This month has just started but it’s already so exciting. For starters, I FINALLY GOT INTERNET (woot woot!!! Party!!!). It only took 3 months… and two weeks for them to come and install it.. plus another 3 to get it working. But who’s counting? That whole process was so… indescribable. For one thing, if you don’t buy a wireless router through the company you purchased your internet from, they don’t have to help you set it up. They just come, stick a wire through your wall, connect it to their modem (which looks like it’s from the 80’s) and then go on their way. Compared to the states where they install it and help you create a password for your internet. What takes the technician 2 minutes took me and my friends 3 different attempts and multiple calls to the company. Would having the manuals in English made a difference? No because I was lucky enough to have awesome Japanese friends come and help me and it still was difficult… And another guy whose alright and whose Japanese skills are kinda sorta pretty really good ?(and by pretty good I mean amazing). But now, that’s all history and now I can enjoy my internet as much as I want! Hello Netflix, goodbye social life! Just kidding, I’ll venture into the real world every couple weeks or so ?
August is an exciting time in Japan. For one, it’s summer vacation! For the students .. but I do get 6 whole days to use as I please during this month. I spent one day hiking in the Fukushima area. It was so beautiful! We hiked along a river and saw waterfalls. I can honestly say I have never experienced something so peaceful and beautiful before. I wish I cold describe what it was like being there.. but sadly I can’t. Even my pictures can’t even properly portray what it was like being there. Luckily, it’s about an hour and a half drive so it’s not too far. I really hope I can go back there again
August is also a month for festivals! Not just in Mito, but Japan as a whole. What kind of festival? Pretty sure just summer festivals..? I don’t know. Mito had a festival this past weekend and it was awesome! Friday was fireworks at the lake. So many people and so much good food! I could live off of festival food in Japan. One, because not everything is battered and deep fried and two, it’s just really good! There are junky options and healthy options… like cucumbers on a stick ?. The fireworks were amazing! By far the best fireworks show I’ve seen. It lasted an hour and they had so many cool design! In the beginning they played the Mito Chan song and had Mito Chan fireworks (of course) and they had flower looking ones, hearts, smiley faces all sorts of good stuff! My friend Rachel and I bought yukatas and wore them to the festival on Friday. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think we were actually Japanese! It was really hot in them though but you get used to it. I can’t wait to wear mine again! It was fun dressing up in them. Saturday, the festival was moved to the main street in the city. The closed off the main road for the afternoon and evening and there were various groups dancing kind of in a parade like form. It was really cool to watch them, and I saw a couple of my students! I wore regular clothes for the rest of the festival but yukatas are a pretty common thing here to wear during them. Sunday was a parade marching type thing where various business and organizations of Mito carry a shrine down the street. They’re chanting and kind of dancing and walking slowly. There’s a lot of people for one shrine but not everyone carries it at once. They tap each other in and out to take turns carrying the shrine and everyone takes breaks every now and then. The school administration had one and there were a handful of AETs helping out. It was cool seeing them carry the shrine! This was by far the best festival I have ever been too. Minnesota state fair may have some competition… Actually I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been to the state fair.
But wait! There’s more! A small group of friends and I ventured to the big city for, drum roll please, DISNEY SEA! What’s Disney Sea? Well, It’s like Disneyland.. but not really. From my understanding, Disney Sea has a lot of water, and more rides for the older crowd where Disney Land caters to more shows and the younger kids. Oh, and you can drink alcohol at Disney Sea but you can’t at Disney Land. Even though it was hot, we all had a good time! Saw a cool show at the end (what would be the parade at night was a water show). Obviously it was all in Japanese, but that’s okay! Besides, I’m pretty sure anyone who is young and speaks English well is working at Disney so communication was not even that big of a problem. Although, even though they can speak English, doesn’t mean that they are going to… Even when you respond to them in English (yes I’m speaking from personal experience). I may no hablo nihongo but at least I verstehe nihongo.
With summer coming to a close, I do have one last adventure… With my mom!!! Later this week, she’s flying into Japan and together we will go to Guam!! I’m so excited for this trip! Mostly because I get to spend time with her.. But I’m excited to go back to U.S territory.. Do you think they’ll have Chipotle? Keep your fingers crossed for me! After Guam she’s coming back to Mito and hopefully, I can navigate us through the city and use my Japanese skills (the little skills that I have). On the bright side, if we don’t have a lot of adventures in Guam, we’ll have plenty when I try to navigate around town and communicate in Japanese!
