Re-Structuring

This is what my school staff looked like back when I started last May. The school year here in Japan runs from April - March, with one week of vacation in May, August, and December. It's pretty common that staffing changes are made or shifted to different areas at the start or end of new school years. This just so happens to be the case for my quaint little school.


Here's the up to date version of the staff photo. This though is going to likely change in another month or so since we are supposed to be getting another new teacher as another one is leaving. One of the new teachers in the picture I actually interviewed, hired, and trained so I really hope it turns out well!

On another note... I now have two Japanese managers breathing down my neck instead of one. Joy.

Manmanji Temple

Today I decided to venture onto the other side of the tracks at Mabashi station since it occurred to me that I haven't really checked it out since arriving here back in May. A few of my students have told me that there is a temple and a few shops, so I decided why not and gave it a go.


On the weekends I've usually spent most of my time running into Tokyo to check out what's happening in the city. To my surprise there was actually a pretty glorious temple located within a few minutes walk from Mabashi. A little strange because it's kind of covered up by the surrounding houses. If it wasn't so high I probably wouldn't have been able to spot it in the mix.


At the main entrance gate there is a large red lantern hanging inside. This remined me a lot of Asakusa, since the gates leading to Senso-ji has a very large red lantern upon entering the marketplace.


This strucutre was a bit out of place, to the side of Manmanji within a cemetary area. It looked much newer and was most likely constructed some time after the main buildings were made. Nonetheless, still served as an integral part of the scenic landscape.

Mabashi Matsuri

As summer dwindles down the prime matsuri season also fades away with the good weather. Over the weekend the 馬橋　祭り (Mabashi Matsuri) took place drawing a fair amount of people despite cloudy skies and even a little rain. There were a few dance performances ranging from traditional Japanese style to Hula dancing.


Main attractions always include cheap eats appealing to the entire family-- street food, snacks, sweets, and alcohol. Everything always looks fabolous and the wide variety of options can make decision making quite complex at times. I usually narrow my choices down to something fried or grilled! >=]


Scene of the crime, Mabashi's main street right outside of the train station. For easy access, the popular shops and attractions are (usually) situated within a few minutes of the station. Another tidbit of information about Japan: the closer you live to the station, the higher your rent will be.


I swear, there's no such thing as a Japanese baby that isn't cute. Of course some of my students can be crazy from time to time but that doesn't mean in any way they're not a joy to be around.