No illness is good illness - Taipei, Take 2

I was planning on writing a new post yesterday about our second day in Taipei, but I was just too weak. I have to admit it: I'm pretty sick. I think this is the first time I have been really ill at the beginning of a trip, but I am really not doing very well. Despite promptly removing the moth balls from our hostel room and not cranking the AC (it is the wall AC/heater unit-type we use in Japan that can dry out your throat), the room we were staying in didn't have great circulation and I think it made things worse. I'm going to see a doctor in India tomorrow, but for now, it literally just feels like I am allergic to... everything. Is it possible to be allergic to a country?

Before I tell you everything that we have been doing, however, let me assure you I've been taking care to sit down when I can and we cut out plans to see the National Palace Museum yesterday (which is a bummer because it's the largest collection of Chinese art in the world and supposed to be pretty good) to go back to the hostel and nap for a while.

The Tastes

My friend Hong left at 4am to catch her flight to India (we're doing the same tomorrow), but Kel and I still hung out with the guy we had met the day before, JJ. He is from the US but living in Korea, and our bunkmate from the hostel, Will, also chose to come with. Super nice guys.

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We all stayed in bed pretty late, but decided to grab breakfast together on the way to Longshau Temple. Breakfast ended up being random food from a bazaar we passed through, but if you ask me, it was better. I sort of feel bad for Kelly because I cannot help but ooze excitement for a lot of the things I discovered on my previous trips to mainland China, but haven't seen for a while, like real dumplings (they're a little different in Japan and America - and don't come in a plastic bag with chopsticks and sauce poured over them) or a hunk meat that you just tear apart with your fingers (also comes in a plastic bag).

The Sights

Longshau Temple was beautiful, but we were apparently a day late for a big Buddhist festival that had come the day before. The temple is large and colorful. When you walk in, there is a big waterful to the right and in the next inner-square, the main temple area, are tables and tables of offerings, anything from fruit to fancy candies and homemade meals. In the back of the temple are pillars of candles that hold the names of worshippers who have made donations to the temple. Another back corner houses an area where women can pray for love and marriage. Towards the front of the temple, I saw one woman talking out loud with her eyes closed, her hands firmly grasping two stones. She would then throw the stones, look at them, pick them up and then do it all again. I watched her do it three times before Will told me she was asking her ancestors for help and advice. Based on how the stone fall (flat or round side up), she would get an answer (sort of like a one-way telephone from the heavens). It reminded me of a Magic Eight Ball, but I watched the woman for a while, wondering what important matters she was tending to... she looked pretty focused.

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After the temple, we watched a fountain show that a random police officer in street clothes told us about then hopped a subway (again, the MRT ROCKS) to see the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂), recently renamed the "National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall." The main building is very grandious in it's own rite, but it is sort of showcased by the National Theatre Hall and National Concert Hall on either side of the main enterance (through a large gate, of course), both of which were under construction and flanked with scaffolding. The grounds around the Memorial Hall are nice (with an open space a lot like the Red Square in Beijing). It was much too late in the day to for us to witness martial arts, but we played around for a while, making friends with the small children chasing bubbles and frisbees and temporarily being shutterbugs (funny how many jumping photos one needs to take to get four people in the air!).

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With half a day left before us, we headed over to the Taipei Confucious Temple. I honesly don't know that I've been in a Confucious temple before, but most of the structure was under scaffolding (again!), so I don't know that I can say I've seen much even now. One cool thing I learned, however, is that the doors on all Confucious temples have elevated bottom sections that you have to step over. Sort of like a little step at the bottom of the door. That way, you are always in a slight bowing position when you walk in (bending over), and thus all visitors automatically enter in a position of respect. Hmm... how clever.

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After the temple, we walked through the Zhongshan Park and wanted to check out this famous hot-pot place overlooking the arts park (if Lonley Planet says it's good, I'll usually try it), but the place we wanted was closed, so we hit up a random little diner before heading back to the hotel for a nap.
Back In Action

After a few hours rest, we headed out again, this time back to a place we'd already been: Taipei 101.... currently the world's tallest building! The tower had been closed the day before, so it was exciting to actually go up it this time. It was also fun to explore the area around the bottom of the temple, which included a lantern display and a lit-up exhibition of figures going through the story of the bible (at first I thought it was just the Passion, but they really tried to cover it all... even added a fake little church at the end).

The Taipei 101 is actually known as the Taipei International Financial Center, although nobody calls it by it's actual name. You enter the 101-floor skyscraper, currently the tallest building in the world, through the 5th floor of an attached shopping mall. When I first saw the tower, lit up on our first night, it reminded me of something out of Gothem. It's actually very beautiful and I guess it was designed to resemble bamboo rising from the earth (symbolic for it's fast growth and flexibility). The lines for the tower weren't bad, and as soon as you take the world's fastest elevators to the top, you come out in an open, reception/lounge-type area. The layout viewing deck of the tower really reminded me of the other great towers I have seen, especially the Pearl Tower in Shanghai and the Seoul Tower in Korea (The Eiffel and Tokyo tower were maybe a bit different) and, as expected, the windows were labeled with what directions (N/S/E/W) you were looking at and what the scenes were below. I have observed that Asian cities take great pride in their "night scenes" (for good reason in most cases - Hong Kong from Victoria Peak is spectacular!) and I think this city probably lived up to it's name. The deck was also dotted with small shops. I sent a postcard home and JJ bought a certificate saying he had visited the world's tallest building. We had the option of going to an outdoor balcony, too, which JJ did, but it was cold and I didn't think it was the best idea with my health situation. I saw the video JJ took, though... the wind was deafening!

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After a little while at the tower, we decided to descend. I took the opportunity to visit the mall's Mango (a European clothing store I used to like in Oslo, but haven't seen in a while) and food court for a bite to eat. We were going to check out some of the night markets (the biggest was ironically across from Modern Toilet), but weren't too impressed with the selection and unwillingness of the vendors to bargain, so we just did walk through before heading back to the hostel... and to bed.
We're On Our Way to India

So yeah, fun-filled, adventure-packed day. I have to cut this short since Kel and I are hopping an early flight (literally... we have to leave at 4:30am!), but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to get some good meds in India and kick whatever illness I have. We might have another night in Taipei on the way back to Japan (if we don't spend the night at/near the airport), but even without it, I am definately glad we stopped and think we got a good introduction to this multi-cultural and interesting place. The south of the island looks beautiful, so if I ever come back, it'll probably be to see another face of Taiwan.

Greetings from Taiwan!

Hello from Taipei! Kelly and I arrived yesterday evening and so far, I absolutely adore this country. It doesn't hurt that the weather is temperate (perfect for t-shirt and jeans), but it's also a lot cheaper than Japan, I love the food (real Chinese food again!) and everyone we have met has been kind to us. We arrived downtown around 6pm yesterday, but haven't seen that much of the city yet (especially having been spoiled by friends who were familiar with the transportation system or spoke Chinese and showed us around yesterday), but just hearing Chinese and feeling the strong traces of the Chinese culture (with a slightly different twist) is definately something that makes me happily reminisce.
We met Emerald and Christian, two Canadians living in Japan, at the airport yesterday. It was nice traveling with them, and Emerald definately helped us out with transportation and currency details since she speaks Chinese (she grew up in Taipei), but I was definately impressed when I saw their bags. They're also going to India and both managed to bring about 2 outfits per person. That is definately the way to travel. Kel and I are backpacking and didn't bring that much stuff, but I wanted to be prepared for the climate changes (hot city sun in Agra, cold mountains in Nepal, freezing desert in Jaisalmer) and might have more than I need.

The hostel we are staying at (Taipei Backpackers) is really new, clean and central compared to most places I've stayed, and we were lucky to get a 4-person room for Hong (the American girl living in Japan I met in Korea last year and is in Taipei with us before going to Chennai, India), Kelly and I... plus one other, this really nice guy from Singapore. The bathrooms are similar to Thailand and other Asian countries (you can't flush the toilet paper and mostly squatters), but they have been clean. The only complaint is the smell (moth balls), but I guess we'll be spending most of our time out of the hostel anyways.
So first and foremost, the best thing about Taipei is the subway. The public transportation system blows my mind!! It's cheap, well-connected and looks very sleek. The cars on the Metro (called the MRT) are wider than in Japan and don't have a door separating each compartment. It makes them look bigger when you can see from one end to the other (like a bus) and it feels more natural to hear the slight hum of people chatting, even after a year and a half of experienced the dead silence on Japanese public transportation everyday.

Today we just got here, did dinner at Modern Toilet, a bathroom-themed restaraunt in Taipei that Hong found online and visited the Taipei 101 (world's tallest building) but tomorrow should be full-on sightseeing.

Looking forward to it!

"Foreigners Give Japan the Finger"

Yup, that's right. I was just on the wikitravel site and saw this headline. My initial reaction: "Um, I know this place can seem less than foreigner friendly at times... but what?" And then I realized that today is the day that things change... just in time for our trip, too.

It's November 21st in Japan right now (not so in America just yet) and starting today, foreigners traveling to Japan - even those holding residence permits - will be photographed and electronically fingerprinted. I will refer you to my earlier post on the subject for more details about what led to the change, but it's basically all part of the new immigration procedures ("intended to combat terrorism") in Japan.

The reactions to these changes have varied among us in the expat community. I know one New Zealander who cancelled his winter travel plans in protest (I thought it was a joke at first, but this guy really did cancel a trip to SE Asia because he was so mad about the changes). I had a less-strong reaction. I do agree that America's policies can be hard on other nationals traveling to my country and understand that it can be fair to expect the same (even in places like Brazil that instated similar immigration policies that apply only to Americans)... but I also think there should be a difference between people living here and people just traveling through. You cannot hold dual-citizenship with Japan, for example, and prior to these changes, permanent residents (like people who have called Japan home for 30 years and have a life here) were permitted to enter the country in the Japanese citizenship line with their residency status... not so anymore...starting today. Foreigners still stand out in Japan, and I see this as a possible deterrant to effective internationalization, but I guess we'll wait and see what effect the changes have before I deem it good/bad/etc.

Anyways, I'll let you know how it goes when I go through "it" myself on the way back from our trip in a few weeks. I had some border trouble when trying to enter Syria through Lebanon once, but other than that, I do believe this will be my first time being fingerprinted for this purpose! Maybe just one to throw into the "perspective" pile...

Leaving for Taipei TOMORROW!

Well, the time is here! We head out for Taipei tomorrow morning.

This week has been busy, despite having only a few classes. Kelly is house bound with influenza (which apparently a lot more serious here... what we call the flu in America is often just a serious cold...erm, or so they tell me), so I've had to exchange money for both of us and get her travelers checks for her. I have probably put in a good 10-15 hours (at least) researching the trip this week, too. I didn't realize how much we had to do until I really started digging into the details on Monday, but I feel like I have a good handle on where we are going and what to expect in each place (in India at least... kinda gonna wing it and just enjoy Taipei).
I booked tickets to fly directly to Varanasi once we get to DEL, so Kel and I are going to try to figure out the Nepal leg of the trip and make decisions from there. We decided to stay at a nicer hotel a little ways away from the Ganges for the first two nights (most of the other hostels we were looking at were on the river), but the place looks amazing, has cheap massages and a ginormous luxury swimming pool. A double room with AC is going to cost us about $10 a night, each. Not bad... just wait until you see the pics of this place.
So speaking of trying to book tickets to Nepal, there are just so many restrictions with traveling in/out of India (or maybe I should say sub-continent!) and with organizing details for going there. You literally cannot get Rupees exchanged in Japan, for example, and it is impossible to book plane tickets from India to Nepal from here. I had to call three different places in India (in addition to internet research) and talked to two travel agents in Japan before i believed it was impossible. I guess I can be stubborn (you should never take a no from someone who doesn't have the authority to give you a yes), but it seems silly. Maybe I am just too spoiled with techn0logy-saavy Japan and America?
The one thing I will say is that doing all the preperation this time around seemed much easier this year than last year. I went to Kobe on Wednesday and did all the currency exchanging and travelers checks stuff at SMBC before I had a question that I had to ask in English. When the guy I was working with told me he couldn't speak English, it dawned on me that I had finished the entire transaction in Japanese (and actually got what I wanted to...). I take the simple route with the language, suck at kanji, and have a lot of vocab to learn yet... but that is not bad.
This has been an expensive week for travel, though. I also locked myself in on a spot for the Pepy Ride Volunteer trip going to Cambodia in March. PEPY (www.pepyride.org) and India were two of my big goals (or on the dream list) when I signed up to come to Japan, especially after Jess did the Pepy Trip in 2004, so I am really excited that it is becoming a reality. My friend Tam and I are doing the program together, so we're flying to Bangkok and taking a train to Laos for a few days of sightseeing before Cambodia. Tam and I can both be type A, but the girl has seen a lot (did Semester at Sea and is pretty adventurous) and I think we'll mesh well as travel partners. I'm going to head out before her at the end of the trip (don't have the vacation time for the Pepy post-tour), but I've decided to do a solo trip to Ankor Wat on the way back to Bangkok.
More on Pepy later, though. The down deposit is paid and the plane tickets are booked, but I've been too busy with India and life here to plan anything else yet. Our first fundraisor will be in January, so I'll have a lot to do for it when I get back from India; I think it will be fun.
School
I've been reluctant to mention it, but there has been a little "battle" in the last few months between my school and I over the nenkyu (vacation time)/ biyokyu (sick leave time) structure and my contract. I still love my work and coworkers, but it's taken up a lot of my time and recently ended in a fair compromise on both ends. I just mention it because I think it is funny that people just do not take sick leave here. They use their vacation time, so it's a struggle when I try to explain that I don't want to use vacation time when I have allotted sick time and really am sick. I hate "pulling an American" but I actually had to get out my contract and ask them to look at Article so-and-so in Section so-and-so to prove there was such a thing as sick time.
In the process, I also discovered that in addition to not using sick time (they generally still come to school, but wear masks or really do use vaca), dental issues are also simply not considered to be medical in Japan (so good luck using sick time if you get your wisdoms pulled or have a dental emergency). It's just a difference in culture and it's not going to change with one little ole me, but it's an intersting concept. My opinion is that if they are putting a metal pole in your head but it's a dentist doing it and you are under, it should still be considered medical... but it really does seem to be a culture difference. Anyways, everything is fine now so I will stop here before I get too political or unprofessional, but it's funny what road bumps you hit. Definately didn't see this one coming, but let me know if any of you ever have similar issues and I'll tell you the rest of the story.
ESS Christmas Party
Yesterday was our big ESS Christmas party. The second grade girls wanted to do it on Thursday so I spread the word to the third graders and rest of the club, but that is the last time I will have a party without a set time (not just "after school"). There was a lot of confusion about when the party was ... and if there even was going to be a party... since people all showed up later than I expected. We were going to bake cookies (my kids still can't believe we don't have "Christmas cake" or eat KFC on Christmas in America... so I wanted to show them one of the traditions we do have), but the cooking club had the kitchen.
Instead, I bought cookies and oranges and we made Christmas cards (some of them ended up being rather romantic... it IS a romantic holiday here, but I was a little surprised to see those ones), listened to carols and watched the movie "Elf" (with Will Farrell) while hanging out. The boys didn't come, but it was a good time, and everyone (including the boys) met up this afternoon to do the Secret Santa Exchange. I saw a lot of watches and even a little piggy bank exchanged. They're so cute!

Alright, I'm gonna get some stuff done before I head out for the day (and the packing extravaganza really begins), but I might write one more post before heading out for the trip. We'll be gone for three weeks and I am not sure what my internet situations will be (definately nonexistant in Nepal), but I will try to get a post up every now and then and am planning to keep track of the intimiate details in between via a good old-fashioned journal (thansk for the leather one, Megs... gonna put it to good use!). More soon...

Rakugo ~ 落語

Every year, most Japanese high schools will attend some kind of performance at the end of the year, whether it be a concert, musical, or play. Last year we saw a musical love story about a mentally-challenged girl with a twist endng (sort of like Sixth Sense). This year, my school went to see Rakugo, or traditional Japanese storytelling, at the Takasago Cultural Center, a large performance hall close to our school campus.

Rakugo (落語) has a long history, and to be honest, I didn't know much about it before I found out we would be going to see it. It's actually a form of verbal entertainment, sort of like stand-up, where the storyteller ("rakugoka") sits ona little stage and tells a story from his seat. It's always comical, but they can get really complicated and he is only allowed to use a paper fan as a prop. The best comparison I can make to American culture (since we do not have strong roots in the storytelling tradition in mainstream culture) is Saturday Night Live, but without the costumes. Rakugo is usually performed by one person who takes on the personality of different characters, always including dialogue, whether it be an animal or celebrity, to tell a story.

Each performance begins with traditional music being played, with a distinct song for each actor (sort of like the Mickey Mouse song for Mickey Mouse if he were a performer). The music is played on a small taiko drum, tied together with string, a large taiko drum, and a traditional Japanese guitar-like instrument called a shamisen. I have seen the shamisen before (which looks a lot like a banjo but sounds like harp), but the most shocking piece of information I gained from the trip was learning that the small instruments are made out of cat, yes CAT, leather and the larger ones are made of DOG. Before you react, let me assure you people don't really eat these animals like they are sometimes stereotyped to do and this tradition goes back a long way (that is why they are still very rare and expensive to buy... they follow the same techniques that tradition calls for... materials and all), but I was a little disgusted when I found out... I just kept picturing all the cute street cats wandering Takasago.

We listened to different songs and learned about the instruments for a while before two volunteers, one staff member and one student, were brought up on stage to give a performance using the instruments. They did the story about the ghost in Himeji Castle, about a kitchen girl who was beheaded during the Samurai times because one plate was missing (legend says her ghost still haunts the kitchen well; "if you hear her counting the plates and she gets to 10 you're going to die..."). It was pretty funny to see Yamoto Sensei, one of the gym teachers, put on the kimono jacket and pretend to be the ghost and I actually understood what was going on, so that was probably my favorite part of the show.
After the story, we watched a magic act with tricks, but the guy kept messing up by dropping the ball he was balancing or whatever he was juggling and would blame it on the "strong wind". People still enjoyed his performance, but the actor apologized and said he had "lost face" before leaving the stage. The parts that did go well were entertaining, though (and didn't require me to understand Japanese, so I could follow it).
Lastly, we listened to two experts perform stories, or rakugo. I tried to follow the first tale, about a "White Lion (Zoo)", but ended up asking the teacher I was sitting next to for definitions about a million and one times, so I only half-listened to the second story (stopped bugging my coworkers... my fault for not bringing a dictionary) and paged through my India Lonely Planet.

One of my coworkers, the computer teacher who did the magic performances at last year's Bon enkai, noticed that I was paying attention (at least at the beginning) and seemed to be enjoying myself, however, so the next day he showed up to school with a surprise. He was really excited that I was interested in the Japanese traditional arts and brought me three copies of Shijaku Katsura's work, one CD in English, one CD in Japanese and a DVD in Japanese. Shijaku Katsura is the most famous Rakugo performer (and there is a copy of him doing the zoo story we heard on my CD!), but he died about 5 years ago and is now considered sort of a legend. I haven't had time to listen to or watch the performances yet, but I'm going to put them on my iPod for India.

I was really taken aback by the kindness, but am sort of excited to get to try to listen to the stories and get more out of them this time (well, at least from the English).

Ambulances are Free in Japan

You learn something new everyday. In addition to ambulances being free in Japan (so people are less likely to hesitate calling one), you can request a non-emergency ambulance (no sirens & no stretcher, but they will bring you to the hospital). The reason I know this is because I came this close to calling on last night.

I spent most of the day yesterday hammering out details for India, came home for a quick dinner (soft tacos with the stuff I got at Costco last week... yum) and went to Japanese class. It was a pretty normal night and I probably got to bed just after midnight.

I am a heavy sleeper, but I woke up to my phone vibrating around 2:30am last night. It was Kelly calling. She hadn't been feeling well the day before and I stopped by to check on her after class, but she was having a serious asthema attack and needed to go to the hospital. I went over to Miwas and rang her doorbell until she woke up. We were both really groggy, but got in the car and headed to Kelly's. Miwa was pretty adament that we call an ambulance rather than driving to the hospital (because they are free of charge and would know where to go... we weren't sure of a hospital), but Kelly refused. She didn't want all the sirens and attention. It was really late, but I also called a friend who said he has had a few serious asthema attacks to make sure there was nothing else we should be doing. If anything, it was probably just good to get a better idea of what to expect so I could keep Kel calm and focused on breathing, but other than not bringing my inhaler (which I couldn't find in the half-awake rush out the door), we were on it.

When we got to Kel's place, she was wheezing a lot and seemed sort of delerious (she was having trouble standing and walking. We ended up driving about 20-30 minutes away to Okubo (next to where Kelly works) to a hospital that Kel had been to before. I think Miwa went with her once because both she and Kel were less than thrilled to see the doctor, a pretty young guy they called an "intern" (probably doing his rounds). Luckily, the nurse that was there was pretty good and the doc seemed competant from what I observed. They gave Kel a nubulater, which was a bit different than what we expected (no mask to cover your face, but rather Kel had to inhale the vapors) and hooked her up to an IV. We were the only ones at the place for most of the time, which was nice because the beds were in a large, open room and we had to sit (and answer questions) for a while. I thought it was a little strange that they used the veins at near Kel's elbow (on the inside) for the IV, but other than that, the rest was pretty easy and Kel was feeling better.

I fell asleep on the car ride home and stumbled back to my place when we got back. Poor Miwa (my neighbor) didn't have time to get back to bed before going to work (going to be a rough day for her today), but I did get in about an hour in before having to run out the door for work. With only a few hours rest, I am thanking my lucky stars that I don't have a real class schedule right now but I am still feeling pretty tired.

Cooking. Korean Style...

I was really pleased with the Korean cooking class on Saturday. First of all, we didn't make kimchi, which yeah, is probably not tough to make... but I am honestly not a huge fan of. Second of all, it was pretty delicous (even for spice wimps like my friend Tam and me) and easy to make. The usual cooking class regulars weren't in attendance, so it was also nice to meet some new people and cook with a group of Japanese girls my age.
I'll definately be re-creating these recipes with a little chijimi (Korean okonomiyaki or pancakes) for the fam when I am home next summer, not to mention for myself sometime this year.

These recipes really are simple, so thought I'd share my notes. Try it out... when was your last Asian food night?!:

1. Korean 手巻きずし (temakizushi, or hand-rolled sushi)

Ingredients
About 4 in. x 4 in.-sized Korean seaweed paper (のり, can get this on Lake Street/"eat street" in Mpls)
One package of shiso (called Japanese basil, these are the leaves in the veggie aisle that you can tempura)
Light-colored sesame seeds (used the small, individual packets)
1 Tbs Sesame oil
3 cans of tuna
mayonaise
Two cups of rice, cooked
and...
sushi roller (small, bamboo pads that look like potholders)
large cutting knife
large cutting board
pastry brush
Bowl to mix rice (large mixing bowl is OK, but wooden bowls will absorb the water)

Cook the rice in advance (using a rice cooker, if possible).

Lay the sushi roller on the cutting board and put a peice of nori (seaweed paper) on top of it. Japanese seaweed paper is OK (so are other sizes than the size I recommended), but the Korean variety has a distinct taste which is a little more salty and will work better with this sushi than the Japanese nori. The size of the sushi roller should also be about the same (or a little larger than) the size of the seaweed paper.

First, put your cooked rice in the large mixing bowl and mix in the sesame oil. This will make the sushi rice stick together better. Japanese sushi calls for vinegar (instead of oil) and maybe a little sugar, so this is essentially the main difference between Japanese and Korean temakizushi, or sushi in general. If you have a rice spoon, it will work well for mixing the rice. Use a "cutting" motion - up and down- rather than a circular stirring motion also makes for less sticky rice.

Take a large spoonful of rice and place it in the middle of the nori. Spread it out and press it down with the spoon. Now make a thin layer of shiso (leaves) in the middle of the square. We used two full leaves per each peice of nori. If the taste is too strong, it is OK to leave these out. Now open the cans of tuna and make a little row of the tuna bits on top of the leaves. If you like mayonaise, add a littel to the top of the tuna. In Japan, mayo comes in a plastic, squeeze bottle adn squirts out in a small amount, so it might be easier to just mix the tuna and mayo together in advance if you are using mayonaise out of a jar (like it is sold in America).

Now, using the sushi roller, roll the sushi together. You can use the bamboo pad to roll the sushi once so that it create a tube, then move the sushi forward (so the roller doesn't get stuck in the roll) and keep using the bamboo roller to assist in making the roll tight as you roll the rest of the nori up. When you are finished, use the leftover sesame oil (lining the cup or bowl it was in) and pastry brush to coat the open flap on the outside of the sushi roll (basically gluing it shut).

Open a small packet of sesame seeds and sprinkle over the top of the sushi. Cut the long sushi roll into half-inch sized peices (or whatever size you like) and sprinkle more sesame seeds on the open part of the sushi. Arrange on a plate and it's ready to serve!

2. Korean なべ (nabe, or stew... also a fave in Japan)

Ingredients
One package of Shin (hot/spicy) ramen
2 cups of water (note: one American cup is bigger than one Japanese cup.. but use whatever you have)
1/4-head cabbage
1/4 cup spice miso (red color)
1/4 cup sugar
1 carrots
4 pre-had boiled eggs
2 tsp salt
and...
One large pot (about a gallon or more... the kind with two handles)
large cutting knife
large cutting board
Spoon to stir the pot

Start by cutting the carrot in half diogonally (so you have two long, thin & wide peices)
Take the halves and cut diagonally, so you have 1-cm-thick diagonal strips (makes about 1 cup). Cut the cabbage (already 1/4) in half and do the same, so you have small peices. Next, cut the eggs in half. Set these ingredients aside... it is best to separate them, but OK if they are together.
Next, take the package of spicy ramen (normally a red-colored package in Japan) and open it. Take out the seasoning packets, leaving the noodles inside. Crush the noodles three times, so they are broken, but not in a million little peices.

Put the noodles in the pot, add the cut up vegetables and eggs and pour in the water. Mix in the spicy miso and sugar, adding the salt in pinches.

Put the pot on the stove and cook at a low heat. You can stir in the spice packets from the spicy ramen. The mixture will begin to boil, but keep stirring until very hot, and then let simmer for maybe 5-10 minutes. And that's it... it's ready to serve!

The Weekend Review: Secret Santa & Korean Cooking

Overall, another great weekend, but I honestly cannot believe how fast time is flying! In less than a week, Kelly and I will have finished our three-day stopover in Taipei and will be in India (not to mention it’s already Christmas... maybe it still just feels funny because there is no snow?).
Sprained My Ankle
I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I twisted my foot after our work party last week. At least, I thought I just twisted it. All I know is that I was wearing ballet flats (no support), was walking around a lot after the work party (um, consumed a bit of alcohol in-between there so possibly not in the straightest of lines) and I woke up the next day with a strong pain on the bottom of my right foot. When it still hurt to walk after a week (pain shooting up my ankle when I tried to run), I decided it was time to go to the doctor. Nozaki Sensei and I made the trip to the hospital over lunch on Friday.
The doctor I saw is actually a friend of one of my coworkers so I went to him on her recommendation. I was glad I did because the guy went to medical school in Canada and spoke perfect English. It turned out that doing whatever it is I did caused me to pull a tendon (“ken”), essentially spraining my ankle. At least it wasn't broken.
In the end, I got to keep my x-ray and they gave me some wet pads with "magic spices" on them (Chinese medicine?... essentially just wet, medicated gauze called shippu), showed my how to wrap it up and told me I had to wear a bandage for a week. They also gave me some painkillers sicne they weren’t familiar with Advil and said I needed something, but I haven’t taken them yet.
It’s going to be at least another week until I can start running again, but I am happy to at least have a date to start. Realistically, it's probably actually going to be more like a month until the training starts again (don’t foresee much running in India & Nepal for the three weeks we are there). That is about enough time to fall completely out of shape....but I’m planning on kicking myself back into hardcore training mode upon my return. Keep your fingers crossed for that one. Sent in the registration form for the Harimacho 10k in January and Lena and I both signed up for the Sasayama Marathon in March (42k) so it'll be a focus soon enough.
Secret Tree Bar
As for the rest of Friday, it was pretty good. I met a coworker and some friends at a local watering hole in Kakogawa (Secret Tree Bar, near the station). I really liked the ambiance of the place, which was covered in artificial branches that hugged and wrapped around the beams, up onto the ceiling and even covering the wall. I've been promising to check it out and meet a friend there for months, so it was exciting that the place actually lived up to it's legend once I finally made it there. I think a lot of expats hang out there and it was also the main nijikai ("second party" spot) for a lot of my school's teachers after the work part last week. I also heard some interesting stories about people at work from my coworker, but nothing to be reported on a public blog. Funny what you miss, though.
Anyways, it was a fun time and nice to keep it low key. We just talked and laughed for a while, enjoyed the awesome kinoki (mushroom) pizza, and called it an early night.
Year End BBQ
On Saturday, I was up and out again early for a hot date with my small group of Japanese ladies. The group went as it normally does; I ate way too many scones (hard to resist when they’re fresh) and enjoyed the hour and a half class. There was only one presentation today, but it’s alright; things get busy at the end of the year. I ran home quickly before another class in Okubo (about 40 minutes away).
I was going to go home after Okubo to get ready for the night, but it didn’t make sense making the commute towards Akashi twice when I was already so close and wouldn't have much time at home, so I wandered around the Vivre/Saty shopping area for a while, trying not to buy anything and allowing myself a pitstop at Subway for a tuna sandwich before meeting Kelly and Emerald in Akashi.
We were meet to go to our friend Brendan's house for his year-end BBQ (most of us are traveling so the celebrations have to happen a bit earlier). Brendan actually has a real house (which is more rare for the expats in our area) located on the premises of his (rather large) school grounds. He doesn't actually live there most of the week, but he uses the house mostly for band practice and parties. I always love his shindigs, though. He takes the sliding doors off of one of the bedrooms (off the main room), which converts it into a stage (has microphones and speakers set up), so people can sit on the couches in the living room and listen to live music. The lighting and atmosphere just works. Coupled with the large BBQ grill outside and parking lot if people want to drive, it's pretty sweet. I would be really envious of the house if it weren't also adjacent to a large cemetary (actually very creepy..) and located at his school. I am sure there would be little the kids didn't know about my private life if that were the case, and I kind of like to keep them hanging (for all they know, I am dating Christian Bail...ha).
Sunday: Korean Cooking Class and another Secret Santa
Sunday was fun. I went to a Korean cooking class organized by the IFA in the morning and a Christmas party at Kel's house at night. We did another Secret Santa (oh man, maybe my fourth this year!). I had a lot of fun finding my gift this time, though the one I got was OK. I'll post pics from the party, but the real highlight of my day was getting to play with a Border Collie puppy at the pet store at Ito Yokado. I am easily amused, yes, but it's my favorite type of dog. I stopped in the store to see the pets and take pictures of the dogs in their little boxes and monkey for sale (because I think it's weird they're selling monkeys), and the salesgirl noticed me paying a lot of attention to the 2-month-old puppy, so she asked if I wanted to hold it. If only I had $2,000 to spend on buying a dog, a yard, enough time to be home and train it and would be in Japan long enough to take care of it... I definately would have brought that little angel home!

Anyways, that is about it. Also spent a notable amount of time on the phone, but caught up with a lot of people at home this weekend and trying to help calm my mother down as my little bro navigates his way around Europe with no passport (kid lost it on the 1st day in Germany... no surprise the 'rents are worried). Hope you are all safe and happy. This is my last weekend update for a while, as I will be on the road (don't know what my internet situation will be abroad). I hope you enjoy the pre-Christmas season.... Matta ne!

"HAI"

I was on the phone with America the other day when my doorbell rang. I don't get that many visitors at the cottage (as I like to refer to my cozy, little apartment), so I asked my friend to to wait a minute as I answered the door. It was a delivery from Apple (Japan AppleCare = amazing, btw.... they pick up and delivery for free).

Anyways, I was still in the middle of the conversation with my American friend so I asked them to wait while I signed for the box. When I got back on the phone, my friend was laughing so I asked what was up. "You're the Asian lady from MadTV!," they squealed.


"eeeeeh?"


If you aren't familiar with the show, MadTV is a spin-off of the satyrical, serialized comic called MAD. I remember the comic from when I was a kid (the boy on the cover looks like a hybrid of David Letterman and Danny Bonaduce), but the show has been running on the Fox Network for quite some time now. I would probably best compare the short skits to a less-refined (but still very funny) version of Saturday Night Live.


Anyways, one of the popular reoccuring characters on the show is also this pushy Asian lady who can't speak English well and yells at people. One of her trademarks (characteristics) is the fact that she says, "yes" ALL the time.


And, yup, that is who I reminded my friend of... basically due to the fact that I apparently said "yes" almost every other second (or hai, actually) when I am using Japanese. The funny thing is that I don't think that is a bad thing, and was a bit surprised when I started defending the stereotype (and laughing at myself) rather than being shocked by it. You might not notice it until you come to Asia, but the Japanese people really will answer a question (or merely show they understand what you are saying) by chanting hai, hai, hai (basically a string of YESs). The trait's been there for a while; it's just gotten deeper. A few months after I first came to Japan, one of my friends asked me when I had become a New Yorker because I was acknowledging stuff with a quick "yeah, yeah, yeah"). Then I realized my coworkers do the same thing, only in Japanese, and one English teacher that I talk to a lot uses the "NYC-style" English version all the time.


Anyways, thought I would share another little cultural observation. I can definitely see them making a Seinfeld or Curb episode out of this stuff .. but I'll just leave it at this ;)

The New Batman Movie

I opened my internet server today to yet another interesting article on the Yahoo homepage. They came ut with "exclusive" photos from the new Batman flick, toting that they have images of the new image of the Joker that has been tightly under wraps.

http://movies.yahoo.com/slideshows/generic/thedarkknight.html

Um, the only catch is that I saw these pictures of the Joker over a month ago. What is going on with Yahoo today? (yeah, ok, random post... but have you noticed this or am I spending too much time on the "pop culture research"?)

Hanatoro in Kyoto

I am really lucky to live in the area of Japan that I do. While I am not in a city, I am near some real ones (thank goodness), with access to Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Himeji. However, while these places can be "done" in a day trip from where I live (done it a few times with Kyoto and Nara), all of them really aren't that close when you think about it... especially when you go on a work night. There are exceptions that make it worth it, however, and this week was one of them when I decided to use my Wednesday early-afternoon-off-work to check out Hanatoro, or a lantern festival in an area of Kyoto called Arashiyama.

I have been to Kyoto over a dozen times since I first move here, but hadn't been to the far-western Arashiyama-area since Jess and I stormed the place on our week-long trip to Kyoto back in summer 2004 (inside joke there: Arashiyama means "Storm Mt"). The original plan was to go to see the 2,500 lanterns lining the traditional paths of the mountainous area with friends from Kobe on Saturday, but after realizing my agenda is getting busy (vacation is coming up) and that the weekend would produce large tourist crowds, I decided a weeknight would be best. Arashiyama is also famous for its fall colors, so it was also gratifying to see the lit-up hillside, spotlights producing an artificial view of the trees, still aflame with the yellow and red hues that the Japanese are so proud of (really did enoy it, but if one more person tells me how special it is that Japan has four seasons I might just burst).

I took a different route this time, using the Sanyo line's rapid train to meet a friend near Osaka and then switch to another private line to Arashiyama. I've always based myself at the massive Kyoto Station when traveling in that area (usually traveling JR), but the private lines turned out to be much faster than I expected... and cheaper, too. While Sanyo is more expensive in our area, it's sister-lines (Hankyu and Hanshin) kick JRs butt... guess that rocks for the Hyogo peeps living on the other side of Kobe (where the lines change).

When we arrived in Arashiyama, it was getting late and there weren't any little cafes immediately around the station so we hit up the konbini (convenience store) and took a seat on a bench surrounded by lanterns. It was actually a really refreshing break from restaraunts (which can start to seem the same after a while and can get expensive here) and reminded me a lot of my last trip to the area (I think Jess and I ate at the konbini for quite a few meals)... not to mention a romantic little spot for a picnic. The weather is getting colder, but it was crisp and cool rather than cold. It was also raining (the weather reports got it wrong...grr), but it made for a nice amiance (as long as you were under the umbrellas I guess...). The same thing happened last year when I met Andrea and Andres in Kyoto for the Kiyomizudera Fall Light Up (same idea, other side of Kyoto), so I should have known...

We walked around town for a while, over the famous admiring the different lanterns, some paper, most ceramic. It was almost like a long string of Christmas lights or something, actually, with one pattern or color of lanterns trailing on for a while, and then another style starting. We thought we could just follow the lanterns along the entire path, but encountered several deadends and it was slightly disappointing to discover that the major temples were closed off for the evening/event (especially Tenryuji Temple, the one with the stepping-stone pond you see Lost in Translation). My favorite parts were strolling through the small Bamboo forest at the foot of the mountains (lit up in glowing, blue Eiffel-esque light show glory) and visiting the small red shrine in the middle of the forest with it's moss and rock garden. I think it was an Inarijinha (fox shrine), but don't quote me on that... or ask me what it was called.

I would recommend the event to others, but don't think I would travel all the way to Kyoto to do it again. It made a little more sense given I was hanging out with someone that lives an hour and a half away (so one of us had to travel anyways)... but yeah, difficult for a school night. Considering there are posters for the event plastered all over Kansai (with an abundance on the trains and at stations), I was surprised to discover that Wikipedia offered zilch for background info. You can pick up a little flyer with a map at most stations in teh Kyoto area (and at tourist centers, the main one for Kyoto is in Kyoto station), but be aware that the event takes a bit of walking and that it really is useful to check a map and plan your route out in advance (it doesn't go in one strip, but stops and starts so it's easy to miss big peices). I have also heard of a train called the "Twilight Express" (they use the English name in Japan) that will take you around the sites and to see the foilage, so that and the numerous rickshaws are other options!

Minneapolis just got 15 Inches of Snow & Gore Accepts the Peace Prize in Oslo today...

... but things are still pretty quite and normal in Akashi. Just wanted to add an update since I've been slow with them lately.

I continue to stare at the notebooks, but now that I have submitted grades, I have some time before the stacks I have are due (next assignment is about my students' "dream vacation"... most say Disneyland or places in Tokyo, but there are some interesting reads).

Kel and I are also working on our upcoming vacation, which is approaching very quickly. I'm sure I've mentioned it, but I am traveling with Kelly again (my Trini friend; did Thailand last year and going to India and Laos this year). We're spending three days in Taipei, Taiwan next week as part of an extended layover on the way to India. Ironically, we discovered via Facebook that my friend Hong, another English teach in Fukuoka, Japan (Kyushu - more south...) whom Brianne and I randomly shared a room with at the temple stay in Korea last year, has about the same travel itinerary as us. She's a fun girl and it seems like we're like-minded about travel plans (we're going to a toilet bowl restaurant she found... yes, everything is served out of mini toilets... sort of wacky and exciting), so I am looking forward to exploring together. The Nepal portion of the trip is still a huge question mark (wanted to do the Everest Base camp, but the trek might take too long), as is where we will be for New Years (biggest celebrations are in Goa)... but no matter what, we're going to India!! How can I complain?!

I am going to log off, but if you get some time, check out the footage from Oslo of the Peace Prize ceremony or read Gore's (well-received) speech, below. Cheers!

Gore's Speech: http://nobelpeaceprize.org/eng_lect_2007c.html

More information on the Nobel Peace Prize available at: www.nobelpeaceprize.org/index.html

Exam Week is HERE!

I am never going to get used to the sound of my voice being blasted over the load speakers for 30 minutes as the first year students take their Oral Communiation Final (Listening Test). This time, we did a telephone conversation and I made this funny, fake ringing noise... now even the teachers are mimicking the kids, mimicking the noise.

I just got a huge stack of tests dropped on my desk to correct, not to mention all the notebooks that just got turned in, so I'm suddenly back to busy for a moment. It's better that way, though, and the kids are absolutely adorable coming to the door to turn in their notebooks. I overheard one group of boys doing janken (basically rock, paper, scissors... used here to decide who does something like we would flip a coin), trying to decide who was going to come talk to me. I ran up to the group and threw in my sign; they were really startled at first but it was funny when they realized it was me. They let me know they thought the listening test was too hard, but it's not completely my fault when we aim for a 60% average... I bet the boys did better than they thought.

Alright, I really do need to get this stuff marked so I can get grades in. Hope your weekends are going well, though, and more soon! xoxo

Another Year End...

and with it, another 簿年会 (Bon enkai... hope that kanji is right).

To refresh your memory, the Bon Enkai (practically a Japanese phenomenon in itself) is the end-of-the-year work party. Common characteristics of bon enkais are some sort of entertainment or game (quite often Bingo or karaoke) and a lot of booze among colleagues or friends. Literally every restaruant or venue with a party room in the country is booked up with a party during this time of year. The women often don't drink because they are driving (an observation a friend made last year and I didn't believe until I started to observe the same pattern at my enkai), but I have noticed that the general idea of "what happens at an enkai, stays at an enkai" (yeah, it doesn't just stop at the Vegas border anymore...) applies to everyone in attendance pretty much whatever the relationship may be. There are other enkais throughout the year for smaller occations, mind you, but the bon enkai is the king of them all. Everyone is expected to attend and they can be pretty elaborate (mine was over $100 pp, which is pretty standard).

And speaking of my enkai, this past Friday my work Bon enkai, the second since I've been in Japan. Last year was a little out of control to the point of several male coworkers not wearing shirts (yes, just pants and a tie), one younger, normally serious guy coming out dressed as Spiderman (again, mask and pants only), people going wild over bingo to the point of standing on chairs and screaming, as well as impromptu dancing and (again) standing on chairs during karaoke and song performances. Furthermore, it is considered rude to pour your own drink at a social function with a lot of people (someone else should pour it for you and you can't take the first sip before the official toast), and is thus customery for people to walk around with a bottle to make sure nobodys drink never empties (ironically, the big drinkers are the ones with the bottles, filling everyone else up, because they get a pour for each one they give)... makes for some pretty red faces. To make things even better, the open bar has a wide selection.  I am pretty sure I had at least 4 different drinks at one point last year (red wine, white wine, beer & sake) to accompany the many courses of the meal, with both beer and wine this year. But why all the drinking?  In all seriousness, it's part of Japanese culture; the ultimate social lubricant.  I can attest to the fact that people you had never spoken to will come out of the woodwork with refined Engish greetings and funny comments (like long-standing observations of your daily habits... down to your favorite color and what you eat for lunch on Wednesdays).

Anyways, given all this information, you might understand why I was so excited when a whole year had past and it was suddenly time to re-create the mayhem in all it's glory! ;-)

Our enkai this year was definately fun, but I have a sneaking feeling that whomever was on the planning committee might have taken notice of just how "out-of-control" the festivities were last year (maybe even compared to most enkais) and toned it down a bit on purpose. This equaled no karaoke, no shirtless men and no posh hotel in Kobe.  I was asked to recite a poem in Japanese beforehand (which I didn't end-up doing... we're going to surprise the kids with it next week), but that was about the only supplementary activity to Bingo (everyone one a prize & I got a sweater shaver). Because this year's enkai was also held in Kakogawa (albeit at a nice hotel in Kakogawa), not Kobe, there was a limit on after-party options.

I've heard whispers about some after-party drama, but nothing too serious.  Overall, I guess it was a pretty good holiday work party and I got a chance to hang out with some of the teachers I don't talk to that often.  At the end of the night, I ran to the bathroom and changed out of my skirt and into a 70s-style mini-dress for the 70s party I was going to later on.  I think some people found the wardrobe change a bit funny, but also added a little excitement and good icebreaker for Monday morning conversations.  I'm definitely going to miss this parties when I leave Japan (don't see people wanting to shell out over $100 to drink with coworkers at home, spouses not invited); they've given me some interesting memories.  Pictures to come!

Send Free Rice.

Check out this awesome feed-the-world site that someone just recommended. It's really fun:

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

For every correct answer in a word game 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN to someone who will be nourished by it and in need. I'm going to get my coworkers up on this!

Grammy Nods

It's funny how much pop culture can revolve around the television shows you don't watch; it's just contemporary culture for people to talk about them. I often know names from American Idol, for example, and I think I've maybe tuned in once or twice.

I didn't watch much television in the US before coming to Japan, but I was none-the-less startled to really notice the fact that I don't have the opportunity to see the same shows (internet doesn't count) as I opened to my homepage this morning saw "GRAMMY NOMINATIONS" scribbled across the headlines. Seriously? Grammy time? Already? Anyways, it did kind of sneak up on me (sort of like Thanksgiving), but I was pleasantly surprised upon seeing the list and thought I'd add my two pieces...

First of all, Amy Winehouse. Gotta call this as my top pick. Her rich, sultry voice just does me good. So relaxing sometimes, and even though I am sort of (ok, really) sick of Rehab (not to mention all the Rehab re-mixes, Lil Mama and Jay-Z), but I could listen to the rest of her album over and over (and over again) without getting sick of it. And while I know Wino has some personal issues going on in her life, she and Kanye are up for artist of the year, but I actually think she might get it. Don't get me wrong, I like Kanye (ever since Kaia first added the Workout song to my running mix...), but not to the same degree and I don't know his new album well.

Was also glad to see Feist on the list for best new artist (hope this girl de-thrones Celine as the Canadian song princess someday...soon...) and color me intriguied about the new names that I haven't heard of but will soon be downloading from iTunes: Paramore, Taylor Swift (guy from Idol?), Herbie Hancock and Ledesi. I also have a bit of Foo Fighters stuff in my music files, but nothing new and was surprised to see that their new album was so well received. The nominations included "best song" and "album of the year." I will have to give that one a peek, too.

I am sure there is a lot of buzz about this stateside , but here's the Yahoo article that popped up if you want to take a gander. どぞ： http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12175165

Himeji: Kokoen & the History Museum

This has been one of the busiest weeks I've had in a while. I think I've been home a total of 10 minutes in the last three days!
During the daytime, however... slightly different story. I have some new notebooks and marking to do, but finals have officially commenced, which means a little more leniency and freetime for moi. I also still need to get some grad school applications out and should be studying Japanese more, but I have to allow myself at least some opps to take advantage of being in Japan while I can afford the extra time during tests. Yesterday was one of those "let's exploring Japan" days....
I don't go to Himeji often and while it's amazing to have "Japan's most famous castle" within biking (probably running) distance from where I spend most of my week, you really do start to take it for granted after a while. I am still awed by many things in this country, but I saw the castle enough times last year to need a break from it for a while. Since I was going to be in town anyways (birthday dinner), though, I decided to use my free afternoon to explore some of the aspects of the castle and area that I never made it to before, starting with Koko'en, the Japanese garden on the side of the castle.
When I got to town, I walked down the arcade (covered mall - now all decorated for Christmas!!) and did a little shopping and snooping around before getting to the castle. Himeji, which is known for it's spiral-designed foundations and outer rings, has a large courtyard outside the main entrance. It's covered with sakura (cherry blossoms) in the spring, but I really wanted to check out the fall colors before they were gone. The castle itself was pretty, but the trees surrounding the moat where particularly stunning, with firey-red tones and canary yellow hues. Compared to the garden, though... that was nothing.
KOKO'EN Garden @-----**----
I have always loved Japanese gardens (it's my favorite place at the Minnesota Arboretum, actually) so I think it's kind of strange I've never been to the one in Himeji. I've been to the castle a lot, so I've been there on tourist business more than once, but I guess it just never came up. I should also mention I've been to big Japanese gardens in Japan (the big one next to Okayama castle is especially nice), but I had no idea that the Himeji location was even better... possibly one of the best around. Koko'en (the name of the garden) is situated next to the Himeji Castle grounds, on the site of old Samurai houses. It consists of 9 smaller gardens, which are separated by walls, includes several carp ponds and waterfalls, and it's possible to do an authentic Japanese tea ceremony (only ￥500 with cake! I've done it before or I would've jumped at the chance). I presume the tea comes from the 茶の庭 (tea garden)... but don't quote me on that.
The garden was beautiful, and being a Thursday afternoon, visitors were sparse and I could enjoy a stroll past the red leaves in peace. It would be a great place to meditate, actually, and I enjoyed the alone time, but I could see this place crawling with camera-toting tourists during the summer and on weekends! The garden didn't close until 5, but I didn't want to stick around for it to get dark (which is basically at 5 these days), so I basically just walked around for a while, taking about an hour-and-a-half to enjoy the landscape before heading to my next stop, the Prefecture History Museum. The pics will speak for themselves if you check out the album...
In addition to the garden, I've been meaning to get to the History Museum and Himeji City Art Museum for a long time, but it's just never happened. I decided to seize the chance while I had it! Both buildings are located at the base of the castle (sort of on the back side), but the art museum is housed in old, brick army barracks (from WWII) and has been of particular interest. You can clearly see the whole building from the top of the castle and it's fascinatingly beautiful with the red bricks and manacured lawn. I've secretly wanted to go to scope out the architecture as much as the art inside (even when they had the Rodin exhibits), but - of course - the art museum was closed for the day. The walk around the moat from the garden to the buildings itself was a treat, but I was happy to discover I was contented with observing the old barracks from behind the iron fence on the way to the history museum. I might go sometime if they have any good exhibits come through (there's something about christian paintings right now), but otherwise, just getting a closer look is enough to satisfy for now... so I kept going to the history museum.
Hyogo Prefecture History Museum
I've heard a lot about this museum before, but was particularly excited about it last year upon hearing rumors that you can try on kimono and samurai gear... and for free. Luckily, my opinions and have changed a bit since aquiring two of my own yukata (summer kimono) and trying on different kimono via various situations or I may have been crushed when I arrived just as the changing stations closed. The museum itself was more than I expected, however. The admission was a bit steep compared to other museums here (￥８００ or about $7.50), but the building was just remodeled in April and looked beautiful!
The place was very hands-on, had large child-oriented sections, and housed a library for further research if you're into history. I also visited the special exhibit, which old postcard pictures of Kobe and which featured information about cranes (the symbol of Himeji; also known as the White Crane Castle) and a famous Japanese explorer from the 1970s. The postcards were cool to see, though. Kobe looked really different before the earthquake in 1995... it's literally a new place!
Overall, this museum is going to go up there with some of my favorites but I think it was in large part better because it focused on the area I live in more than the caliber of the exibits. They did have a lot of historical information about Japan in general, but the focus on our local history (conflict between the Gengi & Heike clans, for example), festivals and places I have been and actually know about was pretty cool. It was a lot similar to the Archeology Museum in Harimacho, I guess (haha... even the dressing up!). And while you know I live in Akashi City (essentially a suburb if Kobe), you probably notice I talk more about Harimacho (Harima Town) on this thing than I do about Akashi (haha, note the previous sentence). That's because I basically live on the border of Akashi and the Harima region, which happens to be a historical hub. Hyogo Prefecture has 11 "National Treasure" buildings, which (as I learned yesterday) ranks it 4th in Japan. All of those buildings were built in the old Harima Province (five of the buildings pertaining to the castle). That's pretty cool.
Hmm, let's see. Other interesting things about the museum were seeing old (I mean centuries old) toys from Japan and learning more about this area during the war. It was startling to see pictures of downtown Himeji in rubble after air raids and think about the obachan and ojisan (basically old people) I know actually being part of that. What's more, many of the pictures had a view of the castle, perfectly preserved in the background, exactly as you see it today. The American aircraft that bombed the area didn't touch the castle because they used it as a landmark to navigate to other areas; good for preserving history, but sad to think about all the other destruction. I guess war is an ugly thing and the fact that I am sitting in Harima writing is a happy story. But seriously... check out the album when I post it. It's really interesting.
I finished at the museum as it closed, being ushered around at the end by a bored guard, about my age, who wanted to practice her English. I took one last lap around the castle (stopping at the site of the old wooden gate & bridge at the back, where the samurai would tie their horses, for the first time) and went to meet my friend for the dinner... the reason I had come to town.
Dinner was good and I discovered that I love pork & kimuchi together (new izakayai option), but we called it an earlier night after grabbing a drink. Silly me fell asleep on the train and ended up almost spending the night in Kobe because of the mistake afterwards, too, (took me like 2 hours to get back once I backtracked and caught last train), but at least I can say I slept well once I get home. Fun times!

Saying Goodbye

When the new school year started in April and a handfull of teachers (including the principal, whom I really liked) and my third year students left school, everything from our staffroom seating arrangements to my class schedule (and my structured little life as I knew it) changed. I was definately a bit sad and wasn't very comfortable with the transition, but it was the people changes that hit me the hardest. Then in August, when Jane and Ben, two of my good friends and "senpai" (sort of mentor-figures; a helper-role in Japanese culture) said their goodbyes and moved home, I was once again utterly gutted. Therefore, when the next wave of goodbyes came this week... I tried to brace myself and wasn't looking forward to it. Miraculously, however, I think I am finally getting used to the changes...

Instead of Japanese classes on Monday, we had a potluck Goodbye party for our friend Vaughn who's internship is ending and will be leaving Japan. I might have mentioned him before, but Vaughn is an American student who has been here for about 6 months. He and Clayton hang out a lot and he was a good running partner for me this summer when I needed someone else to motivate me to get out in the awful heat. Six months abroad is not always that long of a time, but he's a nice guy and has become a part of our local expat community and circles.

Vaughn and I went for a littel run after work and then headed to the community center in Harimacho to meet up with the rest of the party. As usual, I made a salad and most people brought sushi or sandwiches. It was pretty much your normal potluck here, but one guy did bring a huge veggie platter with dip (pretty much made my day) and 藤田先生 brought her takoyaki (fried octopus ball) grill and made a few fresh batches of takoyaki for us. As is customary with these kinds of parties, the student who has studied the longest (or the highest rank...) gave the main toast (can't drink before the toast) and then we were all asked to say something to Vaugn. Then Vaughn gave a short speech, first in Japanese and then in English, about his expectations of coming to Japan. He talked about how he didn't consider a 6 month stint abroad long enough to really form real friendships, but how wrong he was and how much he has learned about life since he came.

To be honest, it was one of the best farewell speeches I have ever heard. Vaughn wasn't the only one almost in tears as I looked around the room. I was definately moved by it, but at the saem time, I've come to realize the nature of this situation is temporary and Vaughn is going back to good things, so it's not like we should be so sad. We're just going to miss him. As Vaughn said, "we'll always be able to message Facebook" but I guess what trips me up the most is the change in routine (hmm, like the stuff you know in a country where there is a lot you probably don't know?)

After the little dinner, we all went back to someone's house and played Wii for a while. It was actually my first time playing (pretty much peaked at the original Mario Bros.), but a good night. I think the next round of Sayonara parties will be when I am leaving! Weird!

Asbestos in Japan is a Big Problem

So you've heard of Asbestos and know it's bad... but do you know why it's bad or what it is? For those of you who might know the term, but not the details, Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is known for causing certain kinds of lung cancer. Yes, it was released last week that the World Health Organization is also going to announce that graveyard shifts (or nocturnal-like behaviour) also has a strong correlation with and/or causes cancer (something to do with the fake lighting and messed up body rythms?), but I would take the Asbestos thing a little more seriously. In the past, Asbestos was a popular building material and was used in the construction of most buildings (especially schools) built during a certain timeframe. Thankfully, most schools and businesses have now taken measures to remove any Asbestos from their buildings.

Oh wait, but that is in America. Japan... Japan is a different story.

Last year, I told you my colleague revealed to me that we still have Asbestos under the main stairwells in the building I work in ("but as long as it's behind the concrete, you'll be fine"). Today I read an article in the Japan Times that reported about a recent government survey. The survey found that one out of every six small private business facilities in Japan has areas where asbestos remains exposed to the air, a figure they anticipate to be a grosse underestimate of the real problem. I don't think it's just me (or, rather, the American in me) when I say that is very concerning, especially given the fact that I work in a public institution (kids don't have a choice about being here) and we are aware of the health risks involved. It's not quite as extreme as, say, letting a tabacco company sponser my English Club outings, but it's the same principle. Not OK.

I am definately a little uncomfortable with such a high figure, but honestly a little surprised, too, that people don't react more boldy and do something to change the situation. This is especially true considering things like the recently intense focus on the declining population in Japan (lung cancer will make the issue bigger), the dangers and fears of cancer itself and the obviously huge strains higher cancer rates would put on the national healthcare system. My hope is that this government survey marks the beginning of a trend towards taking further action.

Anyways, point of interest for the day. More info here:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071206a5.html

I'd like you to meet Maglev...

Possibly America's next wave in transportation. Yes, we might get a bullet train:

I can see the Shinkansen (http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4219935.html) tracks near my house from my balcony and I still get a little rush of excitement everytime I see a bullet train smoothly slide past. For a girl from Minneapolis, a city which actually disassembled the majority of it's advanced public transportation system in the early 20th century (to make way for automobiles, no less... don't get me started on how cool it would be to still have those streetcars), it's somewhat hard to imagine taking advantage of such advanced train systems as I have encountered in Europe and Japan at home. But man would it be nice...

On the subject of inventions, here's another little guy that I found intrigueing. It's the latest robot... out of NORWAY (bet you thought I was gonna hit you with Japan, didn't ya?). There is still no outer casing to the invention, but this "snake" ( actually inspired by nature) can extiniquish fires better than humans. (http://www.dagbladet.no/kunnskap/2005/02/15/423493.html) Kinda cool:

Countries like Japan, my current home, could actually really benefit from this new technological creatures. It should be no surprise that Japan is an earthquake-prone area. In the past, more people have actually died from the fires following catostrophic earthquakes (like the 1923 Tokyo one or, more recently, the Hanshin Earthquake the toppled Kobe in 1995). They are doing more to support buildings and structures, so they don't collapse, but it would also be helpful to install something of this sort to help combat spreading fires. It's narrow and only 7kg, too, so not hard to transport or store in small spaces!

And lastly... since we're already talking inventions... any of you Oles out there might want to check out the current copy of Fortune Magazine. Adam Gettings is featured (p.49)! Love, love, love the entreprenuerial spirit.... um, and the pic is totally GQ. Adam and I had a few classes together and hung out in school, but I probably got to know him better when we participated in the same entreprenuerial internship after our junior year and both went on the Economics J-term trip to China our senior year. I think we think alike in some ways, but I stil thought he was crazy when he quit his job and moved to CA to build robots with his brother. I guess I was wrong!

Setting up Shop in Okamoto

So after the JLPT we decided we should go get a beer and celebrate the test being over. We wound up at this very posh little cafe in Okamoto that doubled as a high-end doggie hair parlor. Check this place out:

(pic)

Of course, we just stopped because we liked the porch and it was close to where we took the JLPT (the one requirement being that they had beer... but the fondue and curry turned out to be awesome), but this place was crazy. As we left, we realized the whole street was filled with little boutiques and had about 8 hair salons. This is apparently a student area, but the whole area (ok, maybe just this street) was very Soho, very elegant and upscale... very not Akashi/Harimacho. Kristine, Lena and I contemplated opening a trendy English Cafe down the road. People could get their hair done while we teach them English and then we'd have a swanky little loft above the salon. Yeah, I know, not going to happen... but kinda of fun. I definately want to come explore this area more sometime!

Another Round of Interview Tests...

Tomorrow is the last day of １年生の「オラル」の面接の試験 (I have no idea if that's right, but it should say first year "Oral Communication" interview testing). Actual finals start on Wednesday and our 簿年会　(end of the year work party) is on Friday. Man, time is flyin'!

So far in the Interview testing, I've started wearing my little parka (complete with fur hood) in the hall because it got so cold sitting in the hall for an hour at a time (could see my breath during the test today!!), discovered the Japanese Napoleon Dynomite (kid you not... made the "hhhhhaaaaaaaaa" breathing sound for almost 5 minutes when I asked him questions although I shouldn't comment too much in case there are issues behind it) and realized another female student speaks exactly like a higher-pitched Cartman from South Park (it's really cute when she does it, though).  Oh, and I have been playing Marry Poppins for the class while I am interviewing individual students, but I still walked in on one class where several kids had their socks and shoes off and were doing flips (like gymnastics flips) across the room.  

We'll see what they come up with tomorrow.  Some of the new notebooks have had some interesting stories and the last classes had the most to study, so I have high hopes...

Formalities.

Does "Got it" sound rude to you when used as "I understand" or "I have an understanding of what you mean"? For example:

A: Let's do the worksheet next. The text for it is on page 94.
B: OK, got it! (flips to page)

I personally didn't think anything of it, so I'm serious in wondering what you guys think. Is this rude to you, or a normal phrase?

Cultural Differences and Informal Tongues
The reason I ask is because, according to my colleague, it's apparently much too informal to be used in school. I was coming back from class today when one of my co-teachers pulled me aside and told me to stop using "got it" to her in front of the students (because she is my superior so it's rude). She was actually very serious and was telling me this in a manner where she was trying to help me more than be rude or bossy.
To be honest, my initial reaction was that of surprise. I would prefer to use phrases like "got it" in front of the kids because it's colloquel English (the stuff they aren't going to get out of the textbooks and the reason I am here) and I hadn't really even thought about the phrase usage before; it just comes naturally. It had, however, apparently been bugging my coworker for a while and she wanted to address it with me. The thing is, the teacher had already told the students that they should not use the phrase and that I, too, would be discontinuing my usage before she talked to me about it... so explaining my view and the point (of informal phrases being OK amongst colleagues in class, especially a language class) to her and then continuing to use it would probably be a lost cause. Better yet, the teacher's suggested replacement response was, "Yes, ma'am" (or something along the lines of understanding with "ma'am")... and she wanted to know if I had suggestions for more appropriate phrases.

oh, cultural differences... here we go again!

I was really suprised that this issue came up, but I said I would try to stop using the phrase and that I didn't think "ma'am" was the best substitute. I think it might be a good thing the topic did come up, though, because this is definately more of a cultural difference than a language lesson in many ways and I am happy about the opportunity to address it (just wish the students hadn't already been addressed as well...).

I explained to my colleague that, yes, the phrase "got it" is informal and idiomatic, so using something like, "Yes, I understand what you mean" or "Yes, I will do that right now" might sound more "formal".... but that it can also sound less natural in a way because it's a cultural trait. We are not expected to address anyone of a higher status in formal terms. The teacher asked how I would responded to my teachers when I was in high school, and I explained that I might have said the same thing ("got it") without being repremanded... especially with the teachers I knew well through different activities and such. I received a bewildered look at that one... but it was an interesting conversation.

You guys might have to back me up on this, but while the topic was on the burner, I also explained that using "ma'am" with younger teachers might come off as sounding somewhat offensive, actually (think about this sort of honorific lingo coming from one teacher to another in a classroom setting), but - in the end - I did promise to stop using "got it" (and replace it with something a little more formal-sounding).

Yep, and then I almost used "got it" to denote that I had understood the point she was making before I walked away...

Honorific Language and Japanese
This "honorific" language is actually what made some of the JLPT reading tests hard while I was practicing for the tests. Sometimes, the difference is just adding an "O" in front of the word, but there are oftentimes totally different vocabulary to be used with your superiors. I am generally "excused" from offending people with not using this form as foreigner (some minor exceptions like the situation do occur), but the separate form of Japanese called keigo (that is used with people superior to you) really is difficult and like a different dialect or language to me sometimes. And while I know we have more honorable forms like, "hyggelig aa treffe Dem" in Norwegian (and it exists in German), but it's not quite comparable to what you find with Japanese; it's much more strict and structured here. Furthermore, most Japanese people have to take a big test when they apply for jobs to make sure they are proficient in using keigo. If you mess it up, it really isn't taken lightly. The one plus side is that there is really only one set of kanji (Chinese characters) used, while I am pretty sure Manderin Chinese has a separate set of formal kanji (characters) like keigo. No wonder it's the most difficult language in the world...

Moral.

So a moral for this little story (other than that Japanese is frickin' hard) is that I have to come up with something better than "got it" and hopefully my coworker gained some perspective on American culture, but it's really interesting what can offend people here....

Post-JLPT Reflections

The weekend has come and gone, and with it... the JLPT.

The test lasted from 9:45 - 2:30 yesterday afternoon and had three sections (basically reading, grammar/vocab & listening). In hindsight, I have to say, I have a better feeling about the test than I thought I would and am glad it's over. I am, however, a little disappointed in myself for not being more diligent with studying. We did JLPT-prep in language class, but it was kind of a joke and I knew I should have been doing more self-study on my own. I should have asked to do level-appropriate work earlier on, too, and focused harder on learning the kanji and vocabulary. But what are you gonna do, right? I am honestly fine with the results either way, but I really am glad I decided to go afterall and at least try my best.

The Test
I was somewhat surprised to discover that most of the people in my room were from China, although I probably shouldn't have been. You need Level 2 proficiency to work in most Japanese companies (I took the next-lowest level), so it also should not have been surprising that I think a lot of my fellow examinees (in my level, at least) were college students. The test is offered only once a year and is really the official gauge of your competancy (it's very structured and gets referred to a lot when you talk about studying here), so not a huge surprise that people would work their way up the ladder-system through college.
I found the reading to be much better than expected (actually understood all of it, which wasn't the case with all of the practice tests) and was OK with the time limits, but there seems to be a consensus that listening was harder than anyone else expected. I didn't know all the kanji, but I knew some and was lucky to encounter several that I had just learned (yay for Japanese-style rote learning). It's just annoying how they try to trick you (can usually narrow it down to two almost identical kanji and then have a 50/50 chance if you don't know). I definately made some stupid mistakes on questions that I should have gotten easy points from... but, again, it's done.

Study Habits
When I look back at my preperation for this test, I can say that I put in a comperable amoutn of time to some of the people in my area, but not close to what I could have done (and compared to others I know who took the same level as I did). I have also finally realized that I merely cannot study well at home. I met Kristin and Lena to study at Mr. Donuts in Akashi on Saturday night, another thing we should have started doing much earlier (and maybe should start doing now anyways), and it was so much more productive than any of my other sessions. Granted, both Lena and Kelly are really good at Japanese and could answer my questions and stuff, but the location made a huge difference. At home, I get distracted or am not as focused. This fact is especially true with my current setup, where I am not only sitting on the floor (it's tatami and I have a short, little, fold-up table that looks like a coffee table) or on my bed (which is all too conveniently located next to te computer) but am in my warm, comfy, little room. I either don't get enough done or just fall asleep in the heat. On Friday for example, I fell victim to the warm bed (was trying to get some kanji practice in) and was lured to an early bedtime.
Now, the knowledge doesn't do me a ton of good now that the test is over and I have struggled through the majority of my application essays, but it is good to know for the future and I think I am still going to buckle down and make a bigger effort... somewhere other than home.

Yeah, so that's about it for the JLPT! The test was held at Konan University in Okamoto (near Kobe/Sannomiya) so Kristine, Lena and I basically hung out there for a while before meeting James in Kobe and hanging out there some more. It was a long day (long weekend, actually), but I feel like I got something done.