Home is where you burn your hat?
That's strange isn't it yes it is doesn't really make any sense. In fact its so bad I'd change it but it was the title I used yesterday, you see I wrote a lovely long entry yesterday full of fun and information and somehow through stupidity and random clicking of the 'yes' button managed to loose it all. I'll try and recapture some of the magic though.
The title stems from the fact that for the second time in the five short, months I have been in Japan my house mates has tried to burn the house down. I have by the way recently moved house (more about that latter). Funny story first. Zoe, the new house mate went to sleep on our first night in the house, this was after a few celebratory drinks at the very cheap (Y181 a beer) drinking and eating place at the end of the road. Unfortunately she went to sleep with the heater on. I knew nothing about this, it wasn't until I received a mysterious apology by text the next day and asked why was she apologizing that she said 'You didn't notice the fire?' Well no actually I hadn't and neither had Zoe until it started to burn the shirt she was sleeping in. It was all okay in the end although Zoe's heater futon and shirt are now beyond knackered!
So indeed a new house its very nice and rather old over 80 years we are told. Its a traditional Japanese house lots of space and very atmospheric. We are paying about half of what the old Nova provided apartments had cost us before and are living much closer to work and town. I may have told you that I used to live on the wrong side of a very large mountain well now I don't I may also have complained a little about occasional annoying room mates well that over as well. All in all a very satisfactory move. It also explains why some of you haven't heard from me for a rather long while - sorry.
valentines day was last week on exactly the same date here as it is at home - weird hey? Well this is another imported festival that Japan has taken to its heart and made all its own. The city was wreathed in pink leading up to the 14th. There are some noticeable differences though on valentines day in Japan its not about exchanging gifts, no far more sensibly its about Girls giving gifts to Boys, who smile and say thank you. In fact they don't even have to fancy you if they work with you they are expected to bring presents, so there was a lot of chocs (sorry there were) to be eaten. And if you were a really lucky chap as one teacher (who for contractual reasons will be known as ******* also because its fun writing *******) of my ken who received a large pink box of chocs from a student who had been lying in wait for him, not discreetly but in front of all his work colleagues and students, his face matched the box perfectly, how can you feel for someone's embarrassment when beautiful girls are trying to feed them? It seems at first to be the perfect situation for men but the ladies have it all worked out. You see there is a thing called White Day on the 14th March when the guys are meant to reciprocate the gifts, but its not enough to just give sweets back no, on white day your gift should be at least 10 times more valuable than the one you received so chocs become diamonds!
I have many more things to tell you and I would if I hadn't lost them yesterday and didn't have to go to work now, I'll post more tomorrow or the day after - till then keep well and happy,
Roger
The title stems from the fact that for the second time in the five short, months I have been in Japan my house mates has tried to burn the house down. I have by the way recently moved house (more about that latter). Funny story first. Zoe, the new house mate went to sleep on our first night in the house, this was after a few celebratory drinks at the very cheap (Y181 a beer) drinking and eating place at the end of the road. Unfortunately she went to sleep with the heater on. I knew nothing about this, it wasn't until I received a mysterious apology by text the next day and asked why was she apologizing that she said 'You didn't notice the fire?' Well no actually I hadn't and neither had Zoe until it started to burn the shirt she was sleeping in. It was all okay in the end although Zoe's heater futon and shirt are now beyond knackered!
So indeed a new house its very nice and rather old over 80 years we are told. Its a traditional Japanese house lots of space and very atmospheric. We are paying about half of what the old Nova provided apartments had cost us before and are living much closer to work and town. I may have told you that I used to live on the wrong side of a very large mountain well now I don't I may also have complained a little about occasional annoying room mates well that over as well. All in all a very satisfactory move. It also explains why some of you haven't heard from me for a rather long while - sorry.
valentines day was last week on exactly the same date here as it is at home - weird hey? Well this is another imported festival that Japan has taken to its heart and made all its own. The city was wreathed in pink leading up to the 14th. There are some noticeable differences though on valentines day in Japan its not about exchanging gifts, no far more sensibly its about Girls giving gifts to Boys, who smile and say thank you. In fact they don't even have to fancy you if they work with you they are expected to bring presents, so there was a lot of chocs (sorry there were) to be eaten. And if you were a really lucky chap as one teacher (who for contractual reasons will be known as ******* also because its fun writing *******) of my ken who received a large pink box of chocs from a student who had been lying in wait for him, not discreetly but in front of all his work colleagues and students, his face matched the box perfectly, how can you feel for someone's embarrassment when beautiful girls are trying to feed them? It seems at first to be the perfect situation for men but the ladies have it all worked out. You see there is a thing called White Day on the 14th March when the guys are meant to reciprocate the gifts, but its not enough to just give sweets back no, on white day your gift should be at least 10 times more valuable than the one you received so chocs become diamonds!
I have many more things to tell you and I would if I hadn't lost them yesterday and didn't have to go to work now, I'll post more tomorrow or the day after - till then keep well and happy,
Roger
posted by Roger at
12:45 pm
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