Back in the 'Bu
I'm back in Chichibu for the day, using Chris and Amanda's laptop which thankfully defaults its web settings to English. I'm thoroughly enjoying my 'weekend' after my first full week teaching. Work has been going really well so far. I teach in a small Nova school in a neighbourhood called Sengawa (which literally translates as "hermit river", although I've yet to see a hermit or a river). Sengawa is a rather swanky neighbourhood with multiple cafes, tea shops, an organic food store, a crepe stand and, to my great delight, a Starbucks. I'm one of only 4 teachers at my school and my classes are usually one-on-one, which I really like. I basically get paid to just chat with some really kind and interesting people. My favourite class to teach is called Voice, which is really just a conversation lounge for students of all levels of ability. My job is to introduce a topic for discussion and to keep the conversation going. It's very fun and I get to learn so much about Japan.
Although I really like my job, I was still very happy to have yesterday off. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day, absolutely perfect as I was looking forward to exploring more around Tokyo and my new home town of Fuchu. In the morning I went in search of the forest in Fuchu that a student had told me about. The forest turned out to be more of an arboretum, but it was beautiful nonetheless, with walking trails, fountains and sports fields full of kindergarteners. I'm very happy to have found it, I think I'll be going back often. It's a nice respite from the bustle of city.
In the afternoon I ventured into Tokyo and decided to check out Ueno Park. Ueno Park is a massive area that's home to a half dozen museums, a seventeenth century Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple, an amusement park, fountains, a boating pond and a zoo. It's also home to a sizeable proportion of Tokyo's homeless population. Japan is, overall, a very prosperous country and I really haven't seen much poverty since I've been here. It was a jarring contrast to see people sleeping on benches amongst the tourists and upwardly mobile Tokyoites, to see tarps draped in the bushes just feet from beautifully preserved shrines and museums. Unlike at home, the homeless people didn't beg; they just sat, seemingly unnoticed by the passers by.
I spent the better part of the afternoon at the Tokyo National Museum. While my education has exposed me to a lot of Western history and art, I have to admit I'm rather clueless about Asia in general. After visiting the museum, I'm inspired to change that. I saw many beautiful paintings and artefacts and got just the slightest introduction to the long and rocky relationship between Chinese and Japanese culture, particularly in regards to religion. I've got lots more to learn!
Although I really like my job, I was still very happy to have yesterday off. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day, absolutely perfect as I was looking forward to exploring more around Tokyo and my new home town of Fuchu. In the morning I went in search of the forest in Fuchu that a student had told me about. The forest turned out to be more of an arboretum, but it was beautiful nonetheless, with walking trails, fountains and sports fields full of kindergarteners. I'm very happy to have found it, I think I'll be going back often. It's a nice respite from the bustle of city.
In the afternoon I ventured into Tokyo and decided to check out Ueno Park. Ueno Park is a massive area that's home to a half dozen museums, a seventeenth century Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple, an amusement park, fountains, a boating pond and a zoo. It's also home to a sizeable proportion of Tokyo's homeless population. Japan is, overall, a very prosperous country and I really haven't seen much poverty since I've been here. It was a jarring contrast to see people sleeping on benches amongst the tourists and upwardly mobile Tokyoites, to see tarps draped in the bushes just feet from beautifully preserved shrines and museums. Unlike at home, the homeless people didn't beg; they just sat, seemingly unnoticed by the passers by.
I spent the better part of the afternoon at the Tokyo National Museum. While my education has exposed me to a lot of Western history and art, I have to admit I'm rather clueless about Asia in general. After visiting the museum, I'm inspired to change that. I saw many beautiful paintings and artefacts and got just the slightest introduction to the long and rocky relationship between Chinese and Japanese culture, particularly in regards to religion. I've got lots more to learn!