Tarto in Japan

No updates lately, because I've decided to start looking for a job, and I'm really busy these days. I haven't actually started to search yet, as there are already many problems to solve:

- apartment : I'm homeless from the 25th june, after that I still have no idea where to go...seems impossible to rent an apartment for not even 3 months, especially for a foreigner.

- visa : another mess, since there are actually two choices for me, but it's too complicated to explain right now.

- work : first, I need to write my resume in Japanese. Then, searching in Nagoya is more difficult than in Tokyo...but I really like Nagoya, it combines the commodities of a large city with the atmosphere of a small one. Also, I now have quite a few friends here and I definitely don't want to leave. However, there are obviously less job offers than in Tokyo...

- luggage : the only problem I've solved so far. I've bought lots of small things since I arrived in Japan (kitchen stuff, blankets etc) that won't fit in my backpack but that I don't want to throw away. But it's fine, as I just found a place to store everything for free!

This week-end, I'm meeting a Japanese friend who's in charge of the recruitment for his company, and he's gonna give me some advice.

Anyway I don't lack inspiration about my blog, I still have tons of topics I want to write about, however I've decided to stop updating for the moment. I might upload some pics every now and then, but I clearly don't have time to write currently. I don't know when I'll be back, it'll mostly depend on how the job search goes. Ideally, I'd like to sign a contract by the end of june, or early july.

OK, gotta go, see you soon then! You can still wish me good luck!

Here's a new series of stereo pics, shot in various places from Ichinomiya to Amihari onsen.

In the mountain, at Amihari onsen: cross-eye - parallel

Harajuku park (Tokyo):

Photo 1: cross-eye - parallel

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Temples in Hiraizumi:

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Cherry blossom trees in Ichinomiya:

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Ikeburuko's escalator (Tokyo): cross-eye - parallel

Matsushima: cross-eye - parallel

Meiji mura (haven't talked about this place yet):

Photo 1: cross-eye - parallel

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Photo 6: cross-eye - parallel

Sendai:

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Shinjuku park (Tokyo): cross-eye - parallel

Tono:

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Ueno park (Tokyo):

Photo 1: cross-eye - parallel

Photo 2: cross-eye - parallel

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but I've been very busy with the golden week that just ended. The golden week is a series of 4 national holidays very close to one another (within 7 days) and represents one of the three main holiday periods in Japan. The other two are the new year and o-bon (お盆, festival of the dead, in summer). Those days are:

- 29th april: birthday of former emperor Showa

- 3rd may : the post war constitution, put into effect in 1947

- 4th may : thanks to a law that stated that any day that falls between two national holidays would in turn become a national holiday (nice, isn't it?), the 4th may became a national holiday. It has been renamed since and has become greenery day

- 5th may : children's day

It seems that if one of those days falls on a sunday, then the following monday is considered as a public holiday. As you may guess, there are good years and bad years, for instance next year is particularly bad since the only days off will be tuesday april 29th and monday may 5th, the 3rd and 4th overlapping the week-end!...

Anyway, the golden week is usually a great opportunity for Japanese people to travel. Indeed in Japan, not only there's not a lot of holidays, but it's also not easy to take them. Taking holidays also means additional work for the co-workers who stay...But during the golden week it's different, most people are on holiday and quite a few companies also close or run with limited staff, so there's no problem of co-workers left behind and one can travel...although roads, trains, hotels etc are crowded and prices climb significantly!...

For me, it was rather a "golden opportunity" to stay quietly at home, out of the question that I travel at the same time as everybody else! But then again, "quietly" is not the most appropriate word, in fact I spent my days and evenings in Nagoya and as usual, holidays were more tiring than school...