23/6/25 - 6/7/25 Weeks 15 & 16 in Japan

It genuinely blows my mind that I have been in Japan now for 16 weeks: that's four months!!! Those stressful and overwhelming travel and training days in March seem like ages ago now but it blows my mind that it's now July. That being said, most days I do still find myself in awe of the fact that I'm in Japan. This time last year, it was something Chloe and I still hadn't even researched properly and now I've lived here for nearly four months. I find the craziness of that hits me at the most random times: when I'm driving through rice fields on my way to work, when I'm lying in bed at night, or when I see all the schoolkids cycling in the morning. Life has settled down here but it's definitely not boring. Even the most mundane activities are an adventure.

Week 15 at school was basically the Japanese version of 'Parent's Evening', but here, the schools are open in the morning for parents to come and observe the teaching, and then the homeroom teachers have meetings in the afternoon. A few of my lessons were observed by parents and most of them went pretty smoothly, but no week goes past without a hiccup here. One of my first grade classes was observed by about 5 parents and it typically happened to be a lesson where I had no internet connection: something that's pretty vital for the online quiz I had planned for the first half of that lesson. And, to make things worse, the cabinet for the student's tablets was locked up and the teacher was absent! So, the lesson definitely got off to a rocky start.

I managed to entertain the students with an easy game of bingo to pass 15 minutes while I figured out how to save my lesson plan and, FINALLY, I managed to get 1 bar of connection of my laptop and could do the quiz very haphazardly. Of course this would happen in the only lesson where I was observed!

All that being said though, the week was pretty enjoyable as the day's lessons finished at 1pm and then the rest of the afternoon was spent doing club activities! I'm still very much a part of track and field so my days were pretty fun AND lots of parents brought in sweet gifts for the teachers, so most days I went home with various cakes and biscuits! YUM!

At the end of the week, I got invited to take part in a PTA vs teacher volleyball match in the gym and it was so much fun. I was pretty mediocre at the sport and I didn't really end up doing much, but I had a good laugh with teachers and it is definitely an experience I'll remember for a long time. It's been hard working in an environment where I'm definitely an outsider but, at the match, I definitely didn't feel left out. I spent a lot of time talking to the Vice Principal and the teachers definitely liked hearing how young I think they all look.

One evening, Chloe and I stumbled across a building that literally looked like it was on the brink of collapsing (pic for reference lol). We were shocked that the building was still standing and thought it was definitely abandoned, however, we then noticed that it was filled to the brim with ceramics and the old Japanese man sat outside reading a newspaper was actually the owner! So we ventured into the shop and as we followed the owner round the shop, we noticed that everything had a layer of dust on it that was genuinely like 4cm thick. I think we were the first owners in about 25 years...

We found some gorgeous ceramics and after buying them, the owner disappeared round the back of the building. 2 minutes later, he comes hobbling back out clutching two cans of Starbucks coffee for us! The generosity of Japanese people is something special.

The weekends have still been spent at Taito Beach and it's still so much fun. We all spend the day playing about in the sea, jumping off the pier, and drawing silly stuff in the sand. It's such a nice way to relax and unwind after working inside all week. Taito beach is beautiful and, one Sunday, we headed up to the lighthouse lookout. It was a breathtaking view over the forestry one way and the wide pacific ocean the other way. Looking out over the crystal blue water, it was crazy to think that if I just sailed straight, I would eventually reach America! Going on small adventures to small local sights is one of my favourite things to do and, everytime, I discover something magical.

Week 16 has been pretty quiet at school but it has been VERY hot. Most of the classrooms have aircon which makes teaching bearable, but the hallways are genuinely like a sauna, so I find I leave work everyday very sweaty...

During my lunch recess times (which is only 15 minutes here) I either play volleyball with some third grade girls or I draw with some second grade students. The two girls I draw with are very talented and they've been teaching me the manga and chibi style! I also really enjoy playing volleyball but the gym is genuinely like a sauna so I don't tend to do it every lunch.

On Friday there was a sports presentation in the gymnasium that was very impressive and regimented! Certain students got into their sports kit and paraded into the gym to the national anthem. Then, a team of students sang the student 'Fighter' song while banging on massive drums and the other students clapped along and cheered. After that, certain students from every club activity paraded up on stage and introduced themselves while shouting words of encouragement like 'Ganbare (がんばれ)' which means 'do your best!'. Aside from the fact that the gym was probably about 40 degrees, and I had a layer of sweat dripping down my back, it was a really awesome and impressive event. I did ask my JTE's and a couple of students what the event was for but, unfortunately, no one was able to really explain it to me so I still have no idea why it happened lol.

Week 16 has also been a week of some firsts regarding Japanese social systems(?). Firstly, the heat was making my hair very frizzy and hot, so I headed to a salon and got it cut. I was concerned about the language barrier but the hairdresser took a look at my reference photo for about a half a second and then proceeded to give me one of the best haircuts I've ever had. And it only cost ¥1500 (£7.64)!

Later on in the week, I started to suffer with a blocked ear that was making me pretty deaf, so I headed to the ear doctor and got it checked out! A bit of google translate was used but I was impressed with how much I could understand and he managed to unblock my ear very quickly! It's scary having to manage a new experience where the language barrier can be an issue, but I'm proud of myself for sorting things out and usually, I find it's never as difficult as I anticipate it to be.

This weekend has been pretty quiet. The weather has been very humid and close so Chloe and I have spent most of the time inside. We found a fun shopping mall and I managed to get some Japanese textbooks I need and they had a pet shop so Chloe and I spent a long time watching the cute puppies.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but, every Friday night, we head out with our group of friends to a local restaurant with a new person choosing each week. It's a great way for us all to hang out and catch up on the week's experiences and also try out all the amazing local food spots near us! And, with our meals coming to around ¥1000 each, it's never too expensive. This week, we went to a ラーメン (ramen) restaurant in Ichinomiya after Erin's recommendation and it was super yummy!

I also want to say that I have applied for the Tokyo Marathon 2026 as a charity runner and I find out this week if I've got a space! I'll be sure to let you all know if I'm successful.

See you again soon ^_−☆