A few photos I took with my phone this week in and around Kobe, Japan where I live.. Hope you like them!
REMEMBER to go and check out my new blog Things I Hate Project. Everyday I'll write a short blog about something in life that I like. I'll complain about it in an ironic and hopefully humorous way!
It is Friday and I have been doing a few things to "mix it up!" For quite some time I have been thinking about changing the name of this blog. I of course am a Canadian and I do live in Kobe, Japan. It's pretty easy to see why I dubbed this blog, "A Canadian in Kobe."
I love this city and I like living in Japan, but I have been thinking about and planning on my "post Japan life." I never intended on living out my days in Japan. I do enjoy things here, but found myself a Japan resident "by accident."
"Far Away Blog" seemed like an appropriate title because of the fact that for the past ten years, I have been far away from Canada and my friends and family. I realize that I may leave Japan in the next few years, but I may not return to Canada.
Even if my family and I do move to my "home" (Canada), my wife (who is Japanese) will be far away from hers. No matter how you cut it, someone in my family will always be "far away" from home.
I am a "real" teacher back home in Canada. Sadly though, there are TOO many "real" teachers back home in Canada. I may be back there soon teaching, but maybe not close to my family. The "Far Away" theme appears again and again even while I'm planning my return.
Have no fears my peeps...I will be in Japan for another year. Even when I do leave, I will always return and have a STRONG connection. After all, my wife is from Osaka and my son is from Kobe!
btw, I would LOVE to thank my friend Danielle for creating my new blog banner! She is also the groovy person responsible for my BusanKevin channel design.
Kids are funny. There is no other way to put it. Kids are funny because kids are honest. They are far more honest than you or I will ever be. They have yet to learn about social norms and boundaries. They have not yet learned that one might offend another or hurt another’s feelings by telling the truth sometimes.
Kids are innocent and kids are honest. Kids call it as they see it.
I uploaded my second installment in my "Teaching in Asia" series of videos on You Tube. This series of videos will be about all aspects of teaching in South Korea and Japan. I have a lot of experience teaching in both countries as well as in Canada so it is a topic I am more than comfortable talking about. I also plan to delve into some areas I'm not so knowledgeable about and in those cases, I plan to get some other bloggers/teachers involved.
Yesterday was a very productive day. I shot two more videos in the series and edited three last night, including the one below.
Today is a gorgeous day here in Kobe, but unfortunately, my family is sick so we cannot enjoy it together. I will however sneak out later and shoot two ore videos and have them edited tonight.
I aim to release two to three videos in this series every week. Is it a lot of work? Yes it it, but I have started to find the fun in You Tube again and am enjoying the video making process once again!
It's been a long school year and one that certainly brought its fair share of stress. As the year comes to an end (one week left in my school year) and vacation quickly approaches, I've been reflecting a lot.
I've been thinking about how I was able to cope with the hard times I had and also how I wasn't able to cope so effectively. I suppose I also began to think, not just about the past school year, but other periods of stress in life.
Stress is something we all must face from time to time. It can come from any direction and at times, when you least expect it. I suppose that what's important is how you deal with it.
Ways I've coped with stress over the years:
1. Avoidance: this is if course probably on of the least effective ways of dealing with things. Simply put your head in the sand and pretend everything is all right. While you avoid your problems though, they tend to grow. I've used this method many times, especially in my 20's. Nothing good ever came from it!
2. Vacations: In the past, getting away from things for a few days or weeks has often don the trick! It still does work.
3. Drinking: Often seems like a good idea, but normally ends up being the opposite. Having one or two drinks to unwind is one thing, but anything more than that can just lead to a headache, a lighter wallet, a nasty taste in your mouth and nothing solved (and often made worse) in the morning.
4. Running: An amazing way to release stress. Of course you release so many endorphins and lots of other fun physical benefits, but you have a lot of time to think. It’s also not just a regular way of thinking. Thinking while running a long distance can be so clear and concise that you actually can very easily work your way through problems.
5. Talking with friends and loved ones: This is of course a no brainer! There’s nothing better than unloading on friends and close family for advice and support.
6. Drastic life-altering change: My former life as a tech guy caused me a great deal of stress. What did I do to solve it? I quit my job as a 3D modeler in Canada and moved to South Korea to work as an English teacher! Many years later, I am now a professional teacher with my license and a passion for what I do!
7. Research: Getting online and trying to Google the way you feel and a way to make it better (probably not the most ideal way of dealing with stress).
8. Family Time: Now that I have a family, time with them, maybe a picnic or walk, makes almost anything better!
Stressed Much?
There are of course many other ways one can deal with stress. These are just a few things off the top of my head. Of course, just so all of you wonderful readers know, at the moment, I have very little stress in my life. Things are very good and I'm a pretty happy guy!
How do you deal with the stress you have to deal with? Leave a comment ☺
I have been commuting to work for most of my adult life. I suppose for most people it is necessary evil. We must travel to get to school or our places of work. Some of us take cars while others take public transportation. With the exception of my first two years in Korea (2002-2004), when lived within walking distance of my school, I have been wither driving, cycling, busing or training it!
here in Japan i take the train everyday to get to work. Actually, I take two. This evening on my way home I decided to give you a little glimpse into what I see. I was also playing with the Instagram iPhone app. I stared using it today and it is a nifty little toy!
Now, for many people in the larger cities of Japan, their daily commute can be a long and painful one. Some people spend hours everyday on the train. Luckily, my commute is a relatively short one. I can get to work everyday in about 40-45 minutes, door to door. I suppose that isn't so bad!
Last weekend I wrote a post that seemed to stir a great deal of interest in a lot of people. "So wanna live in Japan?" drew more traffic to my blog than any other post I have written. Actually, my blog saw more traffic that day than any other! I suppose (actually, I know for a fact) there are a lot of people out there who are really interested in Japan and would of course like to come here. Some people would like to venture to Japan's shores simply to visit, while others would like to work and live here. This post will be something of a follow-up to "So you wanna live in Japan?"
I didn't write that post to be a negative person. In fact, I don't think it was negative in anyway. I think it was a realistic look at what you need to do if you are looking to come to Japan long-term. Of course, if you are just planning to come and visit, there are no problems, but if you are seeking a more permanent situation, you must put thought into it. Simply showing up in Japan with a backpack and some money and expecting to make a go of it might not work out. I do realize that it can for some people, but not for everyone.
Japan is a place like any other place. It does of course have a rich history, interesting culture and awesome cuisine, but in the end, other places do as well. I really enjoy living here. There are some wonderful aspects of life in this country. There of course many wonderful aspects to my home country of Canada as well, a place I miss considerably. Much like when I lived in Canada and Korea, I wake up in the morning and go to work. I have a routine similar to that I had in other places. Of course, there are many interesting and exciting things around me, but at the end of the day, life goes on in quite a normal fashion for me.
I think some people have unrealistic expectations. Japan is definitely cool, but it isn't a place where anime characters walk off the TV screen into real life. It isn't a place where manga can solve all of life's problems. It isn't a place where women blindly throw themselves at foreign men just because they are foreign. It is however a place, where you can be very happy and successful if you work hard and have the right attitude.
In my "So you wanna live in Japan?" post, I talked about people who think anyone can become successful and famous in Japan. If that were the case, I wouldn't be doing what I am today. I would be far to busy counting piles of money and managing my television appearances. Sadly (but not too sadly), that isn't the case, but I am doing what I am meant to do. I'm a teacher.
There seems to be a lot of negative sentiments surrounding the education industry in Asia. I suppose that is because many of the people who are drawn to Asia are interested in the place and not the work. They become teachers because it is the only field they can find employment in. They want to be in Japan, not in a classroom in Japan. I of course completely understand. Teaching is definitely not for everyone. Actually, being a teacher isn't for most people.
I was an ESL teacher for five years in South Korea and enjoyed teaching so much that I went back to graduate school in Canada, got my teaching certification and then experience in Canadian public and Catholic schools. Then I came to Japan. I am a teacher now and I love it. Teaching is what I do. I am not searching for something else, but I can understand those who do. My career path may change in the future if better opportunities arise, but for now I am content.
At the end of the day, if you are driven enough to do anything, you can make it happen. If your goal in life is to become a lawyer, doctor or artist, etc., you can do it with enough focus and determination. Coming to Japan is of course no different. You can make your way to Japan's shores and become successful. It may take time though. It will also take persistence. Again, it is the same as in the country you call home.
I hope you set your goals and I hope you can do all of the things you want. Japan is a great place and it makes sense that so many people want to come here. If you are one of those people, do your research and enjoy everything when you finally land in Tokyo, Osaka or wherever you may be.
here is a glimpse of downtown Kobe, Japan as I saw it this evening on my way home from work.
I thought some of you might be interested to see some pictures from the Tokyo marathon last month. If you ever have the chance to run a 10k/half/full marathon, you may notice loads of very professional cameramen sitting on the sides of the road with high speed cameras. They make these very professional "action" photos. You can later go to their website and choose from about twenty pictures and then purchase them for a very high price. I simply copied and pasted a few of the preview shots (hence the All Sports watermark on the pictures). When I ran my first full marathon a year and a half ago in Osaka, I bought a few, but won't be doing that again for awhile! Here I am running in the very wet and miserable conditions of Tokyo marathon 2010.
Still running. At the end of the race the sun came out and it ended up being a very beautiful afternoon.
A few days ago I posted my first attempt at time lapse video on You Tube. I was quite happy with the way it turned out, but learned a lot about how to improve on this style of video while editing it.
The final product and positive viewer feedback prompted me to go outside and film a lot more. i took some wonderful footage the other day in and around Kobe. I plan to post some more time lapse videos later on in April.
While standing under the Kobe Bridge (connecting Port Island to the mainland) I snapped this photo. I was filming various boats and ships sailing around Kobe Harbor. The footage I took was pretty good. Again, you can see the results later on in April.
I begin work tomorrow. The new school year officially begins next Monday, but I have been working a lot from home for the past few days preparing. Since I will be busy with work and am making more of an effort to study Japanese, I will take a little leave leave of absence from You Tube. Making videos for You Tube is a wonderful hobby and I really do love it, but it can be extremely time consuming. Creating and editing videos is one thing, but building and maintaining community with my viewers is the truly time consuming part (yet very rewarding). I will however, be back within a few weeks.
I plan to update my food blog Kansai Eats, regularly as well as this one.
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