First festival...

Just a couple of days after arriving in Ishikari I attended my first Japanese festival with Debra and Paula. Here are some pictures.

Taiko drumming...


Yosakoi dancing...


Paula and Debra in their Yosakoi outfits...

Arrival in Ishikari

And I'm finally here in Ishikari, after an eventful trip from Tokyo to Sapporo. Here's the story...I'm going through security at the Narita airport, when suddenly the buzzers are going off, and the guards are all descending on my luggage. Of course, being a newby in Japan I understand 0% of what they are trying to tell me. But eventually, with the use of pictures, they communicate that there is a knife in my bag! I flatly deny this, being positively sure I would not be stupid enough to have brought a knife with me in my carry-on! But, they keep digging, and suddenly, from the pocket of my bible they produce a jack-knife! Oh my gosh...I was shocked and embarassed to say the least. I had completely forgotten that my swiss army knife was in my bible (why, I'm not sure!), and that I had moved my bible from my big suitcase into my carry-on in Tokyo due to weight balancing. So, yes, a very good start to making a good impression in Japan : ) I'll have to work on living that one down.
Anyways, I arrived safely at the Chitose airport, and was greeted by Debra (my predecessor) and three of my colleagues at the Board of Education. We had lunch together and then headed back to Ishikari...my new home!

Takese-san, Nizeki-san, Kae and me at the Chitose airport...


The first day in my new apartment....no the mess isn't mine!

Arrival in Tokyo

Day one....a sad good-bye at the Vancouver airport, a nine-hour plane ride, and an arrival in crazy, busy, hot Tokyo. Quite the day. Good thing I had Heidi to navigate the streets of Tokyo with. Whether it was attempting to order dinner from a vending machine (honestly...you can buy anything and everything from a vending machine!), or attempting to speak Japanese (The first time I tried to speak Japanese, French came out instead!), or using a phone, we somehow figured it out.

Heidi, me and our seat-mate at our first Japanese dinner...

First shopping in the crazy streets of Tokyo...

Another view of the streets of Tokyo...

Day two....meetings, meetings, and more meetings at our hotel. Plus, self-introductions a hundred times over as you meet every other of the thousands of new JETs! But, after the hectic day Keiko (a Japanese friend who I met in Canada four years ago) came in to meet me for dinner despite the typhoon. Thanks Keiko!

Keiko and me...