Firstly to mention the food. We get pretty sturdy lunches each day, with more rice than you could ever want which is a good way to fill up on food, however eating out has been a real treat since we got here. Early on we had a group trip from Sansou to the okonomiyaki pancake restaurant down the road, called Jyu. The restaurant was really authentic, with cushions to sit on the floor and tables with hot plates in the centre. We all ordered the same pancakes filled with seafood and pork, and, I must say, they tasted incredible!
Whilst making the long trip to Kutchan (mostly made up of waiting around) for groceries one day, we went to the sushi train. The restaurant has a conveyor belt from which you can take food, and you can order specific dishes simply by shouting out in Japanese. It's a lot of fun. It has colour coded plates which are different prices, similar to that of Yo sushi in the UK, but the sushi was in no way similar. It was amazing and I can't wait for my next trip to Kutchan to go back. The chef was particularly smiley too!
Although drinking is a common pastime in Sansou, there has also been a lot of hat making on the go, so I decided to get in on the action. I was shown how to crochet and started making a hat, and this is how much I've done so far. My tutors are so skilled they can make a hat in just a few of hours! It's crazy!
I mentioned the Onsen in my last post, but failed to provide a picture, so here it is. It is an amazing thing after a hard day of skiing or teaching, and thoroughly warms you up. This is the Onsen in our accommodation, but we can also use others at the Hilton and Green Leaf hotel, and they are even better. They have outside areas and you can sit in the hot pool while snow falls on you.
While I posted pictures of Mt Yotei last time, I have never seen it as clear as it was this day, so I felt it was necessary to post again. When the dormant volcano is visible it is so unbelievably beautiful. I wish I never have to leave this view behind!
I got invited by some Japanese friends to a home sushi party this week, and I made my first self rolled sushi. The fish was delicious - I tried raw shrimp, monkfish, squid, salmon and tuna. Fun times!
So the biggest part of life here is the teaching, and I didn't really know how I was going to feel about it when I arrived. I find lessons extremely fun, and you get an amazing feeling of achievement from taking a never ever skier from bambi on ice to making them stop and turn with control. I find the days go by quickly and being in the outdoors is wonderful. I remember past ski instructors of mine making me look around and saying to me "This is my office". It feels nice to now be in that position! In addition to that, I received my first tips yesterday, which will help me through until pay day!
I haven't seen much wildlife since I arrived, however yesterday I saw two reindeer and a fox with such a bushy mane, it was beautiful. It was also pretty tame, and seemingly posed for the photograph!
Finally, here is a picture of my Hanko, which I eventually got this week. A Hanko is a Japanese signature stamp, which you use to sign all your documents. I think it's pretty cool! Might keep using it when I get home too! (I felt a little stupid when I had to ask a Japanese co-worker which way up it goes though...)
Work is very busy and I only have 1 day off between now and the third of January. It's not even Christmas day!! I'll update soon with how my first working Christmas goes. Ta ta for now!
