Last year Nick and I won the best costume contest and bought our entire costume at the 100 Yen store ($1 store) and this is what we came up with. Proud members of the Japan National Ping Pong Team! This year we're gonna try and stick with the 100 Yen store and put together another great one, but are trying to find some inspiration. We'll let you know what we decide as the 27th is Angel and Clive's Annual Halloween Party!

This article caught my eye as I work at a Jr. High and we're talking about 13-15 year old girls here...yes even in Japan, some really sick stuff goes on (read on)

Fore! Teacher hits OB over sexy messages to schoolgirls written on balls

6:18pm Tuesday, October 16

SHINGU, Fukuoka -- A P.E. teacher resigned in disgrace after he was found to have written sexually harassing questions on golf balls he threw in a pool and made junior high school girls collect and answer, Shingu Board of Education officials said Tuesday.

The 32-year-old male teacher from the Shingu Municipal Junior High School resigned on Oct. 10 and he and the school's principal Katsushi Sato have apologized to parents.

"I wanted to get the kids interested in water, so decided to make my classes as much fun as possible, but I went too far," the teacher said.

Sato also apologized.

"It's extremely regrettable that something like this has happened," the principal said. "Every single member of staff here wants to work hard to restore faith in us."

Shingu Board of Education officials said the teacher took a class of second-year junior high school girls for three hours of classes on Sept. 21. He wrote questions on about 40 golf balls he threw into the bottom of the pool, then encouraged the schoolgirls to dive in and collect the balls, read out the question on the balls they found and provide an answer for it.

Among the questions the teacher posed were: "How many centimeters is your bust?" "Do you want to have sex?" and "What's the name of your lover?"

One of the schoolgirls mentioned the incident to her parents, who complained to the school.

As you all know I work as an English teacher at a Jr. High School and come next month I will have been there for an entire year. That's an accomplishment all on its own. To think that I have been there a year, makes me think wow time has flown by, but sometimes I find the days go by way too slowly and not sure how much longer I'll make it! And to be honest, not much has changed since I started last year except that I can understand more and more when the teachers talk about me 'eigo no sensei....' (English teacher.....)as I have been diligently studying. I also use way too many Japanese words with the students, as most of the time it is too painful to get the point or explain something over and over again in English, which I guess defeats the purpose of being.....an English teacher.

But things continue as they have always to get lost in translation when trying to talk to the other teachers and that uncomfortable feeling of being the only foreigner at the school still remains. Some days are busy with 4 classes to teach, but then others are the exact opposite. I might have only 1 or even worse none! Things aren't so bad, when I am super busy....but when I have nothing to do all day....this is what I do for enjoyment (no I don't really think alcohol would make things better...or would it?), to keep sane...I know what you're all thinking, "Jen, wow you used to be so busy..work so hard" well I'll get back to that eventually for the time being, this is what life can be like teaching English (at Jr. High Schools) in Japan.

Just click on the picture to see a larger view.

Ocha=Green Tea