||\ JOEL IN JAPAN /||

ku gatsu

jump to section 2
jump to section 3 [shamisen]
jump to section 4 [package from home]

this is my life... this month ive uploaded videos of my daily life! november has been another interesting month, perhaps the first "stable" month, in that ive fully developed a daily pattern, etc. its gotten "cold" here although it hasnt really dipped below 45-40 yet. but on a rainy day like today, 45 IS very cold.

new things to speak of are my "shamisen" lessons every other sunday. shamisen is a traditional japanese stringed instrument, similar to a guitar. look below for pictures. i am also learning to sing while playing the traditional songs. and it all happened by chance! i asked kaori, friend who happens to be taking shamisen lessons, where i could buy a cheap shamisen. so she asked her teacher who said "he can barrow one of mine and i will give him lessons for free". she also feeds me everytime i come over, i couldnt ask for a better deal.








[ this is walking to the station from my mon/tuesday school ]



[ this is the food on my top shelf. ]



[ the woman on the left is my shamisen sensei. the girl in the middle is kaori and her husbamd is on the right. we went out to eat after my first shamisen lesson. ]


[ this is me and my shamisen sensei's grandson. he came over one sunday to practice english with me. ]






section 2



[ this is one the way to shamisen lessons on sunday morning, i go by bike. its always a refreshing and peaceful ride. the reason i took these photos is because of the red shinto gate, or torii, oddly place high ontop a building. ]



[ this was the "nagoya city archieves" now a museum. built during the meija era in the early 1900, when the country was in its modernize / westernize phase. ]


[ this is, the often photographed by me, city hall ]




[ one of the few remaing old districts in downtown nagoya, how much longer it'll be here... i dont know. ]









[ this is the NTT docomo building, the biggest cell phone company in japan. this is probably the tallest building in my area and you can easily see from almost anywhere. i like it for it strange tower, almost reminiscent of a pagoda. ]











[ kiwako and i went to the only subway i know of in nagoya, she loves american food, so she was happy than me i think. ]




section 3


[ this is my shamisen ]






[ a gift from one of my students. its a drawing of me. ]
[ i was a guest teacher one day for the special ed class, they were probably the most enthusiatic and fun kids thus far. ]

[ my "hanko" or personal stamp. people use these instead of signature for all offical documents and the like. mine says "jouru" in a very artistic way, it was custom made! ]




[ food i made. ]


[ the other day.. a comparison. ]


section 4

halloween / thanksgiving / xmas / bday/ new years package from home...