ringo wo taberu eirian to dake tomodachi ni nareru

25 days and counting...

I have eventually been able to breathe. My Police Clearance finally arrived after having been with them for over 45 working days (it apparently takes 28 to process) and it took them 3 weeks to get it from being signed to actually mailing it in the already provided courier envelope. I am not going to miss South African administration skills – or lack there of.

Still waiting on other odds and ends. Visa application has to go in this week and they are busy processing our flights. We will be in Tokyo for 3 nights and staying at Keio Plaza Hotel where we will have our orientation. I am going to have to resist the urge on the first night to go and explore in exchange for sleep and jetlag prevention.

My placement has come through. I am heading to Kunisaki on the coast. It was not easy to find and English map but it is where Oita airport is based. Here is all of what Wikipedia has to say:

Kunisaki (国東市, Kunisaki-shi?) is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.

Kunisaki City was founded on March 31, 2006, as a result of the merger between the towns of Kunisaki, Aki, Kunimi and Musashi from Higashikunisaki District.

As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 43.206 and a density of 136 persons per km². The total area is 317,80 km².

Oita Airport is located in Kunisaki.


Riveting stuff. But despite all that I have a beach and mountains and it is all allegibly quite beautiful. My predecessor has been wonderful with passing on information and offering help where she can. I will be taking over her house and car whose nic is Ratty (I have included some pics). Lucky for me I don’t have to pay any key/deposit money and my house is fully furnished and provided. One of the CT JETs going over has to take R25000 just in start up fees. So rucky me.

Sadly the town does not get much snow, but then there are holidays to Hokkaido for that.

Watashi no hobākurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu

Thanks to the American banking system the magazine I was with folded last year. As a result I have been flirting between freelancing and UIF for the last couple of months but the reality is there is just not much happening in the world of magazines.

So instead in July I will become a participant of the JET programme. On the 25th July I head to Tokyo. I have been placed in Oita in Japan where I will teach the youth of Japan to pronounce English words.

Apparently someone informed the programme of my issues with the cold and have sent me to the hot spring capital of Japan. Also, and I quote, this area of Japan has "relatively few natural disasters" IE. the usual energetic fault lines, active volcanoes and flooding. Not to mention the poisonous centipedes but really my biggest concern at this point is being faced with a bowl of tentacles and being expected to sing karaoke.

A Map of Japan - I'll be placed someone where in section 44
A close up of my Prefecture, Oita (click on picture for more detail)