A few weeks ago, I visited the Adachi Museum of Art, which is famous both for its Japanese garden as well as its collection of art. While I was there, listening intently to my ￥500 English audio guide, I made a list of all the artworks that struck me in one way or the other. I did this with the intention of sharing my favorites with you: my readers!
おはよう, reader! I'm currently sitting aboard an express train on its way to Izumo. Looking out the window, I see big hills covered in trees, all changing into fall colors. It reminds me of Oregon, so I know I'll like it here. I have also seen, like, a dozen cranes! And it's only been an hour!
I just finished training for my job yesterday. It was pretty intensive week and a half but I got to meet some of the other teachers in the area. It'll be nice to be able to talk to them and share our experiences. And of course, the more friends I have around Japan, the more places I can visit! I will begin teaching for real tomorrow. If it sounds really sudden, I definitely agree. But I guess I have to start some time. Haha! I'm a little nervous of course, but I am confident that it will go well! I just have to remember all the words to “I've Been Working on the Railroad”. (All the live long day?)
In order to tide everyone over while I get settled into my new apartment and new job, I thought I could post some pictures from my training in Okayama. Okayama is an hour and a half train ride from Osaka and is known for its black and gold castle!
With only four days to go until I leave, I thought I would write up a little bit of a description of the town I'm going to be living in: Izumo, Shimane
Izumo is city in the prefecture of Shimane. I will be sort of south and sort of west. As you can see, I'm pretty far from Tokyo, and since the interior of Japan is mostly mountains, it will be a little challenging for me to travel to the other coast (but still totally doable!). The nearest cities are Hiroshima and Okayama, and I could definitely travel to Osaka. I'll have to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to get around the country! I'm also pretty excited to be close to Korea!
Izumo has roughly 150,000 people living within the city. It's also nicely temperate, staying mostly between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Izumo is mostly famous in Japan for two things: Izumo Taisha and soba noodles! According to Shinto beliefs, every October all the gods in Japan travel away from their homes and convene in Izumo at the Izumo Taisha, the oldest temple in Japan. It's said that while at this meeting, all the gods discuss the fates of man. During this time, it's popular to travel to the temple and pray to the gods to consider you favorably.
Hello followers! The past few weeks have been lovely and hectic for me. I walked in my graduation ceremony and got to see some of my family! I went with my parents to visit potential houses in Portland (they finally decided on one!). And, I found out where I will be moving!
For those of you who haven’t yet heard, I got a real adult job! I will be moving to Japan in November of this year to teach English at a private English conversational school! Only yesterday I discovered the town that I will be relocating to: a small, sea-side town called Izumo in the Shimane prefecture.
Of course, I plan on maintaing a blog about my experiences teaching and exploring Japan and, instead of making a new one, I thought I would just keep updating this one! My travel blog will evolve into an ex-pat blog! Keep a look out for some research on my new home of Izumo!
WhaleWalk 