Friday, March 28, 2008

photo update


Opt-A 2nd term 07-08 - 1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All,

More pics on my flickr site for you to see.

The picture above is from a set I took of the 9th graders in my optional English class at TJH.
Every term I try to take some group shots of the kids in my elective English class, and this group of shots turned out pretty good. I use these shots in the movie I posted below.

The picture below is from Graduation Day at my other Jr High - Hamayama Chu. I didn't really take too many of the ceremony itself, but I got some fun snaps of the graduates after they walk the "gauntlet of goodbyes" and then gather in the parking lot for some last pics with their friends before they all head off to various high schools.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Graduation Day 2008 at Hamayama Chu - 33.jpg

Monday, March 17, 2008

Graduation Day 2008 at TJH


Graduation Day 2008 at TJH - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All -

Last Friday was Graduation Day at Taisha Chu, and unfortunately it turned out to be a rainy day, as you can see from the picture above of me with Minami and Manami. (sure - now I get their names right.. LOL)

I posted about 80 pics to my Flickr site, so click on any of these pics to be taken to 4 and 1/2 pages to see.
There are pics of the classroom decorations, the ceremony itself and of course, lots of pics of my kids - the graduating 9th graders and the 7th and 8th graders saying goodbye to their sempai.

This class was special for many reasons - they were my first group of kids that I taught ALL 3 years of Jr High with - in fact i first met them when they were 6th graders in elementary school.
I got to know the boys in this class better than I have in any previous class - I will really miss hanging out with them.

Graduation Day 2008 at TJH - 63.jpg

And I got really involved in all the clubs this past year, trying to go to as many concerts, competitions and matches as I could.
My first year or two I spent most of my time with the kendo club and the brass band, but these past few years I've been able to get involved in most of the clubs at school, like the tennis girls below...

Graduation Day 2008 at TJH - 14.jpg

My favorite club this year tho was the Volleyball club - I had a great time cheering at their matches and I'm really gonna miss all 8 of the 9th graders who were on the team. They came up to me at the farewell ceremony a few days before graduation and said "Thanks" for all my support, and gave me a small gift. It was all I could do to not start crying like a little girl right there in front of them.

This past year wasn't the greatest for me - but this group of kids will always have a special place in my memories. I wish them all the best of luck in high school and in the future.

そつぎょうせいーおめでとうございました!
ジェイソン

Sunday, March 16, 2008

SUMO - Osaka Day One - Hakuho vs Takekaze 3-09-08

Hello All,

The spring sumo tournament started last Sunday and will continue until next Sunday.

I'm going to Osaka to watch it live on Saturday the 22nd!! :)

I'll be posting short vids of some of the matches along the way, with short commentary by me.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Thursday, March 13, 2008

New Iron Man Trailer May 2nd, 2008

I want to see "The Dark Knight" (Batman) and the new "Indiana Jones" movies really bad, but number 3 on my want-to-see list is this promising slice of comic book lore from Marvel, the same company that publishes Spider-Man and the X-Men.
Directed by Jon Favreau from "Swingers" and starring a very cool Robert Downey Jr - it seems like it might be a good action flick with some interesting acting and characters.
Let's hope it opens in Japan soon after it opens in America.

Good Learner, Bad Learner

This is a classic video made by a former JET named Will. He now has a website (the address is at the end of the video) where he gives advice on learning Japanese.

Good stuff!
-jason

English conversation lecture - Japanese TV

I should be on TV... :)

Enjoy this funny vid from a Japanese TV show.

-Jason

Saturday, March 08, 2008

photo update


Kendo in Yasugi - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All -

I've uploaded another 6 pages of pics to my Flickr site.

A grab bag of stuff - mostly from a year ago...

I've been searching thru my pics while preparing to make a movie of my pictures for my soon-to-graduate 9th graders, and I've been discovering sets of pics I forgot to upload to my Flickr site.

Like the pic above from a kendo tourney I went to last year. This pic is kinda blurry, but it shows coach Matsuo with some of the kendo girls, all in their heavy jackets, cuz it was winter and in an unheated gym. They're standing around a kerosene stove to get warm. Ahh, the wonders of modern Japan... :)

and the pic below is of a bunch of my students at last year's farewell ceremony (yo sen kai). They were 7th graders then, are 8th graders now, and in one short month will be my final class of 9th graders. Wow....

2007 TJH Yo Sen Kai - 14.jpg

so enjoy the pics, but it'll be a little while before I add more, cuz if you watched the vlog below then you know I'm super busy right now getting ready for all my upcoming graduation ceremonies.

Cheers,
Jason

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Vlog - March is a busy month

Hi everyone!

Here is a short video update on what's going on in my life.

Watch and enjoy!
-Jason