February 15-21 (Sat-Fri) - Obviously, I Give Great Tours of Sabae

Saturday: I made a kid cry because he lost in the game. Usually he takes it pretty well but I guess today was just one too many. The rest of the class went well though! That teaches me to do anything besides coloring at the end.

My Nanjo classes were super empty. Which made them super fun. Especially the first one… if I just had those two kids, they would learn so so much in a month. As it is, I don’t feel this class has learned anything in the last YEAR.

After my private class, I went to the station to pick up Terra and Duncan. Having borrowed bedding, I was able to keep them at my place for the two nights they were in Sabae. I get a lot of people coming to me for specialized tours, I must be pretty good at it.

We went to tonkatsu for dinner and it was delicious. Then we stayed up really late playing 7 Wonders. It’s been a long time since I played a proper board game!!

Sunday: For breakfast, I made scrambled eggs, sausages, apples, and coffee. Then we met up with Alice to visit Eiheiji. I’ve now seen the temple in all 4 seasons. 

We were lucky enough to catch them in a ceremony, which was awesome! I don’t know what it was for. A funeral or blessing maybe.

Proof I was there:

For lunch Kaori joined us to eat okonomiyaki! There was a long wait, so we went to visit the glasses museum. Sabae is the largest manufacturer of glasses-frames in Japan, and something like 3rd-largest in the world. The museum room was small and free, but actually really cool. They had glasses worn by famous people I don’t know, but also lots of old glasses from the Meiji and Edo periods. 

Also some old machines and tools, and figures made from glass-frame leftovers.

After lunch we went to the used-clothing store so Terra could buy a kimono. She got 4, a couple obi, and some sandals. She could have purchased about 33 times that amount for the price of 1 new kimono. (Of course getting it home would be harder.) 

I showed Terra and Duncan the riverside walk and the local shrine and we played with panoramic photos.This isn't one of them. But I like bamboo.

We went to kaiten-zushi for a late dinner, then we ate supermarket-cakes for dessert while playing more games.

Monday: After another great breakfast feast, we went to karaoke. How long, I asked. 2 hours, they said. If you say so, I said. …And we stayed for 4 hours ^^

Then we ate curry, played card games, and that evening they caught a train to Nagoya. 

On my own again!

Tuesday: I had to do 3 loads of laundry!

Wednesday: Class. 

Thursday: At my nursery school, most of the kids were absent because of the flu. So I had only 2 classes, each with 5 kids. It was a lot of fun, because with 5 kids it’s more personal than 10 or 15. The older kids have a strong girl-to-boy ratio, so the only ones left were girls. They were very cute. We spent part of the time just chatting, and I learned that certain sitting postures are for certain people.

Cross-legged is how dad’s sit.

Seiza (folded knees) is of course how mothers sit. Poor mothers.

Sitting with your legs folded to the side (like a relaxed seiza) is how older sisters sit.

And I can’t remember how older brother’s sit, it may be with legs in front (knees pointed skyward). 

I learn something new every day! And sometimes remember it.

For lunch I ate very Japanese, with rice and tsukemono (pickled stuff), and natto.

For dinner I made kimchi soup. As in a soup with kimchi in it. Yum.

Friday: Class. No specific details jump to mind. Other than a lot of girls want to be nursery-school teachers or patissiers.