Outside Morioka Station, there's a system of underground walkways that connect the station and the basement level of the neighboring department store to the opposite side of the street. Whenever I'm at the station in the evening, it seems like there's always at least one guy sitting in the passage playing a guitar with a few girls sitting across from him watching him. I always have to choke back the urge to ask him to play Stairway to Heaven. I wonder if he'd know it if I did. Last night while I was waiting for my bus, I saw one of them, but I also saw this guy just dancing to hip hop and techno. He had a boom box and would just be dancing around, stop if someone walked past him, then start again after they passed him. It was like I discovered the one man Japanese equivalent of Jay and Silent Bob.

A new semester began today. In the morning there was a ceremony introducing the new teachers to the second and third years, then each grade had a separate meeting. All of the third year teachers gave a short speech to the students. I think that mine was pretty bland and cliched, but I was able to say it all in Japanese, which makes me happy. There's one newly transferred third year teacher, Shizukuishi-san. Interestingly enough, Shizukuishi is also the name of a nearby town famous for its hot springs. He seems all right so far. The entrance ceremony for the new first year students was in the afternoon. In Japan, junior high school entrance ceremonies are very important, so many parents came to watch. I played the always entertaining game of "Guess which student's father is a yakuza boss." Three of the new first years collapsed during the ceremony, mainly from nervousness, I think. None of them seemed seriously injured, but it was very surprising when they just suddenly fell down. Although as many as three people collapsing was unusual, one or two apparently isn't. On hot summer days when the students had to stand for long periods of time during assemblies, one or two students would sometimes collapse. Towards the end of the ceremony, all the teachers including me got up on stage and were introduced. I half-expected the loudspeakers to start playing, 'one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.' Aside from all that, today was a little frustrating. After the ceremony I felt useless and there's something else bothering me which I don't feel like getting into here. Since I've stop using my Emo King icon, I won't spend any more time dwelling on that though. Tomorrow is the all-faculty welcoming party and I'm hoping that karaoke and drunken hijinks will ensue. In order to end this entry on a positive note, I direct you all to this trailer. I'll give you a hint as to what it is: "I'm not even supposed to be here today!"