Another note in passing....

Last week, I had to go to the Kagoshima JET Programme Mid-Year Conference. (Yay.) I had to miss one of the "big four" events of the school year (Culture Festival) for this. (Double yay.) Needless to say, I was a bit unhappy.

As it turns out, I got stuck into a Senior High group for the conference. Now, I don't teach in any senior high schools here. In fact, the demonstration class for this conference was the first time I had set foot in a Japanese senior high school. Thus, for the whole two-day conference, I was a bitter 3rd-year ALT. New ALTs were saying, "Boy, I hope I don't become as jaded as you!"

One cool thing that happened at the conference was that I got a chance to see Emperor Akihito as he arrived at the Kagoshima Prefectural Office Building (think Capitol). Many of us shouted and waved as his motorcade went by. (He waved back.) Many more of us were late returning from lunch because the police closed the streets and crosswalks before the emperor's arrival. And then the organizer of the seminar got mad at us for being late.

[insert long-suffering sigh here]

Well, at least I got to see the emperor. Not a lot of people get to do that, apparently.

Rob