Escaping the hand of the evil one...

I have successfully avoided the lure of becoming a ladder-climbing scuzzbucket. I decided after two and a half months of working for the big man, that I was through. I quit my job and started pan-handling door-to-Japanese door. Sometimes, if I was in a particularly good mood, I would knock on the unsuspecting Japanese person's door and say "trick or treat." Unfortunately, they don't really get those kind of jokes. For real, though, I am going to be an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) at a junior high school in Takasaki City.

But first, before I embark on a new adventure, in a new city, I must inform and share some of my experiences in Ueda-shi, Nagano-ken. Yes, the home of the 1998 Winter Olympics. I arrived in Ueda on the 15th of Septemeber. Throughout my meanderings I have discovered a few things about the city that I would like to share: 1) It is situated in a valley about 25 kilometers to the south of Nagano City, 2) It is home to the Ueda Castle and the seven (or was it eight) samauri warriors, 3) There is a really good Italian restaurant called "Papa Orsos", 4) Just because anyone can get a kareoke booth doesn't mean the person is in actuality a good singer, and 5) I will be sad to leave this place.

I will be especially sad to leave because of how beautiful the fall was here. I would often trek down to Ueda Park and read or watch the multiple school field trips assemble there.




Another benefit for living in Ueda was seeing the Hanabi (literally fire flowers) in Nagano City. Grace, Mike, and I headed over right after work and joined the thousands of festival goers on the grassy hills to watch. Supposedly this was a made-up festival so the firework company could show off their new designs for the up-coming year, but I'm not complaining. Let's just say that the Japanese are light years ahead of us in the spiro-technics department. It was simply amazing! I am sorry that these pictures don't capture the "oooh's and ahhh's" that the fire flowers evoked from the crowd.