Pass!

hey all,

So I've been sick on and off with a cold the last month. But today I have some happy news: I took the exam for kendo grade 1 today and passed !

My teachers said I made a few mistakes in the kata (those pesky memorized forms), but they said I made a few good strikes in my matches. They'd like me to do my best to pass the first dan this coming June. (I have technically passed the first kyu, which is a lower ranking system.)

Cheers,

Marriage, and other stuff

hey all,

So I think most of my "readers" know already, Michi and I were officially married last weekend. The original plan had been to get this done in September, to coincide with our anniversary, but first one set of  paper work and another set of paper work delayed us.

Not a whole lot has really changed, but then I didn't really expect it to. Things are still going smoothly between us.

At work, we had our yearly Halloween party at school. I dressed as Leonidas, and the kids looked pretty good too. We had some pirates, cats, Spidermen, TMNTs and of course there was a Buzz Lightyear.

Cheers,

TV Dramas and School

hey all,

I've taken to watching some TV dramas recently. I watched the whole thing of The Walking Dead on Hulu, which was amazing. And I got to check out the first two seasons of True Blood as well, which was also really good.

More recently, Michi and I have started watching Lost, of all things. I never got into it when it was new, but Hulu in Japan has it categorized as a "Learn English" drama. So we're giving it a shot with English subtitles instead of Japanese ones. We've only gone through the first two episodes, and she seems able to follow for the most part.

I also finished The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie, which I really liked except for the fact that every character turned out to be a jerk (if not outright evil) in one way or another. I'm thinking I'm going to start reading the Y: The Last Man graphic novels and the Malazan Empire books after I finish two books on teaching and reading comprehension that I've been slowly working my way through.

We've almost finished the first week of our rotating teacher schedule. Overall, I think it is a success. The teachers get to work with different students and the students get to learn under different teachers throughout the day. The only draw back is that every teacher has a slightly different reward/punishment system in place, and I don't think we're making optimal use of each others systems at the moment.

Cheers,

Kendo

hey all,

Below you can see my wonderfully bruised thigh. Last week in kendo class, we did some sparing at the end, and my partner kept trying to do a stomach cut (which you can see in the video).



Now, he was about the same height as me, so I don't know how he managed to hit my thigh. But as you can see, he did. About 4 times. Once in the middle (not in the picture), two strikes close together (those lovely bruises right on top of each other), and once just above the knee.

Anyway, the last few kendo lessons have been about 2.5 hours long because I've also been attending the adult class, and staying after that for more practice on the kata (traditional memorized forms) to receive my first rank.

Classes at school have been going well. But, starting in August we're going to try a new rotating class schedule for the morning groups, so next week the teachers will all be pow-wowing to get materials straight. On top of that, we have to print, record, and also make CD's for October's subjects.

Cheers,

August is Finally Over

hey all,

So August is finally over, thank god. At a public school, August would be the time when teachers don't have to teach classes and can prep material, lesson plans, etc. They might even get in some trips.

At a private school like ours, it means that teachers' hours increase: students don't have to go to public school, so the serious ones try to get in extra lessons.

My morning class has also finally increased its class time from 2 hours to the full 4 hours of the other classes. They're doing well, generally.

I've finally finished The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I'm trying to get to some of my non-fiction books now.

Cheers,

Rishiri and Rebun Island Trip

hey all,

So Michi and I just got back from our trip to Rishiri and Rebun Islands. These are two islands far to the North. Apparently, they are as far North as you can go and still be considered in Japan.




View Rishiri and Rebun Islands 2013-7-26~30 in a larger map




So I finally figured out how to do a playlist on Youtube, so above there should be a playlist for our trip.

Pics are below.

Me on the ferry

Michi on the ferry

Our first night camping; second night of the trip

On the coast of Rishiri island

Our arrival at Rishiri Airport

Gorota Promontory on Rebun Island

Some very friendly crows that Michi insists are like the two of us

Some Eidelweiss

This is the toilet for hiking Mt. Rishiri. You carry the bag with you until you need it, then you get to take it with you when you've done your business.

Me at the top of Mt. Rishiri.

Sunrise on the last day of our trip

Cheers,

Kendo and Mountains

hey all,

Here is a pic from a special kendo meet we had a few weeks ago. There are padded gloves and of course a helmet to go along with the breastplate and skirt, but then how would you know it's yours truly?

Some pics from our trip to Mt. Yatsu the weekend before last.


View Mt. Aka Hike 2013 July 14~16 in a larger map

Strange translucent flowers

Sign warning that the climb ahead is dangerous, and should be left to pros.

Michi on the first chain stretch.

Mt. Aka on the right

Some walrus-looking rocks

We have a proper vacation coming up and we're heading all the way up to Hokkaido, so after that expect more videos and pics.

Cheers,