Snow Day.

Hi there everyone,

The last few days here have been intersting. The Tokyo area got a big pile of snow over then weekend... Nothing that really compares to Canada but a enough to cause all panic on all the TV and radio station on the Friday, sending all the old ladies running to stock pile up on food and toilet paper.

Every train line on Saturday was either delayed or stopped because of the snow including the Tsukuba Line which is known to never stop...

It snowed 4 ~ 5 cm in the morning ... Then it snowed some 30 on top...

I just laughed watching the local tv news program warning people to not leave their houses.... and I realized that the public transport system here can really fail here under bad weather...

Anyways... Saturday .. At home I ran out of bread and eggs... So I jumped in the car and went shopping for groceries. ^__^?¿

There were only a handful of people in the store and ALL THE BENTÖ'S WERE 50% OFF!!!




OH HAPPY DAY!!

Anyways,it started to get colder and the sorta of melting snow started to turn to ice...
Which really surprised me because it has never gotta that cold around here before... On the way back a bunch of cars were backed up at a crossing where some 品川 plate car was trying to ... I have no idea what he was trying to do but he was stuck...

I jumped out the car and went over and gave him a push.. Out of the way..

Hmmm.. Got home... And then it started to come out more with snow...



Sunday morning was a different story...

I looked outside and just saw white.....

Wow .. It actually snowed here! Or at least what I would call snowed...

I had to get a shovel and dig!!! But just enough to clear the tires of the car ...

After that it just the Canadian thing and drove though it hahaha



Funny having all these old ladies watching be make my own path out on the road.

Anyways.. Snow Day was awesome... I really miss Canada now... I want more snow!




Anyways,
Out for now

I'm enjoying some hot coffee outside in the snow while it's still around





Tom



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Location:Higashimichinobe 3-Chōme,Kamagaya,Japan

L.C.d.b Crêperie et café - In Daikanyama

Hey there everyone, Its been awhile. Christmas is over and we are into the New years already. School as started up again and the kids are full of beans. 

But before I get into school stuffs, I would just like to recap the last few months including Christmas and New Years.


This is continuation of my last post...



Another day in Tokyo..   Satoko and I went for a walk around Daikanyama in Shibuya looking for this Café that servers really good Crêps... After about 20 minute walking around looking for it, we found out that they were closed that day.. ! 


Satoko had been looking forward to going there too!  Oh well.  But on the side of the door, there was a small basket of cards with a sign that said. "Sorry, that we're closed today, There is another great café 5 minutes from here. Please take a card!  "


As we didn't really have anything else to do, decided to try out the other place...  

That is ..  If we could find it..


L.C.d.B Cafe

Ok.... Where's the cafe?

?

?

?

Oh what?

Wait? theres like a jungle path way in the middle of the city?

 Oh!! There it is !

The owner and her two dogs welcomed us at the found door and we sat down for a nice hot drink...

It's small but a very homely style cafe..

 We found the cafe!!!  

Hmmmm Hot Chocolate

Wooo Apple Cider

I got the owners business card

We chatted with the owner and she was was super nice...    The was also another lady with her a little 3 or 4 year old son playing with the dog. 

It has a really at home style feeling to it and the food is really good.  Nice place for a date or taking a friend... But it is small so.. Best for people that like to talk and be friendly or want someone to talk to...

 

APPLE CREP!!  Wooo hahaha

Roppongi Noodles!

Hey there everyone, Its been awhile. Christmas is over and we are into the New years already. School as started up again and the kids are full of beans. 

But before I get into school stuffs, I would just like to recap the last few months including Christmas and New Years.


Satoko and I went on a small outing to look around Tokyo and we wandered around Roppongi in the free Art Galleries and what not... Around 11:30 we started to get hungry and I remembered this really good Udon place in Roppongi that a friend took me two a few years ago....

Tsurutonta is in the heart of Roppongi and it's opened pretty late and night.  Perfect place for a date and if you don't order anything too fancy, you can get away with about ￥1,500 per person.  For Roppongi, thats a deal..

Tsurutontan in Roppongi

Satoko ordered the beer noodles 

Big Bowel of Noodle Soup

And I ordered the Duck!

Yup

Yup ... Duck....

It bigger then it looks in the picture

It was about the same price for the duck... but honestly I think I will go for the beef next time...

Stopped at Ebitsu on the way home

 
More to come!

Tired of Speeches.... Relaxing with some music and nice people

Hey Everyone,

Its been a busy last few weeks...  English speech after English speech.. Are last one was this last week and I really am done for this year... We're almost into December  and some students have been at it since the summer.  I need a break.

Which is what I did last friday.  A friend of my I met at a Live house in Shibuya invited me to check out a little gathering of Indie music lovers and join in a few drinks.

Following Google Map and heading out from Shibuya and changing a few station, I found a small station called Shimokitazawa and make my way to the house...

Well.. It wasn't really a live house..  But it was rather a small cafe / bar ... A nice place in a quite area..

Shot : Warming up and starting the music

As everyone was warming up and getting drinking.. The regular crowd started to wander in.  This is the third time I've been around this crowd.. and I think people are starting to remember me.. Which is nice..  It's hard to join into a group in Japan without an in person... I talked with a few people I met before and met a few new people..  

Shot:  Trying some Okinawa drinks

Let's draw pictures between bands! hahaha

I've lived near Tokyo for sometime now... And I never really liked anything about Tokyo excepted Akihabara but I think that in the business you really need to search and find those slow peaceful areas of the city... and the peaceful people

SHOT:  The last band

One group that stood out was these two...  They started with the same ゆったり music... Relaxing music?   But as soon as they changed songs and started a reading.. It was downright frightening...

I think it came from some dark experience....

It sorta reminded me of some dark poetry reading...  Don't get me wrong.. It was good.

But it alwaysurprises me how Japanese can turn on and off moods like maskes...  

Anyway, I hope I can join in one of the music gatherings soon again

Tom

Find ourselves in Kanuma...? Where's that?

Hi there everyone!  

Back in Starbucks.  Trying out a new place...  My route coffee spots and off day lounge areas have change after moving to a different city...  

Oh BTW.. I moved to a new city... But thats for a different post.

 

Besides a meeting with an insurance lady which i'll post about a little later, I had most of the day off... 

 I jumped in the car and headed on my way to find something tasty.

I decided to go somewhere a little further then I should have..  I started to drive up to Nikko....

Nikko is not as closes as it seems on the GPS....  After driving out of Chiba, into Tokyo thourgh Saitama and into Tochigi... I was hungry and tired.... and it was actually getting alittle dark.  

I decided it might be better to start heading back... or at least find some food.

I found the next exit off the highway into a city called Kanuma...  Never head of it?  That makes two.

But it was the next exit before Utsunomiya... and I didn't really want to head thourgh there... Too much traffic.

I did a quick google search for any local food and found out that there was a local festival happening that day!!

Festival = Food

I found a parking spot and started to follow the crowd of old ladies 

I started hearing music and a road crossing, This huge monstrosity passed thourgh!!  Being pulled by a small team of younger kids...  

I followed it along for a little bit till I saw another one! 

The one ahead of us was waiting for the other to catch up..

So when they meet up with each other at the stop light like they were going to start drag-race...   

They didn't..

But a few minutes later at the same stop light, 6 more of these huge wooden things rolled up... At the other 3 sidies

I tried to take a Panoramic picture .. but I didn't get a good shot.

Anyways, I was standing at the corner of the crossway till someone on a megaphone shouted!!

OK!!  YOU CAN ENTER THE MIDDLE....  

What? The middle of what?  The Road?  ....Ok....  Let's go!

A large crowd of people including myself walked into the middle of the crosswalk till we were surrounded by the wooden carts... 

Then I heard the guy on the megaphone shout...  OK!! REALLY?!?  

..What? What? Really for what?!?

GO!!!

Then suddenly all the people riding on and pulling the carts started to shout and dance....

and pull... the carts towards the middle of the road.... Where we were standing... 

0_o!!

Aaahh!!!!   All the people started to squish and crowd together in the middle as the carts got closer and closer to us and each other ... basicly making a square of people...

I tried to take a video ... but it doesnt really show much..

Anyways.. After about 15 minutes the carts started backing away... And I could breath again.. 

Ok I  was hungry...

I followed a bunch more people and And then I found some Yatai's !!  Food Vender Carts...

Yum yum yum

Fried Chicken, Squid balls etc etc

I also found some Yakisoba... Yum..

Enjoying Yakisoba

Anyways.... Tired but full... I headed back home to end a good day..

Would have liked to enjoy so local drink... But driving... Hmmm 

Anyways...

I'm at 5% battery life on my iPad..  Write more later

Tom

The search for food - Tom does Kisarazu

Hi there everyone!

How have you been doing?    I have been pretty busy with my work and I really haven't had that much time off.

This last week I was able to get some free time.    With nothing really happening I headed down to Chiba and continued on towards Kisarazu City in search for something tasty.

A few hours and I found myself at this small little market.

Akua Wakuwaku Machiba? Chouba?

Here is a map.  ==>

As you can see from the map... It isn't that close to my house.  I'm the blue dot.

It was a pretty slow day but there was a few people there selling fruits and veggies all pretty cheap...  I almost bought something .... But it seemed that the vender had given up and wandered off somewhere. Oh well.. 

Anyways, I was pretty hungry.  (Something that happens a lot)

I walked around till I found a small shop call かもめ食堂.  It was a quiet little place with 3 wooden tables and two larger ones outside...

I was the only customer there but this small little shop was armed with a staff of 6 old ladies... All wearing aprons...  I must of missed the lunch rush as they were all sitting down drinking tea.  

I poped my head in and they told me to have a seat anywhere I wanted....

Hmmm what to order?

Lets try the Anago Tendon!

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.

Ok ... Wait for it..

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BAM!!!  

HUGE!!!!  

Like really... For like 950円 I got two HUGE pieces of Anago!     Oh man, JACK POT!

Finished lunch and when for a walk around outside and when down to the water...

Kisarazu is a pretty nice place.... I would really like to live out by the sea.

Anyways..  Work tomorrow.. gonna get to sleep sometime

Try to write again soon!

Tom

Still alive

Hi there everyone,

It's been a while since I posted anything.... 
Life has been good.. Work is busy as always..  

I think life in general has been very busy...  Lots of things to do.. and lots of people to see..

I've been asked to help lead a new project in Nagareyama, helping elementary school teachers improve their basic English conversational skills and pronunciation ..   Besides feeling a little under qualified, I think things will go OK.  We had our first trial run last month and we only had half one third the number of expected guest come....  I didn't mind and I really think it was for the best.  I have only worked on a hand full of projects for my current job, but the exceptions and outcomes are a little gray....  No-one really wants to say who wrote or said what...  Many they are trying not to step on toes of others.
Anyways... After we had our trial run, I really had to step back two or three steps and look at the problem in a different way... 

I've been sorta of squashed between different departments and semi bosses... 

I'd babble on about this and that... But I think most people can relate to this sorta problem..

That being said....  I'm still enjoying work and I'm trying to keep a positive look on everything.  

 Besides internal whatnot's and unhappy thoughts,   I've been asked again to help out with the first grade school field trip... Thank God I don't have to help plan it like last years.... Too many meetings. That start late and go way over time.  
We're going to take them down to Kisarazu to learn about the local history and go dig for clams...  

I hope some of them will give me donations of clams as I'll most likely be too busy with  * The boys who need extra attention * ....


 ----- In other news

I've been attending an international church up in Misato near my house... I started going last year around September and have been going every since... It's only 15 minutes away from my house..... So it's pretty easy to get to.

TBC Misato

The lots of interesting people and always a good service....
  
I've started helping around here and there..  Its a fairly new church.  The church has been pretty setup already but sometimes needs a little bit of love.
But the place has really helped me keep in line...  I think someone up stairs was tried to kick my butt back into gear... I was a bit of a mess before.... and I still am... but at least I think I'm facing the right direction...




Anyways.... 


I am still alive and I am doing well.....  BTW I'm back in Victoria in August for about 10 days....  E-mail if you wanna meet  =---=