Stephen's Travels in Asia: April 2018

April 16, 2018

Wow, time flies, eh? This update, courtesy of, “OH GOD, THE PAIN,” inc. So, where do I begin? Let’s start with my holiday. My job gave me a 5 day holiday that I was happy to take advantage of near the start of April. What should one do with such a treat? Go to the bath house? Travel? I went to the dentist. Twice. Why am I so stupid? Anyway, the trip was mixed. I had one tooth out on Thursday, March 29^th, which was fine, I didn’t have issues with pain, and ANOTHER tooth out on Monday the 2^nd. This time, the pain knocked me on my butt. I still went back to work, but good lord, I struggled to function as a human being. Gaming? Pfft, no way, too much pain. Writing? Are you crazy? Sleeping was about all I could manage. It’s a bit better now, but…yeah, Wisdom teeth being removed is no fun. They were rotted with cavities, fyi, so that’s why the removal. Guess the cost? Stateside? What, like a 1000 dollars? Here in Japan? 30 and 10 dollars respectively. God, I love this country. In other dental news, I’m going back for regular cleanings now. One was on Monday, the others are coming later. I’m using a new method of flossing called interdental brushing. It’s hard, but more satisfying than flossing. I like having clean teeth and I was able to talk a bit of vocabulary, both English and Japanese with the staff, since they’re trying to learn English. It’s nice having a reliable dentist again.

Back to the holiday shenanigans. I was fortunate enough to have the time to go to the bath house and ride into the mountains. I also went to Yamadera, which was a nice little jaunt. I climbed the mountain that the town was named for and got some truly spectacular photos of the valley area that composes Yamadera. Beautiful. The soba was good as well, but the tempura was poor and over priced. I also got to visit the museum of Matsuo Basho, who wrote some stunning haikus, as well as a modern art museum before heading home. Good lord, I want a firefly lantern. They are so cool and awesome. During my time, I also found a local ramen shop that is just bloody amazing. Everything I’ve had there was excellent and the family who owns it is very nice. They’ve treated me well since they don’t know any English and I know a bit of Japanese. Maybe it’s just me being a novelty. Either way, I try to go there at least once a week. It’s great food.

Work has been going much better lately. I still deal with the same crap I’ve dealt with since I was a kid, like anxiety and doubt, but the atmosphere is hugely improved. Our newest addition is very nice and though schedule changes have made adapting a bit awkward here and there, it’s all going swimmingly. I wanted to keep teaching Saturday instead of switching over to teaching Monday. Partly it’s that I like routine, but partly…I just don’t wanna leave my kids. They’re so cool and though Saturday is easily the hardest day of the week, I’m so proud of them. It makes it all worthwhile…and also exhausting. I also had a chance to get yakiniku with some of the teaching staff and we all had a grand time. Tried Karibi, which is a super tender cut of meat that’s also super expensive. Good, but can I have it every week? Hmmmm…

Now, I also had a chance for one of the magical experiences of Japan. Unfortunately, it was a bit hit and miss. Cherry Blossoms. I have so many photos of the beautiful walk from Ogawara to Funaoka, which is laden with hundreds of cherry blossom trees. I was so excited and seeing it is truly humbling and makes me really reflective. There was also a small festival and I got some food. Buuuuuuuut…and this is the big but, I had a cold and despite it being springtime, the wind was like a jack hammer in my face. So, while the first half of my trek was pleasant, I felt like I could barely walk by the end because of my cold and being slammed by the wind. It was difficult to keep going and I stocked up on medicine hard when I got back. Found a new local pharmacy which suits my needs well and-OHMYGODKUROISANDA!!!! They have my favorite candy in the world from Hokkaido! And not in limited supply. Oh, happy day! I am going to get so fat…fatter…fattest…you know what I mean.

That about brings us o the present. Cold’s mostly gone, as is the pain in my mouth, though some still remains. I’m pretty pleased with life here. I have money, so I can buy games without waiting for sales, but I don’t have to. I actually had a moment today where I thought, do I need an SNES classic? And…no, I don’t. I want only one game on it, the others I have on my Wii, stateside. Pragmatism is a hard, thankfully, habit to break. I’ve been playing my Switch a lot lately, mostly for Battle Chef Brigade, which is a super fun mix of monster hunting and match 3 style cooking. I got to talk to my family and best friend as well, but I want to talk more! I miss them! And friends from the states, and my family, are making plans to see me. I need to get on my plans for Golden Week, because I need to book a hotel and…will I be able to? Not sure. We’ll see. No matter how old or how experienced I get, I will always doubt myself, but I had to stop and laugh this week on my way home. Life is so much better now than it was six months ago. And the fact that life can be this good is…really something. One more before I go. I had Wantan ramen in my ramen shop and it tasted, no joke, like Chinese wanton soup back in the states, but better. I was amazed and it was just what I needed. Those people are wizards in the kitchen! Okay, so I’m doing mostly great. I’m trying to get some daily exercises into my rotation again, let’s see how long that lasts, and I plan to start looking into online dating after Golden Week. To end, Vive le Brigade!

Psyche! Just kidding. Did you think I forgot? Photo time!