Obon Festival!

So Tuesday night, I went to the Obon Festival here in Sasebo! It was really neat! I went with Jenny (who works with me at the Board of Education, Nicola, Claire (who both work at high schools in the area), and some guy from the navy who Claire was friends with. We didn't really know where it was happening or what was going on...but we heard lots of firecrackers and the like going off - so we followed the noise. Families were bringing their "floats" (boat like tributes to honour the dead in their families...from what I gather) to a park where they had them all lined up and made a procession in the area. Then they all seemed to light firecrackers - the Japanese are crazy about them! Some of the floats were really small that you could carry in one hand, while others were huge and on wheels! It was really neat. Some families were also all dressed up to match...good times.

After the park, we walked down to the Albuquerque Bridge (can you tell I live in a town with a navy base??!!), which was all lit up with lanterns. They were also putting lanterns into the water and they floated down the river – it was really pretty. Unfortunately I can’t really give you the low down on what the significance of everything is…maybe I’ll ask my Bachan and get back to you later. But it was really nice!


Last night I went down to the arcade to run a few errands, then met up with Kevin, Jenny and Brent to go to a going-away party for two third-year JETs at an isakaya. It was really nice! Lots of people (both Japanese and foreigners) and pretty good food. It was nice to meet some more people in the area as well. The only thing about these types of places is the seating arrangements! It’s sooo hard to get used to sitting on your knees, or attempting to get comfortable in a skirt! Thankfully everyone was really laid back, so we were all kind of lounging around…but I suppose I should get used to it sooner than later!

I have officially had my first typhoon warning! First really loud sirens went off in the middle of the night the other day – and today they said it will probably strike around 2pm on Friday. It’s not supposed to be a really bad one – but I’m a little excited! Although I suppose they can get really dangerous, apparently it’s really neat to watch! Unfortunately though, although the summer camp I teach at will most likely be cancelled, I still have to go into work at the Board and sit around all day! This also means I have to go outside and bear the storm! These are the times that I am really going to appreciate the fact that I have a car! Although I get to put my Crocs to the test…..I get lots of looks when I have them on…probably because they are bright pink….I’m such a loser!

And for some reason I can't seem to upload my pictures...it's probably my terrible connection. But I will post them soon! Take care!

Sooo… Sunday I slept in a bit (well not technically – I just stayed in bed and watched Lost! Love it now!). But then Neale and I drove to Hirado – an island a little up north from us (about an hour away) to go to the beach. The drive was really pretty – everything is so green here! And we drove by many rice fields and tea farms. It’s such a mix of things as well – there are pine trees, palm trees, etc. So it’s a really neat drive. I also drove through a town that my friend Shannon from Ottawa lives in – so at least now I know where it is and that it is not very far from me. We went for lunch first for Hirado’s famous noodles, then headed to Neshiko Beach. It was really nice (see the pictures below)…although I’m a little bit of a snob – Everyone was ranting and raving about how nice it was – but I couldn’t help thinking that the beaches in Australia and Hawaii were much better! But nonetheless…it was a really nice day out. The water was nice and warm, although all the other people got stung by some sort of creature….not a jellyfish, something smaller and invisible. A little creepy. After we hung out there, I just drove home – I was a little nervous about the drive home by myself (Neale decided to stay the night and take a vacation day), but I was not sure if I would remember the way back! But it was just straight down the highway – and right to my house! Anyways – that was the rest of my weekend! Not too much else – hope all is well with everyone!

Ok...so I'm in Sasebo now - and it is hot as hell! I haven't seen it go under 27 degrees the entire time I've been here - even in the middle of the night or early morning! I'm starting to sort of get used to it...although I have my moments. Thankfully my apartment has air conditioning, but it's crazy expensive to run.

Sasebo is really nice - it's placed in a valley between some big hills, and on the other side of the hills is the Japan Sea. It is also a military town - with both an American and Japanese base. So there is quite a big western influence in the downtown area (especially the Arcade - Japan's longest straight shopping plaza - 1km). We have a Starbucks! (a big plus for me). But because of the navy, foreigners often get a bad reputation because they have been known to steal bikes, purses, and other petty crimes. So that's not really cool. But if you make friends with some of the navy guys, they can escort you on base where they have a Taco Bell, Subway, and an American grocery store! I know quite a few people are aching for peanut butter...I know that I could go for some cheese if I got on base...

So my apartment is pretty small! But it's starting to feel more like home! I've finally taken some pictures of my apartment (had to make sure it was semi-clean first! hahah). So here is some pictures of my living room/kitchen. My bath/shower room is the white-ish door on the right, and the brown door leads to my entrance way and washroom.


Then there are dividers (sliding doors) that can seperate my bedroom from my living room/kitchen. Which come in quite handy when I'm trying to stay cool in my apartment! So this is the bedroom half of my apartment - and there is a doorway leading out to my balcony. I've converted my bed also into my desk...I'm using my desk chair as my fan stand. The other two pictures are the view from my balcony...

There are also quite a few nifty little gadgets in my apartment...My bath/shower room has a fan/heater, so that it becomes my dryer for all my clothes. I just have to turn it on and set the time for it to dry. I have to turn on my hot water, and I can set the temperature I want for baths and showers. And my toilet has a sink built into the top....

Everyone has been really nice and I've had lots of fun since coming here. I came into Sasebo with Kevin, who is from Ohio and he also lives in the apartment above me. We walk to work every morning - the Board of Education is located in the city hall - which is only about a 1o minute walk for us. Brent (from Australia) and James (NYC) are second-year ALTs who have been helping us out and showing us around the city. Here are some pictures I took at work the other day, and also some pictures of our view from the office.

We've been keeping really busy though - we've gone out for lots of good food, went to some of the viewing points at the top of the hills/mountains that surround the city, and went to the 99 islands at sunset, which was really beautiful (kind of like Japan's version of the 1000 islands...which was also featured in the film The Last Samurai for 10 seconds....woo hoo). I forgot my camera that day - but I am definately going to go back and take pictures, so I'll post those once I get those. Sasebo has also had a festival since I've been here - it was the Sasebo Seaside Festival. It was nice, they had bands and such playing, lots of food, and at the end of the festival on the Sunday night they had a huge fireworks display. It was really neat - they went on forever - something like 10,000 fireworks were sent off. The japanese love their fireworks....those little firecrackers and such that you only see in Canada around Canada are absolutely everywhere - which are all geared towards little kids - with Hello Kitty and such on it!

Last night we had our welcoming party for all the JETS in Sasebo and surrounding areas. We went to a tabenomihodai - which is an all you can eat and drink beer garden on the roof of one of the department stores in the arcade. It was lots of fun! It was good to meet some new people in the area. I sampled chu-hi's - which I have no idea what kind of alcohol it is, but you get to choose what flavor you want....and they are quite potent, which I unfortunately learned the hard way. After the tabenomihodai, some people went to kareoke, while I participated in the convenience store pub crawl - where everyone just walked to the stores to get alcohol and sat in the park and chatted. After that, we all made it to Ginza, one of the local clubs. It was filled with Navy guys...and it was so smokey!! Wow - I totally took advantage of the smoke-free places in Ottawa! That is definately something that I miss a lot.

Anyways, I'm off to the beach today! I'll be sure to bring my camera this time! Hope all is well with everyone!