An attempt at mental re-alignment

Before I left Japan, one of my friends (Hi, Jonny!) lamented with me the fact that it was unfortunate that my last memories of Japan would be my last experiences in Japan...

The previous sentence makes sense. Really.

Anyway, I figure that in order to dispel some of that aura, I should try to recall some of the more entertaining moments of the past eight or so years.

At Kamiichiki Junior High School, the smaller of the two junior highs I regularly visited in Kagoshima, I usually sat next to the math teacher in the staff room. Now he was a Gundam otaku; his desk was covered with various Gundam figurines and toys, as was the shelving unit behind him.

Now, when I started teaching there, I was unsure how to talk to anyone, due to both my limited Japanese language ability, and lack of cultural references. But I was a fan of anime -- a shared interest.

So, one day, I arrived and set up THIS on my desk:

Everyone in the staff room at that time laughed, and most gave me various "thumbs-up" signals. When the Math teacher came back from class, he stared at my desk, dumbfounded.

After a few moments of concentration, he correctly identified the TV series (Chou Jikuu Yousai Macross), the type of mecha it was (Valkyrie), and even the pilot (Ichijou Hikaru).

We got along famously after that.