afantasylife@hellokitty.com: The Japan Diaries

Tuesday, 28 May 2003

"Hi Mum,

I'm writing to you from school. Don't have anything to do after lunch, and i have 20 minutes before my last class for the day. Yeay!"

"I have my lesson with Toshi tonight. Yesterday i received two requests from new students, so I'm going to meet one on Saturday afternoon, and one on Monday night."

"Monday night one is a student who's going to do Dentistry overseas…the other guy is a businessman - and he's going to the US in a few weeks' time! It's almost as if he wants some kinda crash course!"

"… my turtles are doing fine. I wonder if turtles get bored cos' all they seem to do is constantly burrow through the rocks, like they're trying to dig their way out! They have to put up with earthquakes, train noises, loud music when i come home, and I think the only time they get a GOOD night's sleep is when i sleep as well!"

"…the earthquake from up north yesterday will bring its aftereffects today. I don't know how much of it we will feel down in Tokyo."

"Keanu Reeves is in town!!! Waahhhh....he's in Tokyo promoting his new film Matrix Reloaded. Is that out yet in Melbourne?"

"I can't WAITTT to get my digital camera and Fred! I'm missing out on a lot of good photos without my dig cam."

"Love you both...hugs and muaxxx…Joni"

Fred, my toy monkey since 1989. Never loved any other as i did him. A faithful travelling companion, his time ending at the end of my Japan trip. Still missing you...

Where did I go in JUNE?: Kyoto

Friday, 20 June 2003

"Hey my darling brathaaa!!

It's my last day at Elementary School today. Sighhh...I can't believe one week finished so quickly, and as usual, I get SOOO attached to my kids. (In Junior High, I teach one grade per week, rotating btw Grade 1, 2, and 3, and at the end of each week, I miss the kids of THAT grade as i move to the next - it's an endless cycle!)"

"… gosh, once you enter that class, you can't help but simply fall utterly deeeeppp in love. At the end of the class, the kids just run to you and tap you on the shoulder (or wherever they can reach!! They're just shortiess..kawaiii!!) and they GRAB your hands like they've known you all their lives."

"Today i had 8-9 year olds (3rd grade) ... oh goshhhh... the sweetest babies... with their big, big EYESSS...and plenty of smiles."

"My company recruits A.L.Ts (Assistant language Teachers) for the Board of Education in various cities. They have contracts all over Japan in fact, so if i renewed my contract for next year, i can choose another part of Japan if i wanted."

"We work in public schools, which means we integrate into the Japanese education system…"

"We have normal working hours, weekends off, and on average I have about 4 classes a day. The rest of the time I prepare for my next lesson, or study Japanese, or do whatever I please…"

"We get about 7-8 weeks paid summer vacation...hehhe...boy am I looking forward to that!!"

"So bro, you wanna come??? I think you'll just LOOOVVEEE it, especially if you love children. Ok then...i'm gonna go now...what's been going on? How's exams?? :)"

"Take care now...and great to hear from you..hugs!, Joni"

This email was written to my 'brother', Reza, a special friend whom I found amongst the thorns of fake people. Thank you for shining above the rest.

Thursday, 19 June 2003
"Hi everyone!!

It's an EXTREMELLLLYYYY HOTTT day in Japan!! Totemo atsui, desune!?? I'm one big sweatball walking around."

"… I just spent the last six hours with one hundred and fifty short, smooth-skinned, baby-teeth grinners with super-high energy, and also happen to be 150 of the most adorable, cutest and most LOVABLE little human beings I have EVERRR had the pleasure to be with. Yeaaa...i started Elementary School this week."

“Today, I had second graders (8 yr olds)…I had lunch with them at their desks in the classroom, and they talked and talked and talked in Japanese, trying their hardest to get me to understand them, but most of it i don't.^_^ But does it bother them? Hmmm..nope! They just keep talking and asking and asking and asking."

"… kids are so intuitive and sensitive to everything. They'll come up with all sorts of charades-like body language to get me to understand what they say, and I guess it's the same for me when i'm teaching them. I've become an actor these days - body language in the classroom speaks a universal language!"

"And all they want is a big big smile, and energy to match theirs, and that's what I aim for everytime, regardless of how i'm really feeling...you leave all your own issues outside the door, and you just devote the next 50 mins to each new set of children."

"But seriously, I don't know how to say this, but they're just angels. Japanese children are like ANIME come to life!"

"I have about 20 or 30 little people escorting me EVERYWHERE (to class, to the bathroom, to the teachers room, EVERYWHERE!), and I only have one pair of hands, so it's about three kids to each hand, and the rest would have to hold on to my elbows or my shirt. Children just love to be loved..... sighh...don't we all..."

"Anddd...Kyoto............was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.....so traditional and heaps much better than Tokyo."

"Bye guys! hugss! Miss you all…Love, Joanie"

Where did I go in JULY/AUGUST?: Shizuoka

OUTSIDE JAPAN?: South Korea

Friday, 29 August 2003
“Hi Everyone!!

How are you guys going? It’s been a while since I sent you guys an email. I think my last email was from Seoul, huh? Well, I’ve been pretty busy with stuff (yea, despite the super-long summer holidays, I still find myself “busy with ‘stuff’”)…"

"That’s right! I climbed Mt. Fuji!"

"I got down just yesterday afternoon, and I’m a little sunburnt and super extremo SORE all over! I woke up this morning completely unable to move…But at least I can say ‘Yeayy! JOANIE CONQUERED MT. FUJI – all the way to the 3776m peak!"

"…when a Canadian friend first proposed Mt. Fuji nearly 2 months ago, my mind went: ‘Gee….this person OBVIOUSLY doesn’t know me at all! Joni? Climb a mountain!?? Hah! Joke of the century! He must be mad, but I’ll play along, hey?!’"

"The idea wouldn’t leave my head."

"I knew that I would never forgive myself if I was here living in Japan, but I didn’t at least die trying to climb this infamous mountain."
"The itinerary:

Arrive at starting point, Level 5 of Mt. Fuji.

Climb from 11.30am and arrive at Level 8 by 4.30pm.

Have some dinner, sleep till midnight at the resthouse on Level 8. (Dinner provided plus slave-ship style sleeping arrangements – unique, but adequate.)

From midnight onwards, climb to the peak in darkness, arriving at around 4.30a.m. to catch the sunrise.

Following this, back down again to level 5, then hop onto our bus to take us back to Tokyo."

"The climb from Level 5 to 8 was great…absolutely breath-taking scenery."

“When you find yourself eye-levelled with the clouds and then beyond them as you go higher, that was totally amazing."

"The climb from Level 8 at midnight, however, was a totally different story. In fact, my friend Yoko had to ‘retire’ from the rest of the journey at the resthouse because she was ‘mountain sick’, throwing up and all…So we left her behind."

"By now, I too was nauseated and yearning for oxygen."

"The climb…became dangerous, and you had to be at your wits at all times and did what was necessary to survive. Climbing in near complete darkness, up steep narrow rocky paths, the wind ferocious. As well as freezing temperatures and tiredness, I was taking constant breaths as deep as I could in attempt to regulate my breathing. Nausea was taking over."

"…all you saw looking over the edge was a blanket of fog over complete darkness, and an infinite depth that one can potentially fall into.”

"…had to crawl on our hands and knees to prevent being blown over the edge by sudden strong winds. I didn’t want to be there anymore. It was awful. From Level 8 onwards, I was praying to God."

"The view from the peak was amazing. Unfortunately, the promise of a beautiful sunrise was not fulfilled due to terrible weather."

"And if we thought climbing 9 hours to get to this peak and spending only 30 minutes up there was frustrating enough, the climb down was utterly miserable! My knees screwed up about an hour from the climb downwards because the path was steep and slippery, and was completely covered with running stones. The pressure on the knees was overwhelming...I was in agony…"

"Midori looked after me all the way, and was amazing support."

"Holding the mind together is crucial…there was no one to cry to and the pain was enough to make me give up, but how else was I going to get down but to do it myself."

"About an hour and a half to the base, the guide finally…helped me with knee braces and a walking stick (which eased the pain a little) and that’s how I limped all the way down. It was only when we finally reached Level 5 that it dawned on us…It was done."

"As for my legs and the rest of my body, it’s going to take a few days to recover. I hope my knees will not be an on-going problem. So, there! I’ve done it! And now I can sleep better, knowing that I didn’t chicken out, and that now I have one thing less in life to regret not doing. But I’ll definitely not climb another mountain again – ever! :)"

"Catcha guys soon! Hugs, Joanie"

As it turned out, my knees never fully healed. Doctors have not been able to work it out or do anything for me, and I’ve had to live with crippled knees for the last two years. Prolonged walking hurts me. Slopes bring paranoia. Was it worth it? I guess. At least I lived to tell the story.

Where did I go in SEPTEMBER?: Osaka, Kobe & Nara

Where did I go in OCTOBER?: Hiroshima & Miyajima

Where did I go in DECEMBER?: Nikko

OUTSIDE JAPAN?: Hong Kong & China

Sunday, 28 December 2003
“Hey everyone!

Are the Christmas carols still ringing in your heads?? They are, for me! I’m singing them everywhere I go, and…if it doesn’t drive me nuts, it’s actually kinda…nice… “doo doo-doo-doooo…walking in a winter wonderland-d-d-d..” By the way, Merry Christmas to all of you! Sorry I couldn’t send out greetings earlier – have been away. Here’s da latest update!"

"Well, it’s been two days since I got back from a 2-week trip to Hong Kong/China. And guess what? The first morning back in Japan, I drew open my curtains and saw SNOW blanketing the street, the trees, the cars, and the roofs of houses! It was SOOooo beautiful I was leaping with excitement!"

"Anyway, it didn’t snow last night, but the previous day’s snow hadn’t all melted away – which goes to show how cold it is here! BRRRRrrrr – it’s colddd! The winds are icy, and there’s no way I’m leaving my house without a scarf, beanie and gloves. But it’s kinda good cos it means I can go shopping for a nice wARRMMMmm coat – preferably something furry! Yeay! ^_^…hehee…"

"… shopping in HK is absolutely cRAZZZzzzyyyYYY!! I’m telling ya – it can’t be done! It just CAN’T be done! I mean, there’s SOOOOOO much to see – its virtually endless – shops and shops on every street in every district!!"

"I can’t disclose how many times I had to go to the money changer to stretch out my Yen, but….let’s just say…I have to cut out on a lotta other luxuries now that I’m back..."

"And the great thing...was having local friends who really knew how to get around, so I got to see heaps of Hong Kong. I have to admit that initially, I thought HK was just another Asian city – fast-paced, commercial, dynamic and just filled with people rushing madly around! But…then I know now why so many choose to call HK home. Went up to The Peak one night and saw the expansive panoramic HK night skyline…and gosh...i was just in awe."

"Ahh well..that’s that, everyone. This is my little intro to my winter holidays, and the photo presentation will be up soon, so look out for it!"

"Miss you all heaps- thanks to ALL who sent Christmas cards and present (Thanks Rina! Muax!). Wishing all of you an wonderful and safe and exciting new year in 2004! …Let the parties begin!!"

"Hugss, Joanie"


I never saw snow in my city again after that day. But my real winter wonderland experience was in Sapporo, Hokkaido two months later, in February. The monumental snow and ice sculptures at the Annual Snow Festival; sumo-wrestling Abbie at 2a.m. on the way back to our hotel to the horror of Japanese locals; soaking in a natural hot spring with snow-capped mountains and bare trees in the distance and snow all around me. Moments like this...nothing else in this whole world matters...

Where did I go in FEBRUARY '04?: Sapporo, Hokkaido
Where did I go in MARCH '04?: Mito & Komatsu, Kanazawa