobby, a guy from Canada, said that he knew where a Mos Burger was near the department store. After about a mile, we started to get irritated and time was running out for lunch. Luke, a British guy, was really irritated and he left before the rest of us. But, soon after that the rest of us realized this guy had no idea where he was going and we turned back as well. I left with a guy named John, from England. We went to McDonalds and found Luke there as well. We all hoped to have lost Bobby, but he leeched back on to us minutes later at McDonalds. We all chowed as fast as possible, and walked back to the orientation separately.

The later half of the afternoon wasn't any more productive than the first half. We were all tired and we had too much Japanese jammed into our brains for one day.

When we finished with the workshop, we all said our goodbyes. Most of the ALTs had to go back to their towns that night, so nothing was planned for that evening. I had school in the morning, so I didn't really want to do anything too strenuous. I went back home and watched a movie and went to bed.

The orientation was a good event to get to know more ALTs. The Japanese workshop left the biggest impression on me, which is when I was hungover and sleep deprived. So the whole event must not have been a wash if I was able to remember that workshop so fondly. School was just around the corner, no matter how many workshops we had or what information was given, we were all unprepared for what was about to begin.

Kumamoto Orientation: Teacher information and getting drunk. Part I

I could feel that school was fast approaching, things at school had started getting serious. Teachers were sleeping less at their desks, and many of them were meeting with students already (Japanese students are so studious). Yamaga was the last event of the summer, the following week was Kumamoto Orientation which is where all of the new JETs get together in Kumamoto and discuss what we will be doing in the coming year. Orientation was for three days: August 18 - 20. The two days after orientation were also filled with many activities at school. Yes, school was officially getting into full swing.

The first day of Kumamoto Orientation was...eventful. The meeting was at a department store in downtown Kumamoto, so it was easier for me to get there than other JETs. I woke about a half-hour before I had to be there and got there in enough time to stop at a convenient store and get something to drink. I saw many JETs that I had not seen since arriving in Kumamoto. It was good to see Chris, a guy that I befriended in Tokyo. I also talked with a few other people that I had spoke with either on the plane to Kumamoto or in Tokyo. We were able to chat a bit before the meeting started. The first day was filled with fun lectures about getting adjusted in Kumamoto. There was also a Japanese language test, which was going to gauge where we should begin in the language courses set up by CLAIR, the Japanese ministry that manages the JETs. Of course, I only filled in 3 questions out of 50, so I would be starting with the beginning course.

After the meetings, Kumajet, the social organization for JETs, set up a tour of Kumamoto Castle. The tour was guided by some Japanese high school students who had been practicing their English. I wanted to check the internet, since my internet had yet to be installed. I went to my friend Chris' hotel and we changed for the dinner and drinking marathon that would commence after the tour of the castle. After changing, we went down to the internet cafe in the lobby for an hour or so. As I look back, I probably should have gone on the tour because the children had done a lot to prepare for the tour.

The restaurant was on top of the building where we had the meeting during the day. The building is a really posh department store with a level that has many nice restaurants. It was a beautiful night, the sun was just starting to go down as we toasted (kompai), and the food was brought out on large platters. There was a wide variety of food, everything was really good. I felt bad because I was sitting near a couple of vegetarians who were unable to eat anything but edemamme. Japanese don't really understand the concept of vegetarian; usually, it is more reasonable to say you are allergic. There was a lot of really good conversation through the night. The beer was left at the table in kegs, and as the drink flowed, so did conversation. We talked about our journey so far, we talked about music and politics, and we talked about how we had all been changed slightly by our journeys.

The party's attendance was near 80 people or so, many of them new JET, but some were members of the prefecture office or JETs on their 2nd or 3rd year, and there were others who were former JETs wanting to get a taste of the exceptional experience we all had in common. I have come to realize how truly unique my experience is, if only because the former JETs, much like people with whom I attended High School, they still are trying to live in moments they can't quite grasp because they have passed.

When people finished eating, things were getting louder and many people started mingling around. I talked with one of the men who worked at the BOE (Board of Education) for quite a while and he gave me my first Kirin Stout, which has become my beer of choice. Kirin is one of the popular breweries in Japan, and they make a really good stout. He wanted to know about where I was from and he wanted to know if I enjoyed my life in Japan. I told him of my home, and I reassured him that my life in Japan was wonderful. The conversation moved from America, to Japanese beer, to linguistics, and finally ending with him talking about how much he liked our conversation and his desire to talk more with me. He is a really great guy, with a very jovial Japanese attitude and the same weakness to alcohol that is common among the Japanese (He couldn't keep up with me.).

While I was talking with the guy from the BOE, people started to talk about the plans for the rest of the evening. A bar crawl was planned from the beginning. We were going to go to three different bars. I was already feeling pretty good.

We walked to the next bar, which was a reggae themed bar. Reggae and Rastafarian's are really popular in Japan. The bar had a nice group of people in it already. There were two levels to the bar, the second floor had much more room than the ground floor, so most people stayed upstairs most of the evening. Getting drinks was atrocious, because of the number of people crammed into this bar. Upstairs there was a DJ table, and we were all waiting for the house music to be put to a rest and get some real music going on the turntables. After about 30 minutes, the DJ appeared and started playing some pretty good music. The foreigners started to mix things up on the dance floor and we must have been quite the site to the Japanese regulars at this small bar. I cut it up for the better part of an hour, until we moved onto the next bar. As we were leaving, I exited the reggae bar with one of the guys who works for the BOE.

On the way to the next bar, I walked with Saleem, a former JET who works at the BOE. He came with his girlfriend and a couple of his friends, who I have since ran into in other spheres. Saleem is a really interesting guy. Takeshi and Toru, Saleem's two friends, are two of the coolest Japanese guys that I have met since coming to Japan.

The next bar we went to was a gaijin bar called Jeff's World Bar. It is run by an expat. This bar was pretty small, as well, but our group was starting to thin out and there weren't as many people at the bar before our group arrived. The bar was still packed, after we piled in. I started drinking double Makers Mark on the rocks. The bar was packed with people and I remember talking to a few girls and my friend Dan, but the whole experience was pretty uneventful and didn't really conjure any great memories. This was because of its rather calmness or because my memory had started to become hazy. We didn't stay at Jeff's very long, so I don't think I am the only one who didn't seem to think it was that great.

After leaving Jeff's, we started walking to the last bar. The last bar a small bar that was underground. It was just one large room. There was a large screen on the wall showing different images, and there was some really good music. Behind the bar there were rows and rows of CDs, but my vision had started to blur. This bar was pretty chill, we had all started to feel the effects of the evening. We were congregating on the couches and trying to talk over the music. We only stayed at this bar about an hour, it was about two in the morning. There was talk of another after-hours event going on in one of the groups that I was bouncing between, and it was decided that we leave.

I had been hanging out with Chris and Daniel that night, but I was also trying to mingle between groups of good looking women. I remember leaving, but Dan and Chris told me the next day that they had tried to gather my attention to remind me of my suit's whereabouts in Chris' hotel room. They called after me as I was dancing down the street with two girls and another guy.

We were going to Holly's apartment for a nightcap. The other two people were going to crash at Holly's, but I said that I get my bike from school and go home. We got to Holly's place and she made us White Russians. I was flirting with Alex, this girl who I had talked to much of the night. We were speaking Spanish to each other. At Holly's, we were all talking about how much we missed home and where we all wanted to explore while in Japan. We were all pretty drunk. Ken, the other guy, passed out on the bed. I stayed for an hour or so, but then the girls were ready to go to sleep. I said my goodbyes and took the elevator downstairs.

The first mistake I made was that I didn't ask how to get to the main street that goes to my school. The second mistake that I made was wearing sandals. I went the opposite way of the main street. Let me interject, streets in Japan are nothing like streets in America. The word linear isn't in their vocabulary, I believe. In my hazy mind, if I went this way I would eventually hit the main street. But, streets kept curving and I was on the wrong side of some train tracks. I remember a point where I was about to crawl over a fence to get to the promised main street, but I would have to cross train tracks. In my condition, I somehow convinced myself to be prudent. I could not convince myself not to pee when I needed to though; I ended up peeing between an apartment complex and a park. It took awhile, I have no other reference of time to postulate, but I started to get worried that it was getting later and I needed to be up for tomorrows meeting downtown.

My impeccable sense of direction kept me on a route that didn't detour me too far, but there were many dead ends and residential streets that I stumbled down in search of my school. Finally, a couple hours later I saw the large Prefecture Office building. I knew that I was almost there. As I walked through the courtyard, my heart had started to beat normal again. I got to school and mounted my bike and started on my way home.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at my apartment. I walked upstairs, took my sandals off at the door, briefly noticing the bloody blisters between my big toe and the next toe, stripping my clothes off, and finally crawling onto my futon at 4:30 in the morning. Getting up at 8:00 was going to be hell.

To be continued...