I was reminded yesterday of the fact that is 20 years this week since Nadia and I went to Sanda City in Japan to teach English at a small eikaiwa. It was not our first trip to Japan, that being three years earlier at a commemorative concert with our Blue Mountains based choir. But one did indeed lead to the other.

I had already racked up two decades as a secondary school teacher so was not unduly concerned about the teaching side of things, though we were both curious about the set-up. I have written before about how the teachers immediately before us had put a lot of effort into creating a workable environment for the school, which had formerly been held in private homes and community rooms. Some of the those conditions continued, but the school now had a house and a classroom, and from there was able to thrive. We tried our best to improve upon what we inherited and I think we succeeded if enrolments are anything to go by.

In that first week our boss lent us a camera so we could send some photos home. Here are a couple of the house in Sanda and the view from an upper bedroom. To say I miss this place is too much of an understatement for me to comment further upon.