Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been quite busy recently. I finally start teaching classes next week, so I've had a lot to finish preparing. I've also recently been able to visit the two other schools that I'll also be working at. I'll be teaching at these schools one day each week, while I'll be at my usual high school three days each week.

This past weekend I was able to go with my school's photography club on their day trip to Asakusa. Asakusa is one of the many areas in Tokyo. The photography club is pretty small, consisting of four boys and two teachers, so there were only seven of us total on the trip. The students were a bit shy around me, but I still had a nice time. Here's the link to my pictures!

We started off our trip by walking to the Tokyo Sky Tree. The Tokyo Sky Tree is a new broadcast tower that is currently being completed in Tokyo. It is the second tallest tower in the world and when it opens to the public in May 2012 it's sure to provide and amazing sky high view of Tokyo.

We then stopped for lunch, where the teachers had the students ask me questions about myself and America, in an effort to get them to be less shy. Then we made our way to Sensoji Temple, one of the main attractions in Asakusa. Upon arriving at Sensoji the first thing one sees is Kaminarimon, the entrance gate at the front of the temple grounds. After going through the gate, you find yourself at the beginning of Nakamise-dori, a long double sided row of tourist shops, selling all manner of traditional Japanese items and food. At the end of this long row, one finds themself at Sensoji Temple. Sensoji is a Buddhist Temple. A few quick things about religion in Japan. Buddhism and Shinto are the two main religions of Japan (though Shinto is perhaps better described as a way of life, rather than a religion). Buddhist religious buildings are referred to as temples and Shinto buildings are referred to as shrines. One does not have to specifically consider themself a follower of that religion in order to visit the temple/shrine and make an offering. That's enough explanation on that for now, though perhaps later I'll make a post about the differences between Buddhism and Shinto and the interesting nature of religion in Japan. Now back to Sensoji. Before entering the temple, one walks to the incense burner out front and wafts the smoke towards themself. This is meant to purify you before you enter the temple. There is also a water basin where you pour water over your hands before entering the temple, which is another for of purification. Once you enter the temple, there's a large offering box at the front. It is customary to throw a five yen coin in the box as an offering, because 5 yen is considered lucky. You throw your coin in, clap your hands twice, and say your prayer.

After our trip to Sensoji, our group took a water bus (which is really just a large tourist boat) down the Sumida River to get to the Hamarikyu Gardens. These gardens used to be the family gardens of the Tokugawa shogunate before they were remodeled and opened to the public. The gardens are quite large and spacious. We went to the lovely flower garden and took quite a few pictures.

Our trip was done after our visit to the gardens. It was a long day and we did quite a bit of walking. I was tired, but it was a fun time. I hope that I can spend more time with my students and try to get them to be less nervous about speaking English around me.