Tokyo, Sweets Paradise and Earthquakes

Hello everyone,
On Tuesday I went into Tokyo and had an awesome time with Yasuko. I won't tell you everything because most of it was shopping. Then yesterday I went to Kashiwa to Sweets Paradise. Sweets Paradise is a very dangerous place and I advise everybody to steer clear. Everything there was very yummy though. Last night I was woken up when I felt my bed shaking, it turns out that I woke up at the start of a small earthquake. It wouldn't really have scared very much if it had been during the day because I woke and everything was shaking, not fun. This isn't the first earthquake I have experienced since being in Japan this time round though, there was a small one when I came home from meeting up with the people I went to kindergarten with. It wasn't very big and I didn't really notice it until we stopped at an intersection and the car was wobbling. That's all that has really happened so far. I also had a terrible realisation today, I have to go to school on Monday. Oh well, I guess that means no more sleep ins.

Signing off,
Chloe.

This was my lunch

This is an example of a pattern you find
in Japanese traditional Lacquer ware  

Another pattern

This is a traditional lacquer ware box

This is the walk way

This is Japanese blue glass

These are traditional-style pictures

This is the plate I designed electronically

This is a traditional-style plate

If you know what's good for you, you won't
go into this shop.

The Tsukuba Festival

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I went to the Tsukuba Festival with Wakana and three other girls I went to yochien (yo-chi-en) with. It was really hot but somehow I managed to escape getting sun burnt. We saw the Taiko (tie-ko) drummer and a giant robotic Kabutomushi (ka-boo-to-mu-she), which is a stag beetle. There were lots of different stalls. They sold every thing from, Yakisoba (yukky-so-baa) to Wii consoles and DS consoles and turtles. That's right turtles. It was pretty cool. There was also some street performers and other types of entertainment. When you were walking through the areas lined with stalls everyone would shout at you to buy their stuff. 

That's all for now and enjoy the photos below,

Chloe

From the left: Shiho, Wakana, Sai-chan and Sachika.
I'm obviously not in this photo (I'm the one taking the pic).

This is the photo without Wakana (Shes's taking the pic).

That's English School

Hey Everyone,
I just finished up my work experience at That's English school in Moriya. The school is run by Scott, who is Scottish and Steve, who is English. It was really cool spending time there and I learnt a lot about teaching. On my first day I watch some kids classes and help a little bit in the classroom. On the second day I observed three adults classes (including Yasuko's) and I talked with the people learning English. On my last day (today) I taught two adults classes and helped teach one class that had junior high school and high school students (there was only one student in that class today). It was really awesome and I enjoyed it a lot.

Below are a few pix, so enjoy,
Chloe

Me on the front steps of That's
on my last day

Scott, me and Steve

This is Scott and I explaining Adverbs in front of Adjectives
(not as easy to explain as you would imagine)

This was Scott's first morning class

Me attempting to write stuff up on a white
board (it was pretty hard)

Takazono-nishi Yochien Friends

Hey Everyone,
Here are some photos from Monday night when I met up with some of the people I went to Kindergarten with in Tsukuba (tsoo-koo-bah). Enjoy!!

Chloe

Me with some of the girls I went to Kindergarten
with and Wakana

Three of the girls I went to Kindergarten with

These are the younger sisters of the
girls above...

..And their mums

More Pix from Niigata

Hey everyone,
Here are some more pix from Niigata. Enjoy!!

Chloe

Eating dinner with Yasuko's Family

Playing with Hanabi

Teaching Wakana, Takashi, Taiga and Natsuki to play
21

At the beach with Wakana's cousins

Walking out into the surf

At the Ninja Museum 

At the torii for the shrine with Wakana, her auntie
and cousin