Well, I missed Christmas and Boxing Day (which I'm learning to enjoy), and New Year's isn't till next week; but here's a little mid-Holiday-week post about what's been going on.
Had a long six-day work week ending on Christmas, but things went well and I'm now hanging out on vacation till January 5th.
Spent Christmas Eve in Konan, about 25 minutes' ride north of Nagoya, at a restaurant about a three-hour's walk from the station. It may or may not have been in Nagano. Fortunately, it was worth the walk: we ended up sat in a kasbah-like room complete with canopy, noshing on teriyaki chicken pizza and pasta carbonara with a great group of friends from literally all over (
above, from left: Iain, Elaine, Francis, Glenn, Wong, Lisa, Louise, Sian, me, Jo, Fi, and Rob). The staff spoke pretty decent English and was half-way mad, which worked out as we ended up supplying the other half. "I just wish I could remember the name of the place," is becoming a recurring theme in my life.
Ended up back at Konan station in plenty of time for the last train, which left Iain and I with just enough time to annoy the crew with some song. (Guitars just seem to appear here; it's weird.) Sang a little Belle & Sebastian and Green Day to an "appreciating" crowd of friends and fellow passengers.
Had an early shift on Monday/Christmas, which turned out to be pretty painless: no more than two students to a class and a "Special Voice" class for lower-level students that was attended by only high-level students. Oh well; one of the students is a writer, so we started out talking about her books. It's nice to know that wherever you go, you can always find a struggling artist to relate to. Moved the conversation on to Christmas carols and definitions of words in the carols. (
Is there a standard list for the twelve days of Christmas? I know there are lords a-leaping, but I can't remember how many and when. Reports conflict.)
Came home straight after work to help Rob prepare for dinner. Rob did a
fantastic job of cleaning out the flat, which I can take no credit for; with Francis moved out, we opened up Rob's old bedroom as a bigger living room, which just about doubles the size of the place.
Took the doors off my room as well to make it even bigger. Haven't seen an apartment this big since the ghetto-house solarium/parlour/second livingroom at Gusty's in NMpls. Anyway, dinner:
Rob had picked up not only the three chickens we had planned on, but half a turkey as well (
oh turkey!). Jo made enough mashed potatoes to feed a small army and brought some mince pies. Francis also brought some mince pies, jello, and more potatoes "just to be safe".
With all the meats, vegetables, stuffing, desserts, and drinks, we didn't need to be safe - we needed new belts and spots to lie down on! Good times with good friends: Francis brought his "bride-to-be"
Ayaka and her friend Akiko, Jo brought her flatmate Junko, Rob brought his coworker Sam, and Fi left dinner early to pick up her friend Lisa from the airport (luckily, they returned to help us dent the mashed potatoes). Too much food was consumed, but at least we got to share the Christmas message with our Japanese friends: gorge yourself until you can't move.
People scampered off around midnight to catch last trains, as we started to
try to clean up - this has been a good left-over week. Fell asleep watching "A Prairie Home Companion" on DVD that I got from my Grandma in Minnesota, who knows how much I like Garrison Keillor. Also got a Lonely Planet British phrase book from Jo, so now I know how to talk when I get to England. Cheeky girl. :)
Had a lazy Boxing Day lie-in ("British" for "sleep in"), then up for the first-of-many leftovers and the last-of-many Christmas music, then out with Iain, et al. for drinks at the Hub and a friendly debate over the nature of certain "non-PC" words (
is it okay for social groups to use
derogatory terms for themselves within the context of their own group, and how, if these words are merely contextual, can this arguing be even remotely constructive to anything important?), followed by crimes against music at karaoke, till about 1. Still. Karaoke is definitely going to be one of the things I'm going to miss about Japan: the cramped, sweaty rooms with bad lighting and weird selections of songs(i.e. everything ever thought about by The Carpenters, but nothing by Johnny Cash); it holds a piece of my heart.
I am a karaoke junky.Quiet last day and a half, which has been good, and getting ready for four days in Tokyo for New Years. Not exactly sure what we'll see, but Iain is confident we'll find a pub where we can commandeer a guitar and play our second (or possibly third) "show" in Japan. Rock and roll. Found out today that old high-school friends
Long Since Forgotten will be playing in the Tokyo area...about a week after I depart. Thanks guys; I'll book you a table at Yamachan.
Anyways, I hope your holidays were good ones, love was shared and food was consumed in large quantities, and that your New Year is looking bright and shiny and ready to be unwrapped. It's gonna be a good'un.
Much love,Thom in Japan
Thanks to Jo for not making me look too baka in photos 1, 2, 6, 9, and 11.
