February 4, 2004 – Worst Case Survival Guide
Posted by Barniferous in Kawasaki Nova, Teaching English on February 4, 2014
The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel
Today in Voice class (open conversation room) I decided to use the “Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel” as a conversation starter. The book gives hilarious, illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to survive travel emergencies such as stopping a runaway camel, jumping from a moving train, and passing a bribe at customs.
After showing a few examples, I asked the students to think of a few Japanese emergencies. The winning ideas were losing a train ticket, not having enough money at a restaurant, and missing the last train home. I then got the students to come up with step-by-step instructions on how to deal with these situations.
This turned out to be a fun way to teach event sequencing (first do this, next try this, etc) and also some new vocabulary. The students had almost as much fun as I did. Some days I am still surprised that I get paid for this.
Remember kids: don’t get off the camel until it stops moving.
(partial rewrite of original post)
February 3, 2004 – The Urinating Talk Show
Posted by Barniferous in Hello House, Life in Japan on February 3, 2014
Tuesday is becoming my favorite day for TV at Hello House. Before work I get to watch THREE back to back to back episodes of the Simpsons. Finding The Simpsons on TV in Japan is not easy, compared to Canada where it was literally on some channel any time day or night.
Curious about the non-Simpsons offerings on the TV, I browsed through the channel listings. I found a Japanese channel with a show called “The Urinating Talk Show” followed by “The Special Urinating Talk Show!”. That channel was blocked in Hello House, so I can only speculate on the contents. My best guesses are that they either talk about urinating or talk while urinating. Either way, I was not terribly upset that I couldn’t watch.
February 2, 2004 – Yay blond hair!
Posted by Barniferous in Marshall, Teaching English on February 2, 2014
Today I worked a shift so another teacher could go watch the Super Bowl and drink heavily. He found a bar that was showing the game (early in the morning) and had Happy Hour until the first touchdown.
Trading a shift with another teacher usually involves simply switching one day for another. However, since I am a part time teacher (5 lessons per day), trading with a full time teacher (8 lessons per day), I ended up with 5000 yen as compensation for working the extra 3 lessons. My day off in return for working today will be February 12. Marshall and I are planning a night out in Tokyo.
Work was interesting. Most of my students were women and I got flirted with in nearly every class. Yay blond hair!!
(2014 update)
It is entirely possible that I get flirted with more often than just on this day, but I am generally pretty clueless.
February 1, 2004 – Cheap movie day
Posted by Barniferous in Marshall, Movies, Tokyo on February 1, 2014
Today was a day off, and man, did I ever sleep a lot. Today is the first day of the month, so it is cheap movie day. On cheap day the price is 1000 yen instead of the typical 1800 yen. Marshall and I took advantage of cheap day to see Mystic River in Shinjuku.
Interesting notes from our movie night:
a) You can buy and drink beer at movies in Japan
b) Marshall and I found the movie theatre in Shinjuku WITHOUT getting lost. This is truly unprecedented.
January 31, 2004 – I need a beers
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Teaching English on January 31, 2014
Yes, yes I do
Another work week finishes. Whee! I guess it is the last day of the month so I should write some insightful and meaningful wrap up for the month, showing how I learned something or how the cultural experience was meaningful or something. However, after an entire day of people badly misusing my native language, I can only say “I need a beers”.
January 29, 2004 – 10 Degrees and Sunny
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on January 29, 2014
Japanese practice in Yokohama, Mos Burger and chatting to friends at home on MSN make for a good day. For those freezing in a long, cold Winnipeg winter – I would like you to know that it 10 degrees and sunny with a beautiful blue sky here today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
(2014 update)
I am in Winnipeg as I am rewriting my original post, and it is -30 outside. I would kill for 10 degrees, even without sunny skies.
MOS Burger is a Japanese fast food chain that is now the second largest fast food franchise in Japan after McDonalds Japan. They offer a variety of Japanese style hamburgers. Definitely worth a try if you want to try some international fast food.
January 28, 2004 – Free travel advice
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on January 28, 2014
Some of my friends from Winnipeg are thinking of coming to visit this summer and wanted an idea for things to do. So in my Voice class (open conversation classroom for students of all levels), I asked the students to form teams and try to make the best vacation for a bunch of Canadian university students on a budget
Yes, I got paid to have my students help plan a trip to Japan for my friends. Some days I love this job!
January 27, 2004 – Interesting students
Posted by Barniferous in Kawasaki Nova, Keikyu-Kawasaki NOVA, Teaching English on January 27, 2014
(Original post) At work I taught a kid that was really good today! Why can`t all kids be like that? I also taught a member of the Japanese Self Defence force and a woman who designs diamond tools for cutting silicon.
(2014 Update) The location of a NOVA branch will go a long way in determining what kinds of students will show up. Kawasaki City is a largely industrial city full of factories and heavy industry. The majority of students in the evenings and on weekends are all engineers. I have nothing against engineers, but it is nice to have a little more variety in the classroom. Three electrical engineers and one computer engineer who all work and live in Kawasaki is not variety.
Variety of students in the classroom, whether it be people with different jobs, people from different generations, people with interesting hobbies, or the always rare non-Japanese student, keeps things interesting for the teachers. English teachers are responsible for teaching as good a lesson as possible, regardless of who shows up to class. However, it is much easier to stay engaged and excited as a teacher when you aren’t teaching the same lesson to the same types of students all the time.
Variety in the classroom is also good for the students. Not only does it give students a chance to interact with people they might not normally talk to, it also allows for a wider range of vocabulary. As an example, imagine the discussion about weekend plans in a classrom with 4 salarymen as compared to a classroom with an engineer, a retired senior, a university student, and a stay at home housewife with 3 kids.
In my 3 years of teaching in Japan I got to teach a great assortment of different people with different jobs. My highlights include a Buddhist Monk, members of the Japanese Self Defence Force, a game designer, a few doctors, a hostesse, a miniture dollhouse designer, a very opinionated retired ballerina, and an awesome construction worker from Peru who was studying English as a third language.
If you have an English school and have any control over scheduling of your lessons, do your students and teachers a favour and try to get some variety in the classroom. It will benefit everyone.
January 26, 2004 – Bad music day at the internet cafe
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on January 26, 2014
There is some seriously terrible music on at the internet cafe today. Normally the cafe is playing Red Hot Chili Peppers (good!), Aerosmith (okay), Britney Spears (not great), or Backstreet Boys (bad). Today’s music sounds like it was created by someone who got fired from making Nintendo Entertainment System game music, took a lot of bad drugs, listened to Nada Surf and the Grease soundtrack on repeat, and then somehow got a record deal.
I would rather see a boy band live than to listen to any more of this crap!
(2014 update)
Man I wish that Soundhound existed when this happened. I really want to know who was responsible for the music.
January 25, 2004 – A romantic dinner at Wendy’s
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, The Penpal on January 25, 2014
The view near Mukogaoka-Yuen station including Wendy’s in the middle of the shot
The Penpal came to visit me in Noborito today. We watched movies, practiced languages, and enjoyed a romantic dinner at Wendy’s. Okay, it was actually lunch, and not terribly romantic. But we did it together and it was fun.
The Penpal had to leave in the late afternoon. From Noborito she would take the Odakyu line to Odawara and then change to Tokaido line to go to Numazu. I wanted to spend some more time with her, so I came up with a clever idea. At Noborito station I bought the cheapest ticket available, good for one stop on the Odakyu line. We then rode together to Odawara. We said goodbye at the Odakyu exit gate, and then I got on the next train going back towards Tokyo. I got off at Mukogaoka-yuen station, which is exactly one stop away from Noborito. In total I got to spend another hour with The Penpal and to travel a round trip of 134km for the low price of 130 yen.
Feeling pretty proud of myself, I stopped in at Daiei to get some discount food for dinner instead of cooking. I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire pizza with jalapenos, olives and pepperoni for half price. How can you beat 450 yen for a whole pizza?
Just a fantastic day all around.
Drinking in Japan 
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