Iide at last...

As I write this I am curled under a kotatsu, which is arguably the best Japanese invention of all time: a table with several layers of blankets around the sides and a heater underneath. I am also sitting, for the very first time in my life, in an apartment that I can call my own. And, also for the first time, watching snow pile up on the rice paddies of a very, very small Japanese town.

This morning all the ALT's said their goodbyes. You'd be surprised by how sentimental some of us became; some even cried. But there was none of that coerced sentimentality the springs up from "character-building" camps or self-help seminars--this was the real deal, a sense of togetherness strengthened by the heady cocktail of homesickness and crippling fears of inadequacies we were all battling. Sleep-deprivation and hang-overs probably played significant roles, as well.

After a few hours of train-riding I ended up in small city where Mogi-san, my hired handler, was waiting for me. Her English is flawless, but she intersperses it with Japanese on purpose to give me a chance to practice. She immediately took me to a ramen restaurant, which won my heart to her side--but if that wasn't enough, she also stayed with me the whole day to help me arrange things, gave me several essentials (towels, etc.) from her home, and showed me a cake shop around the corner from my apartment. After today, I can dispel 2 myths about Japan: the food is not all that expensive, at least in the sticks (a lot of it was actually cheaper), and I will NOT be losing much weight here.

My apartment is spectacular; far better than I imagined. It's relatively new, but built in a traditional Japanese style, with tatami mats on the floor and (as I've already mentioned) a kotatsu in the living room. I also found that the previous ALT's who lived here left an incredible amount of stuff, from furniture to space heaters to a hair straightener and even skis. Most impressive, however, was the sheer amount of school supplies they left: a huge storage bin full of things, and extras turning up in odd places all the time. There are so many things in here that I actually have to ask Mogi-san to get rid of some things for me or help me put them in storage for the next ALT.

The town is every bit as tiny as Google Earth made it out to be. The entire area is covered by rice paddies (now little more than muddy patches); even houses are relatively rare. I found out I also have a bike (as well as my itty bitty square car), so I'm excited to ride around town when the weather gets nicer.

Mogi-san invited me home with her for dinner, and I got another great surprise: she lives in a Buddhist temple. Her husband is a priest, so they live in a section of the very traditional building, complete with paper doors and silk cushions for followers to sit on. I've always wanted to know more about Buddhism, and now I have the perfect in! And you will all be proud to know that I ate (and enjoyed!) a Japanese meal, which included raw salmon and something that looked like a flesh cheerio, which Mogi-san described as "some part of a fish." First I conquer my fear of seafood; next, the world!