Japan
Time to dive
I’m not lonely here - in fact it’s a bit more social here than in Vancouver … actually it’s just different.
Due to the small community of foreigners who stay in touch because we all feel so foreign here and definitely a minority (which is not at all the case in N-Am.), there’s a good exchange of information between the foreigners about what to do, where to go etc. Sometimes trips are organized. However, early April lots of people left ATR (end of contract, and end of fiscal year, … and lots of sayonara parties !) and since then it’s been less active.
… at the end of the sayonara party of Armin, we all figured he needed a “gaijindive”. Of course he did his diving into foreign Japan long ago …
I am trying to play my sax sometimes, and there are some musicians in ATR. I’ve tried to get someone to revive the “ATR jazz band”, but I think it’s snowed under that someone’s heap of work. After all, they are workaholic here. It generates the question how I can uphold my party animal status ?? Perhaps I should look for refuge in one of the many temples (how does “Temple of the Night” sound, there must be one named like that).
As for food, I am enjoying sushi regularly, but I am still waiting for a good opportunity to eat sukiyaki. Ramen became one of my favourites after visiting Kagoshima on Kyushu, where it is one of the local specialties. Don-buri is another favourite. I already tried a real ryokan and got rather stuffed with some peculiar delicacies - somewhat expensive to do though on a regular basis.