This is too good to be true....I'm living on a tropical island in southern Japan, eating cheap fresh sashimi and being greeted by the cutest, friendliest Japanese children as I stroll the street. I don't think life gets much better than this.
After a quick orientation in Tokyo I said a sad goodbye to my new JET friends and flew to Kagoshima, the most southern prefecture of Kyushu. I met my co-workers, went shopping for household goods and moved all my belongings into my new house. I've spent the last 48 hours trying to stand in front of my air-con and shooing gigantic spiders (slightly smaller than the size of my hand)out through my windows.
Minamitane is quite small and easy to walk around but beyond the town center it's a long walk anywhere. Luckily, this is where my new friends come in. I'm pretty fortunate in that there are already a few other gaijins living in the area. Jonathan, the other JET in my town, has been living here for almost 4 years so he knows everything and everyone. We met up at Everyone (the 24 hr convenient shop) and sat in the cool air-conditioned store until his friends Pete and Chie arrived. Pete is also from England (like Jonathan) though they met here on Tanegashima. Pete and his wife moved out here from England in March. I can't recall what kind of business he runs but they moved here for the tropical weather. Plus, Pete likes to surf...so this is the place to be.
My tour guides drove me around to show me a few of the local beaches and countryside. After only a few minutes of driving through the inaka (countryside) I began to fall in love with the island. Just look at the few photos I was able to take from the last hour we spent driving around the southern coast. In addition to seeing some beautiful spots I've already been offered surf lessons from Pete and Chie has offered Japanese lessons. I think I will get along just fine in Tanegashima.
Tomorrow is my first day at work. I hope I can remember my Japanese introductions so that I don't slur my sentences together like I did when I met a few co-workers on Friday. Also, my bowing technique isn't quite there yet...I seem to do a slow head nod and forget about the rest of my body. Well, I have plenty of time to work on it.
Until next time...Mata ne!
