At long last, a post!

Today I did my Halloween class at a middle school (where I am not allowed to hand out candy) and a high school (where I am), and it was like an object lesson in the power of incentives. Say "tell me what you would be if you were dressing up for Halloween"? Some of the keener students might volunteer, but most of them are still falling asleep at their desks. Say "tell me what you would be if you were dressing up for Halloween and I'll give you a piece of candy"? Suddenly the whole class is going "ME ME OOH PICK ME" and some people are coming up multiple times with different answers in the hopes that I will change my one-candy-per-customer policy. In conclusion, candy = learning. This is clearly an important educational principle.

In other news, I have long intended to bring a camera with me to one of my schools and take pictures of the view along the way, because I drive through a national park and it is gorgeous. There are all these designated "pull over here and take pictures" spots, so I thought, well, why not pull over and take pictures there? And also in some other places because I am a rebel like that.

However, I kept forgetting my camera, and before long it was fall and starting to get dark early, and naturally on the day I finally remembered to bring my camera there was fog and the visibility was terrible. We will just pretend that this is because my town is a Magical Village Hidden in the Mists. I live in goddamned Brigadoon, okay. (Actually I always hated that movie, less because it was cheesy and more for the subplot about the guy who wants to leave and get an education but it will DOOM THE TOWN so they all form a mob and chase him down. What kind of message is that? "Wanting to get out of your small town and see the world makes you a horrible selfish person, so stay put"? ... but man, who's even seen that movie these days? I'll shut up.)

Nevertheless, I have pictures.



This is a graveyard on the side of the mountain, though the mistiness makes it hard to see clearly.



This is the road in front of the school (with the sun in a terrible position).



The school itself (from an awkward angle, with too much car window in the shot).



There are tons of JA-SS gas stations in my area, but this is the only one with the weird retro-futuristic dome/arch thing. Why does it need such a thing? Your guess is as good as mine.



The area around the school is not really that nice.



Of course, it would help a bit if I weren't standing in a parking lot, but photography from the window of a moving car while driving does not seem like the best pastime.

Now on to the park, which accounts for the bulk of the pictures!















I've done this drive dozens of times now, but there's always something wonderful about the moment when I come around a curve and see the town I live in laid out before me, with its lights (sparse though they may be) glittering. I only wish I were a good enough writer to capture the feeling.









Where I live, the leaves aren't turning yet, but up in the mountains they are — I guess because it's significantly cooler there, making it a similar climate to what I am accustomed to at my usual, more northerly latitude.



















And that's it for the park.



I wanted to take a picture of these cabin-on-a-stick things, but I had to turn the flash off because I was taking the picture through the window of the car, which meant shooting with a very slow shutter speed (as it was getting dark). Unfortunately, as I was taking the picture another car sped through the shot, and this was the result. ... I mean, I did this totally on purpose and it is artistic.



This is the general area of my apartment building. When I say I live in the middle of the fields, I am not exaggerating.



And this is the road in front of said building, which is the unprepossessing grey structure on the left. It was not actually this dark at this point; the sun hadn't even set yet, but you'd never know from the way the pictures came out.



A small shrine next to my house.

And that's about it.

Honestly, most of these look better as thumbnails than at full size. Observe:



Oh well. I never claimed to be much of a photographer.

FAQ

Who are you?

A young idiot with a BA in English, currently teaching in Japan. If you were hoping for my name, address, Social Security number, or three sizes, you’re out of luck.

Why is your blog called “The Weird Foreigner?” I mean, besides the obvious.

It’s from a mnemonic for remembering exceptions to the “I before E” rule: “the weird foreigner neither seizes leisure nor forfeits height.” And I’m an English teacher living in a foreign country, so look at me, look at me, I’m so clever!

Where do you live?

In a small town on the island of Kyushu, the southernmost major island of Japan. It is very humid here, and full of mosquitoes. I’m sure that narrows it down a lot.

I want to live in Japan too!

That’s not a question. Anyway, I suggest you only undertake this if you really, really love paperwork. In fact, I suggest skipping Japan and playing Douglas Adams’ Bureaucracy instead. It’s much cheaper. This is probably the only joke I will ever make about the paperwork, though, because most good jokes about bureaucracy in general have already been made. Often by Douglas Adams.

Wasn’t that reference a bit esoteric?

Shut up.

You’re a jerk. Anyway, why does the world need another blog written by a foreigner living in Japan? Aren’t there a lot of those already? What makes your daily life so special and interesting?

It doesn’t really, but I’m doing one anyway, largely as an exercise to hone my writing skills (read: actually make myself finish stuff). Anyway, it’s only partly Japan-related writings; part of it is stuff about being a young person living alone for the first time and part of it is just whatever I happen to feel like writing about. And I don’t think there are going to be that many daily-life anecdotes, really.

Actually, I really wanted to read yet another blog about a foreigner living in Japan. Why aren’t there more anecdotes?

Jeez, make up your mind, will you? Anyway, part of it is to distinguish myself from the millions of other similar blogs and part of it is that I’m really paranoid about putting in identifying details lest my co-workers find this or something. And part of it is that that just didn’t end up being what I felt like writing.

Why are you doing an FAQ as the first post in your blog when no one has actually asked you any questions yet?

Shut up.

Seriously, how do you know anyone is going to ask any of these questions?

They seem like basic things people would want to know about. I mean, what else do you think they’d be asking me?

Something in my house smells like old cheese and I don’t know what it is. What should I do?

Have you tried taking out the trash, doing the dishes, and smelling all the dairy in your fridge? If not, do all of these things, and then open the windows for a while and see if the smell goes away. If you have and the cheese smell persists, you are probably being haunted by a malevolent cheese spirit. Contact an exorcist.

Did I leave the gas on?

Yes.

Wasn’t that last question a bit outdated? I mean, who has to turn the gas on and off anymore?

Many Japanese people do. Also people who are living in Japan. I frequently leave the gas on. Thus the answer to the previous question may be projection. Sorry for implying that you were careless.

Don’t worry about it.

Anyway, I highly doubt people are going to be asking me questions like that.

You never know, they might. Or they might ask about different things entirely. I can’t think of everything, you know. Which is why you should’ve waited to do your FAQ until later.

Aren’t you supposed to be asking me questions?

Shut up.

… Let’s just end this here, why don’t we.