A little bit of Tokyo...and a dancing Stormtrooper.

So here is a little of bit of Tokyo...and a bloke in a Stormtrooper outfit dancing...

Actually it's Danny Choo, an ex worker for JAL (Japanese Airlines) who now runs an excellent, if otaku fuelled blog...

What would Darth say ?

Paperwork

With the acceptance of my AEON contract comes the joys of paperwork and running around like a headless chicken.

To be fair to AEON, and this is 100 times better than my NOVA experience, they have kept in regular contact with me and have been more than willing to answer any questions I might have.

The last week or so, I have been organising the neccessary paperwork, getting photographs taken and reading the documents and useful bumpf that they sent me.

The hardest part was trying to track down a courier service, as AEON want the paperwork to be delivered by a trackable system. I finally hunted down DHL, only for my jaw to hit the floor when they wanted upwards of £50 to deliver my documents to New York!

But when I think of Rie, teaching and Japan I believe its all worth it...

Japan-tastic

In the words of Hiro Nakamura (pictured above) "YATTA!!!!"....

I got offered a job with AEON last week after an intense week and a bit wait. The interviewer from London, Motoko rang me personally to offer me the job and the even better news is that I am going to be posted in Ichikawa city, Chiba.

I might hear you ask, Ichi what ?

Ichikawa is about 20-30 minutes from the centre of Tokyo...AND more importantly for me, it is Rie's hometown....

How lucky am I !!?!?!?!?! That or, as I believe someone is watching over me from above, and my sacrifices over the last year and a half are starting to look worth it.

I depart on April 4th 2009 and will attempt to write more posts on my new position...

The Long Hard Slog, Empty sights, Hopes and Fears - PART THREE - PEPPY KIDS

Tuesday came around. I left my luggage at the hotel and made my way to my Peppy Kids interview. Or as I called it Interview #2.

On first impressions, Peppy Kids seemed a bit maverick. The chap, interviewing me was a cross between Albert Steptoe, Frankie Howerd and Ian McKellen. I was the only person to be interviewed, because the company interviews throughout the year, but compared to AEON felt like NOVA all over again.

However, I remained professional and decided to give Al/Frankie/Ian and Peppy Kids a shot. I was kind of glad I did.

I was informed that they are the largest Kids teaching chain in Japan, and they seemed to have their head screwed on when it came to teaching them. I found the interview, more like an informal chat compared to the intense scrutiny of AEON and was surprised when I was offered a position in March.

Maybe I need to rethink who I am going to Japan with ?

The Long Hard Slog, Empty sights, Hopes and Fears - PART TWO - Killing Time

After my AEON interview I had until Tuesday afternoon and my Peppy Kids interview before I had to worry again. This might sound fine, but it left me feeling strangley empty and lacking any direction.

I had put so much into the AEON interview, that I felt slightly underwhelmed by the prospect of having free time in the capital. Plus myself and Rie had spent time here only a month or so earlier, so I felt lonely, an emotion that is heightened in a city like London.

So I ate sushi, drank beer and spoke about football with random strangers in a Chelsea pub, went to the Natural History Museum, had a chat with some old lady selling poppies, found out Harry Redknapp had taken over Spurs, got 24 out of 28 in a pub quiz and went to see Burn After Reading at the cinema.

But I felt strangely disconnected from all of it. Maybe staying in London all that time wasn't worth it.

The Long Hard Slog, Empty sights, Hopes and Fears - PART ONE - AEON.

So yesterday evening I made it back, successfully, if I might add, from a 4 night sojourn to our Nation's capital.

The buzz that London once held for me now seems more like a light static "electric shock" that you could give yourself after rubbing your feet madly on a shagpile carpet. It's strange that the City holds little of interest for me now. Sure it has some great galleries and museums; some interesting places to hang out, but maybe because I've been through my "London phase" it seems a tad empty.

The reason I went to London ? 2 interviews for my attempted return to Japan!!!

My hotel was great. Around the corner from Earls Court station, clean and friendly. The room was excellent with a nice ensuite bathroom and ten times better than the one that myself and Rie stayed in a month or so earlier.

My first interview on Saturday morning was a 10 minute walk away in a hotel in South Kensington with Eikawa school, AEON. About 30 plus candidates turned up looking equally apprehensive and equally excited. What made me slightly more nervous and yet more glad and eager about AEON was that my fellow candidates were all more mature and more experienced than my NOVA interviewies 3 years ago.

The presentation and introductions from the AEON recruiters, Motoko Taki and Lars Frank were professional, friendly and extremely warm. It boded well. Then we were split into groups and given times to return for demo lessons and a grammar test. I was given a later group (3 hours later to be exact) so headed off to lunch with a sweet, yet terribly nervous girl from Singapore.

My demo was up first and went well. My lesson plan was well prepared and I felt my experience as a teacher helped no end. Yet I always think praise is HUGELY important in teaching and I made sure I gave my "students" as much as possible.

The grammar test was tricky, but not really difficult. Then it was out into the hotel foyer to wait for envelopes from the recruiters to see if we could return tomorrow for our personal interviews. In the foyer my other interviewees were nervous, but in good spirits and we chatted about previous jobs/applications etc.

When the envelopes came out, it was like being on the X-Factor. I opened my envelope to reveal that I had to come back at 9am tomorrow (Sunday). YATTA!!! I wandered on back to hotel room, after wishing the others good luck, and had some take out Sushi and a beer.

The personal interview went as well as I could hope. After presenting an AEON lesson to my interviewer, Motoko (as if she was an intermediate level student) which again recieved no negative feedback (DOUBLE YATTA!!!!), she then proceeded to ask me questions about myself, teaching, AEON etc. I gave it all I could. My heart and soul very much open to her scrutiny as an interviewer. If it isn't enough then I can do no more.

I have to wait 2 weeks to here a HAI or IIE.....GANBARIMASU!!!

Monkey Service

Some people say that the bad service they recieved in restaurant was down to the fact that they pay the staff peanuts. Or Soy beans. And they might as well have monkeys.

Well in the Izakaya (Japanese style pub) , Kayabukiya in Northern Tokyo that is exactly what they have.

Yat chan and Fuku chan serve drinks to customers and are rewarded with soy beans. Fuku chan, who is the younger is only allowed to hand out hot towels, due to a lack of experience.

Both the animals are family pets, and the premises was vetted by Animal Rights regulators.