Now You See Me...

Or more like, you didn't. You may have noticed that I was AWOL for a good portion of this week. This is because I spent two days at the JET Mid-Year Conference in Tenno, stayed over Saturday night in Akita City, and spent part of Saturday and most of Sunday in Odate and the Hachimantai area. I took a trip up to the Hachimantai Forest to see the leaves changing for fall, as well to see famous Lake Towada. The fall colors were truly amazing - the hills looked like the sponge paintings I used to do as a kid. Thanks to Wil and Michael for being such great hosts during my northerly weekend sojourn!

The JET Mid-Year Conference was a pretty valuable experience for me; despite getting horrendously and epically lost on the way there (sorry, Pete, Wil), I thought having both ALTs and JTEs (Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English, for those not in the know) at the conference was particularly helpful. Mixed sessions discussing each side's concerns and problems about team teaching really gave me some insight into the things I find frustrating about my job, and other sessions gave good ideas for lesson plans or activities that lend themselves well to team teaching. One of my favorite JTEs, Ayako Sasaki, was also in attendance, so I think she and I both have some valuable takeaways to discuss that will make us a more effective teaching team. I'm looking forward to making some changes at the office!

After the conference ended, I went to Akita City and spent a fun night out with some friends there. The next morning, my generous host was departing for Sendai to play cricket, so I turned north to Odate to impose upon the hospitality of yet another fantastic JET! I visited Hachimantai Forest and saw Lake Towada. Then, I returned to Odate, where I spent a delightful evening with friends (one known and some new!) at a fusion izakaya called Muu. The group at the table next to us was a boisterous bunch of Japanese people, and we proceeded to have a magic trick exchange with them. Apparently lit cigarettes are considered appropriate props by Japanese magicians.

All in all, a very exciting week, and one filled with lots of travels, new friends, and new sights. I know this post is basically just a trip report, but I promise a meatier update in the next few days. Also, I have my first enkai coming up this week (two, in fact! eep!) as well as my school festival for Yuri Junior - so I anticipate a lot of interesting material in the near future.