introducing...

It has come to my attention that my fellow JETs in the Unnan City area (affectionately know as the UC or the U-Shi depending on who you ask) have yet to be introduced to the rest of this bloggy-thingy’s readers, whoever they may be. Thus, let me begin with the introductions of the UC crew. You’ll have to imagine the Real World intro running in the background.

In no particular order…

Roger, Duke of D-town.

Here we have fellow Daito-nier and my neighbor. Mystery boy originates from Canberra, the capital of Australia. His position as a CIR means that he translates rather than teaches, proving useful in many situations. He has a sports car, an uncanny ability to keep our English Conversation classes interesting, and is what some would call a ‘smooth operator’.

Robert, Mitoyaboy

This English gent lives about 15 minutes away and, with fellow ALT Kate (who has sadly returned to England), holds down the Mitoya part of UShi. Rob has amazing memory, skillfully showing off his ability with numerous (and I mean numerous) Simpsons quotes and random lines from movies, especially Swingers and Top Gun, that the majority of us can’t seem to accurately place. Rob also has an acute desire to explain the game of Cricket to the entirety of Japan and wants the winter to come as quickly as possible to optimize his skiing experience. A very sweet boy with good karma, I’m happy to call Rob one of the bedrock members of the UC (U-Shi as he says).

Sara, Hobo-hotness

This Connecticut gal lives across the bridge from Mitoya, in the town ‘known’ for its Cherry Blossoms, Kisuki. She teaches at a few high schools, some more ghetto than others. Known for her sass and sharp wit, Sara keeps the UC folks on our toes. She lived in Philly while attending UPenn, so she might cut you too. The police in her neighborhood seem to be watching her very closely and we all fear getting arrested when we’re around her, but she’s so cool, we hang out with her anyway.

Leslie, Ohayo Bitches.

The last of the three that make up the D-town rollers, this girl hails from the rural state of Ohio. She has recently been found trying to pawn off her litter of kittens on unsuspecting foreigners and Japanese people. Her hobbies include history, all of it (especially US Presidents) and playing soccer. Recently Leslie and fellow Unnan-er Rob have been selected as the editors for a local JET publication. Will the represent Unnan with the pride and glory that it deserves? Only time will tell.


Himene, The Iron Curtain

Raised in Indiana but educated at USC, Himene adds a West-coast influenced spice to the UC. She is known to be fond of fast cars, central heating (but hey who isn’t? oh wait Japan.), and miniature plastic food (really). Aside from the central heating bit, her interests are quite congruent with living in Japan. Her position is the same as Roger’s, meaning she works at the Japanese International Relations Department, translating the Unnan website (yeah, it really exists, but right now it’s still mostly in Japanese, Himene what’s up with that) and wondering why her coworkers are always asking her if she’s cold. She recently participated in a regatta with her co-workers and realized that no matter where you are, guys are still pretty much the same.

Jon, that’s MR. DJ to you.

Bringing the ‘hot English men in the UC’ total up to 2, Jon resides in the mountainous village of Yoshida where the iron is hot (aspects of Princess Mononoke were inspired by his town) and the winters are freaking ridiculous. He has spent numerous hours playing Football Manager so it is no wonder that he took the top honors in the JET World Cup Prediction Game. He loves DJ Shadow, Ghostbusters, and reading about the Pitcairn Islands. He thought Guam was in South America, hates snakes, spiders, and can’t swim, but I’m sure he’ll love the tropics.


There you have it, the lovely gentlemen and women of the UC.