Well into July already, it’s time to jot down some notes from this corner of the globe. If I was big on Twitter, as it seems most of the world is becoming, you’d have received daily, short-length updates of my Japanese life’s trivialities. Though, my view on this job, learning Japanese, and whether or not I hope to stay here for more than a year is a constantly-changing climate. Daily updates would put me on the more random, and even uncomprehensible side of things. Best to keep this blog monthly.

My “weathering moods,” not surprisingly, seem to parallel Toyama’s sporadic weather patterns. When humidity levels reach 100% and the temp reaches 95 degrees, sleep consists of sweaty fits of strange dreams that leave me groggy and grumpy the following day. When the clouds plump, the wind surges up and the sky finally bursts open in torrents, I feel refreshed and restored, similar to the plants on my window sill who grow wilted from the heat. Though, just as I’ve realized how important it is to maintain a sense of humor at school, all you can do is laugh at Toyama's weather and embrace it! I was walking to school this morning as sheets of rain came UP at me, changing angles with the gusts of wind. I did everything I could to keep my umbrella from breaking, from holding it like a shield out in front to crouching down as I walked. I looked like a cat performing acrobatics to avoid getting wet.

The monsoon rains are intense and unpredictable, but what you really can't control is the heat. It is not to be toyed with; you need to allow yourself cat naps, drink like a camel, take ice cold showers and embrace the “wet mop” look. At school, teachers carry small towels with them everywhere, in order to wipe the sweat from their brow that inevitably forms just two minutes after class begins! Beauty is not a priority this season!

Haha I look up from this very letter to see a teacher asleep at his desk. He has his hands on the keyboard in front if him (you know, “work-style”), though his head just drooped and he’s starting to sway a little! Jeez, these poor teachers are still pumping out 12-hour days on top of this heat. What’s more, with summer vacation just 2 weeks away, I am turning into a kid awaiting Christmas. Not so for the teachers. Although they’ll get a break from teaching classes, they still must come to work every day of August! Doing what? Trying to restore their sanity? Yoga classes? Workshops on finding balance in life!? I put this question to one teacher and she replied, “We have many many meetings.” Er, ok… Imagine taking summer vacation away from teachers in the States because they must attend meetings every day. My mother would have retired long before this year!

Thankfully, I work for a private company so I don’t adhere to this schedule, though I know English teachers who work for JET who follow the same norms as the Japanese teachers. This means sitting at their desk all day for 6 weeks straight with NOTHING to do. If you are motivated, you’ll read all the books you’ve ever wanted to read, you’ll discover your passions and pursue them as best you can from a junior high teacher’s room. But I mean really! People need to get outside, wander into the mountains, take their kids to the beach, and enjoy BBQ’s among friends! Put me in a vinyl chair for 6 weeks and I would start bringing iced sake in a flask and take up smoking just for a break every hour! Aaah, what was I saying? Right, summer vacation is just 2 weeks away! Yahoooooo!

Peter’s parents, Robyn and Greg, are visiting Lindsay, Sune, Peter and I beginning July 28th. We’re to spend 2 weeks traveling around Nagano, Gifu, Toyama and Niigata prefectures, escaping into the mountains (and therefore, from the heat) most of the time. Japanese-style bed and breakfasts, hiking, tea houses, temples and shrines, an abundance of verdure and solid family time…. It’s gonna be great!

Peter and I have met some really nice people in Toyama city. The more I figure this place out, the more I like it. At first glance (if the guide books are generous enough to even recommend a glance), Toyama city is a small, industrial “town” by the sea. Unfortunately, its buildings are not very old because it was heavily bombed during the war and it’s not quite close enough to the mountains to feel like you’re really “one with nature.” So it doesn’t have the history of Kyoto or the savageness of Hokkaido. Though it does have its own charm, definitely its own eyebrow-raising dialect and its people are humble and sincere. I have learned that one of my great passions – coffee and tea houses in any shape or form – is a key to meeting the local people and establishing a network. After receiving a bike from my predecessor, which I have tagged “granny wheels” due to its one gear, comfy seat, front basket, chipper bell and upright handle bars, I spent weeks cruising the tiny side streets in my area. I wanted to figure out where the cafes and tea houses of character lived, not the bars and sleezy restaurants many foreigners talk about here. The nice thing about Toyama is its “small world” effect; once you’ve befriended one person, you get introduced to another person who knows a teacher from your school (or used to be a student at your school!), then this person introduces you to yet another individual who has lived in Portland, Oregon or San Francisco and this goes on and on. A network begins to form in a seemingly effortless fashion and you begin to feel a sense of community that branches out in unexpected directions. I wondered into a quaint café last month where I was swept up in conversation with two women who liked speaking English but enjoyed laughing even more. I told them their place reminded me of cafes I used to frequent in Portland… you know, that goooood vibe feel. As I was leaving, one of the women handed me a business card and said, “If you like here, you will like there, too.”

This is how I discovered Koffe, an old garage transformed into a sweet café. It was opened 2 months ago by two wonderful individuals, Koji and Sai. They recently returned from 2 years in NYC learning about the process of owning a coffee house and roasting beans. And appropriately enough, Koffe’s beans are roasted on site by Koji (after whom the cafe is named) and all of the cakes and other delicate pastries are made by his wife Sai in the tiny kitchen upstairs that overlooks the garden. The interior decorating is reminiscent of Scandinavia with dark wood floors and white-washed walls. It's an especially nice place to grab an iced coffee and cool down. Situated along the canal, there's always a breeze stirring through the wide open doors and jazz is the common background music.

Not only is the interior inviting, but Koji and Sai’s warm smiles and broken English are enough to sit you down to enjoy their company for hours. They invited Peter and I to a memorable dinner party at their friend’s house a few weeks ago and last weekend we spent some time at the monthly flee market with Sai, perusing the local goods and edibles. That same Sunday, Peter baked a whole-wheat, walnut loaf (biggest loaf I’ve ever seen come out of our rice cooker!) and brought them half. They were impressed by Peter’s skills as a baker and hurriedly sat us down and offered assam iced tea. We were then introduced to two other English teachers who had also recently discovered this haven. Turns out they’re real nice folk and told us about a vegetarian banquet/fundraiser being held this weekend followed by an evening of jazz.

Listening to the notes of a saxophone, our voices tumbled out of the café’s glow into the cooling air and onto the canal just across the street. A memory to hold on to. This image highlights why people love places like Koffe: it offers a venue for conversation and an exchange of ideas, a venue that forgets about time and schedules, one that gives you a moment of peace and reflection. For this reason exactly, I seek these places out. It is in this environment that the most real conversations are had.

Sending you all lots of love. Happy Summer summer summer time!