Getting Ready for Race Day

I'm about to head out for the weekend. I can't believe I'm only two days out from the big race!

I need sleep, but I'm defiitely feeling better and trying to pump myself up mentally for these last 48 hours. I'll put together our food packets tomorrow (can leave food at a table every 15k after 5k... nice little detail about doing marathons in Japan vs. elsewhere) and - very exciting news - spent this afternoon making our running jerseys and they're turning out well.

I came up with two logos: one with two girls running from a big bus with a big time clock (just like the time limits in the marathon...haha) and one with an adult hand reaching out for a child's hand, with the Cambodian flag painted on the adult's hand like mehendi (henne painting). In the end, I didn't go with either, though. I'm going to leave the front blank for now and put the roster on the back of the shirts. I think I'll paint a design before Tam and I actually bring ours to Cambodia on the trip, but I think it looks more like an actual race team shirt if it's only the black (with a small Addidas logo) on the front. We chose to use sleeveless, running shirts (special cotton mix), but we're wearing them as vests with matching headbands and shirts underneath...

Just wanted to give you a peek of the shirts (in progress):

Inconvenient Indeed

I am working on writing a final for my second year classes right now, and I decided to do a monologue on environmentalism and global warming. The environment is a popular topic in English textbooks in Japan (including the one we use) because it is often a topic on entrance exams, and we have been trying to do more with this theme this year.

I generally try to keep this blog professional, not displaying too personal of information (this is not a diary) or wearing my politics on my sleeve. I just saw this information on Wikipedia when I was researching Al Gore's involvement with the climate crisis, however, found it amusing and had to share:

From Wikipedia's Al Gore site (in reference to his work on An Inconvenient Truth):

President Bush, when asked whether he would watch the film, responded: "Doubt it."
He later stated that "And in my judgment we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse gases have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects, and focus on the technologies that will enable us to live better lives and at the same time protect the environment."
Gore responded that "The entire global scientific community has a consensus on the question that human beings are responsible for global warming and he [Bush] has today again expressed personal doubt that that is true."
White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino stated that “The president noted in 2001 the increase in temperatures over the past 100 years and that the increase in greenhouse gases was due to certain extent to human activity”

Sick the Week of the Marathon... but getting better!

This week hasn’t been the best week I’ve ever had.

OK, OK, so there have been a lot of positive things happening. I did get to see Bjork on Monday, found the PEPY shirts for our marathon at the outlet malls (they're so nice!) and did girls night in Kobe on Tuesday and caught up with an old friend over a girly movie and some good home-cooked Chinese traditional Chinese food on Wednesday.

Busy, but not a bad week, right? At the same time as all of this was going on, however, I suddenly found myself plagued with worry when I woke up on Wednesday morning barely able to walk! I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but the muscles in my back were really sore (like someone had punched me as hard as they could next to my spine).

I couldn't move around or bend over very well (graduation came at a bad time considering it was a formal event and I had to bow a lot...yikes) and my whole body just felt tired and swollen. I don't think this has ever actually happened to me before. Even with colds and the flu, I never get sore muscles.

Anyways, I went to the school nurse and she gave me some wet pads with adhesive that stuck to my back (smelling of antisethptic). Apparently you’re supposed to use cold pads, not hot, to treat muscle pain (oops, I was using sticky disposible handwarmer packets), but we still didn't know what was causing the pain and I was starting to get really nervous about the race.

I took it easy for most of the day and was feeling a lot better when I woke up the next day, but just in case, Nozaki Sensei, the nurse and I we went to see a doctor in the afternoon. The doctor used to be the school doctor, and my nurse trusted him, so I did too. The guy had to have been 80 years old, though, and the clinic looked like an old Red Cross hospital from before the war (from the inside) and smelled like an old folks home. The doctor checked my back, surveyed my chest, looked down my throat, had me lay down and checked my stomach. In the end, the diagnosis was something about my throat (tonsils, but I don't think he said tonsilitis), so he gave me antibiotics for two days (yes, only two - you are supposed to go back if you need more) and told me to turn my heat up higher when I sleep. My room is usually ridiculously hot, but I agreed, paid, collected the meds...And that was that. I did ask about the marathon before leaving, and the old doc gave me a green light, so now I'm just resting and trying to get more sleep (with the heat cranked even higher....was already at 28 degrees C!).

FRIDAY: Anyways, I am feeling better now but that's a little update on what I've been doing this week. Graduation yesterday went a lot faster than I remember it going last year and I understood a lot more. I also sort of know the drill now. When to stand up, when to bow, how to react to the speeches, how to react to the PTA and all the parents that come. Still don't know the entire Japanese national anthem or our school song by heart (and can't read the kanji to follow along), but I'm working on those.

This year's graduation ceremony also felt different because I know a lot more of the third-year students that graduated this year (especially sad about my English club girls leaving), and now that they are done, I realized I have officially had every single student in the school in class. Yesm, all 600 of them! I don't know all of their names, but I do know their faces and they are all familiar with my crazy antics and American mannerisms (of sorts; I am definiately a departure from the stereotypical Japanese teacher).

As this school year ends, I still have the strongest connection to my forty second-year International Studies course students (who will stay in the same class and I get to teach as seniors next year), but it will be interesting once the new students arrive in April and I will be familiar with pretty much everyone in the building.

Alright, I need to run. My test time is up so I'm heading upstairs to listen to the recording and to see if there are any questions! More later, but wish us luck for Sunday! Bonzai!

In the Presence of her Bjorkness

I went to the Björk concert in Osaka last night! The show was WICKED!!! The concert, held at Osaka Castle Hall, was part of Björk’s recently extended Volta tour. The 16,000-seat hall, set on the edge of the sprawling grounds around the castle, was sold out for the event.

If you’re not familiar with her music, Icelandic Björk is almost a genre on her own, possibly best categorized as one of the reigning queens of electronica/rock/trip-hop. Incorporating a variety of lyrical styles into her music, the woman is a powerhouse of vocal passion, both by album and live. While Björk is known for expressive vocals and performances, she is just as famous for her eccentric clothing and costumes (you might remember the woman who showed up at the 2001 Oscars wearing a swan?). She is undeniably very talented, creative, expressive (some might say a little crazy?) and definitely not afraid to defy the mainstream. Did I mention her music rocks?

The concert was on a Monday. Not the best night for an outing in Osaka when you work in Takasago, but I met some friends in Umeda and we took the JR Loop Line to OsakaJoKoen Station to grab dinner before the show. If you ever go to a concert here, be warned that most big concert venues in Japan do not sell much food once you’re inside (and usually no beer or alcohol!), so it’s good to eat before. As usual, the offering at the food stands consisted of the typical matsuri selection (yakisoba and various octopus dishes) so we headed to a local mall food court for something more filling before getting back to the park around 7:00.

When we got to the door, the show security was not particularly strong. The first security officer completely overlooked the plastic, contraband bottle of tea in my purse (that he was checking for!), while the second guard just asked about cameras (again, not taking mine), checked our tickets and handed out programs. The lines weren't too long and moved quickly, though, so maybe I have to hand it to 'em for crowd control....Once inside the hall, I was happy to discover the venue seemed smaller than you would expect it to and we could see the stage well. Our tickets were definitely in the nosebleed-section (third row from the back, baby!), but my friend had binoculars, which helped, and we had a good view of the large screen.

At 7:30, the lights went out and Björk’s brass band, an all-female entourage named Wonderbrass, took the stage. The dozen or so women marched across the stage to the sound of an Icelandic ballad called “Brennid Tid Vitar,” resembling a row of gold-clad pide pipers with colorful face paint making their way through a parade more than a rock band. Then again, you should expect artist creativity from Björk! The band took their place and a minute later, the keyboardist, drummer and two electronic musicians followed them on stage, creating an awesome array of soundscapes before Björk appeared at the center microphone a few moments later. I still haven’t gotten completely used to the fact that most big concerts in Japan don’t start with a warm-up or opening band, but there is always that thrill or rush when the music first starts and you know it’s going to be exactly what you came to see and have been waiting for.

The crowd went wild as Björk opened with Earth Intruders, an electric hit off of last year’s album, Volta. Blue lights illuminated the stage as Björk jumped around, running barefoot in a shimmery gold jumper under giant flags. Björk’s long, dark hair resembled a lion’s mane as she caressed the microphone, twisting and moving her body to the shaky, strong beats of the music. It was clear from the first song that the concert was not going to disappoint.

The first half of the 90-minute (or so) set was somewhat of a laid-back atmosphere. It drew evenly from all six of Björk’s albums, and included two of my personal favorites, “Hunter” and the soft, lullaby-like song “Joga”. Towards the middle of the show, bright blue lasers shot from the middle of the stage as Björk’s soothing voice echoed and filled every inch of the medium-sized arena. The large screen in the center of the arena panned in on the electronic musicians and their lit-up toys and synthesizers. It was like something out of a sci-fi dream. The crowd on the main floor swayed back and forth, exploding in movement anytime Björk made slight gestures in their direction. Even on the top throngs of the hall, each row had at least two or three solitary dancers. This is was impressive to me, considering “big name” concerts in Japan sometimes carry with them a reputation for more civil crowds (my friend at I were shocked to find ourselves two of the loudest people at the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Osaka last year!). Even the timid-looking girl dressed all in pink in the seat in front of me was up on her feet and stepped side-to-side while her boyfriend sat beside her, bobbing his head.

The second-half of the show charged onwards with more powerful beats like “Army of Me, an obvious crowd favorite, and “Hyperballad.” Meanwhile, Björk teased the audience with her toys, at one point running back and forth across the stage with streamers and always oozing energy and excitement. For the last song of the set (“Pluto”), the band came down from their platform and onto stage to form a circle around Björk, who joined the all-female brass troupe in jerky, fanatic dancing. The strobe lights and blue lazors flickered through the crowds as Björk’s ethereal vocals and the fast-paced techno beats whipped the house into a furious finale. Björk uttered a small “arigatou,” ending her last song with a roll of the tongue (arrrrrigatooooouuuu!) and leaving the stage.

After several minutes of pleading and cheers, the band reappeared for a three-song encore. Wonderbrass again lead the charge as Björk satisfied the crowd, closing the show with her single “Declare Independence.” And just like that, the lights came on and it was over. In one word, the show was AWESOME! If you weren’t able to catch a show on Björk’s monstrous 18-month global Volta tour (which will conclude in England this May) or don’t know much about the enigma that is Björk, I highly recommend quenching a thirst for live Björk with the upcoming Live Sessions Album or checking out one of her quirky music videos on YouTube...

The Weekend Review - Kransekake and Smorbrod

Friday Night Lights
After an almost six-month haitus, I spent Friday at Tam and Clayton's house to resume our Lost tradition on Friday evening. Prior to the relaxing TV-night-in with stirfry, however, it was sort of a crazy afternoon.
So after all the trouble with the charger last month, my cell phone actually broke (it's a flip-fold type, and one of the plastic pieces holding it together literally just snapped off when I opened it on Friday morning). Luckily, a friend had an old phone from the same company that I can use if/when it now stops working. I need to start using the new phone soon, but have to get all my numbers off the old one first.
I had looked at buying a new phone when I had trouble in December and a few weeks ago, but the cheapest model is literally $450 through my company (this is with insurance and I am eligable for a new contract), so I am being stubborn and want to try to get by with my friend's phone for now. I might change companies and just tell everyone I got a new number, but that about the same amount of hassle, so I'll choose the lesser of the two evils and just stick with the switching phones for now.
I was also at work a few hours late on Friday night, mostly to do mock interviews for the upcoming STEP Test (an English-efficiency test, like TOEFL but used within Japan) and record the listening section for next week's first year English Final. One of my coworkers has a really nice recording system, so he usually brings it in and sets up the microphones for each test. We've done it a few times now, so it was pretty straight forward and I think it went well. Still no word on how the STEP interview tests went on Sunday, though!
Scandinavian Baking Class
Saturday was my baking class! Every month or so, the IFA hosts different cultural cooking classes. I believe there is a vietnamese class coming up, and I have already attended a Thai class, a Caribbean cooking class, an American class and a Korean class, among others. When they asked me to do a class, I sort of panicked because I can cook, but I'm not a huge chef, and I was worried that my lack of superier excellence/experience in the kitchen would quickly be noted by the talented housewives that usually attend the courses. Considering it's mostly volunteer work and just for fun, however, I decided to give it a shot and chose to use this opportunity to share some of my background and experience with Norway and Scandinavia. You will see Swedish around here and there every once in a while, but it probably won't come as a huge surprise that I don't get a lot of chances to use my norsk or to attend Scandinavian events in these parts:-)
I met the women from the IFA at 8:15 on Saturday morning outside of the grocery store. I had quite a few things in toe, but realized I had forgotten the marzipan (special ordered and a key ingredient for the cake) at home. It takes me about 20 minutes to bike from my place to the grocery store we were at, so thankfully once of the women was kind enough to drive back so I could grab it (sitting by the door, go figure). We bought everything we needed for my three recipes and headed to the nearby community center to prepare for the class at 10.
I brought my American measuring cups and spoons with me to the class, and we boiled the potatoes, measured out whatever we could in advance.
I decided to make Kransekake, a traditional Norwegian layer-cake used for important celebrations (like weddings, Easter, confirmation ceremonies and birthdays), Lefse (like a potato pancake) and smorbrod, or open-faced sandwiches that most people in Scandinavia eat on a daily basis. I didn't have anything to compare the almond-flavored, cookie-like Kransekake to, but I told the ladies lefse is sort of like udon. It's popular and you can get it a lot of places (you can even get a form of it instead of bread for hotdogs at convenience stores), but people don't eat it everyday. Ok, ok, so smorbrod wasn't really cooking, but I was glad we included it. The class ended around lunch time and it was nice to have a little extra food (and culture) for everyone to eat. We accidentally used up all the butter in making the cake and lefse, too, so having jam around was a good thing.
Again, I was a little nervous when the class began (and pretty much gave up on trying to do everything in Japanese... thank goodness Takiko was there to help translate!), but I did a short little intro on where Norway is, why I chose Scandinavian dishes and then we dove into the task of making the cake. And to be honest, it turned out really well and I had a great time doing it! I think the practice cake my English club made on Wednesday might have been a little better (the staff got the pleasure of sampling it on Thursday), but I was pleased with the outcome of all four groups' food at the end of our class and we were actually OK for time. It's been a while since I've enjoyed scandinavian food, too, so having smorbrod for lunch (virtual matpakke) made me pretty happy as well. In Japan, we use the word natsukashii for when something makes you reminisce or brings back good feelings. The class was definitely very natsukashii for me
I was happy when I wasn't stuck with a million leftovers, but I still have over 1kg of marzipan, so we'll see what I whip up in the next few weeks....
Miwa turns the big 29 plus 1!
I had a full agenda planned out for Saturday afternoon, but after the class, I decided to just do some laundry and relax at home before heading to Sannomiya to meet the gang for my neighbor's birthday dinner. Miwa was turning 30, a pretty big birthday in any country, so we decided to celebrate with a large dinner at a Chinese all-you-can-eat place in Kobe. It was a lot of fun and I liked the food (took way too much shark soup, though, and had to finish everything or pay double the price!), but had to call it an early night and head home before for the bar since I've been on the edge of getting really sick and can't drink right now anyways. Thursday is Miwa's actual birthday, though, so I'm not sure what she's planning to do, but I might surprise her with a cake or something.
Sunday
I met my ladies in Okubo on Sunday. I showed them my powerpoint presentation and pictures from our New Years trip and taught them a little about India. It was a blast! One of the women is almost 80 (and so elegant still!) and she told us stories about Japan before the war when they used to have cows in the streets here, too (for different reasons), rickshaws (taken from the Japanese "riki-sha") were still common and women used to wear kimonos everyday, comperable to the strong Indian culture that is still mainstream in India today (saris, tuk-tuks and animals in the street). Another woman told us about this really old Japanese restaraunt run by old Japanese women (in their 70s!) that is supposed to have the best Akashiyaki (octopus balls) in town, so we're all going there for lunch in two weeks. I adore these women and my time with them. The restaraunt is close to wear I live and is supposed to be old and rickety (sort of like the Japanese version of a small-town diner)... I can't wait!
After class, I was supposed to go to a meeting, but I think the lemon room oil I am using in my humidifyer gave me a headache, so I pretty much laid low and stayed in for the rest of the day. Caught up on a few episodes of the Wire and just relaxed:-)

It seems like some people are ramping up the travel agendas recently. Maybe it's spring fever or people trying to see as much as they can while we live here, but it's ironic to find myself keeping a slower pace (for me). I sort of like it... but am also really excited for the marathon next week (T - less than a week until the marathon!! Woo hoo!) and upcoming trip back to SE Asia! I've got a few exciting little daytrips planned within the Kansai region and Golden Week (more like Golden long-weekend this year) is coming up, t0o, so I'll fill you guys in on what I have up my sleeve as I concretize those plans...

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the sunny weather. Cheers!

Thursday

I think I am catching a cold and have been tired lately, but I woke up this morning in a really good mood. I think it’s the fact that this is the sunniest day we have had since last fall...it feels like spring J I am just trying to lay low this week and avoid letting this bug get to me (the marathon is a week away, so any illness is potentially dangerous to the running plan).
Scandinavian Cooking Class this Weekend
Saturday is also my Norwegian Baking Class with the Harimacho International Friendship Association. You have to RSVP for the cooking events, and I guess mine is closed, which is both good and bad. I know three of my foreign girlfriends are coming (I am going to admit I need to reinforcements… I like cooking, but it’s not my specialty), so is Yuki (the young Japanese girl that I want to tutor me… she’s really cool), as well as quite a few of the Japanese women I know from town. I did a practice lesson with my English club yesterday, but we only made the Kransekake (tiered, Norwegian wedding cake).
I’ve made the lefse at Norwegian camp many times (um, and over an open fire), so I am less nervous about that one and just wanted to practice getting the rings of the Kransekake down. I would say it went pretty well yesterday, but not awesome. It turns out we actually didn’t need the baking rings (almost ordered them off e-bay), but we should have made the rings a little thicker, as evidenced by the flat appearance of the rings on the cake and the bunches of extra dough we were left with. Timing went well, though, and my kids understood what to do. I think I’ll be fine with the IFA… fingers crossed! In addition to kransekake and lefse, I also decided to make “fancy” smorbrod (literally “butter bread”, but essentially an open-faced sandwich) which is practically a staple in the Norwegian diet and good to serve for around lunch-time.
Dolphins
On a random note, I don’t know if you have been reading the international news lately, but Japan has been in the headlines a lot for its involvement in international whaling and especially for the practice of slaughtering and eating dolphins. The standard Japanese response (well, the people BBC or CNN interviews) to dolphin slaughter is that catching and killing them for food is comparable to people eating cows in America. Interesting stance; people in India may agree with that? I guess you could look at eating dog in parts of Asia (actually illegal in Shanghai...), too, but a common argument again the dolphin slaughter is that they are like humans in a lot of ways. The reason I bring this up is that the textbook lesson one of my second-year classes was working on today was all about dolphins. It was actually referring to them as intelligent creatures that we are lucky to share this earth with (or something halfway cheesy, along those lines). These are government-approved textbooks, which does make me wonder what the consensus on dolphin slaughter (and whaling?) really is in this country. What does the average Joe (ok, or Daisuke) think about it? I would venture to guess that most of my students have not read the stories about Japan’s controversial role in both markets or the criticism of their country for being the largest dolphin-slaughterers in the world...Just some food for thought (no pun intended).

Weekend Review: Last Long Run and Boarding in Gifu

Talk about an active weekend! I was literally on the go
from the time I finished work
on Friday until I went back on Monday.
Here's what I was up to...


Our Last Long Run
Lena and I did our last long run on Friday. I looked into doing some different routes, but we decided to do the same one as last weekend, with a twist (not including the rice field we cut through.... fun little adventure!!). We wanted to run to Himeji, but realized it wouldn't be long enough (it's only 26k from Lena's house... surprise, surprise) and didn't want to mess with all the traffic lights (stop-and-go) that comes with running along a highway. When you start a run at 8pm on a Friday (and finish after 12), your choices are kind of limited anyways... you have to go where the lights go.... but I think we did pretty well.
We moved at a much faster pace this week and only stopped once for food, which sort of hit us at the end. It's essential to keep your body hydrated and fed, even if you don't feel like you need it. It'll hit you sooner or later, but at least we learned our lesson on the practice run and not in the big marathon! Having a running parter or music is also key. Lena and I have also started to stop at this charming little shrine in Kakogawa that gives me a little extra umph, but I was literally doing cheers (yes, like high school cheerleading cheers and singing) to keep us pumped up for the last little leg of the trip.
I know we can finish the marathon distance-wise, but am worried about time. It'll probably be OK, but I am going to hit the track to test out the pace one day this week.
Oh, and as far as running to Himeji goes, we're probably going to do the run there after the big marathon. We think it would be a fun girl's day to do a long run in the morning, buy clothes to change into at Uniqlo (Japanese Gap - cheap and cute!), then hit the hot springs (maybe have some friends meet us there) and grab lunch... um, and take the train back. Running is addictive in some ways and you want to keep your body in somewhat good condition if you are training it for a while, so it is good to have plans to keep going after we have reached our goal of finishing the race. At the same time, even I'm not crazy enough to run the 50k(+) to Himeji and back!
Saturday
Saturday was relaxing. I met the ladies in the morning, spent the afternoon at an international center in Takarazuka (near Osaka) for a Japanese speech competition event (saw the building for the Takarazuka Review across the river - a very famous Japanese act that does musicals with an all-female cast...) and went to Osaka in the evening.
Osaka
Dinner in Osaka was probably one of the best I have had in Japan. If you've never tried Kushi Katsu, you must do it soon... it's basically large-scale fondue (buffet style), where you have a hole in your table that is filled by a vat of boiling oil. It's like yakitori or okonomiyaki, but there's oil instead of a grill or hotplate.
You start at the buffet, picking-out the things you want to deep fry in the oil (veggies, bread, bread with cheese inside, meat, fish, etc), bread-and-battert 'em and dip them in at your own pace. They also have about 10 different sauces you can try with additional side dishes like salad and dessert.
It's not too expensive, and the amounts are perfect for everyone; not to mention it was delicious! I wish I had known about the place (or concept in general) when my guests (esp those that weren't fond of Japanese food) were here.
After dinner, the group I was with hopped a subway from Umeda to Shinsaibashi and stopped by Adrienne's bar. It's sort of fun to have a girlfriend who manages a bar. I walked in and she had a chocolate martini (my favorite drink, if not beer) ready in about two minutes! It was a fun time and some other friends showed up at the end, but I had to leave early to catch a bus in nearby Namba for an overnight ride to Gifu Prefecture for a small snowboarding trip I decided to take. I left pretty hastily and should probably not have had as much to drink before an overnight bus trip, but I made it to the meeting point on time... and was on my way!
Boarding in Gifu
Two weeks ago, I really wanted to go to Nagano for the long weekend, but it didn't work out. I spent a long time researching ski resorts and train schedules, but was astonished to discover how inexpensive it is to book ski weekends (especially one-day trips from Osaka to Gifu or Nagano) through a travel agent. The ride to Nagano, for example, takes about 8 hours, but they have so many deals to promote tourism there. I'm told you can get a round-trip bus ride, lift tickets and maybe a trip to the hot springs for less than $150 (not sure if rental is included, but you can also rent equipment and even ski wear when you get there!).
'The busride to Gifu this past weekend wasn't too bad. It took about 6 hours one way. We left Osaka around 11pm on Saturday, stopping twice at highway rest stops, and arrived at the ski resort (Takasu) just before 6am on Sunday morning.
The rental desk and slopes didn't open until about 6:30, so we waited on the bus for a while (in the heat) before going inside to stretch out and get our gear. The inside of the Japanese chalet looked a lot like what you will find in America, but there were a few things that realy surprised me with the Japanese ski resort.
First of all, the lift passes! Paper tickets hanging off your jacket from little metal hooks (which was sort of a status symbol when I was in Middle school...) has apparently now become old school. Instead, you pay a $10 deposit for a credit card-like lift pass. Most poeple will have an arm-holder or neckholder for their card and then you scan the card and push through the gates every time you go through. Making it electronic makes sense; easier to compute and you can probably track where people were last seen if anyone goes missing. I was impressed. The chairs were also about the same, but I was surprised to find bathrooms at the top of the slopes (Japanese convenience or my lack of large ski resort experience?), as well as a restaraunt at the top of the highest chair lift. All of the vending machines are nothing new for Japan, but being able to get cocao ('cause you gotta have cocao when you ski!)
Even though I haven't been boarding in about 10 years, I was surprised to discover I was able to catch on pretty easily (well, if you ignore that first little nose-dive, right under the chair lift, on my first run down). I cought use my back edge comfortably and stop without a problem, but I would get scared if I started to go too fast and found it really difficult to use my front edge (to stop facing the top of the hill or turn right, for example). For snowboarding, it's actually easier to practice on a littel steeper of a hill and the snow was in brilliant condition, so I spent most of the afternoon practicing anyways, and was doing 360 degree turns on the way down by the end. I'm still not totally ready for jumps and would prefer to stick to the medium-level hills (vs. black diamonds), but now I'm really eager to go again and would love to try to give the Nagano planning another shot! It might not happen this year, but I will definitely be back on the slope within the next year (says the girl who likes to ski)!
I was on the slopes from about 7:30am to 3pm, which is not a bad day, but had to get back to catch the bus at 3:15. As usual (for Japan, anyways), we pulled off in perfect timing and arrived back in Osaka around 9pm. The pain didn't hit until the next day (my arms were killing me the next morning, possibly from balancing?) so I just relaxed on the ride, watching the white landscapes at first, sleeping for most of it and reading here and there.
Excellent afternoon, slightly expensive weekend, but definiately the quench-your-thirst-for-snow, rewarding weekend that I have been looking for! Ahhh.

Happy St. Valentines :)

Ok, so Christmas is a romantic holiday here where men are supposed to get that special woman in their lives a cake. Next month comes White Day, when men give women chocolate...

and in the middle of these chivalrous, romantic holidays? VALENTINES DAY!

Yes, we still celebrate the holiday here, but in Japan, it's a bit different. Girls/women/wives/daughters/sisters/female friends/girlfriends give the men in their lives chocolate. Most women actually make this special "choko" (my students do & trust me, it's delicious...basically homemade fudge!), but there are actually two main categories of chocolate: tomo-choko and giri-giri choko. The first is for "tomodachi" or friends (platanic) while the second is obligatory choclate (for the special men in your life). I have given and gotten both :)

Anyways, I spent this Valentines day relaxing and enjoying champagne with my friends Tam and Clayton, which was a pretty fun night. They celerated the week before in Tokyo and we had the champagne left over from Tam's birthday... so yes, it was me and the couple. I also got some cute cards from my students (half of which read, "give me chocolate!!") and one of which almost made me cry at work. It was written in Japanese (because "English is difficult and [the student] wanted to get his point across") and basically a very sincere thank you card from one of my favorite kids. He said that he never would have gotten as much out of class without my knowledge of the Japanese culture, cultural differences and really caring and understanding the kids. I was a littel shocked to read that part. Saying that I have an advantage over someone else in this culture because I understand the culturual differences and really see and understand Japanese culture... IN JAPAN? I guess it goes to show I really have come a long way.

Anyways, I hope all of you had a beautiful day, no matter who it was spent with or where it was spent... happy Valentines Day 2008! xo, Bren

Commercial Joy

We are reaching the end of our textbook and the second to last lesson is on Television. Considering I only really watch TV shows on DVD or YouTube these days, I might not be the best person to consult on what is hot and what's not on the TV homefront... but I think it went alright.

For this lesson, we decided to show different commercials and have the kids vote on their favorite one. I thought I'd post them here, too, and see what you guys thought. In the end, the diamond ads (with shadows) and Honda tied for the best commercial, with most of the votes for Honda coming from males and the diamonds coming from girls... guess these companies know their marketing!

Enjoy:

1. FedEx Commercial with Burt Reynolds (best commercial); 45 sec


2. McDonalds Dance Commercial; 20 sec


3. Gap – Audrey Hepburn; 1:03


4. DeBeers Shadow Commercial; 29 sec


5. Romantic Debeers – Christmas Morning; 29 sec


6. Honda – Parts Ad; 2:00


7.Coke Ad; 1:02

Girl's Night with Chef Emmy - Chinese New Year Special!

On Tuesday, Kelly and I had dinner at my friend Emerald's house in Kakogawa. The girl grew up in Taiwan, but you would never know it when you meet her - she moved to Canada at 16. It was a fun night of girl talk and hanging out and Emerald is a fabulous cook... if someone tells you their ambitions are to open a restaurants (and that a member of their immediate family is a famous food critic with seven published books)... take them up on their dinner offer! Talent.

What do you eat for Chinese New Year (or when working with food in Japan)? Here's a peek at the dinner... it was SO good!

Grilled diakon (Japanese radish) cakes with a tangy brown sauce from Taiwan

Pickled radish (made mostly with vinegar)

This was like Chinese bruschetta

Chai tea bought in India, with extra spices (tea bags are easy to find here for loose leaf tea)

The weekend goes on...sanrenkyu (three day holiday)...!

Monday was National Foundation Day, a national holiday, so I chose to spend the day outside, with nature; a very therapeutic and enjoyable way to take advantage of the extra time.

I met Isaac, my friend's brother, in Kyoto early in the afternoon on Monday near Gosho, or the Imperial Palace. He arrived holding his bike and one that he had borrowed from a colleague for the day (excellent mode of transportation for Kyoto!!) and we quickly did our little introductions and rode our way over to the Higashiyama (eastern) part of town. Isaac had picked out a hike on the "大" mountain, which starts at the Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), goes over the mountain, through the forest and a small "secret" shrine, and pretty much comes back out at Nanzenji (another famous temple about 2km away). The mountain, Mt. Daimonji-yama, is famous for a large, Chinese character (大, called "dai") that is carved into the slope of the mountain and lit up with torches once a year during the Bon Festival season (Aug 16th). The mountain is considered a symbol of Kyoto, so actually getting to go up to the top of the mountain was pretty exciting.
We started the day with a visit to the silver pavilion. Unlike the Golden Pavilion, it was never plated in silver as originally intended, but the luscious, forest-encircled grounds and large zen rock garden (basically raked sand) still made it a very impressive site. I am still not sure what the significance of the sand is (I've heard this garden is supposed to represent a mountain and the sea), but I think the Zen aspect has more to do with the actual raking than viewing it afterwards.
As usual, admission to the temple is ￥500, which is not too much for such a romantic historical relic, and I think totally worth it. Here are some shots of the sand and pavilion:







Hiking Mt. Daimonji-yama
After the temple, we found the stone torii (shinto gate) on the side of the temple that marked the start of our hiking path and headed up for the woods. The entire hike was only 5km (and takes about 2 hours at a normal pace), but it was really peaceful and so refreshing to just be in the woods. The paths were lined with a light layer of snow, which made them a bit muddy, but it was still fun and exciting to see the wide paths amidst the large, looming pines.
After about half an hour, we reached the spot where they light the character. We followed little sets of stone stones and I knew we were in the opening, but you can't really tell that you're walking through a shape when you're actually there. There were a few families around and other hikers enjoying the view of Kyoto, which really was stunning. You can see the city from Kiyomizu Temple and other peaks, but the view really was unparalleled with anything else I have seen and isn't too hard of a hike for people that are just visiting but want to check out the hills. All along the area were stone/cement blocks that are used to hold the torches that light-up the character in flames. We joined in with the groups and stopped to just admire the scenery for a bit before deciding that we should keep going if we wanted to make it over the top and down to Nanzenji before nightfall (the paths aren't lit - not somewhere you want to get stuck in the dark!).
Isaac and I were just chatting and walking along, and I was really impressed by how energetic and friendly the other hikers were. I don't think we saw any other foreigners on our route after going up past the lookout where they light the character, but everyone else made a point of saying konichiwa and many of them were alone. That is not always common in Japan, and from what Isaac said, not at all for Kyoto... but I guess it was sort of like a hiker's community in a sense. People out doing what they like to do and being happy about it:)
We walked upwards for another half-an-hour or so. As we reached the top of the mountain, we were stopped by an older Japanese man who asked if we knew where we were going. We were obviously hiking on a set path, in the middle of the forest (and had a hiking guidebook), but this is not totally uncommon from people who want to help out the local tourists and/or like to practice English. It can be kind of people, yes, but I honestly know better than engaging in conversation when don't have a lot of time and really don't need help (because it can turn into a one or two hour session together if they do want to practice English), but I talked to him anyways and it led to us following up him up the path. I was a little worried he would play tour guide the whole time and we wouldn't be able to really look at the scenery or talk, but the man turned out to be a really amazing hiker (I think we were scrambling a bit to keep up with him and he whisked through the mud) and actually was really helpful in showing us the marker for the very top of the mountain. We went seperate ways at the top, as Isaac and I circled around to the other side of the mountain and the man went a different way.
The rest of the hike seemed to be downhill and was pretty, with more tall pines, like something out of a romanticized cartoon about Japanese nature (hello, Ghible) . We stopped for a snack when we reached "seven corners", a secluded point with seven intersecting paths and a bench to sit and reflect. The signs marking the paths were something out of a Disney park, old signs pointing in seven different directions, etched with kanji describing each route...luckily our hiking guide was detailed enough to tell us which way to go... so we headed off. The sun was setting, but we still had a while, so we stopped at a small shrine nestled between the trees. I drank some of the spring water flowing down from a natural tap in the hillside and we climbed to the top of the area to check out the stream and small shrines tucked into the stone of the hills. I also found a hiking stick on the way back down (it was an actual stick, but someone else must have used it on a previous hike) that I grabbed and used for the remainder of our trip.
After about 20 more minutes of walking, we reached the backside of Nanzenji Temple. If you have never seen it, you should definitely go: it's like nothing else I have seen in Kyoto primarily because of the huge, red-brick, Spanish-style aqueduct running through the middle of it. It looks more like train tracks at first glance, but does not fit into the surroundings. I have been to the temple twice before, and it was but have never made it to the Japanese garden there, which is said to be one of the most beautiful in Japan (not just in the guidebooks, but also from people that live here).
We walked past the Nanzenji temples and water canals and out onto the main street, where we found our bearings and headed back to where we had parked the bikes (about a 2km walk). I had to stop at a bathroom so we popped into the Kyoto International Association on the way, a beautiful, modern building catering to services for foreigners. The place was beautiful... it looked like one of the five-star hotels in the area (and I have no doubt that the free language classes in such a college town attract some awesome Japanese teachers). When we reached the bikes, parked along the tree-lined streams on the "Philosopher's Path" near Ginkakuji, we decided to go grab a bite for dinner (great Thai place near Gosho!) before I had to make the long journey home. A friend of mine's band was also playing close to where we had to bring the bikes back, too, but I didn't want to play the cover for a late concert and needed to get home (work night!).

Great day! I picked up a copy of the hiking guide we used, so I am hoping to get out around my area a bit more... excellent way to spend an afternoon and you can forget how pretty it is :)

National Foundation Day Holiday Weekend (三連きゅ) - Sat & Sun

Hey everyone! I'm currently feeling pretty exhausted after my "relaxing", long weekend (ironic, no?) but I can say I had a fabulous time...

Chillaxing (saturday.)

I will admit that I have a tendency to try/want to do as much as I possibly can at times (life is short!), but I think I am finally learning the benefits of just taking it easy and taking a day off. Spent Saturday inside, relaxing. Just me, just time off, just relaxing... it's actually pretty nice. Go figure.

To my surprise, my muscles weren't actually sore from the long run on Friday at all, but my body just needed rest afterwards. I could have slept late into the afternoon on Saturday, but got up when I got a text message from a friend, telling me to look out the window. I looked out to discover a heavy snowstorm (heavy in relative terms, but still a lot of white!). The snow didn't settle where I live, but there were patches along the tracks all the way to Osaka when I went there later on Saturday night (ok, so I cut the relaxing time a little short) and the Kyoto trails were lined with a blanket of white when I went hiking on Sunday. There is just something romantic (natsukashii tabun?) about seeing thick flakes and a fresh snowfall... I really miss it sometimes, but I will admit it's also nice to get relief from the ice and months of slush and mud.

But back to Saturday afternoon.... After just reading, writing and taking catnaps most of the day, I ventured out on the last train to Osaka on Saturday night to visit two old girlfriends who I was close with when I first moved to Japan, but who I rarely see these days. One of them used to live close to where I work, but quit her job to move to Osaka and pursue bartending in the Shinsaibashi club scene. I've vowed to go visit her more this year, but things can get busy or there are other adventures I seem to find (or people I need to see) once I make it over to Osaka, so I hadn't actually made great on that promise up until now. I am trying not take those kinds of friends for granted so much... it's like a New Year's Resolution in a way.

Coyote Ugly, Osaka Edition

I know the thought of moving to Osaka without a job or apartment sounds risky, and it was tough for this friend at first (reminiscent of Coyote Ugly, actually), but she's been doing really well lately and just started managing the place she works at (not bad for a foreigner and especially a woman!). Her apartment is also in a killer location (the address literally doesn't have numbers because it's one of the only apartment buildings in such a central area of Osaka) and her workplace attracts a lot of regulars, which can be fun.

When I arrived in Umeda (central Osaka), I barely made the last subway to Shinsaibashi. Some friends were out in Umeda so I was possibly going to stop by to see the on my way, but it was too late. I made it to the bar, though, left my stuff behind the bar, and realized the girl I came to hang out with (the one not behind the bar) was on her way out to a private party. I wanted to stick around for a while since I had just arrived and ended up making a whole new group of friends from Australia. The guys in the group were really funny and wanted to go to this club named Pure. It had a cheap cover and good DJ (I am sure I've written about it before), but the crowd it attracts is questionable at times, so I was reluctant. We ended up going to a different club instead, just sitting around with a cocktail and then hit the karaoke cafe for a few hours of singing (again, totally new group of friends... so random... but I was all over the karaoke) before coming back to find my bartender friend as her shift ended. I ran into a big group of my friends from Kobe on the backstreets of Osaka in the middle of the night, too (recognized one of the girls from her bright pink tights - go figure).... it really can be a small world.

After that, my friend and I made our way back to her apartment and talked for a while before drifting off to sleep. We slept in the next day and ate lunch at an Indian/Nepalese place across the street from her house. I love the lunch sets in Japan... it still wasn't cheap food compared to India, but the curry and nan (bread) was delicious and I can't complain about trying three kinds of curry and getting a lassi (sort of a yoghurt-type drink) for less than $10.

Chinese New Year and Hitting the Ice

I could have stuck around for the rest of the day, but I left the other two girls after lunch to meet up with April, my best friend's college friend who lives in Osaka and whom I have been hanging out with a bit more this year. She is from my state in the US, loves travel, too, and runs the Charity gigs for Osaka, so it's fun to hear what she is planning and always a little adventure hanging out with her... fun girl.

It took me a while to get there, but I met April, her hilarious friend Giovanni (met him at our Kobe charity event) and a group of their Japanese friends from Osaka at the skating rink on Port Island in Kobe. I had tried to wrangle up a group to go to Nagano earlier in the week under the premise that I was getting "snowsick" (homesick to see snow), but just setting foot on the ice definitely brought a smile to my face. The rink is part of a city-owned sports complex on the man-made island in Kobe. It was nice (if not pretty standard for you would expect at home), but a bit expensive once you added up the rink fee, skate rental and mandatory hot chocolate (it's Japan...). Totally worth it, though. I was craving real winter weather and the ice brought me back.

We spent a few hours twirling around the rink, passing couples and small children, as we made every effort not to fall. I took ice skating classes for a few years when I was a kid and have spent a lot of time on the ice through other ventures, but I was definitely rusty and just glad that I was able to leave without a wet bottom!

When the Zamboni came out, we took one last lap and took off for the Portliner (train that goes to Port Island). We headed back into Kobe and made our way over to Kobe's Chinatown for the Chinese New Year festivities!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!

When we hit Chinatown, I have to admit, my first impression was one of slight shock. I have been there many, many times, but have never seen the place so packed! The usual food stands had multiplied two-fold, now flowing out past the large Chinese entrance gate and there was hardly enough room to move down the road.... forget moving against traffic and good luck stopping to wait for any of that food! The atmosphere was actually pretty energetic and the large, bright, crescent moon looming over the narrow alleyway (lined with small shops and strings of big, red Chinese lanterns) gave me the sensation of walking down the middle of a Van Gogh painting. It really did capture the feel of the famous Paris cafe pic. The photos I took don't do it justice....

There was a free acrobat show at 6pm, but we had spent a little too much time frolicking on the ice to make it in time. Instead of rushing to catch the end, we leisurely strolled through the food stands and crowds, making it to the main square (open area marked with a pagoda) in time for the dragon parade/dance at 7pm. I have to admit, I spent three weeks in Shanghai during Chinese new year in January 2004 (spectacular experience... the fireworks were endless for over a week... literally all through the night), but this was my first dragon show and I was pretty excited about it. The crowd-control police, yielding megaphones and whistles, wouldn't let anyone stop to watch (which seemed slightly stupid considering the crowds were there for the show), so we circled the area and sort of just watched the dragons jump for a while. I tried a pork sandwich I have been curious about before, but otherwise, the food was pretty standard for Chinatown (a lot of fried chicken, noodles and dumplings).

The rest of the group was going to continue with the ice theme and take a cable car to the top of Mt. Rokko (mountain chains cradling Kobe) to see the "Kobe million dollar night view" and check out the ice sculptures at the top, but I was still tired from the previous night's adventures, so I opted to say my goodbyes, run a few small errands in Kobe and head home to sleep.

Saturday morning. Finished the 35k!

I got up a lot earlier than I had expected to this morning, but I think I am going back to bed to get some sleep.  I was up until past 3 last night... but for a really good reason.  I did my second long run!

After doing three hours (25k?) last weekend, we ventured out for the next long training run on Friday night.  Well, today I'm feeling fine (not sore) and I would say we faired pretty well.  We finished doing over 4 hours (not including breaks); I am guessing somewhere around 35k.  That's only 7k away from the full marathon!

We have started to run on Friday nights, along the Shinkansen tracks (elevated bullet train tracks - lit path!) because the weekend weather has recently been questionable, and because it is nice to get the long run done for the weekend.  With a straight, lit path, the cool evening weather and lack of foot traffic, it actually does make for a fantastic route and a good wind-down from the week.  

Last night we ran from my house to my school in Takasago, around town a bit, down the river to Kakogawa (stopped in the Secret Tree Bar to see if our friend Leanne was there on the way...haha), back towards the water and along the MeikiKansen (highway) for a bit, before re-joining the Shinkansen tracks and following them home.  We didn't actually start out until around 8pm, which means we were running until after 12:30 (stopping twice for Aquarius, an energy drink, and some food half-way), but with talking, I honestly sometimes forgot I was even moving.  

I did feel my knees at the very end, but I was wearing my new running shoes and it's no surprise that so much impact on the pavement is going to affect you.  I think we have a good pace now, though.  There are only three more weekends until the race, so the plan is to do one more long run next weekend, possibly to Akashi and back, and then start to wind down the training (you almost stop running at all 2 weeks before raceday).  I think this is going to be the last weekend I will allow myself to drink, too, but I can definitely feel my body getting stronger, again.  

We're totally going to do this marathon - YES.WE.CAN ;-)

YES WE CAN!

Whether you are an Obama supporter or not, it's hard to deny that this is beautiful.  Forget Camelot, this definitely brings back memories of Dr. King.  

Amazing that this was created in only 3 days.  Passion makes it happen, ne? Thank you to LK for bringing this to my attention :)

Here is a little background on the inspiration for the song, by Wil.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas

I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates... Torn between the candidates I was never really big on politics... and actually I'm still not big on politics... but 4 years ago, me and the black eyed peas supported Kerry... And we supported Kerry with all our might... We performed and performed and performed for the DNC... doing all we could do to get the youth involved...  The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me... on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful, corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and "politics" are...  So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early...  And i found myself torn... because this time it's not that simple... our choices aren't as clear as the last elections ... last time it was so obvious... Bush and war vs. no bush and no war...  But this time it's not that simple... and there are a lot of people that are torn just like i am... So for awhile I put it off and i was going to wait until it was decided for me...  And then came New Hampshire... And i was captivated... Inspired... (read the rest)

For those of you in Sapporo this weekend...

enjoy the Snow Festival, you lucky jerks! Kidding, kidding... I went last year and opted not to go again. Now that such a large contingency of awesome people (who also like the slopes) are there - and the thought of seeing a white winter has become particularly appealing to me right now! - I do, HOWEVER, have to admit the trip does seem a lot sweeter.  Hope everyone enjoys!

Anyways, on the topic of being in Sapporo (Hokkaido), the northern island, I just wanted to mention that if you ever make it there (or are going this weekend), you should definitely check out the Ainu museum! The Ainu people are an indigenous group in northern Japan (pop. 24,000) and arguably the natives of Japan.  To give some perspective, you could probably best draw comparisons between the Ainu struggles and history and that of various Native American tribes in the states.  Otherwise, I would say their situation closely reflects that of the Sami people in Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia (sometimes referred to as "Lappland").

We learn do much about Samurai, eras in Japanese history and the war in Japan... but I rarely hear much about the Ainu and thought it might be worth bringing up.  Someone just sent me a link to a page on the human rights of indigenous peoples, and I guess I was inspired.

On one last, random note, I should also add that this past Wednesday, February 6th, was the Sami Independence Day ("National Day") in Norway.  Gratulerer med dagen!

Enjoy the long weekend and safe travels to the many people leaving town (esp those of you hitting the slopes for the first time ever!!).  Cheers!

Slow Fridays and a 35k...tonight!

It's Friday again and things are going well with me. I've been feeling a bit bored this week, but I think it has a lot to do with my current mindset.  Some of my close friends will be leaving Japan very soon, which can already be a hard thing in itself, but I also feel like they are beginning the process of mentally checking-out (or at least thinking beyond being here) and it's making me think differently, too, to a smaller extent. I still have some time left in Japan, as well as a lot of experiences to squeeze outta this place before I go, so I am trying to not let it affect me... 

Work today is going slow, too. I am trying to do a lot more correcting, write an essay and was going to do a presentation on India, but due to some computer problems, we did a fun intro about Valentines Day (coming up soon...yowzas).

I think I just need to run.  It's my meditation.  And speaking of which...

My friend Lena and I are doing our first 35k run tonight (did 25k last weekend) in prep. for the marathon next month. I was just writing an email to my friend Claire about how hard it is to believe it's been a YEAR since she and Kristin came to visit (the last time I was doing these long runs).  I'm a little nervous, but also excited... if we finish tonight, we can definitely handle 42k.

I was going to try to go to Nagano this weekend, but I'm going to stay local and might go skiing or ice skating on Saturday. There is no snow where I life, but the white-capped mountains aren't too far away, so it's tempting. I'm also going hiking with my friend's brother (from MN) that lives in Kyoto on Monday, as well, so at least there will be a lot of physical activity. I have never met the guy I am going hiking with, but I was really close with his sister (and even their parents) in high school and - ironically enough - it was through his family (who lived in Japan for 10 years) that I first generated an interest in Japan.  It was later, when I went on an economics study trip to China, that I fell in love with the place myself - but this family definitely had an impact. I'm looking forward to it.

I am going to get going, but wish me luck on the run tonight and hope you all have a nice Friday afternoon.  TGIF!

Super Tuesday & the Political Low-down

I think I might be a little too excited about talking to my class about the election today... it's SUPER TUESDAY (well, in America) and things are heating up. C'mon! Aren't you excited?

I like politics, but I try not to get too worked up at school (save that for certain friends and often reading the news). When I discovered only two (out of a class of 40) students knew who Hillary Clinton was two weeks ago, however, I decided I needed to do something or at least teach them a little about current events in America. Today's goal is to just introduce the major candidates, talk about Republicans and Democrats and explain that this is an election year. Still, it's making me practically giddy.

Speaking of These Kids...
I have gotten really comfortable with my second year class and am starting to realize what a good vibe/rapport we have. Last week, they were really talking and sharing opinions in our small discussion group (10 kids with me, 10 with another teacher). That is not always common in Japan, especially at a medium-level high school. We were discussing manners and ettiquete and I told them my story about using the phone on the train (where some random guy told me it was prohibited). We took a vote to see who thought foreigners should be expected to know all the "rules" in Japan, and who thought they should be excused... and then discussed why. It was pretty awesome.

The Changes are Coming
I guess it's also hitting me how much I am really not looking forward to the school year ending next month. The third-year students finished class last week, so the school is already down a third of the student body and will soon get new students for orientation, etc. I'm especially going to miss my time with one class (see them about 4 times a week right now and sometimes get to lead reading - and soon writing - classes pretty much on my own). On the topic of the new yeart and transition, one of my favorite co-workers also told me yesterday that this is his last week at our school. He's going to leave 2 months early to get his motorcycle license and go to Europe for a while. It's starting... :-o

Anyways, I guess that is just life, right? Or life in Japan. Or life at a public school. Or all of the above?! But I've just got to deal.

I could go on for a while, but I'll just stop here, go prep for my politics intro a bit more and leave you with a funny conversation about the class I just mentioned (2の1 rockstars). Maybe you had to be there, but hope you enjoy:

(after a slow class where the kids weren't working as hard on pronunciation this morning...)

森先生：　　We have a proverb in Japan that says you can lead the cattle to the river, but you can't make them drink the water.

ブレンダ（私）：　Haha. What are you implying, Mori Sensei?

森先生：　　I think you know.

ブレンダ（私）：　　Yeah, and I thought I wasn't a morning person. That is why I like these people. :)

Random - Skogfjorden paa NRK

Fikk en obs om denne og syntes det var egentlig veldig koselig. Check it out: Tove snakker om Skogfjorden pa NRK. Kos dere (og takk til Randi)!

http://www.nrk.no/programmer/sider/spraakteigen/

Velg under "nettradio" sendinga fra 04.02.08. Tove er gjest #2 på .

Kasuga Shrine and Lantern Festival...shucks

As I was writing about Setsubon, I just realized that the Kasuga Shrine Lantern festival in Nara was probably this weekend. Crap! I hate when this happens... I really wanted to go and was so close! The festival is held twice a year (during Setsubon and Obon), so I might have one more chance to check it out.

As you know, Nara is the ancient capital of Japan and is scattered with UNESCO World Heritage Site-yielding temples, pagodas and shrines. It's a very romantic place and I recommend going if you come to Japan, even as a day/morning trip from Kyoto.

So Kasuga is one of these amazing shrines, set deep in the city's ancient forest. It has beautiful, traditional stone lantern-lined paths leading up to it, and the priests actually light all the lanterns (hundreds of them!) twice a year. I've only been to the shrine once, but it struck me as very mystical, maybe even magical - like something out of a Ghible movie. I've wanted to see the festival since I first went to the shrine, shortly after arriving in Japan, so hopefully I'll make it to see the lanterns someday. I have a feeling it'd be worth it! Either way, big FYI if you're ever in Japan in February or August!

Secrets of a Beautiful Woman

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote
when asked to share her 'beauty tips.'

It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips , speak words of kindness...

For lovely eyes , seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure , share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair , let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise , walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone...

People,even more than things, have to be restored,

renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;

never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,

you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands;

one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

A friend of mine sent this on &
I thought I should share

with the beautiful women that I know occasionally read this.

Hope you liked it as much as I did :)

The Weekend Review - Happy Setsubon!

Hey everyone! First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of you that have responded to the charity... already! I have already met my fundraising goal and am excited about all the of the support we're going to be giving to PEPY Ride. Again, this is a charity I trust and a vision I believe in, so more donations are always welcome... it goes to a good cause (and you get your name on a marathon t-shirt, which is pretty cool if you ask me).

Well, the weekend was fun, but I hardly know where it went! I wasn't feeling well on Friday and had to take it easy at work. Don't worry... I really don't think it was the gyoza and I got better pretty quickly. In fact, Lena (a good friend in Japan, originally from Oregon and my running buddy) and I managed our first long run, which was a little over a half marathon (20 something kilometers) and about 3 hours. I felt really good afterwards and could even bike over an hour (round trip) the next day without pain. As long as we can make the time limits, we should be able to finish this marathon!

Girl's Day
On Saturday, I saw my old ladies in the afternoon and my midwest-girls, Shannon and Brianne, threw me a fun, little birthday dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Kobe at night. I've been wanting to check it out for a while (same chain, but it's more expensive than America here...and no unlimited salad). We were going to go ice skating or to see a movie, as well, but ended up just spending the night talking, laughing and playing Apples-to-Apples (with the waiters and a wine bottle). It was a blast... but I am still not sure how the wine bottle won the game(?!) but definitely a birthday I will remember.

Art in Osaka
A few months ago, I discovered a major museum that had slipped under my radar all this time: the National Museum of Art in Osaka (!!). I finally got to check it out on Sunday. The building itself, mostly underground with a giant glass and metal pole structure to mark its location, was very modern. Themuseum, also located right next to the Science Museum, was showing peices from their permanent collection (400 or so works from a collection of over 5,700) for the 30th Anniversary special exhibition. I had a good time and discovered some Japanese artists I wouldn't mind looking up more on (especially considering I know next to nothing about Japanese painters).

Between the fun dinner on Saturday, a visit to the National Museum of Art in Osaka and Taco Night at my friend Shag's house on Sunday (the food is always amazing and this time the night included watching Mean Girls and 30 Rock), it was a splendid weekend, indeed.

Setsubon
But before I forget, happy Setsubon! Sunday (Feb 3) was also Setsubon, or the holiday to mark a change in the seasons (not just winter ending, but traditionally a change in any season...). Spring setsubon was originally held on different dates (based on the weather?), but is now held on a certain day (usually Feb 3/4) according to the lunar calendar. The spring setsubon is characterized by a ritual to cleanse away the evil of the former year and drive out bad spirits, sort of like a New Years. When I saw my old ladies on Saturday, one of them gave me red and blue origami oni (devil figures), a symbol of the holiday. Other traditions include throwing soy beans (same number as your age) to drive away demons and eating makizushi (very long, hand-rolled sushi). You are supposed to eat the sushi facing south-east, but I still haven't figured out a reason for that one. We saw the sushi all over the place in Osaka , long rolls (not cut up), as we were going to and from the museum, so I am sure a lot of people follow the tradition. The sushi wasn't cheap for what it was, but I guess people will pay the price for tradition.... even I almost spent about $350 on half a roll to try it... decided to get something else (but did get the beans).

Anyways, that's about it for me. It's Monday and I have stuff to do, so I should go, but I hope the weekend has treated all of you well.

By the way... I've been thinking of t-shirt design ideas for Team PEPY, so I'll put up a picture once I make a decision :) It might be best to do a screen print... and the team is growing!

Matta ne!

Friday Bug

Ironically, I am not feeling well and think I am going home early from work today. Still don't think it was the gyoza, though. A lot of people have been getting the flu lately, so I'm just playing it safe.

This has been a strange week, but I am really looking forward to the weekend, especially a fun date afternoon on Sunday at the museum.

More soon! TGIF.

If you don't hear from me soon...

I am either busy (most probable), being lazy (possible), trying to get my broken cell phone worked out (grr) or, well, recovering from food poisoning ala poisonous frozen dumplings.

There have recently been reports of a number of people falling ill from eating frozen chinese dumplings, called gyoza.  This includes people in my prefecture... and guess what I had as a snack last night?!  From what I understand, the gyoza were manufactured in China and somehow became contaminated with an insecticide.

I feel fine and I am just going to assume I was not actually affected by this, but looks like it's time to clean out the fridge.  Geez!