Done with Training Day Two

Today was less intensive so that was nice. Now I have more time to post, so I'm going to try and give as much of that info as possible.

We have been in Japan for 4 days now I think. I haven't quite had a huge culture shock yet, but things are still a bit strange. Here in Mito, there is a lot less printed English around, but it is there in some places there is, like on the cars. There are all the makes of Japanese cars that you would find in the States, like Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mazda, etc; but not the Models. The Models are all written in English on the backs of the cars, but they are weird ones I've never heard of, like the Toyota Noah or the Honda Wish.

There are vending machines EVERYWHERE. Not snack machines, but beverage machines that dispense everything from soda to juice to water to hot coffee in cans and even beer. In one city block there usually is at least one machine on each side of the street, at least from what I have seen in Mito and Narita.

If you have ever seen pictures or videos of Japanese people wearing white surgical masks, I can tell you, they really do wear them here. If you have a cold or flu or any type of illness like that you are expected to wear one, and I have seen people wearing them everywhere I have gone.

The Japanese do not sign their name. On anything. They have a small stamp called a "hanko" that is about the diameter of a dime in the characters of their name. Tessa and I each need to get one to secure a "gaijin card" (basically a green card) and need that to get a Japanese bank account. Our name will have to be in Katekana (one of the scripts the Japanese use).

Oh, and tomorrow I have a meeting with the Board of Education in the area I am teaching in...hopefully that goes well.