images

Daily life
Ube's AETs - Chris from England, myself, and Peter from Australia My street, my neighbourhood - Shima ni-chome Train tracks covered in snow, early morning A snowy view from outside my apartment A typical residential neighbourbood in Ube Downtown Ube at dusk
The Ube City public library My favourite convenience store, Lawson A traditional new year's decoration outside a house Rooftile soba - noodles cooked and then grilled on a hot rooftile Driving on the sidewalk, Japanese style, to get a Georgia coffee from a vending machine Making onigiri with my friend Yoshiko.  I taught her English, and  she helped me with Japanese cooking!
My family posing with a free-roaming pelican in Tokiwa Park (and I swear knee-socks were in style in Japan at the time!) Children peering at a pelican in Tokiwa Park Tanabata decorations in the nearby town of Asa Sunset from a train Hungry koi My favourite pair of slippers
The tea fields at Ono The grounds of a beautiful historic temple in Ube One of the buildings of a historic temple in Ube Autumn leaves in November Houses and rice fields in Yamaguchi City  
School life
Kamihara junior high Konan junior high Kuroishi junior high A closer view of Kuroishi junior high Kamiube junior high Ono junior high
The view from Ono junior high With some students at one of my favourite schools! Cast members of the school play during culture festival Cheerleading club practice Cheerleading club practice Students participating in the daily school cleaning ritual
With a bunch of eager elementary school students Surrounded by energetic elementary school students Elementary school students bringing lunch to their classroom Elementary school students serving lunch Posing with students after a lesson on American Christmas traditions
Artwork by Students
A cute and colourful  New Year's card An adorable Christmas card-- with perfect English! One more bright and cheery Christmas card A sketch of me during class A drawing done by an elementary school student after a class visit An adorable comic strip in which two Japanese jr high students act out the movie "Titanic" and are observed by their classmates -- drawn by  Mami
counting down to the new millenium, note the arm warmers!  -- drawn by Mami An illustration showing the value of friendship -- drawn by Mami Lunchtime at school -- drawn by Mami A phone conversation with a foreigner (named Arisun?) -- drawn by Mami Recess -- drawn by Mami  

*A special note about the drawings credited to Mami-- these drawings came from her English notebook, and were essentially her creative way of doing homework. While other students were copying sentences and dialogues straight from the textbook, she made up her own original illustrated stories. Isn't that amazing? Her drawings make me smile every time I look at them, so I just wanted to give everyone else a smile too.