Hillarie Koenig`s Travels

[hillariekoenig15]

Just Some Last Minute Adventures!

Well a lot has happened since my last blog with many trips with great company! The time is flying by! Let me tell you all I’ve been up to since my last blog in May!

On May 20th, the girls and I decided to head to Fuji-Q Highland, a popular amusement park in Yamanashi! We had a lot of fun! We 1st did this new rollercoaster that strapped you in 3 ways. It was a crazy ride that we waited 2 hours to get on. I did not enjoy it all that much. Lol It whipped my head around a lot. Then we went on something similar to the Space Shot. Now that I liked! :) Then we had lunch. I had a Fujiyama pizza that looked like Mt. Fuji. Lol Then we went on the FujiYama roller coaster. This ride wasn’t as bad. I enjoyed it. Then Ashley and Madi rode the final rollercoaster that I opted out of because it seemed to have too many turns for my liking. And I think I made a good choice because when they came out they both looked like they were a little nauseous and in shock. Lol Then the park was about to close so Ashley and I decided to go on a ride similar to the log ride. LOVE WATER RIDES. It was funny though because the ride provided rain ponchos for $1 so that you wouldn’t get as wet… Where’s the fun in that?! So Ashley and I were the only one’s to not wear ponchos and we got drenched! It was great. Lol

Afterwards, Giseli had invited us to The Vault and we couldn’t pass that up so we went for a while. We had a fun filled day! :D

The next day, March 21st, we had plans to hike Shosenkyo with Natsuko! The hike was fun! I rode my bike to Natsuko’s then we picked up Madi and Ashley. We parked and walked the trail up to the waterfall. Such a beautiful sight! Then we took the ropeway to the top and hiked a little farther while Ashley rested. Probably one of my favorite places so far! Absolutely beautiful scenery! Then we went back down, had a quick snack, then left for home.

On May 27th, we headed to Tokyo for the weekend and had a very busy day planned. We first took a 2 hour train to Hakone to visit the Open Air Museum. That was pretty neat. I think we would’ve been able to enjoy it better if we weren't on a timetable but still cool! We left around 1:30pm to head back to Tokyo.

We got to Odaiba around 4:30pm. There were so many people! We got a spot along the beach and just hung out until the show started at 7:30pm.

The show was amazing! You didn’t know where to look! There were dancing entertainers, people on Flyboards, and then fireworks all at the same time! We were also given these bracelets that lit up to the songs that were playing! It was so cool!

Afterwards, we left to go get ready for our bar’s anniversary party. So. Much. Fun. At one point, I was talking with Tabatha and I said something in Japanese and these group of guys then kind of looked at me like “What?” And so I started talking to them forgetting I was still on the phone with Tabatha. Lol I eventually remember and quickly was like “Sorry. Sayounara!” I guess one of the guys thought I was talking to him and looked so sad. I had to explain that I was on the phone and was saying goodbye to my cousin. Lol We then decided to go to a Karaoke bar! It was a lot of fun!

Since Madi had her family in town Ashley and I decided to hang out! On June 3rd, we got together for some lunch, watched a movie, and then headed out to the The Vault. Madi had decided to take her family there too! So we got to all hang out for a little bit. It was a fun night!

On Sunday, June 4th, I got ready for the Welcoming Ceremony for the Des Moines students and teachers.

It was nice. I got to meet with two of my Japanese students who are hosting some of the American students…

Afterwards both Kazumi and Natsuko were like let’s have a party! Lol So I went home to change and then met Ashley at our Cafe downtown. Kazumi said to be there around 4pm so Ashley and I just waited at the Cafe until about that time but we should’ve came sooner because everyone was taking naps when we arrived and we definitely could have used the nap! Lol Kazumi did let us take a little power nap which was nice. Then we ate and talked and it was fun!

Then we went to Natsuko’s and played games with Joe and Ke. Those boys are adorable!

On June 6th, after school, we went to dinner with Greg and the other teachers. I think we overwhelmed our Indian restaurant owner… Lol Oops. It was nice though. We then went to The Vault for drinks but I quickly left for Hot Yoga. Boy was that an experience… lol

On June 9th, I went to go meet Hannah in Yokohama. When we both got to Yokohama Station it took us forever to find each other! But we did and we had dinner and made it to the bus station on time to head to Hiroshima!

On June 10th, we arrived in Hiroshima around 9am. We first stopped at the A-Dome and then slowly made our way toward the Airbnb to drop off our luggage.

Then we went and had lunch and went shopping down a famous shopping street in Hiroshima.

Then we went into the museum. It has changed so much just since Madi and I were there in March! Looks nice. I’m excited to someday see the final product.

On June 11th, we got up early and had breakfast and made our way to Miyajima. We got there about 10:30am. It was a very gloomy day so I decided the ropeway wasn’t worth it.

So we took your typical pictures at the floating shrine, did some shopping, and toured the island a little.

Then we left to go back to our Airbnb and grab our luggage and to catch our bus back to Tokyo. This bus was much nicer. Not as nice as the one Madi and I went on but still nice.

We landed in Shinjuku around 8:30am, Monday, June 12th. We stopped and got some breakfast and then went to Harajuku to drop off our luggage at a storage locker. Then we went shopping and walked around. I also took her to Shibuya station where the famous scramble crosswalk is. All around I think we had a good weekend!

I had to get back to Kofu since I had to work the next day.

Finally, Hannah arrived, Wednesday night after volleyball! That was another fun experience trying to find her. She had taken a taxi but the taxi driver didn’t understand where I lived and so I told him Kokubo Onsen and still couldn’t figure it out! But I found them so it all worked out. LOL

The next day, Thursday, June 15th, we decided to head to Kawaguchiko Lake to tour around there and to go to 5th Station on Mt. Fuji.  The weather in Kofu said 85 but in Kawaguchiko it said 75 so I said to bring a jacket. Thank gosh because by the time we got up the mountain it had dropped to 45 degrees and we were not dressed for that weather. Lol I had to buy a long sleeve shirt. Also, it was super cloudy so we couldn’t even see Mt. Fuji. :(

I hope she had fun. We also took a rope way up a different mountain but you still couldn’t see Fuji.

On Friday, June 16th, Hannah left for the Airport. I had to go to work as it was sports day and a beautiful day for it too! 90 degrees!

So I went to Midorigaoka to watch my kiddos play!

I started off watching softball. Minami is so good! Then I went to watch Track for a bit. Then Madi went to watch her softball girls while I stayed and mingled with my kids and watched Tennis.

Then we went to Denny’s for lunch and headed back for one last event that I didn’t want to miss. Shot put. :) And I’m so glad I didn’t! Now, I’m not completely sure what happened or how far he threw (Kinari) but he either beat a school record or he made a personal record. Either way I’m glad I got to see it. :)

Then I went to Haneda to pick up Tab!

On Saturday, June 17th, we went and got the baseball tickets from the Voyagins office. Then we made our way to Yokohama Stadium.

It was pretty hot but not terrible. The worst part was fitting my huge American size self into a Japanese sized chair… Lol very squished. But the game was fun! Yokohama won!

Tab and I ended the night at my favorite bar and it was so much fun!

Friday, June 23rd, Tab and I headed off to Kyoto! So we made it to all of our trains on time and were in Kyoto by 2:15pm!

We went to Kinkaku-ji Temple first as we had time before our hotel check-in.

Then we went and got checked into our hotel. We were very confused as to where the lobby was located because it was connected to a huge mall and what we later learned was the entrance to the lobby we thought was the entrance to a restaurant. Lol

We then just relaxed for a while and then headed out to an area called Pontocho We found a place along the river. It was super expensive for small portions but the view was really cool!

We decided to go to a bar that we saw from across the river. It was actually pretty fun! We thought for a while that it was like an old man’s club lol but we were welcomed and really enjoyed ourselves. Lol They even performed for us it was so cool. :)

On Saturday, June 24th, we went to Arashiyama which was really fun. We saw monkeys, cats, owls, and then headed to Nara to the deer park. :) It was a fun animal filled day.

The next day, June 25th, we got up and headed out to Kiyomizu-dera only to learn that it is under construction for the next year or so. So that was a bummer. While there though some middle schooler’s were on a school trip and came up to Tab and I and asked us questions in English for an assignment. :) 

Then we went to Osaka to see the famous Aquarium located there. The aquarium was pretty neat although it was very crowded but still cool!

Then we got on a pirate looking boat and took a 45 minute tour around the bay.

Then we decided to just head back to Kyoto for dinner and our last night out. It was fun! Met a girl who had done an exchange program in High School to Iowa! Her and her friends all speak English! I think it was a well spent last night in Kyoto.

I took Tab to my Japanese class on Wednesday, June 27th, and it was a lot of fun! During class she gave some of her home-made plum wine. We all first took it like a shot because it was just a little and then Natsuko was like “This is for sipping not for taking shots”. Lol It was very funny.

On Wednesday, June 28th, I took Tab after school to Minami where my teacher and principal waited for us to give us a tour and to mingle a little bit. It was cool. I think Tab enjoyed seeing where I work and how different the schools are here compared to America.

Well that’s all for now! Tomorrow I get ready for my last day at Nansei, Tab leave to go back to the States on Sunday, and Monday I start my last month at Minami and in Japan. Should be a whirlwind of emotions and adventures!

Only 30 more days until I am back in the States!!!

School Stories:

-So all teachers have to get physicals but in Japan the doctors come to you. It was quite interesting! They had stations set up with eye check ups, blood tests, height/weight, heart monitoring, etc. It was very odd for me having all that be done at the school. Lol Afterwards I learned that we will get a “report card” with a grade and everything about our health. Bring on the “F”! Lol

-Then in one  of my 2nd grade classes one of my kids was helping another student spell “SEAT” but spelled it “SHIT” Lol I had to correct him and inform him that the other word was bad… hopefully he doesn’t use it. Lol

[hillariekoenig15]

Golden Week

Man, has this past month flown by! I left off last with the weekend before the Shingen-ko Parade.

So, on April 12th every year, Yamanashi celebrates the death of their great warlord, Takeda Shingen. There were many festival activities and parades leading up to this day. Every year, thanks to Roberta and Takao, an FET or two have a spot to be a samurai in the parade honoring Takeda. This is a great opportunity as many people from all over Japan enter their names to be a samurai and only a total of 24 can participate.

So Roberta and Takao picked us up and took us to the gym where we were to get dressed and start the parade. The Parade committee had hired staff to assist in putting on the samurai costumes. As I watched them put on the gear for others I soon realized this was going to be a tight fit. Lol The strap dug into my neck and there was a lot of pressure on my hips but there was nothing I could do about it now. The costume was on and was staying on until this shindig was over! Lol

So then we were called to take pictures and to get on our horses. It took about 2 ½ hours to finally get to the destination; which was a park by the post office. Kazumi and Ken surprised me and assisted in taking candid pictures for us as we didn’t have our phones. We barely had time for lunch before it was time to get back on the horses.

It took another 2 ½ hours to get back all the while on a horse. We were finally able to take off the samurai gear. I was so sore between my legs, my hips, and my neck where the strap dug into it and then to top it off I managed to get sunburnt. Lol Overall, I very much enjoyed this experience. Although, the bike ride home was extremely painful. Lol

That Friday, April 14th, the three of us decided to head to The Vault (our favorite bar) after our BOE meeting to meet up with our good friend, Giseli, and celebrate her birthday that was earlier in the week.

On Saturday, April 15th, we headed to Takeda Shingen Shrine as I realized on Wednesday that I had not been there yet and it’s right here in Kofu! So we started there and then made our way back to the station. We had dinner and then decided to head back home.

On Sunday, April 16th, it was Easter Sunday. Since Japan doesn’t celebrate that, Madi had heard of a battle reenactment in Fuefuki so we all decided to attend that together. It was a beeaauuttiffulll day! 80 degrees! I got burnt…. which was expected. Lol

While watching the battle it was a little hard to follow as we can’t speak Japanese but we got the point. Lol

On Saturday, April 22nd, Takao had invited all three of us to his high school’s 100th anniversary reunion. It was a really nice event. Your typical Japanese gathering; cheers, toasts, eat, prizes, go home. Lol I’m very happy that Takao and Roberta invited us. It was funny during dinner, Takao got questioned 2x for being Japanese or not simply because he was at a table full of Americans. Lol Crazy.

Then after dinner we decided to all go to Ashley’s and keep the party going because it was only 7pm and we had gotten all dressed up. So while Madi got ready to bike down to Ashley’s, Ashley and I went to BIG to buy some drinks and snacks. We ran into Tatsuzawa. It was funny. He totally was judging our basket of junk food and alcohol. Lol

Then we just sat around and talked until Madi and I decided we should probably go home and get some rest before our big day of hiking in the morning.

On Sunday, April 23rd, Madi and I woke up and were at Natsuko’s by 8:45am. Then we went to Panorama Dai which is near Shoji Lake near Mt. Fuji. The hike was nice but difficult. Still worth the hike up. I got some pretty serious blisters on my ankles :( It literally was a straight up incline for about an hour. We were excited when we finally reached the top. The view at the top was incredible. I would make that trip over and over again. It was cool. It was pretty cloudy but Fuji finally peaked out for a little while.

We got back down by 1pm. Then we went to an onsen. Always an interesting experience. The worse part is the initial undressing; getting naked. Once we were in the spa/hot springs it wasn’t so bad and was actually quite relaxing. I’d say we were all ready for a nap afterwards.

On Friday, April 28th, we were finally on our way to Guam to start our vacation! We arrived in Guam at 1:30am. We then found our shuttle to ACE to receive our rental car. First time driving in 9 months! It was exciting. :) Then we made it to our Airbnb and fell asleep.

We woke up around 9-9:30am. We pretty much just did primping stuff and shopping all day. Lol We first went to the shopping mall near our Airbnb. I bought new shoes! Then we had Applebee’s. <3 Then we went to get pedicures at Luxury nails. They were so nice there. And the owner, Eliza, was so helpful. She suggested to us a place where we can get our hair cut. Then we went the Harley Davidson store for Madi and the Hard Rock Cafe for myself. Then we went to K-Mart, where we did a little clothes shopping and grocery shopping. It was definitely overwhelming as I wanted to buy so much. Lol

Then we went home and got ready to go out. We decided to go to “Drop” which was a GREAT decision. We met this guy named Jason who ended up literally making our vacation 10x better!

On Saturday, April 29th, we headed to the beach! Madi was smart to not let us stay out too long, because even the short amount of time we were out in the heat I managed to work up quite a burn on my legs. :/ It was very painful. It’s sad that I love the sun so much but the sun does not love me. Lol Jason had informed us of a Burlesque show at Drop so after the beach we relaxed and got ready to head back out. We got to Drop and found seats to watch the show. After her first number she all of a sudden just left. I thought it might be a wardrobe malfunction. Oh well, we met some pretty interesting people regardless of the show! I got a lap dance from this guy whose friends were teasing him to continue the show without her. It was hilarious. We decided to just go home. We later found out that she went on with the show.

The next morning, Jason invited us to brunch with him and his friends Anthony. Afterwards Jason had to leave but Anthony had offered to take us to “Turtle’s Cove”. It was cool! We jumped off the “Turtle’s nose” which probably wasn’t all that high but still was pretty exhilarating. The rocks were so sharp! We had cuts everywhere. After much struggle of getting over two huge boulders, we finally made it to the top and I just wanted to be down so I just jumped. I was shaking so bad from the adrenaline rush.. Lol

We decided that was good enough so we went back to the car where we ran into this family that is from around Guam and invited us for a picnic. It was nice. We eventually decided to leave though.

We ended our night at Jimmy Dee’s watching the gorgeous sunset.

On Monday, May 1st, we decided to get our hair cut!

Afterwards we had planned on going jet skiing but since our hair stylists did such great jobs on our hair we didn’t want to ruin it so we decided to just tour southern Guam instead! We went to Latte of Freedom, a war historical site, a bell, Talafofo Falls and a cave. It was really cool. Once we got to the cave I was very disappointed as it was just a hole in the ground. Good thing history nerd, Madi, actually read the sign because we then learned that a Japanese man had deserted the WWII War and lived in this cave for 28 years because he didn’t know that the war had ended….Now that was worth it.

Then we headed back to the Airbnb to get ready to go to Jason’s LGBTQ+ Mixer. It was actually pretty fun. We met some pretty cool people!

Afterwards, we headed to a magic show that Jason invited us to. We got in for free! He is seriously the coolest guy! The show was cool. My favorite act was with the acrobats.

On Tuesday, May 2nd, we got up and headed to ABC where one of Jason’s cousins worked and we got a 30% discount. Seriously! Love. Jason.

So we went parasailing, banana boating, and jet skiing. So cool. Parasailing was probably my favorite. We also went kayaking and just enjoyed the water.

Then we left and got ready to go see Two Lovers Point @ sunset. It was really pretty.  A little cloudy but still nice.

Then we went to Jimmy Dee’s because it was still pretty early and just had a couple drinks and enjoyed the beach.

On Wednesday, May 3rd, we woke up and got ready to head to Marbo Cave with Jason. I didn’t feel like wearing my swimsuit so we didn’t get in the water but the cave was still pretty cool.

Then we walked a little farther to go to this opening. It was so pretty. Could see the water all the way to the horizon. It was amazing and so calming.

So, every Wednesday there is a Chamorro village in Hagatna that sells souvenirs and local food. We also just so happened to come during the right year and week. The Micronesian Island Culture Fair was going on where all the island come together to showcase part of their culture. It was really neat. We ate a little and then watched a tribal dance.

Thursday, May 4th, was our last day in Guam. :( We didn't want to leave.

We woke up early and got ready to hike Mt. Lam Lam. It was so cool. I’m glad we didn’t miss doing this. It only took us 30 minutes to get to the top. It was so beautiful at the top. Every Easter the locals carry a cross up this Mt. and plant it in the ground once at the top. It’s in memory of the original Islanders. It was a beautiful site.

We then climbed back down. We ordered Dominos pizza. Then headed back to our Airbnb.

We then went to Uncle Pete’s for just a quick swim. It was nice to just relax. Although my shoulders had gotten burnt from the hike so I was in a little pain. Lol #whatsnew #sunburnislife

Then we got dressed and decided to watch the sun set at the Beach Bar. It was a perfect way to end our night and our time in Guam. Jason joined us as well. We ate, had some drinks, talked, and watched the sun set. It was so nice. I didn’t want to leave but we needed to pack and get ready for our early morning. 

We got up at 4am to get ready to return the car and head to the airport. Thank goodness we were ahead of schedule because the lines for check-in were terrible! We left at 7:30am and landed at 9:30am It didn’t take us too long to go through immigration or customs. We took our time at lunch and afterwards were able to start heading for the Airbnb.We got there and the directions weren’t that good and the elevator was freaking broken… 6 Floors. It was awful. Whatever, at least the location was perfect.

We then took a nap and then got ready for Ashley to arrive. We went to TGI Friday’s and then went to Junk Cafe! I love this bar. We played darts, Madi got sleepy so she left, Ashley and I had a blast though! We made friends, and broke out the Karaoke machine, and ended up staying until almost 2:30am I think. They invited us to a party later this month and I’m so excited to go!

I got to meet Kazumi’s newest grand baby, Ryo!

Akiho and her friend visited me at Minami! I got to see Akiho twice in one week! So happy. :)

On Saturday, May 13th, I had Ayaka over! I introduced her to Kraft Mac N Cheese and then we had hamburgers, fruit, and veggies. As American a meal as I can make in the land of seafood! Lol We then just talked, listened to music, and played card games! It was a lot of fun!

On Sunday, May 14th, we all went out for Mother’s Day.

On Tuesday, May 16th, I got the pleasure to hang out with Ayaka again and got to meet a new friend, Sota! We went to dinner, which was nice. Sota is very funny. After dinner we went back to my place for card games. It was fun. I hope to be able to hang out with them again!

So, now that you are all caught up enjoy reading some of my stories from school! And, let the countdown begin! I only have 71 days until I am on a plane home! But, in the meantime, I still have weekends packed full of fun and quite the crew of visitors coming to visit!

Stories:

-In Japanese class we always learn a lot. One thing in particular that stuck out to me recently was when we learned “I’m Hungry” and in Japanese it's “Onaka ga suita.” And our teacher then explains that it literally means “My situation is hungry.” We all found that to be quite hilarious!

-I got invited to help judge which students get to go to America in August for both my schools. I attended Nansei’s so far. It was interesting. I’m so thrilled with the boy that is going and there were two girls we had to choose from and it was very difficult but I think the decision we all decided on was best. I’m excited to see what candidates we have for Minami!

School Stories:

-So the new school year has started and I got to meet my 1st graders (7th grade). I like teaching at this stage because they are more willing to act and be silly. For example, for 10 minutes we just sat in class and practiced “th” sounds. (It’s very difficult for them to make this sound when saying words like “Thank you” “This” “That” etc.)

-Also, my with my 1st graders, we learn greetings such as after being asked “How are you?” you reply with “I’m okay.” “I’m fine.” “I’m so-so” etc. Well they found the gesture that goes with “I’m so-so” hilarious and wouldn’t stop saying it to each other. Lol They things they find funny is interesting. Lol

-Back at Minami, in my last class I was talking to my new teacher, Inagaki Sensei about Madi and I and as a result she kept accidentally calling me Madi in class. Lol Also, something had dropped from off the wall and it was pretty high up but since I am so tall all I had to do was get on my tiptoes to put it back and once I did that the whole class applauded me..Lol I get so much praise here for just being me. I’m going to go back to America and just be some plain jane no one notices. LOL

-In my 2nd grade class one of my students asked for my phone number and I didn’t think it to be such a big deal so I just gave my real one. All the kids then freaked out and frantically started writing it down. That’s when I started to second guess my response and that maybe I should’ve given a fake number… Oh well, the damage is already done. I also doubt that they will actually do anything with it since I hardly know enough Japanese to converse over the phone so they would need to speak in English. It might actually be a good learning experience for them if they do! Lol

-Well my classes went well. I had my 1st graders again and we continued to work on numbers. As I was having them repeat #s after me I had said, “zero” and one of the students yells out in confusion, “Zebra?!” We all got a good laugh out of that one. I find English to be a difficult language sometimes.

[hillariekoenig15]

Ceremonies, Festivals, and Parties...OH MY!

Well I left off right after our 200 days and even though that was just a little over a month ago much has happened since then!

Well I think I repel all modes of transportation. In America cars and I don’t mix and in Japan it would appear that bikes and I don’t mix. I have had many problems with my bike and it finally fell apart on me after one of my Japanese classes. The three of us were on our way to dinner and the pedals just wouldn’t budge. So I walked/dragged my bike until I finally got some movement in the pedals although it was still difficult. Then gears and parts started falling off my bike soooo long story short I had to walk my bike home and call my supervisor from the Board of Education to possibly see if he could fix it.

The next day one of my co-teachers picked me up and brought me to school which was really nice of her. Then during school my supervisor had gotten me a brand new bike! It’s a little different than the other bike but hopefully this one’s a keeper! Lol

On Sunday, March 12th I had to go to work to prepare for Graduation on the 13th. After work I hung out with Ayaka, Akiho’s older sister. We went to this Japanese restaurant at AEON Mall and then just talked the rest of the night about random things.

On Monday, March 13th was Graduation for all the 3rd graders (9th graders). It’s much different than in America. So long and formal. Graduating middle school is like the equivalent to graduating high school in America. These 15 year old students can choose to no longer continue their education if they so choose, which just blows my mind. I can’t imagine at 15 no longer attending school. These students go through so much testing to get into high school. It’s a very intense time. I think one of the craziest parts of it all is that they take a test maybe a month before they need to have already started high school. One month! Take a test, find out results, then maybe one or two weeks of break until you start high school. That leaves very little wiggle room if you fail or don’t get accepted into the high school. Blows my mind.

Anyway, the ceremony was really nice and afterwards everyone went home. The 3rd graders and their home room teachers had a “last home room” time with the parents and then had photo ops following. At this time is when I was able to take pictures with the 3rd graders. 

Since we had to work on a Sunday we then got Friday off of school. This was really nice as Monday was a national holiday leaving me with a four day weekend! I found out that Akiho passed her entrance exams and is going to attend her high school of choice! So since I had Friday off, Ayaka, Akiho, and I all decided to celebrate by spending the day together. So on Friday, March 17th the three of us went and ate Domino’s in the park. Afterwards we went to the Science Museum which is really cool and has all these neat experiments people can try. We ended our day by going to Karaoke which was so much fun! I enjoy hanging out with them so much!

After Ayaka dropped me off I quickly had to grab my bags and head to Kofu Station as Madi and I had plans to go to Tokyo for St. Patrick’s day festivities. We made it to Tokyo by 8pm and got ready to go out. We made it to our bar and I just love these people so much! I always have a good time there! Well we eventually left and went to our next favorite place The Flame. It was so dead and it was like 1am.. Lol But we got two free drinks out of it. Lol  I think they know that Americans typically bring the party. Lol They started playing good music so naturally I went and started dancing even though there was no one on the floor. Lol and Madi finally came out too… after that it seemed to pick up a little more. Lol We decided we’d had enough and left. I don’t even know when bars and clubs close in Japan… I feel like they are just open until everyone has left. Lol

Saturday we pretty much spent resting. We did go to this pretty cool book store that Madi heard of. So we went there and found some books for us to read while we have no classes at school. Lol

Sunday, March 19th was the big parade in Harajuku. We got there about 11am and it started at noon and went until about 1pm. It was pretty cool! Who knew that Japan was into this holiday? Most of my students didn’t even know what St. Patrick’s Day was when I told them. Lol 

After the parade we meandered around until we finally decided we should head back to Kofu.

I spent my Monday holiday just relaxing from my long weekend in Tokyo. Lol And the rest of the week my principal let me go home early since I had no classes except for Friday since it was the closing ceremony and farewell ceremony.

On Thursday, March 23rd Miho invited me to dinner which was so much fun per usual! I didn’t leave until 11pm! It was Miho, here sister-in-law, Kazumi, and Ken!

On Friday, I knew that there was a closing ceremony but I never know what time these ceremonies start. So, I waited in the staff room until someone usually tells me it’s time to head to the gym. Well no one came and I soon found out that I had completely missed the closing ceremony. Luckily I don’t hold any roles where my presence is needed so I’m sure no one even noticed but still I felt bad.

Afterwards I was informed of the farewell ceremony and the time to be in the gym so maybe they did notice… Lol Anyway, after the closing ceremony all the kids left and were to return at 2pm for the farewell ceremony. Now in Japan, it’s so strange how this works. In the month leading up to the end of their year teachers are moved and/or retire and only the BOE and that person knows. They are so secretive about it! It’s so strange. So no one “knows” (I’m sure some talk about it) who is leaving or staying… and so at the farewell ceremony it is announced who will be transferring to another school or retiring permanently. THIRTEEN teachers were transferring/retiring from Minami. So crazy!

After the farewell ceremony one of my co-teachers, who is retiring, asked if I would like a ride to the Farewell Party. Of course I took her up on it as I was very sad that she was leaving. The Farewell Party was nice. Almost like the BOE end of year party but smaller. The focus was on those leaving and it basically was a lot of speeches and stories of their time at Minami. It was nice. Then there is an after party and an after after party. The after party usually involved just a bar and socializing then the after after party usually consists of karaoke! Lol Unfortunately for me none of my English teachers wanted to attend the after party and the other teachers didn’t know enough English to feel comfortable inviting me sooooo I crashed Madi’s after party. Lol It was fun! As always So. Much. Food. Got a chance to meet madi’s boy toy ;P Lol and made some other friends along the way. It was nice. :)

On Saturday, March 25th I woke up and frantically got ready/packed for Hiroshima. I had had such a busy week I hadn’t had time to pack. Then I left for Indian (Lunch). After we headed towards Tokyo for Cherry Blossom Viewing. They hadn’t quite bloomed yet but they were getting there. They are late this year due to the poor weather.  :/

So we just walked around. Then it was pretty much time for Madi and I to head to the bus center for Hiroshima. So we left and headed to Machida. That Bus Center was very confusing! We were kind of freaking out wondering if we were at the correct place. After having dinner we figured out we were indeed at the right place.

We got on our bus and it was luxurious. It was 3 to a row and we each had SO much space! We even had a footrest and a curtain to wrap around us like a cocoon! Lol it was awesome!

The next day, March 26th, we arrived at Hiroshima Station around 8am. We found a restroom to change and freshen up in and then a locker to store our luggage since we couldn’t check into our Airbnb until 4pm. So we headed off to start our day.

We went to Hiroshima Castle first. It was nice. I was more impressed with the outside than I was with the museum inside. After this we got lunch and then headed to the A-bomb Dome. We ran into this cute little hipster dog. Then walked around the park and visited the Children’s Peace Monument.

By this time we were really exhausted from the bus ride and the long day of walking so we went back to grab our bags and check into our Airbnb. Once we finally did that and relaxed a little we just grabbed dinner at the closest Family Mart and then headed to bed.

On Monday, March 27th, we got up and prepared for a rainy day. Good thing most of what we had planned for today was inside activities.

We should’ve left sooner though… my bad… When we got to the Peace Memorial Museum all the audio guides were sold out. :/ Oh well. Then we toured the museum. I always find it so moving.

We then went shopping to kill some time. We were going to go to the Gardens but with the weather we weren’t really up for it. So we went and had ice cream. We were sitting on these stoops and this group of guys decided to entertain themselves by walking over behind us and dancing for like 10 seconds and then walking back. We tried talking to them but their English was not good. Lol This went on for a little while and then they all came over behind us and we thought they might dance for us then one guy started to serenade us with a song but then they all just walked away… but not before I got a picture of them all! lol It was very strange and awkward. Lol

Then we had Okonomiyaki which is a famous dish in Osaka and Hiroshima. It was actually pretty good. Then headed back to our Airbnb for bed.

On Tuesday, March 28th was our last day in Hiroshima. We got packed up and ready to head out by 10am. We put our things in a locker again and headed for Miyajima.

We took a ferry to get across and decided to get lunch over with as soon as we arrived. We then went to the floating shrine and took pics and then headed to the ropeway. This would’ve been so much better if we had had more time and if it wasn’t so cloudy. It was still pretty cool though!

Once we got back it was pretty much time to head back to the station. We stopped at the shrine again as it was low tide now and we could walk up to it. :)

Once we got back to the station we changed into more comfortable clothes and had dinner. We tried this Indian place but nothing compares to the one in Kofu.

We finally boarded our bus. It was an awful bus. SO uncomfortable and squished. And this one was longer…I was very miserable.

On Wednesday, March 29th, we arrived at Tokyo Station around 9am. We were definitely exhausted but quickly had to catch a train to Kofu and then head to Natsuko’s for Class (lunch).

Natsuko’s was a lot of fun! We made curry and sushi. It was delicious. Afterwards, though, Madi and I were so ready to be in our beds. Lol

Then I went home and got ready for Volleyball. It was very sad because it was Sato’s last day with us before she moved to Tokyo. :(

On Friday, March 31st we had decided to go watch King Kong at the theater in AEON Mall. Madi and I needed to transfer money anyway. So we did that and then headed to the movie! I loved it! They don’t handle graphics very well though. Lol Afterwards we got Subway and then met an Australian guy who has lived here his whole life. He was fun and interesting to talk to!

Then I pretty much did nothing until Monday, April 3rd where Madi and I decided it was time to start breaking in our new hiking shoes so we met up at Midorigaoka. We just did a short hike for now until our shoes are more comfortable.

Before class on Tuesday, April 4th the three of us decided to go for a walk on this beautiful day and catch some rays before class.

It was nice. The locals think we are crazy because it’s 67 degrees and we are out in tank tops. They still are completely clothed and in coats as if it were 50! It’s so crazy to me. Lol

On Wednesday, April 5th was our last day of Spring Vacation and I must say it was beautifully spent! All of our host moms got together and we all went out for a picnic and Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing/Picnic). It was nice! Beautiful day! :)

Before we left for Hanami I went to Kazumi’s and since I was wearing a tank top grandma got really concerned for my well being. It was kind of awkward and afterwards I felt very self conscious of my attire but was relieved when Madi and Ashley were in similar attire. Only in Japan I guess. Lol

On April 6th, Thursday, we had the entrance ceremony to the new 1st graders (7th grade).

I got a call in the morning before 8am from Ogihara Sensei asking if I’d be joining the Entrance Ceremony of the new 1st graders… I started freaking out thinking that I was late so I asked “What time does it start?” Then he told me to be there around 12:30pm. I was so confused as I thought that I was expected to work all day. Long story short. I came in as I had expected just to be on the safe side. Lol

I got home after school and my wifi wasn’t working again… If it’s not transportation it’s technology that I repel. So I was doing everything I had done before to try and fix it and nothing was working so I unplugged everything, including the chord that led into the main socket. Big mistake. I couldn’t get the chord to go back in due to a broken piece that was blocking the way. So now I was left without absolutely any internet not even for ethernet cord. Good going Hillarie.

Then on Friday, we welcomed back all the students in the Opening Ceremony and introduced the new teachers. The teachers that stay sometimes change positions or grades every new school year so it was kind of a surprise to some of the students as who would be their new teachers for the year. For example, my 3rd grade co teacher is now 1st grade and the other two moved grades also. So crazy. Also, Nansei is already really small but this year’s incoming 7th graders is so small that we only have TWO classes. I have 5 at Minami. Lol

I spent most of my afternoon on the phone talking to various Japanese people to try and fix my internet problem. I finally was able to schedule a technician to come to my house between 10am and 12pm on Saturday and fix it.

So Madi and Ashley got invited to a Welcoming party for the new teachers. Nansei hasn’t even bothered asking me. Well, at least Madi got invited to an after party that I can tag along in.. Lol I decided to invite Ayaka and head to The Vault early since Ashley and Madi both were at Welcoming Parties. It was nice to get to hang out with Ayaka! I love spending time with her!

On Saturday, April 8th, the technician came even before 10am… I was so tired from a long night out BUT he got the internet fixed which is all that I cared about.

Kazumi called me around 3pm saying that I should come over. I finally got to meet Emma, Kouta’s baby girl! She has SO MUCH hair! She’s so cute!

Then some of us went to the Takeda Shingen-Ko Festival where there was a parade. It lasted 3 hours. I guess it is worldly recognized as one of the largest Samurai gatherings in the world, if not the largest. So many Samurai’s!

Then we went back to Kazumi’s for dinner and drinks and to socialize. :) I love this family!

Finally, Sunday, April 9th, I ended my weekend by spending some time with Akiho at the Shingen-ko Festival! We had so much fun together! We went and toured one of Kofu’s old schools that is now a museum. Then we went to Kofu Castle where we saw many Cherry Blossom Trees finally in bloom! Afterwards we met up with Ashley and Madi to have lunch!

Akiho had to leave after that so we took her back to the station. The 3 of us then just wandered around until we decided we were all tired and went home.

And that’s how I ended and started the school years! But be on the lookout for more blogs as my weekends are packed and full of adventures! :D

[hillariekoenig15]

HALF WAY POINT!

Well it has been quite some time since my last blog but honestly you haven’t missed out on too much. After the holidays things really mellowed out. So let me catch you up on what’s been going on the past couple months!

I started the year off back at Nansei, which quite honestly was a drag. I constantly didn’t have classes and it was just very boring.

January 10th- We all went back to school for the first time in 3 weeks, except for Ashley who went back Friday. I was half expecting my classes to be canceled per usual but I actually had some classes! Then after work Ashley and I went to our Japanese class where we did Calligraphy! It is traditional in the Japanese culture to practice your calligraphy at the beginning of the year and writing down your resolution for that year. It was really fun! Mine says “Will”. Natsuko asked me what my new year resolution is this year and I said, “to find my path or my way” and that reminded her of the saying “If there’s a WILL, there’s a WAY”. So, we decided on the Kanji for “Will”. :D

Ashley’s bday was the 11th so that weekend we decided to go see the new Star Wars movie which was a lot of fun!

On Saturday, January 28th, Madi and I headed for Tokyo to see the Guns and Roses concert!  It was a lot of fun. They could learn a thing or two from American concerts though.. They only had 1 booth to buy shirts from making the lines outrageously long. Then they had minimal food stands so the lines were crazy long there too! And to top it off they only had 1 drink with alcohol...beer...it was awful..lol But overall a fun experience!

The three of us went to Yokohama the weekend of February 4th for the Chinese New Year Festivities! It was a great weekend! We first went to go see the Big Buddha in Kamakura, Saturday morning.

Then we went to Cosmo World for lunch and rode the Ferris Wheel!

Then we went to the Red Brick Warehouse. There was a Strawberry Festival going on so we stopped to get some strawberries.

Then we went to Chinatown to see the New Year Parade. That was really fun!

We also got our palms read, which was neat to learn. I’m paraphrasing but the guy read on my palm:

-You are a traveler

-I will work until I die. So even once I retire I will still work/volunteer

-I will be 90+ yrs old

-In my past life I was a man. I have the heart of a man but emotions of a woman now.

-I’m very loving and care for others even when most don’t. He said some good professions would be a doctor or nurse…

-I will have a strong love in my 20s and marriage in late 20s

-I will have two children; boy and girl

-I’ll take care of my family; good mother

-My sign is Water; Loving

-I go my own way: independent

Then we went back to the warehouse for ice skating to end the night and our weekend!

On Monday, February 13th, it was my first day back at Minami since before Christmas! I seriously love it here. The students aren’t too shy to say “Hello” and all my teachers greet me with so much excitement and genuinely express that they missed me. I feel like an outsider when I go to Nansei.

I found out that CYC sent cards back for Valentine’s Day and so my 1st grade Teacher and I put them up in the hallway!

On Saturday, February 18th, Kazumi had invited me over to her house to see her doll collection and to take me out to lunch and to a museum. I hadn’t seen her in so long I was so excited! I went to Kazumi’s at 12:30. Grandma talked my ear off although I only caught a few words here and there. Lol Then Kazumi, her friend, and I went to a Sushi-Go-Round. It was so yummy! I loved it.Then we went to this museum where there was a collection of dolls over 1000 years old. It was pretty neat.

On Sunday, February 19th, Natsuko had invited the 3 of us to a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony, which is a big deal. It was so fascinating! There was a lot more talking than a normal tea ceremony because they had to explain to us all the specific movements and sayings and then explain why they do that. Regardless, I could see how this ceremony is very peaceful and serene. Typically there’s minimal talking and you really engage with your 5 senses. You also typically wear a kimono. It was really cool and I’m happy to have experienced that.

On Saturday, February 25th, the 3 of us went skiing! I love skiing so much! The process before skiing took forever! We had to fill out this sheet that was all in Japanese and we didn’t know where we were going or doing ever… Lol But we got it figured out and after 2 hours we were finally skiing. Lol We skied for about 2 hours and then decided to head out.

Monday, February 27th, 200 DAYS! Let the countdown soon begin!!

On Friday, March 3rd, my volleyball team and I went out to dinner for Sato’s bday! It was actually really good for a traditional Japanese restaurant! Lol

After dinner I met up with Ashley and Madison at The Vault to celebrate our 200 days in Japan! :D

On Sunday, March 5th, Madi, Natsuko and I went to Midorigaoka Park to hike the trail there. It was awful. I haven’t hiked since last November.. Lol BUT the views were amazing and totally worth it! Time to start getting ready for Fuji!

Okay, that is all for now but I have some exciting weekends coming up so enjoy these stories and be ready for more blogs!

School Stories-

- In one of my 1st grade classes at Nansei we did an activity that included “Rock, Paper, Scissors” which is how they decide anything around here. Lol But I learned it in Japanese and it goes like this,

“Saisho wa gu Janken pon!” and if you have the same gesture you say “Aikodasho” and change gestures!

- At Minami, at the end of Valentine’s Day my principal came up to me and was like “Today is special day. You call home early!” I looked confused and thought to myself “I’m single I don’t need to call anybody at home and also it’s like 2am no one is awake.” So I said, “No one is awake” He looked confused and said again, “You call home! It’s special day!” I was so confused. He finally called a teacher over that knows a little better English and she explained to me that he was saying “You can GO home” Lol and I wonder why I’m single on this special day… LOL #sorryimawkward #single4lyf

- In my 3-3 class my teacher told me that one of my students got accepted into her High School of choice and is choosing an English program. I congratulated her after class but I kind of got the feeling that I wasn’t suppose to say anything… I learned later that I was okay and she already knew… thank gosh… I’m so awkward… Lol Then she invited me to lunch so that was exciting! I was hoping more students would try and engage but she was the only one. That was okay though! I still was happy!

- At lunch, one day, my student was trying to explain the word pollen/allergies and just knew flower, nose, sneeze. But she kept saying “Nose” “Flower” and I just couldn’t put 2 and 2 together because in Japanese “Nose” and “Flower” are the same word so I was very confused what she was trying to get across. We eventually got it though. Lol

- I gave tests to my 1st graders. It was a speech test so they had to converse with me for 1 minute about one of these topics: Family, Food, Hobby, or Last Sunday. A lot of the students chose food. Lol And their starting sentence would be “I like food. Do you like food?” I had to hold back as hard as I could my natural sarcastic instincts as it would go right above their heads and confuse them. It was funny though. Some others were,

Me: “Do you like fruit?”

Them: “I like Hamburger.” ...okay good to know...not a fruit but okay movin’ on. Lol

Me: “No, I don’t like udon”

Them: “Do you like udon” … I just answered this… Lol

Me: “Did you eat breakfast?”

Them: “I like sushi!” ...For breakfast?... Lol

Side Stories-

- During Volleyball Sato, my Japanese friend who let me be on their team, brought her two sons, one of which I teach. In P.E. they are practicing Basketball but he only plays soccer so isn’t very coordinated at basketball. So whenever I wasn’t playing volleyball I was helping him practice his shooting. It was a lot of fun. And I found out a week later that he did great in P.E. the next day and talked me up to his mom and dad and was so happy, which makes me happy. :) - Couple weeks later found out my friend from Volleyball, Sato, is being relocated due to her husband’s job. I’m very sad. :( It’s the beginning of many dreadful goodbye’s.

[hillariekoenig15]

あけまして  おめでとう (Happy New Year!)

I woke up and saw the sunrise through the airplane window. It was beautiful. 

We landed in Tokyo around 7am.  When we got off the plane Madi and I went to 9 hr, the capsule hotel, to take a nap. We got up at 11am and went in search for some lunch. But first we found a place to drop off our luggage and a wheelchair for Madi to push me around in. :)

After lunch we had 4 hours to kill before our friends and family arrived in Japan.

Finally, the time had come and I was so happy to see my mom walk out of the terminal! We hugged and had to be asked to move as we were in the way of others trying to leave the terminal. Lol

We purchased our bus tickets to Kofu and then started our 3 hour trek. We stopped half way at a gas station to use the bathroom and to purchase any foods/drinks. We only got 15 minutes. Mom made me nervous as I feared the bus was going to leave us but we were fine. We finally made it to Kofu around 9:30pm. Kazumi graciously picked us up and dropped us off at my apartment. We all had had a long day and went to bed.

December 29th, Tabatha woke up really early. I eventually got up too and slowly got around. I didn’t have any food at the apartment so we walked to Ogino, the local supermarket, to buy some food. I think that was a fun experience for them! :) We came back and tried all the different pastries we got at the bakery.

We finally headed out to explore Kofu a little. Unfortunately, it was slow moving for me as I had broke my toe… Lol But, I showed them Minami, then Kofu Castle, then took them to my favorite Indian Restaurant, then shopping, then back home...where we all wiped out.

We had an early start, on December 30th, as Kazumi was coming over to take us to her friend’s place to make Mochi; a traditional Japanese dish for New Year’s. It was very fascinating how they made it, tasted gross, but it was still fun!

Kazumi is always very busy and trying to be everywhere at once so when she dropped us off at her friends she shortly afterwards left saying “I’ll be back”. Very typical of Kazumi to leave you stranded I’ve learned. LOL Thankfully Johanna, a German student, was there to help with translation.

We had lunch there where mom and Tab got to try homemade Japanese curry. It was delicious! We were there maybe 4 hours before Kazumi came back to pick us up. Lol She took us back to her place where my mom and Tab got to meet Grandma and Kouta, Kazumi’s youngest son. We had tea and grandma tried telling us many stories. Lol Then Kazumi took us up the mountain to the science center where it has an amazing view of Kofu!

NEW YEARS EVE!

So we woke up and had some scrambled eggs. Skyped dad and the boys to open gifts but my internet was being dumb and glitchy so it was short. Then Kazumi came and we were off to Tokyo!

We finally got to the station we needed at around 1:30pm. The host of our Airbnb met up with us and paid for our bus ticket. He then showed us to our Airbnb. It was incredibly nice of him. I think he was a little nervous as we were his first group but I think we made a good impression!

Madi and the girls left pretty quick to go eat and explore a little. I waited for Ashley to make sure she found the place okay.

So we went out and ate quickly at McD’s then found this little strip of shopping stores in Harajuku. We stopped at a cat cafe for a little while. 

Then headed home to get ready. As we were getting ready Madi informed me that Tokyo Tower was not doing a countdown as it was a potential hazard… I didn’t have a back-up plan so I got a little frustrated and upset.

We finally headed out around 10pm. We were hungry but not much was open still. We decided to try Shibuya which ended up being fun! We found a countdown spot there. We had some time to kill so we went to a convenience store and got some food and alcohol. It was sooo crowded for the countdown!

After midnight we decided to go to Madi and I’s bar, Junk Cafe. It was SO much fun! I loved the recognition I received from all of them. The music was awful though.. I hate EDM. lol We finally decided to call it a night at around 4am. Very late night for my momma. LOL

The next morning, January 1st, we got up around 11am and went out to explore. We stopped at TGIFriday’s first for lunch then went to Yoyogi Park and waited in line for an hour to see the Shrine/Temple and pray although we didn’t pray. We just wanted to do what the locals were doing. Lol

On January 2nd, I so badly wanted to go to the Imperial Palace to hear the Emperor speak but I feared of the line being forever long. So, we decided to go shopping instead. We had breakfast and cleaned as all the other girls had left early.

We headed to Shibuya first. We stopped at Forever 21 then made our way to Nike then decided it wasn’t worth the shopping with all our baggage with us. So we decided to go back to Kofu.

On our way back we found a little part of the Tokyo Olympics from 1964!

On January 3rd, we went to Mt. Fuji. By the time we had gotten there though we only had so many hours of daylight left. We should’ve gotten up earlier and just gotten home early but sleep wins everytime. Lol

Once we got there we decided to take a bus up to the 4th station. It was freezing but a beautiful view! We got stuck up there for an hour though as we left the station late because our driver was nice enough to wait for this couple to get their tickets since they didn’t realize that they needed to even get tickets. Then, once at the top, that same couple was demanding to be taken back down because they have other things to do but since they didn’t know to get tickets they also didn’t know the bus timetable and because they made us late coming up the mountain they then missed the bus that went down the mountain. #karma

Once back down we walked to the Kawaguchiko Lake and took a Swan paddle boat ride out on the water. Let me just say...not meant for tall people like my mother and myself. LOL Tab was the driver. On our way back to the station we stopped at a few souvenirs shops and then had dinner before the last bus back to Kofu.

On January 4th, we got up early again to head to Matsumoto Castle so that we could get home at a decent hour so that mom could get payroll done.

So, we went to Matsumoto Castle which was very beautiful. Then we had lunch and made our way back. I think we made it back by 4:30pm. We were all so tired that we decided to just lounge. Mom got started on her work, then I made dinner, then she got back to work as Tab and I headed to bed.

Mom got payroll done… LOL

On January 5th, we packed and headed back toward Tokyo. We stopped at Piss Alley which was kind of disappointing as it appeared a lot of things were still closed for the holidays. Then we went to Kamakura, had lunch, then visited the Great Buddha Statue. I had to make that visit short though as were were running out of daylight and still wanted to go to the beach.

I was trying so hard to fit in as much of Japan as possible in our trip. It was very difficult…

On January 6th, we got up to go to Chinatown to find that everything didn't open until we needed to leave for Tokyo. So there was another fail on my part.. :/

We headed for Akihabara, Tokyo for the Owl Cafe. It was so much fun! I love it. Afterwards, we had lunch and headed back to Kofu to get ready for my work party.

The work party was very interesting to say the least. First, Carl was so wrong about this party. Yeah, after 30 years of doing this maybe it is lame but I had so much fun! He also mis-informed me of the dress code. He said jeans were okay but this was clearly a more formal event than that. We were clearly out of place. Oh well.

They started the night with a couple of speeches, one of which from the mayor of Kofu. So that was pretty cool. Then we started dinner and socialized and ended the night with a raffle! I had to go to the restroom and when I got back I had learned that they had called my number but I wasn’t there so Ashley went up for me. That ended up working out for the better because she won a Starbucks gift card and let’s be real I would’ve given that to her anyway. Lol Then mom’s number got called but she let me go up instead! I won a hair dryer! It was really cool!

We got invited to an after party which was crazy and at a very traditional Japanese bar. Lol Lots of more drinking involved.

Mom was actually drinking! I’ve never seen this in my life. It was very entertaining.

We finally made it home after getting some food from the 7/11. We skyped Aunt Meg and went to bed.

January 7th, the day we had all been dreading. :(

We went AEON mall after they finished packing. We had a Japanese buffet. We went shopping. Then headed back to my apartment to relax until Miho could come to take us to the train station.

Taking all that luggage on the train was a hassle to say the least. We finally arrived at 7:30pm, they got checked-in, I quickly said goodbye and left because if I lingered to long I would’ve gotten on the plane too. Lol Saying goodbye at the airport is the worse part. By the time I made it to Shinjuku I was able to fall asleep on the train. I made it to Kofu around 11pm. I went straight to bed once I got to my apartment.

7 months can fly by now…

[hillariekoenig15]

Christmas in Thailand!

I can’t believe how fast the past 3 weeks have gone. So, first let me tell you about all the cool things I did and saw in Thailand for Christmas!

On December 22nd, we flew out from Narita to Bangkok. The flight went well! No complications other than I had to check my carry-on because apparently it was too big for the plane… #notasainsize #america

Annie, Madi’s uncle’s friend, picked us up from the airport. She is SO nice and helpful! I couldn’t imagine coming here without her. The hotel was so nice! It was called Bann Kachitpan.

We freshened up and then went out to eat dinner and explore a little. I was very overwhelmed by all the various smells and was way too uncomfortable making a decision on the choice of restaurant as I was probably not going to like much of what Thailand had to offer. Lol We ran into a lady that helped us out by referring us to a restaurant which actually worked out quite nicely! The food wasn’t that bad.

We then went to Khao San Road and shopped at all these knick knack shops. Their money system is weird. I do not like bartering.. Tell me how much it is, don’t harass me, and let me decide if I want to purchase it or not. You being all up in my personal space is not making me any more likely to buy it! I did go a little crazy on the shopping partially because they made me feel like I wasn’t going to be able to leave without buying but also because...well… I enjoy souvenir shopping. :)

On December 23rd, we were all ready to go by 6am. Annie had arranged a driver to take us to our pick up point for our temple tours and river boat cruise. We were so early though.. Lol We got there at 6:30am and didn’t leave until 7:30am.

The 1st place we went to was Bang Pa-In Palace. Certain places require that you be dressed conservatively. So I was unable to show my bare shoulder or anything above my knees. Thankfully I had worn a maxi dress and just simply covered up my arms with a scarf.

After we toured the Palace grounds we left to go to the Attithuya ruins. They were very cool! It was incredibly hot though. When you looked around you saw all these Buddha statues with their heads missing and that was because during the Burmese invasion they destroyed them. There was one head that had a tree grow around it. That was pretty neat.

Side Story: While we were on the bus, we literally watched a woman wash her child with bottled water, as the child had gone to the restroom. The lady then just went about her business as if nothing had happened… she was selling food...and used her bare hands with washing the child… What….

After that we went on a river boat cruise bound for Bangkok. It was about 2 ½ hours. There was a buffet style lunch provided. It was alright. I was scared to try things so I opted for the bread and butter. Lol We soaked up some rays and enjoyed our afternoon back to Bangkok. 

When we got off we took a tuk tuk for the first time which was interesting. Not all of us could fit in the seats so I sat on the ‘floor’ of the tuk tuk. Lol Once back at the hotel we recharged and headed for dinner and Khao San Road again. However, once we were done eating we realized how exhausted we were and decided to just go back to our hotel to go to bed.

It’s Christmas Eve! Yay! We were on the road a lot but it was totally worth it. We first stopped at some markets of various kinds. We bought some fruit for our lunch. Then we went to a Thai farm where we road oxen and had a Thai lunch.

It was super spicy even though the guide kept saying it wasn’t. LIES. I didn’t eat it. Then we went to Khao Yia National Park where we did just a little hiking to this very beautiful waterfall. Our tour guide was full of information and I really enjoyed him. He told us how they had a problem with elephants dying from falling down the waterfall so they put up a fence to help keep them out of the area. 

Then, our final destination, riding elephants! It was so cool! I was partnered with a mom from our group. I got to sit on the neck! It felt weird. Madi’s guide took SO many pictures of them together and my guy took like 5… #bitter

Then we made it back to Bangkok and dressed up and went to dinner.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Another early morning though… lol we didn’t really think this through when we planned this trip. Lol

We went to a coconut farm and to the Floating Market. We stopped at the coconut farm first for just briefly and got to see how they make coconut milk and sugar and to also do a little souvenir shopping.

We then went to the Floating Market where we went on a canoe ride through the market and then was able to go shopping for a little over an hour. The first thing I saw when I got off the boat was this huge Python. The guy was asking for 200 Baht to hold it and to take pictures. It was so cool. There wasn’t a line and I honestly think that the guy would’ve let me keep holding it until the next person. Lol In America, you pay the person, you get one picture that they have to take, and you get to hold the animal/creature for like 5 seconds. This was cool because I got to hold the snake for like 5 minutes while Madi took tons of pictures on my phone. #comeonamerica Lol

I had to watch what I bought though because I didn’t realize the amount of shopping that would be provided for us and I didn’t restock money. The people would literally grab my arm and pull me aside to buy their stuff… I would just be looking and they would harass me asking, “How much you want? How much? How much you want?” and would not let me leave. I basically had to run away from them and learn how to look without appearing as looking even though that was a fail on multiple occasions. For example, I was looking at this butterfly dress and the lady came over, made me try it on, kept saying how good it looked on me, then proceeded to tell me that she wanted 1500 ($45) for it.. I told her no as it was way too much than I was wanting to spend. So I started to walk away then she grabbed my arm and lowered the price to 1000 Baht. I was like no and started walking away again. She then grabbed me again and kept lowering the price until I settled at 500 Baht ($15) and purchased the dress. Lol

We then went back to our hotel and freshened up for our night out with Annie. She first took us to a massage place where we got 2 hours worth of full body Thai massages for only $20. It was quite lovely. :) 

Then she took us to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I got ranch for the first time in months! The food portions were insanely huge! I could barely eat half! By the time dinner was done we were all so exhausted that we just went home instead of looking at the Christmas lights like Annie had planned for us.

On December 26th, we woke up the earliest at 4:45am for we had to be ready to leave by 5:30am. I got to skype Mom and everyone briefly but they were still at Aunt Cindy’s and trying to leave so it was quick.

We took a tuk tuk to a hole in the wall hotel where our guide met us and took us to the rainforest. We got these 2 sky rangers that were absolutely hilarious and amazing! Their names were Wilson and Beer. It was very exhilarating! Then we toured the zoo and had lunch

We made it back to Bangkok at 1:30pm which was very early. We didn’t realize we’d have so much day left and since we had been rising before the sun the past week none of us were opposed to napping. We also packed up our stuff as we had to check out in the morning.

We woke up and got ready to head out to Khao San Road one last time. We were at dinner and just casually drinking when these guys sat next to us. They started up a conversation with us and before I know it we were ordering more drinks… the restaurant was having a special of buy one get one free...buckets of alcohol… The night quickly came to an end from there and I think we were back at the hotel by 10:30pm. On the way home I had tripped, I kid you not, over the smallest of steps and stubbed my toe. It hurt pretty bad.  

The next day, December 27th, we got up and tried to have breakfast but we were all struggling. Lol I told Annie how I think I might’ve broken my toe when I stubbed it last night and she took one look at it and was like, “Oh, yep. We’re going to the hospital.” And so that’s what we did first. Lol I learned that I fractured my toe but that it should heal on it’s own. Lol I spoke with 3 different doctors and had an x-ray and got to keep a copy of that x-ray all for only $75...with no insurance!! What?! I say again #comeonamerica

Annie then took us to see the Grand Palace and Temple and then to the Reclining Buddha. We then went to this gym to shower and eat.

After dinner it was time to head to the airport. Our flight left at 11:45pm. Next stop: Japan… TO WELCOME MY MOM AND COUSIN!  :D

[hillariekoenig15]

#100Days

It has been a while since my last blog so here it goes!

Well we have made it to 100 days! Can you believe it?!

We were going to go to Matsumoto Castle to celebrate but it ended up having rain in the forecast so we decided to lay low and to go out Friday night and celebrate. We had lots of fun! We didn’t do much, otherwise, to celebrate that weekend.

On Tuesday, November 22nd, I thought I was having a dream that my bed was shaking uncontrollably only to find out that it most definitely wasn’t a dream but was the aftershock of an intense earthquake that had hit Japan. I only realized this when Tabatha called me asking if I was okay. Lol I just was like, “Oh...that was real?” Lol

On Wednesday, November 23rd, Japan recognizes Thanksgiving so we had the day off work so Madi and I decided to climb Mt. Takao. The hike was 90 minutes and we did it in 70 minutes so not too bad. Lol It was very beautiful. So many people were dressed in regular street clothes/shoes! :/ We took trail 6 up which was your typical hiking trail..not really maintained and was kind of difficult. We then took trail 1 down and this was maintained to be ‘easier’ for people to walk up/down. Trail 1 is literally a constant steady incline/decline. It took us about 40 minutes to decline..I’m glad we didn’t take that up. We were so exhausted when we got done that we just went home.

On Friday, November 25th, the girls and I had planned to have a Friendsgiving! It was nice. We actually were able to have/make lots of “Americanized” foods! It was yummy! I was in charge of desserts so the previous night I had bought a cake from a local bakery near my house. I didn’t realize it was a birthday cake until she had brought it out so I just rolled with it and had her put Madison’s name on it since her birthday is coming up… well then after dinner on Friday we opened up the box to find that I had bought an ice cream cake and since I had been refrigerating it instead of freezing it it had completely melted…#japanprobs #fail

On Saturday, November 26th, Natsuoko, Ashely’s mom, had invited us to a Soba making party! It was a lot of fun! I don’t know how to cook much in Japan that is considered Japanese so this was a good experience that I might be able to do at my apartment! Lol

After the Soba making party, Miho had invited me over for dinner and drinks. I always have so much fun there! We pretty much just sat around and talked. She taught me how to make various foods which was fun!

Then on Sunday, November 27th, we all went to Roberta’s for lunch. She took us to the golf course we went to the first time we had lunch. Lol They are such a great couple! Lol

On December 3rd, the girls and I went to Tokyo Comicon which was actually pretty fun! We learned that it was the first one held in Japan so that’s pretty neat! Lol Since I didn’t realize it was the first one and I knew how popular Comicon’s can be in the states I figured we should be there early to make sure we get in line at a reasonable time so that we can get in and enjoy the convention. Yeah… there were no lines. We mayyyybeeee waited 10 minutes to finally get in. Lol But it was good and well organized! We got done around 12:30pm. I can see the potential for it to grow if they keep hosting it every year. For it’s first year, though, I think it went pretty well!

We then left to go back to our Airbnb only to find that we were locked out as it appeared someone had put glue or some kind of adhesive in the lock not letting our key turn. Lol We eventually got in though! Lol

We spent our evening at a local bar called Mega Joint that let us pick the music and it was a lot of fun! Lol

The following weekend Madison and I went back to Tokyo to celebrate her birthday a few days early. On our way to our Airbnb this older Japanese guy, I kid you not, quite literally jumped out of nowhere and sparked up a conversation with us. It eventually led to him proposing to the both of us and kind of got creepy after that so we tried to wrap it up and say we had to leave. Lol We were impressed with his English though! I’ll give him that much. Lol

Then we went to dinner and came back and got ready. We left about 10pm. Our bar, Junk Cafe, is amazing! I love the people there! Then we went to Vision and paid $35 to get in but once we got in the music wasn’t that great and no one was dancing. There were just bobbing.. It was lame so we left. Then we went to the club we went to for my bday. It was awesome! We ended our night here. Hardly anyone was dancing when we got in but the music was good so we just started dancing and probably within the next 30 minutes or so we had started a party and there were maybe 50+ people dancing now! We even had a Japanese girl come up to us and tell us that we were cool for getting people to dance! Lol The DJ then shouted out if there was a birthday and I pointed to Madi and they played a birthday song! It was awesome! We decided to leave on that happy note and head back to our Airbnb. :)

On December 16th, Miho had invited me to a xmas party she was attending and said that I could invited the girls. Madi was sick but Ashley was able to come with me! It was a lot of fun! It seemed like a work party but I don’t know for sure because Miho doesn’t work.. Lol But yeah there was a buffet style entree with fried foods, pizza, pasta, (cold) meat (duck), and salad. These 3 guys sat next to us. Although, I don’t think they knew anybody at the party and just intended on eating at the restaurant but found it to be rented out by this party. Japanese people are so nice though and they let them join. They were shy at first and Miho did some greetings/introductions. They didn’t speak English very well so conversation were minimal.

These 4 little girls, about 8-10 years old, kept coming up to us asking questions about what we liked and where we were from and it was really cute.

The guys next to us would then feed off of the girls questions. For example, the girls asked us “What’s your favorite sport?” and when they left the guys would be like “I like soccer!” lol It was funny.

Miho was like my poparatzi! Lol I secretly loved it. :)

Then we went to lunch with Roberta again on December 17th.

I spent the rest of the weekend getting ready for THAILAND! So, that’s all for now my friends but get ready for the next blog because it will be jammed with great travel stories from Thailand and the visit of my beautiful mother and cousin!!

To finish off enjoy these stories. :)

School Stories:

-So the boy in my 2-3 classes (at Nansei) that has a serious crush on me, I mentioned him in the last post. Lol Every time we have class together he says, “I love English” and I reply with, “That’s good!” Then he goes on to say, “I am smart.” and I say, “Yes, you are.” then it usually ends with, “I love you” Lol It’s very cute. Lol It makes class enjoyable when the students appreciate my presence. Lol

-I mentioned in my last blog that my 2nd graders (at Nansei) had asked me to sing with them. Well they had asked me again to sing with them. After practicing they then informed me, “We perform after lunch together!” Well okay then...I guess that’s what I’m doing! Lol Last minute information is very common for my life in Japan. Lol

>>Right before we sang some girls came up to me and said “opaii” I didn’t know what it meant so after the performance I looked it up on my computer...yeah… it means “boobs” Lol My life.

-One of my 2nd graders (at Minami) came up to me and said, “Hello! Who are you?!” I figured that’s not what he meant to say as he knows me pretty well because I helped him with shot put earlier this year, so I said, “I’m Hillarie-Sensei!” He looked at me confused knowing that’s not the correct response. When he realized his mistake he busted out laughing saying, “Sorry! HOW are you?!” It was very cute. Lol

-Over lunch the students usually play Japanese music but one day I over heard the song “Wiggle”. It’s not a terrible song but it still might not be appropriate. I can’t help but wonder if the students know what the song is about and are trying to be sly by taking advantage that most (if not all) the teachers wouldn’t know or if they too don’t know and just like the beat. Lol

-In my 2nd (8th) grade classes we were working on writing poems in a 1, 2, 3, 4, 1 structure.

For example, I wrote:

Japan  (1)

Very Welcoming (2)

I enjoy traveling (3)

Love to learn Japanese (4)

Home (1)

Well, in one of my classes one of the students decided to be funny and write about me. It was actually very cute. I can’t quite remember the exact words but it went something like:

Hillarie

My Teacher

She is funny

Oh, I like her

Beautiful

Lol. He’s gaining points for sure. :)

Side Stories:

-I was emailing dad and in the middle of my email I had a thought, “Oh, crap! Will he understand this?!” Lol #Japanprobs

-Miho, my host mom’s friend, was telling me about her conversation with her past host child and he had said the phrase “I’ll survive” but Miho was very concerned as Japan takes our language seriously and she thought that he was in serious trouble when really he just meant “It’ll be okay” Lol The English language if very tricky and I constantly find myself needing to analyze it so that I can explain and a lot of times I don’t know why we say certain things. I just grew up saying it without question. Lol

[hillariekoenig15]

Aaaannndddd SWITCH.

Well, time to switch schools again!

So, the weekend after my amazing birthday was our biggest trip yet to Kyoto. On Thursday, November 3rd, it was a National holiday for Japan so we decided to take advantage of this opportunity and take Friday off as well and experience as much of Kyoto as we could. We left really early Thursday morning and finally arrived at our hotel around 3:30pm. Traveling for that long really drains you so we tried as quickly as possible to regain some strength to head to the Ginkaku-ji Temple (Silver Pavilion).

We arrived at the Ginkaku-Ji Temple around 5:10pm only to find out that last entry was at 5:00pm. We were really bummed. So we started shopping around at the little stores surrounding the temple but they too closed when the temple did. Lol So we just decided to give up and head back to the hotel and get some rest before the next day.

On Friday, November 4th, we had a lot scheduled. We started off our day in Nara visiting the Nara Park where the deer roam free! It was very interesting. There are people stationed all over with little packs of biscuits that you can buy for the deer. The thing with that though is the second the deer realize you have food they can become a little scary. Lol A few nibbled at my pockets and head butted our back sides. But when we would show them that we didn’t have any more they would just stroll about their business as if they weren’t acting crazy just a few seconds prior. Lol It was quite the experience.

As we were walking through the park we headed toward the Great Buddha Hall. It was very beautiful. In the back of the building there was a pillar that had a hole, the size of the Buddha’s nostril, at the bottom for people to try and fit through. If you could then it meant your life would be blessed or something to that effect. I didn’t even try it. I knew there was no way my chest was fitting through that hole. Lol After this we then headed back to the train station to head to our next stop; Fushimi Inari.

In Fushimi Inari, we had lunch and saw the thousands of red torii gates. It was really cool and probably could’ve spent much longer there by climbing up the hill but I wasn’t sure how long it would take. I wanted to make sure we made it to Kiyomizu-dera Temple before the sunset as to not have a repeat of the Silver Pavilion, so once we got our pictures and saw the gates I suggested that we turn around.

Then we headed to Kiyomizu-dera Temple and arrived at a perfect time! The sun was just setting and it was a clear beautiful sky.

We then went back to the hotel to recoup. Then we met up with my bday buddy, Pamela, for dinner. We tried this grill your own meet place. It was interesting. The meat was really good but for a $120 bill you’d think we would’ve been stuffed. Nope. We were still starving. Lol so we found a KFC nearby and ate there. LOL

On November 5th, we slept in a little and took our time heading out. We went to Arashiyama where there is a Bamboo Forest. It was much smaller than I was anticipating. You hear the word forest and you think huge but oh well. It still was really neat.

My teacher had suggested to me that we do the Torokko or Sagano Railway Tour so we booked that. It wasn’t as exciting as my teacher had me believe but it was still pretty cool.

Then we headed to the Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion) and it was quite the sight to see! After this we kind of just wandered around stopping at random nick-nacky shops along the way as our weekend was sadly coming to an end.. :(

On Sunday, November 6th, we headed back to Kofu. It was simply a day of travel. It was nice to finally get home and unwind.

School Stories:

-In my one of my 2nd grade classes, I have a boy who has a serious crush on me. Lol He even made a kid switch with him so that we could do the interviewing activity with each other. Lol

-Some of my 2nd grade boys asked me to join them for Chorus one day. I wasn’t sure if they wanted me to sing with them or just watch but I followed them anyway. Once we got to the choir room there were more 2nd graders waiting for me. They put me amongst them and we started singing together “Stand by Me”. With the lyrics the first time then without the second time. After we had finished the 2nd time around they looked at me and started speaking in Japanese and I eventually found out that they wanted me to judge their singing. Thankfully I enjoy singing because this would have been mortifying for most people! Lol So I helped them with a few verses they needed to enunciate better and it was a lot of fun. I was happy that they had decided to include me in on that. :)

-In my classes we played Hang Man and I thought my teacher had said “Hug Man” at first. Lol So I was trying to be clever and have them spell “English Rules!” But they didn’t understand ‘Rules’ as meaning ‘rocks’ or ‘is awesome’ so they just blankly stared at me once it was spelled out… #awkward

That weekend we all had agreed to lay low as we had been traveling a lot in the past month. I needed to get a coat though as it is getting chillier in Japan and I thought that I could last until Mom came to visit but I don’t think I can. So, Madison and I went shopping at the Aeon Mall. It was nice. I bought things that I probably don’t need but oh well.

On the bus ride home this group of high schoolers kept staring at us and very obviously talking about us so I looked at them and said “Konbanwa” which means “Good Evening” They then all laughed and continued to talk… lol When we got off the bus I had to walk in their direction to my bike. So, I figured I’d talk to them a little. They asked me, “Where are you from?” but they said it at first in Japanese so I was like, “Wakarimasen” (I don’t understand) and then they said it in English. I told them America and they were like, “Oh, Trump!” and I rolled my eyes and laughed a little and then one goes, “Vote me for president!” And I was like, “Okay!” And they all laughed. Then I asked how old they were because when it comes to Japanese people you can never tell. They all look like 15 years younger than they actually are.. Lol Madison and I were right though. They were high schoolers; 17. We then said our goodbyes. I walked away from them as I parked my bike a few blocks down at a parking ramp. I got my bike and had to head in the same direction I had came from and of course they were still outside so as I rode past them they all shouted, “Goodbye! I love you! Goodbye!” Gotta love Japan! Lol

Well that’s pretty much all that has happened in the past few weeks! We have a few more exciting trips planned before our big one for Christmas! So, stay tuned!

P.S. This weekend is 100 days in Japan! WOAH.

[hillariekoenig15]

Otanjōbiomedetō gozaimasu "Happy Birthday" (to me!) #24

I left off last time with my last week at Minami…

The weekend before my last week at Minami we took a weekend trip to Osaka!

On Saturday, October 15th, we woke up really early to be at Kofu station by 7:24am; that’s when our train left for Tokyo. I don’t know how to pack very well. It makes me nervous for our bigger trips. Lol Once we got to Tokyo we received our Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets and made it to Osaka by 2pm with no complications! Unfortunately check-in wasn’t until 3pm so we just wandered around for an hour until check-in. I was so exhausted but we couldn’t waste any time! We immediately recuperated and left for Osaka Castle. Ashley had mentioned that the last entry into the Castle was 4:30pm and that made me nervous as we didn’t get dropped off until 4:15pm. I also thought we wouldn’t be able to get up and close to the castle unless we entered by 4:30pm. So, I was rushing. When we finally got into the grounds of the castle I realized that the 4:30pm timeline was for touring inside the castle which I was perfectly content not doing as we would only get 30 minutes to do so. So, we just walked around and took pictures. It was quite beautiful.

We then headed to the bay area where we rode the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. If we had had more time we would have toured the giant aquarium that is located right there but we would have been rushed for time and who likes that? So, after the ferris wheel ride we slowly made our way back to our hotel.

On Sunday, October 16th we woke up and made our way to Himeji to see and tour the Himeji Castle. It was a beautiful day! We arrived at Himeji around 11am. The castle was right off the station. Once we arrived we took some pictures and made our way inside to take a tour of the castle! It was very interesting! Afterwards, we got some lunch and then went on a boat ride in the moat that surrounded the castle. It was a lot of fun. We then headed back to the station around 3pm getting us back to the hotel around 5pm. We rested at the hotel for a little while to recharge our phones and ourselves. Lol

Then we decided to make our way to Dotonbori which is a major shopping district. It was really cool to see in the night. We were on a particular mission to see the “Glico Man” or the running man. Along the way of trying to find it we stumbled across a private boat ride along the river for only $10 at 20 minutes. On our boat ride we found the running man! So it all worked out. It was a great way to end our already great weekend. We then headed back to the hotel and packed up for our long day of travel the following morning.

School Stories:

1.After school one day I went out to help with the track team and along the way I got stopped by the basketball team. There wasn’t a hoop so we just dribbled around for a little bit. I then palmed the ball and all of them went crazy! They were so amazed by this and upset that they couldn’t do it. Lol I’m just over here like thanks mom for my huge hands. LOL

2.At Nansei, my 1st grade teacher asked me to help with the listening portion of the mid-terms and of course I said yes. He brought me to this room that looked like a recording room. There was a huge microphone that I read the stories along with their questions. It was weird because I have no idea where the students were taking this test but I just talked into the microphone that probably was on an intercom in some room in the school. It was very interesting. Lol

3.So, I wanted to make my teachers little treats as a ‘Trick or Treat’ gift. Japan doesn’t really have the things I need to make good treats so I improvised and decided to make oreo rice krispie treats. It seemed fitting as it was black and white and then I was going to decorate it in orange and purple frosting. So, I went to Seria (dollar store) and got white frosting and orange and purple food coloring. When I went to put on the frosting I realized something smelled funny and then I tasted the ‘frosting’... I’m pretty sure it was glue… I just ruined my treats.. It was great. Lol

I have officially joined a soft volleyball team. We play on Wednesday nights at 8pm. I’m not allowed to play in the games but I can practice which I’ll take over staying at home doing nothing. Lol There are about 5 or so teams. The age range varies but primarily 40+ year olds. I’ve made some friends in the process. :D

Soft Volleyball is comparable to slow pitch. It’s an easier version of volleyball. Lol The court is small and the net is lower, which this may just be because it is not normal to have a giant like me around but regardless. Then there are only 4 players, still 3 hits, underhand serve, and the ball is like an oddly over-sized soft kickball (lol). Lots of fun though! We just scrimmage for an hour or so and then we’re done until the following Wednesday. I very much enjoy it!

On Friday, October 21st, I stayed over at Madison’s to book tickets to Thailand.. WE ARE GOING TO THAILAND. We had some difficulties along the way but it is officially happening! We will be spending Christmas in Thailand. How crazy!

On Saturday, October 22nd, we had planned a day trip to Tokyo. When we arrived in August, Madison had found this owl cafe and so in light of my bday being so close we decided to experience this owl cafe! It was absolutely amazing. I literally could have spent all day in there if not longer. I LOVE OWLS SO MUCH! I probably would’ve cried with joy if I wasn’t worried that they would kick me out thinking I was scared or something. LOL I was seriously the happiest person. I want to go every weekend! Lol Unfortunately they just allow 1 hour increments. One of the owls jumped onto Madison’s head which was the funniest thing ever. Lol

We then had the rest of the day to ourselves in Tokyo so we decided to go Bowling at a nearby arcade. It was a lot of fun! Then we went to Roppongi for dinner and found this Mexican restaurant which is SO rare in Japan so we had to try it out. I’m not a huge fan of spicy things though so it wasn’t my favorite thing but it was still nice. We then decided it was time to head home.

On Sunday, October 23rd, my host mom’s friend, Jim, was hosting his annual Halloween Party for his students. I had offered to help out and he took me up on it. I then recruited Madison and Ashley. It was so much fun! Jim and his wife, Akiyo, definitely know how to throw a party! There was an eyeball race (kind of like the spoon and egg race but with an eyeball instead), crafts, games, pumpkin carving, bingo, candy hunt, and more! It started at 2pm and went to about 4:30pm. It was awesome!

After Jim and Akiyo took us out for dinner which was soo nice of them! I just love Halloween.

On Monday, October 24th, I started back at Nansei again! They are testing this week (midterms) so I don’t really have any classes which kind of sucks. Way too much free time in an 8 hour day. Lol I guess I’ll just facebook and research things to do in Japan and travel opportunities..totally related to work.. LOL

On Tuesday, October 25th, I woke up with a little pain in my lower back that progressively got worse as the day went on. I kept asking the nurse for ice packs, although, it wasn’t really an ice pack...I’m not sure what it is...a band-aid with ointment on it is the best I can describe it. When I finally got home I thought that lying down for a bit would subside the pain. Nope. Made it so much worse. I was stuck on the bed from the pain. It took me a half hour to get to the door to let Kazumi inside. I have never felt this kind of pain before. Unfortunately, by the time I told Kazumi the clinics were closed so I had to wait until morning, which didn’t seem too terrible at the time because since I had been upright for a while the pain didn’t seem as bad.

After Kazumi left I figured maybe I didn’t lie down long enough. Maybe a good night’s rest will help with the pain. Wrong again. I had to use the restroom at 1am and I finally got the strength to be up right at around 2am. I was in soooo much pain. Thankfully Aaron had left behind a recliner. This was my saving grace. I was able to go back to sleep until Kazumi came back the following morning.

The pain had subsided a little but I still feared the thought of lying down on my back.

I had no idea how close this clinic was to my house! Literally right across the street from me. It must just be a locally owned clinic because I never would’ve guessed that this building was associated with a hospital. Lol I got seen fairly quickly and noticed right away that I was a sight to see. I had 5 people in the exam room with me. Now it could’ve been the fact that I was wearing owl leggings with a UNI long sleeve shirt and flamingo socks but I’m gonna bet that they were intrigued by the American visiting. It was obvious the 3 of the 5 in the room with me had stopped what they were doing to just observe. Lol Harmless but still a little creepy.

The overall visit was very interesting and an experience for sure. There wasn’t any privacy really which may seem obvious from my previous paragraph but also the exam room was open to the lobby so everyone in the lobby could hear in on whatever was being said in the exam room. Lol The building itself seems very rundown and crowded. When I envision a hospital or a clinic, I envision tidiness and white walls. This was not that.

I left the clinic with some pain medicine and some muscle relaxers that will last me a week. I took the day off work and just rested the rest of the day.

On Thursday, October 27th, I returned to work as I did feel better in a way that I could actually walk. I also couldn’t help myself but to go to school as this weekend we have a speech competition that I have been helping with for the past month and with it being crunch time I didn’t want to leave them hanging. It wasn’t a terrible day. Instead of pain in my lower back, I grew pain in between my shoulder blades. So that was fun.

On Saturday, October 29th, there was a speech competition being held for all the surrounding schools. I had been working with Nansei and Minami for the past month so I was really excited to see them perform. I was nervous to see what the other schools had to offer. I had high hopes for my kids though!

There are two different stories that they have to memorize. For the 2nd graders, a story about Paul Rusch who is famous for introducing American Football to Japan in the 1920s and resided right here in Yamanashi! Then, the 3rd graders story is about a man who risked the safety of him and his family to give visas to Jews so that they may be safe from the Nazis by living in Japan. Both really interesting and moving stories!

There were 15 contestants in both the 2nd grade speech and the 3rd grade speech. I was so nervous for my kids! There were some pretty good speeches given. Both of my Minami students got 3rd place so I was really happy for them! I felt bad for my Nansei students though. :/ Hopefully they kept their head up as they all were incredible!

After the speech competition Madison and I headed to Tokyo to start celebrating my birthday! We finally got to our Airbnb around 8pm and were ready to head out the door by 10:30pm!

Halloween in Japan is awesome! Halloween is new to Japan as they have only been celebrating this holiday for about 4-5 years. So, I was extremely impressed by what I saw. As soon as we stepped out of Shibuya station Madison and I couldn’t walk more than 10 or feet without being asked to take a picture with! Let me tell you feeling like a celebrity on my birthday felt pretty good! Lol Madison and I went as TY cat Beanie Babies….Or as copy cats...take your pick. Lol We literally just walked around for probably an hour or so people watching and taking pictures with people. We eventually decided it was probably time we actually went into a bar/club. Lol

On our way to one of the better known clubs called the Womb a little whole in the wall bar literally stopped us and made us come into their place which I absolutely do not regret as they cheered and sang Happy Birthday to me! It was awesome! The music was great and they were so excited to have us there! Lol

Then we finally went to the Womb which actually was kind of disappointing but oh well! Now we know. So, we left and headed back to a bunch of bars we passed on the way to the Womb. We like the music playing in this one club called the Flame so we stood in line for about an hour or so and met some pretty cool people! One of them was this girl who’s birthday is actually Halloween so we bonded of course! Lol She turned 30 and was backpacking! She started last month and will be backpacking for about 8 months total; extremely cool!

We finally got in and had a blast! It was a great way to end the night! We didn’t leave until about 4am! The bars were open until 6am! I’m not sure if this was only for Halloween or if this is always but it was still so much fun! Madison and I finally made it to bed around 5am

On Sunday, October 30th, I was so tired. We had to be out of our Airbnb by 11am and I wanted to keep sleeping. Thankfully Madison set an alarm otherwise I probably could’ve kept sleeping all day! Lol Once we left we did a little shopping and I bought more than I thought I would so I eventually told Madison that we need to go home before I don’t have any more money left. Lol The rest of my birthday was pretty chill! I came home and made dinner and that was about it.

On Monday, October 31st, I had the day off work since we had to work Saturday, which was really nice! I took that day to try and figure out my wifi, which I did! I HAVE WIFI PEOPLE! It only took 2.5 months...LOL Anyway, I got to skype Breanna and my family and that was really nice! 

 All in all, this Birthday will be hard to beat in years to come! :D

[hillariekoenig15]

Himeji treated us well!! 😍🇯🇵🏯

[hillariekoenig15]

Today was mainly a travel day but we got to see this beautiful Osaka Castle and we went on a Ferris wheel ride. More to come tomorrow! 😍🏯🇯🇵🤗

[hillariekoenig15]

New Kid On The Block

So I left off my last blog during my last week at Nansei.

On Saturday, September 24th, we all decided to head to Tokyo for the day to see what Tokyo was like. We all got to Kofu Station by 8am. It was a 2hr train ride. Because of the last time I lived in Japan I knew that there were differences between the trains; local is free but has more stops and the express is more direct but is more expensive. I always took the local train so when we got on the train heading for Tokyo it looked a lot different than what I was use to and I instantly thought that we were on the wrong train. We eventually figured out that we were on the correct train and that it just was the express train. We tried going to see the Imperial Palace but we eventually found out you had to make reservations and so we only got as far as the gardens… :( We then started walking toward Shibuya.We made it to Harajuku first. Went to H&M, AE, Forever 21, Nike, and some other stores. The only thing that really sucked about this day, other than walking 1.5 hours, was all the rain! UGH.I did not realize how close Harajuku and Shibuya were! We finally, after a very long day, made it to the famous crosswalk, the Scramble. We were so exhausted by this point we just wanted to go home.

When I got home, all I wanted to do was take a bath. When I turned on the water a beeping noise started and it sounded like a fire alarm… I called Kazumi and she came over to check it out. She started pushing buttons and calling the phone number provided but it was 9:30pm and they were closed. So, then she goes to leave saying, “It’s okay. Not dangerous.” But all I care about is the beeping. I’m trying to go to bed and although, now the beeping had subsided to once every 20 minutes or so it still was loud and obnoxious. But for whatever reason the translation was lost and she left me saying she’d return in the morning….

The next morning, Kazumi came over and figured out it was my gas not my water. She called a friend and they told her how to fix it! Thank goodness!

Then I met up with Madison and we went for a hike at Midorigaoka Sports Park. We got to our outlook in just 30 minutes! Last time it took us like 1.5 hours! We were pumped we did some more exploring and took a new trail. It was much harder and had lots of rocks with steep inclines. We didn't know where it would lead so we eventually decided it best to turn around.We went to Denny’s after to celebrate.. LOL

I then went and stopped at this store called SUNDAY that sells outdoor gear literally right down the road from my apartment. It was awesome! The staff were amazing! I definitely plan on going back! When I was talking to the guy I had told him I like to hike at this park and he said he does too! He then showed me a picture of him at the summit and I realized then, that Madison and I haven’t even come close to the summit! LOL We have a long ways to go but now we know where that trails leads! Lol

On September 26th, I started my first day at my second school, Minami Junior High School. It was a very good week! This school is much bigger than Nansei. Nansei has 3 classes per grade and Minami has 5 classes per grade. I am much more busy here and I really enjoy that! They communicate with me way better on what the class schedule is and what the plans are for class. At Nansei, I just show up and I’m either in the wrong class because they changed the classes around and/or I have no idea what my part in the lesson will be for the day… The students are all very excited to meet me. I feel like I am the shiny new toy that everyone wants to play with. Lol I’ll be sad when I am no longer the new toy. LOL The comments on my hair and eyes are popular here as well. Lol My favorite part of my introductions is showing off my family. Lol They all think it is funny that my dad is the shortest of us all.They all love that Harrison is into anime and comics since that is a huge part of their culture here in Japan. I feel bad that I don’t know much about it especially since they know so much about American entertainment, sports, politics, etc. And finally, even in a foreign land Holister has girls gawking over him and the boys can’t believe how mature he looks (physically lol) especially since they are the same age. They would go nuts if my brothers actually showed up and I brought them to school. Lol

The schools in Kofu are getting ready for an English speech competition at the end of October so, Nansei and Minami had me judge potential contestants. I chose the one’s I thought did the best but then afterwards I felt like crap as I watched the others cry in disappointment.. I hate being the cause of someone crying… I’m not a good judge. *You all are winners!* lol if only… Anyway, I’ve been busy after school with speech practice and I really love being needed, wanted, busy. Lol

School Stories:

1. After speech practice one day one of the students came up to the window from outside and told me to come and help with their practice. Both Nansei and Minami are really excited about my experience with shot put. Lol So I went out and helped coach their practice. They asked me how to make their arms stronger and so I was showing them various exercises, the dip in particular, and when I went to squat, using the tiniest chair ever, I lost my balance and fell awkwardly to the ground. It was hilarious and embarrassing at the same time. Lol

2. In one of my classes we were teaching “how to” and one of the questions was “Do you know how to go to…?” and one of the other boys thought he would be funny and said, “My house.” One thing is for sure. They don’t differ too much from American boys. Lol They constantly are telling me “You’re cute!” and “I love you!” I just either smile and walk away or say “Thank you” or the occasional “No you don’t” lol I don’t take compliments very well. I make things awkward. Lol

3. In my special ed class my two boys hardly talk or interact because of their social anxiety. But this one boy did approach me! He had brought handcuffs… he started to put them on me and I didn’t even think anything of it because I figured they were toy one’s that I would be able to take off myself. Nope… they were the real deal… I looked at him and he just smiled at me for an awkward amount of time and said, “no key”. My thoughts went wild. What?! Oh, crap. What have I gotten myself into? Etc. The he smiled again and said, “just kidding. I have key”. So awkward. He did it to my other teacher too so I don’t feel like such an idiot but still it was an experience. Then we played a game with flashcards where he would say the object or thing on the card in English and I would learn it in Japanese.

4. I had 2nd period special ed...so I thought. I went to class and a teacher I had met before came and asked “You teach lesson?” I kept saying “I think so” hoping Nakagome Sensei would come in to help explain but she never came. So I started to teach a lesson...all by myself… After class I found out that Nakagomi Sensei was out for the morning and that class had been rescheduled for tomorrow. So I just taught a wrong class English and the teacher just let it happen! LOL oops

5. As I was leaving to go home one day, I got stopped by a crowd of girls that wanted to know the English word for something. They kept saying “White”, “Triangle head”, “Food”, “Swim”, and “7-11 Feet/Legs”. When they explained the feet part I pointed to my foot and my tattoo showed...oops. Anyway, I was so lost because I didn’t realize at the time that they wanted to know the word for what they were explaining. I thought they wanted to show my something or just tell me something. I eventually got my phone out and showed pictures of what I thought they were trying to say. Finally, the word they were wanting to know in English was “Squid”. They did such a good job describing it I feel bad that I didn’t catch on sooner! Lol Oh, well.

6. So, in one of my 2nd grade classes we are learning phone etiquette. They had to get into groups of 3 and roleplay being on the telephone. There were 3 parts; family member, friend, and friend. The friends had more lines. It was all scripted. After everyone had gone through then my co-teacher asked me to ad lib/ go off script to see if they could keep the conversation going without a script. I was picking at random (i.e. boy 4 and girl 8) to play the other roles (family member and another friend). This one boy kept saying “6 say boy 6”. I figured he was trying to pick on one of his friends, whoever boy 6 was, so I didn’t pick on it right away and then when it was time for the last pair I finally said boy 6...it was him! He was boy 6 and do you know what he asked me on the phone? “Hillarie, I want to ask you to go out with me tonight.” I was caught sooo off guard! The whole class was in an uproar! Lol I said, “No, I can’t tonight” and everyone made “aw” sounds then I said “How about next Friday?” and again the whole class screamed and cheered for this boy. Lol It was quite entertaining. Lol

On September 30th, it was officially our 50th day in Japan! How conveniently that is was a Friday also so we went out for drinks to celebrate! We went home early though because Madison and I had plans to go to Aokigahara Forest the next morning.

I’m so excited it’s October! I seriously love this month! Although, it isn’t quite the same in Japan but still I am excited! So Madison and I went to Aokigahara Forest or commonly known as either The Sea of Trees or Suicide Forest. Lol My mother does not enjoy the second name. It was really foggy out so even though we were at the base of Mt. Fuji we couldn’t really see it, which was unfortunate. The scenery was still extremely beautiful. Mt. Fuji is surrounded by lakes and it is gorgeous.

We then got on a bus that drove in a circle around the forest picking up and dropping off people at various trails. We stopped at a Bat Cave, which was actually pretty cool! Then from the bat cave we tried to get to the wind cave taking a trail but got really turned around and lost a few times and ended up somewhere north even though we were trying to go south… The map was definitely not to scale because once we got on the bus we realized how close we actually were to where we wanted to be… Lol We were nervous we were going to miss our transportation home so we decided to call it good and head back to the station. Good thing we did! We made the last bus home!

On Wednesday, October 5th, the mom I had met from Nansei’s School Festival had finally messaged me back saying that it was okay for me to join their soft volleyball team. I can only participate in practices but I am more than welcome to attend games. It’s not the same as regular volleyball but beggars can’t be choosers. Lol I’m just excited to socialize with the locals doing something I love! ...even if they are all 45+ years old. Lol

On Saturday, October 8th, I went over to meet Kazumi’s friend, Miho. We all went to her place for dinner. I figured it would be a chill evening with some dinner and casual talk of get to know you but it ended up being so much more fun and I stayed way later than I had planned. Lol I had arrived around 5:30pm and we started eating and drinking wine while the kids played games on the wii u. It eventually came up if I like to sing and I said yes and of course they had a Karaoke game so we started singing and laughing and it was so much fun. I couldn’t believe how late it was getting so I finally left around 10pm to go and meet up with the girls.

It wasn’t until my bike ride over to the vault did all the wine hit me. Lol Needless to say we had a great time exploring Kofu’s nightlife!

On Sunday, October 9th, it was finally the day for SUMO! We were so excited! Although, the wine was really kicking my butt but I made it! That’s all that matters! Lol It was very interesting. I don’t quite understand the sport Sumo but I tried and Madison googled information on the sport so that helped a lot. Lol It was kind of anticlimactic. I was expecting Wells Fargo Arena and got Colfax-Mingo Gym but still it was really cool and I enjoyed being able to see it that close!

This week is really short as Monday was a holiday celebrating National Sports Day. I know, weird but I’m not complaining! Lol Then on Friday there is no school for the students because they will be participating in their sports all day. It’s like a national game day… Lol I asked if I had to come into work since the teachers still technically have to work or if I could go watch them play and they said it would be okay if I went to watch them play! So, yay for a 3 day work week! I also took next Monday off because it is Kofu’s 127th birthday, I believe, and Kofu celebrates it. Again, except the teachers have to still work but almost all the teachers take that day off because it is pointless to be at work. Lol

So, next week is my last week at Minami and I will be back at Nansei! It’s crazy how quick my time goes when you break it up into 4 week increments! Lol It’s already almost November! The weather is getting cooler, my hair isn’t as curly, and I don’t have to constantly wear a towel around my neck to help with sweating. Life is good. Lol

I have 3 blogs out now and if you didn’t see the 2nd  just scroll through my FB newsfeed or follow me on tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hillariekoenig15. I’ve been posting about every 3 weeks! As always, stay tuned for more updates of my Adventures overseas! 

[hillariekoenig15]

Visited the Aokigahara Forest today, located at the bottom of Mt. Fuji. Got lost multiple times but overall great time! This is me at one of the many caves, specifically the Bat Cave. Even had a bat fly right into me! Lol #mtfuji #batcave #buslife #suicideforest

[hillariekoenig15]

Cheers to 50 days in Japan! #50days #japan

[hillariekoenig15]

Gotta follow suit with my homies and insta a selfie because today was my first day at Minami Junior High! I'm busier and the teachers/students are absolutely wonderful! Overall, had a great first day being the shiny new toy everyone wants to play with! 😉🤓😎🤗

[hillariekoenig15]

We are so happy that this deserves an Instagram. We went back to our trail and shaved 1.5 hrs off of our last hike! 1.5HOURS PEOPLE! Needless to say I think we are getting in shape. #trainingforthebeast #comingforyamtfuji 🇯🇵🗻

[hillariekoenig15]

Today had its ups and downs but overall successful as our ultimate goal was shopping in Tokyo. We wanted to see the Imperial Palace but only got as far as the gardens because you have to make a reservation apparently...then we walked about 1.5 hrs to Harajuku where we did most of our shopping and then finally found the famous crosswalk, the Scramble. The only really crappy thing about today was the freakin rain. #tokyo #scramble #shopping #hateyourain