I realized that I'm now comfortable, the house is set up, haven't made any contacts through work, and while I am perfectly happy entertaining myself during my spare time, it would be nice to balance it out a bit.
Almost by chance, it seemed as if the universe heard me. I got a colleague to look into a futsal team for me, there is a potential Jodo martial arts hall nearby which I could join, and by a stroke of luck I met a fellow foreigner nearby.
I was walking to the train station when this car pulls over and asks if I was lost. When I explained that I actually live here he exclaimed that he too lives here. An ALT and his wife from Czech and Brazil with a nice house just down the road that have lived here for 15 years.
Had a bit of a chat and today they suggested I join them to a dance performance event at the city hall. A few dance clubs from around the area all did a performance and some of his Japanese friend's daughters were in it.
The dances were a mix of groups from Ballet, to Hip hop, to micronesian featuring pupils of all ages. Some were very cute and clumsy 4 year olds who couldn't pirouet without the crowd laughing endearingly, and some of the older ones moved as gracefully and elegantly as a professional production. A great performance and free too!
Hopefully I can get in on more of these local secrets!
