I'm finally here!! After a grueling 3 days of a jet lagged Tokyo Orientation at the wonderful and marvelous Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, I've arrived at my final destination.....Akita City in Akita Prefecture. Some highlights from the orientation included: french fries at the breakfast buffet, smoking INSIDE an izakaya and getting kicked out of the Canadian Embassy. Actually. The humidity was hellish but being so close to the core of Tokyo was enough to get us all out of our AC'd sanctuary. While I wasn't able to venture too far out, one of the more memorable moments was when two friends and I decided to brave a local restaurant without the flashy gajin wax figured foods and English translations. Although it was scary, we pushed through and had some really amazing food and drink.
The orientation, itself, was a something else. Although all the JET forums that I visited warned us about the bore that was Tokyo orientation seminars, I didn't quite fully understand until I got there. On top of the 12.5 hour difference between Toronto and Tokyo, our day began and 8:30 am and went to as late as 8:00 pm. PLUS, we had to put on our best business suits and pretend to be adults. But we got to meet some really great people and meet the folks who'd be in our prefectures.
But now I'm in sunny Akita City, home to 300 000 and known for the best sake, rice and most beautiful women in Japan aka Akita Bijin. More stories to come from the first week in my new home!

Woman of Leisure

As some of you may know, my days of working in dingy Italian eateries, stuffy Catholic institutions and low-paying-do-nothing-for-4-hour jobs are of the past. Since graduating with a shiny new Hon. BA, I've managed to grow up (a little) and upgrade to become.......... a 'woman of leisure'.

A term coined by my father, he started to notice that I would hang around the house and call him for no apparent reason in the middle of the day. With my increasingly incessant visits and pleas for grocery money, he finally called me out on my 'lack of things to do' syndrome. It's true. I sit at home, go on facebook, hang out with friends and walk around Toronto looking for kitschy Canadian paraphernalia to bring to Japan. And this has been my life for the past week or so.

Since finding out I have but 3 more weeks until my departure for Japan with the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher, I've tried to clear out my work schedule so I could focus on getting last minute shit done. Last visits to the doctor, last hang outs and last trips to the island...that sort of thing.
I can hardly believe the day is almost here. With nothing but cash money, a few outlet mall purchases from Niagara Falls NY and the clothes on my back, my leisurely Toronto life is going to be turned upside down!