The job search began this month as scheduled, though it seems really early. But I can’t take any chances, because money is going to be a real problem after I leave my current job next summer. And timing couldn’t be worse! Japan is in a serious recession now, and the yen is really strong against the dollar (88 yen to the dollar earlier last week!) which means it’s going to get much, much worse. Of course the whole world is in a bad place right now… but as a foreigner here my prospects of work vanish the instant the economy turns.

Previously I had promised myself my next job would be an art job. I really hope I don’t have to break that promise. Hitomi and I are searching together, but we’ve got plenty of strikes working against us: my Japanese is good, but not good enough to do professional translation; we’re in a really rural part of Japan with few foreigners and few opportunities; and the recession, of course. It’s not all negative, though… but I need to look in the right places and also receive some serious luck.

Wow, time sure flies.

December has been going quickly. Even watching the minute hand quiver 60 times just to get from 3:00 to 3:01 seems really fast! I’ll be going to the US in 2 weeks for the first time in one and a half years. How exciting!

This month has also been super busy. This week alone, I had 40 classes (we’re only supposed to have 29 or so maximum), including mandatory work on Sunday. Grr! I can’t wait to find a new job.

Last weekend Hitomi and I went to Yumi’s Christmas Concert in Fukui. I think I had some photos of last year’s event. This year’s was indoors, happily, but unhappily it featured a saxophone. And the guy playing it wore a teal suit with a purple shirt, and gave a most embarrassing Japanese speech about the true meaning of Christmas.

After that we went to a holiday festival here in Echizen, in Kura no Tsuji, the only really stylish place in the city. Kura no Tsuji is a small square/courtyard surrounded by historic buildings. The buildings are all old-fashioned traditional warehouses converted into shops and bars, and the area has some Christmas lights up now which make it very beautiful. It was a tiny little festival, but it was really fun. As the only foreigner there, I was asked many times if people could take my picture, and I even made the city’s homepage.

Kura no Tsuji's Holly Night

Hitomi with a rose

Two nights ago, Hitomi and I went to a Christmas celebration/cake buffet at an elementary school. (Have I mentioned how I love that the Japanese word for buffet is viking?) The party was organized by the same young men’s group that organized last month’s Chrysanthemum Earth Expo. There was a “reggae” performance which featured some Christmas pop songs as well as Japanese reggae (with a harmonica and a guy wearing a luchador mask). I totally love the tiny coutnry town feel of these podunk little festivals!

Last night was Aeon’s Christmas Party. We had some new attendees, which was fun, and everyone had a really good time. Our school is really small, but I think that makes the community so much warmer. Halfway through, Hitomi told me she felt really sick and needed me to take her outside, but it turns out the manager and my coworkers had planned a suprise birthday party for me and she was in on it. So when we came back to the room, the lights were out and everyone shot poppers at me and yelled, “Supplies!” I haven’t been so supplied in a long time.

I’m really glad to have today off… I’ve been so busy that I need a bit of time to rest and recover (especially from last night’s drinking).