Sunday Afternoon of Free Performances

These are 50s style rockers, and they looked like they were in the 30s or 40s. They gather every weekend in Yoyogi Park near Harajuku Station in Tokyo.

This is Transistor Kiraku, or so the leaflet she handed me says. I am not sure exactly what she is or does. Maybe I don't want to know.

This band was one of a dozen or so lining the sidewalk outside Yoyogi Park. I liked this band best, though the sounds all sort of merged because of their close proximity.

This solo act was the most visually interesting.

Not in Yoyogi Park, but at a mall in Harajuku. The artist drew the geisha while a band played some funky music above.

Crossing Paths with Olympians

I am at Narita Airport now, along with the Israeli swim team and the Brazilian men's basketball team. I swear the Brazilian guys buying jewelry at the Cartier duty-free shop were twice the height of the salesclerk.

Sayonara Nippon!

I leave Japan this afternoon at 4:05 and return to SFO this morning at 9:18 a.m. -- thanks to some serious movement through time zones and across the International Dateline.

I've had a great three weeks here and can't wait to share more of my experiences with my students at Media Academy, my friends and family. Thank you Fund for Teachers for making this possible. Thank you Hisayo and family; Midori, Hiromichi and Yoko; Sumire and family; Kosaka, Kazuko & juku students; Kazumi; Kyoto Gals; Ena Shiyakusho English Conversation Circle; the Katos; Tsuge Hiroko; WORM; and Ena High School staff for making this trip meaningful, wonderful and educational.

Due to technical difficulties posting photos and limited time on the Internet while in Japan, please continue to look for more postings on this blog after my return to America. Thanks for reading!

Too Much Information? Nope!

Now I want to keep this blog clean, but this photo demands a posting.

After living in Japan for two years as an Assistant English Teacher, three months as a journalist and three weeks as a tourist, I finally found a sign that gave me comfort that I would not set off an Old Faithful in the toilet stall.

This sign, posted in a Shinjuku department store bathroom, gives instructions -- in English -- of just what all those fancy buttons on a Japanese toilet will trigger. And now, thanks to this sign, I know how to wash my buttocks on a Japanese toilet and even how to dry my buttocks on a Japanese toilet.

The warning at the bottom lets me know that if I don't sit all the way back or if I push the green wash buttocks button while standing, I will get my clothes wet.

Best Changes in Japan

This man is smoking in a designated smoking section outside Shinjuku station. Although it is not evident from the photo, all the other people around him are also either smoking, lighting up or just putting out their cigarettes.

Perhaps the best change I have noticed in Japan since my last trip is the emergence of smoking sections and non-smoking zones. I used to be angered that students in Japanese schools had to clean their teachers' ashtrays during o'souji, or cleaning time. Now, at least in Gifu prefecture high schools, teachers may not smoke anywhere on campus. Apparently at junior highs and elementary schools, teachers may still smoke on campus, but they have to go to separate smoking rooms. There are far fewer vending machines that sell cigarettes on the street. Now, both beer and cigarette vending machines are only located near shops that have a special license, according my my host Mr. Murai. Right now, I am in an Internet cafe and I was gｉｖｅｎ the choice of a smoking or non-smoking cubicle. Okay, so I still can smell the smoke from the first floor up on the second floor, but at least I don't feel like I am in an ashtray.

Another positive change I have seen in Japan is a greater concern for the environment. Next to the ubiquitous vending machines known as jidohhanbaiki now are special recycling bins. Nevertheless, Japan still goes crazy with wrapping up consumer goods, often with items getting wrapped up first before they get put into a plastic bag. But I am convinced even this will change by the next by the next time I return to Japan ... the green movement is growing!

The Top of Japan

This is me at the top of Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan.

The smile covers up my true feelings -- I was totally exhausted and in pain. In fact, I almost quit at station 7 out of 10 stations up the mountain. What kept me going was the memory of the Media Academy trip to Yosemite in April. I remember students who really thought they would not make it up to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, but kept going and made it. Thank you students for inspiring me to keep going!

To my BAWT friends, I thought of you often on the way up and down. I thought carrying those beans in my bear canister for three days was going to be the hardest part of my summer. Nope, dealing with blisters, lack of oxygen, nausea, and lack of friends to keep me company up to 3,776 meters was the hardest part of my summer .... and maybe the hardest physical feat of my life. I look forward to sharing all the details at a BAWT reunion soon.