Tokamachi: Month One (Part III)

It's me again. I had a very interesting weekend, spent with other ALTs that live in or around the Tokamachi area. Most of them I had met in Tokyo at orientations, but some were new faces to me. Peter, Eva, Dana, Mohammed, John, Emma, Jess, Vanessa, and I met our Japanese friends Sachiko, Keiko, Chieko, and Megumi at the "Gourmet House" restaurant, pronounced "Gu-ru-mee Ha-u-su." We had an assortment of wonderful foods, both Japanese and western, and "nomihodai," or all-you-can-drink for two hours. There were sashimi salads, pizza, pasta, and grilled chicken w/ vegetables, and plenty of drinks, including one I tried with green tea, milk, and some sort of liquor. It was great fun, and the only other party in the restaurant was a wedding reception that was taking up the other half. When our welcome had run out, we all hopped in cabs and went to do karaoke, something I had never done before, and with good reason. Why work to make a fool of myself, when it comes so naturally to me? Anyway, we went in and rented a private booth for 2 hours, which altogether was only about 4000 yen (around $40 US), and proceeded to have fun. The rooms are stocked with the karaoke machine, tables, booths, microphones, and complimentary slippers, and are soundproofed to protect the health of other customers. I never knew that I could sing "California Dreaming," "Soul Man," "Dancing Queen," and "Bohemian Rhapsody" so well, but maybe it was the moment and the drinks giving me that notion. Anyway, we finished a little before 2 am, and since Vanessa and Eva live pretty far away, as did some of the others, they stayed at my apartment and broke in my unused futons. After a few hours sleep, and a lot of coffee, we were ready for a new day. Today Peter went to help us apply for library cards at the Tokamachi public library. These will be invaluable to us ALTs, since we can check out books, English language videos, and CDs, as well as use the internet for free. Afterwards, we all went to McDonald's. the only one in Tokamachi, and I reluctantly ate a filet-o-fish with the others, something that ironically I never do in the States. We will all be meeting again on Tuesday at the prefectural orientations in Niigata City, and plan to possibly go to Sado Island on Friday for the Earth Celebration there. Sado Island is where the famous Kodo Drummers originated in 1981, and I think they will be performing there. If I can afford the trip I will definitely try to go. More to come later, everyone. Take care, Tim Tim Strange JETAA 2001-2004 Niigata Prefecture