A day in the life ~

Some of you have been wondering about what a regular day is like for me. I’ve been trying to think how to post this one, because everyday seems different. So here’s my best shot at a day in the life of Josh:

The day typically begins with waking up and getting dressed, then I head downstairs for the first round of “Ohayoo’s.” I usually boot up the old laptop to check emails and blog posts (if any). Afterwards, I’ve served breakfast and coffee then after cleaning up I leave the house. Of course, before I leave I call out “Itekimasu” which means “I’m leaving” and usually I get a response like, “Iterashai” which means “come back.”

At this point I need to decide how I want to get to school. I could either:

1. Ride the bus to the Subway station (eki) and then catch the subway to school, (30-40min, 400Yen )
2. Ride my bike to the subway station, (40 min, 200Yen)
3. Ride my bike all the way into to school. (40-50, Free, but I’m cold and tired)

So that’s the options I have. Most of them are about the same amount of time so my choice is usually based on, whether or not, it is raining or if I really want to ride my bike. While I should ride my bike in everyday, that biting 2.7 degree’s Celsius sometimes is pretty tough to get warmed up in.

Once at school I take a break and wait for class to start. My first class is Japanese which is three hours long and runs four days a week. It actually can be fun at times, but usually everyone is dragging when it starts at 8:50am and typically dragging when it ends at 12am.

Lunch is usually from 12-1pm. For lunch I can go to the cafeteria, or I can eat out at various restaurants around town. Sometimes my host mom makes me some Onigari or rice balls which tide me over for a little bit. Some days, however, a small group of us gaijin go to the “red coffee shop” which is a coffee house that the 70’s literally forgot about. We’re sure that it was a happening place 30 years ago when the walls were white and the curtains were fresh, but now after 30+ years of cigarette and cigar smoke the place is just a mere shell of its former self. It’s probably the aesthetic of the place that draws our regular attendance. Tables are no more then old arcade tables with games like Tetris, Mahjong, and old horse racing games. The walls are brown and tan and we’re convinced that if you licked the wall you’d get a hearty buzz on nicotine. Some day I’ll blog on just this place, because it’s just so unique.

Ok, so on Tuesday I have a 1pm class called film and Japanese society. Some days go faster then others. Watching movies and then discussing them sometimes is fun and sometimes is pointless. Like discussing the deep hidden values in My Friend Totoro… yeah.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays I have Shinto Traditions class, taught by a Jason Borrows. It’s one of those classes, I think, that you need some prior knowledge about Japanese history and religious practices to fully appreciate his lessons. My opinion is always changing about that class, I either like it or I don’t. Anyway, the class starts at 4:20 officially and usually ends at 6pm.

After that I have kendo on Tuesdays (and Fridays) at 4-6pm and Thursdays from 6-8pm. After all that, I’m usually exhausted and head home the way I came. Dinner is usually cooked and sitting on the stove and usually that’s when I blog and do homework.

That’s my day in a nutshell… pretty much anything outside of that is special.

TTYL Y’all

~J