I was not quite ten weeks pregnant when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Tohoku region of Japan. Although Geordie and I made it through without any injuries or damage, it changed our lives. For today's Nanowrimo writing session, I spent a good chunk of it writing down my memory of that day. Here's an excerpt about the exact moment the earthquake hit, just those first few minutes as it happened and before I knew the full extent of the damage.
-----
March 11.
A Friday. A good day, then, because Geordie would be coming home. He’d meet me as I was finishing work, and we’d probably have dinner together in Loc City. Ramen, maybe. Then home to relax a bit together and to talk about the week. Those were all the plans we had made.
My shift started at five, though I usually went in early, around four. I did my hair in the morning but would not bother with getting fully dressed until three or so. A little after one, I sat down to the computer to write an email to my brother. I had been putting it off, as I often do; I am not the best of penpals. As I wrote, the apartment began to shake – another earthquake, a minor occurrence in Japan, for the most part. It gave me something to share with Ryan, and I added a sentence about it to his email.
The ‘quake started small. It felt like any other ordinary earthquake, one of dozens I’d felt since I arrived in Japan. After the few seconds of shaking, you go back to your usual business, as though nothing had really happened. One had woken me from my sleep on Wednesday morning, a little stronger than usual but nothing to get worked up about.
But the shaking did not stop. Instead, it intensified. That made me pause.
“Don’t panic,” I said aloud to myself. It would die down in a moment; it always did. I had never before been in an earthquake that had actually scared me.
Then a can of soup fell off the shelf above the kitchen sink, and I knew that this was not an ordinary earthquake, that it was something big, that I could not just sit there and wait for it to stop. Other things began to fall, including one of my rose pictures in the hall. I leaned over my computer and took down my diploma so it wouldn’t fall on the monitor.
I stood and pulled open the curtains of the sliding glass door at the front of the apartment. Across the narrow street was an empty house, and a couple hours earlier, two men had shown up to do some work on the interior. They ran out into the street as the shaking continued, holding their arms out to balance themselves. They spoke to each other. Often, I could hear when people on the street spoke, but because of the noise of the earthquake, I couldn’t hear the workmen. Some earthquakes are quiet, but with some come a rumbling, a deep and earthy sound like terrestrial thunder. This earthquake brought that sound.
Everything in the apartment moved, rattling about, a surprisingly tremendous noise. I suddenly did not what to stay in the apartment any longer.
I had on only a t-shirt and a pair of around-the-house boxer shorts. Grabbing the closest pair of pants to me, I pulled them on and put my cell phone and wallet into the pockets. I went into the hall and pulled on my heavy winter coat, leaning against the wall for support. Without bothering with socks, I slipped into my shoes and reached for the front door. My hands shook as I laid them on the door handle, and I thought that it was not just because of the earthquake’s shaking and the cold. After at least one minute, the ‘quake still had not abated. It felt like it would never end.
I can’t say how long exactly the earthquake lasted – somewhere between two and three minutes perhaps – but it felt like an eternity as I stood on the street and watched the houses shake on their foundations. The street moved – back and forth – and the electric lines overhead swayed and jumped, pulled taut before sagging and then going taut again. No tall buildings were in the area, so I didn’t worry about anything falling on me, but those wires made me uneasy. It was hard to stand up straight; I rocked from side to side as though I were on a boat.
Most of the buildings on my street were residences, but because it was the middle of a week day, not many people were at home. Only a few came out into the street, and all of them save for the workmen and myself were elderly. They clung to fences or carport supports and said very little. A crash came from the home across from my apartment, and one of the workmen ran back inside.
After a time, just as it felt like the earthquake would never end, the earth began to calm, and the shaking died away. It did not stop altogether, not immediately, but the buildings ceased their swaying, and it was possible to walk easily again. I stood in the street, pulling my coat around me, shivering with cold and fear. I did not know what to do.
My direct neighbor in the apartment home came outside and into the street, looking around amazed but unshaken. She said to me in Japanese, “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m okay,” I said. “Are you?”
“I’m alright.” She nodded her head and added, “That was very big, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Very big,” she repeated. “Probably a 5.”
It did not occur to me until later, after I knew the full magnitude of the earthquake, that I realized she meant that by the Japanese scale, which tops out at 7.
She waved at one of our neighbors down the street and called to them, leaving me alone. My thoughts flew to Geordie; I didn’t know where the earthquake had originated, but I was sure he had felt it to some degree. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed his number. All lines were busy, as I had guessed they would be. That didn’t stop me from trying again.
I went back into the apartment to survey the damage. Only one plate in the sink had broken, probably from the soup can that had dropped on it. Books and other odds-and-ends had fallen off the coffee table and my tall bookshelf, but nothing had broken. My desk had been pulled away from the wall. The wall on the left side of the window over the couch had cracks at the window’s edges. Everything was in disarray, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage. The power was off.
The aftershocks came steadily, some of them stronger than other earthquakes I had felt in the previous two years. The sliding doors that separated the two rooms rattled constantly, and I knew I could not stay there. I decided to dress properly and go to work. I could think of nothing else to do.
Showing posts with label moriya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moriya. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
just making sure everything's in working order
Come summertime, a large number of Japanese companies require their employees to have annual medical check-ups. GEOS is one of these. This is a good thing (I guess) because if I wasn't forced to do this, there's no telling when I would do it on my own. Probably never. At least it's fairly simple, requiring only height/weight measurements, blood pressure check, sight/hearing check, x-ray, and urinalysis.
I'm not sure why x-rays are required, but I thought it was cool anyway because I don't ever remember have any part of my body x-rayed. Only teeth, and that's just downright dull. Also, my insides are neat. The doctor showed me my heart and lungs, though it was hard to tell they were my lungs because they were so clean and clear. There are no spots on my insides. The doctor was very pleased.
Interesting note: the doctor did everything. In the States, nurses do the brunt of the work (in my opinion) and the doctor just comes in to poke at you and sign the paper. This is my experience. Here (and, oddly enough, in Puerto Rico), the doctor did all of the tests and measurements. The nurse assisted, mainly by holding things and showing me to the bathroom. Also, the doctor spoke some English and was pleased to know I'm from Florida, because, of course, he'd been to Orlando in years past.
It was a very fast doctor's visit; it took all of maybe 40 minutes. I got a clean bill of health, except for "excess weight." Yeah, I know. I'm working on it. To show how far I've come since my heavy high school days, this did not fill me with overwhelming self-loathing. Rather, I was amused, because I was thinking, 'Yeah, you should have seen that number two years ago, pal.' Granted, my weight is not where I'd like it to be, but I AM working on it. Also, in my defense, the measurement was taken in the middle of the day, only two hours after a huge lunch, and during a particularly bloated period of my cycle. None of these are ideal for weighing. I was a full 3 kilograms heavier than when I weighed myself that morning.
I have gained a little weight since moving to Matsudo, and it's because of a number of things. I'm riding my bike less, so that's a loss of aerobic activity. I am walking and using the stairs everyday, but that's only developed muscles in my thighs and calves, which probably accounts for the gain. I'm doing weights in my apartment at night 2-3 nights a week, so my triceps and biceps are a little more defined too. I've lost inches around my waist and hips, and that means more to me than anything else. But I'll be much happier when I can go back to riding my bike 30-60 minutes a day.
My blood pressure is normal, so all in all, I can't complain. And I feel great. I haven't had any muscle aches or body pain in months, and going up all those stairs has done nice things for my endurance.
So, to reward myself, I went shopping. Not for food (yay, me!). I usually go to the Lala Port at Kashiwa-noha-campus, but Mio-sensei suggested I go to Nagareyama's Otakanomori instead. So, I did.
Otakanomori is much bigger that the Lala Port and also not so Americanized. Lala Ports tend to be (in my experience) very similar to American malls, big and airy and open and filled with children. Otakanomori seems to cater to a more sophisticated crowd. It's not cave-like, but it has lower ceilings and fewer windows. It oozes style. It's a mall that doesn't feel like a mall.
I made wonderful discoveries in Otakanomori. A Build-A-Bear (because "a bear hug is understood in ANY language!"), a Cold Stone Creamery, a New York-style bagel shop, a Baskin Robbins, and a gorgeous movie theater. Also, more expensive clothing stores than you can shake a stick at. Best of all is a Kinokuniya, without a doubt my favorite Japanese bookstore. This one had a terribly small English section, but it was still nice to peruse. I bought a kanji workbook to improve my reading skills. And then I went over to the cd/dvd section and bought myself a new pair of earbuds because my old pair is falling apart. These are easily the best things that happened to me all day. I had no idea that my old pair sucked so much until I put these on.
All in all, it was a pretty good day, even though it rained on my all the way home, and I've got a blister on my left foot because I wore my new sandals instead of my tennis shoes. The clinic I went to was in Minami-Moriya, and exploring that area has only endeared me to Moriya as a whole. I saw a lot of apartment buildings with "tenants wanted" signs, so I'm going to talk to Mio-sensei about inquiring after some of them. It would be nice to live there - the train station is so tiny and cute, and it's a short ride to Moriya that way. By foot or bike, it's maybe three miles, which would definitely make for a healthier lifestyle. I'm also thinking that the apartments may be cheaper than in Moriya proper because there's no Tsukuba Express to drive up prices. We'll see.
For now, enjoy some pictures of south Moriya.
the barely there platform
I'm not sure why x-rays are required, but I thought it was cool anyway because I don't ever remember have any part of my body x-rayed. Only teeth, and that's just downright dull. Also, my insides are neat. The doctor showed me my heart and lungs, though it was hard to tell they were my lungs because they were so clean and clear. There are no spots on my insides. The doctor was very pleased.
Interesting note: the doctor did everything. In the States, nurses do the brunt of the work (in my opinion) and the doctor just comes in to poke at you and sign the paper. This is my experience. Here (and, oddly enough, in Puerto Rico), the doctor did all of the tests and measurements. The nurse assisted, mainly by holding things and showing me to the bathroom. Also, the doctor spoke some English and was pleased to know I'm from Florida, because, of course, he'd been to Orlando in years past.
It was a very fast doctor's visit; it took all of maybe 40 minutes. I got a clean bill of health, except for "excess weight." Yeah, I know. I'm working on it. To show how far I've come since my heavy high school days, this did not fill me with overwhelming self-loathing. Rather, I was amused, because I was thinking, 'Yeah, you should have seen that number two years ago, pal.' Granted, my weight is not where I'd like it to be, but I AM working on it. Also, in my defense, the measurement was taken in the middle of the day, only two hours after a huge lunch, and during a particularly bloated period of my cycle. None of these are ideal for weighing. I was a full 3 kilograms heavier than when I weighed myself that morning.
I have gained a little weight since moving to Matsudo, and it's because of a number of things. I'm riding my bike less, so that's a loss of aerobic activity. I am walking and using the stairs everyday, but that's only developed muscles in my thighs and calves, which probably accounts for the gain. I'm doing weights in my apartment at night 2-3 nights a week, so my triceps and biceps are a little more defined too. I've lost inches around my waist and hips, and that means more to me than anything else. But I'll be much happier when I can go back to riding my bike 30-60 minutes a day.
My blood pressure is normal, so all in all, I can't complain. And I feel great. I haven't had any muscle aches or body pain in months, and going up all those stairs has done nice things for my endurance.
So, to reward myself, I went shopping. Not for food (yay, me!). I usually go to the Lala Port at Kashiwa-noha-campus, but Mio-sensei suggested I go to Nagareyama's Otakanomori instead. So, I did.
Otakanomori is much bigger that the Lala Port and also not so Americanized. Lala Ports tend to be (in my experience) very similar to American malls, big and airy and open and filled with children. Otakanomori seems to cater to a more sophisticated crowd. It's not cave-like, but it has lower ceilings and fewer windows. It oozes style. It's a mall that doesn't feel like a mall.
I made wonderful discoveries in Otakanomori. A Build-A-Bear (because "a bear hug is understood in ANY language!"), a Cold Stone Creamery, a New York-style bagel shop, a Baskin Robbins, and a gorgeous movie theater. Also, more expensive clothing stores than you can shake a stick at. Best of all is a Kinokuniya, without a doubt my favorite Japanese bookstore. This one had a terribly small English section, but it was still nice to peruse. I bought a kanji workbook to improve my reading skills. And then I went over to the cd/dvd section and bought myself a new pair of earbuds because my old pair is falling apart. These are easily the best things that happened to me all day. I had no idea that my old pair sucked so much until I put these on.
All in all, it was a pretty good day, even though it rained on my all the way home, and I've got a blister on my left foot because I wore my new sandals instead of my tennis shoes. The clinic I went to was in Minami-Moriya, and exploring that area has only endeared me to Moriya as a whole. I saw a lot of apartment buildings with "tenants wanted" signs, so I'm going to talk to Mio-sensei about inquiring after some of them. It would be nice to live there - the train station is so tiny and cute, and it's a short ride to Moriya that way. By foot or bike, it's maybe three miles, which would definitely make for a healthier lifestyle. I'm also thinking that the apartments may be cheaper than in Moriya proper because there's no Tsukuba Express to drive up prices. We'll see.
For now, enjoy some pictures of south Moriya.
the barely there platform
the tiny, tiny train station
proof that Moriya really is countryside 
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
how can you have a picnic without any sun?
Well, we managed it somehow.
Our school held a picnic on the 28th, and the sun never came out once. The forecast had called for a 60% chance of rain, but it didn't start until 4pm, at which point the picnic was coming to an end anyway. The clouds disappointed me a little, but everyone else seemed a little relieved by the weather.
They all thought I was kind of crazy to suggest a summer picnic anyway. Every day for the past three weeks, everyone has come in complaining about the heat. This has amused me a great deal. Because while it is somewhat hot and humid, it's nothing compared to a Florida summer. As I told some of my higher-level students, "Sure, it's hot. But it ain't *that* hot." As for the humidity, eh. There's not much wind unless it's raining, so everything's all hazy and a bit muggy. Until this week, the rainy season hasn't been all that impressive: it would rain maybe three days out of seven. Even this week, it's been more cloudy than rainy. The way people talked about it, I'd expected rain five days out of seven. But most people I've asked say this is normal. Well, everything's relative, isn't it?
For another thing, the sun isn't as strong here, but maybe that's just me too. Japanese women seem terrified of getting even a little sun - I've never seen so many cardigans and long-sleeved shirts worn in the summer (maybe *that's* why they're so hot!), and they wear these funky long and fingerless gloves and carry parasols. Also, lots of them wear not just pantyhose but leggings, which is downright crazy if you ask me.
But, I digress. Back to the picnic.
I wanted a picnic. 1: because I'd had little chance to hang out with most of my students, and I wanted to have a get-together to do that. 2: because I must find new ways of entertaining myself. 3: Izumiさん (our manager) is moving back to Sapporo. She refused to allow this to be a sayonara party, but I wanted something to let everyone chat with her once more before she left.
We had about 30 students show up, most of them mine. Several of our students live near a park near Shin-Moriya station, about a 15-minute bike ride to the school, and they suggested that we have the picnic there. We had everyone bring their own lunches, and Izumiさん and I brought some picnicky items like bubbles and frisbees and a couple of balls to toss around. One of my students brought a badminton set, and another student brought a larger ball so we could play soccer and dodgeball.
It really was a perfect set-up. We ate lunch first and then broke out the picnic toys. We had about ten kids there, and they had a blast with the bubbles and playing soccer with some of the adults. Some of my students had never played frisbee before, so I conducted a quick mini-lesson on the art of the frisbee. The previous English teacher also stopped by, which made a lot of the students happy because they don't often get a chance to see him even though he lives in Moriya. One of my extremely shy and quiet pre-teen girls kicked butt at dodgeball. And there were dogs - three dachshunds brought by a student who lives nearby. The adults fawned over the dogs more than the kids did.
The best thing for me was the park itself. In addition to a playground and tennis courts, it has a nice big lawn for groups such as our own. Also, it is grassy and not sandy (as it would be in Florida) and there were no ants in sight and it was all nice and soft. So the first thing I did upon arriving was take off my sandals and run around barefoot. The way my students reacted, you'd think they'd never seen a barefoot person before. I couldn't convince anybody else (except one of my kids students) to go barefoot with me, but they all thought it was "adorable." Some of them are still calling me the Barefoot Sensei. Even better was when I had to roll up the cuffs of my jeans because they were getting all dirty and I kept tripping on them. That sent Izumiさん into a fit of giggles. Of course I had to wash my feet when we got back to the school, but it was totally worth it. What's the point of summer if you can't go barefoot?
We got about three hours in before it started to rain. I had known it was going to rain eventually - I could smell it in the air - so this came as no surprise. Everybody (except me, apparently) was starting to wind down and needing a rest anyway, so it worked out. And nobody went away disappointed - everybody gave positive feedback and said they hoped we'd have another get-together in the future. I get the feeling an August picnic would not go over well, so I'm settling for September. This satisfied them.
Afterwards, Izumiさん, Mio先生, and I went out to karaoke to memorialize our last weekend as co-workers. That went beyond entertaining - both of them are good singers and they even sang English songs! (Usually, Benni先生 is the only one who does this with me.) We finished with a trio version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
[item of interest: Simon & Garfunkel are as popular as Queen and the Beatles here in Japan. S & G will are appearing in concert in Tokyo this weekend, and one of my students is actually skipping class to go to it. Some of my other students were disappointed that they couldn't go, either because of the cost of the tickets or the fact that they sold out almost immediately.]
And so, that was our Moriya summer picnic. I am now anxiously awaiting the main summer season, which will bring festivals and fireworks and other wonderful summery things. I'm especially hoping that I can make it up to Isesaki or Maebashi to hang out with my friends up there. Either way, summer is shaping up to be pretty awesome this year!
Our school held a picnic on the 28th, and the sun never came out once. The forecast had called for a 60% chance of rain, but it didn't start until 4pm, at which point the picnic was coming to an end anyway. The clouds disappointed me a little, but everyone else seemed a little relieved by the weather.
They all thought I was kind of crazy to suggest a summer picnic anyway. Every day for the past three weeks, everyone has come in complaining about the heat. This has amused me a great deal. Because while it is somewhat hot and humid, it's nothing compared to a Florida summer. As I told some of my higher-level students, "Sure, it's hot. But it ain't *that* hot." As for the humidity, eh. There's not much wind unless it's raining, so everything's all hazy and a bit muggy. Until this week, the rainy season hasn't been all that impressive: it would rain maybe three days out of seven. Even this week, it's been more cloudy than rainy. The way people talked about it, I'd expected rain five days out of seven. But most people I've asked say this is normal. Well, everything's relative, isn't it?
For another thing, the sun isn't as strong here, but maybe that's just me too. Japanese women seem terrified of getting even a little sun - I've never seen so many cardigans and long-sleeved shirts worn in the summer (maybe *that's* why they're so hot!), and they wear these funky long and fingerless gloves and carry parasols. Also, lots of them wear not just pantyhose but leggings, which is downright crazy if you ask me.
But, I digress. Back to the picnic.
I wanted a picnic. 1: because I'd had little chance to hang out with most of my students, and I wanted to have a get-together to do that. 2: because I must find new ways of entertaining myself. 3: Izumiさん (our manager) is moving back to Sapporo. She refused to allow this to be a sayonara party, but I wanted something to let everyone chat with her once more before she left.
We had about 30 students show up, most of them mine. Several of our students live near a park near Shin-Moriya station, about a 15-minute bike ride to the school, and they suggested that we have the picnic there. We had everyone bring their own lunches, and Izumiさん and I brought some picnicky items like bubbles and frisbees and a couple of balls to toss around. One of my students brought a badminton set, and another student brought a larger ball so we could play soccer and dodgeball.
It really was a perfect set-up. We ate lunch first and then broke out the picnic toys. We had about ten kids there, and they had a blast with the bubbles and playing soccer with some of the adults. Some of my students had never played frisbee before, so I conducted a quick mini-lesson on the art of the frisbee. The previous English teacher also stopped by, which made a lot of the students happy because they don't often get a chance to see him even though he lives in Moriya. One of my extremely shy and quiet pre-teen girls kicked butt at dodgeball. And there were dogs - three dachshunds brought by a student who lives nearby. The adults fawned over the dogs more than the kids did.
The best thing for me was the park itself. In addition to a playground and tennis courts, it has a nice big lawn for groups such as our own. Also, it is grassy and not sandy (as it would be in Florida) and there were no ants in sight and it was all nice and soft. So the first thing I did upon arriving was take off my sandals and run around barefoot. The way my students reacted, you'd think they'd never seen a barefoot person before. I couldn't convince anybody else (except one of my kids students) to go barefoot with me, but they all thought it was "adorable." Some of them are still calling me the Barefoot Sensei. Even better was when I had to roll up the cuffs of my jeans because they were getting all dirty and I kept tripping on them. That sent Izumiさん into a fit of giggles. Of course I had to wash my feet when we got back to the school, but it was totally worth it. What's the point of summer if you can't go barefoot?
We got about three hours in before it started to rain. I had known it was going to rain eventually - I could smell it in the air - so this came as no surprise. Everybody (except me, apparently) was starting to wind down and needing a rest anyway, so it worked out. And nobody went away disappointed - everybody gave positive feedback and said they hoped we'd have another get-together in the future. I get the feeling an August picnic would not go over well, so I'm settling for September. This satisfied them.
Afterwards, Izumiさん, Mio先生, and I went out to karaoke to memorialize our last weekend as co-workers. That went beyond entertaining - both of them are good singers and they even sang English songs! (Usually, Benni先生 is the only one who does this with me.) We finished with a trio version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
[item of interest: Simon & Garfunkel are as popular as Queen and the Beatles here in Japan. S & G will are appearing in concert in Tokyo this weekend, and one of my students is actually skipping class to go to it. Some of my other students were disappointed that they couldn't go, either because of the cost of the tickets or the fact that they sold out almost immediately.]
And so, that was our Moriya summer picnic. I am now anxiously awaiting the main summer season, which will bring festivals and fireworks and other wonderful summery things. I'm especially hoping that I can make it up to Isesaki or Maebashi to hang out with my friends up there. Either way, summer is shaping up to be pretty awesome this year!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
the magical 90-day mark
Well, I've been working in Moriya for 3 months now, and I've made a decision: I'm moving to Moriya.
I'm already tired of living in Matsudo. I spent most of June 28th in Moriya at a school picnic (which deserves its own post, which I will hopefully post soon), and I realized how much I disliked living in the city. Moriya is much more comfortable, and it's just a nicer place to be. The commute isn't so terrible, I just don't like the atmosphere. Also, I have no place to ride my bike, so I'm getting much less exercise now (even taking into account the 10 minute walk to the station and all those stairs I have to go up and down twice a day). I tried working out in my room, but the only time I have to do this is when I get home, when all I want to do is relax after a long day of work. Also, it bored me. I could never participate in a gym class because aerobics really do bore the hell out of me.
I will still be close to Tokyo. In fact, I will be exactly 32 minutes from Akihabara, which is faster than the 45 minute ride from Shin-Matsudo to Ueno. This pleases me, because though I wouldn't want to live in Tokyo, it's fun to go there for day trips. There is always something to see in Tokyo, but even if you can't find it, there's always Kinokuniya, which (for a bibliophile like me) is paradise.
The whole moving thing is going to be a pretty major undertaking because GEOS does not have any apartments in the area, and I will have to do everything on my own. I have fortunately been blessed with very nice Japanese co-workers, students, and friends to help me out with this. The packing I will have to do on my own, but having Japanese support is way more important.
This will all have to wait until after the 20th, which is when I will return from my trip to the States. July is turning out to be an exciting month for me, what with the Florida trip and the busy weekends and now the whole moving thing. Now I just need to start filling up my August calendar. My birthday is August 10th, and I have that day off, so I want to do something fun.
(and that's only about a month away. jeez, time is just slipping away from me now. whee! have I mentioned that I love living in Japan? I love living in Japan. I'm having way too much fun.)
I'm already tired of living in Matsudo. I spent most of June 28th in Moriya at a school picnic (which deserves its own post, which I will hopefully post soon), and I realized how much I disliked living in the city. Moriya is much more comfortable, and it's just a nicer place to be. The commute isn't so terrible, I just don't like the atmosphere. Also, I have no place to ride my bike, so I'm getting much less exercise now (even taking into account the 10 minute walk to the station and all those stairs I have to go up and down twice a day). I tried working out in my room, but the only time I have to do this is when I get home, when all I want to do is relax after a long day of work. Also, it bored me. I could never participate in a gym class because aerobics really do bore the hell out of me.
I will still be close to Tokyo. In fact, I will be exactly 32 minutes from Akihabara, which is faster than the 45 minute ride from Shin-Matsudo to Ueno. This pleases me, because though I wouldn't want to live in Tokyo, it's fun to go there for day trips. There is always something to see in Tokyo, but even if you can't find it, there's always Kinokuniya, which (for a bibliophile like me) is paradise.
The whole moving thing is going to be a pretty major undertaking because GEOS does not have any apartments in the area, and I will have to do everything on my own. I have fortunately been blessed with very nice Japanese co-workers, students, and friends to help me out with this. The packing I will have to do on my own, but having Japanese support is way more important.
This will all have to wait until after the 20th, which is when I will return from my trip to the States. July is turning out to be an exciting month for me, what with the Florida trip and the busy weekends and now the whole moving thing. Now I just need to start filling up my August calendar. My birthday is August 10th, and I have that day off, so I want to do something fun.
(and that's only about a month away. jeez, time is just slipping away from me now. whee! have I mentioned that I love living in Japan? I love living in Japan. I'm having way too much fun.)
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