Experiences in Asia

Gallery: Osaka & Hiroshima

dan_in_japan — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:48:00 GMT

5 day break from Tokyo

Dining with the stars

dan_in_japan — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:42:00 GMT

I am quite lucky to know a guy called Mike. Having lived in Japan for 15 years, he is my first port of call for any problem I might have. For example, only yesterday he gave me the proper document I need for transferring all my visas into my new passport - where the heck was he hiding that. Mike also calmed the stormy seas and made it relatively painless when signing the contract for my apartment. His Japanese is damn near perfect and he is always giving me pointers.....

However, the greatest thing about the lad is that he moves in celebrity circles - my sort of celebrities = the MMA crowd. Mike is close friends with Dan Henderson, the current Pride FC champion. And it was due to this connection that we were able to take dinner last night with another Pride fighter, and Yoshida pupil, Kazuhiro Nakamura.

Nakamura had been badgering Mike for a while to help him with his English, and so Mike set up dinner. At dinner, the conversation was soon flowing, but I am happy to say there was more Japanese being used than English, which was great for my own study. Kazuhiro-san had brought two of his Yoshida dojo, and fighting partners along to the night. I was astounded by the volume of food they ate! They said no to beers, preferring diet coke, but when it came to the full rack of ribs, sirloin steaks and chef's salads, there was no mercy. I recon Kazuhiro-san finished his lot in about 15 minutes. And then there was desert - nuff said!

We are all going to try and make it a regular thing, as the guys are always travelling to other places with Pride or UFC (only last week they were all in Belfast for UFC) - As long as I get some Japanese study in whilst mixing with the stars, I'm happy!

Competition time - Jiu Jitsu

dan_in_japan — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:36:00 GMT

Link to a movie of my fight...

So a month ago I decided to enter myself into the All Japan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament, which was held in the Saitama Ageho Budokan (which means fighting hall - see pic) My division was white belt, and my weight class was Mejio (82.7kg). Here's how it went, there are more pictures in Japan 2007 folder....

I'll be the first to admit that since I have been practising Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) It hasn't always gone to plan. Back in Korea with Hapkido, my schedule saw that I could easially train every day, and still have enough time and energy to work, see friends etc. In Japan, what with a hectic work schedule and studying Japanese, Jiu Jitsu has often had to take a back seat.

However - I do enjoy Jiu Jitsu, and usually once I take something up, I try and stick at it. There have been times when I have missed a week or two, but on the whole I have tried to give it my best. A month ago I said to myself that enough was enough. I decided to get myself into this compeition because white belts who started at the same time as me (1 year ago) had already progressed to blue belt, having been in compeitions before, whilst I was still languishing at white belt.

I made it my aim to train for 3 hours every five days in preparation for the tournament - in the regular class (90 minutes) and not the beginner class(60 minutess), which was not too hard. My weight catogary was Mejio, which meant I had to lose 2KG (You have to be weighed with your gi on) and as I had a month or so to go, I shed this quite easially.

The day of the compeition came, and I was very nervous. It was the same with my black belt test for Hapkido - it is not the actual "doing", but rather the added stress of being the "foreigner" - a kind of fish out of water feeling that unsettles me a little bit. However, I drew on my black belt experiences, which were a success, and this got me through the day.

There were six people in my weight/belt class, and I was second up. The way the compeition was set up was, if you won you progressed, if you lost, you were out. My fight went well and I aquitted myself well (I think), but unfortunately I lost on points. My opponent was really good, and he had an excellent base, which made it really difficult for me to sweep him. He, to be fair almost arm barred me, but I managed to excape from this. At the end I was in a standing position, but time ran out - I had lost on points, my opponent having 3 more than myself - I was really happy that some of my club members watched my fight and shouted advice to me in English(!) which you can clearly hear on the youtube file posted at the top of the page!

It was excellent experience for me, and I didn't get submitted, which can be called a success in itself as it was my first compeition - it was over a little quickly, but I was glad to be given the opportunity to do it, and I will definitely be doing another competition in the future - bring it on!

Kyoto Pt. II

dan_in_japan — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:26:00 GMT

So here it is, the next part of my Kyoto diary. However, I am not too sure what else to say because it was a month or so ago- but here goes!

We got to our first main attraction at 7am or so, a temple called Ki-o-Mizu dera. This temple was first built in 798, with most of the present buildings dating from 1633. It was here I got my first hint of "authentic" Kyoto (even though it is a little touristy). It was raining with the clouds very low in the sky, surrounding the mountains. We were one of the few tourists looking around at that time as it was so early, and as the monks went around their business, striking gongs and lighting insence, it was a very peaceful and serene scene.

After spending an hour or so, we decided to move on as we did not have too much time before a) the rain would start again or b) we became too sleepy. Despite the time (still 8am) we decided to hunt out one of the iconic images of Kyoto- the maiko, or apprentice geisha. We headed for Gion, one of the most famous geisha entertainment districts. Around Hanami-Koji, there are preserved geisha houses which still have the names of the apprentice geisha pinned outside them. After much hunting, and near the end of our time in Gion, we spotted a maiko and her "helper" shuffling out of Gion, shamisen in hand. (This picture is not mine, but I am sure you get the point).

We kept moving, the weather improving, but our time diminishing. The other two highlights of our time was Ni-jyo-jyo and Kinkaku-ji. Ni-jyo-jyo was the castle of the Shogun of the time, built in 1603. This particular Shogun was very concerned about assassination (who wouldn't be) and so he spent lots of money installing the various anti intruder devices. False walls, secret passages and singing floorboards all ensured that attacking Shinobi (Ninja) had a tough time.

After the castle we went to the big golden temple, took our pictures checked the tick box and then moved on. And that was it basically for Kyoto- move along with the other tourists, paying our entry fees, talking pictures and then moving on. I was expecting something more "spiritual", but I suppose for one day, I got my money's worth. Next up- Osaka.

Kyoto - 1month on

dan_in_japan — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:28:00 GMT

Finally I get a chance to update my blog!

I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks or so since I went to Kyoto. I have been meaning to update here for some time, but since getting my new job, my life has changed a little. I also think that my body has taken a bit of a kicking, in that my whole schedule has changed and it has taken a little getting used to. If you consider that for the past year I have been getting up at 6am and finishing at 2pm, only to suddenly change it this past month to getting up at 8am and working until around 10.30pm, it kind of messes up your internal clocks. Hopefully I am getting on top of things now….

The new job is great, I am really loving it at the moment. It is something other than teaching, so it is new and refreshing. I must admit I do feel a little bewildered at the moment, there are so many things to do, such as attend meetings, file reports, (many) and so on. But the challenge is there and it is a refreshing one, so I am looking forward to what the future holds…..

And so to Kyoto. Yuki and I met on that Saturday at the Shinjuku bus station, boarded at 11pm for the ride down to Kyoto, which was to take 7 hours. Money was a little bit of an issue, which is why we chose the bus. I had feelings of dread due to my past experiences with long haul bus drivers in Vietnam and Thailand- these guys were usually rude and aggressive, and the buses were not great- think wooden seats! Not so in Japan. As with all consumer service based jobs, politeness was the top factor- the driver was extremely polite when addressing us on the tannoy, and this made for a relaxing trip down. The bus was also very modern, so I had no problems sleeping, even if you consider how tall I am.

We had decided just to spend a crazy 12 hours in the city, getting the following 11pm bus back (indeed crazy!) We touched down Kyoto bus station at 6am, got our bags and ran into the station, out of the rain.

I have to admit, my first impressions of Kyoto were disappointing. I had developed my idea of Kyoto from watching movies such as the last Samurai and Sayuri. I was expecting to see some glimpses of “old style” Kyoto, from narrow streets, low, traditional style thatched roofs and of course, busy Geisha or Maiko running here and there about their business. But not so, I was greeted by a huge intersection, tall buildings, and the biggest Macdonalds restaurant sign ever!

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we headed straight to Mac for a bagel and a hot coffee. After the obligatory teeth brush and wash, we headed off to our first destination, in the rain, at 6.45am……

To be continued…..

Gallery: Kyoto

dan_in_japan — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:14:00 GMT

48 Hours in the old Capital

Promoted

dan_in_japan — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:32:00 GMT

The building where I work....

So over the past month or so I have had a series of interviews down at head office to become an "ISL" manager, or Instructor Support Leader at the company where I work. Now, I didn't want to say too much in case of failure. Well, after 4 interviews (the last of which was pretty stressful) I got word from my present boss that my application had been successful, and that I got the position. No more teaching for me!

Now, from the beginning April I will embark on a month of training, learning about the joy of instructor management, client satisfaction, booth efficiency(?) and general "managerial" like escapades. I was told at the interview that there will be a lot of hands on learning at the studio, and I am ready for this new challenge. The best point is that I am staying around where I live, which is great as it is only 10 minutes from home- there was serious talk of travelling....

Well, I only got the nod today, so things are still a little in the air- when I know more.....

And to this weekend, I am going to Kyoto! Finally, a post about culture coming up!

The Translator

dan_in_japan — Wed, 7 Mar 2007 18:31:00 GMT

So it seems as if I am branching out with regard to employment, because recently I scored my first translating job! I am sure the money will be Y0.00, but if I do a good job, I might get a few free dinners....

There is a noodle bar in my neighbourhood which is really good. I usually go there once or twice a week due to my crappy schedule- they are open sometimes at unsociable hours, which lets me fuel up on the way home. This noodle bar has something of a reputation actually, because as it is on the same street as the Four Seasons Hotel, it sometimes gets famous people in, from Aerosmith, Kiss, and some guy from the Rolling Stones called Chuck, although I don't know who he is(!)

Now that I know the owner quite well, I enjoy not only eating the food, but practising my Japanese. Sato-san uses what I can only describe as "old style" Japanese, so it is very difficult for me to understand, but we do manage to have good conversations, usually about the weather (a favorite topic of the Japanese) or the latest trial going on in Tokyo. Once there was actually a car crash involving a RUV and a taxi right outside, which really gave us something to talk about.....

It was in this setting that she approached me to ask me whether I would translate her menu, as she often gets foreigners in, and the ordering process can get a little tricky. I readily agreed, as I am eager to do anything positive in the neighbourhood. So yesterday I went to the shop in order to take some photos-my plan is to make the menu on the computer, using a small picture of the dish, with the Japanese description above the English translation.

Sounds easy right? I am having a nightmare! When you consider all the different sauces, types of noodles, soups, not to mention the actual dishes themselves, accurately translating them becomes very daunting- My Japanese is improving every day, and at first I was very eager to give this a go, but now I feel as if I have bitten off more than I can chew!

Ill let you know how it goes.....

"Umm, Horse, please"

dan_in_japan — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:51:00 GMT

So there are only so many ways to do sushi down at the local sushi bar, or so I thought. Granted, at special occasions, such as Christmas, the chefs will style some sushi plates as for example, Santa, using tuna cut in a triangle shape for his hat, or macarel skin rolled for rudolphs legs. But really, there are only so many different types of fish to choose from. Usually, 10 plates of sushi are enough for me, my favorites being salmon, tuna, crab salad and some others which I can't translate.

So imagine my suprise when out popped a new plate, the last time I went to the Sushi bar. It was on a blue plate, being the most expensive one at 315 yen, or about $5. Well, this piece of "fish" looked the business. It looked succulent, juicy, red and teaming with goodness. I picked one up, put it down at my table and dipped it in the soy sauce.

Now, if you take a look at the picture, and then at some raw tuna, it is fair to say they look similar-which is why I thought it was fish meat. Now, as with everything culinary in Asia, it is usually best not to procrastinate over these things, and to just get it down. Mistake. Eating raw animal meat is definitely not for me! I asked the sushi shef what it was, and he told me- also informing me that such meat is really good for health, and "stamina". On looking at my green complexion, he offered to get out his flame thrower and toast the other portion I had.....

I do wonder about these little sushi bars dotted around Tokyo. You have to consider that Mac, Starbucks and other fast food outlets are EVERYWHERE- consider that I can see a mac from my bedroom window and also office window at work, and you get the picture. However, Sushi bars remain full-jam packed in fact. For me, I would rather go to a sushi bar over a Mac- this from a guy who is a self-confessed nut over their cheeseburgers.

Some people argue that it isn't a meal- how can a few bits of raw fish over rice be a meal? Well, if you facor in the bowls of soup, egg dishes, salads and deserts which also make the rounds on the sushi train, then it soon becomes a filling, healthy meal.

Mission accomplished- the JLPT

dan_in_japan — Thu, 8 Feb 2007 19:53:00 GMT

So, congratulations to me, I passed level 3 of the Japanese language test! I got the email through from my friend the other day who is dealing with my mail until I get back. I have to say that this pass has made it a little easier for me to plan my coming year- I am all but decided that I want to work towards level 2 of the JLPT- and of course, the best place to study for this is Japan....

And so to the end of my stay in England! In a few hours I will return to Japan. I am not looking forward to the flight- we are all on tenterhooks here at the moment because of the heavy snow that has fallen. We have just heard over the BBC that British Airways have cancelled flights OUT of Heathrow- hopefully from Manchester I will be OK....I'll let you know "if" I get to Tokyo!

So thanks to everyone (excpecially my mom) for making me welcome and for sacrificing their lives for the ten days I was back- the parties, lunches and dinners were are excellent, and the standing order from my family of me, "putting weight on" has been answered- +4kg.

It was great to be back. I have seen just how much I have changed, from diet, lifestyle and interests- for example, before I left for Asia, I would love watching the TV-I could do it for hours, but now, increasingly, after one hour or so, I would have to move away from the TV- why? Who knows, but in my opinion it can only be good....

It was also good to see some of the cities which have been "my life". Chester, Liverpool, Wrexham and my university town of Bangor are all doing well, and are in a better state since I have last been there....more re-generation, jobs and businesses have entered, so it seems as if things are on the up for the north west- I seem to be leaving it in good hands!

So, depending on the snow, I will carry this on from the land of the rising sun....

Liverpool

dan_in_japan — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 03:20:00 GMT

Welcome to the UK update….well, this is my fifth day back home and I am back in the swing of things now after meeting my friends and family, having a few parties, going all over the north-west (the area where I live) visiting cities, taking pictures, shopping, drinking too much coffee and generally having a great time.

Two days ago we went to Liverpool (pictures in the file). We had decided to take the train into the city centre in order to avoid the hassle of having to find a parking place and all that. Before getting on the train, I noticed a sign saying “don’t put your feet on the seats”. I have to admit, I was a little shocked by the sign- I said, “duh, talk about spelling it out”. But as we were riding into the city centre, indeed, there were a few people who were sitting and resting their feet on the seats, the cushion area where people should be sitting- I was really pissed with this. I got to thinking about why this happens here, in the UK. My only answer seems to be is that unfortunately, some elements of the UK population are not proud of where they live. Unfortunately, around the Liverpool area at this time, trash, graffiti and the like were endemic. It was a depressing sight, seeing as we were in one of the main stations of Liverpool, a city in the grip of major regeneration.

However, this was soon forgotten as we made our way into the city centre, surrounded by the tall grand buildings such as the Adelphi. These buildings really hark back to the “grand old days of the Empire” (I read this quote in a book somewhere). But in my opinion, this seems true, when I we were looking at these buildings, I did have a real sense of a great-nation as was…….take a look at the pictures…..

We then made our way down to

Matthew Street

, which is the, “home of The Beatles”. In the summer time you cannot move for tourists in this part of town, and it has really been developed well in a 1960s theme, with cobbled streets, fronted shops yet with department stores and boutiques- all with one common theme- The Beatles! You could go into the Vivien Westwood store and buy a tee-shirt with the fab four on it or something. I’m just waiting for French Connection to market a tee-shirt saying FCUK the Beatles……

Friday evening was a great night, because my family organised a party (in my honour?) with friends and family- with the addition to our house, we now have quite a large dining area which is roomy and gets lots of light- everybody poured in there, and soon the atmosphere was quite boystrous, with people enjoying Sake (unfortunately bought in the local supermarket, not Kobe) and eating. A nice touch by my mom was to put my Pictures of all my travels, from China right through to Tokyo on a TV and also the computer, so the guests were bombarded with all sort of images. It was a great night, and thanks to everyone who came! For all the people who got given a pair of chopsticks, please practice, and I look forward to seeing you back in Tokyo where you can try out your skills….

Gallery: **CHINA, best of: Winter tour 2004

dan_in_japan — Thu, 1 Feb 2007 21:26:00 GMT

All things Chinese Winter

Gallery: ** CHINA best of; Summer tour 2004

dan_in_japan — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:18:00 GMT

All things red dragon

Gallery: **TIBET - best of

dan_in_japan — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:36:00 GMT

Travelling Tibet, Summer 2004

Gallery: England and Wales

dan_in_japan — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:30:00 GMT

10 days on the Island

Back in the UK

dan_in_japan — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:02:00 GMT

A different entry and 20 hours of plane flights later, you find me here, at home where it all started in Flintshire, Wales, United Kingdom. Firstly, thanks to all my Japanese friends who game me presents to give to my family- I am sure that you will all get gifts of equal measure in return. The flight over was uneventful, if tiring. This was not helped by the party Anders and I had on the Friday, which culminated in karaoke with some people we had met in the bar- thanks very much! we got back at 4am, I took a shower then basically took the train to Narita airport.

After transferring at Seoul, Korea, I got on the long flight to London. I had a four hour wait at London for my flight to Manchester, but this was no problem as I was meeting my Uncle, Martin and his son, Liam. Liam had made a sign with a Japanese flag bearing my name on it, which was a great touch! It was really nice to see the two of them and to catch up, although due to a slight delay we only had an hour or so...

I was met in Manchester by my mom and brother, and after welcomes we drove home. I am still getting used to our "new" house - my father has built an addition to the house, so it is all very new. I'll take some pictures later on......

So this is a picture of my brother, John (26) and me, advertising his new business. When I left England a few years ago, he was working for a furniture business which was slowly going bankrupt- he was a little worried about what he was going to do, and he knew he had to re-train. He decided to train as a driving instructor, which involved a lot of blood, sweat and tears. He worked for a company for a year or so after getting his license, but now he is "going solo"- As his brother I am quite proud of him, and I really hope that he is successful- he is working hard promoting his business at the moment, designing advertisements and building his profile- Good luck!

And so, to the next 10 days- I'll be meeting friends and family, heading to Manchester and Liverpool, plus some others, and I'll be taking my camera with me- stay tuned.....

Kokubunji

dan_in_japan — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:29:00 GMT

Today was the last day of my 9 month contract teaching at Kokubunji High School. I had a great time teaching here, and if it wasn't for the length of time travelling and some other minor things, I probably would have taken them up on the offer of an extention.

Whenever I told people that I worked at Kokubunji High, the responses were always along the lines of "ah, bright students", or, "you must be clever to study there". It is true that to get into this school you must take an entrance exam, but I am sure this is the same for the rest of Japan also. However, Kokubunji really is a model school. For example, all the classrooms are well decked out with computers at every desk, media players and huge white boards- a far cry from the (and I can find no other word) shitty port-a-cabins I used to take lessons in whilst a student of Richard Gwyn.

Another favourable aspect of the school was the cleanliness- students are actually proud of their school. The school is old, but the paintwork is immaculate, there is no graffiti anywhere, the toilets are spotless, and of course, shoes are not allowed to be worn inside. Each student (and their are over 2,000) have their own shoe-sized locker in which to keep slippers. Would you send your child to this kind of school?

There were some exceptional students who really threw themselves into speaking English with me in our classes. I say "speaking" and not "studying" English, because my lessons were designed to get the most speaking possible out of them. The students have been learning grammar for at least 5 years (my class ages are around 16) so ask them to write something, and away they go, happy as Larry. However, speaking is totally different, because they haven't practised doing this.

Before becoming a language student myself, I thought that if you knew the words, you could speak them- simple. I kind of regret giving some of my Chinese and Korean students a bad time now! My Japanese writing is a lot better than my speaking, where I make a lot more mistakes. So through role plays, movies, idioms, conversations and presentations, I tried to get them out of their seats and speaking.

Here in lies the rub. I have found that Japanese people have a severe allergy to making mistakes in public. I told my students that it is OK to make as many mistakes as they liked. I would rather have three sentences with two wrong coming out of their mouth rather than one perfect sentence. (I would like to say thank you to Kana-chan here, who took this point to heart). At the beginning, students would simply not speak!

All in all though, I think our classes were fun, interesting and enjoyable for the students, who, through the Japanese education system endure a torrid time, as far as I'm concerned. (8 until 4.30- no thanks).There were a few exceptional students of English who I hope continue their studies further. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Kawanishi-sensei and Eriko, who made my time their go smoothly, and for waiting patiently for my work permit to arrive- the best of luck to you all.....

Stay tuned- From Sunday the United Kingdom folder will be open!

31st: Otoko Matsuri- PRIDE GP

dan_in_japan — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:23:00 GMT

(New pictures in Christmas folder)

Firstly, Happy New Year! I hope that your 2007 is going well and that already it is better than your 2006- I recently (7th) had my 1 year anniversary here in Japan- I can't believe that a year has passed already- it seems so fast that it is almost incredible! Then again, when I look at what I have achieved what with Japanese and what not, a year sounds about right. So what's your new years resolution? Mine? - Blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu please. Consider that it took my three teachers a combined total of 36 years to get their black belts, perhaps I am up against it a little bit! Also, I want to attain 2 level of the JPLT, but that is a distant thought at the moment, that particular test being in late 2007.

So how did you spend new years eve? I was lucky enough to get a ticket to PRIDE fighting championships-Otoko Matsuri.

So what is PRIDE? Like Ultimate Fighting Championship, K1 and a host of other compititions, PRIDE is a mixed martial arts competition which has a major following in America and Japan. What with satillite in England, hopefully it will become easier to see there too. The fighter are celebrities here in Japan, frequently appearing in advertisements and TV shows. The fighters are from all over the world, the current heavyweight champion being from Russia.

The show we went to was the end of year bash. Our tickets were not that great, but we managed to get seats by the big screen, so it was easy to see the action. The pre fight entertanment was fantastic, with dancers, fireworks and singing. Once the fights started we were entertained with all the fighting action, although I would have liked to have seen more technique- I dont think there was a submission through the whole of the show! The fighter I was most eager to see was Antonio Noguera. This guy is a past champion whose discipline is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I was eager to see how the pro would do it, but unfortunately he won his match through punching- I suppose any way you can!

We are lucky in our club that sometimes Sudo Genki will train there, as he is a close friend of my teacher. This guy is a real celebrity in Japan, appearing on TV shows and the like. He is famous for his ring enterances (think Nazeem Hamed), once coming to the ring with a KFC bucket on his head which was looked up to a gas canister spewing flames from the top. (See link) and unique fighting style. I was lucky enough to Spar against him once in no-gi, although it only lasted 30 or so seconds! You can see pictures of all this at the club website. You can also see Genki in action at the youtube link.

And so to this month- Home back to England on the 28th! Family, Friends -I'll be seeing you soon, but people who I haven't managed to email, if you could drop me an email to let me know where you all are......

Birthday, Christmas, End of year party, New Year Party....

dan_in_japan — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 19:54:00 GMT

December certainly is the month of parties in Japan. Notwithstanding that I had my birthday party, coupled with Anders' leaving party, the locals also celebrate Christmas day, End of Year, (called Bonenkai) Beginning of year (shin-nenkai) and the usual ones that we do- despite one being called beginning of year, this is still celebrated in December. When you factor into the equation that there are parties for work, clubs and societies and then family, these parties all add up, and hit you in the wallet as they average 30 pounds a pop.

It seems that this is the season that the Japanese really let their hair down- one of my students has not been to class for 4 lessons. His previous attendance had been at 100%. After calling into class to excuse himself, I was told that once invited to a party, it is very hard to say "no, I can't go", or things to that effect. From this and the following hangover, an 8a.m. class becomes an impossibility-and the Japanese people I know have been clocking up their parties!

I went to my first on Saturday, which was the end of year party- I was not sure what to expect, firstly because it was the Jiu-jitsu party (always a rowdy affair) and because it was scheduled to last all night. It was hosted in the Dojo. 50 people attended and each paid 30 pounds- for this it was all you could eat sushi and buffet, plus all drinking. Everything was going fine at this particular party, up until we had to give a speech- I was terrified! My teacher told me whist one of the 50 was up rambling on that all I had to talk about were my thoughts on the year thats about to go, and my hopes for the future. Emboldened by his advice and six beers, I got up and thanked everyone for a fun year, and told them that I would try my best in the following year- it felt like ages but it was only a few minutes.....

That party lasted until 5.30am- roll on 2007 (quickly).

Gallery: JAPAN 2007

dan_in_japan — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 19:40:00 GMT

All things Tokyo and around, in 2007