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I came to Japan in August 2002. I live on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands, in a little town called Kuma. We have about 7,000 people here. That qualifies us for a reasonable size grocery store, a few restaurants, and a video rental place. Good enough for me. I teach English here mostly to elementary school children. What a blast! The kids are well behaved and loads of fun. Their English isn't any good, but that's why I'm here. Well sort, of. I actually don't know that that's why I'm here. It seems that more of why I'm here is to expose these villagers to a foreigner. The Japanese government also brought me here to learn about Japan, so when I go on from here they'll have a bit of an ally in the outside world. If not an ally, at least someone who understands how to work with the Japanese. The scenery here is beautiful. That is, when it's not covered in concrete. The mountains are mostly covered by cedar trees planted for lumber. The less accessible parts are still populated with the indigenous maple and other deciduous varieties. It's strange to see the mountains look like they've gone bald in spots when bits get logged. It's also strange to see the brown patches of native deciduous against that have lost their leaves against the fields of evergreens. The weather is about the same as I was used to in Kansas. Of course, in Kansas I was accustomed to luxuries like central heating that aren't available in Japan. The mountains make the cold well worth it though, as there is a ski course just minutes from my apartment. I've been learning to snowboard, and actually getting pretty good at it. Okay, enough blabber. Here are some pictures:
Matsuyama I make a monthly appearance on a local radio show. It's almost all in Japanese, but if just miss my voice, check it out.
October 2002 |