First Post!

Hello to anyone and everyone reading this! I thought it was about time I started a blog about my time living in working in Japan, 3 and a half months in... Better late than never I guess. 

This first post will be just a general recap of my time here so far, the ups and downs of living in a foreign country, the sights I've seen so far and working as an English teacher in Japan! 

So let's start from the beginning. After all, it's a very good place to start!

January:

I arrived to a beautiful, clear, crisp day in Tokyo, temperature around 8-10 degrees, about a 20 degree drop from summer in New Zealand! The first day was all about the sight seeing, so mum and I attempted to tackle Shibuya and Harajuku after an 11 hour flight... Maybe not the wisest idea, but it was good to get a lay of the land and suss out the metro system.  We then retreated to the hotel at around 3pm before heading out for dinner at around 6pm before promptly crashing into bed by 7.30! The next day, I moved into my apartment and had to try and assemble kit-set chairs and a table, luckily with the help of my manager. The following 3 days were spent buying apartment supplies, registering at the local ward office as a resident of Japan and getting a phone and internet connection sorted. Then I had 4 days of training before officially starting work as an English teacher!!!! Luckily the company's New Year party fell in my first week, so it was good to get to mix and mingle with a lot of people so early on. I then began to get into a routine and started to explore a bit more of Tokyo on my days off. My favourite spots at this point were Ueno Park, Asakusa's Sensoji Temple and the Tokyo Skytree/ Oshiage area. I had also had more of a chance to sample some of the local cuisine, including takoyaki (fried octopus balls), sushi (how stereotypically Japanese...) and ramen. At this stage, everything was exciting and new, and I was starting to get the hang of teaching, becoming more familiar with my surroundings and getting to know my students more. It also snowed in Tokyo, which I hear is very rare, and I was still switching from summer to winter so that was a bit of a shock! I think that pretty much covers January.... so let's move right along to February.

February: 

February began with.... MY BIRTHDAY! My first birthday away from home, and my first winter birthday! My coworker had organised for a group to go to Torikizoku, a chain izakaya (or Japanese bar/restaurant), and so began my love affair with Torikizoku.... But seriously, Torikizoku is super  cheap, the food is decent, and you order on tablets which is simple and convenient. You can keep ordering throughout the night, and they have free cabbage refills! What's not to like? So that was a very memorable birthday. I also had my first experience with Japanese karaoke with members of my training group. So much fun! You get a room to yourselves so no-one outside of your group hears how terrible your singing is, and you create your own playlist. 

I also had my first experience of nomehoudai, or all you can drink... Very dangerous if you're not careful! I also got my first paycheck, which was very welcome after 6 weeks of no income.

Anyone who knows me knows I loved going to  the gym and going to zumba classes back in New Zealand, so I was keen to try and find a zumba class I liked here in Tokyo. Low and behold, I found one! Only downside is that it's an hour from my apartment... but many of the ones I looked at on Meetup (a website where people advertise different groups/activities and you can join groups you're interested in) were just as far away. So I've been trying to go once a week, and have also been trying to go running during the week in the mornings. There's a perception that Japanese food is healthy, and some of it is, but definitely not all of it! I also eat out a fair amount, just because of my schedule and limited cooking facilities in my apartment. Maybe a bit of laziness comes into it as well... So it was at this point I decided I needed to try and exercise a bit more as I was starting to put on a bit of weight. Anyway, I don't think there was anything else too exciting that happened during February, so let's fast forward to March...

March:

At the beginning of March, I embarked on my first adventure outside of Tokyo...to Yokohama, only an hour out of Tokyo...but it was still a nice change of pace for the day. The weather was nice, it wasn't so busy and there was lots to see. The Landmark Tower offers 360 degree views of the city, Yokohama Chinatown brings some delicious Chinese food to the table, and there's a museum dedicated to cup noodles. Only in Japan can you find a museum dedicated to cup noodles. Anyway, as great as the day was, that afternoon was the beginning of a 4 day battle with conjunctivitis... Not so much fun. The drugstore eyedrops I bought had some effect, but were too weak to stop the infection from spreading from one eye to the other, so a trip to the hospital was in order. The lovely man at the hospital put me in a taxi to a medical centre where the doctor spoke good English and prescribed some more powerful drops. I wish I could say this was the end of my medical misadventures during March, but alas, there's more. Three weeks later, I was close to running out of my prescription drugs from New Zealand. I decided to return to the same medical centre I went to when I had conjunctivitis, but it turns out it was only for eyes, ears and throat issues. I was then passed from medical centre to medical centre until I found what I needed. When I did finally find the right doctor, I was told they don't have the exact medication I had been taking, so I have had to settle for a similar alternative. This has been one of the more frustrating aspects of Japanese life. In the area I live in at least, medical centres tend to be specialised, and when you just need a GP it can be difficult to find the right place to go to. But now I know where to go in the future. 

On a brighter note, I also had another trip outside of Tokyo during March to Iiyama in Nagano prefecture. It is home to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, and Shiga-Kogen (the biggest ski resort in Japan). It was nice to see the mountains again and escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and also to see what life in rural Japan looks like. I'm not sure if I could live somewhere so rural though. Tokyo is very convenient and you have everything you need right on your doorstep. I took the shinkansen, or bullet train for the first time to get to Iiyama, and it was extremely quick and comfortable! I would definitely recommend trying it! 

Towards the end of March, cherry blossoms started to bloom, and it is truly beautiful! Everyone has picnics in the parks, and some people start drinking early in the morning, making the most of the slightly warmer temperatures and beautiful cherry blossoms. If you're going to visit Japan, try and come in spring as it really is amazing to see cherry blossoms everywhere. 

April: 

That brings me to April! This month I have been working a lot, and have been suffering from a bit of burnout. I think the fast pace of Tokyo and my erratic schedule has begun to take its toll on me and I have found myself becoming both mentally and physically exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I love Tokyo, there's a lot to see and do here, and I've made some great friends, but it is draining! I am still enjoying teaching, and my students are great, but it can be a stressful job at times too. I also miss L & P, meat pies, Whittakers chocolate, and good bread! The bread here is average at best. 

On the plus side, it has definitely warmed up! Summer is just around the corner, but it will be hot and humid, so it will be interesting to see how I cope with that... Also I am beginning to branch out from my regular eating places and try new restaurants, which is good! The food here really is awesome, and I hear in Osaka it's even better, so I really want to travel there. Maybe in September/October once it's cooled down a bit. We have what's called Golden Week coming up, and it's basically a whole lot of public holidays put together, so I get the 3rd-7th May off! I'm going to Kamakura and Enoshima which I'm super excited about! I'm looking forward to having a break and getting out of Tokyo for a bit too. 

Anyhow, if you've made it to this point, thank you and congratulations! This was kind of a lot long post, but I had to recap 3 months worth of adventures and misadventures. I will try and post a bit more regularly now that I have this up and running. 

From Japan, with love,

Hannah xxx

PS: Photos to come!!