Ise and more

2 weekends ago I went to Ise with Mason, Deanna and Daniel from the JET program. Oddly enough, it was all Canadians and first years except Mason.
Ise　is the holiest temple in Japan. I can't do the explanation justice, but this guy does a pretty good job http://www.gonomad.com/alternatives/0509/ise.html. As well as the mirror, there are 2 other objects that are considered very holy. They are a sword which is apparently in Nagoya and beads which I think are in Tokyo. Anyways, here are some pictures in Geku and also in Naiku. There really was a lot of forest surrounding the temples. . .it made me feel like I was back in Canada! ^^

Geku:

Before Naiku:

Naiku:

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a REAL picture of the main temple because it's too holy. . .

Outside of Ise, I started teaching!!! It's really super awesomely fun! So far I've taught elementary schools and 1 junior high school. Grades 4-9 and a different school everyday!! Next week I'm teaching 1st graders and also 5th graders but this weekend is a long weekend so I only have school 3 this week. The first school I went to made me kind of uneasy because the students were really shy and the teachers were not so friendly. . .but after that every school was amazing. Kids keep coming up to me after class and want me to sign their notebooks and pencil cases. . .it's hilarious and really cute. They're also, for the most part, really happy to learn english! I <3 my job so far ^^

I also went on a date! :O I picked up a guy at a bar. . .-__- but it was a gay bar, and he was working there! That doesn't help my case, I realize. Anyways, turns out he's a dj and is pretty cool. We went out for dinner last night and he can't speak english at all so we spoke entirely Japanese. I did much better than I thought I would. . .he only had to use the dictionary on his phone to translate for me about 10 times. He's cute, but it's too soon to say anything concrete about him. . .but I think he's very open-minded and liberal relative to a lot of other Japanese people I've met. . .We also had a good discussion about music. . .which is rare for me with Japanese people.
After that I went to see DJ Tiga!! (he went to see another DJ but also wanted to go to Tiga). I got to the club he was playing around 11 and locked my stuff in a locker outside the club so I could dance. . .ie. I didn't have a watch or money. I thought that the show was going on for kind of a ridiculously long time but then thought maybe I was just being a baby. Finally I was really dehydrated and couldn't get water from the bar for anything less than 500 Yen (about $5) so I decided to leave, although Tiga wasn't done his set (which must have already been at least an hour and a half). When I got my stuff and looked at the time it was 4:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had been dancing by myself for 5 hours straight. . .no wonder I was so thirsty! -__- anyways, It was still an hour before first train so I taxi'd to my friend's house who lives in Kanayama (beside the station) and who had previously approved me staying with her even if it was late. I crashed there till around 11 and then we went for breakfast at Denny's in Kanayama.
Now I am home doing laundry. . .tonight is another adventure in Nagoya!