KARAOKE!!!

Some friends threw me a karaoke welcoming party and it was a blast! We went to this karaoke place called Shidax where you rent your own room to sing karaoke with just the group of people that you came with. Japanese people love American music, so there was a ton of American songs to pick from too. You can order food or drinks there too. They have an all you can drink special for only 800 Yen per hour (that's about $7.50 USD)!! You just call the bar from the private phone in your room and then a waiter comes in a few minutes later with all the drinks! But, you can call as many times as you want. It was crazy! Let's just say that I definitely got my 800 Yen's worth.

Masami, Me, Atsuko, Terumi 

Koichi & Regina 

Tomoko, Terumi, Atsuko 

Rieko 

karoke5 

APRIL 21ST

Happy Birthday to my favorite brother! Here is a little useful advice:

A herd of buffalo can move only as fast as the slowest buffalo, and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, we all know, kills brain cells, but naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

Have a good day!

Earthquake!!

Yep, I experienced my first real earthquake yesterday at 6:20 in the morning. My bed starting shaking pretty violently and it woke me up! It wasn't a bad earthquake or anything, no real damage. It was a 4.0 in Ube, which is about a 5.0 on the U.S. richoter scale, still it was exciting! Then there was an aftershock almost as powerful about 20 minutes later, just as I was falling back asleep - pretty sweet though!

Wow, has it really been a month?

Crazy! As of tomorrow, I have been in Japan for a month, and it has flown by. I have been very busy- I work Tuesday through Saturday, with Sundays and Mondays off. All of my classes are going well, I teach little kids, older kids, and adults and I pretty much have full reign on what and how I want to teach- which is cool. My boss is like Charlie from Charlie's Angels- I rarely see him and he calls me randomly all of the time when he remembers something that he needs to tell me. The Japanese people here are amazing- they are all very interested in me and Americans in general. Everyone has been soo nice and welcoming. I have a couple of classes with little old ladies who bring tea and cookies to each class, which is cool. I teach everyone from doctors, businessmen, a scientist, teachers, and housewives. ( English classes are about $60 an hour!)
My cell phone is awesome! Their technology puts our cell phones to shame! The camera on it has a ton of special effects features and other stuff. You can send me an email directly to my cell- my address is: (email me if you want my address)

I promise I will write more soon!

Ube City 

Ube City Coast 

 

Michi and Moma