October....A BLUR!

OCTOBER....was a FAST month full of changes as summer finally ended. It began warm and sunny and throughout the month continuted that way. Here I am at the kindergarten Imio Kai festival. In October I noticed that the changing season, though beautiful and eventful was one of the most difficult months. I think it has to do with just that, CHANGE. Japan is a very seasonal place so a lot of things change especially foods you eat and activities. This was hard for me because I was just getting used to summer things. Not to mention after mom left I had to decide about whether to stay in Japan longer or go home. The mixture of cooling temperatures, work annoyances and food cravings from home led me to choose not to renwe my contract. A decision I know is best but it still sucks to know this adventure will soon be over. That said I'm trying my hardest to make the most of fall in Japan!

Here's what I got up to in October:

Tanbo Rice art in Yonezawa. This what the field looked like before we cut it down.

A sweet lady who was really skilled at cutting rice. I tried my best to copy her techniques. I found the monotony to be relaxing, and in general it eneded up being a lot of fun. I think I got pretty fast and good at it too!

Working together to finish. Japanese people are hard workers and they expecially know how to work as a team. Once finished we enjoyed a delicious meal of Imoni in the hot sun.

A view of the rice fields surrounding Nagai. The empty space is sad but it means there is delicious rice to be eaten and room for snow to fall!

Takako in Kimono after performing a tea ceremony for Nataniel and It. This was the third time I participated in tea ceremony in Japan and the best yet I think!

After the tea ceremony Nathaniel and I biked up to the dam to look at the autumn colours. Such a Gaijin-Japanese thing for us to do. Go look at natures pretty colours on bike! It was a long and exhausting ride up the mountain, but after coming out of the tunnel viewing the scenery sure was worth it

Halloween party at Michiko's school.

Carving the biggest pumkin I have ever seen!

The final product at our Haunted story Chatroom party! I read stories and showed pictures about Fort San Sanatarium. That freaked out my adult Students.

Here we are in Costume. From top left to right. Norihiko as a dinosaur, Chikako as a witch, me as a rock star, Alex, Yoshi as a black cat and Michiko as a lady bug!

Run Jump Play!

It's Wednesday after a four day weekend and suprisingly Kingergarten was alright today. Its funny how some days can just be like that. After only 40 minutes of being there so much had happened. My morning began with throwing kids up and spinning them around (that is my morning exercise), playing chase kelly like 5 times with two little rugrats who never leave me alone, doing some sort of junken (rock paper scissors) game walking on a block maze, realizing 5 girls were pretending to be rabbits in a cage then barking like a dog I scared them and lastly just before prayer time I shared a small moment of joy with a few boys looking out the window and pointing at the snow which now exists on the mountain tops. To me that was real special because I lead the boy to the window, stood him on the stool and pointed and said "yuki". He then called some others and they all took turns looking at the snow and then jumping off. Admiring snow somehow turned into a jump off the stool game....kids have a one track mind run-jump-play!

The long weekend sure was great. We went to Nikko and had a random drinking night in Nagai. Later this week I'll post some pictures up. Now that its the begining of November I realize how fast October went I have not made one post about it. I have less than two months left at my job. That thought brings out excitement for travelling and of coarse the inevitable sadness of leaving, oh what a condundrum.