Time marches on. . . .

Next week is graduation for the junior high schools. Some of the san-nensei have previously taken and passed their entrance exams for private high schools (once again this year I was privileged to see several of them get the good news), but most of them are taking their tests (for the public high schools) over the next couple of days. I wish them luck.

That "something coming?" Well, unless it's just a generally better attidude than usual, it's not here yet. I'm gonna try to not knock myself out worrying about it, though. Like many 2nd year JETs going into their third year, I've been a bit bitter about some things lately. But, y'know, life's too short.

I just recently saw the photos from the prefectural music contest. Now, I'm a big guy (yeah, yeah, I know), but standing onstage in front of a chorus of Japanese junior high school students makes me look gigantic! I'll see if I can get a digital copy to post in my photo album. It's great!

Say, does anybody remember some guy named Bob Sapp playing for the Vikings a few years back? He came to Japan last year as a pro-wrestler (I think they call it "entertainment wrestling" here. . . truth in advertising!). Since then, he has become the most popular foreign "tarento" in the Japanese media. He's doing commercials, TV dramedy guest shots, and a rap CD, and is mentioned quite frequently in the TV news shows. Meanwhile, many of my fellow JETs bemoan the fact that every time he appears, he sets back the image of foreigners in Japan by leaps and bounds. (Hey, he's a pro wrestler! He makes faces, jumps around, and acts like a buffoon as a profession!) (The position of "most popular foreign talent" changes every six months or so, although Bob Sapp is the first one I've seen who speaks Japanese worse than I do. (^_^)

Speaking of the image of foreigners. . . . Late last year, a seal from the Bering Sea somehow found it's way into the Tama River near Tokyo, and is now making his home there. As a little publicity stunt, Nishi-ku, a district of Yokohama, announced last month that they were going to declare the seal, now known as "Tama-chan," a resident of the district, and issue him an official residency certificate ("juminhyo"). In many cases -- like getting a loan, for example -- the juminhyo is used as proof that you are a resident of where you say you are. Now, foreigners -- even those living here permanently -- can't get juminhyo. So, some foreigner's groups have started pointing out that, although Tama-chan is a welcome addition to the community, there are many other mammalian residents of Japan who are equally as deserving. . . . (^_^) For more information, check out this site.

My Japanese ability is growing by leaps and. . . no, more like hops and stumbles, but it is getting better. Good enough that I can many times get the gist of what people are saying, even though I don't understand each and every word. Many times people are surprised when, while they are searching for simpler words to explain things, I say, "Wakarimashita." Of course, this also means that sometimes people don't realize that I understand, and I overhear things. . . . ;-D

I finally got to see "The Two Towers" a couple of weeks ago. Good movie, but I don't remember Faramir or Theoden King being such jerks in the book. I guess I have to read them again!

oh dear, amazon.co.jp now has ordering in English. . . and Citibank upped the limit on my card -- ahh, I'd better not. I've indulged in enough retail therapy for now. I wonder how much of this stuff I'll end up shipping home. . .

And, for no apparent reason, I'm still unreasonably cheerful these days. Some of my friends are wondering why, but I couldn't really say.

Anyway. . . more later!

Rob